The Floor Lamp That Lit Up My Week
Also—come play basketball with me!
Don’t forget! Leonora Epstein of Schmatta and I are discussing East Coast vs. West Coast Design during our Substack Live on Tuesday, June 24 at 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST. Click here to add it to your calendar, and we’ll see you there!
READ
Matrix by Lauren Groff, which I picked up from a stoop because it was 250 pages short, and I thought it would be a quick read. (I’m behind on my yearly goal of 24 books.) BOY WAS I WRONG. It took me weeks to get through the Middle English references and nun shenanigans. So yes, it’s a book about horny nuns during the Crusades, but it’s obviously about so much more than that, and a slow book was a good reminder that we should all give ourselves some grace when things don’t come fast or easy. Speaking of…
SHOT
Hoops, as in, basketball, at Carroll Park with my friend Sam. Yes, there were children around, and yes, we ended up playing 2-on-2 against a couple of seven-year-olds for a few minutes. And yet—there is no better feeling than buying a new basketball, inflating it at the bike shop, and running drills at your local park. (I got this ball for less than a cocktail and all the kids ask to use it, insert side-eye emoji here.) Remember: As rusty as you may be, you’ll always be able to block a seven-year-old.
And so! Sam and I are looking for a couple of age-appropriate players to shoot with, but we have a couple of requirements: You cannot have touched a basketball in at least five to ten years, and you cannot, under any circumstances, have played in high school, college, or beyond. This is for pure fun. Think The Pistol Shrimps. Reply to this email or let us know in the comments if you’re in!
ATE
An adorable strawberry ice cream sandwich at Naro in Rockefeller Center. The cookies are shortbread, and the sweet little seeds are white sesame. Summer is almost here—I can taste it.
SPOTTED
The coolest floor lamp—it does light up!—at the brand new Loeffler Randall store in the West Village. When I Instagrammed it, my designer friend Ellen tipped me off that it’s by her designer friend, Hey Murphy, who makes them in her East Austin studio. Filing it under: Need.
BOUGHT
This matching set from GAP that feels like what HAY would design if they made clothing, and by that I mean it looks Copenhagen cool. The whole look, with the boxers, cost $120, and you’ll see me in it all summer. In fact, I’m wearing it again as I type.
See you next week!
xx Julie
Love the gap set!!! Copenhagen cool is a vibe for sure! I need to a pop in there. I might go to an official mall later today. :D
Same comment as Stacey except I’m older than 36