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At Home with Farah Jesani of One Stripe Chai - Ordinary Habit

At Home with Farah Jesani of One Stripe Chai

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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Sundays with Kate Arends of Wit & Delight - Ordinary Habit

Sundays with Kate Arends of Wit & Delight

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.

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

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

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.

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Sundays with Durga Chew-Bose - Ordinary Habit

Sundays with Durga Chew-Bose

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. 

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Cheers To One Year - Ordinary Habit

Cheers To One Year

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.

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

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

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.

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Sundays with Ashley Streicher - Ordinary Habit

Sundays with Ashley Streicher

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.

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At Home with Ally Walsh of Canyon Coffee - Ordinary Habit

At Home with Ally Walsh of Canyon Coffee

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. 

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

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

“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. 

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At Home with Fanny Singer - Ordinary Habit

At Home with Fanny Singer

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.

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

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

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. 

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

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

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

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

In Conversation with:
Priscilla Weidlein

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. 

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

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

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.

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At Home with Samantha Sheehan - Ordinary Habit

At Home with Samantha Sheehan

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.

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At Home with Moonlynn Tsai - Ordinary Habit

At Home with Moonlynn Tsai

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.

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At Home with Claire Ptak of Violet Cakes - Ordinary Habit

At Home with Claire Ptak of Violet Cakes

Our founder Echo lived in London for a few years, and worked at a most magical bakery tucked away in East London – Violet Cakes. After completing her Master’s degree, she was connected with Claire, and an instant bond was formed. In the years that have since passed Claire, and Violet Cakes, has become renowned the world over, even making Harry + Meghan’s Royal wedding cake. There’s no one more fitting than Claire to share a recipe perfectly paired with Holly Jolley’s Secret Jungle Tea Party. We think our lioness would approve.

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At Home for the Holidays with Via Maris - Ordinary Habit

At Home for the Holidays with Via Maris

In usual times Chanukah is a holiday to see friends and family, eat, light the menorah together, and play games. Games have always been a customary part of celebrating Chanukah – spin the dreidel being a classic, but you’ll also find puzzles, cards, charades, mahjong, and more. 

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At Home with Canal House - Ordinary Habit

At Home with Canal House

Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer of Canal House Cooking  agree that puzzle time most often calls for nibbles, and a pantry-inspired snack and a wonderfully bittersweet Negroni are perfectly in order. Marleigh Culver’s Migula pairs wonderfully with these end of day delights from our friends at Canal House. 

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In Conversation with: <br> Amber Vittoria - Ordinary Habit

In Conversation with:
Amber Vittoria

The women who occupy artist Amber Vittoria’s world take up space. Their forms are undisguised, alive, and moving. They hold your attention with a vibrancy that is unafraid, pushing the female form into something more fanciful. Color, rubbery limbs, big noses, bizarre and lovely postures, tiny heads, heeled boots that seem to appear from tangled and ballooning bodies—all of it is loud and hyperbolic, fantastic in its total disregard for moderation. Vittoria’s work appeals to our imagination, and also, how tired we are, how delicious it is to see potential and extent not expressed as achievement or goals, but with…roundness and Matisse-blues, and bodies that bring to mind, of all things, liquorice and watermelons and CMYK. 

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In Conversation with: <br>Christina Hart - Ordinary Habit

In Conversation with:
Christina Hart

From a chorus of cactuses to a wreath-like illustration on a thank you card, the artist Christina Hart is always considering how lovely it is to give and receive, applying whimsy and a warm sense of humor to the very necessary act (especially now) of keeping in touch.

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At Home with Ghia - Ordinary Habit

At Home with Ghia

To kick off our Ordinary Habit At Home series of recipes, our friends at Ghia sent over the perfect pairing to drink while you work on Wish You Were Here.

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