ISSUE 002 HUNKER.COM 01. TRENDS: HEALTHY HOME SHIFTS IN 2022. 02. RECIPE: SPRINGTIME VEGAN RICOTTA TOAST. 03. COMPOSTING: CREATE RICH PLANT FOOD. 01 HEALTHY HOME HUNKEREDITION0203NEWS
Masthead: Editor in Chief: Leonora Epstein / Editor: Anna Gragert / Managing Editor: Erin Brownell / Copyeditor: Mia Nakaji Monnier / Creative Director: Paul Anderson / Head Designer: Mory Men / Designer: Taka Onishi / Illustrators: Tiffani Villafranca, Mina Wright / Photographer: Stephen Paul / Stylist: Vega Alfirina Hiya. So what’s this all about? What Is Hunker? Hunker is a digital publisher that inspires and empowers you to create a space that expresses who you are, shows off your unique style, and makes your life happier and more productive. What Is Hunker House? Hunker House is our mixed-use experiential space on Abbot Kinney, L.A.’s premier shopping district, where we bring our storytelling and editorial curation to life. What Is Hunker Newsstand? Hunker Newsstand is a pop-up experience that brings Hunker’s editorial tentpoles to life at the Hunker House. Combining a curated showroom with unique programming, the Newsstand allows our audience to experience IRL the products, brands, and trends our editors love. Follow us @hunkerhome SCAN FOR MORE 2
Editor’s Letter (5) Home Checkup (6–7) Healthy Home Trends (8–19) Composting 101 (23) Springtime Recipe (24–25) Express Yourself (26–27) 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS
A dream, but IRL
We could all use a bit more rest and relaxation these days. But the secret sauce to waking up refreshed isn’t just “sleep more” — it starts with the environment where we’re spending our wind-down time. We teamed up with Tuft & Needle to transform this bedroom into a peaceful haven, where falling asleep is less of a chore and more a dream come true. Scan to shop the room and start your journey towards better sleep.
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THANK YOU TO OUR PRESENTING SPONSOR, TUFT & NEEDLE.
Epstein, Editor-in-Chief
5
Welcome to Your Healthiest Home
Which is why we’re calling this rendition of the Hunker Newsstand “Healthy Home,” where our editors have curated products centered around emerging trends in health and wellness for almost every corner of your space. With that in mind, we hope you enjoy our selection and this accompanying publication as part of your journey in creating a healthier home.
LeonoraCheers!
And in midcentury America, modernist architects embraced large, seamless windows as a way of incorporating nature and light into their designs.
While the concept of a “healthy home” might seem like a novelty of the pandemic zeitgeist, it’s actually a notion that’s been embraced for at least a Incentury.mid-19th-century Paris, Napoleon appointed French official Baron Haussmann to undertake an extensive urban replanning, replacing the city’s tiny, medieval streets and dwellings with expansive boulevards and more spacious housing — part of an attempt to increase light and improve air circulation, which greatly reduced infectious diseases and epidemics. In the early 20th century, sanatoriums — hotel-like accommodations primarily for treating tuberculosis — prescribed fresh air and sunlight, providing patients with open-air porches and gardens.
ADDITIONAL THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS, YOUR SUPER AND CANOPY.
But back to today: Now, more than ever, we are focused on our health at home, and this isn’t just about attempting to avoid sickness; it’s about creating spaces that prevent burnout; it’s about the tools we use to cultivate wellbeing and mindfulness, from your gut to your workout routine.
Easy Updates for Your Healthy Home
By: Jamie Birdwell-Branson
7 EASY UPDATES FOR YOUR HEALTHY HOME
2. Upgrade to hygienic touchless faucets. Touchless faucets are a game changer when it comes to maintaining clean, germ-free cooking and washing spaces. Keeping your kitchen or bathroom hands-free means not only will you never have to touch your faucet with germy hands again, but you’ll also be helping to conserve water in your home. Though installation is a bit trickier than with a traditional faucet, there’s no denying how much cleaner and easier touchless faucets make life at home. Plus, imagine how smooth your cooking and cleaning flows will be.
1. Incorporate a water filter. Filling our reusable water bottles, giving the kids or fur babies a bath, making a cup of tea — water is central to any household. Unfortunately, according to Scientific American, a majority of United States households have contaminated tap water that can cause a slew of health issues. An easy way to combat this is to add a water filtration system into your home. You can accomplish this via either point-of-use water filters (like under-the-sink water filters or water pitchers you can pop in the fridge) or a wholehouse water filter, which decontaminates water in the entire plumbing supply.
Home has become much more than the place where we crash at the end of the day — it’s also transformed into our office, our classroom, our gym, and our full-on entertainment zone. Because we’re spending so much time in our houses (about a 27% increase in waking hours per day from 2019 to 2020, according to the 2020 American Time Use Survey), it’s become crucial to optimize our spaces for health and wellbeing. This doesn’t mean you have to spring for a home gym or sauna, or even convert a spare bedroom into a serene yoga lounge. There are small updates you can easily make to contribute to your home’s health and safety.
6. Replace caulking in the bathtub.
3. Add Itfeaturessoundproofinginyourbedroom.turnsoutthathearingloudoutdoor noises when you’re trying to wind down is more than just irritating — it’s also bad for your health. According to the EPA, noise pollution can contribute to higher levels of stress, hearing loss, sleep disruption, and high blood pressure. No one wants that. To remedy this, use DIY soundproofing methods like adding a rug, hanging blackout curtains, and sealing any gaps in the floors or ceilings with caulk.
If you have a garden, it’s tempting (and let’s face it, easier) to just pick out whatever eye-catching plants you find at your local gardening center. While any type of plant can spruce up your garden and create a miniature ecosystem for birds, bugs, and small critters, native plants are much easier to care for, and they do not require fertilizers or pesticides (which can be harmful to your health) to encourage growth. Planting this type of flora is also a great way to restore ecological balance in your area.
4. Use low- or no-VOC paint for your next project. Painting a room is one of the simplest — and cheapest — ways to completely transform it. Unfortunately, a lot of paint contains volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), which are harmful gasses that can cause unexpected problems for both humans and the environment. Luckily, you can easily make a switch to a lowor no-VOC paint for your next project. Examples include Valspar Simplicity and Clare, a direct-toconsumer paint company that offers an entire line of no-VOC paint.
It’s likely that you never think about the caulking in your bathtub — until you notice that it’s suddenly started to look moldy and produce a musty scent. While fear of black mold is often overhyped, mold can definitely be irritating if you’re prone to allergies or have asthma. Luckily, in about an hour and for less than $10, you can easily replace the caulking in your bathtub or shower to create a clean look and prevent water damage issues as well as mold and mildew.
5. Consider gardening with only native plants.
TrendsTheHealthyHomeof2022 SCAN FOR MORE
9 THE HEALTHY HOME TRENDS OF 2022
Home is where the health is. It’s been that way for as long as we can remember, but it’s especially true now due to our newfound reliance on our spaces. Since the last few years have seen many of us embracing every inch of our homes in the name of staying happy and, yes, healthy, several shifts have taken place, spotlighting how our abodes are being used to make us the best we can be — mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Here are the resulting healthy home trends that have emerged in 2022. Hunker may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story.
By: Anna Gragert
It’s time to get rid of distractions and design your bedroom for its intended purpose: sleep. This function is essential for giving your body time to recharge, so it’s important that we treat snoozing with the reverence it deserves. This could involve a simple change such as removing your phone, laptop, and TV from your room, or adding elements such as textured bedding from a brand like Tuft & Needle, a white noise machine, a Canopy humidifier, and mood lighting.
10 THE HEALTHY HOME TRENDS OF 2022
From left to right: Dodow - Metronome Light ($59) / Canopy – Diffuser ($90) / Tuft & Needle + Snooz – White Noise Machine ($90) / Canopy – Humidifier ($150) / Kate McLeod – Sleep Stone ($45) / Tuft & Needle – Cayenne Quilt ($175) Luxury Bedrooms
01:
Tuft & Needle – Ochre Quilt ($175) Tuft & Needle – Linen Sheet Set ($200) Canopy – Humidifier ($125) T&N + Snooz – White Noise Machine ($90) Tuft & Needle – Down Alt Pillow ($80) Kate McLeod – Sleep Stone ($45) Dodow – Metronome Light ($59) Canopy – Diffuser ($90) 11 01: LUXURY BEDROOMS
Caraway – Cookware Set ($395) Your Super – Immunity Products ($30) Ghia – Le Spritz ($18) Thrive Market – Pantry Essentials (price varies) Brava – Starter Set ($1,295) Blueland – Clean Essentials Kit ($39) 12 THE HEALTHY HOME TRENDS OF 2022
13 02: MINDFUL KITCHENS
From left to right: Caraway – Cookware Set ($395) / Blueland – Clean Essentials Kit ($39) / Your Super – Forever Beautiful Mix ($30) / Thrive Market – Dragon Fruit Chips ($3) / Ghia – Le Spritz 4-Pack ($18) / Beast — Blender ($155) 02: Mindful Kitchens
From your cooking and baking tools to your food and cleaning supplies, the modern kitchen is all about finding what works for you personally. Forget fad diets. Instead, focus on greens, superfoods, sustainability, immune-boosting ingredients (we love Your Super’s immunity products for this), and cooking and dining pieces that work within your lifestyle and look chic to boot — we’re looking at you, Beast Blender. Design your kitchen and its contents with intention, for yourself and for the earth.
From left to right: Grounded Plants – Watering Can ($45) / Modern Sprout – Glow and Grow Kits ($40) / Modern Sprout – Grow and Bloom Plant Nutrients Set ($26) / Hawkins New York– Vases (from $35) Living Rooms
03: Biophilic
14 THE HEALTHY HOME TRENDS OF 2022
Studies have shown that time in nature can relieve stress, lower blood pressure, enhance immune system function, and improve mood. More than ever, people are adding greenery to their homes so they can experience Mother Nature’s benefits even while they’re typing away at their desk or lounging on the couch. Fortunately, this can easily be done thanks to companies like Modern Sprout, which offers products for all types of plant parents, from beginners to experts.
Sustainable Village – Plant Mister ($28) Grounded Plants – Watering Can ($45) Modern Sprout – Smart Growhouse ($239) Modern Sprout – Plant Nutrients ($26) Modern Sprout – Glow and Grow Kit ($40) Hawkins New York – Pill Vase ($75) 15 03: BIOPHILIC LIVING ROOMS
Ceremonia – Scalp Power Duo ($38) Seed – Daily Synbiotic ($50) Undone – Water Bronzer ($10) Ritual – Multivitamins ($30) Noshinku – Hand Sanitizer Pack ($42) Betterway – Bamboo Toilet Paper Pack ($28) THE HEALTHY HOME TRENDS OF 2022 16
From left to right: Ceremonia – Scalp Power Duo ($38) / Noshinku – Refillable Mini Hand Sanitizer ($14) / Seed – Daily Synbiotic ($50) / Osea – Body Oil ($78) / Ceremonia – Witch Hazel Shampoo ($16) 04: Therapeutic Bathrooms
Now that many homes also double as offices — in addition to schools, gyms, and hubs for childcare — the bathroom has become a room of respite. It’s where you can shut the door and focus on self-care, whatever that means to you. For us, that means anything from prioritizing our health (digestive and beyond) with Seed probiotics and Ritual vitamins, slowly going through our skincare routine, or simply taking a refreshing deep breath.
04: THERAPEUTIC BATHROOMS 17
Let’s face it: Not everyone has the space for an entire home gym. That’s why today’s home fitness is all about integrated, stylish workout gear that can be subtly placed throughout the home. We’re talking chic weights from Bala, minimalistic workout mats that aren’t an eyesore, easy-to-use fitness apps, and water bottles designed with health in mind. Who says athome exercise has to be intimidating?
THE HEALTHY HOME TRENDS OF 2022 18
From left to right: Bala – Power Ring ($85) / Bala – Bangles ($50) / Larq – Self-Cleaning Water Bottle ($95) / Kenko – Resistance Band ($90) / Nimbo Alto – Workout Mat ($110) Fitness
05: Straightforward
Kenko – Resistance Band ($90) Larq – Self-Cleaning Water Bottle ($95) Nimbo Alto – Workout Mat ($110) Bala – Power Ring ($85) Bala – Bangles ($50) Theragun – Elite ($349) 05: STRAIGHTFORWARD FITNESS 19
CREATE YOUR
HEALTHIEST HOME
Now, MORE THAN EVER, WE ARE FOCUSED ON OUR health at home, AND THIS ISN’T JUST ABOUT attempting TO AVOID SICKNESS; IT’S ABOUT creating spaces THAT PREVENT BURNOUT; IT’S ABOUT the tools WE USE TO CULTIVATE wellbeing AND mindfulness, FROM YOUR GUT TO YOUR WORKOUT ROUTINE.
stackable box. You can also use an old plastic storage bin with holes drilled into the top. If you’re composting indoors, you’ll need a home composter bin. These typically look like mini buckets with holes in the covers (because air is required for decomposition). You can also punch tiny holes in the bottom of a small plastic container you can easily open and close, then place it inside a larger one. Punch holes in the top of the larger container, too. Pick-up services will likely provide an air-tight bucket. Otherwise, you can collect food scraps in a plastic bag in the freezer or in a small bin.
COMPOSTING23 101
5. Aerate and mix. For outdoor composting, toss your pile every three to four weeks to aerate the contents. This is known as “turning.” You can use a large shovel or garden fork; if you have a compost tumbler, this step will be easier and won’t require extra tools. For indoor composting, turn the materials once a week using a small shovel or wooden stick. Avoid turning your compost pile too often. Otherwise, the materials won’t have a chance to decompose. Also, with proper moisture and balance of browns versus greens, your compost shouldn’t smell. If it starts to stink, try turning the contents and adding dry Again,materials.foroutsourced composting, you can skip this step. The organization will take care of turning.
3. Choose a container. If you have outdoor space, you can make a pile right on the ground. You’ll need a space that’s about three feet wide by three feet long. For a tidier option, use an outdoor compost bin, tumbler, or Add greens as you produce them, adding a brown layer after each one. Add water if the materials become Remember:dry.
6. Be Dependingpatient.onthesize of your pile, and how often you add to it, the contents will become compost within one to several months. For outsourced composting, some services might give you free finished compost a few times a year.
7. Use your compost. Now, for the best part: using your compost. Add it to the soil of your potted indoor plants, container garden, and/or garden beds. You can also add it to lawns or around trees. If you don’t have plants at home, consider giving your compost to a community garden, park, or neighbor. Wherever the compost is added, it will boost the soil with a rich cocktail of essential nutrients. Your plant babies — and Mother Nature — will thank you with beautifully lush greenery.
1. Examine your food waste. The most appropriate composting system for your lifestyle depends on your volume of food waste. This can vary greatly, depending on the size of your household. Start by assessing how many food scraps your household produces per week. How much space do they take up?
2. Choose a space. If you have a backyard or garden, choose a dry and shady area for your compost pile. Make sure it’s accessible to a water source, like a hose. If you’re composting indoors, pick a dry and dark space that you can easily access. Ideal spots include the garage or under the kitchen sink. If you’re outsourcing, you can store scraps in the above locations or in the freezer until it’s time to pass them on. You can also keep scraps on your patio, provided you have a container with an airtight lid to keep out curious animals. By: Kirsten Nunez
COMPOSTING 101
While there are many ways to compost, they all start with the same basic steps. Read on for our expert-approved tips.
The browns, or carbon sources, are key for decomposition. You can keep mulch (or another brown) next to your compost pile to help remind you to add browns after each layer of Forgreens.outsourced composting, don’t worry about adding browns. The service will add your scraps accordingly to a larger compost pile.
4. Add organic materials. For outdoor composting, start with a layer of fallen leaves, shredded paper, or wood chips (called “browns”). Add food scraps (“greens”) as you make them, always adding a brown layer on top. Water the pile to keep the layers moist, but not soggy. Continue alternating layers, always ending with browns, until it’s about three feet high. For indoor composting, add a layer of wood chips to the bottom of your large container. Place the small container inside, on top of the wood chips. Add more wood chips to the small container, then add a layer of greens followed by browns. From there, the steps are similar to outdoor composting.
RICOTTA TOAST Springtime Vegan BY: KIRSTEN NUNEZRECIPE24
☐ Fresh vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers (for topping) ☐ Boiling water
☐ 6 to 8 slices of bread ☐ 1 1/4 cups raw, unsalted cashews ☐ 2 to 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast ☐ 4 to 6 tablespoons non-dairy milk, plus more as needed ☐ 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar ☐ 1/2 teaspoon salt ☐ 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder ☐ Pinch of paprika
InstructionsIngredients
Place the cashews in a heat-safe container, like a Pyrex measuring cup or stainless steel bowl. Add boiling water, completely submerging the cashews. Let soak for 10 to 15 Drainminutes.the soaked cashews. In a blender, combine the cashews, nutritional yeast, non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, and spices. Pulse until combined, pausing to scrape the sides as needed. The final texture can be as chunky or creamy as you’d like. For a creamier texture, add more milk (one tablespoon at a time) and blend. Toast the bread. Spread the cashew ricotta onto each slice of toast, then garnish with toppings of your choice. Examples include sliced cucumbers, radishes, sprouts, peas, fresh basil, and edible flowers (like small amounts of rose, sunflower, and Otherfeverfew).tasty topping ideas include sautéed vegetables, strawberries and balsamic vinaigrette, and everything bagel seasoning. The possibilities are deliciously endless.
5.4.3.2.1.
TIP: The nutritional yeast gives the ricotta a “cheesy” taste. However, it will also make the ricotta slightly yellow. If you want to avoid the yellow tint, you can skip or reduce the nutritional yeast — but keep in mind that doing so will reduce the ricotta’s cheesy flavor. Sorry, avocado toast, but there’s a new toast in town. Ricotta toast is a simple yet delicious dish that’s been stealing the hearts (and stomachs) of people everywhere. And now, thanks to this easy vegan recipe, you can make a non-dairy version from scratch. Of course, you can buy vegan ricotta at the supermarket. That’s cool, too! But if you want to learn how to make your own plant-based foods, this recipe is a great place to start. The “ricotta,” which calls for ingredients like cashews and nutritional yeast, is easy to make and customize. Whether you’re vegan, lactose-intolerant, or curious about plant-based eats, you’ll want to try this vegan ricotta toast recipe. Here’s how to make it at home.
RECIPE25
Relax your mind. Color in or outside of these lines. 26
Step by Step: How to Draw a Houseplant Step 2 Step 3 Step 5 27
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