At this point, I’m sure my dog is wondering what’s wrong with me.

These days, I mostly work from home, accompanied by my furry co-worker. Whenever I would open an entry for this year’s Best of Design contest — and there were a lot of them — I let out a little scream. The projects, most of them sent in by the region’s talented interior designers and architects, were that stunning.

Now in its sixth year, Best of Design includes categories ranging from best new and renovated homes to the best in kitchens and bathrooms.

There were a few familiar faces among this year’s winners. Architect Robert Gaskill, whose modern masterpiece in Sewickley won Best New Home this year, also won that category back in 2020 for his own family home in Butler County. Led by designer and co-founder Heather Wildman, architecture firm Wildman Chalmers Design is a back-to-back winner in the Best Renovated Home category for 2023 and 2024.

You can see all the amazing winners for yourself with the start of our Best of Design feature on page 11. Elsewhere in the issue, Hot Property columnist Meg St-Esprit takes a fascinating look at how technology, which includes everything from virtual staging to virtual-reality tours, is changing how people buy homes in the Pittsburgh market (page 54).

I also want to give a shoutout to our Best of Design judges. These out-of-state architects and interior designers pore over each entry, carefully note what they like about them and share their insights as we meet for several hours over Zoom. It would be impossible for me to choose the winners in any category without them.

One reminder: If you’re building or renovating a home in 2024, keep us in mind. You can send me your projects any time throughout the year by emailing jsinichak@pittsburghmagazine.com.