All posts tagged: spaces

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 reveals biggest garden trends from Japanese Zen spaces to AI design

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 reveals biggest garden trends from Japanese Zen spaces to AI design

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more The world-renowned RHS Chelsea Flower Show has once again opened its gates, inviting visitors into a realm where horticultural artistry meets cutting-edge innovation. This year, designers are pushing boundaries, not only with breathtaking garden masterpieces but also by showcasing trends that home gardeners can readily adopt, from serene Japanese-inspired spaces to the embrace of wildlife and even artificial intelligence. Japanese-inspired design Japanese influence in the Tokonoma Garden – Sanymaya no Niwa designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara (PA) A significant theme emerging from the show is the profound influence of Japanese design, appealing to those seeking mindfulness and a deeper connection with nature. Four of the nine large show gardens draw directly from these traditions. Award-winning designer Kazuyuki Ishihara’s Tokonoma Garden – Samumaya no Niwa, for …

From Horror to Healing: The Neuroscience of Liminal Spaces

From Horror to Healing: The Neuroscience of Liminal Spaces

Published by Jenni Sidey

With growing anticipation for the A24 film debut of Backrooms, liminal spaces have become a viral symbol of psychological horror. These spaces unsettle us because they highlight our brain’s sensitivity to processing ambiguity and transition. Images of the film’s main characters, the backrooms themselves, evoke similarly disconcerting places we’ve all experienced: a narrow, dim hotel hallway, a long underground hospital corridor, or an empty airport terminal. By examining the neuroscience behind these spaces, we can better understand their impact and what they reveal about navigating transitions. Trapped in Liminality Recently, it has become more cost-effective to abandon malls, big-box buildings, and entire neighborhoods and construct new ones, rather than reuse or repurpose existing structures. This practice has resulted in a new typology of liminal spaces. These are liminal in time: spaces sitting empty, awaiting reuse or demolition, much like ghosts lingering before crossing over. These are not merely liminal spaces, but rather spaces trapped in liminality. This architecture of ambiguity, across both space and time, may resonate with many youth experiences about our world, as …

How the hidden language of life’s spaces quietly reveals our values

How the hidden language of life’s spaces quietly reveals our values

Published by Jenni Sidey

Adapted from In a Good Place: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive by Leidy Klotz. Published by Little Brown Spark. Copyright © 2026. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Our spaces broadcast who we are and what we care about — whether we realize it or not. A warm kitchen built around a big table signals a family that values shared meals. An elementary school with an elaborate playground tells parents that outdoor exploration matters here. A walkable city suggests residents who care about health and environmental impact. We can’t always control what our physical surroundings say about us. We may not be able to force the school board to build a bigger playground or make the mayor close streets to cars. But our voice matters more than we realize. Exercising that influence doesn’t necessarily require chiming in at city council meetings or lobbying the parks department, though that’s time well spent. We can do a lot just by getting our own house in order. Because our spaces …

Small spaces at the 2026 Pasadena Showcase House of Design in Arcadia

Small spaces at the 2026 Pasadena Showcase House of Design in Arcadia

Published by Sam Flores

Designers Jeanine Hattas Wilson and Julie Kennedy’s magical transformation of a 4-foot-by-4-foot storage closet at this year’s Pasadena Showcase House of Design almost feels like a metaphor for design showcases themselves: not quite real, but pure fantasy. “It was inspired by our dad, who used to read to us in Woodstock, Ill.,” Wilson says of their immersive storybook escape, which features a delightful hand-painted mural on the walls and tiny lanterns that, when touched, offer a narrated fairy tale. “We wanted to create a special, intimate space for kids.” 61st Pasadena Showcase House of Design Where: Baldwin Oaks Estate, Arcadia When: Through May 17 Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday-Sunday; 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday Tickets: $38-$75 Parking and shuttle location: Santa Anita Park, Huntington Gate 3, Lot C Information, including shops and special events: pasadenashowcase.org Showhouses are always extravagant, and this year’s event takes place inside the 8,000-square-foot former home of Clara Baldwin Stocker, daughter of land investor and racehorse breeder Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin. Like her father, Stocker was …

Best home exercise equipment for small spaces

Best home exercise equipment for small spaces

Published by Sam Flores

Latex bands have their place, but the fabric version is the one you’ll reach for on leg day. The woven construction means no rolling, no pinching, and no slow slide down your thighs mid-squat – problems that plague cheaper rubber alternatives. Mirafit’s set comes in three resistance levels (light, medium, heavy), all clearly colour-coded, so you can progress without guesswork. They’re compact enough to live in a drawer and tough enough for daily use. If you’re doing hip thrusts, lateral walks or glute bridges at home, these are the ones to have. Source link

The Best Shows to See in New York This Month Are at Nonprofit Spaces

The Best Shows to See in New York This Month Are at Nonprofit Spaces

Published by Jenni Sidey

The bell tolls frequently these days for New York galleries of all sizes, suggesting that something in our art ecosystem is seriously broken. (Josh Kline has a diagnosis for that, as you may have heard.) Amid yet another wave of gallery closures, there is much to mourn. But there is also a ray of hope in the form of nonprofits that have sprung up across New York in the past few years, organizing shows that commercial galleries will not—and perhaps cannot—stage. Perhaps more so than other major art hubs in the US and Europe, New York has a rich tradition of alternative spaces that dates to the 1970s, which saw the formation of gritty organizations like the Kitchen, Artists Space, and White Columns, all of which continue to be vital to the city’s ecosystem. Each still runs against the grain in its own way, albeit with much more money than it had half a century ago. These organizations all started out scruffy. Most of the new ones today, however, come out of the gate spiffed-up …

Promoting Civic Friendship: The Transformative Power of Public Spaces

Promoting Civic Friendship: The Transformative Power of Public Spaces

Published by Jenni Sidey

The neighborhood in Lisbon where I spend a lot of my time is densely populated. It has undergone many changes, with new cafes and restaurants catering to youngsters as well as a significant influx of immigrants. Increased population and tourism put pressure on infrastructure, and local branches of government have been slow to respond. The bus I take is overcrowded. Garbage collection is falling behind. The local hospital is understaffed and underqualified: almost no one can address those seeking care in English. Immigrants are often met with hostility and frustration. The result is a chaotic neighborhood that feels vibrant and diverse, but also exasperating and hostile. It’s a striking contrast with the recent history of some areas surrounding this neighborhood, which were part of an innovative project: the SAAL—Serviço de Apoio Ambulatório Local, which was meant to “support, through the municipal council, initiatives by poorly housed populations to collaborate in transforming their own neighbourhoods” (my translation). When it was abruptly terminated in 1976, SAAL counted 41,665 families involved, 2,259 homes that had started to be …

Wildlife abounds – even in our cities: readers’ favourite UK nature reserves and national parks | Parks and green spaces

Wildlife abounds – even in our cities: readers’ favourite UK nature reserves and national parks | Parks and green spaces

Published by Sam Flores

Winning tip: Whitebeams and roe deer in Bristol I always take friends on an afternoon walk when they visit Bristol, to experience the swift changes in scenery: starting at the tobacco warehouses of Cumberland Basin before ascending from the muddy banks of the River Avon up into Leigh Woods, a national nature reserve. As well as possible animal sightings like peregrine falcons and roe deer, the woods are an important site for whitebeam trees, with several species only growing here. It’s easy to spend a full afternoon crisscrossing the trails before walking over Brunel’s famous suspension bridge for a well-deserved coffee at the Primrose Café in Clifton village.Tor Hands Profile Readers’ tips: send a tip for a chance to win a £200 voucher for a Coolstays break Show Guardian Travel readers’ tips Every week we ask our readers for recommendations from their travels. A selection of tips will be featured online and may appear in print. To enter the latest competition visit the readers’ tips homepage – Thank you for your feedback. A seal colony …

‘Toxic online spaces’ turning teenagers into cyber criminals, sex offenders and terrorists, NCA chief warns | UK News

‘Toxic online spaces’ turning teenagers into cyber criminals, sex offenders and terrorists, NCA chief warns | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

Teenagers are being radicalised to become cyber criminals, sex offenders and terrorists by the same algorithms in “toxic online spaces”, the head of the National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned. Director General Graeme Biggar said technology is no longer “merely enabling”, but “driving” serious and organised crime. In a speech at the NCA’s headquarters in east London, he said “something fundamental has changed”, adding that how authorities protect the public is at a “turning point”. “Technology is no longer simply a tool that criminals use. It is reshaping crime itself: accelerating it, globalising it, and making it more harmful,” he said. “Teenagers are being radicalised – to become cyber criminals, sexual offenders or terrorists – within the same toxic online spaces, by the same algorithms.” Image: A sign outside the National Crime Agency headquarters in London. Pic: Reuters In its annual National Strategic Assessment, the NCA found the threat from serious and organised crime increased last year, with drugs remaining the biggest driver in the UK. Mr Biggar said synthetic opioids pose the biggest risk, …

Dad who parked in all 108 spaces at Sainsbury’s admits ‘I was bored’ | UK | News

Dad who parked in all 108 spaces at Sainsbury’s admits ‘I was bored’ | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

A dad has finally completed a five-year mission to park in every bay at his local Sainsbury’s – after spending six years doing the same thing at another branch. Gareth Wild previously spent six years charting every spot in his local supermarket in London, finishing the task in 2021. After relocating to Devizes, Wiltshire, in 2024, the 44-year-old decided it was time to restart the challenge. He plotted all 108 spaces on a satellite image of the car park, recording every time he parked in one, excluding only the disabled and motorcycle spaces. Last weekend, he finally finished the task, taking him a total of one year, seven months and two days, using his weekly shopping trips and the occasional resupply stops. Gareth said: “Boredom was probably the starting point. I have to do the weekly shop, so it keeps me amused doing little things like this. It was a little bit sad to see it end because it is part of your routine for so long that when it does finally end you have …