WHY DO YOU LIKE AND COLLECT MATCHES?
I’ve been collecting matches forever. Not unlike my obsession with collecting books, I have to edit myself down every few years. That is tough. The appeal for me is probably similar to many — I’m a nostalgic person, so I love holding onto small (but useful) memories of a place. It's nice to daydream — matchbooks help me do that. They often create a feeling of wanderlust. I also appreciate great typography.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE ONES AND WHY?
All my matches feel extra sentimental right now when so many of us haven’t been traveling or eating out this year. A few that stand out for me: @chateaumarmont, a place I frequented as a teenager (sorry mom and dad!), and now, just live a few blocks from. I love how compact it is. I went on a particularly memorable trip to Paris with my sisters and our mom a few years ago and snagged the @lecafedeflore matchbox off the table. And lastly, I love the retro feel of @hotelsancristobal matchbox. Admittedly the matches are too thin and too tiny to really be able to strike one on your first try, but it’s a reminder of a trip I took with a few friends from New York. It’s a trip we keep talking about recreating so it’s been top of mind these days as I wait for my renewed passport to arrive and the world to open back up again.
WHEN AND HOW DO YOU LIKE TO ENJOY YOUR MATCHES?
I’m pretty picky about what matches are for “use” and which ones are for sentimental value. There are some matches I have multiples of, for example, @gjelinarestaurant here in Venice. I’m more likely to pull one out of my glass jar if there’s a duplicate for me to hold onto. I’ll more often than not use a lighter, and I’m obsessive about making sure my candle wicks are trimmed. I always keep a box of @stfranktextiles or @trudon matches on hand — their boxes are so beautiful and always have an interesting design and the matches themselves are extra long, which work great for when you’re at the bottom of your candle, or you’re lighting a candle with multiple wicks. I was just given a ceramic @diptyque Feu de Bois candle, and because of its size (it’s enormous!), you’re meant to burn it for 3 or 4 hours at a time so it's a commitment to hunker down at home. So lately I’ve been saving for a special evening, usually when I’m binge-watching a show. Most recently it was "The Undoing."
