As well as hosting witty puns and political rants, Twitter is a stage for people’s humblebrags about a lack of free time. Canvas8 spoke with Neeru Paharia, assistant professor at Georgetown University, to find how busyness serves as a social marker, and what this could mean for brands.

For most people, chores are a necessity and rarely a pleasure; a third of Brits would rather pay to have someone else do them. But could a shift in our perception of these tasks, underpinned by thoughtfully designed products, make them more pleasant? Can beautiful brooms make sweeping fun?

The fight for equal pay may be well-publicised, but women are still left to most of the housework behind closed doors. And while advertisers are shifting away from out-dated ideas of macho cleaners and domestic goddesses, how can men be convinced to pull their weight in the home?

Caring for delicate garments can be difficult, often requiring a trip to the dry cleaner’s. Laundry and home care brand The Laundress offers an eco-friendly at-home alternative with innovative products that allow people to care for their precious items themselves. Is the future of laundry luxury?