Say Gah! to: Sydney Gore

Say Gah! to: Sydney Gore

Say Gah! To Sydney Gore. Sydney is the Digital Design Editor at Architectural Digest + Clever. You may know her on social media as @cozy.spice and her design-centric meme sharing, but what Sydney’s really up to is making cool, curated interior design approachable and attainable for the next generation.

LSG: Hi Sydney! Tell us about you.

SG: Greetings LSG! I'm Sydney Gore, also known as Cozy Spice, and I'm from the suburbs of New Jersey outside of Philadelphia. (I'm a HUGE fan of Wawa and anyone that doesn't agree that it's the happiest place on Earth is simply wrong.) While I've only ever lived on the east coast, I enjoy exploring new places all over the world. I previously lived in DC while I was studying undergrad at American University so if you don't want the boring tourist experience the next time you visit please gimme a shout for recs! I currently work at Architectural Digest as a Digital Design Editor and have been published at The New York Times, New York Magazine, Vogue, Teen Vogue, W Magazine, Broccoli, Gossamer, and a bunch of other places.

 

LSG: Where do you live?

SG: I've been an uptown girl in Manhattan for the past six years! My apartment is only a few blocks away from Central Park which is my favorite place to clear my head and get grounded. (If it wasn't obvious, I'm an Earth sign.) Sometimes I call it the city of rotten apples, but I genuinely love my silly little NYC life :)

 

LSG: What do you do and what does it entail?

SG: I'm a writer, editor, journalist, and consultant. I don't believe in my whole identity being defined by a job, but I'm really proud of my work and what I've achieved so far in my career. I hold myself to this standard of writing something worth reading about and doing something worth writing about. Moving with intention always pays off. I'm most interested in telling stories about life and the culture that enriches it so I cover a variety of subjects that spark my curiosity—the limit does not exist! (Except for politics and sports, no thanks.) If I was a cast member on a reality show, my tagline would definitely be "You know my byline, not my story." 

Dana is the true definition of a multi-hyphenate, constantly creating, no matter the medium. Dana is proudly of middle eastern descent, and is always looking to use her photography/film work to breakdown stereotypes, and depict a positive representation of middle-eastern/Muslim communities. Boulos Is also a fierce advocate for women's rights—she currently supports Free The Work, a non-profit initiative advocating on behalf of female directors for equal job opportunities.
"If I was a cast member on a reality show, my tagline would definitely be "You know my byline, not my story."

LSG: How do design + fashion intertwine with you?

SG: Design is at the center of everything even if you aren't fully aware of it. I think that pages like Hood Century and Hoechitecture are doing an amazing job at educating audiences that are often erased from this culture. It's easy to overlook the full magnitude of design's impact on our everyday lives. I'm constantly geeking out with my friend Amy Auscherman about this, but I've been so mesmerized by the recent crossover of furniture and fashion specifically. (Vivid Wu and Frank Ocean are living embodiments of this.) Now I get giddy whenever I see a photo shoot featuring a designer piece of furniture as a prop in the shot—to me that's honestly more exciting than the celebrity striking the pose! 

 

LSG: Do you have a piece of furniture or decor you're currently obsessed with? Why?

SG: This is the hardest question to answer because I have soooooo many functional objects that I adore from my vintage Mies Van Der Rohe MR10 chairs and Kartell laundry hamper by Anna Castelli Ferrieri to the pink Vetri Murano mushroom lamp that sits on my lucite etagere! I'm still reassembling this piece, but I recently acquired a vintage IKEA chest of drawers from Tomas Jelinek's VAJER series that is the dresser of my dreams. I had to order it from a seller located in London because I couldn't find it anywhere in the States, but it was worth the hassle! I'm officially self-diagnosing with a case of wiggle mania, I'm riding the wave and never looking back. Vintage IKEA is all the rage right now, but there's something to be said about the quality of the pieces that were being produced in collaboration with innovative designers during the '80s and '90s. I wish they would just reproduce all the collections I like so I'm not having to hunt them down haha.

 

LSG: Tell us about a regular day in your life as a digital design editor!

SG: I'm an early bird so after I wake up and finish my skincare routine, I'll doomscroll on Instagram while making breakfast and then go through all my emails—I'm an inbox zero person so no message goes unread even if I don't reply. Sometimes I'll treat myself to a cup of matcha at a cafe nearby if I can spare a few minutes away from my screen. No day is ever the same, but the constant is that I'm booked and busy so when I'm not sitting in meetings or conducting interviews I'm usually writing and editing stories while listening to whatever music strikes the mood. I also make time to chit-chat with my colleagues on Slack and usually send them cool things that I've spotted on IG to gauge interest in coverage on Clever!

LSG: Tell us about a regular day in your life as a digital design editor!

SG: I'm an early bird so after I wake up and finish my skincare routine, I'll doomscroll on Instagram while making breakfast and then go through all my emails—I'm an inbox zero person so no message goes unread even if I don't reply. Sometimes I'll treat myself to a cup of matcha at a cafe nearby if I can spare a few minutes away from my screen. No day is ever the same, but the constant is that I'm booked and busy so when I'm not sitting in meetings or conducting interviews I'm usually writing and editing stories while listening to whatever music strikes the mood. I also make time to chit-chat with my colleagues on Slack and usually send them cool things that I've spotted on IG to gauge interest in coverage on Clever!

 

LSG: Dream decor piece to own one day? A *must*?

SG: This is another loaded question!!! There are too many designer pieces on my wish list, but some objects probably shouldn't be shared until I obtain them for my own collection though... All I think about lately is chairs because I've been struggling to find a big, comfy couch within my budget. While I'm big on the Bauhaus vibes with the classic leather and chrome combo, Laura Harrier's pink velvet Mario Marenco for Arflex sofa is exactly what I want. I'm also eyeing rugs from Eny Lee Parker and Pieces that are wayyyy out of my price range, but a gal can dream! I swear by the power of manifestation, it's VERY real.

 

LSG: Tell us about one up-and-coming interior designer you're excited about.

SG: So this is technically not a professional interior designer, but I'm obsessed with Plankton's Loft. It's become my new favorite account on Instagram. The person behind the account has an impeccable eye and their taste in modern design is *chefs kiss*, it's like living in a gallery where Space Age meets Afrofuturism. I'm so inspired by their level of curation and would hire them in a heartbeat to help me with my space if I had a much bigger budget to spend!

 

LSG: What do you say GAH! to?

SG: Sydney says GAH! to the Gaetano Pesce exhibition at Salon 94, it will blow your mind.

Sydney Gore
1.29.21
Text: Madeline Sensible
Photos: Dana Boulos
@danaboulos
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