Copenhagen is THE place to move to thanks to its cosy 'Hygge' lifestyle
Millennials are moving to Denmark in search of Hygge. Here's how to get some for yourself without a passport
Copenhagen, Denmark's super sophisticated capital city is crammed with culture, calm, and the all important lifestyle trend 'cosy'. Better known to the Danes as 'Hygge' it seems to be the reason us Brits want to up-sticks from boring and Blighty and move to the Scandinavian hotspot. Well, most millennials do anyway, that is according to data just revealed by MoveHub.
The international moving advice website has found that emigrating to Copenhagen is up 580% from last year and online searches for ‘moving to Denmark' are also up 237% during this Hygge craze and Denmark climbing the ranks to be one of the top 30 most popular countries to relocate to.
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Unless you've been living under a rock for the last year you'll probably be familiar with the buzz word Hygge. But just in case we'll give you a quick definition: pronounced "hoo-guh", it doesn't have an exact English translation but essentially means cosiness and a feeling of contentment. This can be achieved in a number of ways, from home decorating to how a person lives in a certain way, for instance wearing simple yet stylish and comfortable clothes or drinking warming beverages from over-sized mugs whilst curled up in front of a roaring fire wearing a pair of soft reindeer skin slippers (OK we mock slightly).
What is Hygge? Here are 10 ways to embrace the cosy Danish concept sweeping the world
This new research is part of MoveHub’s 2017 Global Moving Trends report which analysed data from over 350,000 moving inquiries between 1st April 2016 and 1st April 2017 to find the most popular destination for expat millennials, families and retirees. It also shows an increasingly relaxed attitude to international moves from millennials who are happy to up sticks and try life in a new country based on social media fads.
Emma Leigh Morgan, who oversees the MoveHub.com website comments: “We have seen a much more relaxed attitude to moving in young people over the years. Unlike the time when an international move involved years of planning and logistical nightmares, now you can decide to move, research your destination, ship your goods and get all the documentation you need in a matter of days. She continues, “This is not the first time we have seen a trend impact moving, last year the new series of Game of Thrones triggered an instant rise in requests to move to Iceland where it was shot!”
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If like the rest of us you are happy on home turf but are wondering what all the Hygge fuss is about, here's three ways to get some for yourselves, at home:
- Get candles and soft lighting - it's all about ambience
- Keep your backdrop simple - warm neutral colour palette is best
- Add texture- think chunky knit cushions, faux fur throws and soft woollen rug
Go Dutch: Introducing ‘Gezellig’, the Dutch equivalent of ‘Hygge’
From the sounds of this we can't wait to get down with the kids to cool Copenhagen- Danish pastry by the fire anyone?
Rachel Homer has been in the interiors publishing industry for over 15 years. Starting as a Style Assistant on Inspirations Magazine, she has since worked for some of the UK’s leading interiors magazines and websites. After starting a family, she moved from being a content editor at Idealhome.co.uk to be a digital freelancer and hasn’t looked back.
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