Image Credit: Charlotte Cowell Unsplash I’m fascinated by this way of designing — not just for how it looks, but for how it feels. Biophilic design is more than a trend. It’s a return. A quiet remembrance of the textures, colours, and rhythms that have always supported us: sunlight filtering through leaves, the hush of… Read More Biophillic Design: A Return to What Grounds Us
In every culture, cloth has done more than cover the body—it has held grief, carried prayers, mapped escape routes, and wrapped the sick in hope. In my last post, I explored how textiles have long been vessels of memory and healing. Now I find myself asking: what can we learn from this legacy? And how… Read More Threads We Carry: Making Textiles for Memory & Healing
Silence enhances wellbeing in our noisy lives. Designing homes with soft, natural materials like wool and cork can absorb sound, creating a calming environment. This approach promotes sustainability while nurturing focus and reducing stress. Quietness serves both personal and ecological purposes, fostering a balanced, restorative living space.… Read More Episode 3: The Quiet Home: Designing with Sound in Mind
Slow textile practices like mending, dyeing, and patchwork are ways to resist a culture of disposability, transforming waste into emotional connections and stories. This approach honors imperfections, creating relationships between materials and memories, fostering emotional sustainability. By reshaping discarded textiles, these rituals of repair celebrate the beauty in flaws and reflect a deeper value in craft.… Read More stitching sustainability: how textile practice can reclaim waste
It’s been a while since I’ve written about Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), and I’ve been reflecting on how often people—friends, family, even professionals—ask the same questions. Not out of ignorance, but from a place of confusion, concern, or curiosity. So here’s a gentle guide to the most frequent questions I hear, shaped with clarity and… Read More What People Ask About FND: A Gentle Guide
William Morris’s legacy is not confined to the pages of design history—it’s alive as a quiet revolution reshaping how we live, make, and care. As one of the founding voices of the Arts and Crafts movement, William Morris championed handcrafted objects, natural materials, and ethical production at a time when industrialisation threatened to sever design… Read More William Morris: & The New Wave of Sustainable Craft: From Block Print to Biophilic Design
Sustainable living transcends energy and waste to include the materials we use, which shape our feelings and surroundings. Natural materials like linen, wool, clay, and wood enhance sensory comfort and longevity, fostering emotional connections and ecological care. Choosing textures that invite touch promotes calm and encourages a deeper appreciation for our environment.… Read More episode 2: the texture of comfort: touching calm, living sustainably
In colder months, a well-stocked cupboard fosters resilience through budget-friendly, health-supporting staples. These ingredients, are ideal for nourishing meals like soups and stews, enhance gut health and digestion. Use this adaptable list as a guide to restock intentionally, honouring personal rhythms while prioritising comfort and sustainability in meal preparation.… Read More sustainable cupboard staples: part of the soft source for living series
I’ve done what I needed to with the decorating for now. The space feels settled enough, even if it’s not finished. There are still things I might come back to—soft touches, lighting, maybe a few seasonal changes—but I’m happy to pause here. Studio Decorating: What’s Done What Can Wait I’m shifting focus to other things… Read More a pause in decorating
Sashiko is more than technique — it’s a quiet choreography of care. Once a rural necessity, now a poetic practice, sashiko invites us to stitch not just cloth, but time, memory, and meaning. This guide offers deeper insight into motif symbolism, regional styles, and creative adaptation — all while honouring sashiko’s roots in resilience and… Read More advanced sashiko: stitching time, memory & meaning
Rachel Bakewell 