What We Bought This Month: Homewares Edition

Bamboo-Linen Sheets from EQ3

Between the Brooklinen shoutouts in my podcasts and the Boll and Branch and Casper ads popping up in my social media feeds, it’s clear that the internet really, really wants me to buy linen sheets.

And listen, I’m on board conceptually€”of course I want softer-with-each-wash sheets that breathe well and exude a Parisian effortlessness, I’m not a heathen€”butI can’t tell you how many times I’ve loaded up the cart on Brooklinen’s website only to chicken out last minute. Because it’s one thing to believe that linen sheets will improve your life, and it’s another thing to actually drop the cash. So I’ve been sleeping in cotton sheets like a chump, tossing and turning every night as I berate myself for my frugality. “Isn’t $500 is a small price to pay for happiness?” I’ll mutter until I fall asleep. 

But my restless nights are over now, because I wandered into EQ3 to kill some time last week, and stumbled across beautiful, crazy-soft linen-blend sheet sets (we’re talking bamboo, baby!) in the sale section for $80. I scooped ’em up and have been having the sweetest dreams since. EQ3 bamboo-linen sheets, queen, $79.95 €”Stacey McLachlan, executive editor

Yeti Lowlands Blanket

I think of myself as a man of great spontaneity. At the drop of a hat I’ll happily go on a gambling junket in Macau, swim in whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez, don a wing suit. But the reality is, I’m not. I’m sort of a fussbudget. Exhibit A, I use the word fussbudget. But I’m growing and this blanket is part of that journey. I’ll back up a bit€”I’ve been on a Yeti kick for a year now and it’s fair to say all my fellow editors are sick of me talking endlessly about my coffee travel mug. Me: “It’s still too hot to drink and I made it an hour ago!” Them: “So your Oahu story is still not done then?”

One of the reasons is that Yeti is one of the few US retailers who will routinely offer the free shipping option to their Canadian customers (BTW – I know I sound like a lunatic reciting things like this as if it’s what passes for normal conversation).  But here’s where I went badly down the rabbit  hole€”this blanket is not yet available in Canada but with some ingenuity and a US address I was able to secure one. That’s a lot of work, and at $200 my portable blanket is more than the sheets Stacey (see above) is sleeping on 7/52/365, so what gives? Aside from the reality that I can out-consumer Stacey like nobody’s business, my thought was this: this sweet blanket with its cool carrying case, waterproof on one side and insulated on the other will help with the spontaneity thing. Bullocks you say? Well I give you one impromptu beachside picnic, one perfect shore lunch on a fishing trip and one taking two wet dogs to the babysitters as proof that we all can change. 

If we spend enough on cool stuff. Yeti Lowlands Blanket, $200. €”Neal McLennan, Travel Editor

Felt Storage Basket from Simons

While I’ve yet to deep dive into Marie Kondo’s Netflix series (I really like to watch shows a good year after they’re relevant), I do enjoy doing Apartment Therapy’s January Cure each year, and as is their goal, pick up a new habit or two. One of them is to always have an “outbox” on the go€”items that are ready to go to the Sally Ann, or a friend, or somewhere where they’ll be put to better use than gathering dust in my closet. Used to be that outbox was a Lululemon bag in the corner of my bedroom, but I’ve upgraded to something a little more permanent with this felt number. It looks so great I’m inspired to use it more, which is exactly the point. Minimalist felt basket, $24, simons.ca €”Anicka Quin, editorial director

Mystery Mint Chair

If you haven€™t been religiously following my webposts (how dare you) you might not know that I consider myself a bit of a marketplace maven€”Facebook Marketplace, that is. It's amazing how many people within 2 kilometres of me are selling things I didn€™t realize I needed. I also love how, unlike Craigslist, marketplace has the benefit of Facebook profiles so you can snoop into the life of the person you've buying from (because not even the coolest denim jacket is worth giving a white supremacist $20). One of my latest finds is a wooden chair€”probably Ikea, but you can’t prove it wasn’t once a bespoke masterpiece€”that the previous owner gave new life with a coat of mint paint. Actually, the chair might be on its third or fourth life now, but It's simple design and apparently indestructible frame has stood the test of time. It matches a pineapple pillow sham I got from Hawaii, and together they are in cheery denial that the seasons are changing. don't throw things away, thrift them€”they might just end up in a magazine. facebook.com/marketplace €”Alyssa Hirose, Assistant Editor