In a world where almost anything can be made, there’s something increasingly compelling about the things that take time, skill and the human hand. Craftsmanship has long been part of the language of great design, but what role does it play in contemporary interiors? And how can traditional techniques remain relevant without losing what makes them special?

For the latest instalment of Speaking Of…, Anthology’s conversation series, we gathered at Christopher Farr Cloth during New York Design Center’s What’s New, What’s Next. Martin Brudnizki and Nicholas Jeanes of And Objects joined Michal Silver of Christopher Farr Cloth to explore the enduring influence of traditional making, the creative possibilities of collaboration and the distinct craft traditions shaping design on both sides of the Atlantic.

From the beauty of imperfection to the unexpected role of technology, the conversation revealed that craft is as much about innovation as it is about preservation.

Here’s what stayed with us.

1. Craft Is About the Hand

In an age of increasingly sophisticated mass production, the evidence of the human hand has become all the more worth celebrating. The subtle irregularities and imperfections that distinguish a crafted object from a manufactured one are not flaws to be corrected, but qualities that give it character. They speak to the time, skill and creative judgement invested in its making.

As Martin Brudnizki observed, part of a designer’s skill lies in knowing where to find exceptional craftsmanship and recognising the difference between something made with genuine care and something that merely looks the part. The panel also explored the tension between craft and mass production, particularly in the American market, where a preference for consistency and uniformity can leave less room for the unexpected.

Ultimately, craftsmanship is about more than the process of making. It is about the individuality that process brings to an object, and the discerning eye required to recognise its value.

2. Craft Is a Route to Instant Character

We often associate character with age: the patina of an antique, the imperfections of an object shaped by time. But can something brand new possess that same sense of character? The panel suggested that craftsmanship holds part of the answer. When the marks of making remain visible, an object takes on an individuality that mass production rarely replicates.

Martin Brudnizki and Nicholas Jeanes reflected on the creative process behind their collaboration with Christopher Farr Cloth, from developing textures and weaves to exploring how materials come together. The result is something with a distinct identity from the outset, shaped by the decisions and skills behind its creation. It doesn’t need decades of history to have a story worth telling.

3. Craft Has a Sense of Place

Craft traditions are shaped by the places they emerge from: the materials at hand, the skills passed down through generations and the cultural influences that inform them. And while design has become increasingly international, these regional distinctions remain a rich source of inspiration.

Nicholas Jeanes spoke about discovering Swedish Grace, the elegant, restrained design movement of the 1920s, which Martin Brudnizki first introduced him to. Rooted in Scandinavian craftsmanship yet informed by classical European design, it offered a reminder of how distinct creative traditions can give rise to very different expressions of beauty.

The conversation also explored the depth of America’s own craft heritage, from traditional woodworking to the contemporary makers keeping these skills alive. In the first issue of Anthology, for instance, we featured Ohio-based Ernest Hershberger, whose furniture brings Amish woodworking traditions to a wider audience. In an increasingly globalized design landscape, these local skills and traditions deserve greater visibility. Their distinctiveness is precisely what makes them worth preserving.

4. Tradition Is a Starting Point, Not a Constraint

Craftsmanship is often seen as a way of preserving the past. Yet some of the most compelling work in contemporary design comes from makers who choose to push traditional techniques in new directions, rather than simply reproduce what has come before.

The collaboration between And Objects and Christopher Farr Cloth offers a case in point. Through the exploration of new weaves, textures and colours, established skills are reimagined through a contemporary design lens, resulting in something that feels fresh while remaining rooted in tradition. Brudnizki also spoke of his enthusiasm for glassblowing, particularly the ways contemporary makers are expanding the possibilities of this centuries-old craft. For designers, part of the excitement lies in discovering these makers and understanding what their expertise can bring to a project.

Craftsmanship is neither a fixed aesthetic nor a set of rules, but a living body of knowledge, continually adapted and reinterpreted. Sometimes, the most interesting way forward begins by looking back.

5. Technology and Craftsmanship Aren’t Necessarily at Odds

Artificial intelligence might seem an unlikely ally to traditional craftsmanship. One celebrates the human hand, individual judgement and the time invested in making; the other promises speed, efficiency and automation. Yet the panel offered a more nuanced view of how the two might coexist.

Martin Brudnizki, with Michal Silver, suggested that technology has a valuable role to play behind the scenes, streamlining processes and reducing the administrative tasks that can draw time away from creative work. The distinction lies in using technology to support makers, rather than allowing it to replace the creative decisions and practical skills that give an object its character and value.

It’s an important distinction. The future of craftsmanship needn’t depend on rejecting new technology, but on understanding where human involvement matters most. If technology can give designers and makers more time to experiment, develop ideas and refine their work, it may ultimately help sustain the very skills it seems to threaten.

Good design can be spoken about in broad brush strokes: an overall style, a color theme, an approach to texture. But good design becomes great design when the details are right.

That was the starting point for the latest Speaking Of…, Anthology’s conversation series, held with Corston during What’s New, What’s Next at New York Design Center. Designer Zoe Feldman joined Sarah Spiteri, David Nicholls and Benjamin Reynaert to talk about the details that make a room: from furniture, texture and color through to the finishes and fittings, and the tiny decisions that can make the biggest difference.

Here’s what we agreed on.

Detail is critical, but easy to ignore

The decorator’s scheme starts with the moodboard, and the first thing a homeowner sees is the bigger picture. That’s fine and understandable, but if a scheme, and its designer’s engagement with it, never gets into every corner, every small detail, then it’s destined to underdeliver, the team agreed.

Concentrating on hero furniture pieces and their placement, or the choices of fabrics and wall colors, is clearly critical, but successful design, and the designer behind it, sweats the small stuff just as hard. That means ensuring the details, from the light fittings to the door handles, the cornicing to even small retail goods such as tableware, are not just in line with the overall design ethos, but are as much a part of it as the bigger items.

Get the details wrong by specifying them independently, or even worse, not really choosing them at all, and the homeowner is left with a design that only delivers at a broad scale. Zoe often includes finishes on her initial moodboard, so a client is on board with her layered approach from the get-go. And color can work in much the same way. Her love of blush pink isn’t necessarily about making it the big color statement, but using it as part of the overall story of the room.

Details Are the Interactive Elements

Architectural detailing is the bit you interact with. You’re touching it, switching it, putting plugs into it, using it to open cupboards and doors, multiple times every single day.

As a result, not only should it look good and feel coherent with your overall scheme, but it should feel good, too. The material finish is as important as the color palette here, which means understanding the difference between polished nickel and antique brass – believe us when we say it matters – and getting that right can give you multiple hits of pleasure every single day.

And that tactility goes beyond hardware. The softness of mohair or velvet, a sofa you actually want to sink into, a surface that gets better rather than worse as it ages: how a room feels is as much a part of the detail as how it looks.

Details Also Mean Layering and Depth

Imagine two schemes. One is a relatively broad scheme, with simple colors and bold furniture choices. The other is the same, but with a palette of fabrics, rugs, cushions, art, decor, hardware and lighting that is an integral part of the overall look.

This layered approach – the ability to provide multiple points of interest within a scheme that, together, add richness – is, of course, entrenched in interior design theory, and detailing is at its heart. When you’re looking at a scheme, regardless of the overall style, depth, layering and detailing are the elements that will make it come to life and provide the feeling of completeness any good design should be able to deliver.

But layering doesn’t mean everything needs to be perfect. Zoe likes the tension between old and new, and pieces that feel a little idiosyncratic or imperfect. A room doesn’t need everything in it to be beautiful.

And there is a point at which enough is enough. Knowing what should lead, what should recede and, crucially, when to stop is just as important as knowing what to add.

Choosing the Client Is Key

Most designers are working with no more than two handfuls of clients each year, and many with a lot less. The successful delivery of a great design depends on you as the designer, of course, but also on a strong working relationship with the client.

And as you’ll realize, detailing is the difference between good and great design, so your client must realize that, too. Talk closely with them about your aesthetic from the start, and try to find alignment on two fronts: the overall vision, of course, but also the overall approach to the design. Will they follow it through? Will they commit to the investment in time that you’ll be making to build a layered design? Or do they just want some help choosing furniture?

Ensuring a client is invested in the same things that you are is much more important than ensuring you agree on and love all the same things. A bit of creative energy should always go into the space between you and your client’s tastes. And ultimately, these are rooms that have to be lived in. A little wear, a scuffed floor, a stained counter or something sentimental isn’t necessarily the enemy of good design.

There’s an Explosion of Choice When It Comes to Details

Twenty years ago, there wasn’t a lot to talk about when it came to design details. They were largely overlooked by designers, and the choices were limited by manufacturing and technology. The globalization of the design industry, coupled with huge amounts of technical innovation, has meant detailing is a much more intensive, engaging and interesting process than it was.

In other words, it’s way better for designers, and a new area to ensure you’re on top of.

Lighting is a good example of this. Portable lighting has enabled designers, and homeowners, to flex their approach in ways unimaginable even five years ago. It can create flexibility in scenes, but also, thanks to lampshade designs, offers an additional detailing note. It can look great on bars or coffee tables and is now an easy choice, rather than requiring an electrician.

It’s the same story across the world of design detailing. The key as a designer is to make sure you’re on top of it, and to spend as much time thinking about the small finishes as you do about the big picture.

My first month at Homes & Gardens Anthology has been something of a whirlwind, in the best possible way. New York in September has provided no shortage of things to do and see: our first Anthology pop-up at Officina 1397 (above, center) produced with my friend and former Martha Stewart Living colleague Hannah Milman; the annual Kips Bay Decorator showhouse kicked off to much fanfare; I spoke about collected, layered interiors at Designing Greenwich to promote my book The Layered Home; scouted new product introductions; celebrated with the New York Design Center; toured the East Fork pottery workshop and previewed new interiors work by new talent at the Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse.

So, for the first edition of The Eye, here is a little of what I saw, loved and haven’t stopped thinking about.

A Room Designed for an Imaginary Editor

Dallas-based designer Chad Dorsey’s “Editor’s Office” at Kips Bay was the kind of room I wanted to spend more time in, richly layered with personal touches like polaroids, burnt out cigarettes, novels and old National Geographic magazine piles, this room felt really collected rather than just decorated. Walls were lined in fabric and framed in wood panels to create a massive pinboard, effectively creating a room surrounded by one’s own inspiration, handsome furnishings set a foundation for desk accessories and personal mementos of a fictitious character, one that I wanted to get to know better. The room was lined with postcards tacked to the wall, inspiration imagery torn from magazines and the bookshelves were quite literally, bursting at the seams. Chad’s room reminded me that the best rooms are layered, personal and tell a unique story, and oftentimes the little things, objects and ephemera styled to a T bring those ideas forward most clearly.

Where Pots are Made

I flew down to Asheville, North Carolina to peek behind the scenes at East Fork, the pottery and tableware brand co-founded by Alex Matisse, Henri Matisse’s great-grandson. In addition to a flagship retail shop, new workshop concept reintroducing 100% hand-thrown pieces and a beautiful creative studio space, there’s a mighty series of factory buildings with teams of artisans and craftspeople specializing in the complex chemistry of glazing, mold-making, slip-casting, hand-building and even the production of the clay in which pieces are created. What I’ve been familiar with as a boutique tabletop brand has grown at scale to become a true force in the home and design market. We also had the pleasure of visiting Alex’s mentor, Matt Jones, at his studio in the “Sandy Mush” region of the state, where Matt scoops clay from his backyard to throw and has his own wood-firing kiln (that he built, of course) that looks like a spaceship. Driving around town with Alex in his 1990s pickup truck, I’m most excited to hear about his love of the craft, support and promotion of American pottery traditions and how he intends to grow his business.

A New Furniture Collection, with a Little Excess

In Manhattan’s Chinatown there’s something wonderfully optimistic about Love House’s first foray into original furniture. Founders Jared Heinrich and Aric Yeakey have teamed up with longtime friend and textile designer Spencer Malinski on a collection of five ottomans featuring original patterns with a touch of 1970s excess. The sculptural forms are dressed in four exclusive fabrics including two jacquards and two lush printed velvets inspired by the era’s unapologetically bold “maxi-maxi” prints. I loved seeing how seemingly frivolous flourishes, heaps of Samuel & Sons fringe for instance, become almost architectural through precise draping and cutting. There is a rigor behind all that exuberance, and it’s all a wonder to see.

In Chinatown, a Dealer’s Trove

Just down the street from Love House is my new favorite antiques shop called France Ici Antiques. There’s no sign but the space is filled with unique pieces collected from across the globe by dealer and owner Ian Rosoff who is also a participating vendor at The Ticking Tent this fall. What I love most about the shop is the wonderful lack of preciousness to it. The walls are covered, some artworks are significant pieces while others less so. A small French landscape painting might be hung on top of a verdure tapestry next to a marble bust on an antique wooden column. Pieces from different provenances, periods and even price points live happily together. You have to look twice to not miss anything and you never know what will jump out at you. The delight in spending time in Ian’s shop is less about finding that perfect thing but more about discovering something you didn’t know you were looking for, which to me is exactly the point.

Beneath a Brooklyn Mansion, Something Strange

I stopped by the Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse press preview and loved the feeling of stepping into a series of entirely imagined worlds. Set within a landmarked 1852 corner lot mansion, the house has been transformed room by room. I was especially drawn to Brooklyn-based designer Rachael Rosenblum’s wonderfully strange garden-level space. Tucked beneath the main living quarters and featuring a hidden entrance to the sidewalk, the moody, almost otherworldly mix of emerald snakes, plaid wood, unique upholstery details (Rachael also operates a custom workroom) and even a pattern covered Tarot-inspired elevator. There’s something I always enjoy about a showhouse at its best: designers giving themselves permission to push an idea further than they ordinarily might and completely step inside their imagination.

Subscribe to the biannual print edition, bookmark Anthology online, and follow @homesandgardensanthology for a richer, more thoughtful view of design.

What is captivating America’s most interesting design minds right now? We asked some of our Anthologists, including Lori Weitzner, William Cullum and Steven Gambrel, to share the places, events, objects and ideas currently occupying their thoughts. Taken together, their answers offer a snapshot of what’s bubbling through the US design zeitgeist right now, from the culturally significant to the wonderfully specific.

Object Fixation

William Cullum: Garden Seats

'There’s something wonderful about a garden seat – a fixation of mine that has grown over the last decade. Rich glazes, extraordinary patterns, fantastical shapes: from elegant Chinese barrels to kitschy Egyptian Revival princesses, their appeal is as broad as it is specific. They possess an ephemeral quality. It’s easy to imagine a garden party gone awry and, before you know it, your yellow Minton stool is in pieces and someone is being summoned to staple it back together. Yet that very fragility is part of what I find so appealing. There is something remarkable about an object made for such polite utility – relatively delicate, all things considered – that has nevertheless survived. I’m not the only one drawn to them. Madeleine Castaing used Victorian stools in her interiors; Cecil Beaton kept Chinese stools in his conservatory; Joan Stacke Graham even built floor-to-ceiling bookcases in her apartment to display hers. Today, artists such as Reinaldo Sanguino continue the tradition, making fantastical graffiti and luster-glazed stools. In our Chelsea studio, we have seven, from a pair of 18th-century Chinese stools to 1830s Mason’s Ironstone and Victorian majolica. I don’t believe in limitations. Some might think you can’t have more than one – or in my case seven – in a room, but I’m here to prove them wrong, alongside clients who share my passion and are invariably thrilled when an email arrives with the subject line: "The perfect garden seat".'

@jwcullum

Cultural Mecca

Aldous Bertram: The Getty Villa

'The Getty Villa in Los Angeles is truly transportative in both place and time, taking you to a vast Roman residence in its heyday, with a view of what could easily be the glittering Mediterranean in the distance and the scent of pine trees and ancient herbs in the air. Fountains play among classical bronze figures in gardens that sweep up to the museum itself, a marvel of recreated classical architecture housing a world-class collection of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian sculptures and artefacts. It always seems peaceful and never too crowded, due to being overshadowed by the more famous and flashier Getty Center. In practical terms there is an excellent cafe and shop. A wonderful half day can be spent in the galleries and gardens, finding some time to sit on a bench and imagine oneself taking the sea air in the foothills of Mount Vesuvius.'

@aldousbertram

Aesthete's Eye

Lori Weitzner: Mahjong

'This traditional Chinese tile game has been embraced recently as a popular pastime as well as an aesthetic movement. Interest in the game now cuts across age, gender, and geographic lines, creating a community with a unique shared passion that stands out in this era of technological isolation. I like that the gathering of participants and the ritual of the game hearken back to an era in which we socialized around game tables – and took our fun rather seriously. Mahjong sets are now offered in an enormous array of styles and colors, with major design houses producing high-end and bespoke kits. You can now coordinate and integrate mahjong sets into your decor. Beyond that, some devotees are even creating dedicated spaces in their homes for mahjong. I am just learning to play the game and wonder if there is a correlation between winning more and loving the synergy between the mahjong set’s design and the interior where I am playing it.'

@loriweiztner

After Image

Steven Gambrel: Pure Theater

'Revisiting Villa Necchi Campiglio always makes me feel like I am in a great Fellini movie, dressed for the part. In fact, that is what the strongest memories of a week of Salone conjure: being dressed and enveloped by endlessly beautiful environments, both ancient and new. The streets are pure theater; unique installations appear unexpectedly in aged squares, abandoned hospitals, and glamorous apartments, offering unparalleled delight that comes from layers of patina mixed with modern-day materials of artistic intervention. I am swept away by 20th-century lobbies, fabled restaurants, and unrivalled hospitality'

@stevengambrel

The New Frontier

Joan Craig: Chicago

'When we moved from New York to Chicago some 20 years ago, our oldest daughter, 12 at the time, came kicking and screaming. For years she held this move against us. She now visits quite often and I see this as an affirmation that she thinks Chicago has become, well, cool. Chicago is a city of distinct neighborhoods – from Andersonville, with its Swedish heritage, charming restaurants, and antique shops, to Pilsen, the Mexican neighborhood, where you can explore 18th Street with its vibrant nightlife, to the Gold Coast, with its tree-lined streets and splendid homes. And it’s a gift for admirers of great design and architecture. Visit the campus of the Obama Center, launched in June 2026, and tour this controversial Tod Williams Billie Tsien building – what does it reveal about the former president’s view of himself, and of history, race, place, democracy, and America’s future? The Riverwalk, the architectural boat tours celebrating this diverse collection of American skyscrapers, the Frank Lloyd Wright houses, the Gehry bandshell, the Renzo Piano Modern Wing, the Mies towers, the Piet Oudolf gardens: these are the standard stops for design aficionados visiting the city. But my tip is to explore further: the workshop of Simes Studios, a guild headed by Jorge and Cindy Simes who work in the decorative and applied arts; tour the foundry at West Supply, founded by Angie West, where makers produce heirloom-quality metal and cast-glass furniture and sculpture. And book an appointment at Right | Proper, a trove of carefully curated, globally sourced, one-of-a-kind finds.'

@craigandcompany

Retail's Future

Ellen Hamilton: The Ticking Tent

'There are so few bricks and mortar antiques shops remaining in New York that we are forced to look elsewhere for well-curated objects for our projects. The Ticking Tent is a show packed full of beautiful things from all parts of the globe. I know I will discover something unexpected there, whether it’s a hand-painted ceramic piece, a rare textile, a future heirloom, or the finishing touch for a client’s home. This return to experiential shopping is what I am seeking and the impact extends far beyond the event itself. Yes, designers like myself source pieces for clients, but shop owners also discover new makers, and brands build lasting industry relationships.'

@ellenhamiltonlovescolor

Secret Address

Marco Credendino, Artemest: Byblos Art Hotel, Verona

'When people ask me where to escape for a weekend, they will always expect me to say Portofino or Lake Como. I tell them Verona and I watch them pause. An hour from Milan, unconventional by definition, and at its heart sits the place I keep returning to: Byblos Art Hotel. Housed in a 16th-century Venetian villa, Byblos is essentially a private museum you sleep inside. You walk into the lobby and just sit down, surrounded by works that stop you mid-sentence. Vanessa Beecroft’s nudes stare back at you from the walls, Damien Hirst and Alessandro Mendini are around every corner, and postmodern design objects fill every room – Gaetano Pesce chairs, Ron Arad shelves, where craftsmanship and provocation share the same air. One night here and you understand what it feels like to actually live inside art. At a moment when design culture is craving depth over aesthetics and experience over spectacle, Byblos delivers all of it, without the noise. My most unconventional recommendation and my most personal one.'

@marcocredendino

Mood of the Moment

Corey Damen Jenkins: Courage

'What feels decidedly over is the performance of following trends, the exhausting compulsion to ensure your home reflects whatever aesthetic is currently having its moment. Emerging in its place is something far more interesting: courage – the desire to be different, to be specific, to develop your own eye with independence and authenticity. That might mean an emerald accent chair, a wallpapered ceiling, a ceramic lamp you found at auction and can’t quite explain but can’t stop thinking about. Small, considered acts of self-expression that cost relatively little but change everything about how a room feels.'

@coreydamenjenkins

The Great Escape

Zoë Feldman: Palazzo Avino, Ravello

'Palazzo Avino in Ravello is one of those places I find myself returning to again and again. Perched nearly 1,000 feet above the Mediterranean, it has all the beauty of the Amalfi Coast without the crowds and energy of Positano and Amalfi. The views, architecture, and interiors have all stayed with me since I first visited: the Gothic arches, marble mosaic floors, and design are classic Italian Riviera. These are the elements I find myself referencing in my work. While I always imagine going to new places, I’m ultimately pulled back to destinations that have a classic riviera resort vibe. Ravello attracts artists and craftspeople, and there’s a creative spirit that lingers. Great design isn’t necessarily about novelty, but about creating places with enough character to stay with you long after you’ve left.'

@zoefeldmandesign

Subscribe to the biannual print edition, bookmark Anthology online, and follow @homesandgardensanthology for a richer, more thoughtful view of design.

Homes & Gardens Anthology arrived in New York with a simple intention: to put the magazine into the hands of the people it was made for, and to start conversations around it.

Across launch week, that meant a chic uptown debut, a charming autumnal pop-up, a packed program at What’s New, What’s Next, and, perhaps most importantly, plenty of strong opinions.

We're all about strong opinions.

A Magazine of Many Voices: The Launch at Marcel

If you know us even just a little, you know we love to party. So, of course, the week began with a fabulous celebration at Marcel (above), the new restaurant designed by Roman and Williams in the Breuer Building, where we gathered to mark the launch of Anthology Volume One.

The evening was supported by Little Greene, Morris & Co and Corston, three brands whose commitment to craft, quality and enduring design closely reflects the values behind Anthology.

As the evening unfolded, with the Anthology logo projected across the terrace, oysters, foie gras, martinis, Negronis and Champagne flowed.

But, really, the evening was all about the people, and the conversations that happened.

Illustrious designers, editors and friends of Homes & Gardens joined us, among them Dan Fink, Thomas Jayne, Peter Dunham (below, left), and Steven Gambrel (above, right), alongside many of our first issue Anthologists.

From the outset, Anthology was conceived not around a single editorial voice, but a collective of them. So rather than a conventional launch speech, we asked some of our Issue One Anthologists to tell a story that was personal to them.

Michael Diaz-Griffith (above), Lori Weitzner, and Joy Moyler each shared something about the important people, places and experiences that had shaped them, alongside stories from the editorial team.

It was our way of bringing to life just some of the wonderful conversations we've had in conceiving and creating Anthology.

It made for a fitting first night: not simply a celebration of a new (dare we say?) ground-breaking magazine, but of the exciting, different voices and perspectives within it.

Bringing the Cover to Life: The Pop-up

On Wednesday, Anthology opened the doors to its own little shop at Officina 1397 in the West Village.

The idea was to take the abundant, layered mood of the Volume One cover and bring it into three dimensions. The space became an abundant harvest of apples, baskets, magazines and objects, alongside, Anthology hats and merchandise.

We love fun merch almost as much as we love parties.

Outside, illustrator SJ Axelby (who painted one of our hero features in Volume One) spent the day painting the facade, turning the storefront itself into part of the event.

Around 200 people came through over the course of the day, including Nathan Turner, Sean Anderson, and Meta Coleman. It was intentionally informal: somewhere to drop in, pick up a copy, see the world of Anthology beyond the page, and stay for a conversation. Of course, we think there's always a conversation to be had.

A Day of Design at 200 Lex

Thursday took Anthology to 200 Lex for What’s New, What’s Next, with a day of (more) conversations spanning British and American design.

At de Le Cuona, Nicola Harding, and Francis Nicdao joined David Nicholls for a discussion exploring the exchange of ideas between the two design cultures, while Christopher Farr Cloth hosted Sarah Spiteri, Martin Brudnizki, and Nick Jeanes for a conversation around British craft, traditional making and its continuing influence on contemporary interiors.

Corston also hosted an Anthology Lunch & Learn with Zoë Feldman, looking at the architectural details that can quietly transform a room, from hardware and proportion to the decisions that often go unnoticed but make a space feel resolved.

Alongside the talks, Anthology created a live installation around one of the magazine’s recurring ideas: that design becomes more interesting when people are prepared to have an opinion.

All (design-related) opinions welcome, however controversial.

Visitors were invited to add their own opinions to a growing moodboard, writing comments and convictions onto cards and pinning them up throughout the day. Layered with fabric, pattern and texture inspired by the show, the board kept evolving as more people joined in, becoming a visual record of the conversations happening around it.

Some may appear on merch for our next events. Watch this space (we know some of you are already collecting the hats).

The answers ranged from practical to provocative: “It’s PR, not ER.” “I am not a decorator.” “Always spec a bidet.” “Squishy sofas are overrated.”

Some were serious, some emphatically not. As the cards accumulated, the moodboard became an increasingly unfiltered snapshot of the design community passing through 200 Lex that day.

And that, in many ways, summed up the week. Anthology may be a magazine about interiors, but it is equally interested in the people behind them: their stories, their convictions, their disagreements and the things they care enough about to have an opinion on.

For a first issue built around the exchange between British and American design, New York felt like the right place to begin the conversation.

Subscribe to the biannual print edition, bookmark Anthology online, and follow @homesandgardensanthology for a richer, more thoughtful view of design.

Homes & Gardens Anthology is a richer, more thoughtful perspective on the world of design: a place for the ideas, interiors, and voices that deserve more space, thought, and time.

For more than 100 years, Homes & Gardens has told stories about living beautifully. In recent years, those stories have found a devoted digital readership in the United States. Anthology extends that relationship into print: a large-format, biannual publication made to be kept, collected, revisited, and enjoyed slowly.

Print offers something different. It gives stories room to breathe, lets photography have scale and allows ideas to unfold over pages rather than seconds. In an increasingly fast-moving digital world, Anthology is deliberately slower and more considered.

The first issue explores the enduring relationship between British and American design. For centuries, ideas about houses, gardens, furniture, color, craft, and comfort have crossed the Atlantic in both directions. Today, that exchange feels more reciprocal, relevant, and interesting than ever.

The name reflects the spirit of the magazine. An anthology is a gathering: of voices, places, images, ideas, and points of view, brought together to form something greater. Anthology does the same, bringing together extraordinary homes, original thinking, intimate profiles, cultural commentary, and a considered edit of the people, places, and objects worth knowing. You can see behind the scenes of our first cover shoot, here.

Alongside the biannual print edition, Anthology lives online here every week, with the latest stories, musings, interviews, and discoveries from our Anthologists: a collective of leading editors, designers, makers, and tastemakers shaping interiors today.

Informed by an English eye but international in outlook, Anthology is curious, characterful and occasionally irreverent. It is our invitation to spend a little more time with the ideas and people shaping the way we live.

Subscribe to the biannual print edition, bookmark Anthology online, and follow @homesandgardensanthology for a richer, more thoughtful view of design.

These are the storytellers defining design today, with many more Anthologists to join us for the next edition of Anthology in March 2027.

Sarah Spiteri

Sarah developed the vision for Anthology. As Global Brand Director and Group Editor in Chief of Homes & Gardens Anthology, Homes & Gardens, Livingetc, and Ideal Home, Sarah leads the editorial vision, creative strategy and brand development across four of the world’s most influential interiors titles. With more than 15 years’ experience in lifestyle media, she has shaped editorial franchises, championed emerging talent and helped drive the brands’ evolution across print, digital, video and social.

@sarah.spiteri

David Nicholls

David conceived and commissioned many of the beautiful features in our first issue. Born and raised on the west coast of Canada, David moved to London in 1994 where, over the past 25 years, he has become a leading voice in interiors journalism. He joined Homes & Gardens as Director of Editorial Development in January 2026. Last year his first book, A New English Style: Timeless Interiors of Salvesen Graham (Hardy Grant) was published, and he is currently writing a book about a British textiles brand. David is also co-founder of Almanac, a homeware and lifestyle store in Tuscany.

@mrdavidnicholls

Lucy Searle

Lucy worked closely with Sarah on Anthology’s brand building, digital integration and ideation. Formerly Global Editor-in-Chief of Homes & Gardens, overseeing the brand’s global expansion, Lucy is now Content Director for Audience across Homes & Gardens Anthology, Homes & Gardens, Livingetc, and Ideal Home. Lucy has written, edited and commissioned interiors, property and gardens content for more than 30 years, beginning in magazines before moving into digital publishing in 2007.

@lucysearle8373

Benjamin Reynaert

Benjamin Reynaert is a New York–based editor, stylist, author, and creative consultant with a passion for interiors that tell deeply personal stories. As U.S. Editor of Homes & Gardens, he reports for Anthology on the people, places, and objects shaping the design world today. Previously, he held editorial roles at ELLE Décor, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, domino, and Martha Stewart Living. A lifelong collector and champion of layered, character-filled spaces, Benjamin is the author of The Layered Home (Clarkson Potter and Mitchell Beazley, 2026), a celebration of the world’s most inspiring interiors and the creative voices behind them. He is also the co-founder of The Ticking Tent®, a curated design market dedicated to antiques, artisans, and the thrill of the hunt.

@aspoonfulofbenjamin

Jo Bailey

Jo curated our Only Lovely Things pages. As Editor of the print edition of Homes & Gardens, Jo brings to the role more than a decade of experience as an interior stylist and set designer. Before joining the editorial team, she worked across editorial and commercial shoots for leading design and luxury clients, as well as on installations, exhibitions and events in London and internationally. Her styling background gives her a particularly sharp eye for color, composition and the details that make a house feel like a home.

@jobaileygram

Joy Moyler

Joy created one of our design pairings, to create, what she calls, “a home office that feels like a hug: rich, layered and deeply comfortable”. A New York-based interior designer and founder of Joy Moyler Interiors, Joy is known for interiors that combine classic architecture with a modern sensibility and an expressive use of color, pattern and textiles. With more than 25 years’ experience, she has worked with leading architecture, interiors and fashion firms including Ralph Lauren; she was also US Head Designer of Giorgio Armani’s Interior Design Studio.

@joymoylerinteriors

Nina Campbell

Nina wrote one of our point of view features – which she sums up beautifully with: “The English say ‘Why?’; Americans say ‘Why not?’”. One of Britain’s most celebrated interior designers, Nina is known for elegant, highly individual interiors that combine classic English style with color, pattern and a relaxed sense of comfort. Alongside her interiors work, Campbell has created an influential collection of fabrics, wallpapers and furniture, becoming one of the most recognizable names in British design. The author of several books on decoration, she has been awarded the prestigious Order of the British Empire for her contribution to interior design.

@ninacampbellltd

Michael Diaz-Griffith

Michael wrote Dispatch from the Future of the Past for our first issue. He is a writer, designer and historian whose work explores the relationship between the past and present. Michael is CEO of the Design Leadership Network and Vice Chair of The Winter Show, bringing together expertise in art, design, collecting and cultural leadership. His first book, The New Antiquarians: At Home with Young Collectors, published in 2023, helped spark renewed interest in historic art and antiques among a new generation of collectors. He is currently working on a forthcoming guide to collecting for the 21st century.

@michaeldiazgriffith

Young Huh

Young wrote another of our design pairings, creating a moodboard for a bedroom that feels “almost Hollywood”. An interior designer based in New York, Young founded Young Huh Interior Design in 2007. A Detroit native, Young’s studio creates residential, commercial and hospitality interiors that balance classic and modern principles, with a distinctive use of pattern, color and architectural detail. In 2026, Huh published her first book, A Mood, A Thought, A Feeling.

@younghuh

Ben Pentreath

Ben wrote about the long relationship between the English and American country house for our first issue. Pentreath is an award-winning architectural designer, decorator and author whose London-based practice works across architecture, urbanism and interiors. He founded his own practice in 2004 following five years in New York. His work is renowned for combining traditional and classical architecture with a fresh, contemporary sensibility. He is co-founder of the influential London interiors shop Pentreath & Hall and author of English Decoration, English Houses and An English Vision.

@benpentreathstudio

Charu Gandhi

Charu wrote one of our design pairing features, imagining a bright sunroom overlooking a pleasingly wild garden. Gandhi is the founder and director of Elicyon, the London-based global design studio she established in 2014. Born in Delhi, she trained as an architect. Her architectural training and deep appreciation of craft inform Elicyon’s highly personalized approach to interiors, bringing together architecture, decoration, materials and objects to create cohesive, sophisticated spaces.

@charu_gandhi

Kate Stamps

Kate wrote one of our point of view features, exploring how comfort is critical to a happy life. Kate is an interior and landscape designer and co-founder of Stamps & Stamps, the Southern California design practice she established with her husband, architect Odom Stamps, in 1991. A lifelong Anglophile, Kate creates timeless, English-inspired interiors, gardens and historic restorations, combining classical references with a relaxed Californian sensibility. Kate was also the photographer of Stamps & Stamps: Style & Sensibility.

@stampsandstamps

Linda Boronkay

Linda wrote one of our design pairings, curating a combination of antique and contemporary pieces. A London-based interior designer and founder of Linda Boronkay Design Studio, Linda is known for sophisticated, characterful interiors, in which she combines strong architectural thinking with color, texture and considered detailing. Her particular expertise is in creating distinctive, layered spaces that balance contemporary design with a sense of warmth and timelessness. Linda previously served as Design Director at Soho House, where she shaped interiors for the global hospitality group.

@lindaboronkay

Kathryn M Ireland

Kathryn wrote one of our point of view features about creating colorful, relaxed interiors. A British-born interior and textile designer whose work brings together grand European style and relaxed California chi, Kathryn is based in Los Angeles. Known for her bold use of color, pattern and texture, as well as her instinct for creating elegant spaces that feel comfortable, collected and lived-in, she works internationally, from Montecito and the Hamptons to the Cotswolds, with a particular reputation for sympathetic restorations of historic homes.

@kathrynmireland

Mieke ten Have

For our first issue, Mieke wrote about a Colonnial home in Connecticut, decorated by Thomas Jayne and William Cullum. A New York-based interiors stylist, designer and author known for her layered, colorful and distinctly editorial approach, she established Mieke ten Have Studio in 2023, expanding her practice into interior design alongside styling and creative direction for designers, architects and home brands. Her first book, Interiors Styled by Mieke ten Have, was published by Vendome in 2024.

@mieketenhave

Lulu Lytle

Lulu wrote about the importance of craft for our first issue. As founder and Creative Director of Soane Britain, Lulu’s vision was to create furniture with the quality and longevity of the finest antiques. A passionate advocate for British craftsmanship, she has built Soane around a network of specialist workshops and makers, from rattan weavers and chair makers to blacksmiths and cabinet makers. In 2010, she revived Britain’s last remaining rattan weaving workshop, helping preserve a craft that was at risk of disappearing. Author of Rattan: A World of Elegance and Charm, Lulu was awarded an OBE in 2024 for services to British manufacturing and craftsmanship.

@soanebritain

Damian Foxe

Damian photographed Anthology’s first front cover and decorating shoot. An Irish-born, London-based fashion photographer and director, and co-founder of creative studio Bitton by a Foxe, Foxe has built a career spanning editorial, portraiture and commercial photography. His work has appeared in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Flaunt, alongside campaigns and collaborations for some of the world’s leading luxury houses, including Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Alexander McQueen and Chanel. Working closely with stylist Elad Bitton, his distinctive, fashion-led imagery has also featured in books for Tom Ford, Moschino and Van Cleef & Arpels.

@damianfoxe

Elad Bitton

Elad was stylist for our front cover and decorating shoot. A London-based fashion stylist, creative director and co-founder of Bitton by a Foxe, the creative studio he runs with photographer Damian Foxe, Bitton has worked across high-fashion editorial, advertising and creative direction, collaborating with leading international titles including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Flaunt. His client work spans luxury and fashion houses including Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Alexander McQueen, Chanel and Gieves & Hawkes. Known for his refined yet distinctive approach to fashion, Bitton works closely with Foxe to create imagery that combines strong styling, cinematic photography and a sophisticated sense of visual storytelling.

@mrbitton

Keith Flanagan

Keith, a contributing editor to Anthology’s sister title Livingetc, wrote our feature about Colfax Farm in Indiana. Based in New York, where he brings an insider’s perspective to the city’s ever-evolving design, culture and hospitality scene, Keith has written for leading international publications including Homes & Gardens. His work spans interiors, architecture, travel and design trends, with a particular focus on the people, places and ideas shaping contemporary design in the US.

@keithflanny

Hadley Keller Lloyd

Hadley wrote United States of Making, focussing on leading American creatives producing work the slow way. Keller Lloyd is a design writer, editor and Director of Editorial and Community Engagement at the Design Leadership Network, a community of leading interior designers. She has covered interiors, architecture and culture for more than a decade and is a frequent speaker at design-industry events. She is also the author of Beachside, exploring the architecture and interiors of Windsor, Florida, and a contributor to The Refined Home, a monograph on designer Sheldon Harte.

@hadleykeller

Fiona McCarthy

Fiona wrote A New Grand Tour for our first issue. A lifestyle journalist, international contributing editor and author, whose work spans interiors, design, fashion, beauty, food and travel, Fiona has written for leading newspapers and design publications. Known for her discerning eye and ability to uncover the people, places and ideas shaping contemporary style, she is a regular contributor to Homes & Gardens. Fiona is also a sought-after speaker and moderator, regularly hosting conversations with leading names across the worlds of design and culture.

@thechicshopper

Lizzie Metcalfe

Lizzie wrote our feature on yellow. Metcalfe is an interiors writer and editor with a particular passion for layered, lived-in spaces and discovering little-known craftspeople. She began her career with a Saturday job at Pentreath & Hall, which sparked her interest in interiors. She is the author of New English Interiors, a collection of colorful, characterful homes belonging to 22 creative figures. She has also hosted talks for Christie’s and Collect Art Fair.

@elizabethjmetcalfe

Virginia Clarke

Ginny wrote Aesthetics of Use for our first issue. Clarke has written extensively about interiors, architecture, gardens, food and travel, bringing a keen eye for color, character and the details that bring a home to life. Her work combines thoughtful storytelling with a natural curiosity about how people live, from beautifully considered country houses to eclectic city interiors.

@ginnyemily

Serena Fokschaner

Serena wrote our study of the Ohio ranch. Fokschaner is an interiors and design journalist whose work explores the stories behind the spaces, objects and people shaping the world of design. Her career began in journalism on the British national newspaper The Telegraph, where honed her distinctive, thoughtful approach to storytelling. She is particularly interested in the relationship between people and their possessions, and the ways homes reveal the lives of those who inhabit them.

@serena_fokschaner

SJ Axelby

SJ Axelby is the artist and interior portraitist who created the paintings for Picture This. Known for her expressive watercolors of designers’ homes and creative spaces, she has a background in textile design and a lifelong connection to painting. Her popular Room Portrait Club began during the pandemic, evolving into a celebrated body of work documenting the spaces of leading designers, artists and makers. She is the author and illustrator of Interior Portraits, which features 89 creatives, and Painted Travels.

@sjaxelby

Steven Kurutz

Steven wrote about the Cape Cod house designed by Roger Seifter at Robert AM Stern. A features reporter covering style, culture and design, Kurutz has worked for The New York Times andThe Wall Street Journal, building a reputation for characterful long-form journalism. He is the author of American Flannel, exploring the revival of American-made clothing, and Like a Rolling Stone, about the unusual world of tribute bands.

Subscribe to the biannual print edition, bookmark Anthology online, and follow @homesandgardensanthology for a richer, more thoughtful view of design.

See behind the scenes of our first cover shoot.

Florals of every variety have long flourished in classic interiors. In Anthology's first decorating shoot, and featured on our first front cover, we showcase them in a new way.

"The idea behind the shoot was to illustrate the abundance of fabulous florals that form a perennial part of so many collections," says Global Brand Director Sarah Spiteri, "And who better to tend to this bounty than some appropriately dressed plantsmen? It is a celebration of the perfect specimens."

Welcome behind the scenes of An Abundant Harvest.

Anthology's September 2026 front cover. Model Marial nestles in Palm Blossom, Colefax & Fowler; Ladies Day, Ralph Lauren Home; Lavinia, Temperley London for Romo; Nympheus Velvet, GP&J Baker; Highgrove Hydrangea & Rose, Sanderson; (eyes) Corsica Raffia Rosette, Samuel & Sons.

Photographer Damian Foxes experiments with a pose. Watercan: Fleurs de Artiste, Designers Guild; Alderney, Colefax & Fowler; Adele, Sanderson; Garden Trellis, Adam Ellis; Floriana by Nina Campbell, Osborne & Little.

Eden, Makoto Kagoshima for Christopher Farr Cloth; Fleurs de Artiste, Designers Guild; Lansdowne bullion fringe, Colefax & Fowler; Astrea and Savernake, both Fermoie; Trianon beaded fringe, Samuel & Sons.

Director of Editorial Development David Nicholls tries out his portrait shot outfit.

Shot from above: model Rory lies amongst blue florals. Tallulah Floral, Ralph Lauren Home, Fork in Persian Flower, Soane; Landsdowne bullion fringe and Olander, both Colefax & Fowler; Lavinia, Temperley London for Romo; Lottie, Linwood; Lily Stripe, Michael S. Smith for Zoffany; Gardenia, Casamance.

On screen: shots are assessed for composition. Amanpuri, Sanderson; Coco, Lizzet Frausto; Acanthus, Morris & Co.; Indira, Rubelli; Dragonfly, de Le Cuona.

Subscribe to the biannual print edition, bookmark Anthology online, and follow @homesandgardensanthology for a richer, more thoughtful view of design.

Photography: Damian Foxe, one of our Anthologists
Styling: Elad Bitton
Models: Rory D at Twelve Management; Marial Akech at Lindenstaub
Prop styling: Melanie Williams
Hair styling: Mark Daniel Bailey
Casting director: Dean Goodman