From the Editor | The Power of Collaboration

Collabs are buzzy these days for everything from furnishings to fashion, making the title of the new Ferguson & Shamamian Architects book, Collaborations: Architecture, Interiors, Landscapes, particularly timely. Partners Mark Ferguson and Oscar Shamamian espouse the idea that the best work comes from many people, and in this issue of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles we see the belief in practice—not just in the gorgeous Aspen home their team designed (page 102) but throughout this issue. 

Since we’re talking about kitchens, I want to share a recent discovery, Emile Henry French Ceramic Fruit Storage Bowl at Food52.com.

In our annual “Kitchens” section, a list of talented craftspeople follows each story—the many hands that worked on a project, from kitchen designers to hard-surface experts to lighting artists. The result renders kitchens with layers of texture, spaces about more than function—designed for comfort, socializing and creativity.

At a wonderful evening event in the Integral Thread showroom with sisters Stephanie Holmes (L) and Stacie Bryant (R).

Following the “thread” of teamwork in the issue, when I asked Stephanie Holmes, owner of Integral Thread (profiled in “Trade Talk,” page 33), how she came up with the name for her bespoke rug company, she replied, “Its main origin comes from the fact that in the weaving world, particularly rugs, there are so many important steps that occur in the process from start to finish, and so many different hands that touch each part of the rug to create the finished product. We couldn’t have the beautiful piece of artwork on our floors without the designers, the map makers, the dye masters, the weavers, the finishers, the transporters, the airplanes, you name it.” Each person and each step are integral, she explains: One untied thread could unravel the whole piece.

Organic, bespoke rugs from Integral Thread.

Her comments rang true for me: At CH&L, too, it takes many hands behind the scenes working together toward a deadline to create an issue—photographers, writers, sales executives, art directors, circulation managers, sharing a common goal of producing the best magazine possible for our readers. It’s a collab I’m proud to be part of.

Darla Worden
Editor in Chief