Quick Takes With: Nicole Najafi

You’ve probably read something by Nicole Najafi. Perhaps in McSweeney’s, where her bio notes that she made Julianne Moore laugh while waiting in line to vote. Or in the New Yorker‘s Shouts & Murmurs (from “My Persian Grandmother Reviews My Favorite Brands”, on Peloton: “This is a bike that takes you nowhere. Not to the grocery store, not to your daughter’s house unannounced—nowhere. One star.”) Or maybe you’ve watched something Nicole has worked on—she’s primarily a screenwriter, and the pilot of her horror-comedy screenplay about a skincare founder was optioned by Warner Bros.

You also could be one of the 28.4k people who follow Nicole on Instagram for, among other things, glimpses of her excellent design sense and cool Brooklyn apartment. (We are among the 28.4k.) She’ll be the first to note she spends a good amount of time in her screenplays on “furniture descriptions” (and no, she won’t take edits).

If you don’t know her activism and spot-on social satire yet, you should. Today Nicole writes in with her gift-wrapping opinions, why there is *not* a water carafe on her bedside table, and the design style she only recently recovered from. Read on…

You’re invited to dinner. What’s your go-to gift?

I don’t drink, so I usually bring a fun non-alcoholic drink. If I manage to plan far enough in advance, Gohar World is always a crowd pleaser. But whatever I get, it must be wrapped. I’m a little old-school when it comes to wrapping gifts. I think the way a gift is presented matters just as much if not more than the gift itself.

What’s on your bedside table?

Just a reading lamp. I’m pretty spare as it is, but my cats would knock over any little trinkets anyway. I can’t even keep a glass of water on my nightstand, because they’ll knock it over. I have been reduced to drinking water from metal water bottles in my home.

What’s your desert island design/art/architecture-related book?

There’s a vintage Taschen book called Package Design in Japan that is a deep dive on the beautiful, intricate art of packaging in Japan. It was published in 1992 and has a very cool eighties/nineties feeling. It’s a real gem.

What podcast or playlist do you put on when you need inspiration?

I really enjoy listening to interviews with Nancy Meyers. She is (as we all know) passionate about design, and she’s carved out a niche for herself where the interiors of her movies are a part of her stories just as much as anything else. That’s how I write, although our design styles are different. I once got a note from someone in my writing group to “pare back furniture descriptions” and I was like, nope.

What’s a film or TV show whose aesthetic has stuck with you?

American Psycho is an all-timer for me. I can watch the business card scene 100 times and never get sick of it. More recently, Chile ’76 blew my mind. It’s just gorgeous and has such a strong sense of place. It’s clear a woman made it. And actually, a woman made American Psycho, too, which tends to surprise people!

Which Instagram account do you go to for design inspiration?

I love the work of @dalucido, @thesomersethouse, and of course, @remodelista.

What has been your best house upgrade?

A painting by Mary Corman. Her work just lifts the whole room. It has the “hero” spot above the sofa and it’s the first thing I see when I walk in the door. It makes me happy every time I come home. I think that’s worth it. Her work and the other artists at Turn Gallery are very good for anyone looking to enter the art market.

A simple or budget-friendly design move you wish you’d known sooner?

I learned from watching @thesomersethouse that a room divider can transform a room. I have a bamboo room divider from Lichen that I used to create a “wall” behind my desk, and it’s made my work space feel so much more cozy and tucked in.

My favorite sheets are…

Tekla percale. The best color palette.

My favorite paint color for the bedroom is…

I’m a little boring and just love a good vintage-y eggshell.

My unpopular design opinion is…

There’s a style that I call “Memphis millennial.” It’s chubby vases, checkered rugs, ribbed glass, abstract shapes in pastel colors, etc. I was once seduced by it in the dark days of the pandemic due to too much time on Instagram, but I found my way out, and I’m ready for this style to go.

Your design pet peeve?

It took me a long time to understand (and I’m still learning) scale and proportion. So when I see a rug that is too small for a space or a hulking sectional that’s too big for a room, I really want to fix it.

My go-to kitchen utensil is…

My Zojirushi rice cooker. It sings me a sweet melody when my rice is ready.

First design love?

The house from Clueless. I was 8 years old and remember feeling like, “THIS is luxury.” I drew “blueprints” for my own future house based on it, double spiral staircase and all.

What item from your closet do you have on repeat?

Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66s. I’m usually anti-sneaker, but my mid-life lower back pain had other ideas.

Favorite design shop to visit (online or in person)?

Live Auctioneers. I star the items I like, and the auctions are usually a few weeks later, so it imposes a period of restraint where I’m forced to wait and see if I really like something. By the time the auction rolls around, I often don’t want it anymore. So it’s a fantastic way of avoiding impulse buys or buying things that don’t have staying power.

What is the last thing you purchased for your house?

Astier de Villatte hand soap from Primary Essentials.

Something you’re coveting?

A Paolo Buffa wardrobe. It will never happen for me, but I recently gave one to a character in a script, so I can live vicariously.

I don’t leave the house without…

A book, so that I don’t look at my phone when I’m idle.