Photos of Lyndsay Hannah
I’ve only met writer Catherine Newman in person once – or wait, maybe never? – but I feel like we’ve been friends forever. I imagine anyone who reads his work feels that way. She writes in a funny and tender voice, as if you were in the same room, laughing on the sofa, warm coffees in hand. Today, I’m thrilled to share a tour of Catherine’s home in Amherst, Massachusetts, which she shares with her husband, Michael. (Their adult children — Birdy and Ben — also visit regularly for “a week or two of bliss.”) Take a peek inside…
KITCHEN:
Coming together: Everyone enters the house through the kitchen door. We always wanted to build a locker room, but every time we got close I was like, “Wait, do we need a locker room more than Partners in Health needs $5,000 from us?” There was something about spending that large amount of money that got me thinking. Still, the gate area is chaotic. When I saw this poster at a friend’s house, it made me think, Oh yes, this mess is a value instead of a liability. The poster gives me such a good feeling.
On a reliable meal: Birdy is a celiac vegetarian, and Ben is a carnivore who will make an exception for bread. They’re both incredibly graceful, but their favorite dishes don’t overlap. at all. So our family meal is now “Bean Feast”. I make a big pot of pinto beans in the pressure cooker, then put in toppings that people can choose from. I’ll cut lime wedges and shred cabbage or make a simple coleslaw; there’s hot sauce, flaky salt, feta cheese, diced avocados if we have any, olive oil. It’s such a good meal, honestly.
On a collection of vases: I’m really good at picking a bunch of flowers forever [laughs]. You can give me a bouquet, and months later I’ll pick the one living thing and put it in the smallest vase in the world. I know carnations are a flower under siege, but you begin to realize that everything dies out and carnations live on forever.
On an interior window: When we bought the house, I wanted to tear down that wall. The living room is tiny and I thought if it was connected to the kitchen it would be better. But we had no money for renovations. So our friend Johnny came over with a Sawzall and cut out that window. It changed the whole vibe downstairs, and it was such a great housewarming gift. It also means you can yell at each other, which anyone in my house does.
On the wall of the pear gallery: I like to eat pears, I guess, but I to like the way they look. As soon as I hung the first pear drawing, it was like a magnet. People sent me pictures of pears, postcards and drawings. The collection was this organic thing. But I’m particular at this point – I won’t hang a pear indiscriminately!
On a kitchen couch: During our house hunting, our real estate agent hated us because we were so weird and had particular ideas and a very small budget and it didn’t translate to anything “normal” – like, we didn’t need 1 bedroom with bathroom but we needed room for a kitchen couch. But we love this sofa. I cook often, and that’s where everyone hangs out all the time.
LIVING ROOM:
On a coffee table drawing: When the children were very small, we covered the coffee table with white paper. It was fun for them to draw on the table, and their friends would come and draw too. It has become a habit for 20 years. Now, on Thanksgiving, someone will scribble a perfect thing or a portrait, and I’m like, okay, I’ll cut this out and keep it! We mark games on it, I take notes during phone calls, I find recipes on it. When the kids were teenagers, I would come downstairs in the morning after a big sleepover, and there would be all these dirty little drawings on the table or swear words, which was the funniest, most innocent rebellion.
At the piano : Our son Ben plays the piano. He plays a lot of Joni Mitchell for me because he’s a mensch. He plays Christmas music for my mom when she comes over for the holidays, and when our friend in the 90s comes over for dinner, Ben will play Frank Sinatra.
DINING ROOM:
Board games: We play so many games and are very picky about them, and we play epic European games that are intense and stressful. One of our favorites is the wine-themed one called Viticulture. We sit down to play, and everyone has to say, I have nothing to do for the next four hours, because we’ll look up and four hours will have passed and we’ll be hunched over increasing our vineyard . You never get bored and you feel like you’re dying all the time. You’re like, omg I’m gonna miss the harvest, forget it, might as well leave now!!!
BATHROOM:
On bathroom supplies: Our daughter Birdy is a total activist rockstar, and she made a box with a sign that says, “Use pads and tampons!” She always says she wants to live her life in the kind of house where it wouldn’t matter if you were bleeding on the couch. We have a house full of teenagers all the time, and the kids are knocking things over and saying, “Omg, I’m so sorry!” But we really don’t care, and I’m very happy about it. This is the value of Birdy.
DESK:
In a shared office: I usually work in bed or at the kitchen table, so the truth is the office is a lovely place where I dump everything. Michael has an office here, though. He’s a massage therapist. He obtained a doctorate. in philosophy from Berkeley but realized he didn’t like it enough to devote his life to it or move around like academics do. So he went to massage school. He does his billing here.
PRIMARY CHAMBER:
On a writing ritual: I write a lot because I have deadlines and that’s how we pay our bills, but I’m not the most disciplined writer — so I made myself a sticker board. Now every time I write 500 words I get a sticker! I also need a big caffeine buzz – I wrote my new novel in a runaway state. I get up early, caffeine heavily, write as much as I can, and give myself several stickers.
On a larger bed: If I had to redo my parenthood, I would have a king size bed. Because we all lay here and watch TikToks on kids’ phones and it’s like a joke from an old movie. I don’t even know if the bed is comfortable or not. I think that it’s good. Our room has a very haven feeling to me, overall.
On a headlamp: Oh my god, I have the worst insomnia, but I do a ton of reading. After my husband falls asleep, I wear my headlamp; it gives the exact amount of light for reading. The only thing is the cats feel like I shine it in their eyes and they go crazy for it.
GUEST ROOM:
On guest accommodation: My favorite guests are people who are excited, and I always try to remember that when I’m invited. I like it when I say, ‘Do you want wine or beer with dinner?’ and they say, ‘Ooh can we have both? Can we start with wine and then have beer? I appreciate people who like to be hosted and who appreciate all the special things. ‘Do you eat ice cream?’ ‘WE LOVE ICE CREAM!!!!!!’
On a book that everyone will enjoy: This is the book that everyone wants to read, I think, when staying at someone else’s house. It’s fun and you can flip through it. I recommend it to everyone as an accommodation to publish.
BATHROOM:
Don’t be embarrassed: One thing I can’t stop thinking about is how weird my house became when I found out it was going to be photographed. I tried to keep it real, but then I kept thinking – omg, the photographer will pull that curtain, and there will be a bucket of dirty washcloths and all the acne medicine. It’s so weird what makes you ashamed. Even if nothing was different from what anyone else would have. Oh god forbid anyone see my acne meds!
On most social media: I love how the TikTok videos will show people talking about mental illness and the fallibility of the human body, how a million things happen and they happen to everyone – and there’s total acceptance. TikTok can be that loving and surprisingly wonderful place. And almost everything is really funny. You couldn’t have a weird thing and not find someone who makes it a TikTok, and I’m like, Omg that’s good, that’s so good.
OUTSIDE:
By taking advantage of an empty nest: Of course, I miss my kids and wish it was normal for them to stay home for the rest of their lives and live a full and happy life like this. But there are silver linings to being an empty nest. I realized that, unbeknownst to me, I had approached motherhood as organizing this very happy, decades-long celebration. When the children were both gone, I felt the relief. Now, with Michael, at the end of the day, we just hang out. He’ll be like, do you want pizza? Craving fruit for dinner? And I don’t care! I do not care. This part is a surprising pleasure for me, the ease and sweetness of being home alone with someone I’ve been with for so long. It’s just Michael and me, and the cats.
