Curating the WFH Scene with Misha Sumitra Lasoff
At work, Misha curates experiences. At home, she curates atmospheres. As Saie’s Events and Marketing Manager, she keeps her WFH world lived-in, not staged, equal parts creativity lab, sanctuary, and always carrying the faint trace of Diptyque.
Let’s set the scene. What’s the first thing you do when you sit down at your desk each morning?
I absolutely cannot work in silence! If my day doesn’t start with a meeting the first thing I do is decide what music vibe I want to work to. I love a mix of jazz, R&B/Soul… I’ve been looping this playlist lately.
How has working from home shaped your relationship with getting dressed?
I’m such a big elevated loungewear person. I need to feel put together in order to get things done but also want to be effortless and comfortable. This usually manifests in a rotating uniform of some sort of nice loose fitting pant and white tee.
What’s your WFH dress code: Aspirational, intentional, or purely emotional?
Depends on how much sleep I got the night before, ha!
Do you believe in “desk dressing” e.g., dressing up your top half for Zoom. Or is it full-look-or-nothing?
Full look or nothing- even if it’s casual!
How did you go about designing a space that feels both productive and peaceful?
I think my work-from-home space is pretty casual. I do have a desk nook that I use typically for meetings because the background is nice and it forces me to sit upright but you’ll definitely find me contorted in weird positions on my couch or on my courtyard stoop face in the sun when I am trying to get through my to-do list.
What are the little rituals that signal a shift from ‘home’ to ‘work’?
There’s never really a clear shift, so much of what I do for leisure (perusing books, pulling references online, etc) seep and feed into my work. But at any given time, I love a candle burning. My favorite scent this year has been Tuberose by Diptyque.
How do you carve out softness and slowness between meetings and deadlines?
I always make sure I take the time to make myself a feel-good lunch. Sometimes this means a light salad, sometimes this means a bowl of pasta. The ritual of slowing down and making food for yourself always centers me. Saying you were so busy you didn’t have time to eat is not a flex.
Are you a mid-day outfit changer? Or does one look carry you from morning emails to wine o’clock?
DEFINITELY a changer. I don’t hang out at home in my outside clothes. Even if I come home from a midday meeting, I change into something more loungeable and then if I go out again, another change is made. I sometimes run through 3-4 outfits a day…
This time of year tends to feel like a fresh start. As the seasons shift into fall, are you making any shifts, yourself?
I’ve been into reorganizing and purging lately. I have a Harry Potter Room-esque storage closet and I just took it from not being able to shut the door full to Marie Kondo level organization. I’m also finally tackling all the small at-home DIY projects I’ve been putting off: putting up new french curtains, painting a wall mural in my bedroom, hanging a rail above my stove to display all my cookware.
Any advice for making the work-from-home rhythm feel a little more romantic?
I think it’s important to make your environment feel like a place of inspiration. Be neat, but lived in, you shouldn’t feel like you’re living in a gallery or showroom. Do a bit of tidying everyday so things don’t get out of hand… I’ve fallen victim to this a few too many times haha.
WFH, STYLED BY MISHA. SHOP HER LOOKS HERE. →
