dcscover 015 | Decor
A minor thing that has been weighing on me ever since fall rolled around was seasonally appropriate home decor.
Over the summer, I was able to give the fireplace mantel a tiny refresh courtesy of a refreshingly kelp-y colored Costco wine bottle and a beach scene watercolor I painted (and then framed in white). I was pleased with it and went into fall with vaguely similar goals. What small tweaks can I do around the house that won’t involve buying a bunch of new things?
Well, it’s almost Halloween and I have nothing. I’ve been trying to keep an eye out for wild plants that might dry well but haven’t found anything suitable. I like the look of candlesticks in other people’s homes on Instagram but for some reason haven’t come around to having them myself yet. I’ve walked by all sorts of pumpkins in stores — felt, knit, styrofoam, wood, glass, the edible kind — but didn’t feel strongly about any. Then again, is this stuff supposed to speak to me? Can the right pumpkin just be orange?
I didn’t grow up with a tradition of decorating for different seasons and holidays (except for our trusty faux Christmas tree still in use after 15 years). But as a nature lover and someone who just aspires to celebrate more, I’m looking forward to figuring out what festive decor means to me.
As it happens, I recently started a very low-key moodboard (just magazine clippings and tape) on the egregiously empty wall across from my desk (pictured above). Coincidentally or perhaps subconsciously influenced by the season, what “spoke to me” so far turned out quite autumnal in color scheme and it’s been pleasant to look at.
This month’s finds
Beautiful photos of the Southwest by my architect friend Sharon Xu.
A super simple stir-fried (Asian) eggplant recipe I can’t stop making.
Spotify’s “Jazz for Autumn” playlist — an easy backdrop for everyday moments.
“The view vs. the photo” trend on TikTok: examples 1 | 2 | 3
An essay on the current/coming era of “mass fame”1. (Sharing two standout quotes in the footnotes).
One more thing
This past month, I made my first smoothie (and then many more). Jason has been talking about getting a NutriBullet for years, but every time the topic comes up, we end up saying, ok let’s pick one up next Black Friday/Cyber Monday. In a defiant act of carpe diem this year, he just went ahead and ordered one in September and that’s how the journey finally begins. The sheer number of permutations to explore with the different fruits/veggies/seeds/powders/dairy/wildcard garnishes excites me. I’ve also started looking at certain ingredients differently, such as gaining a new appreciation for the natural sweetness of banana.
Opening scene: View of a nascent moodboard from my desk — captured in 4:48 p.m. autumn light through closed blinds.
“Being known by strangers, and, even more dangerously, seeking their approval, is an existential trap. And right now, the condition of contemporary life is to shepherd entire generations into this spiritual quicksand.”
“In the Internet age, the psychologically destabilizing experience of fame is coming for everyone. Everyone is losing their minds online because the combination of mass fame and mass surveillance increasingly channels our most basic impulses—toward loving and being loved, caring for and being cared for, getting the people we know to laugh at our jokes—into the project of impressing strangers, a project that cannot, by definition, sate our desires but feels close enough to real human connection that we cannot but pursue it in ever more compulsive ways.”
Is it really coming for “everyone”? Is “everyone” really losing their minds online? I hope not. This is one of those moments when I feel grateful to know people who do not particularly enjoy or feel the need to share stuff on social media — just to be reminded there’s always another way to live.