Hygge was the interior word & concept of 2016; it was plastered everywhere with people embracing the need for that cosy, intimate living space with Instagram accounts showing mugs of hot chocolate under thick throws, surrounded by cushions & obviously under the glow of candlelight.
But theres a new Scandi trend on the street that’s giving Hygge a run for it’s money & you’ve heard about it here first – ‘Lagom’.
I wrote a post about Hygge here, pronounced ‘hoo-ga’ it pretty much means ‘cosy’.
Lagom is firstly much less hassle to pronounce (like ‘la-goom’) but is also a much more sustainable & year round kind of Scandi concept. Lets face it, we don’t need Hygge in Spring/Summer plus it’s more of a ‘right here, right now’ kind of momentary bliss.
Translated, Lagom basically means ‘just the right amount’ & is all about creating a balance between living well & being kind to the world.
Think not too little, but not too much either.
Scandinavian furniture store, Ikea have recently set up a program called ‘Live Lagom’ which you can read about here. They’ve been giving away vouchers encouraging their customers to switch to energy efficient lightbulbs & to generally be more sustainable in their way of living.
It may not be quite as fun as cosying up & watching Netflix whilst eating your body weight in cadburys but I think it’s a pretty interesting way of thinking even if we as consumers take a few basic principles from the concept.
So what exactly is Lagom in a nut shell?
- Being frugal – keeping things cost friendly so not to break the bank but not scrimping on bad quality
- Living healthy – making sure that what we put into our bodies is healthy, everything should be in moderation so yes you can eat that cheeseburger if you want to but accompany it with a side salad
- Be sustainable – turn the tap off when brushing your teeth, car share with a colleague & recycle instead of landfill
- Appreciate the world – take in the beauty of the countryside & learn to look after it
- Be kind – treat others as you’d like to be treated yourself
You shouldn’t have to try to hard to achieve these though, as with all things Scandi they should be effortless & laid back. Make little changes to begin with such as setting a goal to turn off your plug sockets at the wall which will not only save you money on your electricity bill but also help your environment. Take the stairs instead of the lift or ride a bike instead of drive to work. Put a jumper on instead of turning up the thermostat.
However you choose to bring Lagom into your home, remember to keep the balance.
Love,
