Well, I've got a top designer list too...

I guess I can play Mrs. Elle Decor Editor-in-Chief for a day. I appreciate all twenty-five designers she (and her staff) recently chose for the Elle Decor fave designer issue, and the five up-and-coming, but I have to say I disagree. I am sure mine will change as I hopefully learn more and acquire a more refined taste...but, nah, who am I kidding? I bet I will still love a similar aesthetic in twenty years. I think it is hard-wired and genetic.
I believe I prefer a little more of the undecorated space than the overdecorated, and more rustic and relaxed than tufted and finished. As you will hear me state over and over if you ever read this blog, I do love white and the blank canvas it gives to a home and to an artist's spirit.
That being said, one of my favorite designers (and more of a stylist) is Atlanta Bartlett. Her books, especially Easy Elegance, embody my love for the old and the new, the contrast between hard and soft, the masculine and feminine.

This picture is from her home in England she shares with her husband and partner, as well as her three boys (hopefully proof that you can keep a home white with boys in the house! Thank you, Clorox). This picture from Country Home was inspiration in the renovation of our '70s ranch. I do not think we will easily tire of the very dark brown hardwoods (my husband said "no" to the ebonizing), the soft white walls and interior french doors. I must say we have copied these things from Atlanta's home, and we still love it every day.