Always In A Sentimental Mood.

The correct color green, girlhood crushes, and old things.

Lately I’ve been pondering on a recurring theme in my life: nostalgia. I am a deeply sentimental person and it’s this nostalgia that informs many of my design decisions and occupies my brain space. What is nostalgia anyway… it’s the memory of feeling something. And that’s exactly what I want out of life: I want to feel something from my experiences of music, art, travel, fashion, and interiors - especially interiors. As an interior designer, the rooms and spaces we occupy are always on my mind; a room becomes the backdrop of experiences and moments that eventually become something we're nostalgic for.

So herein becomes the theme for this periodical. I'll share snippets of my quest for an artful life that evokes emotion and I will probably rant a little about why old things are better. For now, I’ll start with some details that feel nearest and dearest to my heart. 

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I get my love for green from my dad. His pants remind me of these from Sid Mashburn. I’m a fan of most greens, but specifically the very British variety, noting this 1995 Land Rover or this one from 2004.

The right green paint colors are not plentiful. I used Benjamin Moore’s Tarrytown Green for my current front door and Sherman William’s Vogue Green for a powder room in one of our old houses. For my new house, I’m using Vogue Green again in our powder room (more on that later; I am an “outfit repeater” for things I love). Farrow & Ball was missing a green that satisfies for a long time, and they have since released Beverly, which is almost identical to Vogue Green.

As for green in the real world, I already have an old green car, but how many is too many (although I’ll likely end up with something in the “Light Ivory” paint color one day)? And to match, this has been a favorite bag of mine for years.

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I patiently awaited the release of Andrew McCarthy’s biopic “Brats” on Hulu a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Born in 1985, I was too young at the true height of the Brat Pack, but always felt like all the characters were so cool, like my much older sister and her friends. For that reason, movies like Sixteen Candles (Jake Ryan forever, and his Porsche, his jeans, and his green sweater vest) and The Breakfast Club plus their soundtracks have stuck with me all these years. And also, a big shoutout to John Hughes for single-handedly bringing Brit New Wave to America (and also to his mullet - you’ll see what I mean when you watch Brats and LOL as you also think of him as a trailblazing genius).

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My Dad bought me this coffee table book when I was 8 and it definitely informed my early design notions (blues, wallpaper). The old houses are decorated with such a simple touch, they feel lived in, something I’m always trying to do with my own work. When you think about it, books and coffee table books might be one of the few things you’ll keep through the decades, so books given as gifts are quite meaningful. Bonus points for writing a little message with the date on the inside cover.

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We recently bought a house that needs a lot of work (I have a tendency to buy the neglected stepchild of a house, but she always has good bones!). It’s enlivening to start with a blank slate for all my ideas, but of course, moving makes me especially sentimental about memories in our current house. I spent a lot of time in the kids’ bathroom during bath time looking into this hallway, which is one of the spots I will miss most in the house. Something about the old persian rug, the antique glass doorknobs, the primitive millwork of our linen closet, and the original 1940’s pinwheel mosaic floor tile strikes a chord with me.

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Here is a sneak peek of our (now less neglected) new home. I’ll be sure to share more musings and ideas for it soon. With that, I’ll say to myself: Cheers to creating space for new memories! Without crying. Maybe.