Melissa Bigner

Melissa Bigner has been lucky enough to call Charleston, South Carolina home since 2001, when she waited out a winter there and fell for its historic waterfront and wild marshland charms. Since then, the Northwestern University journalism grad and former Time Inc. staffer, has written about the Lowcountry region—its homes, people, shops, culture, and land—for Southern Living, Coastal Living, Cottage Living, Better Homes & Garden Decorating, HOME, Budget Travel, and a host of other titles.

When she's not swimming in magazines—she's also editor of Charleston Weddings magazine, and senior editor at its sister titles, Charleston and Charleston Home magazines—the writer-photostylist takes to tomes. She's authored books for TLC, HGTV, and Better Homes & Gardens on domestic design inside and out. And on the travel end of things, she's waxed about South for Moon Handbooks and Fodor's.

Melissa, who lives in a little cottage near Charleston's Hampton park with her dog, Oscar (Wilde), says she gets her ideas and inspiration from running, rowing, and bike-riding this jewel box of a town, so rife with characters, color, and secret courtyard gardens. To contact her, visit melissabigner.com, which she promises to update after doing her taxes.