Introducing: Nothing New
I scour the internet all day for cool furniture so you don't have to.
The average person has 300,000 objects in their home.
That is like soo many things.
And like sustainability and stuff but also like I just love things.
As an architect and interior designer, I scour the internet all day for cool things for projects, but it doesn’t stop there. I love finding nice things- any things: vintage things, new things, secondhand designer furniture for less than you would spend at CB2 things, a really tall really skinny underwater woven basket for that weird thing you keep in that weird corner of your weird room, handblown glass cups so fine they could make boxed wine taste expensive, because why would you get anything less than that if you don’t have to?
What if you loved every single one of your 300,000 things?
What if every single one of those things was incredible.
Would that change the way you think about your home and your space?
Would it change the way you think about consuming?
Could a careful selection of, like, a colander or something, change your life?
Maybe I’m crazy, but also maybe it would.
I know it’s changed mine.
Well-chosen objects have a huge impact on the success of the design of your home and your ability to express yourself in your interior. And the beauty is, they don’t have to cost more to be better. Actually, if you know where to look, you usually find better and less expensive.
That’s why I’m writing this newsletter— knowing where to look and how to look takes years, but I spend all day and honestly all night scouring the internet for cool things so you don’t have to. You just get straight to the good stuff.
I’ll be super transparent about how this Substack will evolve, but to start, I will make at least two posts per month. I will be posting an in-depth list of finds at least every two weeks for paid subscribers with links to shop each item– both vintage and new. I will also be offering “how to” tips and tricks of where, how, and when to shop in a more zoomed-out way to free subscribers so that you can learn how to do this yourself. I am offering a founding member option where you can directly ask me for items and I’ll share some recommendations so the process can be more customized to you. I really want to tailor this to your needs so I will be taking comments and requests from free/paid/founders and I’ll be making posts based on your requests so I can scour for you.
Why Nothing New?
Because this is my design and shopping philosophy. Even if something is new, I believe it should have some meaningful connection to something–be it a location, history, or an idea so you’ll never find anything new here, even if it is new.
I’m so excited about this and so happy you’re reading this. For today, here is a sort of random selection of the type of things you’ll be seeing on Nothing New.
10 Best Things the Internet has to Offer
A lamp that can renovate your whole room
Boa Nova Tea House:
This lamp is so niche, and the best lamp ever made in my personal opinion. The reason is it really isn’t a style or design— it is a feeling. The lamp shade is made of a really thin Cherry veneer, so the light it emits is more like the cozy glow of a fire than any man made light.
It was designed by one of the most iconic architects alive right now, Álvaro Siza for his Boa Noa Tea House in Matosinhos, Portugal. It also is only available to purchase through this small bookstore that has some connection to Porto Academy, so nobody else is going to have this.Not to be weird, but you need this urn
Inspo:
Etsy’s:
Ever since I went to Giancarlo Valle’s Annex in NYC (which, btw, was a transformative experience and everyone should go ), I’ve been hyper-fixated on these urns by iconic Swedish sculptor, Ivar Johnsson.They sell for over $20,000 at auction, which is enough to send me into the urn myself.
I’ve been obsessed with finding something similar (at a price point that won’t kill me) because this piece is so detailed and mesmerizing, I feel like designing the rest of your room becomes easy. Grab some branches from outside and boom incredible room. This Etsy find is almost better–the figures are so expressive, almost more like a Rodin than the inspiration urns. In all honesty, I wanted to buy this for myself, but I decided this needed to go on the list in honor of my first Substack.
The Start of Your Art Collection
Inspo:
Etsy:
I love the idea of starting an art collection. I studied Art History and am constantly going to museums, and galleries to learn more about art. Of all things, I feel like art has the highest ceiling for quality vs price if you look in the right places— especially vintage. I am always discovering beautiful handmade and vintage pieces on Etsy. This gorgeous piece stands out to me in particular, reminding me of a Monet or a piece from Colleen Herman, one of my favorite contemporary artists. Everything she makes is jaw dropping and I'd love to have one of her pieces one day, but this will have to do for now.
Since when does soap cost $80?
More on this in my next post, but seriously why does bathroom decor stop at an $80 tomato soap now? It’s something (hopefully) you use every day and I think we should aim to say more with our soap dispensers. I can’t stop thinking about these French wall-mounted soap dispensers. Sure, you can get something with half decent graphics, or a luxury logo for like $80, but what I love about this is that it totally changes your hand washing experience, and not only makes it something special and exciting, but is a beautiful object of interest. If I saw this in someone’s house, I’d immediately know I needed to be friends with them.
Brutal
Inspo:
Find:
The inspiration image is an iconic lamp designed by architect Le Corbusier. The lamps were custom cast in concrete for Unite d’Habitation in Marseilles. Unite is a radical housing typology, but what makes this lamp so special is that the architect designed it using the same principles as the building itself. If minimalism and brutalism appeal to you, this lamp is an iconic piece of these movements. Seeing and understanding Corbusier’s lamp made me want to study architecture. These two lamps have a similar monolithic brutalist presence. I think they would look so monumental paired on either side of a really simple relaxed linen sofa or a bed with a wrinkled linen duvet.
(Btw–this shop is one of my favorite online resellers. I am constantly learning and pulling inspiration from their amazing curation and point of view.)
I haven’t purchased anything from Tekla yet, but this is compelling. Many people know the amazing architect Alvar Aalto, but few recognize the work of his wife, Aino Aalto, who was responsible for co-designing many of his most iconic buildings, ran the office with him, designed most of the interiors, and was actually the creative director of Artek. This collection is an exciting re-release of an archival fabric print she designed. Beyond just the beauty of the print, I would love to have something by this amazing woman in my home.Pine Set (4), Vintage Sofa, Loveseat, Chair & Coffee Table, Sweden circa 1960-70:
Inspo:
I’ve been looking at a lot of Swedish Pine furniture lately. There is something very cool about the combination of chunky, whimsical, and austere in the designs. I also love how the designs have such presence of a human hand—you can really tell that a person made these, which is so rare in furniture nowadays. This set is a craaaaaazy price–especially for the amount of pieces that come with it. I’d love to see this reupholstered in a really delicate stripe fabric or a funky floral a la Sister Parrish.
Don’t Ignore Your Light Switches
I really believe it an object is something you use every day, it should be special. These little things are too often overlooked when people are decorating their homes, but these have the biggest impact on taking your home to the next level. I’ve been doing a lot of research into light switch and outlet plates (more on this soon). I found this one and thought “you know what, why not go to Narnia every time you have to turn on a light?”
Your new favorite flatware design
Finding good flatware is an existential endeavor–why are there so many sets that seem great and then–jumpscare– they have a fork that drives you absolutely nuts? This set by Gio Ponti captures something elemental, while at the same time quintessentially ornamental, delightful, and Italian.
These go for thousands, but can be found on LiveAuctioneers starting at just $10.
(Btw– I really recommend browsing LiveAuctioneers as a research tool. Their algorithm is great at recommending things based on other items you like, and they often have obscure designs you wouldn’t know of otherwise.)
For the Office
Find:
Inspo:
Lights have what ChatGPT explained to me as “high value proposition.” What I mean is that you can easily get an extremely low cost without compromising any quality or cool factor if you know where to look. Honestly, they only get cheaper and cooler the more you obsess over vintage lights. This 60s Swedish Space Age light, for instance, is $45 on Etsy and is even cooler than the iconic Charlotte Perriand 'Applique Cylindrique Petite' Wall Lamp, which can be around $1,000 if you find a really good deal (vintage ones cost even more).
LFG!!!!
This is the gold mine we need in our lives. Thank you for your service.