Monocle’s cosy manifesto: 15 Nordic-inspired tips to beat the chill this winter
A sense of homeliness is key to enjoying the colder months. Here are 15 ideas to help you keep cosy this season.
As the northern hemisphere hunkers down for winter, thoughts have naturally turned to staying cosy. But “cosy” isn’t simply a matter of keeping warm: it’s a state of mind. Soft materials, the use of timber and tonal lighting are all necessary to conjure up the feeling. We guide you through the dark days ahead – and let’s just say that our friends in the Nordics are ahead of the game on all (cold) fronts.
1.
Dodge the draught
Windows can be a bane or a boon when it comes to an evening spent indoors: even the most picturesque old apertures (such as the vast, single-glazed vensters lining Amsterdam’s canals) can quietly ruin the mood as the cold creeps through. Technological solutions, including vacuum-packed glass to keep panes slim, are becoming affordable. But if you’re searching for something able to withstand a Nordic gale, the Danes do it best: from Horsens-based Velfac to Viborg’s Unik Funkis and Glaseksperten in Hjørring.
2.
Go snug
Room size matters. Architects need to create homes with cosy corners and rooms that embrace you. While cavernous open-plan spaces can inspire awe, we all need moments of privacy and refuge (from the day, your children, your work-from-home partner). That bijou home office and book-lined snug are accidental embassies.
3.
Put a cork in it
What if we told you about a material that’s light, simple to install and easy to work with? It also absorbs sound and resists water and fire. It’s renewable, biodegradable and you can even enjoy it with a glass of wine. Cork – the bark of a species of oak tree – might have been embraced too enthusiastically in past decades but it’s time for a comeback. Portugal grows 50 per cent of the world’s supply and firms such as Amorim have helped to get this product into everything from homes and furniture to spacecraft.
4.
Under the hat
Colder temperatures offer the perfect excuse to add a hat to your look – it’s the oldest styling trick in the book and will also keep you warm. Finnish-Greek label Onar Studios makes the cosiest shearling bucket and aviator-style hats. If you prefer a more discreet look – and we don’t blame you – you can’t go wrong with a classic fedora by Mühlbauer, Vienna’s most elegant milliner. onarstudios.com; muehlbauer.at
5.
In the best light
To create a welcoming atmosphere, select lighting in warm tones and position fixtures and lamps below eye level. Keiji Takeuchi’s Poet pendant for Italian brand De Padova sits on the floor, while Catalonian interior design practice Santa & Cole’s Sylvestrina mimics candlelight’s gentle flicker. For an evening wind-down, UK-based firm Ocushield has developed bulbs that block the blue light that disrupts sleep cycles. The key takeaway? Invest in lighting by companies that prioritise softness and warmth.
6.
Cosy people are happier people
Can something as simple as the temperature change how we feel about ourselves and the world? We instinctively connect physical comfort with positivity and there’s a growing body of research that’s, well, warming to the idea too. Peer-reviewed studies have shown that feeling toasty promotes interpersonal warmth (cold people are meaner), while a Swiss study from 2023 confirms that it makes us feel better.
7.
Standard bearers
Passivhaus is one of the best standards for well-insulated homes that require little in the way of energy for heating and cooling. The voluntary German code dates back to the early 1990s, when a four-unit row house was built in Darmstadt-Kranichstein that helped to codify these new standards. In 1996 the Passivhaus Institut was founded in Darmstadt and has been a boon for the crusade for cosiness. But you still need to furnish with soft touches (don’t keep things too functional).
8.
Woolly thinking
When thinking about winter layering, it’s easy to overlook the most important layer of them all: undergarments. Investing in your underwear and opting for natural materials will help to keep your body temperature under control as you move between warm indoor and chillier outdoor spaces – not to mention the added comfort. Heritage label Zimmerli is our go-to for high-quality underwear, crafted in Switzerland from the finest silk, cotton and wool.
zimmerli.com
9.
Great Danes
Copenhagen – the closest thing there is to a socialist utopia on Earth – is pioneering one-for-all, large-scale heating. Using energy from biomass that would otherwise go to waste, the system supplies hot water and warmth to 98 per cent of its residents. The City of Copenhagen works with Denmark’s largest utility company, HOFOR, to provide the water and wastewater treatment.
10.
Pump it up
It’s best to huddle together for warmth – that’s the logic of collective heat-pump solutions. These systems generate heat for multiple residences from a central source. Often taking the form of a communal boiler or heat pump in the basement of a building, they involve pipes circulating hot water into heat radiators or emitters warming rooms and homes. It’s an efficient, lower-cost approach for communities.
11.
Spring into action
Whatever you think of the Romans (if you think about them at all), these tough campaigners knew how to warm up when the lands they conquered got cold and their bodies ached for the warmth of the southern Italian sun. It’s why you’d find them enjoying the geothermal springs of Baden-Baden, Bath or Budapest (and that’s just the Bs). If you’re in the Hungarian capital during a cold snap, the waters at the art nouveau Gellért or the more baroque Széchenyi (both about 40C) remain a wonderful way to warm up.
12.
Full steam ahead
Finnish saunas are less about chatter and more about calm. It’s an age-old ritual of contrasts – hot steam, followed by a quick plunge into cool air. The result is focus, balance and a warmth that lingers. Harvia, the Finnish maker of saunas and heaters, keeps that tradition alive by focusing on natural materials and heaters engineered to give you the perfect löyly – the word that Finns use to describe the hot and restorative feeling that only a sauna can provide.
13.
Two in a bed is warmer than one
Our bodies radiate heat and so it makes sense that your partner can act like a human radiator, especially if you pick wisely – some people are just hotter, temperature-wise, than others. Transference of heat happens best when you’re both only sporting one layer of clothing or nothing at all (now you’re talking!). Scientists also suggest that jumping jacks are good at raising your body’s temperature. Or try some other under-the-duvet manoeuvres… Even if the science is a little shaky, two in a bed is surely more fun.
14.
Or you could just get a hot-water bottle
There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with the nightly ritual of slipping a hot-water bottle under your covers. While the rubber variety has been tried and tested for over a century, new players, such as Dutch company Stoov, offer rechargeable alternatives that harness warming infrared rays. But why add more technology to your life than is necessary? We’ll stick to our boiling water, thank you, and swaddle our bottles in cashmere covers from Johnstons of Elgin.
15.
Dress for the great indoors
A lot of effort goes into finding the puffiest puffer jacket or the perfect waterproof gloves for outdoor adventures – but what about dressing for the great indoors? Perfecting your look for staying in is an art. Start with a well-fitted cashmere set: Begg & Co’s hooded sweaters and knitted trousers are designed with lounging in mind. Finish the look with a pair of shearling slippers from Austrian label Ludwig Reiter and a tall glass of merlot.
beggxco.com; ludwig-reiter.com
Illustrations: Peter Zhao
