Magazine Queen

To keep current on trends and get ideas for the future, Alliegro has subscriptions to some 30 magazines, including Elle, Decor, W, House Beautiful, Metropolitan Home, and Gourmet. She also receives catalogs from retailers as different as Pottery Barn, Tiffany's, L'Art de Vivre and Felissimo. "In my job, I'm not so much a genius creative designer as a facilitator," she explains. "Something that catches my eye -- whether a color, a recipe, or a typeface -- can be filed away and put to use later on."