Tea is one of those simple pleasures in life. Strangely enough, recently I even had some design researchers follow me for four hours to talk tea and observe my habits. In talking to them, I realized that tea is one of the ways I travel. I never drank my tea with milk and sugar until I went to India, mint tea in small patterned cylindrical glasses always makes me think of Morocco, and a good jasmine takes me back to Asia. So I was super excited when Leela Cyd invited me to participate in her latest project: Tea Cup Tea. The website feels like a giant, yet intimate conversation over a warm cup of tea, and on top of it she shares some great simple recipes that act as the perfect accompaniment for a tea party with friends (once I have a new apartment, I’m totally throwing one!), along with introducing some wonderful creative friends. You can read Leela’s feature with me here. I loved how she described me as “a bit undefinable, and I mean that in the best possible way” – funny, but so true! I also love the picture she included in the post (also above) she shot when we had tea at Merci in Paris a few months back. I so wish I lived there!

I also love to drink tea as a way to chill out and unwind. It’s also the perfect accompaniment for a good magazine – like the new September issue of Dwell. As an added bonus I happen to have an article inside! Back in April I interviewed Karawitz Architects (en français!), the creative couple and residents of this amazing highly energy efficient “passive house” just outside Paris (see below – three sides are closed, and the south side is open to welcome natural light, as well as having the solar panels). It’s a fascinating project, and definitely was a new challenge for me in terms of a technical piece written for print rather than web (those 4 years at the architecture firm came in handy!), but always fun to see your name in print. P.S. You can read the online version here!

{Top image by Leela Cyd; magazine cover shot by my mom; bottom passive house shot by me}