Great interior designers have little interest in what has traditionally been called "good taste." They're driven instead by a highly personal view of the world that they've the confidence and clarity to share with others. Sure, it helps if they possess a refined sense of scale and composition; if they're sensitive to the nuances of color, texture and light; and if they understand how the smallest detail can have the biggest impact. But the best designers are the ones who have the confidence - no, the courage! - to follow their vision and avoid those underpinnings of good taste: the safe, the easy, the obvious and the trendy. 

It is my great privilege to present here the brave and brilliant members of this year's 1stDibs 50, a group of interior designers and architects working at the absolute pinnacle of their profession - in their delightfully diverse and distinctive ways. Of course, they share commonalities - chiefly, their love of the history of decorative arts, their knowledge about the makers and styles that have mattered most and the evident joy they take in mixing these ingredients in surprising new ways - but it's their singular visions that we find most inspiring and edifying. We're certain you will too.