“So much screaming inside me“—Google Stadia shutdown stuns indie developers

Enlarge / Like it never even happened. (credit: Aurich Lawson / Getty Images)
Source Byte Studios Chairman of the Board Nikodem Swider had just put in one final late-night bug-squashing session. After four long months of porting work, his small Polish studio was finally ready to submit a near-final build addressing all of the “must fix” errors Google had identified before the game Jump Challenge could finally launch on Stadia.
Then, scrolling through the news on his train ride home, Swider saw what he called a “horror message” on his phone. Stadia was closing down. All his porting work would be for naught.
“I [thought] it was some rumor… it cannot be true,” Swider said in a YouTube video in the immediate aftermath of the shutdown. “[Then] I saw [it was an] official statement about Stadia.”
A Family Rented Their RV to the QAnon Queen. She Won’t Give It Back.
The so-called QAnon Queen of Canada won’t return an RV she rented for her convoy, despite the owners asking for it back after she voided the contract and cost them thousands of dollars.
The group, led by self-anointed “Queen” Romana Didulo, isn’t answering the owners’ requests to return the vehicle. During the spat, Didulo also posted the couple’s home phone number and information on Telegram for her tens of thousands of followers to see. And when she recently asked followers a vague question about what crime the couple should be charged with, many of her followers said it was treason and that the punishment should be death.
“High treason. Deserves a milkshake,” wrote one follower, using the group’s code word for execution.
Didulo is a QAnon influencer who’s convinced a sizable number of people that she’s the true queen of Canada, a central figure in an existential fight against an international cabal of globalist pedophiles who control the world, and an extraterrestrial being with healing powers. Some experts even describe the group as a cult.
Since late January, Didulo and her closest followers have been driving around Canada in a convoy of rented RVs, holding meet-and-greets in parking lots and spreading conspiracies. Once, they attempted—and failed spectacularly—to conduct a citizen’s arrest on an entire police precinct. They’re currently in Eastern Canada telling followers that Hurricane Ian was a hoax (after first raising money and goods to help those affected).
The latest RV that Didulo and her followers rented didn’t come from a business but from a family. The owners, Mike and Vicki LeBlanc, advertise their RV on Facebook and told VICE News that Didulo’s group reached out to them there. Didulo’s convoy picked up the RV in Manitoba in early September and is contractually scheduled to return it in early November. But the “queen” and her followers overloaded their RV and lied about where they’d take it, the couple said. The latter offense voided the contract they signed. Now, they want their RV back.
The LeBlancs are both shift workers and don’t get much time off together, so they frequently rent out their RV. They didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary with Didulo’s group until after the agreement was made. While the group was loading up their newly rented RV, Didulo pulled up in a separate RV covered in stickers of her face and her title as queen. Once the group took the RV, the LeBlancs researched them and began to keep tabs on their vehicle through Didulo’s frequent updates on Telegram.
"I just started kind of tracking how much traveling they were doing and realized this wasn't just, 'I'm going to drive to a campsite and have a little vacation and maybe tour this landmark or that landmark,” said Vicki LeBlanc. “It was a full-blown 'We're going to drive all day, all night, hit as many places as we can, drive nonstop' kind of tour."
The conflict came to a head when the vehicle blew a tire. Didulo and her team were upset that the flat had bumped their schedule and told the couple they needed to replace all six tires. So the LeBlancs said they contacted a nearby store, purchased six new tires, and had them installed for a total of $2,695, according to a receipt the “queen” posted online.
But the mechanic told the couple that changing all the tires wasn’t necessary, and they learned the group had left the RV’s good tires behind. So they asked Didulo and her crew to help pay for the unnecessary costs.
That didn’t go over well with the queen.
“She just started bashing us on their [Telegram] channel,” said Vicki LeBlanc. “So that's kind of where it kind of went all downhill.”
Didulo took to Twitter to express her frustration with the owners of the RV. In one of several posts, she added the LeBlancs’ personal information, including their phone number and email. It’s a tactic Didulo frequently uses to incite a deluge of attacks from her followers, but that didn’t seem to occur in this case.
"I panicked a little bit when I saw all our personal information posted, and I thought, ‘Oh, God,’ but most of the responses that we've gotten have actually been really positive and encouraging,” LeBlanc said. “There's been very few people that have been angry and hateful."
The group hasn’t responded to the owners of the RV since late last week, but they did make their most recent scheduled payment last Friday. The couple said they’ve spoken to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and lawyers about reporting the RV stolen but were told their best bet is to sit tight and wait until the contract ends.
If it's not returned, they plan to report it stolen and are prepared to go to small claims court if it’s returned damaged.
Didulo has a bit of a checkered past when it comes to RVs. Her group had to relinquish the first set of RVs they rented back in January because they took them to Ottawa, which their contract forbade.
Corey, a former member of the convoy who defected with his wife over alleged abuse from Didulo, told VICE News that the queen’s obsession with moving nonstop from town to town put her team at risk before. During one of their trips, the electricity in the motorhome cut out, despite the generator being on, he said.
Instead of calling the RV’s owner, as Corey had recommended, he said Didulo called him a “saboteur” and demanded they continue. Upon arriving in Halifax, their destination, Corey did a walk-through and said he found the RV’s panel box had been burnt during the drive.
"The wires were sparking and burnt this whole panel and could have burnt the entire bus down along just on the drive,” said Corey. “They're lucky it didn't burn the whole thing down. Once that went, the whole bus would have just come on fire very quickly."
“Daisy was in there, right, like in that motorhome. She [Didulo] almost killed my wife, for fuck's sake.”
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‘Beijing’ Censored in China After Rare Protest Against President Xi Jinping
China’s censorship machine has gone into overdrive after a man hung two banners on a highway overpass in Beijing on Thursday denouncing Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his authoritarian rule.
“Depose the traitorous dictator Xi Jinping,” read the words in red on one banner, according to photos and footage that circulated online.
“We don’t want nucleic acid tests, we want food. We want freedom, not lockdowns. We want reforms, not Cultural Revolution,” the other read. “We want votes, not leaders. We want dignity, not lies. We are citizens, not slaves.”
Such brazen criticism of the Chinese government is unimaginable on any regular day as the country imposes harsh punishments on dissenters. But it has come at a particularly sensitive time—Beijing is about to hold a key political meeting that’s expected to hand Xi an unprecedented third term.
The rare display of defiance lasted just minutes before the man was arrested by dozens of police officers, according to one video. Beijing police have not said what happened to the man. A woman who picked up the phone at a police station near the overpass told VICE World News she didn’t know about the protest and declined to comment on the incident.
Now the country’s censorship machine is erasing all evidence that it has ever happened.
Social media platforms deleted all posts containing keywords such as the name of the bridge, Sitong, and its district, Haidian. The list of sensitive keywords has since widened to include “Beijing,” “brave,” “bridge,” and “pay homage,” said Eric Liu, a former content moderator at Weibo and now an analyst at the U.S.-based outlet China Digital Times.
“The censorship apparatus rarely deletes posts based on such abstract terms. But it’s obvious they would rather go into overkill and suppress this incident at all costs,” Liu told VICE World News.
A search for Beijing on Weibo yields only results from verified corporate or government-affiliated accounts, most of which are posts celebrating the upcoming party congress.
Apple Music took down a song released in 2011, titled “Sitong Bridge.” The name of a man, who was found to have posted the same slogans on Twitter in recent days and thus suspected to be the protester, was also censored.
Not only are images or footage of the incident being scrubbed from the internet, those who shared it on the social media platform WeChat had had their accounts permanently suspended, Liu added.
The company has cast such a wide net that thousands were ensnared and flocked to Weibo to complain about the unreasonable punishment. By Friday morning, censors had closed in on the complaints themselves. A relevant hashtag was deleted. A link to the page of the complaints now leads to an error message.
This did not stop some Chinese social media users from making sly references to the protest, even if their words of support, like the act itself, are short-lived. “Before this disappears, I’d like to say, may the brave man be safe,” a user wrote in a now-deleted post.
69 Babies Died From Cough Syrup in Gambia. Now, India’s $24.5B Drug Export Is Under Scrutiny.
Mothers holding photos of their babies are out on the street in the tiny African nation of The Gambia. They say their children had the flu and they gave them cough syrup. The flu went away, but the children stopped peeing. Days later, they were dead.
At least 69 children have died since July, while 81 more are in the hospital, say Gambian authorities, as protests and candlelight vigils sway the country. Last week, when Gambian authorities looked into the cough syrups given to the babies, they traced it to an inconspicuous company thousands of miles away, in India.
A 32-year-old company called Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited had exported a giant batch of cough syrups last year to U.S.-based Atlantic Pharmaceuticals, who, then, exported them to Gambia. Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) found “unacceptable” amounts of toxic solvents in them. One of these solvents, diethylene glycol, is a common adulterant in India that has sickened and killed Indian children.
Now, many Indian states are banning the sales of Maiden’s products. Gambian authorities, along with Red Cross workers, are going door-to-door to confiscate every last of those imported bottles.
As Indian health authorities shut down Maiden indefinitely and started an investigation, the incident has rattled the country’s $42-billion pharmaceutical sector, the third largest in the world. The country’s $24.5-billion pharmaceutical export industry, which services over 200 countries, has come under tough scrutiny too. Over the years, India has gained the reputation of being the “pharmacy of the world” for providing cheap, life-saving generic medicines, 45% of which go to Africa.
But Indian public health experts say this is a wake up call for themselves and the international community. They say Indian medicine exports lack drug regulation and checks and balances, especially in African countries where regulatory bodies are either poorly managed, or not there at all. Gambia doesn’t have its own testing lab to keep a check on its $1.2 million-worth of pharmaceutical imports, so it relies on other countries to do it themselves.
India’s national regulatory body is the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which is responsible for issuing certificates to companies under WHO’s frameworks before they can export. But how those certificates are issued is not transparent.
“For most part, the CDSCO is very opaque, dysfunctional and unaccountable to the people of India whose health it is charged with protecting. It functions more as a spokesperson for the pharma industry and than a guardian of public health,” Dinesh Thakur, a public health expert who recently co-authored The Truth Pill: The Myth of Drug Regulation in India with lawyer Prashant Reddy, told VICE World News.
Thakur is among the best-known whistleblowers exposing dangerous practices of India’s drug industry. In 2013, he blew the whistle on Ranbaxy, one of India’s biggest drugmakers, for not just manufacturing and selling adulterated drugs, but also falsifying drug data.
Thakur said there’s no way to know whether the CDSCO actually inspected Maiden’s facility before giving them a go-ahead to export their medicines. The body has previously come under scrutiny for colluding with drug firms to circumvent approval processes. In June this year, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation arrested a CDSCO official allegedly for taking bribes from Biocon, India’s biggest pharmaceutical company worth $316 billion, over trials of an insulin drug.
On its website, Maiden said it produces 2.2 million litres of syrups every year. Over the years, the company was accused of producing poor-quality medicines in seven Indian states. One state, Bihar, even blacklisted them. In 2014, Maiden was among 45 Indian drugmakers banned by Vietnam over quality concerns. Despite the track record, Maiden continued its business.
Maiden did not respond to VICE World’s News’ interview request, but last weekend, they told an Indian news agency that they’re “shocked” by the events. They said the Indian authorities visited their factory in a dusty industrial township in Haryana last week, and since the matter is subjudice, no further comments will be issued.
A survey conducted by CDSCO between 2014 and 2016 found that 4.5 percent of Indian drugs are of substandard quality. But independent studies found that substandard medicines could be three times more prevalent than that.
One independent research report published by scientists from the University of Ottawa and the University of Maryland found that Indian manufacturers are more likely to sell poor quality medicines to Africa. India is the second-largest healthcare trading partner with sub-Saharan Africa, after China. The study found that “made in India” drugs purchased from Africa are of “worse quality than those purchased within India, and from Non-Africa countries outside of India.”
Shortly after this report was released, the Indian government threatened a U.S. think tank, of which one of the research scholars Roger Bate was the author of the study, with legal action. Government officials back then called the study a “malicious campaign against the country.”
Indian health officials are mum on the allegations of laxity. Yesterday, CDSCO and other state drug regulators in India started nationwide quality checks on cough syrups being sold in markets. “The drug inspectors are directed to collect samples and test if any of the samples have unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol,” an official from Maharashtra, which has 1,000 pharmaceutical units, told the media.
Thakur said that the Gambia incident has exposed major failings by Indian pharma companies who could do a lot of good for nations, both rich and poor, in controlling healthcare costs. “[Instead], they act with impunity and ship substandard and adulterated products to these countries because they know they can get away with it,” he said.
He added that he’s not very confident this incident will set a precedent. “We do, however, hope that Africa and the WHO take steps to ensure that Indian companies cannot continue to export substandard medicine to Africa,” he said.
Follow Pallavi Pundir on Twitter.
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Ohio foragers are accidentally poisoning themselves with lethal mushrooms

Enlarge / Deadly poisonous mushroom Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa) is seen in Otomin, Poland on September 29. In Poland, there are several hundred mycelial poisonings every year. (credit: Getty | NurPhoto)
For some, a "bad trip" from mushrooms means a metaphorical journey to a dark corner of the mind, conjuring chilling images and intense distress. But for many, a bad trip is profoundly real—a journey to an emergency room as deadly toxins circulate in the body, killing liver tissue and threatening life.
That is the terrifying experience of those who decide to forage for wild mushrooms in the US without expertise in mycology. They likely do not realize that there are several lethal varieties of mushrooms in the country, which are surprisingly common, look almost indistinguishable from safe, edible mushrooms, and, in some cases, taste good. The deadly toxins don't kick in until hours later.
These fatal fungi are found throughout the US but are in peak bloom in Ohio right now, where doctors are warning against mushroom foraging after a rash of poisonings. Late last month, Cincinnati Children's Hospital put out a warning that they had received several patients who were poisoned by eating wild mushrooms foraged in the southwest area of the state. "You should never eat wild mushrooms," the hospital wrote in a tweet. It went on to advise anyone with symptoms after eating a wild mushroom to immediately contact the area poison control center.
The Coolest Drops This Week, From Momofuku Chile Crunch to Dame's New Vibe
Goblins and ghouls, it’s T-minus 18 days until the biggest day for costumes next to San Diego Comic Con—yep, we’re talkin’ Halloween, baby, and if you haven’t started planning your look, you’d better hop to it. We’ve got plenty of inspiration for you—everything from viral meme get-ups to the gnarliest masks that will haunt your dreams for weeks. But let’s be real: Not everyone dresses up, and for those of you that would rather be woken up when October ends, we have plenty of non-pumpkin-adorned, non-spooky new drops for you to peruse in the meantime.
Last week, there was no shortage of hyphy launches—including the collab of the year (IMHO): Liquid Death and Martha Stewart’s black severed hand candle, dropping just in time to be lit by a virgin under the full moon (or, you know, shed some light on a bowl of fun-size candy bars). Plus, we saluted Solo Stove’s new line of colorful fire pits for cozying up under some blankets, wildly patterned (fur-lined!) Crocs for keeping your tootsies warm, and Fly by Jing’s new Chili Crisp Vinaigrette for jazzing up all your chicories.
This week, we’re getting prepped for the cuffing-season moments that await on the other side of Halloween with insulated puffer boots from TOMS, limited-edition infused Jacobsen salt (aka the GOAT of everyday seasoning), and Dame’s newest affordable, approachable, and totally effective Dip vibrator.
Jacobsen Salt Co.’s limited-edition saltReal salt-heads know that there are hundreds of varieties out there in the world. For the newbies, you’ve probably heard of flaky Maldon salt, dabbled with smoked salts, and maybe even illuminated your home with a Himalayan pink salt lamp, but this cult runs even deeper, y’all. Salt freaks are discerning; if you too strive to be a culinary god or goddess, the gateway is via Jacobsen Salt Co.’s new line of limited-edition infused salt slide tins. Our mouths (etc.) are watering just thinking about them. The full kit consists of five tins containing Pure Flake Sea Salt, Black Pepper Salt, Habanero Salt, Black Garlic Salt, and Lemon Zest Salt, for seasoning to your heart’s delight, no matter where you are, or what culinary vibe you’re going for.
Yellowpop x Andy WarholIf you haven’t noticed, Gen Z have made mood lighting an entire lifestyle. It’s pretty apparent in major metros like NYC; when you stroll the streets, look up at the thousands of glittering apartment windows, and you’ll see dozens dotted with neon sign-inspired lights. Attention geriatric millennials: Nothing shows your age like having harsh overhead lighting. So kill two birds with one stone—incorporate a new lighting dimension into your home and add some very cool art to your collection with Yellowpop’s new limited-edition collection in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation. This collection of classic Warhol pieces has a modern twist with the addition of neon (duh), and the two polyptychs sets—”Marilyn” and “Flowers Deluxe”—that come with a Yellowpop NFT that unlocks membership perks, including lifetime discounts, access to early collection drops, and exclusive events. Now all you need is a million-plus Instagram followers, and you’ll be ready to show off your tiny apartment to Architectural Digest.
Dame’s newest affordable vibeYou don’t have to shell out over $100 for a Hitachi magic wand to get your rocks off. Dame, one of our favorite makers of adult toys, just launched its newest vibrator, the Dip. The “simple, sleek, and approachable” device is perfect for first-time users, with one button to control five intensity settings, and it can be used internally or externally. Plus, Dip is made with medical-grade silicone, is waterproof, and is “whisper quiet,” so it’s a great nearly silent toy that won’t disturb your roommates (thank god).
New Momofuku chili crunchWe’re big fans of Momofuku’s pantry goods, from its noodles to its chili crisps, and when it comes to the latter, the brand’s new ghost pepper variety is right on schedule for making your spooky season and holiday fixin’s extra spicy. The super-hot ghost pepper crisp is only available for a limited time (aka right now); don’t let our excitement mislead you—this chile crunch is not for the faint of tongue.
Parade precious metals collectionThe season of sparkle usually starts in December, but why not get a jump on being the shiniest object in any room with Parade’s newest Precious Metals collection? With everything from rhinestone-encrusted mesh bodysuits to silky lingerie sets, the latest drop from the popular undies and loungewear brand is full of layering pieces for all of the holiday parties at which you may wish to hang out under the mistletoe (or at least black out on eggnog).
TOMS Mallow BootA puffer for your feet? Revolutionary. We don’t know why more people aren’t out there stomping the heavily salted pavement in quilted boots. Not only are these clunkers from TOMS quite aesthetically pleasing, they are also earth-conscious; the polyester upper is made from recycled post-consumer plastic bottles, and the insoles are also made with 26% manufacturing-waste-derived eco content. The zip front and pull-tab make them easy for sliding on and off, because no one wants to stand outside untying their gross snow boots in the cold. (There’s no men’s version yet, but TOMS does have a surprisingly lit selection of men’s chukkah- and desert-style boots.)
See ya next week, our pumpkin-spice pals.
The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.
The Best Deals This Week, From Tempur-Pedic Mattresses to Smart TVs
We just wrapped up digging up the best dang deals from Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale, but are we gonna stop now? Not a chance. We never stop grinding over here at Rec Room, whether that’s crushing the finest coffee we can find, working on improving our mile time, or tirelessly “giving” in the bedroom (yeah, we went there). So in pursuit of the best stuff at a bargain, off we go back into the nebula of the best sales currently happening across the deep, yet dark web.
Last week, we found hidden Hoka Bondi 7 deals at Nordstrom, MysteryVibe sex toys for a steal, on-sale luggage for all your holiday travels, and affordable silk pillowcases for keeping our skin and hair in check. This week, ABC Carpet & Home is making us want to revamp our home for a home tour that could beat even Emma Chamberlain’s, as well as garb from The North Face, and mattresses that make us want to toss our old creaky college bed off the balcony.
The best Amazon deals right nowWe’re all about affordability without sacrificing quality, and this Insignia 39” Fire TV allows you to access all your favorite streaming services and comes with a voice remote to launch apps, play tunes, and control smart home devices for 17% off. It has a 4.6 star rating and over 85,400 reviews on Amazon. We trust it and so do consumers—with one reviewer saying they use it as a computer monitor. (Insignia? More like, innovation) “I also use Chrome to cast whatever is on my computer to the TV using it as a monitor,” another review said.
It’s time to come to grips with reality—summer’s higher temps have long since left the proverbial building. Stop being delusional and put on a jacket. While we love “shorts and hoodie” season as much as the next guy, it’s worth picking up a jacket that can flex with you as the temperatures continue to slide into cooler days and nights. The North Face‘s Apex Canyonwall Eco Jacket is now 30% off; tt’s water-repellent, wind-resistant, and has a cozy softshell for insulating warmth.
This Amazon Basics cast iron Dutch oven looks just like our favorite Dutchess from Great Jones, but for a quarter of the price. For 27% off, fit seven quarts of grub, roasts, bakes, sautes, and cook up a heaping cauldron of stew. It’s soup season, baby.
Dyson’s latest salesWe appreciate reliability, and Dyson never flakes on us when it comes to a good deal or design quality. To get a jump on the fall cleaning grind, save up to $200 on select technology from the zaddy of aesthetically-pleasing vacuums through October 15. There’s now a limited-edition version of the beloved V12 model: the V12 Detect Slim Extra Vacuum, and it’s $100 off. This model features three additional tools—a tool for getting into awkward gaps, a scratch-free dusting brush, and an extension hose—while also coming in an exclusive bright copper and Prussian blue color.
Tempur-Pedic’s fall savings eventAre you sinking into an ancient mattress whose best days are back in your senior-year college apartment? Put an end to the misery (and your mysterious back pain) with a plush mattress from Tempur-Pedic with $300 savings and $300 worth of free accessories. The TEMPUR-Cloud mattress is 30% off, and besides looking like a mutant marshmallow, it adapts to your body shape and temperature, minimizes pressure points, and reduces motion transfer in bed so you don’t have to hear your partner complaining that you woke them up at 4 a.m.
ABC’s oversized rug saleThe easiest way to make your home less drab is with a massive rug that whispers “let’s lie on the carpet and talk about our favorite postmodern art.”. Shop ABC Carpet & Home’s 30% off sale, which features artisan-made, oversized rugs to add some zest to any dwelling. The Alchemy Silk Rug is striking, vibrant, made with recycled silk saris, and is handmade in Jaipur, India. It makes a gorgeous centerpiece for your floor—which really ties the room together, doesn’t it?
Abercrombie’s fall saleIn case you haven’t noticed, Abercrombie is finally cool again. We’re loving all the garb the brand has been serving, especially since it’s offering 15% off almost everything when you use code FALL15 at checkout. Indulge in all the cozy fits and be a happy soft boi with the Textured Crew Sweater, which also comes in a ski map design for when you decide to hit up Aspen. The Wash Effect Crew Sweater is a snuggly way to look like you majored in Classics.
The Nutr Machine is on sale, tooThe Prime Early Access Sale may be over, but you can still save moolah on your oat-milk latte habit. Milk some nuts (get your mind out of the gutter) with the Nutr’s 20% off sale to compete with Amazon. This innovative gadget turned us into artisan, vegan milk lords with its sleek body and miraculous 130-watt blade that makes milks out of nuts, oats, and beyond. With options like this, you can ditch the store-bought carton of Silk.
See ya next week.
The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.
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The Best Stuff from Emma Chamberlain’s House Tour, and Where to Get It
We’re believers in this house. We pray to the holy trinity of Architectural Digest home tour video legends: Dakota Johson, Troye Sivan, and Dr. Phil’s son—the latter of which never actually got an AD moment in the sun, but whose unhinged home was more than deserving of the spotlight, if only for sociological reasons. We’ve found dupes for the tours’ most memorable decor, from Sivan’s Noguchi lamps to Cara Delevigne’s sex swings, and the latest objects of our obsession belond to the newest member of AD hour tour cult family, Emma Chamberlain.
Regardless of whether or not you know who Chamberlain is, let alone followed the YouTuber’s meteoric rise as an influencer with over 16 million Instagram followers, you can appreciate a design job well done. AD describes Chamberlain’s home as “deeply personal” in its feature on the 21-year-old mogul, who first gained fame in 2017 as a highly relatable, highly hilarious influencer documenting everything from Dollar Tree hauls (her first viral video) to the pitfalls of pulling an all-nighter. Since then, she has made Time’s 2019 list of the 25 Most Influential People, attended the Met Gala, and, of course, curated a moodboard-worthy home aesthetic.
Chamberlain’s mid-century modern Los Angeles home masters the same old-MCM-Hollywood-cool as Dakota Johnson’s bungalow, but incorporates even more color and trend savvy pieces without ever feeling try-hard.
The postmodern chrome lights, the Americana touches, the Japandi decor—there are so many reasons why we sent the video of Chamberlain’s digs to multiple group texts. Will the Ultrafragola mirror feel dated in a few years? Yeah. But who cares?? Trends come and go and come back again, and it’s clear from the tour that Chamberlain is passionate about every detail of her home, from the custom Cocaine Decor-style entryway table (which she crawls inside of, in true Chamberlain fashion) to the artwork of her father that adorns the walls.
We’ve found the best furniture and decor deals, dupes, doppelgängers, and lookalikes for you to bring some of Chamberlain’s own laid-back, MCM-hippie-house-meets-pop-art-paradise vibe into your own home, whether you have $12 to throw down or $1,200.
The best stuff filling Emma Chamberlain’s shelvesSpied in Chamberlain’s living room and foyer: Taschen’s massive tattoo art book, bright vases, and accent bowls, and this pair of Beatles-themed nesting dolls from Etsy.
This Bluetooth-enabled Audio-Technica record player is a dead ringer for Chamberlain’s entryway turntable, and it’s just over $200. We gave it a test run ourselves, and determined it to be a mid-range collector’s dream for ease of assembly, and the fact that it can connect to whatever speakers of smart devices you have in your house.
We have to give a special shoutout to this Lucite stepping stool, which may not be on Chamberlain’s shelves, but does help her reach them in her walk-in closet. “I love this thing,” she says, “I think [it’s] so cute I leave it out.” It comes in retro shades of sunburst orange, Yves Klein blue, and more.
The best seating inspired by Emma Chamberlain’s home tourGo for soft, slightly amorphous couches and chairs to cop Chamberlain’s seating aesthetic. This bouclé West Elm piece by Mara Hoffman is a statement chair that really pulls its own weight, because it’s big enough to curl up on and read a book, but feels relaxed and design-forward with its low-slung frame.
Chamberlain’s living room is anchored by an extra long, curved brown sofa, and this velvet looker by Carezza is the perfect dupe for our railroad apartments.
Rattan plays a big role in the influencer’s LA home, whether it’s wallpapering her restroom or popping up in one of her sitting rooms on a statement chair; the contrast of all of her bouclé and velvet fabrics with the natural and wood materials is what makes it feel so nonchalantly cool and inviting.
Top of the couch with these lookalikes of Chamberlain’s buttery yellow, gridded pillows from Wayfair.
The best tables inspired by Emma Chamberlain’s home tourCorn is having a viral moment, but these stools harken back to the oversized novelty pop decor that thrived in the 80s and 90s. Chamberlain has a few of these big lumps with knobs in her pool area as side tables, but you could use them for seating, as a plant stand, a pedestal, or a shrine to the exemplary vegetable.
This iridescent side table was found in her sitting room, and contrasted so well with the earthier texture of her live-edge wood coffee table—the perfect blend of goblincore and pop decor.
Again, you’re going to want to go for soft edges and coffee tables that look like they’ve been through a rock tumbler to remerge as polished, warm pieces of furniture. This Orren Ellis coffee table from Wayfair almost looks as if it’s made out of marble, and is giving “Pierre Cardin for West Elm” (if only).
Is it a cloud? A petal from another planet? This iridescent side table embodies all of the postmodern playfulness we love about Chamberlain’s decor, and the off-center design means it can moonlight as a tray table.
Something really great happens when traditional Art Deco motifs are paired with salt-of-the-Earth materials such as stone, and that’s exactly why West Elm’s Zayden table shines; it would be just as at-home in a Cocaine Decor apartment as it would be in Ricardo Bofill’s converted cement factory home in Spain.
The best lighting inspired by Emma Chamberlain’s home tourWe won’t be footing the bill for Chamberlain’s $31,800 chandelier from Trueing Studio, but we can assemble a few of these dangly, bulbous pendant lamps from Amazon for way cheaper.
We also found a doppelgänger for the über mod, red mushroom lamp by her record player, which has a 4.8-star average rating on Amazon.
We’ll never forget when Troye Sivan said he wants to feel like he’s in a “soup” of light during his AD home tour, and the massive globe lamp at the foot of Chamberlain’s bed hits the same note. Bringing a light source closer to the ground will make any room, but especially your bedroom, feel even more intimate and relaxing.
The best kitchen decor inspired by Emma Chamberlain’s home tourChamberlain launched her eponymous coffee brand, Chamberlain Coffee, back in 2020—so of course her Breville coffee machine set-up was on full display. These babies are like the Cadillac of bean machines and can cost upwards of $800, but the Bambino is a little over $340 and gets top marks from reviewers on Amazon.
One of the most memorable parts of the tour was Chamberlain’s light green kitchen, which was covered in a calming, sage-colored marble and dotted with copper pots and antiques. Opt for a green marble pastry or cheese board to bring a bit of the material into your own kitchen, and integrate your own tchotchkes (or the same vintage salt and pepper shakers she says she found on Etsy).
The best art inspired by Emma Chamberlain’s home tourWho knew Chamberlain’s pops was such a talented painter? The cheery landscapes, portraits, and scenes of everyday life the YouTuber’s father Michael Chamberlain take center stage in the home, and are mixed-and-matched with lighthearted paintings of grocery store peanut butter aisles and wonky dogs to create sick gallery walls. There are plenty of ways to get expensive-looking wall art for cheap, but we would sell our left toe for this abstract painting by Libby Rosa.
The lovable, spaced-out dog portraits are also stand-outs in her home. “These have personality in a way that I rarely feel when I look at art,” Chamberlain says. The good folks at Society6 also have quite a few canine-loving prints, such as this 40% off (and pre-framed) piece.
Now go forth, and make friends and influence people.
The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.