arpana.

As a part of our maudern people series, we asked New York-based jewelry designer Arpana Rayamajhi for insights on modern intimacy. Arpana's eponymous line celebrates her Nepalese heritage with pieces hand-made in her studio in Brooklyn.

What is your relationship status?

Married

How do you make time for intimacy?
Nice lunches and dinners with a small group of friends are the best way. My husband and I go out as often as we can to eat together. We both love eating out and trying new foods and we're both very specific about what we like, so it works, most times. Since the pandemic, we have been cooking a lot at home and spending 24 hours together so the intimacy is sometimes frustrating haha but always really nice.

How has your perspective on your home/space changed?
I feel very fortunate especially at this time to have someone I love and have a home with them. Such a huge majority of the world is displaced right now and people walking on foot for weeks to get home or are stuck in a foreign country or a new place with no food or water or basic amenities. I am grateful. I wish half the world was as lucky as the other half.

How do you keep busy? Do you separate the weekend and weekdays?
My studio is at home at the moment, so I almost never have the separation. The lockdown has been an interesting time. I thought it would make me really creative and blah blah but I have realized how most of us in New York never stop and strangely two months have gone by so fast.

A favorite literary or on-screen romance:

Harold and Maude

The perfect date:

All day at the beach

Your in the mood food:

Ikura Soba, Sudachi Soba, super bitter dark chocolate

Drink of choice:

Red wine/ Green Tea/ Fruit Juices. All three, please.

A sexy or intimate song you love:

Glory Box by Portishead. Not sure if it qualifies as "sexy" but it’s sensual?

Dating advice to your younger self:

"You're most likely going to want to forget a lot of dates so learn to say "No", stand up for yourself and only have sex if the guy is nice and you realllllly want to"

What your parents said about love and relationships:

" Career and independence should be as important as a relationship", "Money issues can destroy even the best of relationships", " Don't equate marriage to happiness and fulfillment"