10 Ways to Create Hygge in Summer

I’m a big fan of the concept of hygge. It’s a Swedish word that doesn’t translate exactly into English but roughly means ‘cosy feeling’. There is lots of information about how to incorporate hygge into your home but it mostly has an autumn/winter feel to it as it’s all about cosying up against the chill outside and seems to include candles, blankets and hot chocolate. But I believe there is more to hygge than that. It’s about a feeling. It’s slowing down and appreciating that feeling in the moment, and that can be done all year round. So, in this post I’ve decided to share 10 things we do that give us that cosy hygge feeling in Summer.

1. Eating outside 

Eating outside is wonderful at any time of day. As a family, having breakfast outside together in the summer creates a cosy feeling for me, but sharing an evening meal with friends is the most hygge experience I had last year. In-between lockdowns last year there was a period when you could have people in your garden, and after four months apart we started welcoming our friends in for dinner. We picked a cuisine and everyone made a dish to share. We laid the table outside with all our best tableware, glasses and napkins as well as lanterns to combat the oncoming evening, and big purple blankets to wrap around ourselves as the night cooled down.

Being able to see our favourite people after so long apart, to laugh and share stories and jokes was pure happiness and a highlight of my 33 years around the sun; a reminder that life really is about the ‘normal’ things and the little things in life are what make your heart full. This experience has made us vow to eat outside with friends more often and to ensure we go the extra mile and lay a beautiful table, hang lanterns or lights and provide our big winter blankets. We want to make as much of every day an experience as we can.

2. Firepit and marshmallows

We bought our firepit when we got our new home and though we only use it a few times a year (Summer uses hers weekly) it always gives me a cosy feeling inside. Sitting outside in the evening, watching the light fade as the sun goes down and seeing the bats come out really helps me slow down and reflect on the day. Add a few giant vegan marshmallows to a stick to toast and life feels pretty perfect.

3. Picnics

I’ve found that having a few go-to quick and easy recipes ensures you can get yourself all packed up with no fuss, and head out the door on your next adventure.

4. Rainy afternoon walks and a movie

Summers in England come with rain, that’s just something we all accept, and sometimes after weeks of hot weather, I find myself waiting for the thunderstorms so the hot sticky air will finally cool. When the rain starts I love to go for a walk in it. The children do too. After weeks of heat, for them to get to jump in puddles is a real treat to them. Last year after over three weeks of heat when the weather finally broke our friends sent us a photo of themselves outside dancing in the rain. Soon we were all at it, sending photos of our family dance parties in the rain. It was such a fun and refreshing experience. I recommend, once you have dried off, snuggling up on your sofa to enjoy a film you have seen many times before while the rain continues to patter on your windows.

5. Flowers and fruit

The title of this really says it all. Flowers and fruit are my favourite way to decorate our kitchen-dining space in the warmer months. Bright pops of colour from wild bouquets with poppies in or bright red bowls of fresh fruits, left out on the side to encourage people to eat them. Bouquets of wildflowers can be collected on family walks and popped into vases. My little ones adore doing this and love being involved in decorating the home. We are lucky enough to have a cherry tree in our back garden and a bowl of cherries brightens any work surface. I put bowls of strawberries, raspberries, and blackcurrants on the table. This looks seasonal and beautiful to me and also means I don’t get asked for snacks all day as little fingers can help themselves.

6. Farmers market and pick your own trips 

As you may have noticed we love food. We also love to know where our food comes from and to buy local and seasonal food. We aren’t perfect and I do go to bigger supermarkets but in the summer one of our favourite things to do as a family is to spend a whole morning at a farmer’s market or pick your own selecting food. Pick your owns are a great way to spend time as a family and show your children how food is grown and how to pick it, it also encourages them to eat it and to help you cook with it. I personally love getting lots of fresh fruits to make different jams, preferably enough to keep us going over the autumn and winter periods.

Farmers markets are the best way to get your hands on local and seasonal produce and again taking our children and asking them what they want to buy gets them involved. They get to choose a few things to take home with us and then help me use them in a meal. This gets wonderfully interesting when they pick something you wouldn’t normally use! A few months ago they both desperately wanted an aubergine, they even made up a little aubergine song that they sang all the way around the shop while cuddling their selected vegetable! This song is now a classic in our house and one of Summer’s favourites! I had previously only ever used aubergine in ratatouille but they weren’t keen on it so we created and made aubergine pasta together instead – this is now a firm favourite in our house and one we make together almost weekly. The aubergine is roasted with a few other veggies and blitzed to make a sauce. Let me know if you’d like a recipe, it’s a great way to get unusual vegetables into children.

7. Hanging washing on the washing line

Warm days with washing blowing on the line is pure bliss to me. Some people may think that makes me boring or old-fashioned but I absolutely love having empty washing baskets and seeing all the clothes billowing in the summer breeze.

I also recommend getting all your stained baby bibs out in the sunlight; they’ll look like new. Beautiful, old-fashioned, and useful; hang out your washing!  

8. Ice creams and paddling pools

9. Early morning grounding in the dew

Grounding (or earthing) is when you stand outside barefoot and connect with the Earth’s energies.  The Earth’s natural healing energies help with inflammation, stress and mood and improve your energy levels, blood flow, and sleep. It’s an easy thing to do each morning and gives you a chance at the beginning of each day to take a big breath and prepare mentally for the day ahead. This is also the time that I practice some personal gratitude. 

10. Summer pie/crumble

I love an autumn crumble with foraged apples and blackberries but I think it comes second to a homemade summer cherry pie! Deserts in summer tend to be on the lighter side due to the heat but a summer pie is worth a bit of overindulgent discomfort.

We like to serve our pie with big scoops of ice cream!

Hopefully, this post has shown you that hygge, the art of creating cosiness, can be incorporated into your life all year round. The most important part is to slow down enough to notice the moments and beauty when they happen and be present.

What does summer hygge mean to you? Will you be doing any of these over the summer months? We’d love to know, please leave us a comment below or tag us over on Instagram @foxandlockes.

Livvy and Summer