Our October issue celebrates the blurred lines of indoor/outdoor living.

Although I am squirming in triple-digit temperatures as I write this, I am cognizant of how extremely fortunate we in Arizona are when it comes to climate. With my eye on the prize of heat giving way to the best months of our year, I stand by my often-repeated mantra: Hot is uncomfortable; cold hurts. For many Valley residents—myself most certainly included—a few months of swelter is a worthy trade-off for three-quarters of a year when the weather is sublime.

“This is why we live here.” It is a familiar sentiment of Arizonans when the unforgiving heat subsides. During the glory days of October through April, we spend as much time outdoors as we can. Our homes and gardens are designed to make the most of our locale. Our interiors become our exteriors and vice versa. We glide effortlessly from one into the other.

At Phoenix Home & Garden, one of the ways we frequently describe this aesthetic is that it “blurs the lines between indoors and out.” The words have become our default, so much so that when reviewing potential photos for a feature, art director Leonard Loria will simply point and say, “blurred lines,” as an identifier, much as he would say “kitchen” or “master bathroom.” But we lean on this verbiage because it is such a perfect fit for the way we live in the Southwest.

With this issue, we celebrate the end of our summer and the beginning of why we endure those three (or four) brutal months every year. As temps dip down into the 80s, and we pull out our sweaters and cozy blankets, we invite you to blur your own lines. You’ve earned this. Throw open the windows and doors and welcome in the unmatched wonder of the Sonoran autumn.