Gina Speed
You don’t have to be a regular AirBnb hostess to keep your home ready for guests. Use our hygge hostess tips to make visitors feel at home with minimal effort. The trick is to keep things cozy and simple. A few personal touches go a long way to making friends and family feel right at home.
Hygge Hostess Bare Necessities
If you’re new to hygge, be sure to check out our first hygge article and learn about the Danish concept (and pronunciation!). A proper hygge hostess understands that the lifestyle is more of a mindset and is quite simple to implement at home. Keep a tea kettle close by and a few choices of brewed beverages and you’re ready for cozy conversations. Having friends over for afternoon tea does much to enrich both of your souls.
Fresh Foliage
You don’t need a romantic beau to keep fresh flowers on hand. A few sprigs from a nature walk is all the decor a hygge hostess needs. Give yourself an excuse to go to the local farmer’s market and treat yourself to a weekly bunch. Separate a few stems out and brighten your neighbor’s day. Thoughtfulness is an instant mood-lifter and flowers don’t need to be grand to cheer up a room. Fresh yellow flowers can even promote healthy living if you’re a believer in Feng Shui.
Casual Dining
To bring in the spirit of hygge, add a little baking to your daily routine. Guests absolutely love helping any hygge hostess with the baking process. Don’t feel like you need to stress to prepare anything in advance. Make an easy recipe that will keep your hands busy while you visit and catch up. Who doesn’t love a fresh batch of whatever straight out of the oven, anyway? Total “fruits of your labors” and warms the house up literally and figuratively.
Guest Bedroom Essentials
For the guest bedroom, we suggest you keep things simple and thoughtful. Although a hygge hostess sticks to the bare necessities, it doesn’t mean they scrap on quality! Consider pampering overnight guests with quality linen bedding that is guaranteed to keep them at the right temperature. Guests generally don’t need a lot of fuss; just extra bathroom gear and the wifi password will suffice.
Guest Bathroom
Speaking of bathroom gear, this is a place where you can pamper your friends and family and make them feel extra special. Hospitality is the name of the hygge hostess game and fresh flowers and extra washcloths go a long way. Include a few dark washcloths and a favorite skincare oil (for removing makeup) as well. Make a little tray of all of the items you would pack in your toiletry bag for vacation. An extra hairdryer and flat iron will be more appreciated than you might guess!
Entertaining Made Easy
The essence of hygge is slowing things down and giving people a little bit of your quality time. Entertaining is easy for a hygge hostess and gets an extra touch of joy from music. Keep your cd or record collection handy and have fun rummaging through the hits. Let your guest pick the music—if it’s in your collection you will probably enjoy whatever suits their fancy.
No Mess/ No Fuss
The trick to keeping happy during the winter months is to host little get-togethers throughout the month. There should never be undue stress placed on a hygge hostess. Include your friends and family in your daily living and look for little ways to splurge on them. An extra serving of herbal tea or special local honey is all it takes to make a person feel warm and welcome.