How did your career as a writer begin?
I’ve always been a storyteller, but I’ll admit that I didn’t call myself a writer until I started Love and Other Rugs. I started this newsletter as a way to build writing muscle in the hopes of building something even bigger. I’ve interned in the magazine world since high school and ran a magazine in college, editorial is in my DNA. I went to college and studied graphic design, as a way to understand the visual side of storytelling—the full picture. This has been an immense help as I’ve moved from magazines to start-ups to building brands and partnerships. The ultimate goal is to write books about my life—grief, dating, daughterhood.
Tell us about your newsletter, Love and Other Rugs! What's your theory behind the comparison of searching for romance and searching for home furnishings?
In New York, there is a constant shuffle of apartments and dating—when you really boil it down we are looking for things that fit into our lives. As I was conceptualizing Love and Other Rugs, I kept getting inbounds from friends on where they should take new love interests on dates or where they should buy vintage rugs. I wanted to create a hub for it all, which is both exactly what it is and not at all—it's now a hybrid of personal essay and cultural guide.
What’s your favorite part about the New York creative community?
How connected we all are—it's rare to find someone who you aren’t degrees of separation away from. New York is one big small town. I really take pride in the community I’ve fostered and how much everyone shows up.
How do you choose what area of home design you'll discuss in each newsletter?
It is all based on personal anecdotes, so it's a bit based on what is happening (or not happening) in my dating life. I also am constantly out in the world shopping, so I’m inspired by what I’m seeing in my day to day.
Do you have a favorite article you've ever written (in or outside of Love and Other Rugs)?
Definitely my Vogue piece that came out this summer—it's most reflective of the projects I want to be working on—specifically a book about my mother and her belongings. In the piece I talk about dry-cleaning a majority of her wardrobe (for $350 in the midwest where I’m from) and how it lives on in the city on me and my friends.
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Lily Sullivan – Love and Other Rugs
@lilyksullivan