Is Lagom the New Hygge?

Hygge was a huge trend in 2016, focusing on ways to provide cosiness and warmth to your lifestyle. However, this trend may be long gone before you know it. The latest upcoming trend, said to create an even more sustainable and enjoyable life, is ‘Lagom’.

The first benefit of this new trend is that it is much easier to understand as the word ‘Lagom’ means ‘just the right amount’. The Swedish word is thought to relate to being frugal, fair and creating balance.

Through research, we have found that there are very mixed reviews on Lagom and whether it is actually worth the hype. The co-editor and creative director of ‘Lagom’ magazine, Elliot Stocks, wrote in an article that he believes Hygge is a momentary state of bliss whilst Lagom is a way of living. “Lagom is an overarching concept behind your life in general. Rather than fitting a bit of lagom into your day, it’s more about your approach to life as a whole.”

The upcoming trend is said to be a state of permanent work/life balance, happiness and frugality whereas Hygge is never constant and can be created for a certain period of time.

There are a few negative reviews for Lagom as many companies are producing collections based on the notion of making life easier, more enjoyable and inexpensive. However, these consumer companies are doing the opposite by taking money with these new products rather than helping people to save their money.

Creating a ‘Lagom’ lifestyle seems quite easy as it is suggested to keep note of your finances and consciously reduce your environmental impact on the world. However, creating a ‘Hygge’ lifestyle is just as easy by drinking a hot chocolate whilst cuddled up in a blanket reading a book.

Anna Hart, a journalist for the Telegraph, wrote a positive review in an article titled “Goodbye Hygge, hello Lagom: the secret of Swedish contentment”. Within the article, Anna quotes a Swedish friend as well as Bronte Aurell who runs the ‘Scandinavian Kitchen’ in London. Both Bronte and Johan really enjoy the Lagom way of living as it was how Johan and Bronte’s husband were brought up. It is understandable for these to enjoy Lagom more than others as it was the norm for them growing up. Read more of this article here.

Richard Orange, a journalist for the Guardian, has been living in Sweden for five years and explains in his “Calm down trendspotters – ‘lagom’ is not the new hygge” article that he disagrees with Lagom. In this article, Richard discusses the Swedish way of living and how Hygge is a much better and happier lifestyle to follow. Find out more about his views and opinions here.

It is clear to see that there are benefits by following Lagom such as reducing your environmental impact and saving yourself money. On the other hand, there are probably more benefits to Hygge but it is possible to integrate these benefits together to create an even more ideal lifestyle.

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