What is Lagom?

We all fell in love with the cosy warmth of Hygge, but another Scandinavian trend has emerged that focuses not only on interior design but how we live as well. We’re talking about Lagom – pronounced “la” like “bar” and “gom” like “Tom”), Sweden’s response to Denmark’s interiors craze. Which brings us to our next question – what is Lagom, exactly?

Lagom isn’t just something you adopt on a whim – it’s a way of life. Like Hygge, Lagom embraces minimalism but with a special emphasis on sustainable living. That can include recycling, using energy-efficient appliances and generally adopting a “less is more” attitude.

Embracing the Lagom lifestyle is an adjustment, sure, but ultimately one that’ll help keep our planet – and us! – healthier for longer. Here are a few ways you can bring the Lagom lifestyle into your home:

Live sustainably

Living sustainably simply means to live in a way that can help the earth keep doing what it does best. Reducing waste, not using natural resources and recycling are some of the biggest ways we can do this. Some easy ways to start living sustainably in your everyday are:

• Switching to LED lightbulbs
• Use rechargeable batteries
• Start a small fruit and veg patch in your garden or windowsill
• Skip the dryer and hang wet clothes
• Turn off appliances you aren’t using

Be more energy efficient

One of the biggest aspects of Lagom-living is only using what you need. That means only turning on the heat when you’re at home, turning off lights when you leave a room and using a bowl in the sink for washing up to avoid wasting water with a running tap.

A great place to start is with your home itself – energy-efficient front and back doors will help reduce draughts, as will double- and triple-glazed windows. With these, you’ll be using less energy as extra insulation will help trap the heat.

Recycle more, and use recycled materials

In short, you should always recycle as much as you can, whenever possible. Knowing what you can recycle is a good place to start, as well as how you should prepare it for the recycling centre. From there, it’s just a matter of popping it into the right bin.

Another easy shift to implement is using reusable products – these can be canvas tote bags for your weekly shop, reusable coffee cups to hand to your barista every morning or investing in a reusable water bottle.

Embrace “less is more”

Lagom embraces Hygge’s minimalism approach, in that it encourages us to go small in terms of decorations and what we buy. Avoiding cluttered surfaces in our homes not only helps for tidying, but creating manageable spaces.

The “less is more” mantra should extend to all parts of our lives – smaller, more intimate gatherings, and a more compact wardrobe of sturdy staple pieces will help us to focus on what’s important and not get lost in the excess.

Invest in quality furniture

We know this one isn’t always easy, but wherever you can, you should try to invest in solid, quality furniture pieces that can age with your home design style. Neutral colours and classic shapes will slip in with any interiors trends you decide to embrace – and remember, wood can almost always be painted, so upcycling is a viable, creative option.

If you aren’t in a place to make furniture investments, bamboo is a top environmentally-friendly material that’s generally on the cheaper side. It’s renewable and grows without help from chemicals.

 

Looking to adopt the Lagom lifestyle? Start by taking advantage of our scrappage scheme. It’s a money-saving way to recycle your old windows, doors and conservatory while you upgrade to more energy-efficient models. Consider it a Lagom win-win.

Header image by Logan Nolin on Unsplash.

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