The Danish lifestyle craze of hygge took the world by storm in 2016. And in the years since? Well, it feels like every cold, dark country (see: Sweden with lagom, Scotland with còsagach) is trying to rebrand their crappy weather as a lifestyle trend.
Needless to say, when Visit Wales emailed me proclaiming the Welsh cwtch as "the new hygge," I had my reservations. But after reading up on it, I soon realized it's kind of the greatest thing ever. Why? Because it basically IS hygge—but specifically for your home.
A cwtch (pronunciation: kutch) is in essence a small and cozy space meant for cuddling up in. (The Welsh root of the word is 'cubbyhole'.) Think: A den corner turned cushy-cozy reading nook; a canopy bed piled in exorbitant amounts of pillows). Applied in the broader sense, it's really just the art of crafting intimacy-invoking, snuggle-ready spaces in your home—which ties into cwtch's equally adorable double meaning: it can also refer to a giant hug. Dawww.
Hugs and cuddles? Best philosophy ever.
