We continue our virtual summer vacation with a tour of Italy, which provided immense inspiration for designers Krista Nye Nicholas and Tami Ramsay, of CLOTH & KIND. In fact, they called their recent journey “a design inspiration trip.”

We wouldn’t grow as people if we remained forever in our little corner of the globe. For designers, travel serves as a conduit for creativity and inspiration.

She’s a shade under 5 feet tall, but Mary Fisher is a titan when standing up to injustice and intolerance.

Creating a relaxing outdoor space has come a long way from propping up a couple of Adirondack chairs on the porch or stringing up a line of Chinese lanterns over the deck. These days, outdoor spaces are much more sophisticated and rival many indoor rooms in comfort and livability.

So often, shelter magazines print glossy feature stories that describe the many changes made to a space that took it from so-so to spectacular, but we’re left to imagine what the space looked like before the work began.

Some people shrug off the need for an interior designer by reasoning, “Why should I hire someone when I already know what I like?”