I have a curated coffee table now. That’s right, I said it.
Alright, I am obsessed with this company. Obsessed, I say! Interior Wanderer, if you’ve never heard of it – and you likely haven’t, as it’s brand-new – offers kits of curated products sourced from all over the world and designed in collaboration with incredible local artisans, and then tailored to various spaces in your home. The goal: To elevate a given space (entryway, living room, kitchen, bedroom, what have you) as if you’d hired an interior decorator without…you know, hiring an interior decorator.
So look. I am a person who believes in surrounding yourself with things that you love, and things that have meaning. I’ve been writing about this ethos very literally since Day One. So – full disclosure – it was with a light degree of skepticism that I agreed to test-run Interior Wanderer’s Living Room Global Retreat Kit, on the recommendation of a friend who thought I might be interested in writing about the company. Basically, I thought it’d feel weird decorating with stylized objects that someone else had picked out for me.
But then the kit arrived, and…oh. So this is why people hire interior decorators.
Oooooh, my kit.
My living room went from being cute, but certainly not “styled” to any meaningful extent, to having that finished look that I’ve always enjoyed at other people’s homes – but thought was beyond my skill set to generate. I simply don’t have the time or desire to scout for products that will create perfect balance on a coffee table.
But do I enjoy having those products? And gazing upon said perfect balance?
Oh, I do.
Before…and after.
And it’s not like you can’t pull in your own items – you’re supposed to mix and match and play around to see how to make the space feel uniquely you.
Also – and I know, I’m going on and on, but I had so much fun with this one – the whole delivery-and-setup process is adorable. The pieces come with little cards telling you how to set them up and offering all sorts of styling tips, and while informational cards tend to be things I ignore completely, I thought these were irresistible, and ended up using many of the ideas in them.
I am aware that this couch is in a sad, sad state. That’s something we’re dealing with on another day. For now, I am covering it up with all the spectacular pillows.)
Is Interior Wanderer for everyone? Nope; you have to like the specific look of each limited-edition kit, because you can’t pick and choose the individual products. The curation changes with each season, though, so if you don’t like what’s on tap now, you can just wait a couple of months. It’s also not cheap, but when you take stock of the number of products (significant) and the quality (objectively high) that come in each kit, and the ease with which your space gets a gorgeous little polish, it feels like one of those indulgences that keeps on giving.
Tl;dr, my neighbor came over after I’d finished styling my living room with my new products and literally gasped. “You have two children! How does your place look like this?!”
And all of a sudden, I felt it: I was That Person. The one who owns coffee-table trays filled with river rocks and accented just-so with the most delicate of air plants. Oh yes, I was.
I have, in other words, completed my transformation into a sort of beta model Gwyneth Paltrow. And I can’t lie; it’s not not-fun.
