Material World

Object lessons. Every object tells a story. What we keep–and why. Artifacts and remains.

Books I Need

Dusty books on a bookshelf

Reacquainting myself with old books…sometimes I find just the book I need now.

Rediscovery

Creating a sense of both novelty and familiarity.

Duralex Tumblers

A search rewarded after 20 years of looking.

Sorting Books

If you love it, keep it. If you don’t, don’t. Make room for the things you love.

Hygge: Danish Comfort versus American Shame

The lesson I see in this sudden interest in the UK and the USA of hygge, is the recognition that the middle class is disappearing and as these comforts become more rare they are more valued.

Matched Set

An object is simultaneously itself and a symbol of something else, an association made by the person perceiving the object.

Cultivating Delight

One of my continuing interests has always been what the physical objects which we create and with which we surround ourselves say about us, both as individuals and as a society. Who does not walk into someone else’s living space and eye the collection of books, or music, or video to help form some opinion of the person who lives there? Our possessions are both archival (what we treasure about

One Man’s Treasure

Life Deleted

A History of the World in 100 Objects

The stories gleaned from objects can reflect an individual, a society, or all of human existence.

Treasures and Trifles

Will the prized treasures of to-day always be the cheap trifles of the day before?

Year of the Ox

Eclectic ornaments.

San Francisco: Japantown 2008

This kimono followed me home.

iPhone, A Day in the Life

Great technology redefines a task so completely that we change our behavior, not because we are forced to adapt to the technology but because the technology provides us with new ways to interact with the world and to do things we never imagined doing before.

Burning Desire

Cleansing with fire.

The Perfect Notebook

All that blank waiting to be filled.