I used to burn cheap paraffin candles without thinking much about it, they smelled nice, they looked cosy, they set a mood. Then I read about what paraffin candles actually release when they burn: petroleum by-products, synthetic fragrance compounds, and in some cases traces of benzene and toluene. I wasn’t alarmed exactly, but in a …

The first piece of furniture I bought secondhand was a small oak side table from a woman who was moving abroad. It cost 8 euros, had a slight ring mark on the surface from years of coffee cups, and it’s still the piece I get the most compliments on. Nobody has ever looked at it …