Letter From the Editor: Issue 05

"Sweatin' the Oldies"—on antiques, inheritance, and the stuff that sticks around

Photo: Lizzie Soufleris

Hey there, housemates,

This issue starts with a deceptively simple question: What do we do with the stuff that’s been passed down, forgotten, or outlived its original purpose? The answer isn’t tidy, but this issue reveals that it is very human, and at times, very beautiful.

For Millennials, a vast influx of secondhand furniture and decor is beginning to surface, as Boomer parents downsize their homes or pass away. This phenomenon actually has a name: The Great Stuff Transfer. It’s a part of the even larger Great Wealth Transfer—the biggest inheritance in history, supposedly—and the sheer volume of goods should not be underestimated.

Not all of that stuff is worth keeping, but how do you decide what is? What do you transform into something new? How do you balance the emotional weight with, well, actual weight?

These stories consider those questions, and a lot more—with responses often coming directly from the people who work with these items day in and day out.

In “Everything Must Go,” Sarah Archer speaks with Michael Diaz-Griffith, Laura Doyle, and Glenn Adamson about clutter, heirlooms, and inheritance, examining ideas about collecting and connoisseurship, as well as the transfer of taste between generations.

In “Salvaged Light,” Emily R. Pellerin and Seth Caplan refract conversations with stained-glass artists, religious leaders, curators, and car specialists, arriving at a collage-style narrative about sacred spaces and material afterlives. They illuminate these fragments through sourced artwork and Seth’s stunning photography, captured at Glass Visions Studio last year.

In “Life After Obsolescence,” a reported story by Will Speros (with illustrations from Wrong House pal Liz Ryan), leftover goods are shown to find reuse and transformation in the hands of artists, designers, and regular folks—reminding us that objects’ value is determined as much by endurance and memory as utility.

And in “The Architect Who Meets His Clients on the Dance Floor,” the first in a new interview series from StüdiGroup’s Alex T. Williams, architecture itself joins the conversation about legacy and renewal. This Q&A with architect Christian Wassmann goes deep on design practice itself—its sources of inspiration, its rituals, and unpredictable points of origin.

Next week, I’ll also be sharing a story of my own—about the roles that scholarship and emotional resonance play in determining what sticks around, through the lens of two beloved antiques fairs in New York City.

Welcome to the new year. Not the same as the old one.

xx

Lila

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