THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
It’s around this time of year that I usually dig into Apartment Therapy’s January Cure—a daily email that gets me into decluttering, organizing, hanging art, deep cleaning and generally refreshing my space in these dark winter days. But as our editorial team has been working from home since March—and how very lucky we are to be able to do so—I’d say, this year, my January Cure has been more of an ongoing pandemic project that started last spring.
As I’m sure many of you have experienced, my live-work situation means I’m more focused than ever on creating a home environment that functions the way I need it to. I’ve finally carved out a space for a work station that I can walk away from at the end of the day, complete with—thanks to a friend who went through a similar home refresh—a very comfortable Aeron chair (which my back is grateful for). So many of my friends have embraced the great home revision of 2020; just last night I received a text from one who was asking me to help her decide between a couple of shades of blue for a new chair she’s bringing home.
In this issue, we’re spotlighting both the design trends to expect in 2021 (the optimism of “New London Fabulous” and the of-the-moment “Off-Kilter” are both personal favourites), as well as a gorgeous double-loft reno that the design duo at Falken Reynolds took on for a client. It’s a stunning space—that perfect convergence of historic elements with modern design—but what struck me most was how deeply personal the design was for the homeowners, how very just-for-them it was created to be. “When we’re working in condos, people always have a life expectancy of their time in the condo,” says designer Chad Falkenberg. “So we’re always trying to design with a little bit of an eye to resale.” But these clients, he says, were clear that this was their forever home. “So then it’s all about what they love.”
This winter finds us in precarious times: stuck between imminent access to new vaccines ( yes!) and the ongoing need to keep our frontline workers and loved ones safe. That makes our homes more important now than they’ve ever been—along with the need to bring out what we love most in them. I hope these pages help you in that mission.