Cozy Szn: A Home Tour.

Welcome to The Soft Loft, Where I Homebody so hard.

Can we take a little break from talking fashion today? I have consumption exhaustion and have OD’d on the onslaught of sale emails. Let’s talk about my favorite place instead: home!

I’m going to spare filling you in on my holiday break because I’m still processing it. Suffice it to say, it was not pleasant. So wildly negative, in fact, that I have never been happier to be cozied up at home for January, a bleary and cold month that demands Wintroverting. I’m feathering my nest, cleaning out my closet, running to Goodwill, and taking extra-good care of myself for the next few weeks.

Over on Instagram, I occasionally post little snippets of my loft which always stirs up sourcing questions. I keep telling myself I’m going to write a newsletter and be generous with resources, but for some reason, it’s the issue I keep putting off. But given it’s hunker down season, that you might be in the same mindset as I am, friend.

Decorating is therapeutic for me, it’s my favorite hobby and something I’m always doing even in small ways. My home is never “finished”. I’m always pushing things around, hanging things, taking things down, adding a blanket here, a lamp there. I’m also lucky that I have close friends in the design industry whose real-life influence has imparted a lot of wisdom and inspiration simply by osmosis: Daniel Zimmerman, Helen Ballard, Alisa Barry. You can see their fingerprints all over my home.

These photos were taken last spring when my friend Michelle Armas reached out to ask if she could photograph her paintings in my loft — the trade was that the photographer, Marc Mauldin, would shoot some photos of my space as well. And that’s what we did! I’ve since rearranged everything, so I’ve asked Marc to come back this spring and shoot the updated layout. Til then, it’s nice to revisit this phase in my decorating journey via the photos below.

I know white interiors are divisive, but for me, it was a very practical choice. As you’ll see below, the place gets tons of direct sunlight and I didn’t want to invest in things the sun would inevitably fade. Further, I wanted something that would be a proverbial blank canvas for my art collection — which is now hung but wasn’t as of these photos. Also, I find white soothing! And shouldn’t home be relaxing?

A bookshelf from CB2 displaying this and that. Kevin’s guitar, and lots of Willy Guhl.

I have since killed this olive tree and two others. The fig is thriving.

I live in a nearly 100-year-old converted factory loft. The cantilever windows are original to the building and they’re 100% what made me fall in love with the space.

A view of the studio work table, where Natalie and I perch to hammer out the work day. It’s seen some dinner parties, too. The chairs are vintage Thonet.

My little desk area for when I work alone.

The view — and a sketch by Daniel Zimmerman.

Are you nesting and getting cozy right now, too? I’m currently on the hunt for a china cabinet, my collection of dishes and glasses is… um, let’s just say my cup runneth over. Literally. What are you doing to cuddle up, friend?

Source Book:

Max ID New York champagne flutes / Sixpenny Home Neva chair / Maitland Smith tessellated travertine side table / Athena Calderone for Crate & Barrel lamp / Black wooden Thonet chair / Black Le Pens / Damien Hirst Cherry Blossoms book / Rainer Lagemann sculpture / Dinosaur Designs medium resin trinket dish / Painting by Kerry Hays / Vintage Turkish rug pillow / RW Guild Rinka dinnerware

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Also, hi to those of you who are here from Elle Magazine! I was thrilled we got a mention in Véronique’s great piece “The Personal Stylist in Your Inbox”. It’s a great read full of lots of other newsletter recommendations worthy of your inbox. Back to fashion next issue!