I once had the wife of one of my husband’s coworkers ask me how I came up with stories for the HOME magazine. She assumed I had stacks and stacks of renovation and new build projects sent to me by different designers and I simply flipped through them to find the next feature.

My response? I wish! The truth is, stories come from a variety of places. Sometimes people will pitch me ideas, but more often than not, they come from developments I’ve been tracking for months, or by keeping in contact with the list of home industry sources I’ve built up through my years as HOME editor.

In the case of Remie Ferreira’s former church turned home on the South Side the story idea came via social media.

I was scrolling aimlessly through my Facebook feed (as I have a habit of doing late at night) when I noticed several friends sharing links to the listing for Remie’s home, which was up for sale. After clicking on it, I understood why it had gone viral.

The space is striking. We’ve featured churches turned into living quarters before in the magazine, but never have I seen one that melded the historic with the modern quite so well. And while there no longer was an altar, the building retained a churchlike feeling of peace and serenity. It felt like home in the best way.

The heart of the home — and by that, I mean the kitchen — also is on display in Amazing Kitchen Transformations by April Johnston. The three very different renovations, helmed by local interior designers, show what transformative results you can achieve with a little (OK, a lot) of ingenuity.

And while we’re on the topic of where story ideas come from, I’d love to see your home. We’re just about to launch our annual Best of Design contest. If you remodeled or built a home in 2020, and would like to enter it in the contest, shoot me an email at jsinichak@pittsburghmagazine.com with photos and some details. It could end up being featured in the magazine.

Jessica Sinichak, HOME Editor
jsinichak@pittsburghmagazine.com
412/304-0910