As we were putting this issue together and looking at remodels and renovations, my childhood bedroom came to mind. Our family moved into the home when I was roughly three years old, and my second-floor room on the back side of the house was a baby blue hue that has probably been banned from modern color palettes. Carpet and walls, the whole shebang had an institutional pallor. I recall minor updates along the way, including velvety decals shaped like early automobiles that were stuck to the window shades. I cannot imagine that these were something I would choose on my own, but I guess they were deemed a masculine accent that was a cheap and easy update. 

Around the age of 12 there was big talk of a full-scale transformation of my little sanctuary. I remember looking through the Sears catalog at the most cutting-edge decor trends, and my mind ran wild with possibilities. (If you’ve ever seen a Sears catalog from the 1970s, you’ll recognize that the word ‘decor’ had an entirely different meaning then than it does today.)

The juvenile color scheme gave way to brash earth tones. A geometric-patterned bedspread and curtains boldly led the way; adhesive faux-wood vinyl floor tiles were a daring choice, as was the audacious yellow ceiling. One entire wall was clad in dark cork tiles that were forever unsticking and shedding silt. The gaseous odor they emitted was probably toxic, and in some way responsible for my lifelong inability to do math. There was an orangey-brown area rug, a couple of Formica-topped, white-and-yellow lowboy campaign dressers and a matching desk where I did my homework and taught myself to draw. I had a modest stereo and some shelves on the wall. 

I don’t know how we crammed all of this into what was maybe a 10-foot-square room, and I wish I could revisit it today exactly as it was. For me, this was paradise, my escape, my refuge from the outside world. A swanky, curated child bachelor pad that I was so happy in and proud of. 

I now have a lot more square footage, and thankfully my tastes have evolved, but the feelings that my home give me today are the same as that bedroom from decades ago. I have loved the evolution and process of creating my space, my way. 

We hope you enjoy the pages ahead, and no matter how young or old you are, we encourage you to dream and create. 

When producing each issue, we create a mulititude of cover possibilities. Here are three of our favorites.