I give guests who have never been to my home a quick tour, letting them ooh and ahh over the living room, dining room and interior courtyard. I then try to hurry them past the kitchen. This space is much better than it once was, but when I remodeled a few years ago, as a cost-saving measure I left the existing cabinetry, which is stained an incongruous cherry color. To me they look cheap and I always feel the need to explain them away. It’s an easy fix. One day I will have them refinished and I will be at peace. 

The cortege proceeds with stops at the guest bath, my home office and the primary bedroom, all of which are pleasing to the eye (quick shout-out to interior designer James McIntyre, whose transformative vision was nothing short of Herculean).

When we inevitably get to the primary bath, the illusion comes to a grinding halt. I may as well have a sign on the door that says, “This is precisely where I ran out of money.” 

Like my kitchen, this bath is better than it was when I moved in. When my home was built in 1978, it included elements that were probably considered swanky, and the decadence reached its dizzying zenith in the bathroom, which boasted a sunken oval tub, and countertops crafted of the finest faux marble with a sparkling vein of gold glitter found nowhere in nature. The little cubicle that houses the toilet still has a swinging door like you would find in a Wild West saloon. Years ago, I updated the whole space to a vaguely Mediterranean aesthetic—or was it Tuscan I was going for? There’s travertine and a mosaic on the floor. It’s best not to discuss the what-was-I-thinking color of the walls. Until recently, two sconces had light bulbs of different color temperatures. (Interior designer Britany Simon shamed me into rectifying that situation.) At least the countertop and that tub are gone. 

Welcome to our annual issue highlighting kitchens and baths. The irony that these rooms in my own home are lacking is not lost on me. As we scoured projects to include on these pages, I frequently sighed heavily, longing for the day when I’ll finally pull the trigger and make everything right. 

Life is too short for ugly bathrooms and kitchens not to be proud of. I was inspired by the ideas and possibilities that are out there, and I hope you will be too. 

With every issue, we try many different cover options. Here are three of the semifinalists for August/September.