In my wildest imaginings, I could not have anticipated that leaving my former home, Los Angeles, and driving across the continental US – lugging a rusted U-Haul trailer behind us – to relocate to the East Coast might just as well have been a decision to move to Mars or a planet far, far away.
My partner and I had been Angelenos for ten years – not originally, of course – we were called to Hollywood like a beacon of hope from the South and Midwest, our former childhood homes, in which we also felt a little like aliens for most of our young lives. We, as they say in many coming-of-age Hollywood films, “wanted out” of our small-town existences. So, out we got.
On the West Coast, we had both found a place in which we could grow into ourselves – a hilly, palm-tree’d, concrete soundstage to call home. It was total bliss.
Eventually change came a-knockin’, and we answered the call. Building a new home, in a new city – being a beginner again – is totally humbling. I’ve missed knowing where I live like it's the back of my hand – the secret spots, the food scene, the local dives, strolling hand-in-hand to the Hollywood Farmers' Market every Sunday.
But, I welcomed this personal sea-change with much abandon, because I knew wherever we chose to roam, we’d reinvent, rebuild a home of our choosing, yet again, and that we’d continue to grow as we jumped into the unknown.
Small caveat – we had two weeks to get to New York. Week one, we sold most of our belongings and boxed up the rest. Week two, we made the long drive. So, when we finally landed, we had few objects on which to rely. This led to many indoor, living room floor picnics and plenty of room to dance whenever the mood struck.
As we regrow our abode – we’re always on the lookout for pieces that are practical as well as those that inspire and beg us to invent. We were without a tea kettle for the longest time, opting for a large pot to boil our water, until our first winter nor'easter when it became clear that we were going to experience cold weather again and needed different routines to keep us cozy. We fell in love with this Ozu Pot from Sir/Madam. It’s just a kettle, but to us, it’s another piece to this new puzzle we’re configuring and making up as we go.