Welcome to Notes Of! Each month I make a mood board as a little creative exercise in thematic thinking. In Notes Of I elaborate on each month’s theme and include links to relevant articles, videos, products, and more.
This month’s mood board is inspired by one of my top 10 favorite things in the whole wide world: my bed.
I’m a textbook introvert; I need intentionally scheduled downtime in order to function. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I become a significantly worse version of myself—irritable, complainy, easily frustrated—when I haven’t set aside enough time in a week to do absolutely nothing. Because of this, I take bedtime very, very seriously.
You know that scene in The Parent Trap where Elizabeth James is working from bed, and then Hallie-as-Annie comes in to interrupt her/admit to her that she’s actually her long lost other daughter, the one she left back in the United States over a decade ago? I think that moment, with Elizabeth in her white pajamas tucked into 5-star hotel bedding, left an indelible mark on my child brain. Last year my therapist asked me when I feel most at ease with myself and I told her it’s when I’m in bed by 9, the sheets clean, my skincare routine complete, clothed in a poplin set. As a rule I don’t work from bed, (and I don’t speak French,) but I think I’ve spent my adult life in pursuit of that Elizabeth James level of chicness.
But aesthetic goals aside, I just really do operate best when I have at least an hour in the morning and two at night to lay around, scroll around, play the NYT Crossword, watch some Housewives, and slowly ease into and out of the day. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends a bit this month, and as I was trying to think of a theme for this mood board, I kept finding my imagination drifting off to weekends with no plans and cozy nights in. So here we are.
A few notes on bedtime:
I’ve shared some of my favorite things to sleep in before, like these cotton PJs from Gap and this sweet set from Salter House. Most recently I was gifted a pair of Lunya’s Washable Silk pajamas, something I probably would have never bought myself (because $$$) but they’re now at the top of my list. (Although, here’s a story: I was wearing the Lunya set when I was out of town last week, and something about the material, the climate, and the Airbnb bedding created a ton of static electricity, and every time I moved my body literal sparks flew in the dark. I started freaking out because that’s never happened at home and I thought I was going to light the house on fire, or maybe that I was hallucinating? In any case, it’s a real thing.)
Speaking of fancy loungewear, take a peek at Dorso, a luxury sleepwear company that makes silk pajamas with western-inspired details. It’s way out of my price range but fun to look at regardless!
Margherita Tamraz for Dorso. Gohar World shared images of a 1962 book called The Eating-In-Bed Cookbook by Barbara Ninde Byfield, and judging by its cover it’s right up my alley. I found just one available copy on the entire internet for anyone who’s interested in making a recipe called Cheesecake Under the Covers. (For the record, I am not an in-bed eater, but I might make an exception for cheesecake.)
Despite how much I love to be asleep, the most neglected room in my house in terms of design is definitely my bedroom. It sort of feels like a storage unit right now, mostly because I’ve shoved a sofa from my old apartment in the corner that I need to sell but I’m having a hard time parting with. But 2025 is the year I gain control of the situation! Right now my plan involves replacing my scratchy, sheddy jute rug with this one from Nordic Knots and my rickety Ikea bed with this one from Sixpenny. I’ll keep you posted.
This one didn’t make the mood board but it deserves a moment:
Do you see the metal face thing on the mood board in the third row? It’s a do not disturb sign!!! I found it in this Collectors Weekly article called “The Art of Making People Go Away”. It’s from Ana Mandara Villas Dalat Resort & Spa in Dalat, Vietnam, so if anyone finds themselves there I’m going to need you to send me a video of yourself flipping the little eyelids closed.
A very special headboard that lives in Venice, Italy (and also in the fourth row of the mood board): Peggy Guggenheim’s Silver Bedhead, created specially for her by Alexander Calder in 1945. My pal and fellow Substack writer
wrote about her honeymoon in Venice last week, which included a visit to said headboard, and I’m putting it on my bucket list to see for myself someday.
Via the Calder Foundation. Another brand worth keeping an eye on: Magniberg, a bedding and loungewear company out of Sweden. I don’t own any of their stuff (although I have my eye on their Space Pants,) but I’m a big fan of their art direction.
If you’re a Headspace user that has trouble falling asleep, allow me to introduce you to the one and only reason I paid for a Headspace membership for years: a track called “Piano and Hubbub”. “Piano and Hubbub” is 500 minutes of light piano music played over the sound of muted voices, as if you’re in bed upstairs while a cocktail party is going on downstairs. It doesn’t sound like it would be particularly relaxing, but it reminds me of being a kid and falling asleep to my dad playing piano in the living room. Here’s a 45 minute-long version someone uploaded to Youtube.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Ed Ruscha pieces:
Sleeping Clothes (1973)
Sweet dreams.
x
Ali
Sources: Detail at Carven SS25; bedroom at Hotel Peter and Paul in New Orleans, LA; Anders Edström for Jil Sander, 2020; quilt cushion from Bliss & Mischief; chateau by Les Trois Garcons, Matthew Salvaing for AD France; Josefine Seifert for Cecilie Bahnsen, 2019; bedroom in Provence by Atelier Vime; Yves Saint Laurent in Paris, 1978; Shall We Talk About It?, Jess Allen, 2023; metalwork face with flip-down eyelids at Ana Mandara Villas Dalat Resort & Spa in Dalat, Vietnam; mattress image by Andrew Emond, 2021; bedroom in Hudson, NY by General Assembly; Hedvig Jenning for Magniberg, 2021; Sabrina de Sousa for Buffy, 2018; Peggy Guggenheim with Silver Bedhead by Alexander Calder, 1945
In case you missed it:
Room Recipe: A Dreamy Bathroom Filled with Antiques
Welcome back to Room Recipe, a new column on À La Carte where we stare at an image of a room we love for a very long time, then break down its “ingredients” into specific items and themes. The goal is never to copy, but instead to get to the bottom of why certain rooms just *work* and to understand how we can translate that inspiration into real life.
An Italian Palazzo, Vintage Party Dresses, and a Pasta Dinner in NYC
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.
My bed this past year has become my safe space and I adore my soft white sheets. YES to Elizabeth James. A great motivator to getting started on your bedroom decor (that doesn’t cost anything!) is choosing a few heirlooms or items of special meaning to keep at your nightstand. Next to your desk, it’s the place you get to keep the things most important to you for the most amount of time in your day. I find it grounding to have a few beloved keepsakes next to me when I sleep. Obv with a huge stacks of books.
I’ve been browsing through the design section of Substack and stumbled upon this. So much inspo! Love it! Thank you for sharing. 🧡