6 THINGS WITH CHRISTENE BARBERICH
6 Things with Christene Barberich Founder and Writer of A Tiny Apt. Newsletter
Based in Brooklyn, Christene Barberich is a writer and advisor/consultant to a mix of global fashion and lifestyle brands. In 2005 (way back before even Twitter was a thing), she co-founded the award-winning women’s media-entertainment company, Refinery29, which was acquired by Vice Media Group in 2019. Earlier this year, Christene created a weekly newsletter on Substack called A Tiny Apt., which covers mostly her deep love of small spaces, vintage and thrifting, as well as personal style. Mostly though, as she says, A Tiny Apt. is about "navigating life and our homes through change and challenges, and seeing small, occasionally overlooked things differently—more expansively with more wonder." It's a rich and inspiring glimpse inside her life and some of the things she's learned over the years as an observer/appreciator/
1. What started it all for you?
My working life has always been centered around content & storytelling—writing, editing and dimensionalizing that with visuals and voice. I cofounded the media company Refinery29 in 2005, which was acquired in 2019, and now it's almost as if I'm going back to the beginning... back to writing on a smaller scale in a more intimate way. And the newsletter A Tiny Apt., which I launched in February 2021, is kind of this new framework I've been using to redefine what's important to me/in my space... and what I want to write about and, hopefully, inspire those reading will find value in, too.
2. What drives your creative spark?
It can be anything really, from a chair left on the street to a chipped piece of pottery to a really raw memoir. On a broader scale, it's always this intersection between color, pattern, and this kind of life-force and cultural/historical touchstone that connects them.
3. Most treasured home decor item?
A few things, but the one thing that comes to mind in this moment, is a serigraph print of a fluorescent Arrow by the late artist Allan D'Arcangelo that I found in a thrift store on Long Island maybe 20 years ago. It's in impeccable condition, signed, and I keep it by my front door so I can see it when I'm leaving the house everyday. I just love it.
4. What’s the best advice you've ever received?
I think it was the writer Anne Lamott who said that the best prayers are "Help," and "Thank You." I'm not sure that's creative advice, but I think this notion of asking for help or direction when you need it, and then allowing space to process it and offer gratitude for something good blossoming in your life or around you makes a lot of sense to me.
5. It's 5 o'clock at home. What would you be pouring?
You know, I have a hard time deciding if I could only choose one, would it be the first morning coffee or the first early evening/sunset cocktail... both are so ceremonial, which I love. For 5pm, it's usually some kind of Kombucha, a mezcal cocktail mixed with lemon or a little grapefruit and topped with seltzer, or a glass of a natural or organic wine like Terra Ambera by Manolis Garalis, which is a delight.
6. What are your favorite 6 accounts that you follow for inspiration?
@jamiebushco
@lailacooks
@theworldofinteriors
@caroncallahan
@jensteele
@vintagethriftnyc
SHOP CHRISTENE'S 6 HOME PICKS
"My working life has always been centered around content & storytelling—writing, editing and dimensionalizing that with visuals and voice. I cofounded the media company Refinery29 in 2005, which was acquired in 2019, and now it's almost as if I'm going back to the beginning... back to writing on a smaller scale in a more intimate way." -Christene Barberich
