🏡 Reads for when you need a break this Thanksgiving Week

November 23, 2022

Your bi-weekly(ish) note about home, housing, and community.

Hi First name / friend,

I’m writing to you from Geoff’s parents’ backyard in Miami. We’re in town for Thanksgiving and I’m sort of in shock at how quickly the semester and year are winding down. (How does this always happen? lol.)

A couple weeks ago, a few of us gathered for Article Club to chat about cheap ‘Fast Furniture’ and how much of it ends up in the trash. It was our first foray into a more interior design-centric topic and it certainly won’t be our last!

We talked a bit about our own experiences with furniture made from particleboard, and honestly walked away with even more questions like: are people holding on to furniture longer now, thanks to inflation? (my guess is not really) and when did particleboard become so popular? (my very quick Google search tells me it was during WWII lumber shortages, hence why lots of mid-century furniture is made from particle board or plywood and covered in a wood veneer).

For me, it’s not necessarily about the article we read or what we talk about; Article Club is about being in community with each other, despite the fact that we aren’t necessarily in proximity with each other (I’m paraphrasing my friend KJ from Black Food Fridays here).

Today I’m sharing a few stories for you to read when you’re looking for some alone time or some stimulation or a distraction or something that isn’t a Black Friday sale in your inbox (!!) during this holiday week. If something resonates, feel free to hit reply!

I’m also looking for our next Article Club read – if you come across something out in the world that you’d love to discuss with others, send it my way! 😊

Wishing you a wonderful week, however you’re spending it. 🤎

DROP A COMMENT ✏️

☁️ ON MY MIND

These Native Americans focus on family amid Thanksgiving’s dark history (Washington Post) It’s a great time to read perspectives on Thanksgiving from Indigenous communities. “’We have this historical trauma. We have intergenerational trauma,’” he said. But when Native Americans have fun on Thanksgiving, ‘those are creating good memories to replace those negative, traumatic memories.’”

4 Architectural Designs That Help Build Close-Knit Communities, According to Experts (Apartment Therapy) “Can you build community in any neighborhood? Sure. But if you’re lacking the types of spaces that encourage people to interact with each other throughout their daily errands and routines, you could be fighting an uphill battle.” WHEW! Love this reminder that spaces provide us with signals about how we’re “supposed” to use them, and that can have real impact on the strength of our communities. (Plus, my friend Heather wrote this!)

Housing Breaks People’s Brains (The Atlantic) Thanksgiving dinner table arguments, remixed with a housing policy focus à la Jerusalem Demsas. In essence, the most basic level of housing policy arguments stem from disagreement over whether there’s a shortage of homes or not (there is) and whether building more homes will help lower cost (I personally believe the how matters here). I’ll be honest, I don’t agree with a lot of this article, it feels too reductive.

Chip and Joanna Gaines Aren‘t Right Wing or Left Wing or Moderate, Just Human Beings ’Looking Out for the Betterment of Other Human Beings’ (Variety) Basically all of the Twitter replies I saw for this were something along the lines of “File under: things conservatives say.” Chip and Jo were recently named Variety’s “Lifestyle Leaders Entrepreneurs of the Year,” and I guess this is part of the media blitz. I call bull.

Clever’s Guide to Table Setting Trends Through the Decades (Architectural Digest) A fun read that breaks down the history of tablescapes over time! Apparently the 2020s are “all about the aesthetics” and that is completely fine by me – I love getting creative with my table and want to create more opportunities to do it!

Do You Really Want a New Kitchen Counter? (The Atlantic) This piece so perfectly captures some of the collective anxiety homeowners tend to feel around having a house that looks nice, that appeals to some fictional future buyer. “If you’re required to plan your financial future and your most private spaces around how much strangers might be willing to pay for your home one day, then your home isn’t really yours, even if you’re the one with the keys right now.” Damn. I’ll be chewing on this one for a while.

⚡️ NEXT ARTICLE CLUB IS DEC. 14! ⚡️

Details on the Member Dashboard – lmk if you find a story you want to chat about!

✨ DESIGN DREAMS

I can’t stop thinking about this San Francisco home designed by Heidi Caillier a few years ago. The colors in this image specifically are my inspiration for accessorizing around the vintage chairs I picked up for our office.

DYK: This newsletter helps me pay for grad school! Invest in a future community planner – forward this to a friend and encourage them to…

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PS – "Community" doesn't necessarily mean proximity, I rounded up stories to reflect on this Thanksgiving, and I'm sharing the room that's inspiring me to design around new-to-me vintage chairs. Scroll up to read about it!