About In Hand

Mutual admiration brought the two of us together, back when we both had design/travel blogs: A Bloomsbury Life and Designtripper. We penned post after post for years, until various reasons (kids! jobs! life!) intruded and we pivoted to pursue our respective interests in the design, book, and magazine worlds. But we stayed connected through our shared passion for meaningful travel (the kind you’ll read about in our newsletter, In Hand), emailing back and forth about eccentric travel memoirs; the textile-scouting trip to Romania we’ve both wanted to take for ages; a basket-weaving village in Tinos (and the dreamy Airbnb to stay at when you go there); a fool-proof trick to turn your child on to museums; how to best navigate the antique markets in Italy and the labyrinthine alleys in Fes; Vita Sackville’s spectacular writing tower and gardens in England, and much more.

In Hand grew out of that spirited correspondence. Now, we’re hoping to bring you into the fold, sharing special places, hidden pockets of beauty and the age-old (and fast-disappearing) traditions of local craft.

Growing up in Europe, Lisa Borgnes Giramonti forged a deep connection with the soulfulness that handmade objects impart to one's sense of well-being. Now an artist, interior designer and author of the design book Novel Interiors, she travels to uncover the historical past and is always planning her next adventure. Profiles of her life and work have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, WSJ, Martha Stewart Living, W magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, House Beautiful, YOLO, Apartment Therapy, and others, as well as several books. 

Meghan McEwen, former magazine editor, has been writing about travel, design and craft for the last 15+ years. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The World of Interiors, Conde Nast Traveler, Yolo Journal, Travel + Leisure, Domino, Martha Stewart Living, Afar, and many more. An avid knitter, hobby ceramicist and occasional weaver, she has a deep respect and interest in traditional craft, specifically as it relates to world culture.