Favorites From Designers' Own Homes

What architects and interior designers choose

April 11, 2016

Christine DeOrio,

Does this ever happen to you? You’re looking for a home furnishing or accessory—a brass lamp that’s not too tall, a rustic console table that’ll fit in the entry hall—and while you can envision the perfect piece, you just can’t find it in stores or online. Google searches turn up the usual suspects, but not those cool one-of-a-kind finds that you just know are out there somewhere.

It happens to me all the time. And when I’m really stuck (and feeling guilty about phoning another designer friend for ideas), I turn to my stash of design magazines. Architects and interior designers always have the best sources for everything for the home, and often publications will share some of them in their pages (FYI: We publish shopping resources in the "DESIGN DETAILS" sections of each home featured on mountainliving.com).

For me, the real treasure troves are stories about designers’ personal homes, which reveal the materials, furnishings and fixtures the experts choose for themselves from the thousands of products they see every year. Each article is like a guide to the best of the best—and it’s why I was excited to bring you the January/February 2016 issue showcasing design pros’ own mountain homes.

Here are my three favorite finds from that issue. I’m also sharing their sources for these pieces here —and we’ve provided many more in the online editions of this issue’s stories. I hope you’ll find what you’ve been looking for!

PICK #1
Interior Designer Tracey Byrne’s twiggy living room and bedroom chandeliers, from A Fresh and Contemporary Montana Chalet

Photo by Audrey Hall

BRIARWOOD BRANCH/TWIG CHANDELIER
48-inch diameter, $3,200. WISH Designs USA

PICK #2
Architect John Carney’s marble kitchen backsplash that looks like a painting of a snowy hillside, from An Architect's Home in Jackson Hole