More than any outdoor feature I can think about, a fireplace (or fire pit or bowl) immediately makes the yard the location where everybody wants to be. It readily becomes the focus of a space, drawing friends and family together…
Technology has taken our movies, TV shows and printing to three dimensions, and now it is taking tile. Tile not merely has taken on textures like damask, stacked fabrics and stone in its new appearances, but has become an integral…
I am still giddy about all the great design ideas and product improvements I saw in the 2013 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in New Orleans in April. The design awards for kitchens and baths were a highlight. You can…
In the dawn of time, humankind has built various forms of shelter in all kinds of landscapes. Our ancestors’ chief concerns were shelter and protection. Contemporary design concepts as well as the notion of construction sensitively weren’t a part of…
Over almost four decades of marriage, my wife and I’ve revived, in whole or in part, five of our own homes. We’ve just purchased a home in a golf community so will, again, embark on a renovation job, our sixth….
It’s spring! Long days, sun, birds, barbecues, flowers! For the next six weeks or so, it is outside time (sorry, people in the Northeast; your own time will come). Which means, of course, you should have an outdoor room, a…
Aspen is a small town in western Colorado famous for skiing, actors — and prosperity. Four ski regions serve its 6,658 residents and the traffic to exactly what the Wall Street Journal called “an anointed halt on the global jet-set…
A while ago a mother of the bride had been lamenting her bride-to-be daughter’s objections to lily of the Nile as a marriage blossom. “It is just a freeway blossom,” the girl said. She had been perfect. Lily of the…
Finding “the one” had double significance for Auckland, New Zealand, indigenous Nick Shaw. After relocating to Vancouver, he stumbled upon a heritage house in the Grandview-Woodland neighborhood with lots of charming historical details. “Finding beautiful moldings that hadn’t been painted…
Spring officially begins so now is the time to start prepping for the season ahead. From refreshing your decor and eliminating winter layers to performing needed home upkeep, the tasks on this checklist will make your house ready for spring…