studio rien: january survival guide (and valentine's day orders!)
keeping it bright and big on the confetti in a dark month
Hello my kittens and welcome to the new year,
Taking a walk with my child last week, I asked whether he’d prefer to go straight or turn onto the next block. Ever the city dweller, he inquired whether a certain street still featured a dead rat in the middle of the sidewalk. I answered, truthfully, that I didn’t think so… but to be fair, there really could be one on any block in New York. “Dead rat city,” he said matter-of-factly.
Dead rat city, indeed.
New York in January is its own beast. More or less bereft of tourists, wisely staying away until the thaw, the rest of us muddle through, bemoaning the cold (or lack thereof), complaining about the soon-to-be towering garbage towers, the relentless grey, the return to work after a season of sparkle.
And yet — if we are honest, the slog is part of the cycle, a time we pass each year with its own rhythms and perhaps a grim pride. If you are lucky, there are glimmers of cold joy… stumbling into a candlelit restaurant on a Friday with a frozen nose, a Chinatown lunch of wonton soup with puffer coats piled on chairs all around. Glasses of red wine, the windows dark. A lot of blankets, a perpetual beanie.
The flower market, too, continues on. We wait, impatiently, for February and March and the days when fritallaria will return. But in the meantime: we rediscover the joys of Japanese sweet pea, the coy face of the anemone, maybe even the simple tulip.
And so, I hope these first days of the year have been good to you. But if you, too, find yourself in dead rat city, I hope you remember the city is ours, as ever. And if you keep trudging through the slush, around the corner a mocha (and maybe spring) lies.
valentine’s day is next month!
Too soon? Maybe. But I am a mostly one-woman show with limited capacity and that is a Big Day. So if you have a honey in your life—or really anyone who could use a little extra love this winter (*see above)—go ahead and send your Valentine’s Day order in now to guarantee a delivery slot. Consider this the pre-pre-order window. Orders via the usual site, here.
now booking 2024 events, woo
And spring and fall dates are in demand! If you are looking to book an event — say that wedding or big birthday bash — now is a great time to reach out!
photo c/o 98 Wedding Co
around the studio
do you feel like a cathartic cry? If not, maybe don’t read this piece? But if you do: The Atlantic keeps targeting me with weirdly poignant pieces about motherhood and this one got me. Nora Ephron! The friendship, the advice, the chicken salad! // or maybe a simple pleasure instead? The child requested a “cookie with lots of sprinkles” for Santa Claus and I went to the obvious source of all nostalgic treats, Ms. Deb Perelman. As usual, her Americana bake did not fail: these were sugary as can be, but also vanilla-y and almond-y, satisfyingly chewy, heavy on the confetti joy. // also good for buying you five minutes: New Year’s was a ~ chill affair ~ this year, and an excellent excuse to break out this confetti balloon I had been saving for a day when we needed a little break from a feral child (…but were too tired to care if he broke a vase). // I probably shouldn’t tell you this: Since a few of you are undoubtedly going to receive a bottle from us in the coming weeks… but we are hoarding, and I mean hoarding, bottles of Super Cattivo Rosso ‘22. Mix it with mezcal, maybe throw it in some fizzy water, but most of all sip it on ice. A perfect aperitivo that tastes exactly like a bitter (lightly boozy) grapefruit, there is no better way to end a day. // with all the buzz: Hannah Goldfield’s poetic ode to passionfruit took me back to my own first experiences with maracuja while also studying abroad in Brazil decades ago. This is my annual reminder that as a result, I, too, am on the Rincon Tropics train, and swear the best way to get through winter is with a delivery box stuffed with an improbable number of fruits. // flowers, they’re just like us!: And your flower tip du jour: have some buds whose petals you’d really like to open up? Stick them in the sun! Natural light generally helps flowers come to life (as does warmth, though like people, blaring heaters are not so great for them).
from my boots to yours xo, freyan
photo c/o Rachel Rodgers
ps, did someone send you this little note?