The Scandinavian or ‘hygge’ lifestyle has taken over social media lately with all people trying to adapt their home lifestyle. The hygge way of life is to try and achieve cosiness in the home, so no wonder it appeals to so many. The goal of the Scandinavian style is to make people feel comfortable, cosy and enjoy everything with a minimalist design.
If you’re a social media user or a Netflix subscriber, the chances are you’ve at least heard of Marie Kondo and her now-famous KonMari method. KonMari is the latest trend buzzing around the internet, and it’s a delightful one. The purpose of the KonMari method is to give your house a thorough tidying up, going through items one-by-one and only keeping those which ‘spark joy’.
By the end of a long session of KonMari-ing, you will have no doubt picked up items you haven’t seen in years, eBayed a huge portion of clutter, and discovered a suddenly much more minimalist look to the home. Which, in turn, makes it a lot less daunting to tidy up in the future.
So, once our homes are suitably minimalist, clean, tranquil, tidy, hygge’d and KonMari’d, what’s left for these de-cluttering trends? Well, we reckon these useful concepts certainly have a place in the gardens of 2019, and now is the perfect time to get planning!
2019 garden trends
The low-maintenance, calm culture of hygge is appealing to people in 2019. In fact, Garden Design is touting low-maintenance gardens with cosy retreat-spots nestled within as the top trend for 2019 — it has Scandinavian style written all over it!
But before you create your own little, cosy garden space, you’re going to need a clean canvas. It’s time to embrace the internet-and-Netflix sensation and KonMari your garden.
How to adopt KonMari in your garden
First, for those who haven’t heard of it, KonMari is essentially tidying by category rather than by room. The aim is to look through all your things, consider if it ‘sparks joy’, and if it doesn’t, discard it. Whatever is left is truly needed, and you can tidy it away. The method runs through five categories: clothing, books, papers, komono, and sentimental items.
As we are heading out into the garden, we’re sitting in the komono category really, and that’s described as miscellaneous items. So, gather up all your garden items from the shed, around the lawn, wherever your store it, pile it up and give it all a good tidy! Keep what sparks joy, and discard what doesn’t. You’ll be left with the minimum you need, and your garden with be thoroughly decluttered. Take this opportunity to tidy up the lawn itself and any pathways too.
With this canvas to work on, let’s set about planning out a Scandinavian, hygge-worthy garden for 2019!
Giving your garden a little Scandinavian twist
One of the main trends for gardens in 2019 is low-maintenance, everlasting plants that don’t take a lot of looking after but still bloom and keep your garden looking colourful. If your garden has large pathways then stones that don’t repairing constantly could be a great asset to your Scandinavian style as the neutral tone of stone is heavily used.
Patio fruits have also become another trend for 2019 with the idea of growing your own fruit and veg really taking off last year this trend is set to carry on into 2019 with more focus of fruits. Patio fruits like strawberries, goji berries and raspberries take up hardly any space and are very easy to cater for so don’t shy away from trying to grow your own.
Building ‘hygge’ into your garden
This year’s main trend for outdoor spaces are secluded retreats within the garden. These can be anything from ‘she-sheds’, a small fire pit and seating area in the corner of the garden or a mini staycation inspired hideaway.
With low-maintenance still being the main focus of your garden, you might want to take a look at quality-timber Log Cabins when investing in a retreat spot for your garden. To keep your cabin looking pristine you should only need to apply treatment every now and again, the higher quality then the less you need to treat it.
Now, refrain from using the Cabin as storage! Remember all your hard work tidying up the garden? So don’t waste all of your hard work by putting your gardening equipment in your cabin. On the other hand, you could invest in a small shed to store these items! But for your main structure, you’ll want to embrace the sense of hygge with some minimalist furniture and some cosy throws and rugs. The Cabin should be used as a getaway for all the family to use, whether it is used as a chic she-shed, or just a snug little reading nook at the bottom of the garden. Keep digital items for in the house and reserve your garden retreat as a digital-detox zone.
Furnishings
As mentioned, we don’t want or need to fill out gardens with furnishings. Be selective, and make sure it has a purpose. If you have furniture in the house that you’re thinking of getting rid of, why not repurpose it for the garden? It’s amazing what a spot of wax or a lick of paint can do to create rustic chairs for your retreat-spot; or, get creative and turn an old wooden ladder into a wall-leaning shelf by the shed or a stand for a scattering of potted plants, for example.
With your garden de-cluttered and an enviable, minimalist retreat created, your outdoor space should be a beautifully low-maintenance, Scandinavian-inspired dream! Perfect for matching your hygge-life in the home.
