Growing mushrooms at home is an engaging hobby that requires minimal equipment. They thrive in humid, dark environments, feeding on organic matter. Beginners can start with easy varieties like oyster or lion’s mane using various methods. Proper conditions and avoiding common mistakes can lead to successful mushroom cultivation, enhancing your culinary experience.… Read More Growing Mushrooms: A Beginner’s Guide to Home Cultivation
Lion’s mane mushrooms, valued for their culinary and therapeutic properties, feature striking white spines and bioactive compounds that may enhance brain health, reduce inflammation, and support immune function. Cultivating these mushrooms requires careful attention to humidity and temperature. They offer health benefits, yet professional medical advice is recommended before use.… Read More Growing Mushrooms: Lion’s Mane A Gentle Guide to Growing & Healing
The language of design transcends functionality, embodying identity and community through textiles and architecture. From the symbolism of flags to biophilic principles, design fosters connection and care. It emphasises balance, harmony, and the relationship between materials and human experience, reflecting our shared stories and emotions in every stitch and structure.… Read More Episode Five: Woven Worlds Textiles, Space, & The Design of Meaning
The author began cultivating pink oyster mushrooms out of curiosity, discovering the joy and complexity in mushroom growing. Each type of mushroom, from pink to enoki, presents unique requirements and relationships. This process turned into a rewarding collaboration with living systems, with plans to share detailed insights on various mushroom varieties and cultivation rituals.… Read More Growing Mushrooms: Pink Oyster A Gentle Ritual of Colour & Care
Interior design merges art and science to shape experiences within spaces. Key principles include balance, rhythm, harmony, contrast, scale, emphasis, and functionality. Thoughtful design considers sensory and sustainable aspects, ensuring comfort and accessibility for all users, including neurodiverse individuals. Ultimately, empathetic design fosters environments that feel welcoming and inclusive.… Read More Episode Four: the core design principles of interior design
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
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
Rachel Bakewell 