meet Love and Other Rugs

a satirical newsletter on dating and design is born.

In the not so recent past, I was a style editor at Domino Magazine, where decor became accessible, where homes were made sanctuaries, where I learned that size does in fact matter—especially when your apartment is 600 square feet. When I left the editorial world in December of 2019, I stayed in the bedroom, leading brand at maude, a sexual wellness start up. Instead of wallpaper it was wanking, curating a vibe was peddling vibrators, and backdoors, well they were doors to an entirely different future. 

A few of my favorite things—my mother’s photographs, crisp white walls, a stimulus check chair, and a neutral-ish checker rug.

Because of my tenure at Domino, and my general desire to give advice—solicited or otherwise—I’ve become a bit of a poor man’s interior designer. I joke that I’ve picked up enough to sound like I know what I’m talking about but not enough to get paid for it. There is almost nothing, except maybe a very good martini, that brings me more joy than consulting people on their spaces.

And once a week like clockwork, I get a text message or a DM or a phone call from a friend looking for advice—where can they get an inexpensive rug or interesting art? What are the best vintage stores in Brooklyn? How big should their couch be? Do I have a framer or upholsterer on hand? (Of course, I have three). But as I started to compile listicles and maps and links—I imagined a place where it all lived. I also, like many around me, am confronted with the collective act of looking for the loves of our lives. I began to draw parallels—merging my worlds as I slid into the DMs of men and facebook marketplace sellers alike. “Is it still available? Is there any noticeable wear? Can it be to my place in 20 minutes?”.

A peak into the DMs—it all started with a rug.

The city is playing a game of musical chairs—setting our past hookups on the street with a free sign and avoiding them later when they walk into the same Brooklyn bar. The search never stops, the vintage dressers are as damaged as the men but if you squint, you can’t really see it. I sought to build a bible, a hub, a guide—instead I’ve found truth and satire. Discovering that every free sign came with an asterisk and every man with an ex on the other side of the city. 

Could we swipe for sex AND sectionals? Should everyone we take home come with an instruction manual and a number stamped on their ass to call when they are inevitably missing something? When is a project worth it? How much will it actually cost you to reupholster a man? And of course, is it really the perfect couch if it never wants to leave St. Louis, Missouri?

Straight from Hinge—some design dirty talk featuring the fine people at Lichen.

Over the course of volume one, I’ll be diving into apartments, dating apps, vintage, and new finds. I’ll share things I have bought, will buy, and regret not buying. Maybe I’ll talk about the strange amalgamation of interactions I’ve had from living in New York for 6 years. Know this isn’t a gossip column or a diary, I’d rather talk about rugs than get revenge.

Some early inspo for the newsletter—Bachelor Magazine & Bruno Munari.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank the team that helped me bring this to life—my families at maude and Domino; my talented friends Daniela Spector (photography), Maria Camejo (propping + styling), and Madeline Montoya (branding) who brought the vision to reality; and my expansive network of editors (by vocation or by self-appointment) who have consulted along the way.

The premiere volume of Love and Other Rugs will being presented by Backdrop Paint. Stay tuned for issue 01 which drops in a few weeks…