As any journalist can tell you, part of being in this industry is hitting tight deadlines — and that’s really non-negotiable. I’ve always taken a certain amount of pride in my ability to turn around a good story quickly (honed by my years as a daily news reporter) but this issue tested me — and that’s only because we have so much great content to share with you.

For this year’s annual Best of the Design Contest, we’re bringing you winners in 10 categories (up from last year’s total of eight), including Best Renovated Home, Best Outdoor Space and Best Room.

We received many, many outstanding entries, and because our judges had trouble declaring just one winner in the Best New Home Category, we split it into two categories, one for the architectural build and another for the interior design.

And speaking of our judges, we really couldn’t do this contest without them. All Cleveland-based design professionals, they pore over the contest entries (I mentioned earlier there were a lot of them, right?) and take time out of their busy days to share their always insightful comments with us during the judging process. Judges, I salute you!

Since we started the “My Favorite Room” series last year, it has become one of my favorite features. This time around, I went to the Braddock loft of Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman. They could not have been more warm or welcoming, and their home comes with an interesting history.

If you follow Gisele on Instagram (where she affectionately goes by the acronym #SLOP for Second Lady of Pennsylvania), then you know she makes a joke out of posting photos with her husband’s head cut off. We didn’t do that in the feature, but I could see how it could happen. The lieutenant governor towers over virtually everyone; I didn’t realize how much until I met him in person.

Before I sign off, I wanted to remind you that we’re already accepting entries for the 2021 Best of Design Contest. If you’re building or renovating a home in 2020, consider emailing me the photos — and maybe you’ll see your home on these pages next year.

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