Cultivating Lagom with Lakeshore Dry Goods
“More than anything, savoring is about gratitude...It’s about keeping in mind that you live right now, allowing yourself to focus on the moment and appreciate the life you lead, to focus on all that you do have, not what you don’t. Cliche? Totally.”
I've been known to obsess over "atmosphere". I can never sit down to work until the room feels cozy enough. I've purposefully gone to cafe's that are a bit more expensive, just because I appreciate the "vibe" more. I like to feel inspired, at ease, home-y, whether I'm writing a blog post, hosting a get-together, or just spending time with my family. If you read my blog post on cultivating a sense of home in "unlikely" seasons, you'll know that this phase of our life has been anything but home-y. We're currently in-between homes and, true to myself, I've found ways to create cozy, intentional moments even when we have no space to call our own.
It's usually as simple as a familiar routine, hanging up some simple decor to make our temporary room feel like home, or for me, of course, creating a little "coffee corner" for myself to wake up in each morning.
Believe it or not, I'm not the only one who is obsessed with atmosphere and "coziness".
It turns out that there are entire cultures and lifestyles built around this idea of "the art of creating intimacy" and coziness and the more I learn about it all, the more it speaks to what my soul already loves and craves.
I've spend the past few months reading three books on the subject.
Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living (here)
The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets of Happy Living (here)
The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World's Happiest People (here)
Each of these books are a little bit different, but each one hinges on the Scandinavian culture of slow, thoughtful living, a topic that, not surprisingly, I fall more in love with by the day. The words Lykke, Hygge, and Lagom have English translations, but ones that, I think, fall short of the native meanings.
hygge
Pronunciation /ˈhʊɡə//ˈh(j)uːɡə/
NOUN
A quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture)
lykke
Pronunciation/"lye-kee"
felicity, happiness {noun}
lagom
Pronunciation/
Lagom (pronounced [ˈlɑ̀ːɡɔm]) is a Swedish word meaning "just the right amount"... "enough, sufficient, adequate, just right". Lagom is also widely translated as "in moderation", "in balance", "perfect-simple", and "suitable" (in matter of amounts).
Although Scandinavian blood runs deep in my family, I can't claim to fully understand the depth and implications of living in a culture that so truly believes in these ideals. America, quite apparently, is far from the "just the right amount" mindset and our culture of more, bigger, and better has a tendency to distract.
However.
One of my deepest longings is to create a slow, thoughtful lifestyle for myself and my family. A lifestyle that doesn't continually need more. A family-culture centered around these notions of "less is more", gratitude, comfortable aesthetic, and experiences over things. Hygge, Lykke, and Lagom are, quite possibly, my biggest inspirations for Simply Liv & Co. other than my desire to grow the sustainable fashion movement. Unbeknownst to me, these concepts were so ingrained in me that I sought to live them out long before I knew what they were called, or even that cultures before me had done so for years and years and years.
I strive to showcase products here that are both beautiful and functional. Lagom. Just enough.
When Lakeshore Dry Goods reached out to me to collaborate, I wasn't sure how I was going to authentically share about towels. For one thing, I can't take a decent photo in them and, despite how much I use mine, it seems somehow different than sharing about a glamorous, easily photograph-able "capsule wardrobe staple", like I normally do.
But, perhaps my mindset was all wrong.
Perhaps the pieces that you use day in and day out, whether it's straight out of the shower, or in your real-life morning routine, or simply because your 3 and 4 year old love to look like mama, perhaps these are the pieces worth sharing about the most.
Lakeshore Dry Goods uses organic, ethically sourced and sewn cotton to create their towels, which is noticeably gentler on hair and magically reduces frizz and tangles. Both of which, coming from a mother of two girls with insanely tangle-able hair, is a miracle straight from the hygge gods.
It might seem silly to link a cotton towel to my "dream lifestyle" but, if I understand it correctly, living a lifestyle of "lagom" is about surrounding yourself with things that are both beautiful and functional. My girls look forward to each bath time, knowing that at the end, they'll cozy up with their very own "big girl" towel, just like mama does.
I've been known to leave my Lakeshore towel on for almost an entire day, because it takes so much of the effort out of my normal hair-care routine. It reduces drying time, makes it easier to style my hair, is so much less bulky than a normal towel, and of course, I can focus on other things like making breakfast for my kiddos or enjoying my coffee in the morning for just a few minutes longer.
My philosophy about enjoying the little things is so much simpler and more do-able when I'm not worried about silly things like spending time on my hair - a philosophy notably Danish and Swedish who are masters at the minimally undone looks.
Notoriously low-maintenance and a lover of all things simple, easy, and of course, beautiful, it's no surprise that my love for these simple towels is a reflection of my love for something much bigger: a lifestyle that I'm daily trying to emulate. And choosing the right towel, or the right coffee corner, or the best time to stay in and say no - it's all part of the hygge I'm constantly trying to achieve.
How do the concepts of hygge and lagom resonate with you?
*This post was sponsored by Lakeshore Dry Goods, intentionally structured around these ideals that I try to portray in my everyday life. All opinions, photos, and obsessions with Scandinavia are my own.*
