Digital Detox: three simple ways to keep January screen-free
words meena sears
Much as we try to wean ourselves away from the blue light of our screens and digital devices, they have a way of creeping back into our lives. If you want to hold on to the post-holiday stillness this January, uninterrupted by the distractions of modern life, here are a few tips to help you on your way.
The Curve Coat Rack by TAKT comes in three different lengths and colours, and features a detachable dish in which to leave your mobile before you come into the house. Photograph courtesy of TAKT
Leave your phone at the door
TAKT’s Curve Coat Rack promotes healthy boundaries with technology by encouraging users to leave their phones at the front door upon entering their homes. Designed by Danish duo Depping & Jørgensen, the Curve Coat Rack combines a solid oak coat hanger with a detachable platform that sits comfortably between the hooks, gently reminding you to take time away from the digital world and focus, instead, on being with family or doing things that don’t involve a screen.
On a mission to rethink furniture production, TAKT’s revolutionary business model prioritises transparency and sustainability. Their products are made with recyclability and repairability in mind, using wood from FSC-certified sustainable forests and water-based lacquer. They publish a cost breakdown showing fair pay for the workers and a fair price for the product. In recognition of its exemplary performance, TAKT was named a ‘Best for the World B Corp’ in 2022; an award that acknowledges its achievements in meeting the highest standards of social and environmental practice.
‘The AC02 remains true to the original design of Punkt.’s very first product. With subtle refinements to the aluminium body and a new deep black anodised finish, this updated model celebrates constancy,’ says designer Jasper Morrison. Photograph courtesy of Punkt.
Wake up to an analogue alarm clock
Another brand working to recentre our lives away from our phones is Punkt. – which you may have read about in Hole & Corner 20: Refocus. Punkt. is a Swiss design company creating high-quality alternatives for those feeling overwhelmed by the advanced technologies that pervade modern life. Often, the only analogue alarm clocks available on the market are either old-fashioned or cheaply made, which is why Punkt. has created an intelligently designed clock that will make for a more healthy bedtime routine without relying on your phone to wake you up. Made by one of Japan’s leading clock manufacturers, the AC02 Alarm Clock is a modern classic, designed to last a lifetime.
The name Punkt., which comes from the Germanic word for ‘point’ or ‘full stop’, neatly encapsulates the brand’s philosophy of simple design with a clear focus. While your smartphone alarm clock comes with all the functions, notifications, options and updates that already bombard our lives, Punkt.’s AC02 Alarm Clock serves one purpose and does it in the most efficient way possible, so that you can spend less time looking at a phone screen and more time engaging with the real world.
Indigo Notebooks are covered with cloth sourced from vintage markets across Europe and hand-dyed wirh indigo and walnut. Photograph courtesy of The Home of Sustainable Things
Put pen to paper
To complete our digital detox, instead of using apps to write notes and reminders this year, why not revert to trusty pen and paper for a more focused, and lasting, experience. You can’t accidentally delete these and they won’t fail you when a phone battery does. This Indigo Notebook from The Home of Sustainable Things is made and designed by Valeria Amaretti in collaboration with Japanese textile artist and designer Emi Fujisama. Each notebook is handmade in London and covered with secondhand fabrics collected from vintage markets across Europe. Fujisama uses indigo and walnut to naturally dye the fabrics, creating striking patterns that bring beauty into the everyday, while the inside is filled with recycled paper. If you don’t already make hand-written to-do lists, then perhaps you will once you get your hands on one of these beautiful notebooks.
To read more on Takt and Punkt., check out Hole & Corner 20: Refocus
