By Karen and Erica

We are both straight white women, in our 60’s, New Yorkers, retired lawyers, interested in style, concerned, politically active. We came together to restyle retirement. We are very much on the same page about our objective, and Lustre is our baby.  

But we have our differences.  

Erica came of age in and around New York, lucky girl. Karen's parents were diplomats. She lived all over the place. But she fell for New York the first time she sailed in, when she was very little. Neither of us will ever leave this city. 

Erica has a million siblings, each more accomplished than the other. Karen had one, who was about twice her size, and did cool things.  

Erica was brave about marriage and motherhood, jumping in when she was a barely adult young lawyer. Karen was much more circumspect, marrying and becoming a mother in her 40's.  

Erica was an early adopter of leather clothes, but tends to the black and white with a dash of color here and there. Karen's leather is on her furniture and she is more into neon and all things glitter. Erica is now into glitter too, especially on shoes. 

Erica still wears stratospheric heels (sometimes), despite two long ago back surgeries and a new knee. Karen is a terminal klutz, safer in flats. But neon, shiny flats.  

Erica knows personal shoppers of top rated establishments, as well as sales folks at consignment stores. Karen knows her way around Century 21.

Erica reads voraciously, some non-fiction of consequence, lots of 19th century fiction and some junk, mostly with happy endings. Karen reads too, even pretty long books, but loves trashy detective stories, and science, and science fiction. She would like to be an astronaut. Erica HATES science fiction. Her fantasy is Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Erica grew up on Archie and Veronica. Karen was all things Marvel. 

We both like what we judge to be good design, and good art. Erica once was pretty traditional and now tends toward art deco and contemporary--wood, stone, but clean lines. She likes lamps. Karen loves all things metallic, modern and contemporary, abstract, and wants no unpainted wood at all in her home. No lamps, either. Erica can't live without shelves full of books. Karen likes only to read books and has no interest in them as objects. Both of us need art on the walls. Both of us like white. 

Erica likes living in a civilized, largely residential neighborhood, reasonably close to the ground. Karen wants to get up as high as possible, and to live in trending still commercial neighborhoods. 

We both are happy to travel just about anywhere, and to see and do new things. We both will eat, and drink, just about anything, at just about any hour. We both find the same kinds of things funny and the same kinds of people boring or amusing, as the case may be. We have a similar work ethic. We both care about the written word. We are both very opinionated. We enjoy talk as a way to work things out, and like to challenge each other's thinking. And we laugh a lot, about most everything. Sadly, not everything. The state of the nations has us worried.

Our similarities could have made writing these posts pretty boring. Instead, Lustre's style is fueled by our differences. Fun for us, and we hope for you too.