“Strategist Brain” is a series where staffers share the stores they’ve stopped into, stuff they’ve spotted, and extra tidbits from stories they’ve worked on. You’ll hear from a different writer every week.
During these gray, short days of winter, my mind is taken up mostly by my home. I’m here more often during this season. And I can’t stop looking at two large unfinished wood armoires that reside in my dining room. They came with the apartment when I bought it, and I’ve been trying to figure out what color to paint them for at least two years. I’ve finally settled on something familiar: Farrow and Ball Mizzle. It’s the color I DIY painted my kitchen cabinets and my dining room. And I’ve decided to do a color-drenching thing and hope the armoires sort of blend into those dining-room walls. Mizzle is a serene, unassuming color. It gives me some peace, and I need that right now.
Here’s everything else I’ve seen recently …
I’ve written before about a corner of my living room that’s been taunting me with its emptiness. I’ve added a framed poster on an acrylic easel and a plant. I think this candle holder, or maybe two, on the perpendicular wall in the corner will bring me even closer to peace.
And while we’re in that corner, I need a few coffee-table books there, too. I like to have books around that reflect Black culture and my
interests. And they’ve gotta be beautiful, conversation-starting objects, too. I’ve added these three to my list after flipping through them in person at Harlem bookstores like Sister’s Uptown. I’ll go back and buy them gradually. Coffee-table books add up.
We had a big convo about Big Lights, and it really got me thinking about mine. I’ve been looking for chandeliers, and I think this may be the one. It’s on deep discount. Plus I like how the glass is textured and that the brass is unlacquered so it’ll patina over time. It’ll complement what I have going on in here well; the only thing I need to figure out is if it’s too big for my room. Does anyone know the rules for that?
I have a sage-green (I do love green) bedding set that I really like, but it’s been almost three years with the duvet cover at least (it took me several months to figure out all the pillowcases). As much as I love it, I want a refresh, and I’ve been eyeing Piglet in Bed. My current big square shams are Piglet. So I’m revisiting the well. I’m eyeing a linen blue gingham duvet cover, or I may go with a solid.
And for one set of pillowcases I’m looking at a muslin blueberry pattern from Garbo & Friends. It’s one of those kids’ brands that I think has really great stuff for adults, too. I have a body-size lemon-embroidered pillowcase from them on my couch.
I don’t have a guest room but do have a separate dining room, and I think I can set my guests up there. There’s a lot of extra space. I found this sleeper sofa from Interior Define. I like the style of it, the color range, and the size. I think a full-size couch would overwhelm the space, but good-looking small sofas aren’t easy to find. I have a few other pieces from Interior Define that feel and look great. I just want to make sure it’s easy to pull out and comfortable to sleep on, so we’ll see.
Aside from home things, I’ve been trying to take care of myself a little better. I have chronic pain and have to do a lot to try to stay pain-free. It’s a struggle. I started using Future a few months ago, mostly for in-gym workouts. You get a trainer who builds your routines and keeps you accountable. Getting an “eyeballs” message from my trainer, Morgan, at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday actually does give me a shove to get to the gym later. My most recent unlock, though, is that I can ask the trainer to build me at-home workouts that are therapeutic, more like physical therapy. So just these past few weeks, I’ve started doing some mini-band workouts for my arms and hips that have been game-changing.
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