The Sunday Digest 148
"Right outside this lazy summer home, you ain't got time to call your soul a critic, no."
Welcome to The Sunday Digest — a free Sunday newsletter featuring long (and some short) reads, original columns, things I’ve saved over the last week, relaxing playlists, episodes releases, exclusive product drops, and more. Yes, you can reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you.
Sunday Read › The Most Inspiring Onscreen Summer Houses
by Laura May Todd for T Magazine
It was a sleepy day in August on Lake Como when we floated up to a house that looked familiar. It was not like the other villas around the lake — it was smaller, more quaint, and felt more like a Nancy Meyers movie than it did a foreign film. After staring at it for a few seconds, I said, “Wait.”
“Yeah, isn’t this the one from Mr. & Mrs. Smith?” my wife responded.
And it was. Called The Writer’s Nest, it’s become something I fawn over monthly. Featured in the fifth episode of the Prime series, it’s now become some sort of pipe dream that I simply cannot get out of my head. But as a I think more and more about the series itself, I begin to realize that many of the locations used are ones I think about fondly. After all, the location and setting add so much to a film that it’s difficult to quantify.
Here’s what this week’s Sunday Read says about another favorite of mine, The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) —
I love everything about the house where the characters Marge and Dickie live: the view, the stone walls, the arches in the living room, the ironwork on the windows. My favorite scene is when they’re sitting in this little courtyard and Gwyneth Paltrow comes out with this silver tray — she seems so excited. The walls are covered in incredible foliage that climbs up the side of the building, and you can tell it’s grown over years and years. I pictured myself being there, having my English breakfast tea, reading a book and really exhaling. The story, being a thriller, is very intense, but the backdrop and the scenery are so inviting and beautiful. When you travel to Italy or France and see these villas, or stay in one, it’s such a lesson in detail and how to embrace things like the aging of stonework. I try to incorporate that into my design work — living with beautiful things but not being precious.
Read in full here.
The Sunday Haiku
Rain on the window
always reminds me of
New Episode › Retail Therapy 126: Tennis Courts in Venice
Barrett did some pilates influencing during the week, a look at a ton of standout fashion moments (and caviar) from The U.S. Open, Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac took over The Venice Film Festival, Kith Ivy and the subsequent Erewhon opening in NYC, Jeffrey Epstein’s quarter-zip, wishlist items, and more.
Listen to Retail Therapy on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and anywhere else podcasts are found. You can also follow Retail Therapy on Substack.
Things I Saved This Week
My Sunday To-Do List
I may stop by the new location of Waterloo Records in Austin.
The forecast is rainy and somewhat cooler than it’s been lately, so it may be time to make a recipe that fits the weather.
I have two pieces of art in my den that aren’t hung on the wall yet because they need some framing help. While I doubt I’ll get to it today, this is a placeholder for future Sundays.
I worked at the desk in my den all week, and I kept staring at the same David Hockney book that I have yet to completely flip through. It’s time.
Lions vs. Packers.
And, of course, water the garden.
Have a delightful Sunday,
Will
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