Mirrors, a Conversation Pit, and the Rewards of IRL Meet-Ups
Catch me INSIDE.
Hi there, housemates,
This week was a reminder that we are in high season for design goings-on. On Wednesday, I moderated a conversation with Alessandro Munge—the Italian-Canadian maestro of hospitality design and former designer of the year—at the Stellar Works showroom, with my dear personal DJ (a.k.a. husband) Rob Davis of Freakout Spot in tow spinning records. We covered a lot of ground, but my big takeaway from it (and feeling in general) is that people need togetherness and physical connection right now. This was a refrain immediately post-Covid, but with AI escalating at an, ahem, alarming(!) pace, it’s going to be more important than ever to actually see stuff for yourself in person. To that end, I’d love to organize a Wrong House meet-up—more on this to come. And if you’re a brand or other space-haver that’s interested in linking, drop me a line!: lila@wrong-house.com.
In the meantime, I’ll be joining a cadre of Substackers tomorrow at The Conversation Pit, a talk series curated by Sydney Gore (she of Nobody’s Home, which you should be reading!). Sydney, Lily Sullivan (Love and Other Rugs), Rachel Davies (Personal Space), Leonora Epstein (Schmatta), and I will discuss our backgrounds as editors and writers, editorial POVs, and the ways we think discourse can and should change around furniture, interiors, and architecture. All of us are pretty opinionated with war stories aplenty, so it should be a juicy listen! The Conversation Pit is a part of Contemporary Flea, so it’s also a good excuse to put yourself in close proximity to some excellent shopping. (Use code GORECORE25 at checkout to shave 25% off your ticket price.)
Speaking of new media—and in-person camaraderie—last week, I had the pleasure of joining Leonora (of the aforementioned Schmatta) and Lauren Sands, founder of LES Collection and author of A Whimsical World, for a dinner party of design-minded writers. Afterwards, Lauren pulled together this “Anatomy of a Dinner Party” Substack post. Maybe something to inspire your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving table?
Anyway, on to Wrong House. This week, I’m sharing Madeleine Parsons’s “When the Whole Distorts the Parts,” a moving and mind-bending account of the author’s reckoning with her own reflection. Considering her relationship with self-image through Maggie Pei’s collection, Silver Hours—a line that Madeleine worked with through her job at Colony—Madeleine probes the fuzzy space between perception and reality.
‘Til next week—unless I’m seeing you tomorrow!
Lila
When the Whole Distorts the Parts
I was looking in mirrors all the time. But was I really seeing myself?






Thanks for sharing! So sad to miss you and Leonora speak this weekend. It’s sure to be riveting!