Editor’s Message
If home is where the heart is, then we’ve got a bevy of specialists to make sure it remains safe and sound. But it’s also where we express ourselves most, creating spaces that reflect our tastes and personalities and filling them with the things we love. Why shouldn’t they be lovely, too? We’re not against a little domestic cosmetic surgery every now and then. Our updated Home Resource Guide, the ultimate source for local products, professionals, services, and retailers, is chock-a-block with the best in the field. We hope you feel it’s a keeper, one you’ll return to again and again looking for people and places you need if you’ve put down roots in Westchester and want to watch them grow.
This list is by no means definitive. There are always new people and places popping up around the county, giving us plenty to write about in our pages. And then there are finds that may have been there all the while but we discover them along the way. Thanks to all of you who enthusiastically recommended the “musts” for inclusion, telling us about your positive experiences and heartening results. But we also appreciate those who—some still shaking their heads—honestly shared their horror stories. We especially were intrigued by the contractor who was expert at demolition but, like the king’s posse facing Humpty Dumpty, couldn’t put the pieces back together again.
How else did we make our picks? You won’t find Big-Box retailers, such as EXPO, P.C. Richard, Best Buy, and Bed Bath & Beyond. We assume you know all about these major players already and know exactly where to find them. (My husband’s car can find Home Depot on auto-pilot.) What you will find are companies recommended by our associates in the industry, many of whom work together in the combined effort of building, remodeling, and redecorating the places where we live.
Other entries are members of professional associations—such as the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) or the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA)—which require a certain level of experience and ongoing education to qualify for membership. Yet others are professionals whose eagle eyes or infinite knowledge of their field have made them a go-to source for our editors again and again. After all, if they’re a tried-and-true treasure for us, we’re happy to share.
Dana Asher
Executive Editor
