During this quarantine, what Objects of Comfort are keeping you grounded?

Adrift. A few weeks into this surreal COVID-19 time in our collective lives, and my quest for the perfect word to describe this situation is finally complete. There are myriad ways that this feeling of being adrift manifests for each of us: for me, it was neither about the human contact (or lack thereof), nor the physical drifting apart—or even the sudden, rude and complete stoppage of travel, that great escape.

I felt it most keenly in the time I didn't get to spend in a museum or gallery, or the glimpse of a beautiful piece of furniture in a store, in the tactile deprivation of a visit to a flea market to hunt down some pewter, even that moment of ‘let me wander through a bookstore to turn the pages of the latest design book.' It dawned on me that what I missed were objects—my essentials were those small and not-so-small pieces of design created by humans. All the work, love, ideas, talent, craft and skill that manifests itself into an objet, a building, a painting, an illustration, a tapestry…that was what seemed to be important in affirming that I was not adrift but anchored to these markers of my life. Packing to decamp from my apartment in Soho (a hotspot during these COVID-19 days) for the fresh air of my parents' lakeside home, I thankfully had the foresight to gather a few of my beloved objects. I didn't know how long we would be gone, but I did know one thing for certain: I needed small comforts to get me through the foreseeable future and as a designer those comforts lay in these objects.

So, what did I pack? My Olivetti ‘Valentine' typewriter in a fire engine red (a gift from my husband on my 30th birthday). It was this beauty (designed by Ettore Sottsass) that had first made me want to be a writer. Bringing it along would restore some of my old aspirations and motivation. Next up, tiny pieces of pottery made by Makepeace United—abstract whimsical shapes, utterly non-functional and utterly inspiring. In addition: a watercolour by the lovely Fiona Corsini who paints her Tuscan landscapes and local flora with such love, a moment to transport myself to a country I adore. Plus, a few design inspiration books—the standout, which always brings me joy, is Abstract City by my friend, the uber-talented Christoph Niemann. This book about New York City is the perfect reminder that this great city awaits when this is all over. And lastly, one simple, small ceramic water cup that I cannot work without. The John Derian and Astier de Villatte collaboration that was gifted to me by John. I have had it for three years and it has become a ritual to have it beside me every morning as I settle into my workday.

Odd—these talismans, these crutches big and small, that make me feel supported and stable.

As I arranged these in my new space at my parents', I thought about all my creative friends and collaborators who must surely feel the same way as I do. Whether they were spending this time in their homes in the city or their spaces in the country, they all have these comforts that perhaps, till now, did not feel like lifelines, and may have taken on a different importance in these times. I was curious as to whether their new-found essentials would be functional, practical, whimsical, odd or simply comforting.

A few calls, emails and texts to my closest friends revealed the following:

Nicholas Blechman & Luise Stauss

From my friends Nicholas Blechman (creative director of the New Yorker magazine) and his lovely wife Luise Stauss (photo director of the Atlantic magazine) who are staying put in their apartment in Brooklyn:

Nicholas: “Though I consider myself a minimalist, one object I can't live without is my Wedgwood mug designed by Eric Ravilious. Every morning, I drink coffee in it. The mug is essential to my daily routine. Though the alphabet theme is clearly for children, to me it signifies my two professional passions, typography and illustration. I love the colours, the Eric Gill–inspired lettering, and the distinctly British choice of objects to illustrate each letter (K for kettle, Q for quince). This mug also has historical meaning: Ravilious died in 1942 at the age of 39 while flying a rescue mission with the Royal Air Force in Iceland.”

Luise: “This butter-yellow fountain pen is a sunny version of the same variety of pen I (and every first grader in Germany) learnt to scribble my first ABCs with. Designed in 1930 in Heidelberg by a Bauhaus follower, it is durable, beautiful and functional—fine engineering for the pleasure of writing. A gift from Nicholas, it smiles at me many times a day.”

Christoph Niemann

From my friend, the illustrator and storyteller extraordinaire, who is hunkering down with his three boys and wife in his stunning home in Berlin: “I'm not into pretty design objects—not because I don't like them, but I have found that I have a tendency to break or lose them. [These are the] three man-made objects that I couldn't be without at this moment, and most other moments.”

“An old red armchair my wife got from a friend years ago. We reupholstered it, and it is my favourite place to sit at all hours of the day: a coffee first thing in the morning when everybody else is still sleeping, or a good book at night (which I tend to put away after a few minutes to get out my phone and read the terrible news on Twitter).”

“My Nike running shoes. Over the years, I just burnt through a pair a year, not [caring] much about the brand or model. These are the first ones that really feel noticeably better. I like them so much that I might actually put them in the washing machine, which—looking at the photo I just sent—I really should.”

“The Jura coffee maker—I've had all sorts of coffee makers over the years. This is the one for me. One button, and ta-dah: the coffee is very nice and very hot. The cleaning mechanism works very well; after four years, the coffee doesn't taste bitter—which is all I care about. I like it so much that I actually bought two (one for home and one for the studio). Simple, functional and exactly what I need.”

John Derian & Stephen Johnson

From the insanely talented and stylish couple John Derian (owner and creative head of the amazing John Derian Company stores) and Stephen Johnson (photographer for WSJ. Magazine, Architectural Digest, T Magazine and every other tasteful publication) who are sitting in their seaside home in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

John: “My watercolour set—which is used daily—and paper in various sizes.”

Stephen: “I am finding the rituals we've set up have made this disconcerting time more comfortable. We have breakfast every morning and then play a game of anagrams or canasta. John jokes he is making me play but I really love it and it is something nice to look forward to every day. Here's a picture he took of the tiles.”

Lubna Chowdhary & Nick Higgins

From London, where ceramicist Lubna Chowdhary and her husband, painter Nick Higgins are staying put in their home, spending time in their garden and Lubna's pottery shed at the bottom of the garden:

Lubna: “The thing I'm feeling quite sentimental about currently, which we are using daily and which is proving extremely practical is my mum's tava—a small griddle used for making chapatis. It's a long treasured object but we don't often have time to put it to much use as we're normally cooking and eating at great speed.

“During lockdown, as everything has slowed, we've found ourselves enjoying our leisurely pace of cooking and eating and using the tava for toasting bread, or seeds and nuts for salads, and our son Roshan has been making some of his delicious flatbreads on it. It currently has a permanent place on the stovetop. It's a pleasure to use, aesthetically beautiful and ergonomically perfect. I keep meaning to have a hook put up in the kitchen so we can have it on permanent display, but I haven't got around to it yet.

“My mother gifted it to me 18 years ago when I moved into my first home with Nick, and before that, her mother had given it to her as part of her wedding trousseau 64 years ago. It has travelled three continents. It's strange to think I'm cooking with something that's older than I am. Some time ago, the original wooden handle crumbled and fell away, and a thoughtful friend kindly replaced the handle when I told her of the object's long history in the family. I can remember my mother cooking chapatis on it daily when I was a child. As her own family grew to include grandchildren, she bought herself a new, larger tava and eventually passed this smaller version on to me with my micro family. I'm looking forward to passing it on to Roshan some day.”

Nick: “My craftwork has become very dear to me. I have gone into a darning frenzy. I need the repetitive thing to keep my hands busy while we binge-watch TV. I have an old favourite jumper, and if we are isolated for much longer I will have effectively darned a whole new jumper into the old one. I always want to have some needlework with me. As artists, we are surrounded by so many things we have made or collected. I think it is the things that we have made that I am most satisfied to see around me."

Michael Paterson

Back in NYC, Michael Paterson, creative director at Ogilvy, is working remotely from his beautifully appointed flat in Chelsea.

1. “I tend to dress for work even though I'm mostly zooming all day. But my one concession to home comfort is my pair of Muji slippers. So light and cosy and nobody sees my feet.”

2. “The irony of my David Shrigley mug is not lost on me—kind of perfect.”

3. “If I can't go out to all my favourite galleries, my art wall lets me dream, and provides inspiration every day.”

4. “My white leather Leuchtturm1917 notebook is perfect for jotting down all the bad ideas I have.”

5. “My Byredo Parfum d'Intérieur transports me to a fragrant garden.”

Julia Leach

Shifting focus across the country to the West Coast, I call my friend Julia Leach—former creative director of Kate Spade and Chance, and now of her new company Sublime—who lives in LA but is spending these lockdown days in a friend's home in Palm Springs.

“I packed for a one-week getaway in Palm Springs at the beginning of the ‘safer at home' restrictions in California and wound up staying for six. These are the things I brought with me, intuitively knowing that I'd want my most cherished creature comforts by my side while away from home. They have each been so appreciated for the past 42-plus days.”

1. “The Bang & Olufsen ‘BeoPlay A1' portable speaker—because music is central to my life. I'm constantly making playlists, cross-referencing musicians and genres, exploring new sounds and finding refuge in sonic landscapes, whether melodic or avant-garde.”

2. “Books by James Salter, including A Sport and a Pastime amongst others, and books about nature, in­cluding The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, because language that is either sim­ple and evocative or that teaches me about the nuances of the world around us always inspire me.”

3. “Vintage cut-off Levi's I've had since college because I feel at home in them, and can wear them with everything from a bikini top to a men's button-down shirt to a cash­mere sweater to a Chance striped tank top from my archive. They've travelled everywhere with me.”

4. “A scarf featuring the artwork of my dear friend Elliott Puckette, because it's an important keepsake, and it reminds me of the grounding that our most cherished relation­ships offer. I can also use it to tie back my hair or use in lieu of a mask, if need be.”

5. “A tiny wooden Swedish bird about the size of a small almond, given to me by one of my closest friends, because I can tuck it in my pocket, perch it on a shelf or keep it in my bag and carry it with me, always. It's a talisman that speaks, again, to the power of friendship.”

Giles Dunn

Back again to London for a quick chat with Giles Dunn—an art director mostly making books for, with and about artists—who lives with his wife and young son near Richmond.

1. “A spurtle, a Scottish porridge stirring tool—I start my day with a huge bowl of the original superfood. It means you don't have to eat for four hours. It doubles up with a saucepan as the perfect clang maker for ‘Clap For Our Carers' (Thursdays at 7pm) in support of our amazing NHS.”

2. “My son's drawing of a space shuttle, somehow a symbol of hope that we can get out of this mess.”

3. “Fibreglass and bamboo composite surf fin normally attached to my longboard—it's here to remind me of the Endless Summer (not the present Endless Bummer not being able to get out to the waves).”

4. “Yoga block—I've been trying to keep some discipline in our smallish flat. Glo.com is a revelation, keeping me sane right now.”

5. “Wireless bone-conduction headphones by Aeropex—amazing! It means I can half tune out when I'm working; they call it open-ear design technology.”

Hugo Guinness & Elliott Puckette

Lastly, I chat with painter Hugo Guinness who has decamped to his summer home on Long Island with his wife Elliott Puckette, also an artist. The little objects he chose as his must-haves at this moment confirmed that we are drawn to handmade, human-scale comforts that somehow bring a warm constancy to our days.

1. “A swan ashtray done by a child—I love children's clay work. This is beautifully modelled.”

2. “A sunlounger, after a 1920s' design from Houghton Hall, Norfolk—very light, with wheels. Wheels are always good.

3. “Little lead toys I have collected after my mother threw all my toys away without asking.”

Looking into the lives of my friends during this time, and getting to know them better through their chosen treasures was one of the highlights of these last few weeks. Finding meaning in the everyday objects that surround us has been not only an exercise in minimalism, but a study in what it truly takes for creative people to feel content, calm and grounded.

Rymn Massand is the creative director and founder of +RYMN, a design and creative consultancy whose clients include Random House, Columbia Films, LVMH, NYTimes, Nickelodeon, The MOMA, Bloomsbury Books, Doubleday, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Paramount Pictures and HBO amongst others. In addition to design and art direction, she writes about travel and design for various publications including Vogue, CN Traveller, Architectural Digest and The New York Times. +RYMN, helps brands tell inventive stories, something that Rymn is particularly fond of doing on a daily basis.

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