Happy Sunday and happy Pride Month! Our beautiful queer community needs us more than ever to fight for their right to simply exist safely and joyfully. So while this month’s celebrations are without question amazing and incredibly fun, fighting against the countless deeply harmful laws needs to be front and center, not just this month but for as long as it takes. Safety and being yourself shouldn’t be a privilege, it needs to be a right.
This week’s house tour is this stunning bathroom at the 2023 Kips Bay Show House New York designed by Ahmad AbouZanat (who is also a 2023 House Beautiful Next Waver!). When we saw this design we instantly fell in love with that dramatic, earthy color-blocked tile. Also, notice how the tile orientation changes on the side walls! A small shift that makes for a very cool moment. The whole space is both simple yet rich and we can’t wait to see more of Ahmad designs. Check out more photos here!
From Emily: I found the dorkiest (remember dorky is cool now) house shoes that I wear for all my household tasks (which are all day every day these days). I’m a massive winter slipper/house shoe fan, but what about the summer when our feetsies get warmsies? I can NOT walk around the house without arch support and due to my job I do a lot of walking. So I was in Hood River at a great outdoorsy store and tried on these Tevas which were successfully marketed as walking on clouds, so I tried them on and literally couldn’t not get them. They are a perfect mix between sneaker (supportive), house shoe, and sandal (waterproof). I’m trying to not wear them outside so I don’t track dirt inside, but they are obviously great as summer hiking sandals, too. I never knew how Oregonians hiked in sandals but now I do. These are just so supportive and comfortable. And again, I think their chunkiness is on that fence between dorky and cool – a fence I’m living on these days.
From Arlyn: I have the great fortune of now living within 10 minutes of Jess, which works out for me because she’s incredibly handy and I always have something for her to help me with around the new house. In exchange, I feed her and let her snuggle my daughter. It’s a very fair deal if I say so myself. Last weekend, I opted for my favorite lentil soup recipe, and while I know June isn’t exactly Souptember, a lentil soup is a go-to recipe for me year-round. This one got the crowd’s approval. Bonus points if you make your own stock from a half-eaten rotisserie chicken you found in the freezer the day prior. Bonus-bonus points if you serve it with your favorite roll.
Also from Arlyn: I’ve never been a runner, no matter how hard I’ve tried (which isn’t very hard) but I recently got into it to be more active and find a way to exercise with my one-year-old in tow, and the Hoka Clifton 8 running shoes have made a tremendous difference in how much impact I feel on my legs and body in general. After asking my community on Instagram to recommend some, these were far and away the top pick and I can see why. I picked a vibrant blue and orange but will likely also get them in black and white (or other colors) soon. They make asphalt feel like a springy treadmill, and hence, running is less painful, to me at least.
From Mallory: I love me a hardworking sandal that I can wear all day long in the summer, so I ordered these and I have VERY high hopes!! They’re Dr. Scholl’s but they’re actually…cute?? I had no idea that the foot doctor (if he even is a real doctor) made good-looking shoes but boy am I glad I learned. I’ve been wanting a good fisherman sandal for a while now, so when I found this pair for under $40, I immediately added them to my cart (I ordered the white pair but the black ones are cute too!) If you’re in the market, I thought I’d share these with you guys!!
From Caitlin: It’s time for my annual recommendation of my all-time favorite swimsuit: it’s this incredible shaping one that makes me feel super supported and confident (so much so that I literally keep the blue one in my car for swim emergencies. You know how secure you have to feel in a swimsuit to be ready and eager to change into one at a moment’s notice at any time? IT’S THAT GOOD). I also have this one in red for when I want to feel a little more Baywatch-y (and the support is AWESOME – I have an F cup and can confirm that it keeps the girls secure). They’ve launched a ton of new styles this year – some with full coverage and sleeves, and some that show a lot more skin – but I’m super excited about this square-necked version that looks really pretty and timeless! They carry sizes XS-4X with short, regular, and XL torso sizes, their website features models of all shapes and sizes (hooray!), and the suits are comfortable and easy to get into/out of by yourself (just to address one of my initial concerns). They sell out EVERY SUMMER – trust me, I am still sad that I missed out on the pink and green versions last year – so if this is interesting to you, be sure to grab one in early June BEFORE people start shopping for their 4th of July long weekend suits. If you’ve ever felt a little awkward or nervous in your swimsuit, I promise that these will help ease your mind a little!! Take it from your resident size 14 gal:) UPDATE! While Facetiming with Jess on Friday, she bought two and I bought ANOTHER ONE!
Also from Caitlin: OK WAIT. I cannot be the only person who is currently being bombarded with IG ads for this magic color-correcting cream that totally evens out your skin tone without makeup, right? I don’t want to be the dummy that goes into this with too-high expectations, but all the videos I’ve seen have been pretty shocking and transformative – does anyone have first-hand experience? Even the before-and-afters on the site are pretty noticeable! The reviews make it seem like maybe the color-correcting drops are a better call for me as a pale gal (a little more sheer, I guess?) but I would love any advice before I consider spending that much on a little tub of goo! PLEASE ADVISE?
Also Also From Caitlin: It’s 6 PM on Friday and I have reopened this post to add one more link because I am OBSESSED with this Architectural Digest piece about the Barbie set. Come to see the famous design elements, stay for the realization that filming caused an international shortage of hot pink paint. (Additional required reading, ICYMI: this Margot Robbie profile in Vogue; this Ryan Gosling profile in GQ – both have a ton of interesting movie tidbits!)
From Ryann: It is high time I talk about this dog bed. It is easily the most design-forward bed I have seen and it actually looks even better in person. It seriously looks like a Sherpa rug. The best part?! The cover is not only removable and machine washable but it’s also water and stain resistant. When my dog tracked mud into the house and on the bed, I washed the cover a few days later and it was good as new. It also should be noted that my dog is high maintenance when it comes to comfort, and he will sleep on this bed all day long. I am SO impressed with this product and can’t recommend it enough.
From Jess: I went camping last weekend with about 50 people so I grabbed my personalized Yeti insulated Wine Tumbler my cousin had made me for her bachelorette weekend (see above). First off, incredible gift. Not to knock other personalized bachelorette-themed gifts but…I’ve never really used any of them after the fact. This however was great for her weekend AND was the perfect reusable cup for camping (especially with a group) since it’s hard to lose track of! You can personalize all kinds of Yeti cups if you’d prefer having a handle or something bigger. Not a bad gift idea for an outdoorsy dad:)
Also From Jess: While I am most definitely biased, my dad wrote a pretty wonderful Father’s Day gift guide in case you missed it and need some ideas (and maybe a good cry:))
That’s it from us today! Have a beautiful rest of your weekend and see y’all tomorrow. xx
Opening Image Credits: Design by Ahmad AbouZanat | Photo by Nick Sargent
THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED HERE.
