Comfort Items
How do you make yourself comfortable? Yes, I'm asking you, but I'm also asking myself. I typically ponder this question once per season about my home and work spaces. When thinking about balancing work, my creative practice, and general daily life I try to consider what physical items or changes will help me find more ease and delight. Obviously, I'm going to be more comfy if I have a few new pairs of socks to throw on when the temperature drops, but what about working on a painting or collection during a day that Izzy's school is canceled due to snow? It's probably a good idea for me to set up a more comfortable space to work at home.
Inspired by this chronic question, here's what we're thinking about in September. Comfort items!
1). A warm wool blanket to take outside and cozy up around our fire pit sounds like something I need, immediately.
2). This sketchbook from one of my favorite shops in London, Choosing Keeping, is a good size for carrying in my bag. I always carry a sketchbook and notebook with me. I don't feel at ease without one.
3). Meal planning! Annoying at first, but ultimately incredibly helpful in restoring calm throughout busy weeks. By the way, if you haven't had a chance to read about why I love Friday Night Pizza, here's the post. If you are also a Friday Night Pizza practictoner, here's one of our favorite homemade dough recipes.
4). One of my favorite things to do with my four year old son Izzy is bake. How lovely is this new Kitchenaid mixer combination of material and color? I wouldn't mind leaving it out on the counter.
5). Speaking of having a four year old, you know what's a vital comfort item? Additional help. Every single parent, especially of young children, needs help. My work is extremely busy with designing new patterns and products plus running the daily ops at Flat Vernacular, but also with creative projects our studio is working on. Right now, we're designing part of a build out for a new restaurant in Norwalk plus creative directing and illustrating a project in France. I need a little extra help! So I am going to hire one of Izzy's favorite babysitters to lend a hand for a few days this month.
6). We've been hemming and hawing about which of our wallpapers to put in our bathroom and Exhale in Dimmit is a finalist. It's not a color I typically gravitate to, but I can't get enough of this hue. It feels stately but expressive, and I'm tired of looking at our blank bathroom walls. Time to make a move.
7). I was recently in France for the aforementioned creative project and had a few minutes to stop in a pharmacy. Nuxe is one of my favorite brands, and of course the pharmacy carried things not found in the USA. Luckily, you can buy my absolute favorite moisturizing oil here. A must have for the season change. Nothing is more comfortable than clean, well-nourished skin.
8). A new comfortable chair specifically for reading. I realized that daytime reading in our living room isn't so great because, if it's during weekend hours when everyone's home, my darling yet persistent family members can find me too easily when they encounter a problem they can definitely solve themselves. If they need me, I'm not far away, but it takes a little more effort for them to request something. I found this minty green vintage velvet chair in excellent condition at an estate sale and knew exactly where it would go and what purpose it would serve. My cats immediately understood the assignment, too. The chair now sits in my bedroom by the bay window, between a side table and a good reading lamp. Ideal comfort! Ideal quiet! For only $65!
