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Here's everything you need to know about the Swedish lifestyle concept taking over hygge.
Move over hygge because lagom is here and it's all about enjoying a balanced lifestyle. It's not about spending a lot of money or making big changes, but rather making improvements to the small things which will make a big difference. So, are you ready to change your habits of a lifetime?
The Swedish word 'Lagom' means just the right amount – not too much, and not too little. It comes from the phrase 'lagom är bäst' meaning 'the right amount is best'.
Lagom is all about creating a better, happier, and more balanced everyday life. It's about living sustainably by saving energy and water, and by creating less waste and recycling more. But being more conscious that doesn't mean that you deprive yourself of any luxuries.
After Ikea launched their Live Lagom project in 2014, an initiative which sees co-workers and customers embark on a mission to live more sustainably, the Swedish furniture giant said they hope to 'make living more sustainably easy, affordable and attractive'.
Ikea are slowly but surely helping to create a movement of sustainable living, as more and more people are getting on board and becoming lagomers.
By Ikea's definition, lagomer is: 'A person who is working towards living a more lagom lifestyle – making small changes to their everyday life to minimise environmental impact, being thrifty with resources and enjoying a fun, happy and balanced life.'
There is no one way to live sustainably, it's all about finding a balance, but with busy lives and tight budgets it can be difficult to know where to start. So follow this guide on how you can embrace lagom in your home, work, and personal life, and ultimately, become a lagomer.
Use very little energy while lighting up your home in style with LED bulbs that will last for decades. The good news is that LEDs use up to 85 per cent less energy than incandescent bulbs, and as part of their sustainability mission, Ikea have switched their entire lighting range to super-efficient and affordable LED.
More: Expert lighting advice: pendant, chandeliers, industrial, table and floor lamps
It's simple, turn off the bedroom light if you're not in the bedroom, and get into the habit of doing this for every room of your house. The Energy Saving Trust say switching off a light for just a few seconds saves more energy than it takes for the light to start up again, whatever the type of light. If you need light for smaller areas like cupboards and wardrobes, buy motion sensors that will turn on when movement is detected (or if touched) and turns off automatically after 30 seconds.
Save yourself a lot of time by buying rechargeable batteries. You'll get a lot more power for your battery-operated gadgets, and while it produces less waste, you'll save money in the long run too.
Whether it's your TV, stereo or broadband modem router, make sure you turn off appliances instead of leaving them on standby when you leave the house. The Energy Saving Trust say it'll save the average UK household around £30 a year. You can make it easier by plugging the appliances into an extension, then you'll only have the one switch to operate.
Bamboo is a renewable material that grows naturally strong and fast without irrigation or chemicals. It's the perfect material for making baskets, bowls and plant pots, so seek out bamboo products on your next furniture shopping trip.
A bath typically uses around 80 litres of water, while a short shower can use as little as a third of that amount. If everyone in the UK switched to three-minute showers we'd save enough water to supply 1 million homes every day, say Waterwise. You can help to keep track of time by using a shower timer.
Make the most of every cycle by filling your washing machine to full capacity and washing clothes at 30°C, which is just as effective as washing at 40°C. In fact, if everyone in Britain washed their clothes at 30°C we'd save enough energy to power 500,000 homes.
More: How to clean a washing machine and help it last longer
Tumble dryers cost a fortune to run so why not just use a clothes airer instead? You can air-dry your clothes both indoors or outdoors. Homeware stores sell a range of drying racks with lots of foldable, space-saving options.
To control your heating, turning down your thermostat by just one degree can cut your heating bill by 10 per cent. You can also switch to a thicker duvet in the winter to reduce the need for overnight heating.
'Duvets have their own scale of warmth called a "tog" rating', explains Snuggledown. 'This tog measurement tells you how warm you will be when sleeping under the duvet by rating the material's thermal insulation properties.' So the next time you're shopping for a duvet, remember that the lower the tog, the cooler you'll be. You'll need a lower tog for summer (4.5 tog) and a higher tog in winter (a 15 tog is ultra-cosy).
Carry out a little DIY in your home, especially for winter, by draught-proofing your rooms. Tackle windows and doors, and block cracks in floors and skirting boards. You can also use rugs as a quick-fix solution to avoid heat loss through bare floors.
Take control in the kitchen with energy-saving induction hobs. They transfer energy directly to pans so only a small amount of heat is wasted and it delivers quick, economical cooking. Two litres of water can be brought to boil in just five minutes, compared to 10 minutes on a glass-ceramic hob. Also, if you're buying new pots and pans, stick to stainless steel or cast iron. Highly durable, they absorb heat well, spread energy and retains it for a long time.
Multitask and save water and energy by cooking a whole meal on one hob. For example, by using Ikea's Stabil pan inserts, you can boil pasta below, steam vegetables on top, and so forth.
Washing up? A running tap wastes a lot of water, but you can reduce this significantly by using a bowl to place in the sink then filling this up with water to wash up with instead.
Using a dishwasher is more energy efficient and hygienic than washing by hand. Always use the eco cycle option wherever possible.
Organise your fridge by using clear containers to stack food so that it's easier to see what you've got. And ahead of your weekly shopping trip, take a photo of the contents in the fridge so you can see what exactly you need to stock up on.
Plan your meals for the week to reduce overcooking, don't keep your food out of sight, use clear food containers to keep stock of what you have, and don't rush to the shops to buy new food; make do with what you have first.
From travel mugs to canvas shopping bags, reuse them over and over again rather than wasting money and resources on throwaway disposables.
Paper, fabric, cardboard packaging, yoghurt tubes, jars, cans, toilet paper rolls...don't throw them away but save it for your next craft project. Or, if there's some furniture you no longer need, try to adapt it into something you do need - there's no limit to how creative you can be.
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