Travel

Katie and her boyfriend Patrick worked wonders on their Charlotte, North Carolina home that was once a foreclosure. They opened up the kitchen, replaced flooring and added their serene style to the space, creating a beautiful, calming home. Katie manages annual giving at a local private school and, on the side, operates Maiden Flower Crowns with her business partner and friend Allison Purmort. Today, she shares some favorite local businesses in the Charlotte neighborhood she lives in.

Textile designer, sourcing consultant and founder of Artisan Project, Nina M. Alami lives in a patterned, colorful riad in the Old Medina of Fes with her husband, Mohamed and their kids. The mother of four, she’s also an “artist producing textiles with a community of cooperatives, and a lineage of craftsman; simultaneously sourcing, consulting, and overseeing production in Fes, the Middle Atlas and the Rif regions of Morocco.

Occupied by a creative couple, this Downtown Los Angeles loft is a vibrant and textured home. Nina Hans is Creative Director of Weekday Studio, a design studio that helps brands visually express themselves. She lives in DTLA with her husband and Weekday Studio co-Founder Jon Hans. They’ve lived in Downtown Los Angeles for ten years, and today, Nina shares some of her favorite well-designed places to visit.

Sarah Ashley Schiear is the founder of Salt House Market, a curated e-commerce site for kitchen and home goods. Sarah began her career as a chef and caterer for high-end dinner parties after appearing on ABC’s The Taste. She founded Salt House with a goal of creating a modern brand to revolutionize the way we think about homemaking. She’s lived in Brooklyn for three years (and NYC four years). Today, she shares some of her favorite (and yummiest!) spots in Williamsburg.

Since moving to San Antonio’s Southtown neighborhood in 2015, Hannah Lynn has made it her mission to show what an incredibly colorful, rich place the Alamo City is. She writes: “My personal blog shares my 365 day staycation experience in San Antonio and all the places that make it a great place to love. That was a typo, but love is more accurate than live.

Marni Epstein-Mervis has been an Angeleno for 11 years now. She and her husband moved to LA’s Highland Park Neighborhood nine months ago after a number of years in neighboring Echo Park. Marni’s an architecture journalist and owner and Principal of STRUKTR Studios, “where we create content and communications for companies in architecture, design, and real estate.

Name: Alvar Aalto & family Location: Munkkiniemi neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland Size: approximately 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 40 years Alvar Aalto’s first building built in Helsinki was his own home and architecture studio.

We show peeks of stylish homes from all over the world on Apartment Therapy (with our great house tours), but as you know, a home extends beyond the walls you rent or own. Your home is also the walk to the neighborhood bar or boutique and the drive along tree-lined streets to pick up groceries or to a favorite restaurant. And of course, that wonderful coffee shop that provides your life blood every morning is part of home, too.

Name: American Trade Hotel Location: Casco Viejo — Panama City, Panama. I had heard a lot of things about Panama, but when I’ve arrived I immediately knew this is a country full of contrasts. There are modern, cosmopolitan areas with views of the skyline and the ocean. Or you can get lost in the old neighborhood of Casco Viejo, where you can feel the history in the charming and colorful architecture. There a few things you can’t miss in Casco Viejo.

For getaway seekers eyeing remote accommodations of the more sophisticated variety, Virginia design studio GreenSpur has come through marvelously with the Lost Whiskey Cabin. This particular accommodation is a beautiful example of the cottage’s natural aesthetic meshing perfectly with a pared down, industrial style. The 160-square-foot, solar-powered domicile sits just an hour outside of Washington, D.C.