The Buffer Zone
Showing up messy & the junk drawer
Some good news: The Year of the Fire Horse hasn’t officially arrived yet.
I am gripping onto that technicality with both hands. I am very much in it right now. This is my third attempt at writing this. I’m not talking about a light dusting of edits. I’m talking about a full-on “select all, backspace, stare into the middle distance” afternoon.
When I find myself in this headspace, I don’t just rewrite; I research. It’s a hazard of the job. It’s why I only take on a handful of design clients at a time. My research hours triple when I’m choosing products for someone else’s home. I cannot recommend an item unless I know you will LOVE it, or I am 99 percent sure you will.
But lately, the obsession has reached a new, slightly unhinged level.
Exhibit A: I spent HOURS this week researching classroom Valentines for our son.
The Goal: Avoid them being sentenced to “junk drawer abyss.”
The Reality: I was deep-diving into the parent companies of Valentine manufacturers, checking if they were actual small businesses or just venture capital firms cosplaying as them.
The result? A box of dominoes wrapped in twine. A win for my conscience; a total loss for my sleep schedule.
After the domino & twine spiral, I sat down to finish my Valentine’s Gift Guide and just... stopped.
My cursor was blinking at me, and I felt nothing. It felt like I was contributing to the very noise I’m trying to drown out.
So, I hit delete.
This isn’t some polished ‘2026 Brand Strategy.’ It’s the opposite. It’s me admitting that the old way of doing things doesn’t fit the world we’re living in anymore.
Everything feels heavier lately, doesn’t it? I don’t want to pretend it isn’t. I want to show up here and be real with you, even when it’s messy. That means I’m becoming even more protective of your time (and your peace).
I’m still going to find the good stuff, the interior design finds that actually have a soul, but I’m being more picky than ever. If it isn’t ‘Buy Once’ quality, it doesn’t make the cut. But I also want to share the rest of it: the life hacks that actually give you an hour of your day back, the shortcuts I use in my own “beautiful mess,” and the kind of honest advice I’d give you over a glass of wine or coffee.
So, I’m shifting things a little.
Finding your “Forever” style. How do we stop chasing trends and start trusting our own eyes? I want to look at the art of the antique hunt and how to curate a home that evolves with us, rather than one we’re ready to toss in eighteen months.
The people and places that make life worth paying attention to. Artists, entrepreneurs, the people quietly building something real. I’ll share who’s inspiring me and why.
The Beautiful Mess. This is multi-generational living, the day-to-day chaos, and the “real life” that is usually edited out. That’s where everything worth talking about is happening anyway.
The “Good Stuff” (The Research). I’m going to keep being the person who stays up until 2 AM vetting brands you haven’t heard of yet and finding the unique pieces that actually change how your home feels. I’ll do the obsessive research into makers and materials so you don’t have to.
I want this to be the subscription that earns its place in your inbox, a little more solid, a lot less noise.
If you value having a human (and a professional deep diver) in your inbox, consider upgrading to a paid subscription. It’s how I’m able to keep this space independent and noise-free. I’m so glad you’re here regardless.
**A deep exhale in furniture form**
One good thing came from my 2 AM research spiral: I found a furniture brand that actually feels like it’s on our side. I’m currently debating a swap: trading my Sixpenny sofa for two of their sofas in Indigo.
The sourcing list and the specific fabrics I’m eyeing are below. It’s how I keep this space going.