What is Personal Space?
Personal Space is a newsletter by me, Rachel Davies! In the newsletter I’ll write about interesting discoveries in culture and design found IRL and online. One week’s edition could feature what I’ve been able to dig up on a forgotten home that’s barely traceable online, the next could be an exploration of the production design of some movie from the ‘80s, another could recount a visit to a gallery or house museum. There will also be home tours with original photography by Todd Midler.
Okay, but who is Rachel Davies?
I’m a journalist who’s been covering design and culture professionally for nine years. I’ve written for a range of outlets including Architectural Digest, Dwell, Vulture, Curbed, WSJ., Nylon, Vox, Complex, Electric Literature, Stereogum, Vice, AFM, and The Believer, among many other publications.
Here are a few of my favorite stories from through the years:
An interview with Eileen Myles for Nylon, in which they mention the importance of “dog-level art,” ie. artwork leaned against a wall so that a dog can easily see it. (2017)
For Vox, a reported story on the Hummer as a symbol for early aughts American masculinity (2020)
Fun voice-y piece on M3GAN’s use of Memphis Milano for AD (2023)
Drawing a line between the Tumblr string light aesthetic and TikTok’s colored LED obsession for Dwell (2023)
For AD, speaking with five people who brought Redbox machines into their homes (2024)
I’ve also helmed a number of personal projects. In high school, I ran a zine with contributors across the US, Canada, and the UK. Then I maintained a book recommendation website, curated art shows, wrote a daily newsletter, held a bake sale, and penned a recently defunct weekly crossword puzzle.
Gotcha! Now I need to know who designed the Personal Space logo.
The logo and illustrations are by Sarah Kennedy, an Atlanta-based designer and artist. I think she did a splendid job of capturing the joyful energy of what I’m trying to make with Personal Space.
And what do the illustrations depict?
The illustrations show furniture items and objects in my office, my very own Personal Space. There’s the George Sowden FL4 floor lamp, a Poppin filing cabinet, a table lamp from Gantri, a collection of books, a mug I bought at a garage sale in my old LA neighborhood, a Componibili side table, and a notebook with my computer glasses and trusty Kaweco pen.
Cool. Do I need to pay for this?
Nope! Personal Space is completely free. Just subscribe and you’ll receive a new edition each week. If you want to show your support, leaving a comment or sharing the newsletter with a friend you think would enjoy it is extremely appreciated. You can also pledge your support via Substack if you would be open to paying for the newsletter.
