This roundup of things we liked this week originally appeared in the August 8, 2024 edition of the Secret Strategist newsletter, a weekly email where we share the stuff our staff — plus a rotating cast of writers, design-world people, and various others with very good taste — would otherwise keep to themselves. If you want to get our picks straight to your inbox each week, sign up here.
Strategist senior editor Winnie Yang brought back a few Nicola Fasano ceramic pieces from a recent trip to Puglia but not enough. “I’m kicking myself for not shipping back more — I love the Smambriata splatter glaze and got an urn, a serving bowl, and a platter — and I’ve been trying to find a retailer that imports them to the U.S. and finally discovered that this place carries many of that maker’s wares. I think I’ll start with these egg cups in coco or emerald.” Meanwhile, Katy was in Denmark and saw some pendants: this steel, this clam, this Targetti. (She also saw this little desk lamp and one “lazing around” chair.) —Katy Schneider and Simone Kitchens
Editor’s note: Monologue London lists all prices in GBP, so the price shown is an approximate conversion to U.S. dollars.
This Week’s List
* We’ve been admiring Kerrilynn Pamer’s Hay patio table with the big hole-punch design. Probably best for outside but handsome enough to go in. The hunter green is on sale.
* The sharpshooters at the Olympics are all wearing Sauer sneakers. We really like vintage Sauer … (These are the new ones.)
* Julia Felsenthal tells us that she’s recently covered two, soon to be three, bathroom floors in linoleum. More specifically: “We do Forbo marmoleum sheets,” she said. “I like the ones that are really marbleized best. In our downstairs bathroom we used arabesque, which is this wonderful purplish-gray noncolor. In our upstairs bathroom we used marine, a very true blue that reads more solid. In the bathroom we have yet to do, I’m extremely tempted to use chartreuse though am slightly fearful it will read forever as brat summer — let it be known that I requested the sample back in 2020. It’s got to go with a vintage sage-green sink I bought around the same time from a Habitat for Humanity restore.”
* We really want this swirly sailcloth messenger bag from 360 Degree, but it’s only available on what appears to be German eBay. We also like its sort of weirdly shaped tote that we can’t find for sale anywhere on the internet. For now, just putting the brand on your radar — we’ll keep looking for available-in-America options.
* And speaking of things that aren’t available yet: Autumn Sonata shower curtains are coming in November, but they’re so good looking we’re bookmarking them here now.
* Sofa “duvet” toppers!! (A few more colors here.) For those of us whose white couches aren’t what they once were, and these are also just really cozy and colorful! Additionally, there’s actually so much we like from this site Greenrow (which is owned by Williams Sonoma — who knew!), like this wide-striped duvet duvet and this striped flatweave rug.
Facebook Marketplace Finds
* Little red metal file cabinet
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
