Monochromatic Matcha & Striped Lava Lamps

Where to find pleated lamps, knit hot water bottle covers, and ceramic flower frogs — plus some ideas for a winter home refresh.

Happy Monday! I am taking the week to finish up a really big Winter Edition of Feeling! so the regularly scheduled Monday Letter is on pause while we shift focus to dazzling, nostalgic graphics for the secret winter release.

A few quick notes:

1. Feeling! and I were just featured in Better Homes & Gardens, which I still cannot believe.

2. I wrote a detailed recipe list for some fresh Thanksgiving dish ideas, including a sweet potato sponge cake with black sesame frosting.

3. Here is a guide to making Thanksgiving feel better, including a printable bracket for the “Best in Show” winner, which I will certainly be using in my home again.

4. November’s Color Club prints go out this week, and I would love to send you one! For founding subscribers of this magazine, you pay $89 for a year of access to every column and article AND the happiest mail ever in your mailbox! You can sign up by clicking the button below, and an email will send automatically requesting your mailing address.

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About this new column for Feeling! Magazine:

I think learning about design and appreciating it could feel more like a candy shop than a cold museum — and I haven’t been able to find a lot of design resources that do it like that, so I am going to try to make one!

Design Dive is a new column for everyone who loves great design but often feels a bit alienated by the pretense. We gravitate toward independent makers, vivid color, objects with personality and story. We want our spaces to feel beautiful, unique, elegant, and vivid. And I think that appreciation and exploration should feel like a better experience.

I’ll share what genuinely delights — new releases, small brands doing something unique, beautiful objects. Think of it as your briefing on design that’s actually fun, with no fear of “getting it wrong.” Design Dive (or you can call it Double D if you’re feeling cheeky) will have short tidbits of home decor, hospitality, interior spaces, products, and keep you up to date on generally beautiful things.

If you’ve ever felt like design spaces weren’t quite for you, welcome. This is a place where we can be giddy about polka dots together.

Feeling! Magazine is about the intersection of joy and design.

I’m back with some really moody design updates for you today. Some of these are in darker hues than I am normally drawn to, and I’m surprising myself a bit this winter!

✷ One quick & fun update - the Rolli plates I shared in the last edition are now available - and they are running a 15% off discount for the launch. As predicted, the style is similar to a Gustaf Westman, but the price point lands at $56 for a set of four, which is a big contrast.

I picked mine up from the mail room yesterday, and I am delighted by the quality. In Xenia Taler fashion, they are produced with an eco-friendly take on plastic. So you do not have to worry about them cracking or shattering like a ceramic plate. I used them for dinner last night, but couldn’t help but think how cute these could be for kids too! Since they are very durable, they could be an adorable elevated plate for a very stylish toddler somewhere. And for that toddler, I am enthused.

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MZ Wallace winter purse collection

I was invited after-hours to the MZ Wallace Soho store to preview their winter handbag collection. Which, by the way, their flooring is carpet — not marble. I gasped at this revelation at the front of the store, and their security guard laughed at me.

I asked my burning questions to their social team and learned that the brand has been a New York staple for the last 25 years. The founders originally crossed paths at the Union Square Farmer’s Market, which solidified the New York-ness of this brand for me.

Their most popular bag, their hero product, is called the Metro. It’s a tote with a classic silhouette and stitching, made for holding everything all day, perfect for New Yorkers. You’ve probably seen it out and about.

Even in the presence of magnificent colored sequins, I surprised myself and went home from the event with moody, dark colored totes. I picked the small Waverly tote in a delicious wine color, and the large woven shoulder bag (in black), which fits my laptop.

I’ll be honest and say I am not really a purse person. I certainly have a million bags I carry around, but I’ve never gotten into luxury purses or cared much about a brand. I’d rather have a couch or a rug or fancy placemats.

But for an elevated handbag brand, the prices are accessible ($275) — and the quality of the bags impressed me the most. I’ve been wearing them out and about and am confident they are going to last a really long time. It feels like a great investment in both design and functionality.

Gantri light design