If you reference Wikipedia, Hygge “is a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment.” It has taken over Pinterest and Instagram and sometimes feels overused and disingenuous. As it applies to the life of the French Chateau, it is actually a perfect term to describe what happens when you spend time there with your friends and or family.
A chateau in France to live together
Located on large estates, set apart from big cities, they are surrounded by nature. Forest or field, the effect is the same. In an instant you are transported to another world. One where the flow of the day revolves around the people in the house.
The spirit of the house is informed by the seasons and the change from day to night. And it is this confluence of nature, extraordinary spaces and people who love each other, where hygge is found.
Happyness, conviviality, and simplicity
It is not simply the hot chocolate and the marshmallows by the fire. It is the laughter that doesn’t stop when the littlest one goes “secret” marshmallow hunting in the kitchen only to leave a trail of evidence all the way up to the cupboard in the attic where the near empty bag is discovered an hour later under a blanket with book and flashlight in hand.
It is those moments of magic that are made when the house has been lived in, and loved for generations. It is a warmth that comes from knowing that little people can see the world in a different way. It is rediscovering how simple joy can be. How easy it can be to spend 2 hours eating over candlelight after the sun has set and the cicadas are performing a nightly symphony.
Looking around at those faces, all together, around the same table, bellies full, eyes shining. This is HYGGE. This is Votre Chateau de Famille.
