How to Make Your Swedish Ice House Cozy

Weathering the darkest, coldest days of winter is no mean feat no matter where you are. For pro-level inspiration, consider how the folks at Sweden's Icehotel turn harsh elements into luxuries.

January 14, 2021

By: Lauren Oster

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Photo By: Asaf Kliger for ICEHOTEL

Photo By: Asaf Kliger

Photo By: Asaf Kliger for ICEHOTEL ©Timsam Harding & Fabián Jacquet Casado ICEHOTEL 28

Photo By: Martin Smedsén for ICEHOTEL

Photo By: Asaf Kliger for ICEHOTEL ©ICEHOTEL 29 | Ceremony Hall Hikari | Artists Natsuko Saito & Shingo Saito

Photo By: Asaf Kliger for ICEHOTEL ©ICEHOTEL 365 Art Suite Sauna | Design Luca Roncoroni

Photo By: Asaf Kliger for ICEHOTEL ©ICEHOTEL 29 | Art Suite Wisdom of the Oak | Design Tjåsa Gusfors & Sam Gusfors

Photo By: Asaf Kliger for ICEHOTEL ©Ice Church 2016-2017. Timber Jam in the Midnight Sun. Design Arne Bergh and Janne Haglöf.

Photo By: Asaf Kliger for ICEHOTEL

Photo By: Asaf Kliger for ICEHOTEL ©ICEHOTEL 30 | Main Hall Brutal Experience | Design Jens Thoms Ivarsson, Mats Nilsson.

Photo By: Asaf Kliger for ICEHOTEL ©Veronika Mayerböck, Katharina Wyss & Frank Dittmann

Photo By: Asaf Kliger for ICEHOTEL ©ICEHOTEL 30 | Art Suite White Santorini | Design Haemee Han Jae & Yual Lee

Photo By: Asaf Kliger for ICEHOTEL ©ICEHOTEL 30 | Art Suite Golden Ice | Design Nicolas Triboulot & Jean-Marie Guitera

Photo By: Asaf Kliger for ICEHOTEL ©ICEHOTEL 30 | Art Suite A Night at the Theatre | Design Jonathan Paul Green & Marnie Green

Photo By: Christopher Hauser for ICEHOTEL ©Luc Voisin & Mathieu Brison

True North

The village of Jukkasjärvi is 200 kilometers above the Arctic Circle in Swedish Lapland, and its January temperatures rarely top 19 degrees Fahrenheit. The sun sets about two-and-a-half hours after it rises. It’s wintery in the most extreme sense of the word — and it’s also a world-famous seasonal paradise known for its stay-made-of-ice, the Icehotel.

Cold Welcome

Born in 1989 as a snow- and ice-based art hall that was repurposed one night when visitors outnumbered beds in heated cabins, Icehotel has been installing guests in extremely chilly accommodations ever since. Its one-of-a-kind seasonal rooms (created from 2-ton blocks of the frozen Torne River) are object lessons in surviving winter just about anywhere: the key, you see, is to cozy up and celebrate it. Consider these artistic perspectives on leaning into a deep, dark freeze.

Learn More : 26 Budget-Friendly Ideas for a Cozy Bedroom

Take It Easy on the Thermostat

Tempting as it is crank up the heat when evening temperatures plunge, remember that cold and darkness both signal our bodies to settle in for the night. “I think many of our guests are surprised by how well they sleep,” says Josefin Lindberg, Icehotel’s press and public relations manager. “Suddenly it’s morning and you are served hot lingonberry juice in bed!”

Learn More : 20 Things That Will Help You Get Better Sleep

Imbibe Strategically

Whether piping-hot coffee and tea first thing in the morning or winter warmers as nightcaps are your thing, determining your BBF (Best Beverage when it’s Freezing) is all-important when the mercury drops. (Ice “glassware” like the pieces served at Icehotel’s Icebar isn’t mandatory, but it’s pretty nifty.)

Learn More : 10 Easy Ways to Sleep Better

Enjoy the Silence

If the world seems a bit hushed after snow has fallen, you’re not imagining things: acoustic experts report that the fluffy stuff is incredibly effective at dampening sound waves. Guests in Icehotel’s rooms and gathering spaces are surprised by “the quietness,” Josefin says. “Ice and snow are very isolating materials, so it is extremely quiet inside. You can almost hear your own heart beat!”

Learn More : The 72-Hour Swedish Cabin Experiment Is the Latest Scandi Wellness Trend

Direct Heat Where It Counts

Never mind the sculpted sauna; Icehotel does not maintain frigid temperatures in the heated service building where guests shower and use the bathroom (because no one should be doing those things in ice sculptures). Give your bare feet a break and consider installing radiant-heat flooring in your bathroom; it can cost between $5 and $8 per square foot, but that spend will feel awfully good on future snow days.

Learn More : 10 Design Tips for Boosting Your Mood This Winter

Find Bedded Bliss

Guests in the art gallery that became Icehotel bundled up in thermal sleeping bags and reindeer skins; three decades later, that winning formula is largely unchanged (though a mattress and wooden bed base top each carved-ice frame). Experiment with cold-weather bedding until you experience your version of the sleep that elated those first Arctic snoozers in 1989.

Collect Candles

Concocted to smell like a roaring fire, and tapered to bring drama to the dining table, there’s no substitute for the instant character of old-fashioned illumination.

Learn More : The Best Holiday Candles, According to HGTV Editors

Invest in a Chandelier

Proof positive that there’s a proper pendant for every interior: a chandelier crafted entirely of ice. The fixtures in this year’s Icehotel are installed with 200 handmade "crystals" each; given the time it takes just one of them to come together, surely you can set aside an afternoon to source a new statement piece for your living room.

Learn More : Statement Chandeliers: These Grand Light Fixtures Speak Volumes

Get the Light Right

At Icehotel, “[t]he final touch is the lighting design — as most of the artwork is transparent, light adds an important dimension to the end result,” Josefin explains. “A team of light designers works closely with the creators of each room in the hotel to ensure the lighting interprets and enhances the artwork in the best way possible.” That principle applies to see-through spiral staircases and opaque sofas: be sure you’re showing your spaces to their best advantages.

Deploy Warm Tones

With apologies to classic winter whites, there’s something about a toasty hue that makes chilly spaces more comfortable. The temperature in this space (and throughout Icehotel) is technically a toe-curling negative 5 degrees Celsius (or 23 degrees Fahrenheit) — but thanks to the magic of color theory, it looks downright nap-worthy.

Learn More : Warm Bedrooms Colors

Evoke a Temperate Place

Designers Haemee Han Jae and Yual Lee drew inspiration for one of last year’s art suites from the iconic whitewashed buildings in Santorini, Greece. The takeaway here? Bring the Mediterranean home (with photography, textiles or plants — though if you’re inspired to carve Greek buildings into your wall and you don’t have a landlord to anger, that’s your call).

Go for the Gold

Ideally, your space could feature backlit faceted ice-pyramids like these; magnificent, no? If you’re still a few winters away from that kind of commitment, pull warm-toned metals and buttery hues into your rooms.

Learn More : 20 Mixed Metal Designs That Shine

Bring the Drama

When New Year’s celebrations conclude, most of us pack away decorations and get back to the business of our non-holiday lives. Icehotel’s over-the-top installations are a fine reminder that festivity is a mindset rather than an event: why shouldn’t we ward off the dark by staying fancy all winter long?

Think of the Neighbors

This suite by architect Mathieu Brison and interior designer Luc Voisin exemplifies one of the loveliest things about winter walks: other households’ lights are reminders that we’re all going through this season together. Set a little something in your window to say hello.