Spotlight: Designer Lee Ann Thornton

Do you ever encounter an interior designer that, somehow, just sort of speaks to your present style and captures the lifestyle you wish you had? For me, that designer is Lee Ann Thornton.

Recently, I was perusing the latest issue of House Beautiful. Focusing first on the captivating images, I spent more time that usual studying each aspect, every fabric choice and furniture arrangement. Something about the designer's aesthetic felt homey and cozy. Frankly, just perfect.

A New Look for Martha Stewart Living (Plus a House Tour)

This summer, the latest issues of Martha Stewart Living arrived to subscribers' mailboxes with a new look. At various times throughout the magazine's 22 years in print, there have been revamps, changes in editorial staff and many "new looks" and, because I own 128 issues of Living, I've seen the changing face of the publication across a long period of time. Many changes were subtle and most amounted to the sustained success of the magazine as a "go-to" source of crafters, cooks, and gardeners alike.

After perusing the last two issues of MSL (the first two with the brand new design) I was struck by the overall change in aesthetic--more white space on each page, modern fonts used throughout and a youthful attitude to projects and features. Think: more colorful, more casual, more approachable.

A feature in the September issue of Martha Stewart--showcasing stylist Jessica de Ruiter's California home--that helps underscore this change. Let's take a peek, shall we?