Paige Rense joined Architectural Digest in 1970 and shortly thereafter was named editor-in-chief. Under her direction, the Los Angeles-based magazine has become the world's leading design publication and circulation has grown from 50,000 to 850,000 with a total audience of 5 million readers. She is the author of nine books on interior style and design, most of which were released during the late 1970s and early 1980s.