The start of a new year has an interesting way of making people stare at their homes a little longer than usual. A room that felt perfectly fine in November suddenly feels unfinished. A small annoyance turns into a bigger question. Nothing is technically wrong, but it’s hard to shake the sense that something could be better.
Design coverage is full of advice on what to buy, swap, paint, or rethink next. Trends move fast, opinions even faster. What’s easier to miss are the writers behind those stories—the ones deciding which ideas are worth digging into and which are just passing noise.
This is a look at the design writers shaping those conversations in 2026, and the voices influencing how we think about our homes and spaces right now.
Lia Picard
Lia Picard is an Atlanta-based journalist whose work can be found in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, to name just a few outlets. Her work breaks down design trends and architectural details so the reader feels empowered, rather than making them feel out of reach. Some of her more recent pieces have explored the practical appeal of Juliet balconies and reviewed the hype behind color trends in the home.
While design is a core focus, Picard’s scope is much more broad. She also covers food, travel, culture, and lifestyle, which gives her design work a lived-in point-of-view as she knows how people like to live, eat, and travel. Her interiors coverage offers a mix of trend awareness and everyday relevance, which really resonates with industry pros and engaged readers.
Alyssa Longobucco
Alyssa Longobucco is a writer, editor, stylist, and content strategist based just outside New York City, with more than a decade of experience covering design and lifestyle. She works across digital and print, and is often involved in the styling and production behind the stories she writes, giving her writing a strong sense of what translates visually and editorially.
Her work has appeared in House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, HGTV, Domino, Real Simple, Apartment Therapy, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, USA Today, and Good Morning America. Lately, that’s included digging into how new tools and AI-powered interior design platforms—ranging from OpenAI’s ChatGPT to tools like Decorilla whose experienced interior designers leverage the latest AI technology—are starting to change how people approach decorating and decision-making, without losing sight of the human judgment behind it.
Julia Demer
If you’re a fan of Homes & Gardens, then you’re probably a fan of Julia Demer. She’s the style editor at the popular publication and her work blends practical inspiration with trend-savvy insight.
Demer spotlights ideas that readers can have fun and experiment with, like accessible IKEA hacks or fresh ways to think about materials like tortoiseshell in home accents. She also explores trends and decorating resolutions, and her voice is approachable yet informed. Demer’s writing is a super resource whether you’re updating a room or just curious about how design trends are evolving.
Michelle Mastro
Michelle Mastro is an Indianapolis-based freelance journalist who’s a regular contributor to Architectural Digest, as well as Dwell, Midwest Living, Atomic Ranch, Better Homes & Gardens, and a host of other outlets.
Mastro comes from an academic background in English literature and new media. She completed PhD coursework at Indiana University Bloomington, concentrating on British Gothic literature and new media, and taught courses on horror film during that time. This thorough education gives her writing a unique style when she’s covering contemporary interiors.
Rather than treating design as purely aesthetic, Mastro’s work adds depth without overcomplicating the subject, making her a credible voice in design journalism in 2026.
Amiya Baratan
Amiya Baratan is a home wellness and interiors writer at Livingetc where she covers design with a practical, lived-in sensibility. Her articles focus on the small choices that make a home easier to manage, things like layouts that complicate cleaning, clutter that’s hard to part with, or design decisions that make daily routines smoother.
Baratan came to interiors by way of journalism and design, with stints in fashion and lifestyle writing, including bylines at Harper’s Bazaar and Women’s Health. Growing up in Chennai, India, where life largely happened outdoors, carries through in her interest in gardens and homes that don’t feel sealed off from their surroundings. When Baratan writes about interiors, she wants to share the knowledge on how to improve your life and space.
Kristina McGuirk
Kristina McGuirk is a home and design writer and editor who has spent years working closely with Better Homes & Gardens, particularly across kitchen, bath, renovation, and decorating coverage. Her recent articles range from kitchen color trends and cottage-inspired interiors to seasonal decorating and long-term design ideas, with a consistent focus on what holds up over time rather than what’s only trendy at the moment.
She began writing for Better Homes & Gardens while still an undergraduate at Drake University, and alongside her editorial work, McGuirk brings a strong research background to her writing. She holds degrees in Journalism and English, as well as a master’s degree in Archival Studies and Library and Information Studies from the University of British Columbia, and currently works as a Senior Archivist at Harley-Davidson Motor Company.
Nate Berg
As a staff writer at Fast Company, Nate Berg covers architecture, urban development, and industrial design, with a focus on how design actually shows up in the world. This could be the future of data centers, smarter homes, or long-ignored pieces of urban infrastructure finally getting a rethink.
He’s been covering cities and design since the mid-2000s and was the first staff writer at The Atlantic Cities (now CityLab). His work has since appeared in The New York Times, Wired, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Curbed, Dwell, NPR, and 99% Invisible. Along the way, he’s been recognized as a two-time finalist for the Livingston Awards and received the Abe Fellowship for Journalists in 2016, which supported reporting in Japan.
Berg approaches design stories with curiosity. He’s interested in how things work, why they were built the way they were, and what happens when they change. An approach that keeps his reporting grounded and readable.
Shagun Khare
Shagun Khare is a Los Angeles–based writer and editor who covers everything from home tours and trend reports to commerce roundups and cultural deep-dives. Some of her recent bylines for Martha Stewart include stories on fall decor, bathroom updates, and tricky outdoor spaces.
She’s written for Domino, Apartment Therapy, The Spruce, The Kitchn, Lonny, Wine Enthusiast, and Beautiful Kitchens & Baths, and has profiled figures like Anna Sheffield, Nilou Motamed, and Robin Arzón. Her reporting focuses on people and perspectives that don’t always get as much attention.
Khare got her start at Lonny, spent several years in New York working in design media, and she’s also studied Cognitive Science at UC San Diego, influencing her approach to space, behavior, and design decisions.
