A Coastal Cabin, the Ideal T-shirt, and a Vacation in a Cookbook

What’s on the menu for September

I kick each month off with a little life update by way of a sample platter: what I’m reading, something I recently bought, something I’m looking forward to... An amuse bouche to set the tone for the next few weeks.

House I wish was mine: In case I didn’t convince you to join the Society of Wood Paneling Aficionados the other week, let’s see if this does the trick. I came across this house on Slow Roads last year and was shocked to find that it’s in Laguna Beach, a little town you may have heard of not too far from where I grew up. Laguna is great—it’s the most stunning bit of the Southern California coast and is as rustic and art-centric as it gets in Orange County. But as far as design goes, the homes tend to fall into either the “shabby chic cottage” category or the ever-growing “megamansion on a cliff”.

Nestled somewhere amongst them is this impeccably-designed, warm, woodsy 727-square foot craftsman home. The house was built in 1917 and has been designated a historic structure, so design studio Hammer and Spear had their work cut out for them. They brought the spirit of the home’s quintessential California architecture inside by restoring its 105-year old redwood walls, swapping tile for copper countertops, and decorating with vintage Noguchi lanterns and antique textiles.

I especially love the kitchen and its hidden appliances, octagonal cabinet pulls, and metallic backsplash. In a lot of ways it’s an ode to sculptor J.B. Blunk’s Inverness home, which is filled with furniture and fixtures made by the late artist himself. I hope that whoever lives here 100 years from now will appreciate its details and keep its history alive for a long, long time.

Photos by Yoshihiro Makino.

Recently purchased: I finally broke down and decided to try Leset’s basic tee, The Margo, which too many of you to ignore have ranted and raved about. Annoyingly, it turns out the fervor is warranted: This is truly a great t-shirt: the perfect weight (I prefer something on the heavier side,) the perfect neckline (sitting right on top of my collar bone,) the perfect sleeve (pleasantly loose on the arm.) I bought it in chocolate brown and already have a 2-pack of white sitting in my cart, ready to replace my supply of dingy Everlane tees (my former first place pick.)

On my wish list: I’m on the hunt for a classic riding boot—something like these from Jil Sander—but made for someone with a wide calf and without a $1,500 budget, namely, me. God forbid you have a leg thicker than a pencil and want to wear a knee-high boot!!! My two best contenders: the Margaret Knee-High Boot from Vince, which is available in two widths, and the Nancy Knee Boot from Reformation, which seem like they might have a wide calf but also appear to be a different height in every product photo. For some frustrating and inexplicable reason there aren’t any measurements listed for either of them…

An artist to know: On Sunday I stopped by BOZOMAG, an art gallery in Northeast LA, to catch Alli Conrad’s show “The Four Loves” before it closed. I’ve been following Conrad on Instagram for a while now—someone forwarded me a piece of her art because they thought I’d like her work (and they were right!) I’m often drawn to paintings of textiles; something about the way an artist is able to communicate the texture of a fabric or the drape of a garment is really soothing to my brain. And I especially love Conrad’s approach: bold, primary colors; close-ups of intertwined arms in trench coat sleeves; graphic arrangements of feet in shoes with matching socks… It’s all very me-coded.

Alli Conrad’s “The Four Loves” closes on the 7th (tomorrow!), so if you can make it out to Highland Park this weekend be sure to swing by!

Book on my nightstand: I’m currently reading Alison Espach’s The Wedding People, which came highly recommended by almost all of BookTok, and next up is Marjan Kamali’s The Lion Women of Tehran. I loved loved loved Kamali’s last novel, The Stationery Shop, and I’m excited to read her latest.

What I’m eating: I just received Apartamento’s new cookbook Liguria in the mail (thank you Apartamento!) and I’m really, really excited to dig into it. The book was published in partnership with the luxury hotel group Belmond and features 24 dishes from the kitchens of Belmond’s two properties in Portofino: Splendido and Splendido Mare. The book itself is beautiful—full of photography by Laura Jane Coulson and essays by Andy Baraghani, Ruth Rogers, Fanny Singer, and more. It really does feel like a trip to Italy (without the crowds.)

I’m most excited to make the Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes, and Green Beans for dinner, and for dessert, Paciugo (a stunning mess of gelato, whipped cream, berries, and Amarena cherries, pictured below.)

Currently working on: Believe it or not, I’m knee-deep in planning for the holidays. For one, the next iteration of Pasta Club (my ongoing collaborative project with Bucatini) is under way and it’s shaping up to be really special—I can’t wait to show you. Second, it’s looking like I’ll be hosting a handful of events over the next few weeks… I’m still working out the details, but I’ll let you all know where and when and how to join in. And lastly, I’ve got an idea for this very newsletter that I think is going to blow last year’s gift guides out of the water, but it requires me to get started NOW if I want to make it happen. I’m really putting my heart and soul into this one… More soon!!!

Something I’m looking forward to: On Tuesday, September 10th, the temperature is expected to finally drop below 100 degrees here in LA. That’s it, that’s the thing I’m looking forward to most.

x

Ali

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