This collection brings together forty-five contributions, mostly anthropologists, but also designers, architects, archaeologists, journalists and artists. They were invited to engage in a kind of home-gleaning, surprising both themselves and their readers through a reflective encounter with an object from the place they live. Hence, we are talking of lived objects and lived research, blurring the boundaries between fieldwork and deskwork, observation and analytical writing. The goal is to delve into the material ecologies that surround us, creating a contemporary portrait of the places we inhabit.

The blending of design thinking with ethnographic inquiry and storytelling opens new methodological possibilities for both fields. In this spirit, the essays do more than document domestic life—they enact a form of situated theorizing. Each object becomes a lens through which broader questions of belonging, temporality, and transformation are explored. Whether it is an empty jar, a misplaced photograph, or a gadget blinking in the corner, these items serve as portals into layered histories and possible futures. The act of attending to them is not merely descriptive but generative, offering new ways to think about intimacy, care, and the politics of everyday life. In this way, objectography becomes a method of world-making—one that is tactile, reflective, and deeply personal.

Table of Contents

Preface. Paul Salopek (Hiroshima, Japan)
Foreword. Kathleen Stewart (Austin, USA)
An Author, an Object, and a Home. Francisco Martínez and Tomás Errázuriz
Home: A User’s Manual. Santiago Orrego (Bogotá, Colombia)

a) Personal Heritage
1. Blanket. Magda Crăciun (Bucharest, Romania)
2. Cabinet. Tinatin Khomeriki (Tbilisi, Georgia)
3. Pebble. Adam Drazin (London, UK)
4. Myra Chair. Mika Pantzar (Helsinki, Finland)
5. Photo Frame. Blanca Callén (Badalona, Spain)
6. Perro. Ana Gutiérrez Garza (Edinburgh, Scotland)
7. Jam Jar. Sophie Woodward (Manchester, UK)
8. Pie Tin. Jeremy Gould (Helsinki, Finland)

b) Devices
9. Dishwasher. Martín Ávila (Stockholm, Sweden)
10. Fridge. Tomás Errázuriz (Santiago, Chile)
11. Hair Dryer. Giacomo Pozzi (Milan, Italy)
12. Cochlear Hearing Device. Jeff Malpas (Tasmania, Australia)
13. Earplugs. Pedro Neto (Lisbon, Portugal)
14. Hummingbird Feeder. Hermione Spriggs (New Mexico, USA)
15. Arepa Grill. Catalina Cortés Severino (Bogotá, Colombia)
16. Lamps. Maria Manuela Restivo (Gondomar, Portugal)

c) Everyday Essentials
17. Cheese Ball Container. Katie Kilroy-Marac (Toronto, Canada)
18. Vase. Beatričė Juškaitė (Vilnius, Lithuania)
19. Cupboard. Lucy Khofi (Johannesburg, South Africa)
20. Books. Michael Jackson (Arlington, USA)
21. Woven Basket. Justicia C. Tegyeka Kiconco (Kigali, Rwanda)
22. Fireplace. Jenny Rinkinen (Heinola, Finland)
23. Hooks. Roland Reemaa (Tallinn, Estonia)
24. Pitiless Floor. Ben Highmore (Bristol, UK)

d) Evocative items
25. Family Photos. Ricardo Greene (Puerto Varas, Chile)
26. Frames. Patrick Laviolette (Brno, Czech Republic)
27. Framed Hole. Kiven Strohm (Singapore)
28. Castle Knocker. Tim Edensor (Manchester, UK)
29. Key-thing(s). Martin D. Frederiksen (Aarhus, Denmark)
30. Empty Honey Jar. Elizabeth Saleh (Beirut, Lebanon)
31. Shirt. Nastasia Fomina (Kyiv, Ukraine)
32. Matchbox. Suzie Thomas (Antwerp, Belgium)
33. Vinyl Collection. Francisco Martínez (Tallinn, Estonia)

e) Other Futures
34. Pointe Shoes. Jenny Tang (Shanghai, China)
35. Book. Anatolijs Venovcevs (Longyearbyen, Norway)
36. Passport. Čarna Brković (Mainz, Germany)
37. Guitar. Hanna Valynets (Minsk, Belarus)
38. Sublet Room. Anna Kin (Almaty, Kazakhstan)
39. Countryside House. Sung-Hoon Hong (Okcheon-myeon, South Korea)
40. Beach House. Damián Omar Martínez (Mar Menor, Spain)
41. Futures Table. Sarah Pink (Melbourne, Australia)

Afterword. Primus Inter Pares. Daniel Miller (London, UK)
Acknowledgements