Our homes and the trappings we choose to decorate them tell many stories, which is why we’re excited to bring you this issue dedicated to architecture and design. From cave paintings to Michalengelo, design is a base function of our shared humanity, quietly influencing our daily lives in myriad ways. Even if one doesn’t identify as a lover of design, its impacts are steady. Maybe you gravitate to a favorite mug or towel or grocery bag, or perhaps you simply enjoy sitting on one side of the couch more than the other. This is design in action, and exploring it can be amusing and informative.

While working on this issue’s feature, we were again invited into a legendary home, balanced just-so above a La Jolla canyon. Full of myth and memories, this house is exemplary in both architecture and meaning, and, truthfully, the aspirational allure of going inside a beautiful house never gets old. On that note, we wander through another artsy, open-air remodel; learn about an influential trip to Europe that helped shape the look of Rancho Santa Fe; ponder what an intentionally planned downtown could mean for our city; and celebrate the best spaces in SD with our Home + Design Award winners.

For fun, we also head to Serra Mesa for a meal at a new kind of employee lounge, round up the best products for your backyard kitchen, and meet a man who keeps one of our local universities at the top of the beauty rankings. This is a lovingly crafted issue to save in your home to keep inspiration close. We hope you luxuriate in it. And, if you ever find a note on your doorstep from me, please roll out the welcome mat.