Touching grass through quirky homes, print catalogs, nostalgic decor, and art shows
The Goods is my monthly series of a running list of what’s caught my eye lately—shows, essays, artists, decor. Think of it as the grab bag: some things will push your collecting eye, some will just be good to know, and all of them shape how I’m thinking about art right now. All tying back to the idea that taste is a moving target. What matters is building the muscle to notice, and then notice again.
On my walk home from school drop-off on Friday, a kid passed me who was literally touching grass (although he was running late - my mom brain was stressed for him), but it was a subtle reminder to slow it down.
Another nudge from a great ad campaign by Stella:
All that to say, this month’s round up is a reminder to touch more grass with nods to nostalgia, quirk, and of course, art.
Touching grass with Stella Ishii’s collections of joy
I love a good girl crush, and Stella Ishii’s home tour in Cultured sent me down a rabbit hole of love. Ishii is the founder of cult fashion brand, 6397 - a brand I’ve had on my radar for a while, but knew nothing beyond the clothes.
Ishii was Rei Kawakubo (founder of Comme des Garçons)’s right-hand person and became her eye and ears in the States. Ishii moved to New York with her husband in the mid-’90s and settled into of the last true lofts in SoHo. Their home is artful, small vignettes of collections from their lives, yet minimal and wholesome.
When asked what is that motivated Ishii to display something, she shared “Usually, for me, it’s something that makes me laugh.” The cake holder with wind-up toys (left) and the sugar wall featuring candies from Japan (right) are the epitome of tiny joys.
Another favorite quote: “I have a lot of photographs, a lot of works that aren’t on the walls. I don’t want to see them all the time, so I rotate them out and lean them against the wall. Even on the floor, when they’re facing you, they’re strong. I turn them around to give myself a break. I’ve stayed in Airbnbs where I take down the art. Like, No, I will not be having a continued dialogue with this picture of a sunset.”
After hate-binging Selling Sunset (Carrara marble everywhere, twelve bathrooms, pocket doors galore), my Stella Ishii deep dive was the antidote I needed.
Read the full interview with iconic art curator, Clarissa Dalrymple (ok maybe two new girl crushes) here. Photos by Peter Sutherland.
Touching grass with Outline’s Catalog
Physical mail catalogs are having a resurgence, but Brooklyn-based shop, Outline’s catalog is a keepable mailer: a delightful package, hefty paper, editorial pacing, and styling to envy.
Last month I said you should frame art on your bookshelf, this month it is PANTS.
“The photos are about when you are killing time in New York and you get to watch people and wonder what they’re thinking about,” shared Carmen Hall, creative director for the catalog. Dress and pumps tossed on a couch after a night out, an impeccably dressed woman taking a break, people on the train with the perfect mix of jewelry and tats. The list goes on and on.
Outline doesn’t have e-commerce, but you can email, call, make an appointment, or send a picture of what you want. Luxury might just be not being online.
Photos by Katherine Goguen; Styling by Becky Akinyode
Touching grass with the Return of the TV Tray
I know this feels less ‘touch grass’, BUT hear me out. A TV tray assumes you’re all watching one screen at the same time—the bigger one. This tray was inspired by founder grandmother’s vintage TV trays - a staple in mid-century homes. Lazy Jamie’s version features a mirror chrome tublar base and a removable butler tray attachment.
When I’m working with clients’ homes, they often look for art to warm up the space or add color, but a fun (and functional) side table could be the perfect way to add some energy into a space. Don’t you think? Some ideas below with art that plays well with it. I’m partial to the Klein Blue, but it also comes in white.
Touching grass with a new gallery in LA
At a moment when many LA galleries are shuttering, a few are opening with conviction. Sea View, newly moved from Mount Washington to Hollywood’s gallery district, is one of them—part gallery, part artist apartment and studio where visiting artists can live and make work. Founder Sara Hantman leads with an artist-first ethos that too many spaces forget. I stopped by yesterday, and Hantman’s love for the work (and the artists) was infectious—refreshingly free of the usual icy formality in the art world.
Their inaugural show, Talking to the Moon, is a solo by Mumbai-based Amitesh Shrivastava. He paints mostly at night in a Wi-Fi-free studio—what he calls a spiritual, emotional practice that taps the subconscious. The exhibition turns on his idea of “murmurs”—pre-linguistic, instinctive utterances that every living being understands. In a loose, pointillistic hand and an earthy palette of oranges, browns, and greens, figures and animal forms surface and dissolve. The works hum with warmth and movement - you feel them before you “read” them. The pictures on screen are incredible, but I promise you, seeing them in person makes them really come alive.
Talking to the Moon is open now through December 20th at Sea View in Los Angeles
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