I'm honored to feature my friend Erin Gates, the visionary behind Erin Gates Design and award-winning design blog Elements of Style, in the first installment of Fieldnotes, our new Journal series devoted to conversations with influential tastemakers. We hope that the perspectives, design tips, and industry insights chronicled in the series will inspire curiosity and delight about your home.

Last week The Wall Street Journal featured our Arabian Nights Tent in their roundup of children’s indoor play structures. What’s so captivating about the tent, what sets it apart from other teepees and indoor playhouses on the market, is its custom detailing. While it may be tempting to brush off design intricacies as above a child’s sensibilities, it is the structure’s details that conjure its whimsy, that transport visitors to a tiny magical world. To that end, consider this an introductory tour as we tie back the canvas flaps and invite you into this inspired lair.

With long-plotted getaways thwarted and kids’ activities in limbo, chances are that many of us are regrouping when it comes to summer plans. Our family will be home more than we expected, but I’m scheming about ways to make the most of the time, focusing my energy on home projects and work endeavors that normally get pushed aside this time of year. With the season changing and summer spreading before us, I can’t think of a better time for a refresh.

Mother’s Day is coming up, and like much of 2020 the holiday will no doubt be wrought with emotion. For our family, the weeks since Easter have been a bit of a struggle, the newness of days at home having worn off and our longing for normalcy growing stronger. So I’m looking to Mother’s Day with joyful anticipation — preparing to celebrate the influential women in my life is giving me a much-needed boost.