What’s Happening: Faced with the prospect of packing and moving everything in her house post-divorce, the Belgian photographer systematically documented every one of her possessions to fashion a warts-and-all self-portrait through mundane objects.

The Download: Divorce prompts tense conversations about how couples should divide their property. That chore was unusually straightforward for photographer Barbara Iweins, whose ex-husband simply decided to take nothing with him. Faced with the onerous task of moving again, the Brussels-based mother of three opted for an introspective distraction—“necessary therapy,” as she puts it—by cataloging every single item she owns. She went from room to room, photographing and inventorying everything from Lego bricks and safety pins to trench coats and toothbrushes, classifying each by color, material, and frequency of use.

Four years later, her “obsessive” mission certainly passed the time—and evolved into an exhaustive inventory of the average household’s domestic flotsam. Her 12,795-object archive is now captured in Katalog, a new hardcover that was shortlisted for the 2023 Rencontres d’Arles Author Book Awards. Inside, she arrays photographs of mundane objects alongside treasured keepsakes, fashioning a self-portrait through belongings. The images’ sheer weight and repetition are tempered with amusing anecdotes—a mug evokes “brotherly dislike,” an iPhone case shows signs of teenage trickery—and self-mocking statistics gleaned from an overcrowded Excel spreadsheet: “I have the weakness to believe that I’m the only person in the world who knows that the dominant color in her house is blue (16%).”

Perusing the tome’s 360 pages of uniform white-background product shots may overwhelm the clutter-averse and spark diatribes about overconsumption, but the self-described “neurotic collector” of vintage clothing concedes her spending habits are otherwise fairly typical of a single parent. She also doesn’t shy away from getting personal, intentionally including bedside table items like lube, condoms, and Xanax, as well as a dreaded mold of her own teeth. Her warts-and-all approach, she says, intends to counter the hyper-curated, ideal versions of ourselves we tend to broadcast on social media. Her biggest revelation? “Only one percent of these objects are important; 99 percent I could get rid of,” she says. “Most of the objects I really care for are the things I cannot replace.”

In their Own Words: “It structured my thoughts, organizing all the chaos,” she tells The Guardian. “Before, I was scared something terrible would happen. [With] the book, everything can catch fire and at least I’ll have this reminder that it existed, that it was there. This project was a consolation in a way.”

Surface Says: Marie Kondo would have a heart attack.

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As gala season returns this fall, so too does The Architectural League of New York’s annual Beaux Arts Ball. This year, architects, designers, and friends of the League will head to Building 269 at Brooklyn Navy Yard on Sept. 29 for the 33rd annual edition of the gala since it was revived in 1990. This year’s theme, Sea Change, invites attendees to meditate on the interdependence between the built environment and planetary ecosystems with an installation by CO Adaptive.

Jean Dousset, a Cartier descendant, has shattered industry norms by opening the first-ever heritage lab-grown diamond boutique in West Hollywood. Designed by the irreverent architecture firm Design, Bitches, the flagship is a physical manifestation of Dousset’s commitment to uncompromising luxury and innovation. Visual cues, from the faceted steel storefront’s diamond-like geometry to a chiseled concrete table to undulating walls, are engineered to mirror the transformative journey of diamonds.

The space also introduces a new range of design possibilities for the brand, featuring custom displays that offer an immersive experience like Dousset’s principal engagement ring designs and heritage wall adorned with photos of Louis Cartier. The boutique’s launch reflects a seismic shift in the global diamond industry as more consumers warm up to designer lab diamonds. The opening coincides with the debut of the brand’s new High Jewelry collection whose focus on dimensions ensures each piece makes an impact from all angles.

Aquariums may abound with glass, but that doesn’t mean humans can see marine habitats clearly. That thought inspired the Sea of Cortez Research Center, a new aquarium designed by Tatiana Bilbao Estudio on a picturesque estuary in Mazatlán. Envisioned to resemble a future ruin reclaimed by nature, the three-level structure is anchored by a towering rotunda crisscrossed with monumental concrete walls. Giant tanks housing aquatic life neighbor pools and greenery, intended to strengthen ties between visitors and sea life. “I created the story of the ruin for humans to relate better to their own ecosystem,” Bilbao told Dezeen. “The idea that nature took over a building that existed allows for visitors to understand and relate to their own world, which is one that we cannot actually experience and see very clearly.”

It doesn’t take very long into a conversation with A. Jacob Marks to realize that the Skram founder—a self-taught designer and furniture maker—is full of wisdom. After starting the company at just 25 years old, Marks quickly went on to be named one of the top young designers in the Americas by boutique architecture publisher Daab. Then came an ICFF award, multiple NYCxDesign awards, a membership on the Sustainable Furnishings Council, and, recently, a showroom in the prestigious New York Design Center. But Marks hasn’t let any of it go to his head.

No doubt, it takes a level head, sharp eye, and, frankly, talent to take an independent furniture brand from an idea, to a brand headquartered in a former North Carolina knitting mill all the way to America’s creative epicenter in New York City. Marks, in his wisdom, makes it all sound deceptively simple: “If I do my job, beautiful materials accentuate form, but they are not a substitute for good design.”

The interior designer has made a name for herself as an artist, too, with striking, figurative sculptures that take inspiration from the female form. A new collection of mirrors, available for pre-order from Moda Operandi, plays with the notion of optical illusion, inspiring one to question their own perception of self and reality. According to Cure, the art of Salvador Dalí was a major influence, but it only takes a peek inside the colorful resin and acrylic frames to see that Cure’s fascination with the human form is as alive as ever. From $2,500.

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Grounded in the world of international fine art, Brooklyn-based Callidus Guild conceives, designs, and installs surfaces and wallpapers for the world’s most illustrious clients. Callidus Guild is known for an elevated, one-of-a-kind aesthetic that incorporates plasters, precious metals, and handmade paints.

Surface Says: Owner and creative director Yolande Milan Batteau’s creations—from her wallpapers to gilded mirrors—are infused with a sense of magic. That aura radiates from her verdant and charming Clinton Hill studio, too.

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