Letter From the Editors: Winter 2021
Drew & Jonathan tell how they’re living the simple life. Plus, a look behind the scenes of this winter issue’s making!
There’s something satisfying and freeing about starting fresh with a blank canvas. That’s easier said than done, of course: None of us ever really starts from scratch. Even when we’re totally renovating a house, we’re working from years—generations, even—of our homeowners’ memories and stories. We honor all the ways, big and small, that a family lives in their home.
Lately we’ve been asking ourselves what it means to renovate our own lives, to slow down and live our mental clutter doesn’t mean we put away our memories. It means we create the space to celebrate them—whether metaphorically or literally, as Sophia Bush does in her unique home office. And you can do it, too: We’re going to be doing a live demonstration, a DIY-along, on how to create your own gallery wall. Intentional simplicity means changing the physical world around us—cleaning up, donating, and reorganizing—to make room for the things we love most.
The homes we feature in these pages are reflections of their owners and the stories they tell, from beautiful colors in Brooklyn to streaming sunlight in Maine. When it comes to simplifying our homes and our headspace, their examples help show us the way. We also share some outlets for your wanderlust, where you can soak up sights and cultures of places far and away, all from the comfort of home.
“Letting go of our mental clutter doesn’t mean we put away our memories. It means we create the space to celebrate them.”
It’s ironic that aiming for a simpler life can seem like so much, well, work. So we gathered small, easy, instant-gratification changes to bring happiness and wholeness to your home. If you still want to feel like you’re making a big impact, then go really big in a small space, like a statement bathroom that challenges the design rules. Living simply doesn’t have to be boring; in fact, it can be exciting, bold, and colorful!
Sometimes living more simply means living more intentionally, the way Jeannie and Jim Gaffigan share the joys of homelife during an era of distanced learning and working from the dinner table. They’re raising their five kids to be community-minded in a way that reminds us of our parents and makes us thankful for all who are providing good examples to kids in today’s world.
Whatever simplicity looks like for you in this new season, we hope it brings you the peace and wholeness you need to reenergize. Drop those shoulders and exhale. May your world be full of simple acts of kindness and goodness every day.
Follow along!
@mrdrewscott
@jonathanscott
@revealmag
By Drew & Jonathan | Photograph by Peter Yang | Illustration by Julia Rothman
