Subscription boxes are big news at the moment: signing up for a delivery of whatever is your favourite thing at that moment is such a fun way of getting a hit of hygge, or chocolate, make up or stationery. Who doesn’t like Happy Mail, right?

So when The Little House of Hygge offered me one of their lovely boxes for 50% off in exchange for a review, I said yes. They offer luxury hygge boxes for one time purchase or on monthly subscription, with offers such as add a book, or upgrade to a luxury box. The entry level hygge box isn’t cheap at £29.00 per month, but they do say that the products are worth more than the price of the box, and that they come from the UK, Scandinavia and Europe.  The Luxury box costs £49.00 or £59.00 including Hygge book of the Month.

The boxes come inside very safe packaging, tightly wrapped with paper wrap so everything is secure, and unwrapping them is an experience in itself. The inner box is a beautiful kraft box, about 6 inches by 6 inches, and quite strong, so good to reuse.

All the contents are wrapped in white tissue paper, interspersed with dried rose petals so there’s a beautiful aroma as soon as you open the box.

And the contents are well-chosen to create hygge. In the box I received there was a Coco Chocolatier chocolate bar made in Edinburgh; tea from The Birdhouse Tea Company;  soap, massage lotion and a candle from Mirins in Copenhagen and an organic kitchen and washcloth. The candle holder (blue candle is stylist’s own) is grey with silver highlights and very striking, while I’m sure there was a notebook that hasn’t actually even made it to the photos (again, I think that may have become the stylist’s own by default). You can see some close ups of the products here:

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Everything is top notch quality and very much screams luxury… and there lies my gripe with the product. It’s too good for a monthly box, for most budgets. I have loved opening the stuff,and the massage oil is divine, but I’m scared to use the blinking things because, even though mine had a massive reduction, I know that ordinarily this box costs £30. It’s a commitment. A big commitment and one that I couldn’t sign up for every month for myself. It’s too beautiful to use. I like my hygge rough, and homemade, and very much based on what I’m interested in. The Little House of Hygge have a lovely box, curated from across the continent, but it didn’t scream hygge to me. That’s not to say that it won’t be screaming hygge for you.

I think it sits very nicely in the cashmere sock drawer of hygge, and that for some people it will be absolutely the hygge treat they want every month, and I do wish them well. Hygge is different for everybody, that’s why it suits everybody. I know my daughter (15, loves make up and luxury, gets a Birchbox every month) would love me to get this box every month. And I know I could happily buy this as a special present for any of my friends and relatives I wanted to have a hyggely time and it would work well, because it has that sort of Special Occasion feeling about it. It is an experience of luxury and beautiful presentation.

There you go. Is this review a good or a bad one? That depends on your point of view. I loved the box and the contents, but I don’t love the cost enough to spend it every month. I’m glad I bought the box, but I will probably only buy it as a gift for others, not myself in future. Should you buy it? That’s a personal choice that I am leaving well up to you. Let me know what you decide, and I’ll be following The Little House of Hygge on Instagram and Facebook because they have a lovely design aesthetic going on….

Yes. I am brutally honest. Always. If that suits you (reviews with the truthful parts left in) then do, please, follow me on  Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Or if you’re particularly hygge-minded, go over to Facebook to join The Hygge Nook. My favourite Facebook group.