Recently | Coffee tables with personality, spicy noodles, etc.
And at what point does a red cardigan become your personality?
Do you remember? The 21st night of September? This month is flying by, and although I love the freshness of September, I’m looking forward to foliage, soup weather and gloomy days. Subscribe below if you haven’t already - thank you so much for being here. Xx
When accessorizing coffee tables, people are often overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin. Pinterest is a great resource, but I find suggestions can be stale and expected, and they begin to look the same.
I prefer spaces with soul and layered simplicity, and prefer environments to reflect the personality of the inhabitant(s).
So when styling my coffee table and those of clients, I follow this recipe:
A white orchid
I’m not sure who started the rumor that orchids are fussy?? These angels like a regular amount of sun, take 1/4 cup of lukewater once a week (literally WHO started the whole thing with ice cubes!), and last 4 months? They could not be easier to take care of and a great value when it comes to having fresh flowers in a space? I’ve also even regrown a few. #justicefororchids
A stack or two of books
Invest in a handful of oversized, pretty, and topics of interest. A favorite artist! One with pictures of outer space! A beautiful cookbook you’re never going to use! Stack them and don’t think too much. Here are a few suggestions. Buy used on Amazon, and you can save a lot on “like new”.
An object that is old
A vintage object is the easiest way to add personality and avoid making your space feel like a West Elm showroom. The brass candlesticks were gifted by my mom after some time in basement storage. Visit a thrift store and find yourself a special something old (a bowl, a tray, a figurine).
An object that is new and functional
My Taylor Swift coasters are very dear to me, and I love the way they look next to my books and older objects. Don’t be afraid of quirk, or if everything doesn’t look the same. I find that if people think less about cohesion and rather select things they actually respond to, more often than not the selections works together.
Lastly, remember less is more. Always.
Certainly a departure from my last read (the feminist, genius, literary gem that is Circe by Madeline Miller), my experience so far with The Guest by Emma Cline is like enjoying a half baked chocolate chip cookie before bed. Cline’s writing is good in a swift-moving modern literary format, but in terms of the narrative, I can’t say it’s high in nutritional value. I’m entertained and satiated, even if I feel slightly bad after consuming it?
I love Korean food. Two of my favorite restaurants in the city are Take31 and Her Name in Han. Inexplicably and scarily enough, like a lot of things, Instagram knows this about me and I kept getting served the same gochujang pasta reel in my feed over and over again (via All Types of Bowls). This is by no means an authentic dish (last time I checked fusilli corti bucati was Italian), but it features a staple condiment in Korean cooking. Gochujung, or red chili paste, is a thick, sticky sauce that’s spicy and pungent in flavor (Trader Joe’s sells it). This week I took Instagram to real life - the recipe was easy, delicious and made for exciting next day leftovers (I even added chicken for protein). I want to experiment with gochujang more!
I became obsessed with finding a red cashmere cardigan two weeks ago. Don’t ask me why, but it had to be red and it had to be cashmere and it most certainly had to be a cardigan. After perusing sites and not feeling great about the prospect of having to spend a few hundred dollars to curb the craving, I was feeling defeated until I remembered ThredUp. ThredUp is an online consignment store that I both buy and sell through. My perfect cherry red 2-ply 100% cashmere cardigan in mint condition was $29.99. I’ve already worn it to a chorus of “how chic” compliments. And to the haters that find ThredUp ‘overwhelming’? Get crafty with search words. Put in the time. Do the work. Your red cashmere cardigan equivalent is out there - experience a thrill.
I am headed to Detroit this weekend for an exciting design project that I can’t wait to share more about.
