Hot on the heels of the Danish lifestyle trend hygge comes the latest Scandinavian export. Lagom promises to bring harmony to our homes and substance to our souls.
Hot on the heels of the Danish lifestyle trend hygge comes the latest Scandinavian export. Lagom promises to bring harmony to our homes and substance to our souls. Follow our easy guide and become a lagom hero in your own home…
FROM GREEDY TO GREEN
There is already a movement in Australia away from the global supermarket brands towards locally sourced produce and artisan goods. Supporting your local growers markets and cooking from scratch is part of a lagom lifestyle. The physical embodiment of this in the home is a healthy, balanced and well-stocked fridge, a space to grow your own herbs, and a vegetable patch if your garden allows. For those in urban accommodation with just decking or a small concrete backyard, raised beds are great for ‘growing your own’ and can be moved around for the best conditions as the seasons change.
FAIR’S FAIR
There are independent brands across the world that only sell clothes which have been made in the fairest of conditions. Ethical independent retailer Kontour is a New Zealand label that specialises in organic cotton grown on pesticide and herbicide-free farms using sustainable farming practices such as crop rotation and composting.
AUDIT YOUR ENERGY USE
Change your lightbulbs for LEDs, they last longer and use less energy. Candlelight and real fires in winter are obviously a great alternative if there are no small children about.
MORAL FIBRE
It’s not just about physical balance but a shift in attitude as well. Giving up your seat on the bus for the elderly, spending time at a homeless shelter and donating old clothes and homewares to charity. While practical changes and banishing bad habits may improve your inner sense of satisfaction, a mindfulness of others is also key to your wellbeing.
HAVE SOME FUN
The 2017 colour palette features greens and turquoise. Lagom is about balance, so don’t tile floor-to-ceiling or indulge in all-over chintz, but do bring in splashes of colour to brighten and balance the home. Bring indoors foliage and flowers from the garden to keep a feeling of freshness and, where possible, use reclaimed woods and recycled materials. Ask yourself, can you repurpose items that are destined for the rubbish bin? A skateboard could become a bookshelf, for example, while food jars could be turned into candle holders.
DON’T BE SMUG
Lagom is all about moderation. Don’t throw a lagom party, giving guests a tour of your organised fridge or newly decluttered bedroom, before you serve locally sourced meats from the markets and fresh veg from your raised flowerbed. That’s just not very lagom.
This article was originally published in Issue 4, Breathe Magazine – Dream On.
