Found Objects

proofs of a life well-lived

This Substack is brought to you by Mejuri, the makers of my very favorite hoops, among many other shiny things.

I'm hunkered down in Cannes, in the seaside apartment that belonged to my grandfather—a place I'd come to find refuge in for months at a time during my teenage years. I often come here when I need to be alone, at home but far from my family.

Working from here “Chez Pépé”

While my grandfather is no longer with us, some of his things still live here, and I've been thinking about the archaeology of a life well-lived—the small treasures that accumulate not through intention but just through living. In his case, an old warped cutting board and grey dining plates I never much loved but can't imagine not being here.

Last week in Paris: a “wish” bracelet I bought on a hike in Costa Rica, the sparkliest tennis bracelet (had wanted one forever - thank you Mejuri!), Mejuri Pinch me bracelet with lobster claws, the heart is technically an engagement ring except I bought it for myself, Mejuri Charlotte ring and ziggy ring. My pink clutch I take everywhere.

Growing up with parents who kept everything, I learned early the difference between accumulation and curation. Where they saw abundance, I craved negative space. But certain objects—especially those from the South of France—bypass all my minimalist tendencies and straight up feel like home. My Picault plates from Vallauris, all of them chipped from overuse, bridged the distance between home and Los Angeles when I lived there. In Paris, it's a coffee table from Roger Capron I bought from a friend. Not precious in any traditional sense, but they hold the weight of my roots somewhere along the Riviera.

The small objects matter, too. Do you remember being a child and visiting a friend's bedroom for the first time, seeing how they'd arranged their universe of objects? Like visiting Ariel in her grotto, each fork and candlestick a window into a world she was trying to understand.

Summer reads (in French!), tickets from the Funiculare in Capri which I can’t seem to throw away, the Mejuri Castaway Charm on a bunch of beads I bought at a beach in Corsica maybe a decade ago. My favorite hoops ever, from Mejuri, I actually have them from the year they launched but they just sent me fresh ones. Mejuri Amelia seashell brooch, the chicest lighter.

The Amelia Seashell Brooch on a block printed pareo, this one is from Alvica but I accumulate them from travels and Etsy every year, a notebook for all my dreams goals and this gold hamper / beach bag I LOVE. Jelly shoes, of course.

There's something almost mythical about the ritual of collecting—I set out to complete a set of Gio Ponti for Fraser Krupp forks and knives before my 30th birthday, but it took an extra three years to get all the knives, one by one on eBay over time

A seashell dish we used for my Cookbook shoot and my beloved collection of Gio Ponti flatware.

Look at this trove, treasures untold
How many wonders can one cavern hold?

When I moved into my Paris place, before the renovation and before I had any furniture really, I found myself packing up the strangest assortment of scented things: a Soap Home from Soft Services, a hair mask, tomato incense, the medium hoops I purchased from Mejuri when I worked at Glossier that have been tucked in my passport pouch forever.

My bag and all its charms, and a survival kit for beautifying my construction site when I moved into my place in Paris: soap home, my favorite summer incense (soap is good too!), a candle, a hair mask.

This is why I love Mejuri's new Found Objects collection and eagerly accepted to help promote it—it understands that the most meaningful jewelry doesn't announce itself. Like the charms that jangle softly from my bag as I move through the city, these pieces feel like wearing favorite memories, for someone who believes that creating beauty is a daily practice.

A whole stack by Mejuri that resisted quite a few dips in the sea! Large hoops, easy huggies I added a blue clover and diamond pendant to, lab grown huggie and mini stud. Castaway charm (sold out sorryyyy).

There's something radical about insisting on beauty in the smallest details—if you're reading this today, you probably agree. The way a ring catches light, or today how a seashell pin helped hold my sarong, anchors me to joy, even on the most ordinary day. Because the best collections aren't built in a day; they're discovered, piece by piece, over the course of a life lived with intention.

Mejuri Castaway charm on my own beads, a full stack of hoops on my ear (see pic above for all the links). Early morning jump in an empty cove in Antibes. The bikini is here (I’m a small top and bottom)

What objects tell your story? Tell me in the comments. Thank you for reading, this one was special!

xx Melanie