Inside AD ’s September 2024 Issue: Inspired by Tastemakers

Photo: Frank Frances. Art: © 2024 Mickalene Thomas /
Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

The question I am asked most often is: How does AD find the projects it publishes? Our small but mighty team of editors and contributors stays in touch with a global network of architects, interior designers, and landscape designers, tirelessly tracking projects (often for years) before they land in the pages of Architectural Digest. But on an even more personal note, the editors pursue fascinating people—non-design professionals—we are fortunate to be acquainted with. I am endlessly intrigued by how those with creative and artistic vision craft their own environments, and I am not shy about snooping a bit!

I have known Aurora James, the cover star of our September Style issue, for many years now, following her impressive career first as the founder of the shoe and accessories company Brother Vellies and later as an author and activist and the mastermind behind the impactful Fifteen Percent Pledge initiative. When Aurora bought a house in LA a few years ago, I fully expected that her new nest would be something deeply inspiring, powerful, and special. The place reveals so much about her interior life and values, as all the most memorable houses do.

I met the writer Plum Sykes when we were both young editors at Vogue in the late 1990s, and we bonded in that sort of “work friends forever” way, never imagining that one day she would be a best-selling author (her latest book, Wives Like Us, is wickedly funny) and I would be publishing her breathtaking Cotswolds garden in AD. We seem to have come full circle, and I am moved by the words she has written, describing her family’s pastoral English paradise.

Speaking of forever friends, Athena Calderone and AD100 designer Jeremiah Brent, both superstars of the industry, are longtime besties. Although Athena doesn’t take decorating clients, she made an exception for a fantastic project in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, and partnered with Jeremiah to update a classic Shingle-style house for clients who admired the aesthetic of each designer and—astoundingly!—managed to land the duo. Dream teams abound in our pages this month.

This article appears in AD's September issue. Never miss a story when you subscribe to AD.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

More Great Stories From AD

• Sign up for our daily newsletter to get the best of design in your inbox.

• Inside a Roman Palazzo Hotel Designed by Call Me By Your Name Director Luca Guadagnino

• Jennifer Lopez’s Homes: Inside the Superstar’s $124.8 Million Real Estate Portfolio

• What Is an Adobe House? (Short Answer: A Lot More Than You Might Think)

• Hollywood Director Ruben Fleischer’s Historic Estate Demonstrates Livability on a Grand Scale

• All the New Products We Loved in July

• The 5 Best and Worst US Cities for Recent College Graduates

• This Brooklyn Home Shows How Timeless Design Can Pack a Memorable Punch

• Jay Cutler Sells the Tennessee Home He Shared With Kristin Cavallari for $7.9 Million

• Eiffel Tower: Everything You Need to Know

• AD Editor’s Pick Their Favorite Farmhouse Decor With Enduring Appeal

• The 12 Best Mattresses of 2024 Tested by Sleep Experts

• Not a subscriber? Join AD for print and digital access now.