Christene Barberich is a writer, editor, and advisor. She co-founded Refinery29 in 2005 and is currently exploring her longtime love of small, amazing spaces, memorable outfits, and all things vintage in her brand new newsletter A Tiny Apt. on Substack.

Tell us about your new venture!

A Tiny Apt. is a new weekly newsletter I launched in early February devoted to personal style, spaces, and ultimately navigating life and our homes through changes and challenges—be they square footage or otherwise. It's kind of a living diary peppered with all the stuff I love the most, like patterned textiles, organization/collecting/discarding, and anything that helps us to understand our own unique style a little better. 

Is it focused on Design? 

Yes, there's definitely a lot of design and what I hope are great useful resources, but mostly I think A Tiny Apt. is a newsletter about seeing small/unconventional/occasionally overlooked things differently—more expansively, with more wonder, and that works no matter what size space you occupy. My own Brooklyn apartment happens to be on the tiny side, but it's more about what this space is teaching me in the way of change, adapting, and optimizing, as well as what I love most and what works for me—in my home and in my life. I think after the past two years, that's something we can all relate to on different levels. 

How are you getting the word out?

Good question! Right now, it's very word-of-mouth, which feels right. After spending 16 years building a global media company, I'm embracing these early days when I can do what I want, test and experiment, and really hear what readers are responding to. I think at the end of the day, while I love being a writer and telling stories, I also want my work to help people or spark a different perspective on things. Hopefully, A Tiny Apt. is helping us look at space and opportunities differently, as well as what we can ultimately do with it. 

Where can we sign up? 

You can subscribe or share it with anyone you think can relate right here. I'm just grateful to have vibrant communities like this one at THE BOARD where we can share new ideas/concepts as well as examine and explore their potential. And of course, I'm SO OPEN to suggestions/feedback (bring it!)...this is just the beginning and I'm so eager to hear what you all think...and, of course, thank you April, Anita...and everyone here.

Lastly, what should we be reading, following, or knowing about?

So many industries are in the throes of enormous shifts, and brand expert Ana Andjelic does a really incredible job of breaking it all down in her newsletter The Sociology of Business (her book The Business of Aspiration is a must-read). I loved this edition she did about this move from buying to collecting and what that means in terms of a new "cultural/social/economic paradigm." I think what she's onto in terms of reassessing our values system and how we define success is super interesting and makes a lot of sense in terms of building brands, platforms, and business models of the future.