This week hasn’t been easy. The fires in Los Angeles are still not out (we’re writing this before the weekend, so we’re anticipating the promised rain) and we’ve been extremely frustrated by the recent executive orders, which threaten both the citizenship and future job opportunities of a large portion of the population. The majority of Americans. (And if your drug prices go up again this week, we’re thinking of you!). There is of course more to be deeply concerned about but what we plan to do now is support the most affected communities and not let the overwhelming amount of news we receive every day stop us. We will be here to provide resources as we learn about it and continue to be a haven/place of joy. However, here are this week’s links…
This week’s house tour is a hotel tour by Chzon, the only international French design firm founded by Dorothée Meilichzon. Their designs are beyond inspiring and this one, Experimental Chalet Val d’Isère, is a perfect example of that. As usual, the headboards are distinctive but everything down to the bathroom counter is thoughtful and interesting. Go check it out!
From Emily: Catie of Pen + Napkin fame is an angel and dedicated to organizing help from designers (and anyone) to help furnish the homes of fire victims. She is a true angel. If you can donate, know that Katie and her team are incredibly trustworthy and will use them directly to help families. And if you’re a local CA designer and want to help – they’re desperate for more designers to volunteer to help furnish and enjoy these homes. No donation is too small (and when it’s time to help a family get a home, we’ll announce it here and see if we can get any local help in Los Angeles in case you don’t want to run the project but want to volunteer your help at the time). Many families need our help. Thank you so much Katie and Pen + Napkin for opening your doors and arms.
To volunteer – https://www.penandnapkin.org/volunteer.html
To give – https://givebutter.com/WILDFIRES
To nominate a family: Email Catie@penandnapkin.org with the family story and photos and in the subject nominate the family.
From Gretchen: I’ve had a problem with my living room curtain for some time. When I moved in, my landlord (bless her heart) provided me with some cheap-looking, slightly mismatched blackout curtains that only touched the bottom of the window sill rather than the floor. Did they work? certainly. very good. They blocked out all the wonderful natural light that should be streaming in through my large picture window. But they weren’t so hideous that I forced myself to live with them for a year. That is, until Em needed some simple linen curtains for a makeover recently, and turned me on to these gorgeous curtains from Target. They look much more expensive than they are and allow light to pass through beautifully without being so sheer that you also don’t have privacy. I ran to the store and picked up those same ones for myself to trade with the private owner, and I’m so happy with how they look in my living room! I no longer live in a cave, and my curtains now touch the floor, just like I like.
From Jess: It’s been a really tough week, as we already said in the intro, but the one thing that helped me was music. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I’m not always one to jump into music when I’m feeling a lot of emotions. However, Bad Bunny’s new album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS and the music of Naika, an artist I just discovered, have brought me a lot of happiness. Three of the songs from Bad Bunny’s album are currently in the top 5 in the world and I’m not the least bit surprised. He called it a love letter to Puerto Rico and you can feel it from the moment you press play. I loved watching this interview to get a deeper look into his journey to achieve this. Now, Naika’s music is full of love and emotion. One of my favorites is by Gerard and is dedicated to her great uncle. That’s the story about him, and it makes me love this song even more.
From Mallory: I found the most beautiful Air Force 1s in a vintage store and was thrilled when they happened to be my exact size!! It has the tiniest green details but mostly white and beige, so it really goes with everything. I’ve been living in these bad boys. They sell them on a few sites online (I also found them at KITH) but I think they are mostly on the resale market since they are vintage. If you are a Nike user, I highly recommend a pair of airforce 1s and I think they are very comfortable 
From Caitlin: My favorite movie of 2024 received a bunch of Oscar nominations this week, including a well-deserved nomination for Best Picture! My friend is a cinephile with great taste, so it was no surprise when he got us two tickets to Anora in October. It takes the classic Pretty Woman story (to keep it PG) and completely turns it on its head. I laughed out loud several times (the henchmen were perfectly cast!) and Mickie Madison was a revelation – she definitely deserves to win Best Actress, IMO. (And they did it all for just $6 million, no less! Compare that to over $190 million for Dune, $145 million for Wicked, and even $10 million for The Brutalist.) They’re like the little engine that can! It’s a complete blast to watch – I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a getaway this weekend. (You may want to avoid this if you’re sensitive to swearing!)
From Marley: We were on a big photoshoot this week, which meant I was walking around with my phone, taking a lot of video, and using a lot of battery. Gretsch got two magnetic rechargeable batteries from Target and they were so nice to have. It sticks to the back of your phone (via magnets) and you don’t have to mess around with a wire getting in the way (I’ll never understand how that works but I’ll take it). It’s definitely a must have to have on set, but since there’s a little stand that pops up as well, I’ll definitely be using it to prop up my phone during dinner and scroll time.
From Arlyn: I had a really hard time finding a sweatshirt that had all the items I wanted to check. Before our end-of-year trip, I went to Target hoping to find something I could get for the plane, and everything in the women’s section was disappointing. They were all either short and semi-square, which NEWSFLASH doesn’t suit all bodies, tight and “sexy” (why does a hoodie have to be sexy, exactly?) or made of a wetsuit-like material. It was horrific and disheartening. Before I gave up completely, I checked out the men’s section and found exactly what I was looking for! Soft, wide and long enough to at least cover the top of the showerhead. It’s on liquidation now and I’m tempted to buy another one (I got the light green one and it’s gorgeous).
Thank you for reading and see you all tomorrow. xx
Editorial Image Credits: Photography by Kaitlyn Green | From: The first time I installed wallpaper! Spoonflower Paper “Pre-Glued” FTW (Introducing the Best Laundry Cabinet Ever)
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