Some of my favorite things during the month of April.

PILLOWS- Charcoal velvet lumbar pillows

Sorry I don’t have a link for these lumbar pillowcases (got them on Etsy years ago, no longer available), but consider it as potential inspo for bed styling. I go through phases of styling our bed differently, mostly not styling it at all and just keeping it to the pillows we sleep on, but once in a while I bring back out some things from my throw pillow collection and I’ve concluded this is my favorite combo. It looks so sharp and remains minimal/not a pain to remove at night and set up again during the day. Again, I more often don’t style the bed at all, but it’s really fun to do it once in a while.

And since I get questions every time that blanket makes an appearance, I got it on eBay years ago which is also no longer available via the seller I got it from. I found a similar one here (bunch of different size and color options).

LIGHTING- Hay Matin Table Lamp

One of those things that was love at first sight without an ounce of doubt. Paper shade lamps are making a resurgence, and the pleated design of this one feels both classic and updated at the same time. Comes in a variety of colors (was temped by the green one) but the white felt most timeless to me, surprise. It’s currently living in the office but I imagine it eventually living on a sideboard in the family room which I’m hoping to tackle full speed once the world resumes normality!

LIGHTING- Gantri World Table Lamp

It’s apparently the month of lighting. Lighting is probably my favorite detail to consider for any space. It’s one of the most form + function items for the home there is, a combination that I live for, and I love when it can be something sculptural and decorative like this one. I partnered with Gantri to feature this lamp on my IG feed last month, which was exciting because I’ve admired their unique and modern lighting designs for a while. They worked with Dims to design this one, whom I also love, made via sustainable manufacturing practices in California. I love their ethos as a company and they’re doing something really special to positively impact the way designer lighting is made.

BAKE- Coconut loaf

The easiest most delicious way to make yourself some coconut cake. Blew me away how good this was. Was a great excuse to get some almond extract which now I want to put in everything I bake. Makes the whole home smell amazing too. It’s so fluffy, moist, and the icing on top makes it feel like you paid $9 for a slice at a bakery but no, you made it. Coconut lovers- this is mandatory.

COOK– Chicken kebabs, basmati rice, and roasted carrots

This was one of our favorite meals we made last month. In my search for a kebab recipe since Oleg expressed that craving, I came across this food blog that recommended this meal combo with all the recipes and it was SO simple and good. Our first time trying a yogurt based marinade, which made the chicken tender and tangy. The sweet crispy red onions on the kebabs are essential and were maybe my favorite part. The rice was fragrantly tasty and fed us for days, and while I thought the carrots seemed boring, I trusted the recommendation to make them and they were a great thing to go with this meal. Bought the hummus from Trader Joe’s and the naan we already had in the freezer. While I ideally would’ve wanted pepperoncini peppers, a side of dill pickle was perfect too. Making this outside on the grill felt like summer!

COOK- Carbonara

We never make pasta at home, but this quarantine has us expanding and experimenting a lot with what we cook, giving ourselves the freedom to satisfy every and all cravings, and for many months now we’ve been talking about wanting carbonara. We followed Binging with Babish’s video on carbonara basics, going with his “old-school” instructions though we used pancetta because it’s what we had. It doesn’t look like much because much didn’t go into it, and it’s an astounding example of a dish being greater than the sum of its parts. This is the dish we’re going to whenever we want a bowl of comfort pasta.

SKINCARE- Rosehip seed oil

I’ve known for a while that I really like using oils as moisturizer, then recently I came across a dermatologist on TikTok (lol) that recommended rosehip seed oil as a great moisturizer that helps with fading acne scars. Once in a while I get a bad breakout that scars and I had one for a few months that’s been really stubborn. I clearly noticed that once I started using this, the scar picked up much more speed in fading away- it’s not there anymore! I’ve been using it as a night time moisturizer and while it feels deeply moisturizing, it also feels soothing to put on especially since I’ve been pairing it with facial massage about twice a week. I’ve been referring to this video for lymphatic massage and this video for face lifting massage. I’m not betting on this type of thing to transform and reverse aging on my face, but I know that it feels good and I enjoy it a lot.

HAIR- conditioner

I received Klorane’s new cupuaçu line of hair products as PR and the most notable item by far is the conditioner. I haven’t used conditioner on my hair in years. I gave up on the stuff a long time ago because it only ever felt like a heavy waxy or oily coating and I couldn’t tell if any of it was giving me benefits. I almost wasn’t even going to try this because I essentially stopped believing in conditioner, but this one ended up being so, so good. My biggest hair concern, and the reason I dread taking showers, is how frizzy and unruly my hair becomes after it gets wet. I’ve learned to deal with this by showering at night, letting my hair air dry, then sleeping on it so that it’s somewhat de-poofed by morning and I can style it then. I noticed immediately after air drying that my hair looked silkier and not nearly as poodled out as it normally does. The conditioner easily took out my tangles in the shower and didn’t feel heavy at all. It actually felt like maybe it wasn’t creamy enough, which makes sense that it didn’t weigh down or make my hair feel coated at all. I’m shocked that I’m going to be using conditioner again from now on- this one!!

SONGS ON REPEAT

Fred again..- Kyle (I found you)
Lane 8, POLIÇA- Brightest Lights

LINKS

Serious bathroom inspo- The Tile Laying Patterns You Need to Know

Looking for somewhere to put the large size of this mirror in our home!

Almost all of my kitchen inspo is currently coming from this Swedish kitchen cabinet company.

A new to me interiors Instagram account that I’ve been enjoying.

Everything at Rypen is 20% off. They have so many of my favorite Scandinavian brands!

Pregnancy has been making me crave everything spicy and I’ve been on a hot sauce kick. This smoky sweet green hot sauce is delicious, mildly spicy and I’ve been enjoying it on breakfast burritos/eggs and all proteins. This smoky tamarind sauce though is my favorite, but I wouldn’t consider it spicy. It’s like an extra tangy bbq sauce. Have been putting it on everything and it just works.

The mules I shared a few months back in stories that a lot of you went nuts about are now available online!