Stories

At Home with Natasha Feldman - Ordinary Habit

November 28, 2021

There’s a million reasons to love following along with Natasha Feldman – she’s hilarious for starters, but more importantly her...

#At Home

A Thanksgiving Cocktail from our friends at Esme

November 23, 2021

If there was an Ordinary Habit restaurant headquarters, it would be Esme, in Brooklyn. Dear friends, and ever supplying our french fry and cocktail cravings, they’ve fueled many brainstorm sessions ever since we started. We hope you enjoy this cocktail as much as we do, and if you’re ever in Brooklyn, make sure to stop by!

On the menu since day one, the Zelda Fitzgerald is a riff on a classic cocktail that combines rosemary honey and citrus with the botanicals of your favorite gin into a holiday (and year round) classic.

#At Home

Holiday Gift Guide 2021

November 18, 2021

This holiday season, we're building on our mission by giving you even more ways to engage in artful, everyday play—together, at last. Enter the Ordinary Habit Marketplace, which features a curated selection of brands that we know and love.

#Guides

At Home with Helena Price Hambrecht of Haus

November 12, 2021

We started following along with Haus early on, on social media, and have been fans ever since. With their new releases, and additional flavors, there’s one for every occasion. Whether it’s on the rocks, or mixed into a cocktail they’re always a delicious treat!

#At Home

Sundays with Manuja Waldia

November 06, 2021

When our friend Farah at One Stripe Chai introduced us to Manuja’s work, it was love at first sight. We were thrilled to include her vibrant celebration of sisterhood al fresco, entitled Troublemakers, in our latest collection of puzzles, and we remain mesmerized by its bold colors and beautiful details. Read on to learn more about how she spends her Sundays in Goa.

#Sundays With

(Life)Style Habits: Reflections on Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados

October 29, 2021

When I was younger, my sartorial inclinations weren't motivated by much else other than the desire to check a box. It seemed to me that style was less of a habit and more of an expectation. Clothing was a way to tell a story I felt too shy to say out loud. These days, my reading habit has shifted how I understand aesthetics (both on and off the page). Recently, I picked up Marlowe Granados' debut novel Happy Hour, and I was reaffirmed of the nuanced role style can play in someone's life—and how it can quietly transform their story.

#Ordinary Story

At Home with Farah Jesani of One Stripe Chai

October 11, 2021

When we got a note from One Stripe Chai Co.’s founder, Farah Jesani, in our inbox we knew we’d found a kindred spirit. Immediately we hopped on a call full of laughter and stories about how we all love pairing puzzles and tea time, and thus our dream collaboration was born.

#At Home

A Quiet Habit of Connection: Reflections on Seek You by Kristen Radtke

September 24, 2021

From observing the details of a book’s cover design to breathing in the inviting scent of its pages, these small acts make me feel a little less lonely in my body, even when I’m alone with my mind. This duality was at play while reading Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness by Kristen Radtke.

#Ordinary Story

Old Desires, Renewed Habits: Reflections on Objects of Desire by Clare Sestanovich

August 27, 2021

In the seventh installment of this series, Rachel Schwartzmann reflects on Objects of Desire by Clare Sestanovich.

#Ordinary Story

Sundays with Kate Arends of Wit & Delight

August 08, 2021

For years we’ve been fans of Kate, and the world she’s created at Wit & Delight. Started in 2014, Kate began publishing personal essays about her life, design, travel, and everything in between. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her extroverted husband, Joe Peters, son August, daughter Bennett, and their sweet English labrador, Winnie Bear.

#Sundays With

Ordinary Habits, Fanatical Language: In Conversation with Amanda Montell, Author of Cultish

July 30, 2021

In the sixth installment of this series, Rachel Schwartzmann speaks with Amanda Montell about her new book, Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, and the habits she hopes to cultivate in reading, writing, and beyond.

#Ordinary Story

Sundays with Durga Chew-Bose

July 18, 2021

Durga Chew-Bose is a Montreal-based writer, whose work has appeared in Hazlitt, The New Inquiry, and The Guardian, among other publications. She is the author of Too Much and Not the Mood.

#Sundays With

Cheers To One Year

June 25, 2021

A year ago today we launched Ordinary Habit. With the aim to breathe some new life into the world of games, we wanted to reshape how people thought of play time — focusing on tactile mindfulness, elegance and beautiful artwork with our first product, a collection of six 500-piece puzzles.

Nourishing a Habit of Love: Reflections on The Book of Difficult Fruit by Kate Lebo

June 22, 2021

Food writing is transportive and—especially during a period of isolation—a gift to the senses. Reading The Book of Difficult Fruit: Arguments for the Tart, Tender, and Unruly (with Recipes) by Kate Lebo was certainly no exception. Lebo's storytelling is enough to satiate the most well-versed foodie. And while I initially thought the book would nourish my reading practice, it ended up feeding something much deeper.

#Ordinary Story

Sundays with Ashley Streicher

June 13, 2021

Sundays With is a monthly series that will highlight the routines, habits, and rituals of folks in the Ordinary Habit community. We’ll be exploring what helps them close out their week, and get ready for what’s ahead. We’re joined by Ashley Streicher, one of the most sought-after hair stylists in the industry.

#Sundays With

At Home with Ally Walsh of Canyon Coffee

June 04, 2021

Our journey into coffee began with a jump start when we accidentally broke our french press one morning, and replaced it on a whim with a Chemex. The contrast in flavor—smooth, clear and sweet compared to the press’s more robust, thicker body—was a pleasant surprise, and we’ve been enjoying the daily pour over ritual ever since.

#At Home

Life’s Ordinary Habits: In Conversation with Rainesford Stauffer, Author of An Ordinary Age

May 21, 2021

“Ordinary” may take on different meanings depending on who you ask, but one thing is certain: An Ordinary Age will endure as a guidebook for the ages. Rachel Schwartzmann spoke with Stauffer about the book’s development and the ordinary habits that are important to her in reading, writing, and life.

#Ordinary Story

At Home with Fanny Singer

May 08, 2021

I met Fanny Singer years ago while working in the kitchen at Violet Cakes in London. Around the same time that Ordinary Habit was launched – a mother/daughter duo founded company – Fanny’s book Always Home was released. Chronicling her world of food, wine and travel, it’s also an intimate portrait of her mother Alice Waters. I was immediately struck by the beautiful nature of their relationship, one that very much reminded me of my own relationship with my mom.

#At Home

The Art and Habit of Listening: Reflections on Earth’s Wild Music by Kathleen Dean Moore

April 22, 2021

Earth’s Wild Music features new and selected essays from Moore, which are divided into four sections—aptly titled “Tremble,” “Weep,” “Awaken,” and “Sing Out”—and her poetic blend of reportage and personal reflection stays with you. Moore writes with an attentiveness that moves between empathy and accountability.

#Ordinary Story

The Good, The Bad, and The Ordinary Habits: In Conversation with Forsyth Harmon, Author of Justine

March 19, 2021

Rachel Schwartzmann speaks with Forsyth Harmon about the origins of Justine and the ordinary habits that have impacted her creative process—and life.

#Ordinary Story

In Conversation with: <br>Priscilla Weidlein - Ordinary Habit

In Conversation with:
Priscilla Weidlein

March 15, 2021

Priscilla Weidlein is an artist whose eye is trained on the sort of visual tangents that keep her audience open to wonder. Like the eccentric splendor of a bedroom occupied by dogs wearing sweaters. Or the leafy warmth of a home where plants and art rule. Her work is abundant, itemized, patterned.

#In Conversation

Habits with Heart: Reflections on Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad

February 26, 2021

Ordinary Story is a monthly series by Rachel Schwartzmann that features musings and conversations on one of our favorite ordinary habits: reading. In the first installment, Rachel reflects on Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad.

#Ordinary Story

At Home with Samantha Sheehan

February 05, 2021

Samantha was named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s “15 Women to Watch in Wine” and has been featured in Bloomberg, Wine&Spirits Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, and the LA Times, among others. In 2020, Mommenpop Grapefruit won a Good Food Award, and was rated 95 points and named one of the Top 100 Spirits by Wine Enthusiast.

#At Home

At Home with Moonlynn Tsai

January 22, 2021

Soup (especially stew) is the perfect puzzle pairing meal, you have everything you need in one bowl which allows you to have more space to spread out with the puzzle pieces and lid image reference! This oxtail stew has been my go to comfort meal for as long as I could remember. My mom would make it all the time (also, oxtail was super cheap back in the day) and provides the warmth and nourishment needed to combat a NYC winter.

#At Home

Shop

Puzzles

Shop

Puzzles

Stories