We owe much to The Nordics. Givers of Edvard Munch and the Moomins, of LEGO and longships, of saunas and smörgåsbords. We delight in its concepts: the comforts of hygge, the balance of lagom, the “being outdoors no matter the weather” of friluftsliv. The latter, no doubt, the concept most adopted by us habitues of Britain, learned by osmosis across The North Sea, perhaps, or transported in schooners alongside crates of grain and iron ore. Somewhere along the way, we borrowed their yoke sweaters, and they our Fair Isle socks. We read from Hans Christian Andersen, and they from Dickens. We ate cinnamon buns and sang Super Trouper and coaxed ourselves into lakes too cold for our own good. And we brought the elements in: untreated wood and woollen rugs, ergonomic chairs and stoneware, and hand-carved toys sent straight from the workshop.
Wildwood Holt
There’s kitchen islands made for kneading pie crust, a wooden rocking horse at the foot of a sleigh bed, and timber windows that frame a pocket of great outdoors; all this in a woodland cabin in Cornwall’s hidden valley.
Hollyhocks
It might be a Tudor build with an Alice in Wonderland topiary lawn and ties to medieval knights, but its beams owe their legacy to Stockholm tar; you'll find it in Herefordshire's Eardisland, though it feels more like Örland.
Novella
In prime position for stargazing on Exmoor, where the Northern Lights have been known to show their neon stripes, this quaint cob cottage might have the look of a prairie chapel, but its rebellious history dates to 1685.
Little Inka
Morning mists might linger over Bodmin Moor, but this soot-black homestead brings all the copper bath and patchwork blanketed warmth of home, with just a sprinkling of Viking settlement aesthetic for good measure.
The Dancer's Room
In a Medieval hamlet once ruled by Kings and goldsmiths, this Oxfordshire cottage (with all its Icelandic poppy velvet) is a rings’ throw from Tolkien’s stomping ground, where the Aragorn of Norse mythology took form.
The Hatch
When the time comes to batten down the hatches, choose a “more Copenhagen than Cornish” cottage that flies in the face of predictable seaside sojourns. It’s all of what Britain does best, but with hygge by the bucket.
Eirianfa
This Welsh smallholding was designed with homefolk in mind; think crackling fires, long tables toppling under the weight of pink wine and honey loaves, and perchance a cold plunge in the spring-fed lake before the hot tub.
Under the Yew Tree
With leaded windows and monastic walls, this monkish Cotswolds home might be out of place in those secular Nordic societies, but its design sensibilities point to the simple pleasures of cocoa, candlelight, and quality time.
Pepper Shack
Dark fruits, dark wine, and dark chocolate will be on the menu in a Hampshire hideaway so inky dark, you´ll light the fire and make believe you´re stranded in the wilderness; you might as well be the last two on Earth.
