Fire & Snow
I flew back out of LA on Tuesday, the day the fires started. The whole thing is incredibly tragic. Some of the most beautiful and storied neighborhoods in the world are on fire and we are watching history burn. On Monday & Tuesday, for many in area, their focus may have been tending to their landscaping or preparing for an event or what they were going to cook. And then all of a sudden, life goes up in flames.
I used to work with a man, Turner, who's parents home burned down. I remember asking him about it in the following days. He told me their greatest pain was not health, shelter, insurance or financial related. It's just that your whole life, everything you've built, is immolated in a few hours. It's a feeling of being exposed and robbed and totally vulnerable.
A home is so much more than a structure. It is your life and refuge. Sometimes I go back and forth in my mind, "is design just vanity - or does it matter and what's it's proper place?" I know beauty matters. I am an unabashed advocate for that - we don't have nearly enough of it. But home matters a LOT - and good design is just simply making a beautiful functional home. Where is the line between your home and your life? Impossible to define, they are woven together. That's why design matters.
Assuming your house didn't burn down, we're all very blessed to able to continue to improve and enjoy our homes today. I don't take that for granted, and it's moments like these I realize how fragile and transient it all is. Tomorrow is not promised.
In Nashville, everyone is hunkered down because of snow.
This happens almost every year for a few days or a week and it's one of my favorite things. The city halfway shuts down - meaning nobody leaves their home & schools are closed. Nobody knows how to drive in the snow here. It's gorgeous, the kids are enamored with the snow and you are locked in to your house with whatever you have in the fridge.
I grew up in Pennsylvania, where we had tons of snow. This is nothing compared to that, but I still appreciate it. I love that I got to experience snow and winter as a child. Regardless of your age or geography, there's no greater feeling leaving a frozen paradise outside and coming into a warm and comfortable home. The duality of the cold and warmth. The embrace of the heat as your open the door. Easing out of your snow clothes into your living room. It never gets gold. You viscerally appreciate your home in these moments.
I sure am grateful for mine.
here's a few things I saw that you may like:
This is a very simple design, but have not seen another stool quite like this. I like it and hope it inspires you:
The Laban Stool by Mp12 & Wavy
I just discovered H Bar C in Nashville after commenting on a friend's embroidered jacket. LOVE this stuff and am considering rebranding as a full on cowboy. They have been making Western Ranch Wear since 1897, but it took me a long time to figure it out. I don't know if you like western wear, but I have always been a huge fan of Manuel's Nudie Suits. H Bar C is that, but dialed down and no rhinestones. It's a reminder of how powerful details are and how totally absent they are from clothing today.
