02: real adult desks, orange armchairs and disco balls w/ annie narrigan
annie narrigan is one of my favorite humans I've come into contact with. lucky for you (and me) she agreed to share her space with us!
this week we are all very lucky to have annie narrigan sharing her space and her obsessions with us! we met while working for the same company in 2019 and if it wasn’t for a mutual friend (shoutout jordan!) I wouldn’t have had the guts (shoutout anxiety!) to straight-up go up to her as if we were already friends. through the years I became a fan of her sense of self, the use of color in her artwork, and of course… the outfits. she’s one of my favorite humans in new york and I’m sure she’ll become your favorite too!
name: Annie Narrigan
occupation: I work remotely in customer service for a jewelry company based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
homebase: Bushwick, NY
years living in the space: 4
describe your space: I used to work in an art museum, so I love having prints and framed things to look at. I also like grouping together objects with similar colors and complimentary silhouettes or pairing something practical with something purely aesthetic, like a poodle sculpture on top of a storage cabinet or an egg-shaped dish to hold my keys.
what's your favorite part? The part of my bedroom with my orange armchair has become a very cozy corner. I spend a lot of time there working, playing video games, and talking to friends. It's well-loved and surrounded by objects that are important to me (A tea towel my sister gave me, a display shelf with some of my most prized artist books, and my cozy checkerboard flannel when I need an extra layer).
what's one thing you'd recommend everyone should buy or find secondhand?
1. A disco ball. I recommend placing it near a window where lots of sun comes in. Every time I come into our kitchen and see the light reflecting off ours it makes me smile. Plus, every meal now feels like a party!
2. Chili crisp! Not only is it the perfect topper for the noodles I mentioned, it is a wonderful finish to eggs, pizza, toast, potatoes...so far everything I've put this stuff on vastly improves whatever I'm eating. There are lots of different varieties and you can even make your own, but I'm partial to the S&B La Yu Chili Oil with Fried Garlic - it's got a great texture with slices of crispy garlic mixed in with the oil, and it's not too spicy.
one person you’re obsessed with: Tierra Whack. I've been listening to her three latest EPs (Rap? R&B? and Pop?) for the last month or so. She is funky, absurd, and hilarious. And deeply talented. AND stylish. Plus her videos on Tiktok are hilarious. The visual album Whack World is a great introduction to her entire persona.
one thing you love doing or have been meaning to do: On a day off, I like to wander around some of my favorite shops in Downtown Brooklyn. Yesterday's News for antiques and vintage home goods, Almost Ready Records for new and old vinyl, and Brooklyn General for craft supplies and gifts. By then, I'll have worked up an appetite and grab a sandwich from Court Street Grocers. One time I did this and saw the iconic Green Lady on the street and my heart stopped from pure joy.
Also, I have a studio space in Bushwick where I make small paper collages and more recently, large-ish papier maché sculptures. I started doing it to use up scrap cardboard and newsprint I had laying around. I love that I get to recycle materials and since papier maché has only three ingredients (flour, water, and glue), it's a pretty easy and accessible form of art-making! My favorite thing I've made so far is a salty pretzel. Get your hands dirty and try making something out of paper!
one place (or thing) to eat: Recently I've become obsessed with jazzing up instant noodles. I'm wild about the Myojo instant udon, but any instant ramen is a great base for this. While the water boils, I'll steam some bok choy and chop up some scallions and kimchi (maybe controversial, but it flavors the broth in a really nice way). Then I add the ramen and follow the instructions on the package. If I really have it together, I'll have soft boiled a couple of eggs the night before. Once I add the bok choy, kimchi and some of the scallions to the bowl, I'll pour the noodles and broth in, nestle in the eggs and top with the remaining scallions. Soooo slurpy, tasty, and comforting for lunch on a cold day.
one thing on your wishlist: A real, adult desk. I don't quite have the space for one in my current room, but my WFH setup doesn't have nearly the same amount of thought I've put into the rest of our home. I'd love to find a vintage mid-century one or something that rests against a wall with shelves above the surface.
one piece of advice you'd like to share: As long as it's not at anyone else's expense, do at least one thing every day that brings you comfort.
thanks for stopping by annie! 🤠 my search for a disco ball has officially begun. find annie on the internet: instagram | artwork
and now, for my obsessions of the last two weeks. we’ll start calling this section común knowledge from now on cause why not?
to follow
does your heart skip a beat at the sight of beautiful ceramics like me? then @laurachautin will stop you in your tracks with each insta upload. it’s delicate but not too precious. it’s full of texture but not distracting. maybe one fine day we can all own a piece and do an IRL (covid safe) potluck with our cute ceramics that make us feel good.
to buy
the tiktok girlies have spoken. I don’t know how I ended up on body wash tik tok. but, I am so glad I did! my favorite body wash of all time is glossier’s body hero. but, it upsets me to my core that it’s such a tiny bit of product for the price. yes, it smells like angels in heaven are singing my name every time I slather that ish on. but, when the budget isn’t heaven-worthy, I am now a believer of the very hyped method simply nourish body wash. cheap and ginormous for the price. my fav!
to visit
every morning I wake up and type 5 min meditations on the youtube search bar. it’s the cheapest way to get some mindfulness on without relying on an extra app on your phone. I guess, this isn’t really a real reccomendation of a place to visit. but rather a way to start the day from a place of self love and gratitude. (see what I did there?) there are too many things going on that we can’t control and daily meditations are like morning self-gifts. highly recommend!
to read
as a consumer of social media, regardless of the amount of intricate timers I have set for each app, I struggle with the time my eyeballs are subjected to frivolous content. the irony of spending hours on the internet trying to find ways to spend less time on the internet is not lost on me. especially as I try to simmultaneously convince you this newsletter is v important? but, hear me out, what if the time we spend online is better than its counterpart, the strategically and perfectly curated… digital detox? not the kind where you put your phone on airplane mode all day to knit a sweater. the kind where you pay someone to tell you what to do while sipping unnamed herbs in a remote overpriced location. there’s “a whole cottage industry to help people “digitally detox,” and it’s being led in part by the big tech companies responsible for — and that benefit from — our reliance on tech in the first place.” if you’re into the hamster wheel that is “time well spent” read more about it here.