Living well Flatpack seating and wallcoverings
In fine British materials and innovative flatpack designs, these chairs are all about eco chic
1 ALL NATURAL In a project with Nottingham Trent University, Trent Upholsteries has created a range of armchairs and sofas with handmade frames in naturally waxed FSC beechwood wrapped in a blend of wool, horsehair, coir and rubber. Strauss armchair (H99cm x W77.5cm), from £944, Trent Upholsteries 2 SIMPLY INNOVATIVE Danish designer Hans Hornemann has reinvented flatpack furniture with this elegant chair that simply consists of a back, seat, four legs and two screws, but once assembled looks every inch a design classic. Ace chair (H80cm x W56cm), from £399, Normann Copenhagen 3 RESPONSIBLE TRADING Barker and Stonehouse uses homespun UK materials and its Trees4Trees project has enabled more than 580,000 trees to be planted in Indonesia. Harris Tweed Mackenzie chair (H117cm x W87cm), from £1,599, Barker and Stonehouse
Mindfulness isn’t new and in fact has its roots in the past, explains psychologist Niels Eek, co-founder of personal wellbeing app Remente. ‘It’s thousands of years old and was first used in Buddhist meditation,’ says Niels. ‘Its main purpose is to allow you to become more present in everyday life and thus improve your relationship with those around you.’
Despite its ancient origins, mindfulness is still useful in today’s modern world. ‘It can be used in several life situations,’ says Niels. ‘If you’re feeling stressed, spending a few minutes on mindful meditation will reduce the amount of the stress hormone cortisol your body produces. Researchers from the University of Oregon also found that mindfulness can affect our brain in such a way as to protect from mental illness.’
Niels also says practising mindfulness can help improve overall health, and even aid weight loss and improve sleep. ‘If you have a few spare minutes you can practise it virtually anywhere, and the more regularly you do it, the more benefits you’ll see.’
What’s the best way to do it?
Wellbeing specialist Akcelina Cvijetic suggests the following:
Find a comfortable seat, sit upright, with your feet on the ground, close your eyes and focus on one sense at a time for a minute.
Think about how your arms and legs are feeling, and concentrate on your hearing, and your senses of smell and taste.
The trick is to avoid letting your mind wander, but if it does, just acknowledge this and then bring it back to the sensations you’re aware of.
Look at one of the many websites where you can learn and practise the principles of mindfulness. Bemindful.co.uk, from the Mental Health Foundation, is a great place to start as it has a range of online courses and can help you find a local teacher.
Try a mindfulness smartphone app such as Remente and the extremely popular Headspace. Then, no matter where you are, you can take a few minutes out to concentrate on your own mental wellbeing.