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A letter from our editor:
I am a person who loves a house filled with things — books, art, and plants, sure, but also egg cups, candle snuffers, and little wonky ceramic dishes filled with bobby pins.
Everyone in my family is a collector and a maker, and you'll see the evidence everywhere: my husband's tidy pile of scratch paper notes where he scrawls table designs and grocery lists; my daughter's origami pups and jars of dried wax shapes she broke off the candlesticks; my latest puzzle-in-progress or the dozens of colorful glass pitchers crowding the dining room hutch. Even our dogs contribute, with piles of toys collected in the bed by the fireplace, or the nest of blankets I find gathered under the kitchen table. Our cat demands little cups and bowls of water on the bathtub lip, the front hallway table, and my dresser — or else we will find him in the toilet.
It's a warm, lived-in home, where you can feel the personality and love of the people who live there in every room and on every surface. You could never accuse our house of being minimalist or even particularly tidy — but I don't think that means it can't also have good design. The secret is to create an aesthetic that embraces a little mess, rather than one that's ruined by it. For me, this means good lighting, strategic negative space, and investing in function and beauty.
Here are some of the pieces of the internet that are rich with character, encouraging me to embrace play, color, and living with maybe a little too much stuff. The stuff we love, after all, isn't trash — it's what makes up so much of the details of our lives. It's a little messy, sure, but most treasure troves are.
Warmly,
Stephanie
Contributing Editor
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DESIGN
Sara Charlesworth's living room might be one of my most-pinned of all time, and this interview about design that embraces mess is pure gold.
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DECOR
Functional details that are also beautiful is the dream — and I'm currently losing sleep over these shower head filters. Cleaner water and hardware that's full of personality? Yes please.
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DIY
Sometimes you just need to make a thing your own, which is how I'm feeling about the various plain white paper lanterns we have hanging around. They're just begging for a watercolor makeover.
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- The perfect gift to go with a collection of romance books is one of these trope-themed hats from 831 Stories. Get $10 off with code TROPE through Valentine's Day.
- These photo books from Papier are the perfect way to display all your favorite memories — and get up to 30% off sitewide, no code needed.
- Don't just keep a glass of water by your bed — keep a handblown glass carafe and matching cup. This Etsy seller hand makes these from recycled glass, and they're currently 25% off.
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