Jennifer Park’s Elsa Peretti Paperweight Is Truly a Grounding Presence
What makes a purchase “worth it”? The answer is different for everybody, so we’re asking some of the coolest, most shopping-savvy people we know—from small business owners to designers, artists, and actors—to tell us the story behind one of their most prized possessions.
Who?
Sometimes it’s the understated that make the most impactful statements. At least this is the case with Jennifer Park, head of design at Maryam Nassir Zadeh (MNZ), who also runs the Instagram account @sculpting__in__time. Dedicated to sophisticated subtlety, there’s a nostalgic sensuality to her archive of grainy ’90s fashion ads, in which scrolling easily becomes an addictive pastime. It makes sense when she’s had over 15 years of photo and design experience under her belt—the last six spent executing each seasonal collection at MNZ, a process that involves sourcing fabrics, researching concepts, sketching, fitting, and everything in between.
Jennifer divulges what she thinks about the most when she curates for work and personal projects. “I strive for a femininity that’s nuanced, complicated, and raw. I think about what’s missing in our wardrobes and past collections; it’s a combination of developing new ideas but improving what already exists,” she says. “Reimagining the familiar. I learn towards images that are rare and unknown.”
Jennifer, who is based in New York by way of the San Fernando Valley, says her best insights come while she’s home at her desk, as that’s the space where editing ideas holds the same weight as creating them.
What?
Items that can be found on Jennifer’s desk include piles of old notes, folders, scans, books like Notes on the Cinematograph by Bresson, and fabric headers. How organized it is, she says, depends on which stage of the design process she’s at, according to the season. For this reason, the item she cherishes most is a vintage, 4-by-4-inch paperweight—a cobalt-colored glass in the shape of a heart designed by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co.
When and Where?
Jennifer claims the paperweight, purchased on eBay a few years ago, moves around quite a lot in the home. Like her, it’s never stationary. “It moves from my desk to the dresser, and even to the warehouse sometimes,” she says. “I’ve been working mainly in design but my path was nonlinear, which is probably the best way for a young person to figure themselves out. I guess I loved all things visual, which is probably what led me to my personal side project, @sculpting__in__time. It’s been really exciting to uncover the full scope of one’s work by doing a deep dive on a photographer, designer or magazine.”
Why?
An avid collector of objects both old and new, Jennifer prefers pieces that are compelling yet functional. “This particular piece is beautiful but has a purpose,” she explains. “I also love the weight and it fits perfectly in the palm of my hand. I love it so much that I actually gifted it to a few of my friends.”
