EDITOR'S LETTER

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK ME
to describe my decorating style. "I like to mix things," is my stock answer—not a very compelling one, I know, but I can't help it. I love antique and vintage pieces as much as I love things that are hyper-modern. I'm not a very traditional-minded person, but I can positively swoon over a great-looking wing chair. In my living room, side chairs covered in a crazy zigzag fabric sit next to a (now ancient) Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams sofa upholstered in plain white cotton duck. I've hung artwork by Alex Katz and Hugo Guinness and photographs by Tim Street-Porter, August Sander and Marcus Leatherdale; my great-grandmother's china sits on 19th-century French baker's shelves in the dining room (the Bellini dining chairs are made from molded plastic).

A few years ago, I attended a magazine focus group, during which a woman described her decorating style as "Tuscan adobe." Besides being totally hilarious, the comment struck a chord: I imagine that she loved the rusticated Italian farmhouse vernacular as much as she did the striking simplicity of the American Southwest, and I sort of understood where she was coming from. It was a mix of styles that gave her pleasure; it didn't really matter how she chose to describe it.

When considering stories to feature in the pages of HC&G, I'm constantly thinking about the mix. It's like decorating, in a way. You just go with what feels right.

Kendell Cronstrom
Editor in Chief
kendell.cronstrom@candgpublications.com