Hygge. It's nice that my
aesthetic has a Danish name. I'm just a little bitter I never knew
about it until the word is on its way out. Because yes, even words
can be trends. Apparently 2016 was the year of hygge (hoo-gah)
across the pond and more than twenty books on the word were published
in America alone. And yet somehow I did not realize the word was even
a word at all (or a movement) until it was popularly "over with." Not happy, Bob.
Not happy. Thankfully I'm advised of most trends before they phase
out. I like to be informed even if I don't choose to participate in
the trend. For instance, I don't love green tea so I've ignored the
matcha craze but I am aware that it exists and that dozens of
moldy-looking cakes are the Instagram It-Foods of the moment. I've
even heard that the world isn't done with matcha and that Australia
is currently the hot-bed of the fad, propitiating it into 2017 and
beyond. But I tend to feel a deep sense of FOMO (fear of missing out)
if I don't opt out of a tend voluntarily. So hygge? Come on!
It even has its own adjective: “hyggelig” (hoo-gah-lee). I love
that the enjoyment of simple things produces hygge. I love that
taking shelter from something (a thunderstorm, a crowd, deep snow)
can also produce hygge. So whether humanity will join me or not, I
intend to keep the art of cozy living alive and well in 2017. Oh, and
lest you think I'm just talking, I've literally been living a hygge
life from birth so it's no great sacrifice to slap a label on the
status quo. No, the thing that will be harder to
follow if I so choose is 2017's projected trend of “lagom.” What
the heck is lagom? Well, besides not being a misspelled version of
“lagoon,” “lagom” is a Swedish word translating to “enough,
sufficient, adequate, just right.”
While hygge is more of a feeling, a
mood, a setting lagom is more of a mantra of moderation. A restaurant
could be have both hygge and lagom (cozy, perfectly lighted, the
portions just right) but a pair of snuggly cashmere socks would
likely be less lagom, more hygge. I always find myself interested in
what we feel we need more of, collectively. I think the austere
minimalism of 2015 left us lacking the essential comfort of home.
Personal spaces were zen for sure, but clinical in their empty
whiteness. Not the sort of place you feel like letting down your
guard. So in 2016 we wanted a retreat away from the cold world and
all its madness. We wanted to settle down, dig in, burrow like a
velveteen mole into a world of crackling fire and mulled wine.
Welcome to 2017! Now it is time to emerge into this new world we
somehow created, to face it like adults, and learn to live in the
balance. We're always looking to create balance, aren't we? That is
probably the basis of ninety percent of the New Year resolutions
people make: more of this, less of that. So lagom isn't quite a new
idea as much as it is a reminder to live with intention and
moderation. There is so much wisdom in the idea of lagom and so many
ways to apply it to the everyday. Eat well, not legalistically. Buy
quality items but don't get distracted by excessively priced things
that are “on trend.” Exercising doesn't mean you have to sign up
for a SoulCycle class. A hyggelig walk in the rain would fit the bill
just as well. I'm looking forward to a return to moderation as a
focus, aren't you?
Let's pretend lagom is the reason I've been spending my evenings and weekends deep-cleaning and
de-cluttering my bedroom in preparation for the massive project which
is "re-decorating." As terrifying as the mess of seven years' living in
that bedroom has been, it has felt wonderful to get rid of things. To
simplify. To focus on what I really value to toss or give away the
rest. Lagom when I'd never even heard of the word. And no, these plants aren't mine. They're my younger sister's: a person who (in her room decor) achieved the 2017 ideal last year. As I redecorate
and repaint and finally hang my gallery wall, I'll still be as
hyggelig as a cotton-tail bunny but I'm ready to embrace lagom as
well. Fewer things, quieter surroundings. Moderation is something we could all stand to focus on this
year and for the rest of our lives. In 2017, the only thing I want to
have (and give) in excess is love. Not even the lagom trend can
convince me the moderate that.
Loved this! The word and concept of hygge (which my autocorrect just turned to "higgle" haha) just came across my radar recently, and I instantly connected with it. I'm too sentimental to ever really be a minimalist, but "lagom" is also what I've started striving for recently. I like that idea of finding balance. :) Lovely post, thanks for sharing your thoughts! ~Caileigh
ReplyDeleteIts a bit strange to me how some of these trends are kind of just commonsense. Like you said you already lived a "hygge" life, I think our family too, tends to be what I call "homebodies" and slow movers. Stop and smell the roses (I like that better than hygge). Not that we cannot use work. I tend to spin in circles rather than either excessively work or leisurely enjoy.
ReplyDeleteAnd the minimalist, recycle, etc. All these trends are coming from very wealthy and decadent areas. I'm kind of like, well, I guess its new to you, but for a lot of people and for most of people some of this stuff is necessary. Not everyone and not completely. I'm not criticizing the movement as a whole per se, just some of the attitudes, those with cult followings, that there is a cult following, the strange concept of "newness" of something that is as old as the hills. I certainly needed a kick-in the pants for my hoarding tendencies.