I returned from spring break with a firm resolve to rid my closet of excess clothes, thanks to writer Jen Roberts’ report on the Marie Kondo effect. During my week at the beach—as I willed the weather gods to turn the storm cloud icon on my weather app into a full, bright sun—I edited her story and recognized myself in the women she interviewed. As I thought about all of those clothes back home—stuffed into drawers and packed into storage bins at the turn of each season—I realized that they were actually dragging me down instead of lifting me up, exactly the opposite of the feeling I’m looking for from my clothes.
So there I was, on the evening I returned from vacation, glowing not with a Miami Beach tan but instead in satisfaction at a job well done. Five bags full of purged clothes, shoes, hats, and accessories later, I can honestly say that I feel lighter, more in control, and, yes, even a bit joyful.
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Funny how getting away from the ordinary can sometimes stir the most unexpected triumphs.
It’s with that feeling of optimism that we reached out to three local designers and asked them to share a favorite travel destination with us. We wanted to know how a sense of place, with its unique style, culture, and traditions, translates to great design work back home. We were delighted by what they told us, and those discoveries further reinforced the link between moving away from the familiar and producing extraordinary work. Join textile designer Suzanne Miller Farrell in lush, sophisticated Cape Town; journey with architect Paul Fendler to the Scottsdale desert; and visit with interior designer Emily Hall as she’s inspired by everyday life in Paris.
Elsewhere in the issue, we’re talking all about outdoor spaces: from urban gardens and knot gardens to outdoor showers and alfresco dinners. See how outdoor living is taking on greater meaning as homeowners design their patios and porches, decks and yards as extensions of their homes. Personally, I can’t wait to step out onto my newly paved patio and sit down with the weekend papers. For those of you with similar yearnings, I hope that this issue encourages you to think of new ways to spend time outside, whether it’s planting your own pizza garden or whiling away the hours in a favorite hanging chair.
