The Citizen (Gauteng)

Not just trends, a lifestyle

HYGGE AND LAGOM: THE COSY LIFESTYLE FOR HOME

- Adriaan Roets

Bring back old furniture and bring back some calm.

Annually Decorex plays an important role in introducin­g a variety of trends that influence home and everyday life. The festival’s Johannesbu­rg leg again took place in August, and helped establish where your focus should be if you’re in the market to be on time with the latest trends.

But in 2018, trends aren’t fly by night. Instead the latest lifestyle choices can have a beneficial impact on your everyday life for years to come, because many don’t want you to just buy new things. Some ask you to look in storage and bring old items back into the home.

Under the theme Rhythm of Life, the fair explored the duality of life.

Between home and work, public and private life, the aim was to find common ground where life isn’t a flurry of activity but rather a place of calm, and how to interpret that into a home. One of the major talking points was Hygge and Lagom, two lifestyle trends that truly create balance.

Early in 2018 Hygge (pronounced hoo-gah) and Lagom was tipped as a top visual style that focuses on the simultaneo­us existence of things that compliment and contrast each other. Hygge is focused around everything considered cosy.

“It’s anything like a roaring fire or a cosy pair of socks, its a driver of happiness, and it seems to make you happier and healthier,” says Anita Bloom, creative director for lifestyle, design and retail for Decorex.

In South Africa, Hygge doesn’t mean finding comfort in a Tuscan palace, instead it’s that cushion on the couch that draws you to it, or the soft lighting next to your bed that makes you want to stretch out and read.

Hygge at its core isn’t minimalism, but rather surroundin­g oneself with things that are comforting.

What should be co-existing with Hygge is the trend of Lagom. Lagom at its core is the concept of not too much or too little. Lagom is the ethos of moderation, which translates to not being indulgent.

“It’s about being a lot more frugal with your purchasing decisions,” Bloom explains.

Instead of purchasing an entire range of bedding, from matching covers to scatter pillows, sheets and matching bedside lamps, just go with the bedding that matches existing pieces in your linen closet.

With Lagom and Hygge in balance, a home won’t be cluttered. Instead, it ensures there is enough warmth without becoming kitschy and messy.

According to Bloom, the other trend of Wabi Sabi also fits into this cosy-approach to home life.

Wabi Sabi is the idea of finding beauty in imperfecti­on. It’s what you’ll see in weathered wood, worn furniture and hand-made materials in neutral colours. It’s not a new trend, but combined with the ideas of Hygge and Lagom it makes sense in 2018 that you can bring that old leather armchair out of storage and it will find a place next to ultra-sleek pieces in your home.

With balance sorted, it’s time to look at patterns and design to elevate a home into 2018.

Tribal Pop is one of the major influences this year. Walk into any fast-fashion store right now and you will already see it there. But tribal pop, with its more muted tones, again fits into Hygge and Lagom thanks to it not being insanely bold.

But if you want those pops of colour, Bloom also mentions that you should keep an eye out for Psycotropi­cal prints.

This emerging trend emanates from the psychedeli­c movement while evolving into a digital modernity that touches on the natural.

“In this digitised world, nature will branch out to include virtual reality wonderland­s with the digital now moving into the physical, creating a ‘phygital’ design,” Bloom says.

It’s an interestin­g contrast juxtaposit­ioning the man-made with the natural. These prints are bold, bright and completely hypnotic.

Even Prada started showing neon in their latest collection – so it’s no wonder the combinatio­n of tropical and neon is co-existing.

Think Brian Lara Rum Eatery in Linden, or even The Ritz Hotel in Sea Point. They follow similar cues when decorating some aspects of their interior. Psycotropi­cal is especially a great mood shifter heading into Spring thanks to its boldness.

On the colour front, Terazzo is the hot item that has everyone talking.

Essentiall­y terracotta, but used as wallpaper or bedding, according to Bloom fast-fashion brands like MrP and Superbalis­t are already showing it in their ranges and ceramic wear.

New colours emerging are Refreshed Jewel Tones. Here it’s not rose golds, silvers or emeralds – colours are more subtle and refined, like dusty pinks or matte black with a metallic shimmer that takes cues from natural elements like stone.

The same tones also translate well into design, with Moroccan Fish Scale-tiles proving especially popular.

 ??  ?? TILE STYLE. A dark blue navy tile wall inspired by the Moroccan fish scales trend.
TILE STYLE. A dark blue navy tile wall inspired by the Moroccan fish scales trend.
 ?? Pictures: iStock ?? BEJEWELLED. Refined Jewel Tones are a great way to add shimmer, without relying on gold or silver.
Pictures: iStock BEJEWELLED. Refined Jewel Tones are a great way to add shimmer, without relying on gold or silver.
 ?? Pictures: iStock ?? HOW TO HYGGE. The lifestyle trend is about including cosy things around the home. It can be as simple as a fireplace.
Pictures: iStock HOW TO HYGGE. The lifestyle trend is about including cosy things around the home. It can be as simple as a fireplace.
 ??  ?? TERRAZZO. Terracotta is a big colour scheme for 2018.
TERRAZZO. Terracotta is a big colour scheme for 2018.
 ??  ?? ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES. Wabi Sabi allows you to play with items in the home that are worn.
ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES. Wabi Sabi allows you to play with items in the home that are worn.

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