COLD PICNIC is a line of soft home goods designed by Phoebe Sung and Peter Buer, who draw from their love of film, wildlife, interior design, and art to explore imagined and misremembered landscapes.
Jason Rodgers photographed Phoebe and Peter in No. 25 / No. 38
Read the full Q&A below.
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TIME AFTER TIME
Morning routine:
Phoebe - Wake up to feed baby Coco then sneak to our older daughter Freya’s bed to sleep with her a little more. Then Peter makes coffees which we drink in bed and maybe have a short story time. Then breakfast, getting everyone dressed, teeth brushed, dogs. Which all sounds easy but it can be agonizing.
Peter - Coco (our baby) wakes up at about 5.45/6. I make a coffee and then we hang in bed until the girls get up.
Drink of choice:
Phoebe - I love pineapple seltzer. And chrysanthemum tea with a bit of sugar. Coffees that Peter makes. Horchata, and horchata mixed with iced coffee. Mango juice.
Peter - Iced oat milk latte (no matter the temperature outside)
Nighttime ritual:
Phoebe - After kids go to sleep we eat chips and fruit in bed while watching a tv show.
Peter - Same! And I try to be asleep by 10.30
Favorite workout:
Phoebe - I used to do fun trampoline workouts or run around the park. Now I carry babies around. My left arm is my carrying arm and it’s noticeably different from my lazy right arm.
Peter - Unrolling and re-rolling 100lb rugs
Current uniform:
Phoebe - Lately I’ve been wearing vintage straight leg Levis and a sweater or button up everyday. My favorite children’s brand for sweaters is Animal Observatory and I recently made the exciting discovery that their bigger kids clothes fit adults. Obsessed with my new LL sweater so can’t wait to wear it to death.
Peter - Denim jacket, with an old Acne crew neck sweater and black straight leg jeans
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FOR THE TIME BEING
Book you’re reading:
Phoebe - Breaking And Entering by Joy Williams. I just finished her novel The Changeling and loved it - it was so sharp and strange.
Peter - the series by Stephen Fry about Greek myths
Song or album on repeat:
Phoebe - Under Pressure from Encanto. Our kid makes us blast it and then carries her furniture and stuffies from room to room, flexing.
Peter - Angst in My Pants by Sparks
Most-used app:
Phoebe - Weather, and Instagram. I don’t even know what I do on there, I realize I’m on it again and close my phone and don’t remember a single thing. Also NYTimes cooking.
Peter - Bleacher Report - to follow my first love, Arsenal
TV show you’re watching:
Phoebe - Just finished our Flag Means Death which I loved. And currently watching Severance which is so sad and creepy.
Peter - Obsessed with Severance and still can’t stop thinking about Station Eleven
Last movie you saw:
Phoebe - Thomasine and Bushrod, a 70s Blaxploitation western retelling of Bonnie and Clyde.
Peter - French Dispatch
Artist who inspires you at the moment:
Phoebe - Pierre Boncompain, especially all those flowers and picnics, is really getting me excited for spring
Peter - My wife and business partner, Phoebe
Best recent discovery:
Phoebe - Instant Pot!
Peter - Whenever we drive anywhere the car is filled with dogs and kids and no trunk space. I just got a roof box for the car and I’m obsessed.
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QUIET TIME
Self-care strategies:
Phoebe - Complaining
Peter - Sleep
Can’t-live-without-it beauty product:
Phoebe - i love the klorane non aerosol dry shampoo for when I’m too lazy to wash my hair. Though sometimes I’m too lazy to brush it in and then I find myself with a dusty head halfway through the day
Peter - Selsun Blue
Place where you go to relax:
Phoebe - Bed
Peter - We bought a place upstate in Delhi NY at the end of 2021. It’s so quiet and peaceful up there and I can’t wait to spend more time there this year
PASTTIME
Off-duty activity or hobby:
Phoebe - I got into making paper mache furniture during quarantine. And I like embroidering old napkins and tee shirts.
Peter - Watching football (English). Recently started rug tufting furniture but every time I do it I throw out my back.
Favorite charity that’s worth your time:
Phoebe - There are a lot. Some of the smaller organizations feel more meaningful to donate to because you feel that your contribution is going to directly affect change. We really like Made in Brownsville, a nonprofit that seeks to increase access to creative and innovative fields for at-risk youth in Brownsville, Brooklyn through employment and mentorship around design projects that challenge the local narrative of violence and chronic disease.
Guilty pleasure to (wonderfully) waste your time:
Phoebe - I love to cook and prep condiments like mayonnaise or shallot confits, or things like croutons when we trying to get ready to leave the house. Or cut the onions or carrots for a meal later so it’s all prepared. That’s when I remember my to do list! So we’re late for everything.
Peter - The Premier League (football, again)
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OF ALL TIME
Smartest advice ever received:
Phoebe - I don’t know if this is advice, but a way I often deal with potential conflicts is by getting anxious and angry ahead of time. It’s so unproductive! My friend Dorian recently talked me down from doing this in such a positive and non-judgmental way. It opened my eyes.. we’ll see how long that lasts.
Peter - Get 8 hours sleep. Everything is sleep with me because I haven’t had a proper night sleep since 2018
Most inspiring trip:
Phoebe - We went on honeymoon to Formentera and it inspired one of our favorite rug collections. The next big trips will be Mexico City and Taiwan. We just need someone to watch our dogs … hmu if anyone is interested!
Best gift you ever got:
Peter - For my last birthday Phoebe got me a fancy coffee maker. It has completely changed my mornings
Most memorable meal:
Phoebe - My father is Taiwanese, and I went on a trip with him there a few years ago. The eating is very, very good - on the street, at tiny stands, in restaurants, seafood villages, night markets, on trains even… Literally every place was memorable. It was bittersweet because Peter wasn’t able to go and he would have loved everything.
Peter - We had the most wonderful Mediterranean food at a restaurant on the beach in Formentera on our honeymoon
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IN TIME
What’s your next project?
Phoebe - Upholstery! I want to upholster everything!
Peter - We’re planning a furniture show with Fabi and Helena of Coming Soon. And working on a rug / wallpaper collaboration with our friend Emily Thompson who makes the most beautiful flower sculptures.
What are you looking forward to in 2021?
Phoebe - Summer!
Peter - Spending time upstate
TIME WILL TELL
Ten years from now, you will:
Peter - Hopefully be doing the same thing I’m doing now
Phoebe - Ditto to above. Also I hope to be more handy and know how to take care of plants.