In writing about the inspiration for our new Mixtape Collaboration and the first Volume, Home / Day, we wrote about Home. We are excited to launch Volume 2, Home / Night.
"Home / Night" is the second theme in the *HOME* series collaboration between us and DJ Pelau. Plunge into this deep abyss of edits, remixes and galactic-delights that hover best after the sun has long disappeared. At. Night. It's definitely one of the smoothest, moonlit, 'mind-altering' journeys you'll musically experience with that special someone – even if that means, yourself.
Mixtape 2: Home / Night
We wanted to reprise two paragraphs from the original Home / Day Volume 1 blog inspiration and expand upon how they influence the ways we style our interior environments:
Home. The “sense of place” that comes from identity–personal, cultural and place identity we prescribe to of a real or imagined state of harmony and centeredness. Both the security of physical shelter and the security that exists outside the physical. A safe place to retreat / to nurture / to create / to love / to belong. Home can be both memory and future imagining. A state of mind.
We style and bring the texture of our lives into our homes through the environments we create. You’ve likely heard of the Danish concept Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga); it can be traced back to the 1800s and is derived from a Norwegian word that translates to well-being. Hygge is a wonderful way of appreciating the simple things in life, especially what brings a feeling of cozy contentment. It may be lighting a candle and getting cozy under a weighted blanket, sipping a warm cup of coffee while you watch nature or the world go by. Or playing music that takes you to that place.
Click play below to listen and read on for our Hygge-inspired delights.
As we look to the Night version, we're thinking about both the music and the element of being at Home, especially in the ways we've been home through the COVID pandemic. Music has its foundations in rhythm. So, too, does a home that balances harmony and contrasts in its interior design. Taking into account key principles in interior design and decorating, the Hygge approach is more a state of mind. Even in a global view of interior design philosophies, we prescribe to the feeling one wants to evoke. What's your vision or concept for your interior space? Relaxed. Peaceful. Inspired. Authentic. Minimalist. Maximalist. In times of COVID, you may have experienced multiple levels of emotions and moods, triggers and responses. Want to read more about emotions? We love the Dalai Lama's Atlas of Emotions project, here.
No matter the emotional or aesthetic concept and the energy of each room, for those times you want to feel cozy, to transport to an inner sentiment of comfort, you might consider first, removing the clutter–even if just one corner that you dedicate to your escapism moments. And click above to play Home / Night, turn down the lights, get chill and feel the soulful, sensual vibes of DJ Pelau at Home x Poet and/the Bench.
Looking at the more than 45 artists and designers that we have curated at Poet and/the Bench, here are some cozyfying ideas that will help you bring your own transportive hygge-ness into your home.
1. Whitney Sharpe Phoenix Wall Hangings
As the Phoenix continuously goes through cycles of transformation to emerge stronger and more powerful, these gorgeous wall hangings deliver a beautiful song for dreamy days and starry nights. Perfect for a spot to gaze upon the bronze metallic layers which capture sublime reflections and a slight breeze from an open window or veranda door adds a soothing chime. Whitney creates ceramic installations that we say are "jewels for your walls". The metallics, forms, and mid century modern inspired one-of-a-kind ceramic gems are just stunning and perfect for escapism!
Phoenix 1 installation includes a bold tear drop detail at the top and smaller tear drop with a hanging pendant within at the bottom.
Phoenix 2 installation includes a bold tear drop detail at the top.
"The cycles within life are a constant theme I refer to. Whether it is human life, the cycle of the moon and planets or even the very cycle of the earth that produces clay. Everything is always in motion, regardless if we feel it or not." ~ Whitney Sharpe
2. Poet and/the Bench Tea
Hello the Sun, the first product in our In House luxury tea line will put a little sparkle and warm hygge in your day with our invigorating and earthy everyday wake-up call. An aromatic blend of certified organic loose leaf hojicha and peppermint leaf teas with organic cacao shells. We spent months sourcing just the right ingredients and Jeffrey blended over 40 different recipes until we landed on a perfectly refreshing union of flavors.
Our Hello the Sun Tea is part of our Atmosphere Collection, which is all about sinking in. Sinking in to the moments in between. It’s about giving ourselves time to be idle and awoke to what’s around us. It’s that delicious ability to both recognize the space of just being—and to enjoy being in it. It’s a kind of healthy hedonism because the ingredients are clean, natural and decadent.
Caffeine level: light
For a perfect cup: heat water to 180 degrees, add 1.5 teaspoons for each 8oz cup to an infuser and steep for 5 minutes.
Rise and shine!
3. Cru Drinking Chocolate & Bars
If you want something cozy and decadent, the earthiness of cacao combined with 4,000 year old Mayan techniques, results in the most smooth, escapism moments you can take with your taste buds! Cacao has spiritual and cultural significance in Central America. It is a plant that has evolved along with humans and that together have weaved and enriched the net of life as we know it today. Cru Chocolate founder Karla McNeil-Rueda, who was raised in Honduras, knows chocolate... surrounded by tales and stories written on the mountains and spoken by the wind bordering the magic and reality. Sounds like a hygge moment in the making.
For a perfect cup: Warm 1 cup of your favorite milk (dairy or non-dairy or water) over medium heat. Unwrap your Cru Chocolate wheel of choice and and stir or whisk until the chocolate is melted. Buy Cru Chocolate Cacao Drinking Wheels in our shop or online here.
For a perfect bar: Easy peazy. Unwrap, take a bite, savor the chocolate in your mouth and let it rest against the roof of your mouth, melting and unleashing its mysteries. Buy Cru Chocolate Cacao Bars in our shop or online here.
4. Cute Coffee
Cute Coffee procures the best green beans from around the world. They roast the green coffee, pulling the sweetness to the surface, and turning it into brown beans. A beautiful, delicious dynamic cup where care and love truly make a difference in extracting the deliciousness inside...
Nothing like a good mug of coffee to set your dreaming into high gear, wake the mind, and warm the soul. Or give you that extra burst of energy to dance the night away in your candlelit living room. That's the state of mind of Hygge in a cup.
Cute Coffee Co-Founder Sabreen Naimah gets into a musical state of mind while roasting coffee and dancing.
"We always love music while we roast. We’ve played Michael Jackson, Devo, David Byrne, N.E.R.D., Shabazz Palaces, James Brown, Mahalia Jackson, just to name a few. It just has to feel good to us.
I’m a dancer, so for me music is everything! I love when it inspires me to move and keeps me moving. I’ll often listen to something I like over and over again, and then within a couple of days I’m ready to move to it. I have some level of training in ballet, African, modern and jazz dance, and I like combining all of the styles to make a series of movements. I’m most inspired by music with multiple influences: soul, disco, jazz, hip-hop, reggae, funk, Afro-Cuban, salsa, electronic, classical. The music and the movement is like a relationship– the music inspires and supports the dancing. I always feel like I have dated the artist after spending time with their music and eventually dancing to it. Lately, I’ve been dancing to funky Jamiroquai, electro tropical Colombian band Bomba Estéreo and jazz/R&B drummer Nate Smith.
5. Julems x Poet and/the Bench Element Mugs 
An exclusive design collaboration between Julems Ceramics and Poet and/the Bench. Get cozy with these fit-in-your-palm slightly tapered mugs with our exclusive element design. Wheel thrown, Judith then tapes off the element design so the natural clay shows through the glossy white glaze. We love how the neutral palette and Scandinavian feel, combined with our modern elements, generate a a warm sense of inner peace.
These substantial beauties can be filled with 12-14 oz of your favorite beverage (like the aforementioned yummy ones above!).
6. Kudd:Krig Lumbar Pillow
On its own or layered with other pillows, this amazing lumbar pillow adds comfort and Hygge style and moods in spades with its modern decor meets warm minimalism of Kuddkrig's aesthetic.
The largest of Küdd:Krig designer Kalla McGuire's desert-inspired sophistication. This lumbar pillow uses her signature hand loomed cotton remnants from sustainable fabric designers, sewn together to create a new pattern. She hand paints the landscape design, adds the yarn to create a river of texture, and fills it with a custom, yummy faux down insert.
When we asked Kalla how music moved her in her practice, she had this to say:
My work is inspired by nature, experiences, and the relationships we have with both each other and the world around us. Music is such an integral part of my process, partially because it gets me out of my conscious thought into less tangible feelings, theories and interpretations. The genre of music I lean into varies day by day/and piece by piece, but the theme is consistently “dreamy”. A few of my go-to artists and songs in particular are:
Kalla said she hopes we have the pleasure of listening to each and every one of these gems. Add to DJ Pelau's music mixes and you have even more to groove to!
7. Jean Jack Quintessential Farmhouse
Jean Jack's Quintessential Farmhouse is a stunning example of her pale, refined palette. The buildings fit themselves into the landscape and the sky fills in the spaces between the two.
These bright, sensitive paintings are an exquisite arrangement of elements that express an essential feeling about houses in the country from California to Maine. So inviting, they’ll transport you to cozy.
Jean Jack finds her cozy in music like this:
"When I want to tune out the rest of the world I listen to Willy Nelson. He takes me back to happy nostalgic times. I also listen to Leonard Cohen for a darker side. Love Chris Botti, he really puts me in a creative mood."
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How do you find your hygge state of mind?
We are so excited to showcase Marlon's music curation talents as a free streaming, non-commercial gift of good vibes– bringing you his soulful grooves, to transport you to moments that allow you to sink in, escape and connect. The latest: Home / Night.
Are you feeling the hygge?
Sharing the cozy, one beat at a time,
Bonnie & Jeffrey
PS Please follow DJ Pelau here on Soundcloud. We’d love our collaboration to support him gaining a new audience. Give our playlist a like by clicking the heart, repost it on your Soundcloud feed, and comment on the waveform where you are most moved! There's a contribution button, too, if you can. And lastly, please share with friends. Let's get the good vibes circulating! TY!
About Marlon Regis / DJ Pelau:
Now based in NY but always focused on the world, Caribbean-born Marlon 'DJ Pelau' Regis (pronounced “Peh-Laow”), is a multi-talented music stylist that has always lived being surrounded by rich music via life’s travels. Whether in his youthful days on the festive, multicultural streets of his birthplace in Trinidad, right home in Petit Valley listening to his dad's enormous jazz collection (his older brother's name is 'Miles') or in his adopted homes of Atlanta, NYC, Los Angeles and now Brooklyn, the direction of his music through DJing or producing compilations first aims to connect to the people. With an unwillingness to limit himself to one particular genre or social scene for that matter, expect a wide variety, hence his blog: …is the spice of life!
His selections, as music curator + programmer in the past, whether on the rooftop of The Standard Rooftop Bar (as a resident DJ in DTLA) or through corporate mediums such as DMX Music Inc, have always found SOUL in a constant rotation at well-established stores, boutiques, restaurants, hotels and beyond... Marlon has written for HuffPost, The Beat Magazine, HipHopSite, BPM, Unleashed Magazine, HipHopDX, Rolling Stone, The Source, Vibe, URB, Upscale, Rappages, ATM (UK), ColorfulTimes and Jahworks. Read more here.