WLLW Round Up: Our Top Five Articles of the Summer
Five articles that changed the way we think about our homes, materials and the natural world.
WORDS Elissa Rose
As summer begins to wind down, we’re looking back at five of the stories that resonated most with our readers over the past few months. This season took us from the hidden chemicals inside our homes to centuries-old ways of keeping them cool, while also exploring the origins of natural materials and a gentler approach to the landscapes beyond our doors. Together, they reflect an idea we return to often at WLLW – that healthier living begins by paying closer attention to what surrounds us.
Image: Светлана Лазаренко/Adobe
Hidden in Your Home: Understanding Formaldehyde
One of our most-read stories looked at something we can’t see, yet may encounter every day. Formaldehyde is found in everything from MDF and engineered flooring to textiles, cleaning products and paints, where it can gradually off-gas into indoor air. Classified as a carcinogen, prolonged exposure has also been associated with respiratory problems and irritation. We explored where formaldehyde might be hiding at home and, importantly, what we can do about it. Better ventilation, activated carbon filtration and choosing solid wood and lower-emission materials can all help reduce exposure and create healthier indoor environments.
Image: Porfirio Gutierrez
The Hidden Costs of Synthetic Dyes: Health Risks, Environmental Impact and Sustainable Alternatives
Color can transform a room, but this article asked us to consider what gives our textiles their color in the first place. Synthetic dyes are widely used across rugs, curtains, upholstery and other household fabrics, yet their impact extends far beyond appearance. We examined the potential health concerns surrounding certain dyes, alongside the enormous environmental cost of conventional textile dyeing. We also looked into the renewed interest in natural pigments such as indigo and madder root, as well as emerging technologies that could make dyeing less resource-intensive. It was a reminder that the story of a textile begins long before it enters our homes.
Image: Faith Dogrul/Pexels
Building for the Future: How Traditional Techniques Can Cool Our Homes
As extreme heat becomes an increasingly familiar part of summer, we look towards traditional building techniques for ideas about how to keep our homes cool. Long before air conditioning, communities in some of the world’s hottest regions developed ingenious ways to keep buildings comfortable. Windcatchers and mashrabiya screens in the middle-east pave the way for airflow, while the breathable mud and lime walls of southern India work with the climate rather than against it. As reliance on mechanical cooling grows, these traditional approaches offer a compelling lesson in designing homes that stay cooler while demanding less energy.
Image: International Fibre Organization
The Provenance of Craft: Natural Materials and Their Cultural Roots
Natural materials are central to so many of the objects we bring into our homes, but their significance often reaches far beyond their physical qualities. In this piece, we traced the origins of materials used by craftspeople around the world, exploring the places, traditions and skills embedded within them. Linen connects us to centuries of European flax growing, wool carries the histories of communities from the Andes to the Scottish Highlands and clay reflects the geology and maker traditions of individual regions. Looking at provenance gives us another way to understand craft, where material, artisan and place remain deeply connected.
Photo courtesy of Alon Koppel
The Wisdom of Wild Places: In Conversation with Landscape Designer Jean-Marc Flack
Finally, we stepped outside with landscape designer Jean-Marc Flack to rethink what a garden can be. Rather than imposing a fixed vision on the land, Flack begins by observing what is already there, from native plant communities and soil conditions to wildlife and water. His approach to rewilding reduces human intervention so natural processes can begin to re-establish themselves, creating landscapes that are more biodiverse and resilient. Our conversation explored what happens when we loosen our grip on the manicured garden and allow nature greater freedom, and why the healthiest landscapes may be those where we learn to intervene less.
Looking back, this summer's most-read stories shared a common thread; they invited us to see our homes as part of a much bigger system. Whether exploring the materials we choose, the wisdom of traditional design or the landscapes beyond our walls, each article reminded us that healthier homes are shaped as much by thoughtful decisions as beautiful ones. We hope these conversations continue to inspire the way you live, design and care for the spaces around you.
Feature Image: Dancing Light House designed by Kendle Design Collaborative in Arizona. Photo courtesy of Alexander Vertikoff
Photography: Светлана Лазаренко, Porfirio Gutierrez, Faith Dogrul, International Fibre Organization, Alon Koppel
