Good Schmutz vol. 14: Design Things I've Found & Love
A rug-sofa combo, thrones for kids, Bic pen lighting.
In today’s Good Schmutz: A rug-couch, news about Areaware, Roman Coppola’s house, wondrous lighting discoveries, Seletti’s viral pen light, two buzzy soaps to try, IKEA sofa covers by a cool L.A. designer, and more.
#1: The end of an era. Areaware, a brand that defined a meaningful portion of millennial design, is closing. Areaware’s imaginative decor and diverse roster of designers and artists will be sorely missed. The brand’s influence can’t be overstated—you’ve almost certainly encountered its work, if not the knockoffs it inspired.
#2: Here’s a first in multi-purpose furniture: Sabine Marcelis’s Roll, a rug and sofa in one. (Or is it anti-purpose furniture?) Either way, kudos to Sabine for consistently delivering great design surprises. No doubt in my mind one of these will end up in a SKIMS ad.
#3: Heavenly lighting alert: The Giza Suspension II by Studio Ebur. Did you peep those pearls dangling from the corners? There are so many design references elegantly packaged into this piece. Which I can’t afford.
#4: Thirstcross Grange: Try this Wuthering Heights Airbnb in the U.K. for your V-Day escapade.
#5: I’ve always been a bit skeptical of Bemz, the company known for making covers for IKEA sofas. I just can’t be convinced an IKEA sofa is any good, even when dressed up. But I’ll be eager to see what their Francesca Grace collab will look like. Grace, an L.A.-based home stager and furniture designer, has seen a huge crescendo in her career and I do really like what she does with stripes.
#6: Gufram x Luna Luna x Keith Haring. Fun, if impractical.
#7: Cassarohome is one of the most unhinged kids’ furniture companies out there—in the best way. The prices are bonkers, but the goods make me giggle with a sort of ironic delight. $5,000 velvet linen kids’ sofas. $1,000 silk canopies. Newest to the collection: Louis XVI-inspired chairs for littles. Because every child needs a throne.
#8: My Spidey-sense is telling me to be on the lookout this year for faux bois. It’s been popping up here and there in the tours I write for AD, and then I spied these plates by Este Ceramiche.
#9: I enjoyed John Ota’s 2020 book The Kitchen in which he traveled across the country, visiting famous kitchens, starting with one in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He’s now written a sequel, The Dining Room, coming out March 17. It comes at an interesting time, when we’ve been debating whether or not the dining room is dead.
#10: It’s become impossible to escape Ash, the hotel group which also makes furniture, home decor, and bathing goods. Ash’s PR team sent me their soap on a rope, and I love its spicy, amber-y scent. I feel that the return of bar soap is upon us.
#11: Sorry—this newsletter is going heavy on luxury spends. But there’s a point to it all, right? We’re winning the Powerball this week and we need to be prepared. So put this on your to-buy list: Saved NY’s cashmere blankets, which start at $1,750 EACH. These read more like tapestries—many need to spread out to get the full picture. Hard to pick a favorite, but I do enjoy the “Binding” blanket, below.
#12: Roman Coppola’s L.A. home is on the market. It’s my dream house. And I shall soon be the owner, after winning the Powerball.
#13: The decorwebs have been pleased as punch about the Seletti light made in the likeness of a Bic pen. Reminds me of a giant Swatch circa 1982. People are actually buying these as the stock appears to be sold out everywhere. Now I’d like to see how people are styling them in their homes.
#14: I love the simplicity of Astrid Houssin’s Nautilus mirror, featuring a black lacquered frame with spiral details that give just a soupçon of Art Nouveau. You can also order a matching shelf. Houssin doesn’t list prices, so I’m going to assume the mirror and shelf combo is about the cost of my mortgage.
#15: East Fork has come out with hand soap! I have Tender Earth, which is earthy, a little flowery…TL;DR it smells fancy.
#16: Ilia Beauty x Eny Lee Parker. First of all, I adore Eny Lee Parker. The rugs! The lighting! It’s ::chef’s kiss::. This lip gloss holder is begging for a vanity moment.
