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The latest edition of northforker magazine is on newsstands now.

Earlier this year, during the dog days of summer, my family and I went away for a long weekend. The getaway was a great one: everyone swam, no one fought and fun was had by all. Back at home over dinner one night, I shared one of life’s universal secrets with my five-year-old daughter. I told her that no matter where you go or how long you’ve been gone, it always feels good to come home. Sharing this with her felt monumental. I envisioned her agreeing and us marinating in how much we love our home.Instead, she paused for a long moment and replied, “Not really for me, Momma, not from Montauk, anyway.” I mean, the girl has a point, Montauk has its own magnetic magic but it’s still not home.

I left my big teaching moment there and we shifted into a new conversation without hesitation. But this got me thinking. I decided that maybe “home” is simply a canvas that over time becomes a reflection of who we are.

Listen to the northforker team chat about the latest issue of the magazine.

Home is a place to express ourselves through design. During that process, what we choose to include is as important as what we choose to leave out. Take Kevin Shea, who designed his dome house without walls, creating a uniquely open space that’s eco-friendly, affordable and out of the box.

In this issue, AJ Lang and Louis Marra also give us an inside look into designing a space that’s a collection of the things they love and the places they’ve been. They seamlessly blend the old with the new to create a home that feels intentional and interesting.

At the heart of our home is the kitchen and this room sees it all, from hurried morning coffee and packed lunches to leisurely dinner parties and holiday meal prep. Anyone who’s ever cooked Thanksgiving dinner can tell you that a good and functional kitchen design is the most important thing of all. We spoke with Amanda Guilano, the lead designer at Nicolette’s for the Home and picked her brain on function and purpose.

No one might understand the need for a high-functioning kitchen better than Jamesport Sourdough bakers Ana Burcroff and Brett Koons who started a cottage-bakery out of their home during the early stages of the pandemic and stuck with it. Now woven into the community, the duo has no plans of abandoning the successful business even if that means their home is, at times, coated in flour with baked goods everywhere.

The stories within this issue prove that “home” is much more than a word and much larger than walls and a roof. Home is where we are inspired and encouraged to do it all exactly how we please. Home is messy and pretty and warm. It’s the place we curate over and over until every square inch feels like an extension of us, giving us that incomparable feeling – even to Montauk.  

— Michelina Da Fonte, Content Director

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