“Scrub Daddy!” exclaimed my nephew Abe at the beginning of the summer when my mom came home from the hardware store with one of these. Apparently their inventors were on Shark Tank—a show I do not watch but also do not judge—and he was quite thrilled by the purchase. And, after using it for the better part of a summer, I’m sold too: just as the box says, it’s soft in warm water and firm in cold water, and if you use it dry, it works in much the same way as an SOS Pad, but without the mess. Plus, it doesn’t get scuzzy the way traditional sponges do. And it’s also pretty cute, no?

This wooden tray would be perfect for serving charcuterie, don’t you think?

For reasons I don’t quite understand, I’ve never liked the shape of traditional wine glasses—the stem is just too prissy, maybe. I do quite like them stemless, and this one comes in a set of four, and is a very good deal.

Such a cute, French-looking bowl for serving cappuccino, nuts, what have you.

This aromatherapy diffuser is just about the best-looking one I’ve ever seen—its shape is so organic and sculptural.

A pretty candle that smells of gardenia, which is my favorite floral-but-not-too-floral scent.

A water bottle in simple grey.

I dig the graphic pattern on this comforter and sham set; I also like this grey striped number, and this one too.

Such an impossibly pretty shibori print shower curtain.

Last week, I relocated out to Long Island for the summer—and maybe beyond, depending on whether there’s an upswing in the virus when fall arrives. Although I was sad to leave the exclusive club of people who didn’t bail on the city once corona hit hard, it is very nice to be here, and I’m so grateful that this house exists at all. But it’s also an adjustment: there are always other family members here, and it has made me realize how much I value my time alone. Instead of having a whole apartment to kick around in, my private space here consists of my eensy-but-cozy bedroom. What follows are a few of the items I brought from the city to make this place feel like home, and a few I’ve acquired, starting with a Kantha quilt from India kind of like this one. Etsy is crawling with them, and they’re pretty cheap, for quilts.

I haven’t pulled the trigger on these handsome-but-well-priced pillowcases just yet, but I’m pretty sure I plan to.

The house is old and a bit musty, so I burn this Otto Incense from Fornasetti, which has notes of lavender, cedarwood, and thyme. It comes with its own small incense holder, and makes my room smell so much better.

When we’re all out here at the same time, there are five adults, three teenagers, and three dogs—and my older brother Mike loathes dogs in the house (he and his family are cat people. Go figure).  Mike especially can’t stand the smell of dog food, so I thoughtfully moved that operation to my bedroom, and acquired these handsome Yeti bowls for feeding purposes.

I bought this Vornado Fan without checking the dimensions, and it turns out to be much smaller than I thought it would be—about eight inches in diameter—but it is mighty powerful, and keeps my whole room cool.