Here's what my new office looks like

Welcome to the Sprezza HQ

Over the last few years, my life has taken plenty of unexpected turns. Some stuff I’ve been manifesting, and other stuff I didn’t fully see coming.

If you know me, you know I’ve spent most of my 20s working for other companies or people. I played the traditional career game, bounced around between fashion and startup world, trying a lot of different jobs, and looking for the right “fit.”

But somewhere along the way, through writing Sprezza, making content, and experimenting online, I’ve started to find my own lane. I leaned into sharing what I love: style, culture, creativity.

And that small shift is turning into something much bigger. Without fully realizing it… this became my work.

If you work freelance, run a small business, or do your own creative work, we all know what it’s like to WFH or bounce between coffee shops. I’ve had to do that for years, and it’s made me realize I need a grounded space to do my work and build.

So, I finally did it.

I got a studio!!

It’s here in Amsterdam, where I live now, and it’s the perfect spot to do all my work: think, write, shoot, meet, and create.

PS - huge thanks to Connor Houtman who photographed everything beautifully. Couldn’t have captured the vibes any better.

Building around the sound system

One of the first things I knew I wanted for the studio was a proper sound system.

I’ve always loved music, grew up playing guitar, piano, and singing in the church choir, but I’ve never an audiophile or sound-tech nerd.

I didn’t want to just get a Sonos or Bluetooth speaker; I wanted a set that would blend into the space and offer a wide range of sound quality.

A few months ago, REL Acoustics reached out and gifted me a set of their subwoofers, and it’s been a game-changer. The walnut finishing is exactly the type of blending in I’ve been looking for, and the sound is as good as you’ll find on the market, relative to price.

Their entire concept is about creating a deep, full-bodied sound that doesn’t overpower the room. And that’s exactly how I feel about it in my space. It’s subtle, rich, warm. You don’t just hear it, you feel it in your bones!

For me, if you’re looking at a custom home system for your TV, or want something for your office or studio, REL subs are a great option to pair with a brand like Klipsch on the speaker front.

The space itself

I really wanted to find a space that felt lived-in, not cold and sterile, or like a try-hard showroom. I needed it to be comfortable, warm, and inviting.

You’ll see a lot of my personal taste at play, too.

• A Danish linoleum-top table from Magnus Olesen (1970s) - thanks to Juki for hooking it up

• Marcel Brueur’s famous Wasili chair for a punch of Bauhaus flavor (got at a yard sale from a vintage seller in Amsterdam called Ted)

• This beautiful sofabed from the homies at Slowe Living

• An IKEA workbench I found outside the warehouse I’m renting from

• Building a collection of visuals like the 1994 NYC Marathon poster (yes, with the Twin Towers), and that iconic photo of Mick Jagger, Bob Marley, and Peter Tosh sitting shoulder to shoulder

I wanted the space to have that quiet tension between minimalism and playfulness. Give it a little color here, a little nostalgia there. But the idea is that it can evolve over time.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned about designing a space (whether it’s a home, an office, etc) it’s that you need time to let the space reveal what it needs.

Here’s some more photos of it.

What’s next

This studio is just the beginning.

Outside of using it as a backdrop to make content, it’s a place to build, invite others in, host things, collaborate, and keep experimenting.

So yeah… welcome to the new HQ.

More on the way.