*Quarantined*

Meg Arlen : Interior Designer and Serial Hobbyist : Los Angeles, CA

March 23, 24 & April 5, 2020

“The rest of my shift is not exciting, normal, whatever, fine. However I do almost loose it on the lady who gave me sass and then only bought a chocolate bar and a bracelet. B— what are you doing risking people’s lives here for a bar of chocolate?!? Almost. But I didn’t say anything. I just silently stared and slowly handed her receipt w/o saying Thank you like the passive aggressive W.A.S.P. b*ch I am. “

Meg Arlen has a knack for making even the most involved home-making processes seem like a breeze and something very doable. She lives in a tiny studio apartment in LA (which you can tour on Apartment Therapy here - highly recommend) with her husband Jesse (aka “Jason” -confusing, I know, but it’s a cute couple’s story that will make you swoon and barf at the same time for how cute it is) and, as that article (which I hope you clicked on) can attest, they make the most out of their tiny space - and likewise the little corner of the world they’ve carved out for themselves.

This entry is about Meg, but she and Jesse are both such intentional people without being, well, annoying about it. Having dinner at their home cooked lovingly out of their tiny kitchen is a delight. Complete with food gathered from their local co-op and from her discount for the 6 hours a week she works at Whole Foods, served on antique plates and with tiny wooden spoons, to have it all finished off with one of about 6 or 7 amaros they have in rotation hidden behind an old radio that was cut out in the back all feels more sincere than how writing those things down feels. It’s not for the curated Instagram perfect lifestyle - they’re not even active on social media really and use mostly an old LG non-smart phone. They have been this way ever since I met them through my best friend when we were in college and Jesse was in the graduate school. A couple that cares about the small things, the old things. It makes sense as Jesse is currently getting his PhD in Armenian studies and Meg’s interest in home design revved up while studying the art of Venetian plaster - things rooted in the ancient, the slow, the excavated.

Their own story of courtship is quite sweet as well. They met in San Louis Obispo where they are both from and she worked at the restaurant his family owns. They started their relationship when Meg went to Florence for a semester abroad and got to know each other more only through letters throughout that whole time. They have been through many moves from the West Coast to the Chicago suburbs, to Indiana and now in LA. They have also suffered great loss together, to which I can see informs the way they approach life and love and their faith.

Meg has a long history of caring about environmental and political matters and has patterned her life to match those beliefs, and does it quite well. Though historically she hasn’t been super active on social media, currently she has been providing small little suggestions from her own experience in what to do with this extra time, whether it be mending, making sauerkraut, reading out loud with your partner…etc. which I suggest you follow along to. You can also visit her website here to peruse some of her work and services.

So read along to be cautioned against getting hot peppers on your hands, and how Jesse might in fact be a housecat: