Idea for October 2025: coexistence

My idea of the month is coexistence.

On holiday a couple of weeks ago in Tenerife, we used buses a lot. They’re called guaguas, and it’s an excellent service. Every guagua has this sign behind the driver’s seat. It sets out all the principles for good behaviour on the bus, but it’s elevated by its title – Normas de Convivencia, which Google translates as Rules for Coexistence. This is not just regulations for passengers, but principles for living together well.

And coexistence is what we all need to achieve these days – not the alternative, mistrust, fear, hatred and war.

The word also reminded me of a furniture shop called Coexistence I first came across as a teenager in Bath. This was my first encounter with contemporary furniture and lighting, and I can still remember the excitement of that. Even the logo suggested a new age, with Futura caps, closely letterspaced. The shop was founded in 1974 by Mary Wiggin, and later moved to Islington, and became a highly influential; consultancy service.

Mary says: ‘I dislike fussy, cluttered interiors. My own choice is for simple, neutral colours and an individual blend of the old and the new.’ I’d agree - and that blend is another valuable kind of coexistence.