“It’s been really yucky&hard to breathe" DC is filled w acrid air, leading to cancelations of outdoor activities & officials urging people to stay inside This pulse check from the haze is my 1st co-byline w THE @joeheim.bsky.social & @liamjscott.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

Frozen yogurt is back, baby, and I wrote all about it for my very first byline for @vox.com (!!!) Each time froyo returns, it’s treated like a “permissible indulgence” and each time, it reveals something about the diet/wellness culture of the moment

Ever tried to buy a ticket on the secondary market (think: Stub Hub, Seat Geek etc) and the price was WAY higher than face value? Well, the D.C. Council just passed a bill to rein in the secondary ticket market

In the immortal words of ABBA, “Mamma Mia, here we go again…” I’ll be covering city hall and all the ways D.C. politics does (and doesn’t) work for The Washington Post for the next few months. Let’s chat! Email me: Rachel.Kurzius(at)washpost(dot)com

Who doesn’t love a shopping experience that allows you to be a little nosy? Got to dust off my audio kit and shadow THE Maddy Brannon, local estate influencer extraordinaire, for an @npr.org story all about how young people are flocking to estate sales.

Ten years ago, you might've gotten some funny looks if you stepped out in Metro merch. Now? People line up around the block for it. @curiouskurz.bsky.social on the transit system's renaissance: 51st.news/wmata-metro-...

NEW: Metro is ... cool now? After years of tragedy and chaos, D.C.'s long-suffering subway system now sells out its merch. @curiouskurz.bsky.social tracks Metro's recent vibe shift. 51st.news/wmata-metro-...

Not for nothing, but it was a Washington Post article about romance fiction that pushed Jacob Tierney to contact Rachel Reid about making #HeatedRivalry.

Which is to say HIRE @curiouskurz.bsky.social and all the staff from @washingtonpost.com. This is bullshit. bsky.app/profile/curi...

The show Heated Rivalry only exists because of an article by Rachel Kurzius inspired Jacob Tierney to reach out to Rachel Reid. Today @washingtonpost.com laid Rachel off. www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/0...

Alas, I got that “Eliminated” email from the @washingtonpost. I LOVED that job. I firmly believe that telling delicious, curious, surprising stories is key to the success of journalism. I plan to keep doing so! (You can now hire me, if you agree) #SaveThePost

Alas, I got that “Eliminated” email from the @washingtonpost. I LOVED that job. I firmly believe that telling delicious, curious, surprising stories is key to the success of journalism. I plan to keep doing so! (You can now hire me, if you agree) #SaveThePost

For nearly a century, the @washingtonpost’s foreign correspondents have been on the ground for the world’s most pressing stories. Now, our desk is facing potential steep cuts. Washington needs us. The world needs us. If you read us and need us, please watch this video and share.

Literally bought my house so we could keep all the cool weird shit. Oh, you don't think a kitchen with an orange backsplash, a blue terrazo floor, and pink wallpaper is good for resale value? Who cares, I live here!

There's an unexpected word catching on in the world of home design: WEIRD. Weird pushes back against fast furniture and decorating for the algorithm or for resale value. I explored the movement to make homes weirder in my latest for the @washingtonpost.com Here's a gift link: wapo.st/4sXIRc9

I asked stylists to break down all those viral fashion formulas like the 3-3-3 Rule and the Third Piece — what works, what to tweak and one to avoid. Here's a gift link: wapo.st/4a8yny3

Billionaires swallowed by whales! Ill-fated trips to space! Truly, no one does it like 9-1-1, ABC's campy first responder procedural. The show returns Thurs, so I chatted w showrunner Tim Minear about keeping it fresh 9 seasons in, Buddie & killing off Bobby. Here's a gift link: wapo.st/4soCrlP

It took Pete Marocco only weeks to help dismantle USAID. But for the better part of two decades, he's been embroiled in a lawsuit against his interior designers that experts said has reached "Dickensian levels of challenges" to the legal system. Don't miss this one from @curiouskurz.bsky.social:

Aaron is a one-of-a-kind investigative talent. I'm so grateful he shared this lawsuit with me (easy to say I'm grateful now that the story is up lol)

Months ago, when I was looking into Pete Marocco, the Trump official who helped dismantle USAID, I noticed that he was involved in a long-running lawsuit with his interior designers. I told @curiouskurz.bsky.social about it and she dug in. Here's the crazy tale (gift link). wapo.st/4pNVV1L

It took only a few weeks for Pete Marocco to oversee the gutting of USAID. But for 17 years, Marocco has been battling a FL interior design firm in a lawsuit that the judge described as “reaching Dickensian levels of challenges to the effectiveness of the civil justice system.”

Word to the wise: you may regret buying that viral couch! Buying a couch has always been a high-stakes endeavor. The internet has made it even trickier with the rise of the Viral Couch: a piece of furniture that becomes inescapable online and may or may not be a piece of junk.

This feature is perfectly written, comprehensively reported, and that first quote is an absolute writer's dream.

When Rachel Reid sat at her dining room table in Nova Scotia writing the book that would become “Heated Rivalry,” it never crossed her mind that the smutty romance between adversarial pro hockey players would one day become Canada’s primary cultural export. And yet ....

I'm gonna be honest with you, I was VERY surprised when I learned Pantone's selection for 2026 color of the year, in part bc it's technically not a color at all ... Meet Cloud Dancer, the first-ever white shade to receive the designation from the world’s color authority.

Ribbon is such an easy way to make things feel "Christmas." I wrap all my gifts in brown kraft paper with brown paper tape, but use (and re-use!) a collection of satin/velvet/organza ribbons to make them look fancy. This year I ordered some velvet ribbon to make over my front door wreath!

The First Lady has selected this year's Christmas theme: "Home is Where the Heart Is" This year, the White House is also where the construction is. The decoration tour is halved for 2025. It's mostly traditional/ pared back, but there are some Pres Trump portraits worth noting:

This year's holiday microtrend? Ralph Lauren Christmas For many people, all that plaid, velvet and burgundy is simply Christmas as usual. But these annual declarations of the must-have aesthetic also reflect back our cultural fascinations and trends .....

It’s a rite of passage. As young adults grow up, they decide to upgrade their wall art. They walk into their local frame shop, get sticker shock and often walk straight back out. Custom framing has never been cheap, but it’s also never been quite as costly as it is now.

Let's talk about renovated White House's Lincoln Bathroom. I spoke with designers and experts about the changes, which are very much in keeping with what we know about Trump's aesthetic (marble! gold! bathroom chandelier!). tdlr: wow, that's a lotta marble!

The Office of the First Lady announces public tours of the White House will resume Dec. 2 and "all December tours will feature the White House Christmas decorations on the State Floor"

Each spooky season, squirrels and pumpkin-havers duke it out over the fate of decorative gourds. Experts provided some key tips for making your pumpkins less appealing to critters. You probably already have a lot of the materials you need at home!

Each year, the White House's holiday tour starts in the East Wing & the East Colonnade sets the tone for the decorations. Now the East Wing and East Colonnade are rubble. I just learned that, despite the demolition, the holiday tour is still happening

Does something in your home feel … off? Stuck? Heavy? Maybe your dog won't stop barking or your things aren't where you left them. This is when a home cleanser might step in. "I like to think of it as a spiritual spring cleaning."

Shopping secondhand might be intimidating for some people: Will you really find a treasure under that stack of old Afghans, or just more overpriced, mildewy junk to add to your pile of projects? Turns out there are key tips to help you distinguish between gems and garbage!

TV trends have hustled in one direction: toward ever bigger and flatter screens with the highest possible resolution. But now, a humble, boxy, tiny-screened TV dares to ask: What if we dust off a different path? And what if that path leads us to the kitchen?

Sometimes I look at a play kitchen and I am amazed at how detailed and plain NICE it is. Like ... nicer than my real kitchen. Turns out, they've mirrored the design tastes of parents and the broader culture for centuries. The biggest change? Now they're marketed to all kids

The late, great David Lynch's stunning enclave in the Hollywood Hills is for sale for $15M "The family’s strong desire is that the next owner protects, preserves and honors what David created." The property has buildings designed by 2 generations of the Lloyd Wright fam

This thread & responses are so funny -- they've inspired a story for the @washingtonpost.com Have you found anything wild or noteworthy in your kid's room? Send me a reply or email [email protected] if you're open to chatting. ty in advance!

Honey oak, aka the warm wood from the '90s, is back in a big way .... Just don't call it "honey oak." Designers tell me people are hungry for a natural look. They're done with the Great Grayening and seeking warmth.

They weren't alive in the 80s but they love to wear the "Reagan Bush '84" t-shirts. I saw frat bros in the 2010s in these tees. Now, the younger members of a totally changed GOP still don them. I wanted to know why!

ICYMI: I appeared on @NPR.org to chat about the power and pleasure of fan fiction. Ended up entreating the iconic Scott Simon to allow more whimsy into his life. Hope you're taking that advice, Scott! www.npr.org/2025/08/16/n...

Last week, I watched the team from Sub Urban Staging transform an empty DC rowhome into a space brimming w/ furniture, art & the kind of baubles that make a house feel like a home in mere HOURS. Stagers do a unique job, but they also have tips for all. Gorgeous pics by @valerieplesch.bsky.social

Fan fiction used to be a scarlet letter for writers trying to get traditionally published. Now, it's a bona fide pipeline. But as fic becomes more and more mainstream, how exactly do we define it? And what makes it so alluring? (Art by Emma Kumer)

People LOVE to discuss and, let's face it, fight over vacuums online. Other appliances just don't seem to inspire the same level of passion These debates reveal something about changes in business models, expectations of cleanliness and what we look for in a modern appliance

I heard we're talking about stuff that starts with the letter "Z" today, so... Zillow is a behemoth in the real estate world, so you might think you can find every home listing on there. But there are exceptions: off-market listings and a forthcoming ban on some listings

The best source for gossip online is ... Zillow! Online home listings offer drama, escapism and the digital equivalent of rifling through someone's medicine cabinet. It's no wonder that Zillow saw a whopping 2.4 billion visits to its site for the first quarter of 2025

Seeking sources for a fun Post story about home listings! -Love to look at listings/send them to pals/scope them out before visiting someone? -Felt anxious sharing listings you're eyeing bc it felt too revealing? -Other stories welcome! Email [email protected] / msg me

When Martha Stewart gets a new cat or dog, the first thing she does is bite it on the mouth — “hard,” she specifies. “And it squeals. It knows then that I am its mother.” I learned this when I met Martha and her protege, a wunderkind animal breeder named Ari Katz, recently

"Do you realize that toilet paper has not changed in my lifetime?” George Costanza once said. Welp, George got it a little right and a little wrong. After learning that it took Charmin 5 years (!!!!) to innovate its wavy edges, I simply HAD to learn about toilet paper R&D