7 Steps to Getting Your Residential Project Published in Architectural Digest

AD is the gold standard of shelter magazines, and I still get asked what it takes. For better or worse, this is the question I receive most — from designers at every stage of their career.

There are several things that must be in place to get published in AD. This applies to both print and online, but consider: there are more AD100 designers than there are home tour features in a single year. That's how competitive print is. While any one of these factors can be missing — depending on how strong the others are — these are the elements that must be present to even be considered.

1. Impeccable work with a strong POV. The work has to speak for itself. Editors receive hundreds of submissions. If your project doesn't have a clear, confident point of view — a distinct aesthetic identity — it won't rise above the noise. This isn't about trends. It's about vision.

2. Beautifully shot photographs by a professional photographer — ideally one who has been published in the magazine before. This cannot be overstated. AD has a very specific visual language, and editors can tell immediately whether a photographer understands it. Working with someone who already has a relationship with the publication — or whose work aligns with its aesthetic — is a significant advantage. I recommend looking at photographers like Christopher Stark, whose work has appeared in major shelter publications and who understands exactly how to shoot a residential interior for editorial use.

3. Styled photographs that feel current and lived-in. The days of the pristine, overly staged shoot are behind us. AD wants homes that feel inhabited, layered, and real — while still being beautiful. This means working with a professional stylist who understands editorial direction and does far more than florals. Stylists who know what magazines are looking for are increasingly essential to a successful submission.

4. A deep, considered story — told through the homeowner. The home needs a narrative, and it needs to come from the people who live there. The homeowner doesn't need to be famous (though that certainly helps), but they do need a rich, compelling story that connects meaningfully to the photographs. A storied background, an unusual provenance, a personal journey — these are the threads editors look for. A celebrity (A- or B-list), a Nobel laureate, or a tech industry figure makes the project significantly more competitive, but it is not a requirement if the story is strong enough on its own.

5. A trusted PR person — beyond yourself. There is an art to pitching AD, and it is not something most designers should attempt cold. Print and digital have different editors and different timelines. Are you on the West Coast or East Coast? Do you know who the online editor is versus the features editor for print? A seasoned PR professional who has existing relationships at Condé Nast can be the difference between a submission that gets read and one that disappears. If you don't have that relationship yourself, invest in someone who does.

6. Timing — and patience. Editorial calendars are planned months, sometimes a year, in advance. Submitting a completed project in the fall may mean publication the following year, if at all. Timing also matters thematically: a Palm Beach home pitched in January, a mountain house in September, a maximalist New York apartment timed to design week — these all improve your odds. Don't rush the submission before the photography is perfect, and don't submit so far in advance that the work feels dated by the time it runs.

7. An exclusive — and a relationship. AD does not share. If you are submitting for print consideration, the project cannot have appeared elsewhere first — not in another magazine, not on your own blog, not in a significant press piece. Guard the images carefully until the right moment. And understand that publishing in AD is rarely a one-time transaction. The designers who appear regularly are the ones who have cultivated real relationships with editors over time. Every interaction, every pitch, every thank-you note is part of building that trust.

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