For our second installment of The Guest Room (here’s the first in case you missed it), I’m delighted to introduce you to Christene Barberich, who has changed the way I think about pattern and vintage furniture and what I pay attention to when walking around Brooklyn. She is well-known for scouting design treasures among people’s discarded belongings, either in thrift shops or on the sidewalks. Christene has saved a Murano glass floor lamp and Scandinavian chairs from landfills, and has built herself a closet full of chic clothing (her closet sales, with some proceeds going to charity, are equally epic). She has an encyclopedic knowledge of vintage furniture and lighting, and an open appreciation for excellent design, whether it’s Milo Baughman or IKEA. She was born with a sharp eye and great style.

Christene and I both started in food—she was an editor at Gourmet back in the day—but she quickly moved on to her true loves, fashion and design. Christene co-founded Refinery29, the innovative style site geared toward young women. She co-wrote the best-selling street style book, Style Stalking. Run don’t walk to follow her on Instagram, where she shares the surprise-and-delight of her thrifting adventures, what she’s wearing, and how she cleverly integrates new finds into her homes.

In 2022, Christene started her hit newsletter, A Tiny Apt (do subscribe!), in which she invites you into her world of thrifting, exploring spaces, and style inspiration. She also chronicles her family’s journey building a 650-square-foot passive house in upstate New York. Below, Christene shares a few of the insightful gems (both wisdom and vintage scores) she picked up along the way.

Yours in house-snooping,

Amanda

Almost five years ago, we bought a 1964 pediatrician’s office, complete with a parking lot. It wasn’t exactly planned, but the property appeared at the right moment. While we loved the simplicity and utilitarian vibes of the brick building, it was the open plot of mowed land beside the office that first sparked the image of having a tiny cottage there someday.

Over the past few years, my husband Kevin, the architect of the cabin, had been reading about the practice and science of rewilding mowed grass, so this was our shot at building both a more sustainable/healthy living structure, while also restoring all the life and vitality to the surrounding landscape. Kevin has been a fan of compressed straw for a long time, too. Given the cabin is pretty small, it felt like the right move to experiment with the material for the first time—designing and building the structure with a small team, and then actually living with the straw panels to see how they work. ...