Listening, Reading, Thinking, Shopping, Watching / 25
This letter comes to you late, from a sterile hospital bed in Scotland
This letter finds you later than intended. Thursday unravelled into something else entirely—my body twice surrendering to unconsciousness, followed by other symptoms that medical shorthand translates to “urgent”. Hours dissolved in the strange democracy of the A&E1 waiting room, where everyone's emergencies form an orderly queue. I watched the day2 contract and expand under fluorescent lights until they admitted me for overnight observation. I remain here still, having been sentenced to another night's captivity—my dismay at losing yet another beautiful day of this fleeting summer met with only clipboard notations and procedural nods. It's curious how quickly one adapts to the theatre of hospital care—the curtained boundaries, the practiced concern, the efficient intrusions. One becomes, temporarily, a collection of numbers and readings rather than a person with plans for Thursday letters.
This week's Listening, Reading, Thinking, Shopping, Watching offers thoughts on transformation, natural bathroom elements, vegetable arrangements, the perils of overthinking, hotel room design inspirations, and other musings from these hours of unexpected stillness.
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SPRING THINGS /wicker & rattan
I love wicker so much, I once confided to
that I wanted to be buried in it, just as Lee Radziwill was. This longstanding love affair led me to collaborate with a family-owned factory of skilled artisans in Spain, bringing the most exquisite collection of bags to our readers. We would still be in the wicker business today had the family not taken their well-deserved retirement.
QUOTE /transformation
“Starting over is not erasing the past... It's carrying forward what matters, leaving behind what doesn't, and stepping into something new-without knowing exactly where it leads.” —Pamela Anderson
SHOPPING /late spring things
A few late-spring fashion favourites including the perfect breezy shirt dress, woven leather sandals, and other effortless essentials for warm days and golden light.
DÉCOR /rough-hewn 001
Amidst a sea of mass-produced bathroom fixtures, these strikingly beautiful rough-hewn wood countertops offer perfect contrast. Each slab tells its own story through elegant grain patterns, natural contours, and organic character that industrial manufacturing simply cannot replicate…
SHOP: One & Two
READING /the caveman method
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The backlash to elaborate 10+ step skincare routines has arrived in the form of “the caveman method”.
“The theory behind the method is that many skin-care products can strip the skin of its natural oils, disrupt its pH balance, and alter its natural microbiome. Forgoing all that, the caveman theory goes, restores your skin to its ‘natural’ healthy state.”
If you know me, you'll know I'm surprisingly low-key and have never subscribed to a 10-step skincare ritual. (I've shared my simple routine here.) Still, minimalist as I am, I would never dream of skipping my evening face wash. “No cleansers, no exfoliants, no moisturisers—no water, even” is what this method prescribes. And here's what happens when you don't wash your face...
FROM THE TIG ARCHIVES /summertime, summertime
EVERY SUMMER, there’s always a picnic or two to look forward to. There is just something about the anticipation of preparing for a summer afternoon picnic―the wicker baskets and vintage tartan wool blanks, stopping by the bakery for a loaf of olive boule or sourdough; cakes and pastries from the bakery or smoked salmon and dill sandwiches from the larder, and of course, a bottle of cava or white wine―it’s a bit of a production, and one we relish, before setting off to some impossibly beautiful scenic spot by the seaside, or an impossibly romantic and secluded one in the countryside.
Summertime Inspiration: The Most Beautiful Picnics
Summer Vibes: An Ode to our Favourite Time of Year
READING /two tools that will revolutionise your creative process
“While we meticulously capture life's visual moments, our most valuable intellectual currency—our ideas—often disappears before we can preserve them. This essay reveals two revolutionary voice-first tools that transform fleeting thoughts into searchable knowledge networks, creating a seamless bridge between inspiration and action. Discover a practical framework for extending your cognitive abilities beyond biological limitations and fundamentally transforming your creative process.”
THINKING /about overthinking
I've told you before that I am a terrible overthinker3, and that it can be crippling at times. I really needed to read this list of reminders from The Power of Now. Different from occasional reflection, overthinking is a persistent state that manifests as racing thoughts, inability to make decisions, and mental exhaustion that can paralyse. I second-guess choices long after they're made, replay conversations searching for hidden meanings, and construct elaborate worst-case scenarios about futures that may never arrive.
The idea that only the present moment is real—that past and future exist only in our thoughts—shifts my perspective entirely. Recognising when I'm caught in the overthinking spiral gives me the opportunity to pause, breathe, and return to the only moment where life actually happens—right now.
DÉCOR /rough-hewn 002
I've spoken to you before about rough-hewn stone sinks (here & here), but have just come across open stone shelves, and it's that perfect mix of rustic texture and modern restraint that elevates a space from designed to essential, as if the materials have always belonged there. The natural variation in each piece brings subtle depth while maintaining architectural integrity—a thoughtful counterpoint to today's often too-polished interiors.
(images via Pinterest)
DÉCOR /hotel room style bedrooms
Lying in sterile hospital rooms has me dreaming of the most perfect bedrooms, and for me, they’re almost always hotel rooms. There’s something about the crisp linens, elegant symmetry, and sense of escape that feels both decadent and wonderfully comforting. I love the idea of bringing a bit of that timeless, turn-down charm home. These are a few favourites I keep returning to…
MOODBOARD /summertime
I've written before about my perfectionism, and it's revealing itself again now. After sending this letter Friday night, I noticed the transition into the following section felt too jarring. Though I realise many readers may not even notice this addition, I couldn't help but refine it after the fact. So to create a better flow into what follows, I've added a summertime moodboard...
ART /vegetable arrangements
@sean_anthony_pritchard, who runs an award-winning garden design studio based in London and Somerset, creates the most beautiful flower arrangements, often featuring unexpected combinations—narcissus poeticus, lily of the valley, and cow parsley. But it's his vegetable arrangements that captivate us most: Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, cabbage, and kale transformed into wonderfully whimsical compositions. These sculptural displays celebrate the overlooked elegance of ordinary produce, elevating kitchen staples into art objects worthy of contemplation. It's a reminder that artfulness exists everywhere, even in the seemingly mundane corners of daily life.
That’s all for now. Until next time…
bisous,
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RECENTLY at Hyperreality
On the Language of Objects and Design as Dialogue
I’m leading this piece on design with a couple of images of my favourite Tom Ford eyeglasses. They were my favourite, and I just lost them somewhere in Glasgow a few weeks ago. Every time I wore them I could see—
Moments and Musings /006
This letter arrives to you from a café in Marylebone—our Scottish interlude having folded back into memory as we returned to London Monday night carried home by the falling night. The city pulses differently now—German voices mingling with American accents in streets that seem to have swelled in our absence. We stand at the threshold of some new chapter, watching its contours materialise before us, simultaneously observers and participants.
Moments and Musings /005 (Arts Edition)
Hello! How are you? I've been working on an essay about health and wellness, but it's taking longer than expected. Outside, the rain persists—a stubborn, grey veil between us and the idea of summer. This week,
Life Update /006 (Scotland Edition)
In the stillness of recent days, I've found myself caught in a curious pattern—my mind habitually racing forward while the present moment slips through my fingers unnoticed. The irony doesn't escape me. Where once I remained tethered to memories and past regrets, I've now swung to the opposite extreme, fixating on uncertain futures and hypothetical tomorrows.
Confessions of a Hypochondriac
One morning during my university years, I awoke with a numbness in my right arm and became convinced I had necrotising fasciitis, despite not having so much as a scratch on my skin. Death, I calculated, would claim me within the half hour. Panicked, I rushed to the university health centre where my GP listened to my breathless fears before calmly pronouncing, “Go home, Roséline, you just slept on it funny.”
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Wishing you all the best and a very speedy recovery 🙏🙏. Love your posts you are so talented in every way, ❤️❤️
Oh no, Roseline. 💌 So sorry to hear this. Wishing you healing and rest, and that you’re back to yourself very soon. Even your hospital reflections are beautifully written, a true testament to your talent.❤️