Expats Creator Lulu Wang Is a Farmer Girl at Heart

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Award-winning filmmaker Lulu Wang, creator of the Prime Video limited series Expats, streaming now, divides her time—and her aesthetic inklings—between New York and Los Angeles. The former has what Wang’s partner, Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, calls “a French grandma feel” (think curated vintage with ornate flourishes), while the focal point of the latter location is an expansive backyard where Wang keeps 20,000 bees. (Yes, you read that right.) We caught up with Wang at home in L.A. to chat about her favorite gardening attire, the plates she uses daily, and the chili oil she loves most.

ELLE DECOR: Is gardening a big passion of yours?
Lulu Wang: Yeah. My brother is a chef and he’s opening his first restaurant this summer. He lives close by, so it’s just been a really beautiful way for us to connect around our family traditions, our family foods. He’s always cooking with what’s in season, so he and I always talk about what to grow in the garden. We have two huge hives of 10,000 bees in each one. So, 20,000 bees.

ED: Is that a normal number of bees?
LW: It is. And so we have a lot of mason jar canning projects. We can some of the fruit, we make our own hot sauce with the chili peppers on the property. My brother just made a sriracha.

ED: Do you have a preferred hot sauce?
LW: Boon’s is the number one hot sauce in this house—their chili oil. It’s really savory and umami. It’s our go-to.

ED: Are you also really into cooking?
LW: Yeah. I make a really good Hainan chicken.

ED: What tools do you use in the kitchen?
LW: My brother introduced me to Japanese Knife Imports and gave me the Yuri 180mm Santoku as a gift. He felt like it was the right size knife, because other styles are maybe made for a larger person with larger hands. This particular knife just fits [in my hand] really well, and the handle is super soft. I have a couple of them.

Stoneware Classic Plate

Fleece Blanket

Le Laboureur Work Jacket

ED: Are you particular about plating and serveware?
LW: Yes, we have a ton. The brand Match is based in Culver City. Their stoneware is what we use in the house on a daily basis.

ED: What about your furniture?
LW: I have a friend who lives in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and when I went to visit her I met Jorge Alameda, who runs this company Casamidy. I really, really loved his Delphine Round dining chairs. At the time, we had something more temporary, so I saw them as an investment purchase. They’ll wear in beautifully, and they just go really well with the California aesthetic.

ED: You have an apartment in New York City as well. Do you shop differently there?
LW: Because our space in New York is small, we need things to be really specific to each room. Salam Hello rugs are great because you can customize the size and create a unique design, pattern, or style. And then it’s all handmade and handwoven.

Fatima’s Checkerboard Flatweave

Delphine Round Dining Chair

Ober Tertia Regenerative Bath Oil

ED: How do you like to unwind at home?
LW: There's a Berlin-based fashion designer, Frank Leder, who has a line of bath oils called Tradition. Our favorite scent is Ober Tertia. It feels very traditional and old-world and luxurious. And it’s also just a reminder to partake in traditions. When you have a really busy life and career and you’re flying around, there’s just something really grounding about getting in a bath.

ED: What else do you keep around you while traveling to remind you of home?
LW: I always travel with a candle, actually. Sometimes hotel rooms still wreak of cigarettes, even though they say no cigarettes, so it’s nice to bring your own scent. It provides a sense of continuity that makes that space feel like home.

ED: What’s an everyday indulgence for you?
LW: Our Rier fleece blanket is probably the fanciest blanket we own. The funny thing is, it’s in New York, and the dog loves it so much that oftentimes it just ends up on the dog bed. We’re like, how does the dog have the fanciest blanket?

Natural Aromatic Candle

Boon Sauce Chili Oil

Yuri Santoku Knife

ED: Last, but not least, what makes for a great housewarming gift?
LW: I love the wooden-handled tools from Garden Heir. It’s kind of my go-to whenever people want to know what to get me. Their apparel as well—the work wear is really functional for the garden. My brother always says I look like the farmer girl emoji.

ED: On the iPhone?
LW: Yeah. I love looking like the farmer girl emoji on my days off—big boots and my hat.

ED: Do you have a hat? Is that also from Garden Heir?
LW: The hat is not from Garden Heir. I don’t have a hat from Garden Heir yet.

ED: But people should know to get you one.
LW: Now they know.

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