Long Live An Unconventional Sofa
On saving up for a sofa, loads of books, and another darling guest.
We’re back! The every other week model already feels more attainable. I hope you agree. Here’s what you missed: we went to Iowa and Minnesota for a little Midwestern celebration of our impending wedding (less than three months!), our lease was officially renewed (if you live in NY, you know), and our car’s engine decided now was the time to get temperamental. Oh + I was featured in this WSJ story about shorts as formal wear.
This week, we’ll be chatting with one of my oldest friends, Arielle McManus. In fact, she’s still in my phone as “Arielle from ACC,” the first class we took our very first year at FIT. She writes a newsletter called “Half-Baked Thoughts & Incomplete Sentences” where you’ll find much more compelling musings than over here. No offense, Long Live! I just adore Arielle and her POV on pretty much everything. I have two really close friends from those early days in NY, and I value them immensely. Sentimentality, over! Let’s talk sofas.
How long have you had this piece? Just 3 months! Though I ordered it back in November—it was custom, so it took a while to arrive.
Where did it come from? Anthropologie
How much did you pay for it? It originally cost $2,200, but Anthropologie runs a great Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale every year, so I got 30% off, reducing it, mercifully, to about $1,500.
How do you wear/style it? Since I went for a less conventional color, I didn't want the couch to look too busy. That was pretty easy, considering that I'm not much of a throw pillow kind of person. While I do love a good, cozy blanket, I don't have one of those either, only because I have a black cat that sheds like crazy, and picking strands of black cat fur out of a knit throw seems like my own personal Sisyphean hell. The way I chose to style it, instead, was to include the gallery wall behind it. There's a mix of prints of art pieces by my favorite artists that I've been lucky enough to see in person (Henri Matisse's "The Open Window", Hilma Af Klint's "The Swan. No.1") and artwork by friends (Julie Martin, Nicole Kurily). There are also some other lovely pieces mixed in, like the print of David Hockney's "Amaryllis in Vase", the Helen Frankenthaler print, and the poem printed onto a silk handkerchief. I'm currently on the hunt for the perfect matching lamps and side tables to go on each side of the couch. I'm not sure what I'm looking for exactly—I'll know it when I see it!
What does it represent? Gosh, so much. In the past, I haven't always been the best with money, choosing to buy things in the spur of the moment and then paying them off later when I was able to. This time, I saved up for months to be able to buy the couch outright, in cash. So it sort of represents my journey with money: how to handle it, how to spend it wisely and responsibly, etc. It also represents my relationship with things in general, as I really made sure to think it through before hitting that "Complete Purchase" button. Do I actually want this? How will it change my life? How long do I foresee having this for/will it hold up over time? How often do I realistically see myself using it? This couch was also a celebratory purchase. I've lived in NYC for over 8 years, ever since I moved out at 18, and I've always had to live with roommates and bounce around from place to place to be able to afford to live here. I've had a different couch in each apartment, buying and selling them on Craigslist with each move, and none have been very cute or comfortable—traits sacrificed in favor of affordability and durability. This past February, my roommate moved out of the apartment, and I was finally in a place where I could stay here alone and have the entire place all to myself. So the couch also represents my path in building a home in NYC. It took a while, but I finally got here.
Archived Outfit
This is the outfit equation I’m currently wearing. It checks all the boxes for me. Sporty sneakers balanced with an oversized, puffy dress—ideal. This look proves that wearing your more formal pieces with sneakers is an easy way to get them off the hanger in the back of your closet and on your body. The Nike socks might be a little too sporty for me, but if I didn’t have high school sport trauma, maybe it would be a different story.
I really hope I don’t buy this dress before I send this newsletter out! For under $40, it’s a dream. Except, maybe the sleeves might be hard to wear with a coat? Feels fixable.
Honorable Mentions
Ghost Lover—I wasn’t a massive fan of Three Women, but I packed this story collection for my recent trip. The stories were intense, a little dark, but reading the collection was transporting. If you liked Animal, you’ll fall in love with Tadeo’s latest, too.
Rest—I’ve been on a *business book* kick recently, and this was my favorite of the bunch. It’s more about protecting creativity than maximizing productivity, which I’m 100% in favor of. Read if you’re looking to protect your time and the hobbies that make you the happiest.
A Hundred Other Girls—It’s been marketing as “woke Devil Wears Prada” and I think that’s spot on. At first I was a little weird about sharing such a fun read, but I read this novel in two nights, so what’s not to love? This is no newsletter for literary snobbery.
Brain on Fire—How did it take me this long to read this book? I was so gripped from page one. If you love memoirs, just trust me.
Glucose Revolution—My poor partner has heard my go on about glucose levels for so long. Reading this book is an empowering snapshot of how we consume food impacts us just as much as what we consume.
Bonus! Arielle recs!
Making your own granola and/or muesli, with an obligatory cardamom granola recipe here.
The return of meal planning as a way to reduce food waste and conserve time, and related: actually looking up how to properly store different produce for maximum longevity. This is a great guide.
Doubling the recipe every time you bake something so that you can bake one now and freeze the other for later. I didn't know this until recently, but you can freeze most yeasted bread dough and cookie/cake batters without sacrificing on quality! A future, lazier you will thank you for your foresight, plus, it's really no skin off your back now if you're already at it. Two recipes to try this with are the Bon Appetit Blueberry-Saffron Tea Cake (perfect for hosting guests) and the Food52 Loaded with Good Stuff Loaf (perfect as a "this counts as breakfast" kind of cake).
Thank you so much for reading. This week I wrote about a headboard. See you next, next Thursday! x
Love the sneakers-and-dress thing. I too have a yellow couch! And I am now going to read Ghost Lover and A Hundred Other Girls. What a whirlwind!
Me and my couch are famous!! Thanks for including me in your newsletter <3