Edition Two - Home as Autobiography

July 30, 2026

Originally shared with our email subscribers as part of First Things First.

A few things I've been reaching for. A few things I've been thinking about.

I'M THINKING ABOUT

Home as an autobiography of self.

I've been thinking a lot about homes as autobiographies.

Not just the obvious things - the furniture, the art, the books - but what our homes reveal about the parts of ourselves we choose to make visible. What we display, what we hide, what we make room for. The private self and public self meeting somewhere in the middle.

I think the most memorable homes are the ones that feel like an honest extension of the people who live there. They're rarely the most perfect, but they're the ones that invite conversation, curiosity and a sense of ease.

The idea has quietly become a filter for the way we create content too. We're trying to share homes not simply spaces as beautiful spaces, but as reflections of the people who live in them. We'd love to know if this way of seeing resonates with you, over on our Instagram

Making room for the life you want.

Ophelia has just started piano lessons, which has me thinking about where the piano belongs.

At the moment ours sits quietly in the spare room. It makes visual sense there, but it means it disappears into the background of family life.

I'm leaning towards moving it into our small living room instead. It will probably dominate the space. It certainly isn't the layout I would have chosen on paper. But it changes the purpose of the room. Suddenly it's somewhere music happens. Somewhere people gather. Somewhere creativity is part of everyday life instead of something tucked behind a closed door.

Feeling like that's a worthwhile trade - giving up a little visual perfection in exchange for a home that better reflects the life you hope unfolds inside it.

IF YOU ASKED…

If you asked me what is the best kettle, I'd say this one

If you asked me what is the one supplement I cannot go without, I'd say this

This combo is doing great things for my skin 1 + 1

IDEAS I HAVEN'T QUITE COMMITTED TO

I'm thinking about my hand tattoos. About adding to mine.

I had the originals done years ago and hadn't really thought it about again until I saw an image Kym Ellery shared. It reminded me how much I love that hands tell a story. Jewellery, ink, objects carried, they all become part of a person in a way that's difficult to explain.

Also…

Getting a few more ear piercings. Not because I suddenly feel younger, but because I don't think style has an expiry date. Somewhere along the way I absorbed the idea that there was an age where you stopped adding to yourself and simply maintained what was already there.

I'm not convinced that's true anymore.

Maybe it's something we're always becoming.

Both of these thoughts ask the same question: Do we allow ourselves to keep becoming, or do we freeze ourselves at a version we decided was 'finished'?

OPEN TABS

The tabs that have stayed open a little longer than they probably should have, and the rabbit holes I'll happily take you down with me.

This playlist by my friend Sunni Hart
This easy recipe for when you're low on time, ingredients and care factor. Nigella had me at “amalgamate into a sparse but gleaming sauce”
Buying these Nelson Made velvet loafers