Sonder: Inside the multi-purpose Leeds space offering an escape and solace during Mental Health Awareness Week

Sonder, which is based in the Grand Arcade by New Briggate, opened in November 2023 and includes a café offering drinks and a beautiful selection of mostly vegan pastries and treats, as well as an immersive selection of interior and lifestyle products for sale.

There’s also an event space that has been hosting a great range of offerings to mark Mental Health Awareness Week over the last seven days.

Venue and events manager Grace Phillip said: “We are always trying to make it so that visiting Sonder is a key part of the day for people who come here.

“I think it’s so important to connect to people in real life and we really want to be a spot where people can do that.”

The event space was initially a tattoo studio owned by Olivia Fayne Wright, who co-founded Sonder with her husband David Wright.

She said that they wanted to create a “wellness hub” and “lifestyle store”, adding: “We decorated the space to be very relaxing.

“We want people to come in and for it not to be overwhelming; to escape the day-to-day grind and enter a calming environment.”

Grace said that everything tied in with Sonder is built around the word’s meaning, which she defined as “the realisation that everyone around you is living a full and complex life of their own”.

She said: “Sonder is about spending that time sitting with and acknowledging that.

“We really wanted to provide a space that is a home from home - somewhere you have to escape and be surrounded by beautiful things.”

Sonder was initially set up as a place where those going for a tattoo could relax beforehand and has since become a go-to for students, creatives and artisan merchants, some of whom sell their work at the site.

Grace said: “We originally started targeting those people but now we get a very mixed crowd.

“It’s nice that you can come in and have a drink and then buy the cup that you’ve been drinking from.”

The lamps, chairs and other homeware products that help define Sonder’s minimalist design and stylish interior are also available to purchase.

Grace said: “People come in and love the surroundings and being amongst the products. We try and use them so people can see them in action.”

The multi-use event space is also providing people with more reasons to visit and has been used for workshops, networking events and talks in recent months.

During Mental Health Awareness Week over the last seven days there has been specific events held, with Grace saying that there was a focus on the idea of “community”.

She said: “We’ve provided different things. We launched a mushroom latte that will be available going forward and we’ve also had a pop up flower shop, yoga sessions, clay making and a candle lit sound bath experience.

“The space is basically a blank canvas and is really versatile. People can come in and make it their own.

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She added: “I think the factor of community is really underrated in mental health and it was important for us that we showed we are a safe space and somewhere you can come and have a conversation and do your work.”

A focus on good mental health is an integral part of everything Sonder does throughout the year, with Grace saying: “The more we get that out there and the more events we do the better.

“We are hoping to be that community hub where people can come and get that calming environment you don’t always get in your own spaces.”

You can find more about Sonder on their website and Instagram page, though those wanting to experience it are best getting a first hand visit in the diary.