Personal Essay

Left: Books stacked on the floor with other decor l'objets; Right: Book cover for Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell
I Grew Up in a Black Home, Where the Books on Display Meant More Than DecorLife
The books in our home weren’t staged — they were company.
Ellice Ellis
Feb 7, 2026
I Survived a Life-Changing Accident, and I’ll Never Look at My Home the Same WayLife
My safe haven of a home had changed shape overnight.
Tayla Blaire
Jan 31, 2025
I Worried I’d Do This Mexican Tradition “Wrong” — But It Made Me Feel So Much More at HomeLife
It's never too late to start your own tradition.
Natalia Vela
Nov 1, 2024
When Coming Out Feels Like Coming HomeLife
I found parts of myself I didn’t even realize I’d lost.
Gabrielle Hondorp
Oct 18, 2024
My Fiancée and I Ended Our Engagement, Then Became RoommatesLife
I never expected to love living with my ex.
J. Gordon Curtis
Aug 15, 2024
Moving in with My Partner Meant Finally Having to Face My Disordered EatingLife
It was my best-kept “secret single behavior.”
Elena Hilton
Jul 23, 2024
Celebrating Juneteenth & Freedom Is in My DNA — Now I'm Passing the Tradition OnLife
As a native Texan, here's how I honor my Blackness, community, and freedom.
Cori Murray
Jun 18, 2024
The “Japanese Goodbye” Ritual That Brings Me So Much JoyLife
It’s my most cherished passed-down tradition.
Katherine Laubscher
May 23, 2024
I Don’t Celebrate Nochebuena Like I Used to, and That’s a Good ThingLife
Togetherness does not have to be defined by proximity.
Lisset Lanza
Dec 21, 2022
An Italian Shopkeeper Taught Me How to Clean a Copper Pot—and the Copper Pot Taught Me How to Take Care of MyselfCleaning
The shine of the pot after I cleaned it with ketchup was satisfying in a way I hadn’t expected, considering I felt sure the Italian shop owner was trying to punk me.
William Horn
Sep 30, 2020
A Case for Putting Up Halloween Decorations Extremely Early This YearLife
Let me explain why Halloween is my very favorite holiday... and why you should consider decorating for your favorite holiday early this year (and maybe every year).
Adrienne Breaux
Sep 8, 2020
Why I Regret Buying an Older HomeReal Estate
The problem with old houses, I learned, is that they are never not a project.
Sassafras Patterdale
Dec 4, 2019
I Became A Mother In That ChairLife
Ashlee Gadd is the founder of Coffee + Crumbs and the author of “The Magic of Motherhood: The Good Stuff, the Hard Stuff, and Everything In Between.” We ordered bunk beds yesterday. It was an inevitable purchase, I suppose, after having two boys in two and a half years. When we found out our second baby was another boy, I remember thinking: Someday they’ll share a room, probably bunk beds.
Guest of Apartment Therapy
May 3, 2019