From 2012-2025 I kept a regular blog and this is where you can find all of those posts. There are hundreds! During that time, I lived in Yemen, New York City, Madrid, Jerusalem, Morocco, and Algeria and Washington DC.
Here are few of my favorites:
- Washington DC is the Paris of America, 2024
- On Saying the Wrong Thing, 2023
- A Bucket and a French Fry Omelette, 2021
- A Glimpse into Jerusalem’s Ultra-Orthodox Neighborhoods, 2018
- A Post in Which I Overuse the Term ‘Passion’, 2012
Or, search for a specific topic here:
These days I’m writing a regular newsletter, Next Dinner Party. If you subscribe, it’ll be delivered to your inbox every other week. I really think you should…
Insane to Live in DC Right Now and Yet I’m Very Happy
In the midst of so much destruction, of an undeniable time of struggle across the nation but especially in DC, it can feel wrong to be so enthusiastic about the good things and the new things that are unfolding.
Progress is Not Linear
Progress isn’t linear, life rewards risk-takers, discomfort is growth, and other things I tell myself to get through a hard time.
Escaping a Bleak America for Some ‘Grown Up’ Countries
It’s an unsettling time in America, especially Washington DC. I (briefly) flee to France, Belgium, Denmark and then the Dominican Republic and return home with a mantra: Regenesis.
Year in Review: 2024
This year I deepened my relationship to music (I’m a lyrics gal) and worked toward crafting a lush and creative life.
The Evil Eye
Its a deeply held belief in many cultures – BUT NOT IN AMERICA – that being the object of envy can bring you very bad luck.
The Necklace
The story of a boy who delivered to me a mysterious necklace in Algeria comes up during a trip to Costa Rica in an unexplainable coincidence.
Washington DC is the Paris of America
After I decided not to be another Emily in Paris, I started to see Paris all over Washington DC.
The Amalfi Coast + Naples
In late May, I toured around one of the most glam spots in Europe, the Amalfi Coast, with my glam friend Brandi.
The Space Between Us
DC’s rule-following, personal space-adoring, walk-on-the-left-stand-on-the-right ethos is starting to get to me. Also, that humidity! Oof.
1-800 Got Junk
The stress of moving to a new apartment, alone, and a disastrous furniture assembly project inspire me to let go. Also, got my first tattoo!
Making All Things New
Seeing my friend’s contentment with being a new dad inspires me and I’m fully embracing my Fun Auntie status.
All American Culture Is Not My Own
I might have saved myself some embarrassment if I’d recognized that even in America, there’s plenty I don’t understand about different cultures.
Two Concerts and Quite a Few Whiskey Gingers
An avant-garde concert where I’m repeatedly shhhed makes me cry, but dancing at a fun neo-soul show reaffirms my love of live music.
Year in Review: 2023
In my worst year ever, I found creative inspiration everywhere I looked.
The Silos of DC
In hyper-efficient Washington DC, there’s a set time and place for everything, which can make impromptu human connection difficult.
Going Through Changes Now (Also, a Trip to LA)
I’m going through changes, all of the strangeness, but I’m starting to embrace it. Also, why don’t we all live in Los Angeles?
A Yoga Retreat in the Chihuahua Desert
A yoga retreat in Far West Texas with a group of strangers brought up a lot feelings. Also, it was a million degrees.
Marfa, Texas: A City or Art?
A few weeks ago, one of my best friends, Hana, invited me on a Texas yoga retreat with her and although the thought of traveling at the time seemed nearly impossible, I figured future Emily would be slightly less sad and perhaps more enthusiastic about a trip. And it was a good calculation because although…
Roots and Branches
It’s been a little more than a month into this new part of life – a segment that certainly feels like “the worst time of my life” to date. But perhaps in hindsight it’ll register more as a turning point, a stepping stone, or merely “a very strange time.” It’s uncertain, confusing, and painful. But…
A Light in the Attic
There’s a light in the attic during a dark time.
The Joys of Moving
In my last blog post, I said our Princeton to DC move was our most pleasant yet but that was before we’d actually arrived and had all of our possessions delivered to DC. Let the record show: Moving is never pleasant, even when it’s just a few hundred miles away rather than the thousands of…
A Pleasant Year in Princeton
A gap year in Princeton University was exceedingly pleasant, if not a wee bit too quiet.
Newsletter 5: Design Trends
I recently spend four days in Highpoint, North Carolina at one of the world’s largest furniture and interior design trade shows. (For a longer narrative on what the week meant to me as a person who’s new to this field, check out my blog post: A New Designer at the World’s Biggest Furniture Trade Show).…
A New Designer at the World’s Biggest Furniture Trade Show
What happens when a brand new interior designer travels solo to the world’s biggest furniture and design trade show with just a dream and her cardigan?
Emily’s Guide to Algiers
We moved from Algiers to Princeton, New Jersey 10 months ago, and as I’ve said, I miss Algiers, Algeria, North Africa, and living abroad in general. Don’t get me wrong, a hundred things about living in comfy and convenient America are aces, but sometimes when I see a friend’s photos of a party shot from…
On Saying the Wrong Thing
Being on an American college campus after years of living abroad brings up questions of the the “good” words and the “bad” words and who decides what those are.
Newsletter 4: Your Perfect Stay
Sometimes when I’m trying to gauge a client’s style, I’ll ask them to recall a hotel or AirBnb they loved staying at. Perhaps together we can tease apart what they adored about that cabin in the Montana mountains or that plunge pool villa in Koh Samui and use these elements to design a room that…
Newsletter 3: Using Your Own Inspiration in Home Design
I recently had a joyous day antiquing and popping into art galleries in Lambertville, New Jersey, which along with its sister city New Hope, Pennsylvania, located on the other side of the Delaware River, might be some of the cutest towns in America. A sign next to a painting called “The Rediscovery of Port Norris…
How an Eccentric Chemist Amassed One of the World’s Best Art Collections
A recent visit to a museum with an astounding collection of Matisses has made me reconsider what I thought I knew about art museums.
Newsletter 2: What to Buy for Your Home When You Travel
Follow these five tips on how to buy for your home when traveling and you’ll have a curated house filled with treasures.
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