How to Hygge in Summer – Cozy Porch Decor Ideas

By now, you’ve probably heard of the term Hygge. It’s a Danish term that’s been trending over the last year or two and it was my word of the year last year. The Oxford dictionary describes Hygge as “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being”. While it’s a popular term to use when decorating your home in winter (when it’s cold outside, you instantly want to feel cozy, right?) it doesn’t seem to be used as much in the summer. Since one of my goals is to make our home feel cozy and content no matter the season, I thought I’d share with you my summer porch decor this year and some ideas on how you can find Hygge in your outdoor space this summer!

This post is part of this year’s Outdoor Extravaganza blog hop hosted by Shauna of Satori Design for Living. After you’ve read my post, make sure to hop on over to all of the other outdoor decorating & entertaining themed projects linked at the bottom.

To make our front porch feel extra cozy and hyggeligt this season, I added a few items that you often see decorating the colder months but I altered them a bit for summer:

Lights

Lights aren’t just pretty at Christmas time or in the dead of winter! Try stringing some globe lights to the ceiling of your porch, or hang them from a patio umbrella. They’ll offer a beautiful, magical ambiance during summer evenings. I also added some remote-operated fairy lights to this macrame chandelier I made and hung here on my porch, and you can find the tutorial for that here.

Candles

I love how candles look decorating a porch or patio, and you can even make them practical – use citronella candles to chase those pesky mosquitoes away! You could also place faux, battery operated candles on timers in lanterns like I did here. I found these brass lanterns on clearance on a Christmas shelf at the store and thought they’d also work on a summer porch!

Cozy, Textured Textiles

Pillows are always my go-to decorating item when I want to change the look of a space quickly and/or on a budget. Here, I’ve used summery cotton floral and striped pillows, but I did mix in one mongolian sheepskin pillow for that added cozy texture. Its pink & white colourway still makes it look light, but then it’s soft and cozy on a cooler evening.

A Mix of Old & New

Finally, nothing says Hygge like old, worn wood. My great grandpa’s rocking chair is the perfect contrast to the newer, smoother furniture I have on our porch. You could hit up your local antique or thrift store to find the perfect chippy and worn bench, rocking chair or table for your own outdoor space.

I’m looking forward to spending many evenings on our front porch with my favourite people and a good book!

Now, come have a look at the other outdoor decorating & entertaining projects that my blogging friends are sharing today:

Satori Design for Living | Craftberry Bush | Finding Silver Pennies | So Much Better with Age

Zevy Joy | Amber Tysl | Postcards from the Ridge | The Happy Housie

Casa Watkins Living | City Farmhouse | Clean and Scentsible | Vinyet Etc.

Maison de Pax | A Pretty Life | Life on Virginia Street | On Sutton Place | The DIY Mommy