Skip to main content

Live Lagom hacks – IKEA shows us the way

First there was Hygge, now there is “Live Lagom”. It’s a Swedish word that means just the right amount – not too much, and not too little. It comes from the phrase “Lagom är bäst” – the right amount is best.

In essence, it is a call to use just the right amount of what you need – whether it’s food, energy or water – and leave the rest for the planet. Moderation and balanced living, in other terms. The middle road of minimalism and wasteful lifestyles.

Quietly, for the past 3 years, IKEA has been running the “Live LAGOM” project. It’s a unique project that explores the challenges and benefits of a more sustainable life at home. It gives IKEA customers and co-workers the chance to test IKEA products that help save energy and water, reduce waste and promote a healthy lifestyle.

As always, be it recycling or tidying, it starts with a mindset to want to create a better future. The steps taken towards lagom living need not be huge. It could be as simple as setting a timer for shorter showers (to reduce the use of water) or turning off the lights when no one is in the room (to save energy). Or giving used items a second life (yay for hacking!) instead of discarding them at first signs of wear. That’s the beauty of it, small simple steps do add up. And because they are so simple, it is easier to be consistent. Over time, live lagom becomes a way of life.

I checked out some of their projects and stories and came away feeling inspired. It’s definitely doable. And very common sense. In fact, it’s the kind of life my grandmother is a pro at. No waste. And squeeze the last drop out of everything.

Here are a few live Lagom hacks from IKEA GB.

#1 Tea Towel Curtain

Live Lagom

Gather old tea towels, clothes and bits of fabric you no longer need and stitch them together in a patchwork to create one-of-a-kind curtains. Curtains also help lower energy bills when you draw them in the evenings to keep heat in.

#2 Upcycled utensil holders

Live Lagom

Don’t throw food cans away. Clean them and paint on your favourite colour to create pots for kitchen utensils, fresh herbs or pens and pencils.

#3 Home made trellis

Live Lagom

Got a bunch of old kitchen utensils? Tie them with string in a rope-ladder style. Then, hang the trellis above a planter, with climbing vines like tomatoes or green beans. At the same time, you’ll get to grow your own food.

#4 Picnic blanket with the IKEA blue bag

Live Lagom

The IKEA Blue Bag (FRAKTA) makes a great base for a waterproof picnic blanket. Line it with a comfortable top made from old tea towels or any old fabric like bed sheets, curtains or duvet. The full instructions for the picnic blanket here.

See more living lagom ideas on their website.

Live Lagom stories

A simple change reduced Lauren’s water bill by 60%.

The post Live Lagom hacks – IKEA shows us the way appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hackers Help: How to attach headboard to ESPEVÄR mattress base?

I’m trying to figure out if a headboard can be attached to an Espevar Mattress Base , and how to accomplish that. I’m looking at a standard metal headboard (because I just prefer the look of curved metal to what IKEA offers) and am not interested in a slat base with just a mattress on top, and a wall mounted headboard is not an option due to renting. Thanks for any help! ~ Amy *** Hi Amy I’ve not seen the ESPEVÄR in person but I believe it is possible to attach a headboard to it. From the website, the ESPEVÄR looks like a regular wooden slatted mattress base under a bed base slipover. As to how to attach it, that will depend on the fittings on the metal headboard. So you will just need to get the right hardware to secure the metal headboard to the wooden frame. And make some small openings on the slipcover to let the fixtures to go through. Jules Photo: IKEA.com Try these free-standing headboards for size A lime green and white headboard that takes centerstage in the r

Kitchen renovation reveal: Rhombus wall steals the show

It’s been a while since I did a home tour. If you’ve missed the previous reveals, you can catch up with my Master Bathroom remodel and Guest Bathroom reveal . Today, let’s focus on my kitchen renovation. Hands down, this is the most used room in my home. I spend crazy amounts of time in here, even when I’m not cooking. Just off to the side of the kitchen I converted an awkward space into a reading nook . In the mornings, I sit and read or pray and meditate, before it gets too warm. And on the other side, there’s a work-in-progress plant wall / indoor garden which also takes up a lot of my time. So, all in all, lots of traffic in here, and that’s not even counting cooking and eating time. The kitchen is definitely my favourite room, because the transformation is huge and I love how it turned out. Kitchen renovation: The before House 17 when I first got it, actually had 2 kitchens, which is a very common “Asian” home concept. First, the “dry kitchen”, which is where you make simp

IKEA sofa with genius armrest storage

Bet you never knew your sofa armrests were prime storage space. Ok, so the guys at IKEA are the masters of hidden / secret storage everywhere. In fact, one of the things I most loved about the  ESKILSTUNA sofa series was the undercover storage on the chaise lounge, but… what? More than 80 liters of storage space wasted on the armrests? NO WAY! I really don’t understand how they didn’t take that opportunity with several different armrest modules. Mobile chargers, cup / can holders, foldable tables, refrigerators… there’s SO MUCH space in there. I can’t stop thinking on different options! For myself, I went for two designs. First, a “full space” design on the (right) side of the chaise lounge. (The cavity fits two foldable chairs). Second, on the left armrest — a flip open section for “mobile charger / remote control storage / etc.”. Below that, a full-depth pull-out drawer, tall enough to store A4 sized magazines. This is the final result: Full space design, right of cha