Cozy living is more than a trend, it’s a movement.

Throughout our lives we often receive advice–sometimes sage–on how we ought to navigate our biggest endeavors and challenges in order to live life to its fullest. Quintessentially American, there is no shortage of advice on how to chase your dreams. What’s missing however, and a detriment to the former, is good advice focused on how to live The Good Life. Most cultures outside of the States have a name for “the good life.” In Switzerland it’s called “la bonne heure” and in Scandinavia it’s referred to as “hygge.” What’s missing is our American word–it doesn’t exist.

In 2023, three years after the penultimate experiment in home comfort, we emerged as a culture steadfast in our motivation to make our homes more…well, homey. Maybe our homes and lives weren’t too cozy after all- certainly not enough to be stuck in them for months. Despite shops, restaurants and corporate America resuming back to normal, we’re still yearning for comfort- and we’re finding solace, stability and comfort in all things comfort-related. Bazaar and other sources, have sighted cozy and calming spaces within our home as a trend for 2023. Banana Republic has launched their cozy Home collection. Beyond a mere trend, we are potentially encroaching on a frontier that’s unprecedented for us as a culture. A growing number of us have finally realized that what really matters, The Good Life, has been missing. This desire for a feeling of contentment, our burgeoning desire for “ameri-cozy,” is evolving and growing–but through the only way we know –“how to’s” and product.

In Denmark the good life, or hygge, is the pillar of Danish values. Hygge isn’t only about hunkering down in a cozy cabin–while most of us would love to partake–it’s about happiness. The word, or value, hygge stems from a feeling of contentment and togetherness. Search the term online, and you’ll find no shortage of idyllic cozy photos featuring friends and family enjoying a warm bonfire, a cozy fireside beverage, or a family walk down the street.

“Togetherness has been identified as the most important source of happiness”

The good life is a feeling and while there are many ways to achieve this, togetherness has been identified as the most important source of happiness, led by research at Harvard University. Creating a calm, cozy environment combined with good company, no wonder Denmark has been named the happiest place on earth. In our American culture we’ve prioritized work and success, but the generations that are flooding the work force are shifting our traditional American paradigm more toward togetherness and contentment than ever before. It’s a key reason the cozy trend will be here to stay.

Living the good life is about happiness, but it’s also rooted in our desire for comfort. There is a feeling that coziness provides whether it is a nostalgic mouthwatering recipe from your grandmother’s kitchen or a luxurious soft sweater. Both are calming, both appeal to our senses and result in a very desirable release of serotonin. Some things just naturally feel good–combining good company, amazing food and a cozy environment–it is the trifecta of cozy living. The happiness that follows, can’t be bottled, but every small step we take to celebrate this cozy movement moves us closer to enjoying the good life.