Jules Newsletter

Articles

Can We Talk About Materialists and Rich People Bedding?

1 week ago | julievadnal.substack.com | Julie Vadnal

Don’t forget! Leonora Epstein of Schmatta and I are discussing East Coast vs. West Coast Design during our Substack Live on Tuesday, June 24 at 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST. Click here to add it to your calendar, and we’ll see you there!Halfway through Materialists, during a scene where Pedro Pascal, a finance guy, and Dakota Johnson, a matchmaker, wake up in his Tribeca apartment, my sister noticed something odd.
The Floor Lamp That Lit Up My Week

2 weeks ago | julievadnal.substack.com | Julie Vadnal

Don’t forget! Leonora Epstein of Schmatta and I are discussing East Coast vs. West Coast Design during our Substack Live on Tuesday, June 24 at 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST. Click here to add it to your calendar, and we’ll see you there!Matrix by Lauren Groff, which I picked up from a stoop because it was 250 pages short, and I thought it would be a quick read. (I’m behind on my yearly goal of 24 books.) BOY WAS I WRONG. It took me weeks to get through the Middle English references and nun shenanigans.
How We Designed Our NYC Wedding for Less Than $25k

3 weeks ago | julievadnal.substack.com | Julie Vadnal

When my husband, Paul, and I got engaged on Thanksgiving in 2022, we didn’t plan a single thing for a few blissful months. And I’m glad, because the minute I sent my first exploratory email to a potential vendor, I realized something that Big Weddings wants you to believe (but obviously isn’t true): You can only design the wedding of your dreams if you’re willing to pay big bucks for it.
What kind of luxury fridge are you?

4 weeks ago | julievadnal.substack.com | Julie Vadnal

A latke slider (not a typo) at Pancakes, a popup at S&P Lunch that ends this weekend, so this is your chance! (Get in line around 6:30 p.m; it opens at 7.) Also order the Fines [Herb] Gibson, which your server will pour from a syrup dispenser, then also get a round of olive and cream cheese sandwiches for the table. Finish the whole experience with a Lowly Linguanatto, their mascarpone-topped version of an espresso martini.
How I make dinner at home feel like a restaurant.

1 month ago | julievadnal.substack.com | Julie Vadnal

At Binx, a new wine bar in the West Village that has a disco ball, a ton of orange wines, ceramic wall creatures, and something I’ve been noticing a lot lately: Sabre Bistrot flatware. It used to be rare to spot the French forks at a restaurant, but lately I’ve clocked the cutlery at Pitt’s in Red Hook, F&F Pizzeria in Carroll Gardens, and even at Cafe Mamo in Grand Rapids, MI.
Ah, ahh, ahhhchooo-Jules!

1 month ago | julievadnal.substack.com | Julie Vadnal

On tissues because it’s allergy szn and I’m doing a pack (of tissues) a day at this point. In fact, I can’t ever be more than three feet from the good stuff (aka Kleenex Soothing Lotion, second only to the discontinued Kleenex Cool Touch, #iykyk). But most importantly: How has there never been an actually good tissue box design? Why doesn’t Kleenex collab with artists? In the meantime, I’m hiding my sad boxes behind one of these:Dusen Dusen Everybody Tissue Box Holder.
Setting a table the non-blah way

1 month ago | julievadnal.substack.com | Julie Vadnal

The Keith Haring Journals. Normally I find diaries a little boring—ok, ok, you did this, then this, then this, I get it—but Haring’s sharp observations make you want to take pictures of the pages, which I did frequently. One of my favorite passages was about how people don’t mind change as long as it’s unnatural. He writes that people around him seem to think:Change is acceptable as long as it is controllable. Change can be predicted. Changes can be contrived and/or altered and/or planned.
I can't believe it's not butter! (It's paint.)

1 month ago | julievadnal.substack.com | Julie Vadnal

Crush by Ada Calhoun, a new book that has so much voice that I honestly questioned if it was non-fiction at one point. Nope, it’s definitely a novel.
The salad I made twice-twice!-this week.

1 month ago | julievadnal.substack.com | Julie Vadnal

“Amy Sherald: American Sublime” at the Whitney Museum, which is a collection of portraits of everyday Black Americans, plus the portrait of an iconic name you may have heard of, as in, Michelle Obama. (Yes, you will have to wait for someone to finish having their picture taken in front of it before you can get a closer look. It’s worth it.) My always-correct friend Leigh suggested I watch the short film there, and it truly helps put every piece into context.
Oh, Jules!

1 month ago | julievadnal.substack.com | Julie Vadnal

It’s official. Jules is back. The OGs here will remember that I started Jules in 2018 when I was freelance and—if you’ve ever really wondered about the origin story—I was writing for an editor whose notes didn’t love. (This iconic Hairpin piece helps paint the picture.) I wanted to write about what I wanted to write about, when I wanted to write about it. Plus, friends were always asking me about the things I was doing, seeing, and buying. So, Jules was born.