Horstman is a journey through art, design, and culture, meeting the people whose work, homes, and habits shape the world.

Items of Note

I first visited the chic, Soho French bistro La Mercerie around the Spring of 2018, about six months after it opened. I was only aware of it because I was obsessed with the restaurants creators Roman & Williams, after buying their book Things We Made. Roman & Williams is made up of Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer (and obviously, a larger team of very talented people), who in 2002 opened as a “multidisciplinary architecture and design studio focused on creating buildings and interiors rooted in a modern paradigm of craftsmanship and history.” They were on a tear at the time, having completed the Ace Hotel New York in 2009, High Line Hotel in Chelsea in 2013, and restaurant Le Coucou in 2016, amongst other notable projects. For me, they symbolize everything that was, and still is, possible in interior design, crafting spaces and worlds that make time stop.

This is partly due to their past lives working in the film industry. You may have heard of a little film called Zoolander, where they were central members for the art department, working as production designers and art directors, who literally shaped the world you see on film. About the experience, Stephen describes it quite simply. “I think we always think of the camera—your eye, the first reveal. You know, you have to have that impact whether you walk into a house, you walk into a restaurant, you walk into a hotel; that first powerful impact establishing shot.”

I think this kind of polymath, do-it all approach to creative is why they’ve been so successful in their endeavors, both for others and in their personal projects. They have a dearth of knowledge and a seemingly bottomless well of creative drive that allows them to conjure whatever they dream of. Everything in their worlds has a true tactility, you can walk into their spaces and they want you to get cozy, and forget the time passing. They want to build spaces that age and become lived-in.

The next chapter of their story unfolds with two exciting openings. Housed in Marcel Breuer’s 1966 Brutalist landmark at 945 Madison Avenue, the former Whitney Museum building on the Upper East Side, Sotheby’s is turning the art world icon into a hybrid of gallery and salon. Inside, Roman & Williams are opening Marcel, a warm, 1960s inspired French restaurant on the building’s lower level, and La Mercerie Patisserie, a Viennese and Parisian‑inspired café and bakery tucked within the restaurant, overlooking the Breuer’s sculptural concrete courtyard. Both open soon, Thursday, April 16 to be exact, so if you’re in New York, please pay a visit and let me know what you think. I will most certainly be stopping by during my trip to NY in August.

Over the past year I’ve been following the rise of Pane, a Chinese sneaker brand created by designer Chen Ning in 2022. The brands rise in popularity was built by focusing on stylish, low-profile trainers (GAT or German Army Trainer, if you’re like me and didn’t know the lingo), specifically gaining a ton of traction for their Light Training Nogi model. Ning based the brand around three design pillars: timelessness, motion, authenticity, wanting to create pieces that work for your everyday life. In an interview with Hypebeast, she mentioned how “modern consumers prioritize authenticity and enduring design over ephemeral trends,” which I is where we’re going to continue seeing smaller brands succeed, versus the Zara churn-and-burn model.

A couple of weeks ago they released the Aria, which looks as though Thom Browne designed an athletic trainer with the proportions and visual language of a ballet slipper. It’s one of the most inventive shoes I’ve ever seen. It’s an odd combination of things that shouldn’t work, but sometimes pushing things to a certain point takes them from bad all the way back around to amazing. It also must be noted that their photography and marketing is flawless, which is critical to stand out these days in a sea of same same social tactics, really focusing on lifestyle and how you can imagine yourself in a pair.

London-based architect Je Ahn has a history of creating work focused on how people live together and use shared spaces, much of which he has made through his practice, Studio Weave. I only recently came across his work from a fantastic project he created on the Isle of Wight, taking a concrete barn from the 1970s and transforming it into a retreat with an emphasis on friends spending time together, rather than people looking to hunker down away from the world.

Ahn had been sailing to Cowes on the Isle of Wight for many years, and had spotted the old agricultural barn, seeing the potential in the space. He spent two and a half years to create a space that feels tactile and open, allowing all the surrounding farmlands to bring a pastoral sense to the environment. I’m not usually one for more minimal spaces though what appeals to me about this home is the unusual shapes and layouts that were informed by the previous structure.

I highly recommend watching the short film about the house which is beautifully shot by Divided by One. I appreciate that it highlights how you would live there, all gray and windy weather, and even how preparing a meal might feel.

For me personally, OlssønBarbieri is the most exciting creative studio doing work in the food, wine, and spirits space. Their approach is always playful and “out there” compared to a lot of the safe and mundane options businesses tend to err toward. They continue their reign with their work for Treblasé, rediscovering and reinterpreting a family’s heritage by relaunching their Genzianella recipe, an aperitif that was in need of a modern touch.

They worked closely with the owners, Simonetta and Luca of the Bosso family in Torino, and in going through their family photos, they found one from their trattoria that looked just like a painting by Fortunato Depero. It ended up being the key to the project, providing inspiration from the dynamism that the Futurism art movement represents.

It’s impossible to not love the energy they’ve captured with this identity. The black and white arrow shaped label let’s the liqueur really shine and I love how the letters seem to be dancing together. The touches of blue (the color is inspired by the Genzianella, a deep blue alpine wildflower) and the little yellow label, which seems to caution you, saying, “prepare for a good time!” I implore you to check out the case study they put together because the added layer of movement makes this all the more fun.

I came across this fascinating book, Bush Modern, that highlights 23 homes built in the bushy, semi‑rural suburbs on the north eastern edge of Melbourne, in areas where the city starts to thin out and meet the surrounding bushland. It reveals a little discussed chapter in Australian architecture where necessity and imagination shaped a movement. I didn’t realize until I saw this book that, for me, these are my dream homes.

The use of natural materials is particularly noteworthy, especially the various ways that woods are used throughout. Also interesting is how the homes are situated in the bush, almost nestled, like they are truly one with nature. Be sure to check out their Instagram to get a better sense of how special these homes are.

Calling back to what I wrote back in February, we’re continuing to see a push in editorial creative that wants (needs?) to prove there was no AI involvement. The cover of Paper Magazine this month featured the always amazing Ayo Edebri shot by Slovenian photographer Jaša Müller. His style is referential to Andy Warhol in many ways, though I see a bit of comic book artist Bill Sienkiewicz, a pop art melange of photography and paints that feels very now. I love the color palette he uses, a soft mix of pastels with a primary use of warm tones and a strong use of black to give everything a beautiful contrast. It goes to show that real luxury is being defined by those with true talents, not a cluster of code counterfeiting the creativity of others.

Final Thought

“Be realistic: plan for a miracle.”

— Osho 

Horstman is a journey through art, design, and culture, meeting the people whose work, homes, and habits shape the world.

Today is the first day of spring, and to mark the new season, I’ve put together a playlist of songs to soundtrack the shift. I am anxiously awaiting the weather to get warmer (summer can’t come soon enough) so in the meantime, this playlist is a collection of songs that embody that feeling of transition, from the colder, snowier months into days of sunlight shining through trees with fresh buds and blossoms.

On a personal note, today also marks what would have been my Grandma’s 101st birthday, so it’s named “Nadine” in honor of her and her memory. She taught me the value of cooking and baking and creating special occasions for those you love. Each Easter she would prepare us a feast, setting out spreads with olives and dips and crackers to hold us over until we enjoyed a feast of honeyed ham with mashed potatoes, and occasionally, rolls left in the oven too long, forgotten in the swirl of hosting.

The playlist plucks new tracks from folks like Mitski, Sampha, and Harry Styles, to old classics from Otis Redding, Fleetwood Mac, and Madonna. There’s a rhythm to the mix that oscillates between instrumental and lyrical, with most of the energy in the third act and a cooling down point toward the end. If you happen to listen on Apple Music I recommend turning on the AutoMix feature as it blends each track together quite nicely, but otherwise, put the playlist on and get lost in the music.

If you enjoy the playlist, please share this email or the playlist itself with others as it helps me grow Horstman further. If you’re ever interested in creating a playlist for an occasion, shoot me an email!

1. Sam Prekop – "Above Our Heads"

2. Sampha – "Cumulus / Memory"

3. Elori Saxl & Henry Solomon – "Dream"

4. N Kramer & Magnus Bang Olsen – "Pastoral Blend"

5. Rei Harakami – "Owari No Kisetsu"

6. Tourist – "Affection"

7. Fabiano do Nascimento & E Ruscha V – "Solar"

8. Harry Styles – "The Waiting Game"

9. Okonski – "Dahlia"

10. Smerz – "Easy"

11. dip in the pool – "On Retinae (East Version)"

12. Madonna – "Bedtime Story"

13. Greta Morgan – "Love Is Not a Mystery to Me Anymore"

14. Fleetwood Mac – "Honey Hi"

15. Mitski – "Charon's Obol"

16. Otis Redding – "Champagne And Wine"

17. Cantoma – "Tabarin"

18. Taken By Trees – "My Boys"

19. Balam Acab – "See Birds (Sun)"

20. berlioz – "free fall"

21. Tyler, The Creator – "BEST INTEREST"

22. Belle and Sebastian – "I'm a Cuckoo (The Avalanches Remix new fade)"

23. Sam Gendel – "Eternal Loop"

24. Christopher Bear & Daniel Rossen – "Why Are You Going to New York"

25. Ancient Infinity Orchestra – "At Yoshino Mountain"

26. The Thinking Of The World Began Pounding In Our Ears The Moment We Hit Shore – "World Loop (feat. Cal Fish, Don Lyons & Roisin Berkeley)"

27. Duval Timothy – "Thunder (feat. FAUZIA)"

28. Oklou & Malibu – "choke enough (Malibu’s ambient city mix)"

29. Rowena Fysx – "no signal"

30. Mk.gee – "Breakthespell"

Final Thought

“Rub that golden sun into these deep cuts.”

— From the track “Cumulus / Memory” by Sampha

Horstman is a journey through art, design, and culture, meeting the people whose work, homes, and habits shape the world.

Since my first visit to Paris over a decade ago it’s been a special place to me, one of my favorite places to stay, and every time I go back the same feeling returns. Around every corner or whatever street you take something truly remarkable waits. It makes sense then that a salon like Matter and Shape, which I visited this past weekend, would choose Paris as it’s home. Located on the grounds of Jardin des Tuileries (you could see the set of the latest Dior runway show being dissassembled) and occurring the same time as Paris Fashion Week, the salon is a microcosm of fantastic design, exploring furniture, industrial and object design, interior design, fashion and the decorative arts.

Their goal is clear and quite smart: attract people with broad cultural appetites. You might be in town for the shows, but you also care about interiors, about objects, about the spaces you return to when the runways go dark. Instead of forcing a new “moment” into an already crowded cultural calendar, Matter and Shape rides the energy of Fashion Week and creates a moment to relax. At one point on Friday I spotted Tracee Ellis Ross wandering the aisles, and then Saturday she was front row at the Celine F/W 2026 runway show. It’s a natural bridge between worlds.

I first attended Matter and Shape two years ago for it’s debut as I was fond of Dan Thawley, the artistic director of the event and a longtime fashion editor and curator, formerly of A Magazine Curated By. His Instagram stories are a trove of cultural adventures and his experience assured me that he would craft something worthwhile. This year’s salon was remarkably larger, two massive buildings rather than one, with both a café that featured a menu by Frederik Bille Brahe of Atelier September and a coffee stand helmed by Paris darlings Dreamin’ Man to keep you energized while you browsed.

My personal favorites of this year’s event were Marimekko, which came with a burst of colorful fabrics, the space a conceptual reinterpretation of their Helsinki print archive with an opportunity to engage with original fabric swatches. Challengers and Call Me by Your Name director Luca Guadagnino partnered with Lobmeyr to create a presentation like a scene in a film. Drawing on his experience with framing and atmosphere, he created a space where every detail is directed to create a specific unforgettable feeling rather than a generic showroom. Then I came across Tavares 1922, a century-old Portuguese high jewelry house from Póvoa de Varzim. They blend traditional craftsmanship with modern design to create refined, heritage-rich pieces. They showcased a collaboration with designer Omer Gilony, The Bird Edit, which transforms natural shells into surreal silver-legged “bird” sculptures. The pieces were silly and delightful and gorgeous, it’s really a winning combination for me.

Also of note was a quietly opulent cluster of sculptural furniture and everyday objects from the Manufactures nationales – Sèvres et Mobilier national that felt like a living still life of contemporary design, Frama’s material-driven universe grounding the fair in warm woods, stone, and glass unfolding into daily rituals, Byredo extending the sensorial register with an installation that blurred fragrance, art, and objecthood, Birkenstock 1774’s Funny City collaboration with Serban Ionescu who treated footwear as architecture and play in a walk-through sculpture, and, tucked inside the Matter and Shape boutique, stacks of archival boxes from Jeanne Tresvaux du Fraval that underlined the fair’s through line of tactility and memory, and how we live with the things we keep.

My personal portion of this years salon was the section reserved for olfactory exhibitors, perfumes and scents if you catch my drift, which looked at smells as a key part of experiences. Not an add-on, mind you, elevating them into the same arena as objects and furniture. Italy-based Olfactory Signals created a “salon-in-salon” moment with a focus on how smell shapes our memories and spaces, and perhaps most importantly, our everyday experiences. There was lots on display and many standouts that are worth exploring if you’re in the market.

Of the nearly twenty exhibitors, there were two that particularly stood out to me. When I first walked into the area, I noticed a blonde woman smiling at passersby standing next to a small stand with volcanic rocks and strangely formed crystals, with small silver boxes that read CAVE 0 in a thin sans serif font. I was immediately intrigued.

The woman, Emma McCormick Goodhart, is an artist who explores bodies and environments, and the scent is a collaboration with Barnabé Fillion, a perfumer known for working on concept-driven, art and design pieces, and together they’ve released the scent under the platform Ecdysis Studio. Stick with me here, this is where things get deep. CAVE 0 is conceived as an “iterative scent line,” an evolving series of compositions that return to the same cave-world over time, with each new edition adjusting the “atmosphere” rather than restarting from scratch. They also talk about a “scent climate,” which treats perfume like a shifting environment rather than a fixed accord, using spectral musk, mitti attar, mineral and ozonic notes, and smoke to evoke the threshold of a cave.

When Emma described the scent to me she spoke about “space,” and I thought she meant like outer space (she wasn’t), because that’s how interesting this scent smells. Maybe this is what outer space might smell like? (I understand space is a vacuum and thus has no scent, we are not literal here at Horstman.) To me, it smells kind of dirty and dank and musty (these are positive things, btw), slightly medicinal in ways, yet with a floral touch that brightens things, like a flower blooming in a dark, wet cave. It’s not a conventional “pretty” perfume, it’s a portable artwork.

Then I came across Roelen, a small, modern fragrance house by David Roelen that treats scent as a form of communication, a tool for personal transformation. The perfumes are inspired by Roelen’s own life and human encounters, developed through concept-driven collaborations with perfumers, and are created for people with strong personality and conviction, regardless of gender. These are some of the most unique scents I’ve ever smelled, this coming from someone who owns a vast trove of fifty to sixty scents spanning over a decade of buying.

Roelen’s collection of perfumes form a subversive wardrobe of scent. Daddy is a grown-up woody amber with a hint of provocation, smoky and intimate without ever tipping into vulgarity. Flower Boy treats florals as a unisex accessory, pairing tender petals with earthy tobacco and patchouli to quietly blur gender codes. Broken Bouquet turns the idea of a pretty floral on its head, its rose and jasmine threaded with sharp greenery and a scorched, caramel darkness. The Door, made for the doormen at Berghain to wear, completes the picture with a contemplative incense and wood accord, its smooth rubber accent giving the whole composition a subtle tension that feels contemporary.

At Matter and Shape, the fair feels less like a trade event and more like a gathering of kindred spirits. One visitor told me he usually skips fairs altogether, finding his own industry too stiff and old fashioned, yet this was the one he looked forward to. It offered a fresh audience and a sense of renewal he hadn’t felt elsewhere. Another woman said there is still nothing quite like it in Paris, and that she had gained a new client simply by socializing at the fair.

These stories capture what makes the atmosphere so distinct: a place where creativity feels shared and open. Makers, designers, and small brands come together not only to show their work but to exchange ideas and build lasting connections. It is proof that the creative world still runs on curiosity and kindness, and that the best ideas begin in the easy company of people who believe in what they make and in the value of coming together.

Items of Note

As I tend to run around cities and experience as much as I can, here are some highlights from my last trip to look out for next time you’re in town:

1. Always stop by the bookstore 0fr. in the 3rd as they have the best selection of books and magazines in the city. It can be crowded as the space is cramped but ignore everyone and get lost in the stacks.

2. Le Mary Celeste is my go-to spot for a good snack and a nice funky wine or cocktail. I got lucky this trip and snagged a table outside, then spotted both Lily-Rose Depp and Jonsi from Sigur Rós.

3. One of my favorite museums is the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, aka the Hunting & Nature Museum, which combines contemporary artists with a historical collection of artifacts, and the branding of the materials is top notch.

4. I can’t vouch for the “best” or “under the radar” croissants in Paris though I absolutely loved the selection at Moon. The staff was friendly and they had lots of delicious options to choose from.

5. A new spot I happened upon on a late Sunday night is Dirty Lemon, a queer/woman-owned bar that serves amazing cocktails, incredible Palestinian food, all with super friendly service.

6. I recommend stopping by the new-ish location of Café Nuances in the Marais to see the Crosby Studios designed interior and take in the scene that is drawn the place. It’s fun to sit back and watch.

One final note, next Friday, the first day of Spring, I’ll be releasing a new playlist on Apple Music and Spotify that embodies and distills the feeling of the season. 30 songs, 2 hours, lots to enjoy.

Final Thought

“The word "content" hits my ears like a slur.”

— @materialcritic

Horstman is a journey through art, design, and culture, meeting the people whose work, homes, and habits shape the world.

Items of Note

There is one photographer who is dominating editorial and fashion photography and their name is Szilveszter Makó, a Milan-based photographer who was born in Hungary. The shoot in particular that first got my attention was the Rama Duwaji feature in The Cut magazine. If her name sounds familiar, you may know her as the talented artist and wife of newly elected New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani. The photos were surreal and captivating, showing the artist on her own terms, not being defined by her partners pursuits.

His style is defined by these artistic vignettes he creates, placing people in boxes, putting houses on their heads, and making them part of a fantastic paper cut world where the subject poses on a stage. That stage feels built and handcrafted, like a tiny theater set where costume, cardboard, and light come together to turn a portrait into a scene, and the wrinkles in the paper or brushstrokes on a box become part of the narrative.

In a moment when so many images are frictionless and AI generated, his devotion to real materials gives the work a physical weight you can almost feel through the screen, reminding you that people built this with their hands, together, in a room.

Chylak is a Polish accessories brand founded by designer and creative director Zofia Chylak. She trained as an art historian before moving into fashion design, working in New York and then returning to Warsaw to build her label.

What makes Chylak’s bags, and really, everything she makes, so charming, is how their shapes, surfaces, and materials feel thoughtfully inventive (like the seashell inspired bag above) rather than over-the-top. Curved, softly structured silhouettes sit close to the body, but details like lace overlays, surprising pearl embellishments, and precise embroidery turn them into crafted objects instead of simple accessories. Across their range of products from shoulder bags and mini bags to shoes and small leather goods this attention to form and finish creates a cohesive visual world where each item feels like part of the same story.

In any hospitality setting, clothing shapes perception. Choosing something like a chore coat over a hoodie, or a button-up instead of a t-shirt, can subtly raise the standard of service in the eyes of a guest. And to be clear, it’s not about formality, but about creating an impression of care and confidence.

This why I love the brand work that AKOG Hotel Group did for Bonanza, a coffee shop and roaster in Berlin. They expanded Bonanza’s identity beyond typical logos and surface branding by treating every aspect as part of the art direction, from bespoke barista uniforms in refined workwear silhouettes to towels and tote bags, all of which mirror the cafe’s interior aesthetic, turning staff into moving extensions of the space.

In fact, Arket Café just recently released a similar capsule collection of everyday wear and accessories that feels quite similar in approach. Contemporary hospitality branding now lives as much in the tactile world as it does in traditional visual identity.

The UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 will bring leading architects, researchers, and cultural figures to Barcelona under the theme “Becoming. Architectures for a planet in transition,” to explore how architecture can respond to material, political, ecological, and cultural challenges while working with what already exists.

It’s exciting to see architects like Atelier Bow-Wow and Anne Holtrop coming to Barcelona because the city urgently needs a bold new vision for how it creates affordable housing solutions.

Fortnum & Mason’s latest Bars of Chocolate collection turns confectionery into a listening experience, with each of the sixteen flavors paired to a piano composition that mirrors the rhythm and emotion of a single bite. The concept treats taste like a small scale performance, playing on the double meaning of “bars” and a nod to the piano at the heart of its Piccadilly tea salon.

Developed by design studio Otherway, they utilized colors and illustrations to do a lot of heavy lifting in making the bars feel unique. Bold, painterly scores by Victoria Semykina wraps each bar in a world that signals flavor and mood at a glance. Inside, the full composition is laid out on the inner wrapper, turning the pack into a graphic score, so the act of unwrapping becomes as considered and expressive as the taste itself.

Paloma Lanna set up Paloma Wool in Barcelona after growing up with her parents’ label, Nice Things, yet wanting a looser, more experimental space. Grace Prince, London born and now working from Zürich, came to furniture through fashion training and years of learning carpentry and stone work. Now they’ve collaborated together on a series of objects (my favorite being this stool) which underlines an expansion of their worlds.

Like most stools, there is a familiar design language, such as the crossed stainless steel legs at the base and the steam-bent plywood. Yet the design belies that familiarity. There’s a softness and elegance that comes to life through the plywood which is shaped like clothes draped over a chair, and the stainless steel tubed curved like a hand draped around a waist. There is hardly ever anything truly new in design, and that makes this piece a standout in my eyes.

Final Thought

“Things aren’t easy or hard, they’re familiar or unfamiliar.”

For the past six months, I’ve been deep in a process of self-reflection. Friends like to joke that it sounds like a mid-life crisis: twenty-some years of purpose, validation, and achievement, only for those feelings to start fading around the edges. Time has a way of reshaping our priorities, shifting what we value, and blurring the sense of meaning that once came easily. Moving to Barcelona accelerated that process. Many of my old comforts fell away, replaced with doubts and a shaky sense of self, and the familiar safety net of friends and loved ones felt thinner.

Some of this is beyond my control. I didn’t choose to lose my creative spark or to land in a city that sometimes lacks consistent cultural stimulation. But much of it is on me. Over these past months, I’ve realized how often I hold myself back. The fears I’m confronting aren’t new, yet they’ve shaped a lot my life recently, keeping me from fully being myself and, I suspect, from finding lasting happiness.

That’s why I’m so excited to introduce Horstman. It’s a studio rooted in the art of curation, seeking out distinctive destinations and shaping spaces where people can gather, reflect, and enjoy. This is where the path starts: sharing my passions and my work, including things like city guides that highlight the character and culture of urban life, and eventually, cafés, restaurants, and places that embody these curatorial values. The idea is simple: start small, grow meaningfully, and create the kinds of places I want to be.

A big part of this transition is sunsetting The Fox Is Black. Mentally and spiritually, I need a clear line between these projects. In some ways, it has started to feel like creative baggage, something I can’t quite move past. Starting fresh gives me permission to experiment with new forms, such as pop-ups, dinner parties, and other experiences that never quite fit under the TFIB umbrella.

For those curious, Horstman is my grandmother’s maiden name. It’s a Dutch surname derived from farms called Ter Horst, meaning “at the wooded rise.” The root words, horst (a wooded hill or thicket) and man (“man”), once described someone who lived near such a place. I love how it feels unique, a bit unusual, and slightly mysterious. I hope it sparks curiosity for others as well.

Ultimately, I’m treating this project like a plant, something to nurture with care and light so it can grow strong and healthy. The image above Rabbits Between the Staves, inspired today’s title. It reminds me to savor the moments between the notes and to find joy in simply being part of something larger than myself. Thank you to everyone who’s listened and encouraged me over these past year months.

As an FYI, the first real newsletter will be sent Saturday, February 28, with a snapshot of all things inspiring me currently and that are overall noteworthy. This will follow a two week cadence, with an update on Paris and a tour of what I see at the upcoming Matter & Shape design fair on March 14. For more daily thoughts and ideas, feel free to follow the Horstman Instagram which I pepper with all kinds of interesting items. Finally, thank you dear reader for being part of this journey. Some of you have been reading what I share for a very long time now and it brings me such an incredible feeling. To continuing down the path!