En route to the Cartier exhibit, I stopped at the main desk inside The Victoria and Albert Museum, and the flooring stopped me first—there’s always something in an old museum that gets me at the very first entry. Large stone pavers stretched across the hall, white and black beneath classic marble columns. The Chihuly glass sculpture hovered above the domed skylight at the main desk, but the floors pulled my attention.

Cosmic, Not Cute The Cosmic House offers inspiration—the weird kind, not the type you find in Veranda or World of Interiors. These interiors lean into conceptual architecture and symbolic design, and some ideas feel flat-out strange. Designers love strange. We can find inspiration anywhere. Anywhere. The Cosmic House London delivers exactly that. It combines Postmodern […]

Notting Hill London shopping has its own rhythm. London shopping in general feels like a full experience, and the major department stores—Liberty of London, Fortnum and Mason, and Harrod’s—make it easy to lose hours. Their architecture matches the scale of the goods inside. Yet Notting Hill offers something different. Not one grand destination, but small boutiques with strong identities and beautiful facades.

English Manor Design Cliveden House is not a place you can write about only once. Previously, I explored its interiors and exteriors through the lens of English manor design. The grand staircases, portrait galleries, and architectural symmetry set the tone for a life lived at scale. However, the true spirit of Cliveden emerges in motion, […]

Some houses announce themselves before you ever cross the front door. Cliveden is one of them. From its formal terraces to the sweep of the front drive, every line hints at power and taste. Perched above the Thames in Buckinghamshire, the estate was rebuilt in 1851 by Sir Charles Barry, whose command of proportion also defines London’s Houses of Parliament. Four decades later, William Waldorf Astor would make it his own—layering Italianate architecture with English romanticism, sculpted gardens, and storied interiors.

Meghan Markle spent the night here before marrying a prince, which feels entirely appropriate. Cliveden House has long attracted the type who favor silk robes, staff entrances, and an audience. Built high above the Thames, it’s grand, deliberate, and unapologetically architectural—a masterclass in historic English estate design. Every arch, terrace, and column reminds you that beauty here was planned, not improvised.

Walk through the bronze-and-glass front doors and you don’t just enter a house—you step onto a Gilded Age set. (Literally. HBO’s The Gilded Age films here, so it’s easy to imagine Bertha Russell sweeping past.) The Elms was built as a maison de plaisance—a house devoted to pleasure—where every room connects to the garden beyond. Limestone walls, rare marbles, and European art define its precision and extravagance.

The Elms Newport Mansion, a French chateau inspired Gilded Age estate in Rhode Island, features historic home design, formal gardens, and HBO filming ties. This type of historic home design is what happens when you have too much money in 1901 and a taste for France. Architect Horace Trumbauer modeled the house after Château d’Asnières, then wrapped it in Indiana limestone so it would basically last forever.

A closer look at architectural details that define historic home design in Boston’s Back Bay—from classic brownstones to one-of-a-kind standouts. Famous for its architectural rhythm—block after block of brownstones, bay windows, and mansard roofs, all standing neatly in line like a (very fancy) army. But take a closer look, and the rhythm breaks—in the best way.

Lately, I’ve been posting all things Los Angeles—places to eat, spots to browse, standout interiors showrooms, notable historic homes, and a few visits to homes by Schindler and Frank Lloyd Wright. But this post shifts from buildings, boutiques, and restaurants… to the people. Specifically, the people I met during a week of panels and presentations at Design Los Angeles—and more importantly, the books they brought with them.

Join me on a Los Angeles historic homes tour with stops at three landmark houses: Hollyhock House, Kings Road House, and the Ennis House. From early modernist design to bold geometry and layered texture, these homes still influence how we think about space today. Between vegan meals and boutiques, I squeezed in a few landmark buildings—and this tour was totally worth it.

There’s no shortage of design in West Hollywood—Los Angeles shopping and dining at its finest. WeHo has some of the coolest restaurants, brunch spots, and coffee shops around. Every meal (or break from design meetings) offered plenty of inspiration. Beyond strong Americanos and great cocktails, I was drawn to the hospitality design and retail environments—spoken like a true former commercial interior designer.