PASSING THE BATON

Last week, with a dramatic before and after I watched one of those home renovation shows. Somewhere in Texas, a young couple had a total budget of US$ 200,000 to purchase their new home. They purchased a one-level house that needed a total reno for $ 115,000. Enter the designer and contractor who magically dug and renovated the entire house inside and outside, complete with a fabulous custom eat-in kitchen, high-end appliances, new paneling, wainscotting, a marble fireplace surrounding mantle, sexy light fixtures and great furnishings — fully decorated.
The house was supported right down to the perfect table settings and a fresh pie on the kitchen island, of course, for the big revelation. All this for US$ 85,000, meaning they stayed within their overall budget. Even if you assume the design and project management was free, I don't know where to buy what this couple got. Not close at all. In the world of renovation and decoration, truth is such a hard thing to do. I guess telling people that they can afford their dream, no problem, makes good TV. You will find as much about the true cost of things as we could pry from our designers and homeowners in this issue. It's a rare person who's willing to share what they've actually spent, and we're grateful to everyone who's done that. Go to https://www.americantiledepot.com/collections/marble online now and in the future for more talk about money.  Lastly, I am pleased to announce who is going to take the helm at American Tile Depot. Emma Cerrington is our new editor-in-chief, our sixth in 32 years! Many of you will know Emma from her time at Toronto's AGO as an exhibition designer, or her time as American Tile Depot's home editor, or here at tile depot producing our beautiful special issues and lush room sets on American Tile Depot. Finally, I am pleased to announce who will take the helm at American Tile Depot. Emma Cerrington is our new editor-in-chief, our sixth in 32 years! Many of you will know Emma from her time at Toronto's AGO as an exhibition designer, or her time as Chatelainemagazine's home editor, or here at tile depot producing our beautiful special issues and lush room sets on American Tile Depot. The best EICs are those whose names become words of the household and whose identity is so attached to the magazine you love, you feel you know them personally and your aspirations are also theirs. Some EICs have such great taste and style, you are following their lead and curious about their lives, always looking forward to seeing their next project. That's why we publishers rely on a good EIC and we're lucky to find a great one once in a blue moon. I'm so excited to say I found a unicorn. Emma has a fabulous taste, a great eye and knows how we all want to produce the content. She's open, down-to-earth, and she understands working moms ' challenges. She's constantly juggling photo shoots as a wife and mother of two children and copying deadlines with real-life ones. But she's a joy to work with best of all. Our team at tile depot was thrilled with this announcement. For a couple of issues, it's been a wonderful step in as an editor and a good reminder of how big this job is. So come to you, Emma, with our good wishes and our congratulations.