Need to Know
03 : 03 : 22

London – Community kitchen Nourish Hub has opened in the London borough with the highest dependence on food banks. Marking the first permanent home for social impact charity UKHarvest, the space comprises a commercial kitchen, teaching kitchen and flexible area that can be used as a dining room, workspace, classroom or event venue.

Designed by architecture studio RCKa, Nourish Hub represents a transformation of a row of vacant shop units in Hammersmith, West London, an area with the highest dependence on food banks in the city. It intends to host children as well as adults, demonstrating how the food and drink co-working spaces we explored in Edible Incubators are evolving to aid co-learning in local communities, and bringing in more interactive elements. ‘We were really inspired by old-fashioned kitchens, which are very performative,’ explains Anthony Staples, project architect at RCKa. ‘Everything is on display, so when you go in, you feel like you want to touch and grab things.’

Nourish Hub is pointing to a future in which brands, communities and consumers will unite to build future-fit food systems that tackle food poverty.

Rhode Island – Expanding beyond the usual remit of the home health category, pharmacy company CVS Health is launching a collection of functional, yet elegant assistive items.

Partnering with up with Michael Graves Architecture & Design (MG&A), the items are designed to blend in with consumers’ furnishings instead of turning the home into a hospital. Starting at £30 ($40, €36), the line is functional, stylish and, crucially, affordable, and includes comfort grip canes, easy-fold travel walkers, convertible shower chairs and 3-in-1 comfort commodes.

The collaboration is the outcome of extensive research by CVS and MG&A into the areas where domestic medical equipment products were falling short. ‘By filling an unmet need for functional, but beautifully designed products, we aim to help improve the everyday lives of those who rely on these tools and who are seeking a more premium and customised market offering,’ explains Brenda Lord, vice-president of Store Brands, CVS Health.

CVS is re-imagining the possibilities of assistive products, proving that medical equipment does not have to be purely utilitarian and clinical. For more on how home products can place wellbeing front and centre, read Fulfilment Furnishings.

While US citizens paid close attention to the national news amid the pandemic and political turmoil, this focus is not sustainable. Research from Gallup/Knight Foundation has found that Americans’ attention to national news is the lowest it has been in four years.

In December 2021, just a third of Americans (33%) said they pay a great deal of attention to national news. This marks a substantial drop from the 54% who said the same in November 2020. Meanwhile, interest in local and international news has remained unchanged. Such a decline in engagement can probably be relayed to a sense of bad news burnout, following the tumultuous years since the onset of Covid-19 and Donald Trump’s presidency.

Such figures reflect the continuing distrust, disconnection and disenfranchisement among citizens navigating a Dislocated World.