Editor-in-chief Beth Hitchcock and H&H Designer of the Year, Nam Dang-Mitchell, talk travel-inspired decorating, how to find your style in the Instagram era, and the new kitchen looks they’re loving. 

Long featured in the pages of Canadian shelter magazines, Nam Dang-Mitchell was named House & Home’s designer of the year in 2019. The interior designer’s spaces strike a delicate balance between classic and edgy, merging disparate styles into a seamlessly chic and livable whole. Dang-Mitchell often animates her neutral-toned colour palettes with layers of patterns and textures that keep even formal spaces warm and lively. Her keen eye for combining furniture, accessories and fabrics from different styles and eras is especially evident in her ability to select distinctively modern furniture and lighting pieces that are full of personality but still harmonize with an interior’s overall look. Dang-Mitchell lives in Calgary, where she has recently expanded her practice to include a residential townhouse development.

Beth Hitchcock brings a lifelong passion for words and decorating — along with 20 years of experience in the magazine industry — to her role as Editor-in-Chief of House & Home magazine. With a keen eye for design, a Journalism degree and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing, Beth has written about and worked with some of Canada’s top designers, stylists and photographers. She has appeared regularly on TV and radio, and been a guest lecturer at colleges and universities across Canada. In her free time, Beth loves to travel (Marrakech is next on her list), watch baseball and putter around her century home in Toronto’s east end.

Lynda Reeves chats with Ali Yaphe of Y&Co and Denise Zidel of Snob Stuff, owners of two of Toronto’s hottest home stores. Learn about their bold, creative styles, their best decorating tips and their must-have list for 2019. 

Ali Yaphe is the co-founder of Y&Co, a highly collaborative creative collective dedicated to bringing only the best carpets and fabrics to the design community in both Toronto and Montreal. Filled with passion for her products and a deep respect for the design process, Ali believes that an individual’s home should have a distinct personality that truly reflects their character.

Adventurous, creative and entrepreneurial, Denise Zidel is the force behind Snob Stuff. Denise believes one of life’s simplest pleasures is to be surrounded by things that have been lovingly crafted by hand. To this end, she hand picks each and every piece on offer, cultivating relationships with the artists, designers and artisans who create the works of functional art and fine furnishings. As a result, Snob’s offerings marry the exotic with refined sophistication. And Denise, as a tastemaker and citizen of the world, has become a design authority in her own rite, sharing her eye and expertise to bring spaces big and small together across the globe.