First Warm Days

There are two versions of the year in New York. The months where everything feels heavy with coats, boots, heating permanently on and then the first few days where you open a window and suddenly realise winter has been quietly overstaying its welcome.

Those first warm days always make me want to reset things at home. Not in the aggressive, reorganise-every-drawer sense that people tend to associate with “spring cleaning”, but in smaller ways. Subtle changes that make daily routines feel a little lighter.

Much like swapping heavy knits for linen trousers, I tend to change a few things once the season shifts.

I am a robe person through and through. It’s the first thing I reach for in the morning while making coffee or answering emails, and after a long winter of thick, almost hotel-style robes, I inevitably start craving something lighter. Cotton, breathable, easy. The sort of thing that makes a slow morning feel slightly more intentional.

Bedding is another quiet reset. It’s probably the easiest way to change the entire feeling of a room without actually doing very much. Lately I’ve found myself gravitating towards stripes. They feel classic, but just a little more interesting than plain white. Brooklinen has some beautiful striped sets at the moment that strike that balance between crisp and relaxed.

I also always keep a silk pillowcase in rotation. It’s one of those small luxuries that seems unnecessary until you get used to it, and then suddenly you never want to go back.

Candles tend to change with the season as well. Winter scents start to feel oddly heavy once the weather warms up. Lately I’ve been burning the Santal candle from Jenni Kayne, which is soft and woody without being overpowering.

Warmer weather also tends to make me a little more disciplined about skincare. After months of hiding under layers, I start paying more attention again — dry brushing and using a body scrub a bit more regularly, switching to lighter textures, and actually moisturising properly.

I’ve also gone back to using the cult favourite Masque Vivant from Biologique Recherche weekly. The smell is… not exactly pleasant, but once you get past that it’s one of those products you never really stop using. Sometimes I’ll even use it as a body mask.

And once the weather warms up, I much prefer a spray-on body lotion over anything too heavy. It feels quicker, lighter, and somehow far more realistic for everyday use.

None of these are dramatic changes. But much like adjusting a wardrobe for a new season, the smallest swaps tend to make everything feel new again.