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The Fast Furniture Trap

The Fast Furniture Trap

Did you know? Ikea beds, Wayfair desks, and other fast furniture items are designed to last about five years.

Fast furniture is mass-produced and relatively inexpensive; it’s easy, then, to obtain and abandon. And fast decor? Low price points essentially render disposable those trendy but cheap pillows, artwork, and trinkets.

There’s a better way, and it always starts with slowing down. Slow Style is Zandra Zuraw‘s framework for creating homes that nurture without breaking the bank, and today she shows us how to create havens that inspire and welcome without anything fast or cheap.

Here’s a preview:

[4:30] Why bother surrounding ourselves with beauty (and other big-picture musings)

[7:00] Mass production, economies of sale, and the environmental implications of fast decor

[17:00] Developing your eye for design means paying attention!

[25:00] How to find the fine line between keeping stuff you hate versus hopping on the hamster wheel of buying

[30:00] Ethical furnishings companies DO exist! Here’s where to find them once and for all

 

 

Resources mentioned:

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Did you know? Ikea beds, Wayfair desks, and other fast furniture items are designed to last about five years. There's a better way, and it starts with slowing down the purchasing process. On this episode of the Sustainable Minimalists podcast: how to create a home that nurtures, welcomes, and inspires without breaking the bank or buying cheaping junk. 

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The Cost of Constant Connection

In this era of relentless connectivity, taking an exit ramp from our digital lives has never looked more inviting. In fact, emerging science is now confirming what many of us feel: Smartphones are draining our cognitive reserves, shattering our focus, and keeping us in a state of low-level chronic anxiety.

To see if there’s a better way, reporter Courtney Lindwall shelved her iPhone for a $45 Nokia flip phone. Courtney is on the show today to discuss  the "dumb phone" movement, the logistical friction of navigating an app-dependent world, and why research says our brains are so desperate for a break.

Here's a preview:

[7:00] Continuous partial attention, instinctual muscle memory, and other ways in which our smartphones are working against us

[9:00] Gray scale? screen limits? Here's why the tools and tricks don't work for the vast majority of us

[14:00] Thoughts on our emotional attachments to our phones—and the emotional experiences they provide

[22:00] The psychological benefits of embracing a bit more "friction"

[33:00] Our brains are malleable, and we get used to a new normal quite quickly. Lean into that!

Resources mentioned:

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Hello there, I’m Stephanie. I live a crazy, beautiful life as a full-time wife, blogger + mother to two spirited daughters. I’m on a mission to simplify eco-friendly living so as to greater enjoy life’s sweeter moments.

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