Look back at design of 2023 with Wendy Goodman

Our Editor's Favorite Great Rooms of the Year [Curbed](   Dear Reader, As the magazine’s design editor, I’m forever drawn to the beauty and intrigue of the myriad ways that people live in this fascinating city. Scouting these stories is just one of the great joys of my work here. My feelers are always out. I meet an interesting person, I wonder how they live, and I try to nudge my way inside to see. A designer I have always admired gives me a peek at a project they are particularly proud of–a great space, a great client. I get invited to a dinner party and think: Our readers would love to be invited in too—would they let us in? [Coming Soon co-founders Helena Barquet and Fabiana Faria left the Upper East Side for the Rockaways.]( Coming Soon co-founders Helena Barquet and Fabiana Faria left the Upper East Side for the Rockaways. Photo: Annie Schlechter And then it’s constant sleuthing on simultaneous levels: the stories we are working on now, the ones soon ready for photography, and the far-off ones I’m already tracking. The hunt to find the best of these projects takes an obsessive passion to beat out the competition, never take no for an answer, and cover as much ground as I can on any given day, with ongoing curiosity to learn and listen to people’s stories. It takes persistence! I must have waited for over a year, calling and emailing, to get the green light from founders Fabiana Faria and Helena Barquet to finally do a story on [their amazing house and garden in the Rockaways](. For me this particular story started with my love of their store, Coming Soon. I was sure that their home reflected the same joyous originality and design savvy that the store had, and when I finally gained permission to go out and scout it, I felt that rush of ecstasy that happens when you know you have landed a fantastic story. I still had to convince both Fabiana and Helena that New York was the right venue for them, as every magazine was also after their home. In the end, we waited until their spectacular garden was in full bloom and then timed the story to coincide with the celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the store. [The Closed-In Porch: The original siding of the house is visible behind a vintage bamboo couch from Coming Soon.]( The Closed-In Porch: The original siding of the house is visible behind a vintage bamboo couch from Coming Soon. Photo: Annie Schlechter [The New Guest Bathroom: The sink is from Concrete Cat, the sconces are by Charlotte Perriand, and towels are Dusen Dusen.]( The New Guest Bathroom: The sink is from Concrete Cat, the sconces are by Charlotte Perriand, and towels are Dusen Dusen. Photo: Annie Schlechter [The Living Room: It’s covered in wall-to-wall custom Cold Picnic carpet with a pair of Noguchi hanging lights and two standing vintage lamps with fringe shades by Huldra of Norway.]( The Living Room: It’s covered in wall-to-wall custom Cold Picnic carpet with a pair of Noguchi hanging lights and two standing vintage lamps with fringe shades by Huldra of Norway. Photo: Annie Schlechter Then there are people who I follow in their journey in life, like architectural historian, Michael Henry Adams. He has been an inspiration ever since I sought him out years ago to do a story on one of his first Harlem apartments. His perspective on the city’s history and his preservationist passion is a voice that is unique. He had put me off many times about covering his most recent apartment, feeling it “wasn’t ready.” (Coaxing people to believe they in fact are ready, is part of my job.) This year he finally let me come back and do a story on [his new apartment](. Not only was it ready, but it was just as unique and magical as his last one. [The large cut-out photograph is of Adams’s father during his basketball days at Akron University in the early ’50s. ]( The large cut-out photograph is of Adams’s father during his basketball days at Akron University in the early ’50s. The abstract paintings on the right are by Larry Bentley and Maurice Anderson; the framed paper construction on the left is by Kevin Bright. Photo: Annie Schlechter [Adams’s console came from the Harlem townhouse of poet Melvin Dixon.]( Adams’s console came from the Harlem townhouse of poet Melvin Dixon. It was originally grained and gilded, and he painted it, and the mended frame he found, white. Photo: Annie Schlechter [“The bathroom walls are the color of the sunrise,” Adams says. ]( “The bathroom walls are the color of the sunrise,” Adams says. “The yellow-orange paint job was supposed to have two coats, but seeing this brighter tint, I thought, why bother?” Photo: Annie Schlechter I believe that great interiors are a by-product of a person’s passions, where they have been, what they love, what they collect, and how order is maintained—decorating as such is not an end in and of itself, but the fascinating outcome of all those things. It is never just about money, although that can definitely come into play. It is about uniqueness, imagination, and smart thinking. And I can't wait to share with you what I find next. — Wendy Goodman, design editor, Curbed   [New York Magazine: Reasons to Love New York]( [STAY IN THE KNOW]( Save up to 70% on unlimited access to New York Magazine and all of our verticals, [plus choose your own limited-edition New York tote for free]( with any annual subscription, while supplies last.   [Curbed]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. View this email in your browser.Â]( Opt out of marketing emails [here.]( Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on e-mail newsletters please contact AdOps@nymag.com [unsubscribe](param=curbed) | [privacy notice]( Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.