I had just launched a little platform called Modenus, with the goal of connecting interior designers with brands—and maybe, someday, future clients. We had hosted our very first “Blogger Meetup” at the AD Show in New York, remember that one? Marys + Mimosas launched a decade of alliteration themed events and to be completely honest, we had absolutely no idea what we were doing. We just did what felt right at the time.
This was the very early days of digital and social media in our industry. We tweeted. We blogged. Later we pinned, vlogged, and Instagrammed. We experimented constantly, learned in public, and tried to keep up in what felt like a brave (and slightly chaotic) new world.
But one thing became clear very quickly: all of this online activity was just noise if it didn’t lead to real, human connection.
So we started creating those connections ourselves.
At trade shows. In local showrooms. At factories. Around long, wine and cocktail fueled designer dinners. And along the way, I began to notice something. Most bloggers—remember when that was a thing?—were writing about a relatively small slice of the design world. Usually their own city. Maybe the one or two shows they attended regularly.
But design is global.
As a European myself, I had the privilege of knowing just how much bigger—and richer—that world really was. And I wanted North American designers to experience it firsthand.
So in 2011, we did something that felt equal parts exciting and terrifying: we took 17 designers to London for a week.
At the time, brands didn’t really understand sponsorships for this kind of experience. Influencer marketing wasn’t a line item yet. So, in full transparency, I paid for most of that trip out of my own pocket. It was a leap of faith fueled by curiosity, caffeine, and a strong belief that if designers experienced design culture together—in real life—everything else would follow.
And it did.
That first London trip put us on the map. Brands started to understand what we were building. The idea that storytelling, education, and relationship-building could live at the intersection of travel and design suddenly made sense. Without fully realizing it at the time, we had charted a path that many others would later follow.
Blogtour eventually became Designhounds, because the industry changed and blogging wasn’t the primary engine anymore. But the heart of what we do has never changed: real relationships, real experiences, and real conversations—across borders, disciplines, and cultures.
Which is why, all these years later, it feels incredibly meaningful to return to where it all began.
London—still my favorite city in the world.
Same curiosity. Same belief. A lot more experience. And a community that continues to remind me why we started this in the first place.
Some stories deserve a second chapter. And this one has always belonged to London.
