What I’m Planning for Our Study
This was meant to be our first project after moving in, but suddenly it was a home office for me, I started calling it “the study” like I lived in a period piece, and it was no longer a priority on our project list. But during the pandemic, the corporate world shifted, we now have the option for some flexibility, and we’ve decided to take it. All this to say: I guess The Study is here to stay, and it needs to be extremely functional.
Zucchini, Mushroom + Dill Pasta Bake
I wanted a vegetarian pasta bake that felt indulgent but not heavy, and I wanted to lean into my love of jammy zucchini. One of my personal favorite flavor combinations is balsamic and dill, and I’m leaning fully into that with a probably-sacrilegious version of a bechamel sauce that incorporates either white wine or balsamic, depending on your preference.
The Guest House Bath Reno
What started as a low-impact refresh turned into a gut job, and we spent two months of nights and weekends working on it. Our goal for the space: a clean, functional, beautiful guest bathroom that we won’t need to touch for the next decade.
10 Meatless Weeknight Dinners
I’m sharing some of the best vegetarian recipes in my cookbook. It’s easy enough to eat vegetarian by simply omitting meat from recipes or eating cereal for dinner, but I’m far more interested in having meals that make me forget I ever ate meat to begin with. I want to feel satisfied at the end of the meal! I want protein and umami!
Ask a Designer: Why does furniture cost so much?
Furniture is where we live our lives, and I believe it is worth spending our money on. But furniture - and the industry responsible for making it - is complicated, and it’s very understandable that it’s a confusing thing to navigate for consumers.
While it’s by no means exhaustive, I hope this primer is useful to help you begin to be able to see quality differences as you shop for your own home.
Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice
This soup is such a great choice for a night when you want a bowl of something warm, but also healthy and nourishing. Sweet potatoes! Ginger! Curry powder! What’s not to love? I’ll admit that I tend to throw frozen spinach into just about everything (sneaky greens are my favorite greens), but it works so well here.
Neocon 2021: Trend Spotting
I spent several days last October at Neocon in Chicago. While I walked around, I was really keeping an eye out for connections between the showrooms. I’m not a trend-chaser, but I think it’s so interesting to see the way trends develop and get incorporated into the wider design lexicon.
Cheddar, Asiago, & Chive Scones
This recipe came to me as I considered the best way to use the extra cheese sitting in the fridge after I made my cheesy broccoli casserole. I’m not sure there’s a better way to dispose of spare cheese than these scones, my friends. They are towering and savory, perfect all on their own or with a runny egg and some bacon.
Chicken Enchilada Soup
After a few rounds of tweaking, I’ve arrived at this: my ideal enchilada-ish soup. It’s cozy, deeply flavored, full of pantry staples, and ready well under an hour (yes, even with prep work). Bonus: it’s even better the next day.
The 10 Best Books I Read This Year
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a book roundup, but I’ve continued my tear through genres and bestseller lists. I’ve read as widely as usual (over 50 books this year!), but this list is definitely more heavily weighted toward sci-fi, fantasy, and magical realism than most have been. I think maybe I’ve wanted a bit of escapism!
Beautiful Moments: 2021
Each year brings good and bad, light and dark, joy and pain. I try to hold it all as it comes: soak up the piercing beauty, excavate silver linings, find meaning in the highs and lows of being human. But memory is a finicky thing; it discards what seems like most of our lives, holding onto just a few glimmering moments. So here are a few of my moments, as they unfolded through this year.
Gift Guide 2021: The Good Stuff
last year I published an “Upgrade Your Life” wish list full of things I loved and slightly splurgey items that were on my personal wish list, and it was a fun excercise in finding beautiful, quality things that really add to my life. This year I want to share items I’ve received and loved and items I personally love to gift.
Every Product on my shelf right now
It’s no secret that I’m product-obsessed. My lineup of skin care is held in check only by the force of my relentless frugality and my hatred for clutter.
From holy grail skincare faves to the new things I’m trying, here’s what’s in my medicine cabinet right now.
Thai Red Curry and Sweet Potatoes
Fall is here, which means I’m once again rifling through my recipe book for cozy dinners full of fall squash and sweet potatoes. This one definitely fits the bill and is perfect for weeknights: cubed sweet potatoes or butternut squash, cooked with ginger, onions, and Thai red curry paste for a fragrant, nutritious dinner.
10 Spooky-not-Scary Things to Watch This Fall
I don’t like to be scared, but I love to watch seasonally. For me, spook is atmospheric more than topical. As fall looms and then settles in, I want to watch things that are weird or creepy or unsettling, and I’ve got all of that on this list!
For Further Reading - September 2021
I’ve come to believe that the best thing any of us can do is find smart, kind, faithful people who we disagree with and listen to them. For real.
And while I probably spend too much time on Twitter, my favorite thing about it is that these people are always sharing the most amazing articles. So below is a little sampling of what I read this month…
Not a Decorator!
There are a handful of careers that everyone thinks they get because they saw it on tv. It’s probably most commonly the long-running tv dramas, but in my case it’s home renovation shows and the meteoric rise of home decor and residential design Instagram accounts.
9 Things I Bought & Loved Lately
I thought I’d share a few things that I’ve bought and loved over the last several months just in case you’re on the lookout for something similar. All of these have been in my possession for at least 2 months, and I would buy them again and/or rave about them to my friends. Happy shopping!
St. Martin: The Friendly (Foodie) Island
Dubbed “The Friendly Island,” St. Martin/St Maarten is world’s smallest dual-nation island. Its 34 square miles are split between France (Saint Martin) and Netherlands (Sint Maarten). The Netherlands side lends itself to a more touristy/party atmosphere; the French side insists it has better beaches and cuisine, and it’s the side known to host celebrities.