Great Green Ideas for a Lagom Lifestyle

If you look for green ideas for your home on design blogs or in lifestyle magazines chances are you’ve seen the word “lagom” come up time and time again. Just as the Danish concept of hygge popped up everywhere back in 2016, this Swedish lifestyle is having its moment. But unlike hygge, the idea of lagom isn’t just about creating a perfect moment. Instead, it’s about living a life in balance. And that’s what makes it particularly interesting when we’re talking about green ideas for your home.

So what is lagom, exactly? It’s the idea of everything in moderation. Not too much, not too little: finding balance in what you have and how you live. For many of us, that means getting in touch with nature. And that’s why lagom has so much space for green ideas and eco-friendly thinking.

Green Ideas for Lagom at Home

A balanced life starts at home. If you’re trying to “live lagom,” there are so many green ideas that can help you achieve it:

Bring Nature Inside

One of our favorite concepts in lagom home decorating is bringing nature inside. The idea here is to balance your home’s interior with its exterior. If you live in a wooded area, use pinecones you find nearby as a decorative element. If your house is near the water, collect local shells to display.

Fill Your Home with (Imperfect) Plants

Another of lagom’s green ideas is using plants for decoration. But this doesn’t mean going and buying perfect bouquets and exotic plants. Instead, think local and seasonal, and don’t worry if your plants aren’t perfect. Lagom isn’t about perfection!

Give Vintage Finds a New Life

Upcycling is a green idea that is very much in line with the lagom lifestyle. Fill your home with vintage furniture and decor. Not only does it create a unique and personal space, but it also keeps these vintage items from ending up in landfills or otherwise polluting.

Use Fewer Resources

The idea of balance at home goes way beyond decor. If you’re looking for green ideas for balance, think of all the ways you can cut down on the resources you use every day. Install a water-efficient shower head, unplug appliances when you’re not using them, and turn off lights when you’re not in the room.

As you can see, there’s a ton of overlap between green living and lagom at home. If you’re already incorporating some of these green ideas, then congratulations! You’re well on your way to making your home a lagom oasis.

Everyday Green Ideas for Living Lagom

It’s also important to remember that lagom isn’t strictly an at-home practice. There are so many small ways we can achieve balance in our communities, at work, and in the world:

Enjoy the Journey

You may think your morning commute is just about the least lagom moment of your day, but maybe that doesn’t have to be the case. There are many green ideas that can help you find balance and enjoy the journey, from carpooling with friends to giving yourself extra time to walk or ride a bike.

Not only will you cut down on carbon emissions, but you’ll also get to experience the trip in a whole new way!

Reuse What You Can

A small change in your daily routine can help balance your community and your world. Reusing what you can–choosing travel mugs instead of a paper coffee cup or packing your lunch in reusable containers instead of plastic bags–helps to balance your routine with a cleaner and healthier planet.

Make Time for Play

Lagom is about balance, including the balance between work and play. Swedes don’t work 60 hours a week–instead, they find time to get outside, get involved, and enjoy all of the small surprises that life outside of the office has to offer.

Take time to hike or join a sports team. While this may not seem like a “green idea” at first, you may find that a deeper appreciation for the outdoors means you want to find more ways to protect the environment.

Green Ideas & Lagom Living

As you can see, there is a lot of overlap between green ideas and the lagom lifestyle. Keep on finding ways to combine eco-friendly choices with a healthy dose of Swedish moderation, and you’ll be on your way to a more balanced and environmentally-conscious way of living.

Interested or inspired by living Lagom? View and share our video.

Main article photo by freddie marriage on Unsplash