Autumn has well and truly arrived, the nights are drawing in, and we’re all preparing to spend more time indoors hibernating from the cold. Winter can be hard, with the freezing temperatures and shorter daylight hours, so it’s important to create cosiness where we can!
The Danish do this very well with hygge, but you don’t have to be Scandinavian to embrace this concept, which the Cambridge English Dictionary calls “a quality of cosiness… that comes from doing simple things such as lighting candles, baking, or spending time at home with your family”.
Whether it’s adding warm blankets and rugs to your home, becoming a houseplant parent, or lighting some candles, little things will go a long way to improving your well-being this winter. In this post, the Beagle team have rounded up some of the best ethical brands to help you do just that.
Just to let you know, this blog post contains affiliate links – so if you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission.
The most sustainable products are the ones that already exist, which is why we recommend considering pre-loved items to brighten and warm your home. Your local charity shops are a great option, as are resell sites like eBay and Vinted – but searching them all can take time.
Enter Rumage, which scours lots of second-hand websites to find you the best options. We found wool blankets for £10 and cushions for £4 – check them out and grab yourself a cosy bargain!
Wearth London sell a range of homewares that can add some cosiness to your home, and we recommend their colourful cushion covers to brighten up your sofa and provide some joy in the dark winter days. You might have heard of dopamine dressing – well, call this dopamine decorating. From a yellow Moroccan-influenced geometric design to a floral pattern influenced by Mughal courtyard gardens, there is something for every taste.
Wearth’s cushion covers will set you back between £30 to £40, but they cater to different budgets: you can also treat yourself to a stoneware clay mug for £25, or splash out on a warm bamboo bedding set for £145.
What better way to get that cosy, warm vibe than by lighting a candle? And if you can add some artistic flair to your home while doing it, even better! Forma sell a range of beautifully sculpted soy candles that mimic artistic carvings, hand-poured in their Cambridge studio and delivered in plastic-free packaging.
Prices range from £8 for a candle modelled on Michelangelo’s David to £30 for some of their bigger statement pieces. A warning, though: these are so beautiful, you’ll find it hard to light them!
Danish design is known for its structural minimalism with some bold pops of colour for fun. Broste deliver just that, with a homeware range including wool throws, bamboo lanterns (another way to add some flickering firelight to your home), and warm rugs to keep your toes toasty. We love their grown-up-yet-fun aesthetic.
Prices range from £15 for a new cloth napkin to over £1,000 for Broste’s sculptural furniture.
Natural textures are a great way to add warmth and personality to your home, and we recommend checking out Artisanne’s range of products based on traditional Senegalese basket-making. You could invest in a statement basket to hold your logs for those crackling winter fires, the smaller Alibaba basket for storing toiletries, or some placemats to soften and cosify your dinner table.
Prices range from £12 for some handwoven coasters up to £157 for the extra-large Alibaba basket, perfect for laundry or for storing blankets.
Being around plants improves our health and happiness, but it can be hard to get our fix of nature when it’s cold outside and the plants have retreated for the winter. A great way to get around this is by investing in the trend for houseplants (don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you’re also obliged to start wearing millennial pink and eating avocados).
Circular&Co sell a great range of plant pots in minimalist whites and greys to house your plant babies in style. The company is all about the circular economy, so they use recycled materials to make their products and design them to last as long as possible. They’re made from durable recycled plastic, meaning they can be used inside and outside, and come in a range of sizes to suit everything from a succulent to a monstera. Prices range from £4.50 to £195.
If you’re keen on texture, wall hangings are a great option, as they add warmth and softness to an otherwise blank wall. The Dharma Door offer a range of wall hangings in neutral colours and natural fibres, made from materials including palm leaves and jute and handwoven in communities from Bangladesh to Zimbabwe.
Prices vary depending on the size and material, but one of the least expensive options is the lovely Zila basket wall hanging, which comes in at £53.
Helping you get hygge
If you’re making your home a cosy nest for the winter but want to help people and the planet while doing so, download our browser extension! We offer sustainable alternatives to products you’re searching for online, helping you to buy better without the effort.