A painting from 1875 by Gustave Caillebotte shows three shirtless men working on the floor of an empty Haussmann-style Parisian apartment building. They are in the midst of planing the floor, scraping up curls of wood before refinishing the floor for a new tenant.
What's Your Style?

Parisian Interior Design

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Trying to describe French interior design is daunting—it’s a bit like trying to describe French cuisine or French fashion. Its history is long and varied, its influence is far-reaching, and the variety of substyles is enormous. To get us started, here is an overview of one of the most influential and popular French styles—Parisian interior […]

A Sikh man wearing turban and a curled mustache sits on the floor in front of a chair in a living room. On the coffee table in front of him are a laptop and a calculator. He looks down at the calculator, a pen in his hand. A woman, probably his wife, leans on his shoulder and looks down with him.
Accessibility Design 101

Home Remodeling for Accessibility: Financing Your Remodel

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

This is the last of three articles on how to remodel your home for greater accessibility. The first article focuses on the first stage—how to plan an accessible renovation. The second article features a renovation success story about a real-life remodel undertaken by Jody and Drew Yarborough, a Californian couple who renovated their Silicon Valley […]

A living room scene with a coffee table covered in a bright patchwork runner topped with a vase filled with pink glass ornaments, a candle in a votive holder, a vase of greens, and behind that all a small Christmas tree on a table next to a sofa.
Feature Special Occasions

Decorating Small Spaces for the Holidays

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Small homes can be vibrant and lush at holiday time—here are tips for small-space holiday decorating.

A man and a woman wearing work clothes review something on a tablet while standing in a room undergoing renovation. A bare bulb hangs from the ceiling over their heads.
Accessibility Design 101

Home Remodeling for Accessibility: A Success Story

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

This is the second of three articles on how to remodel your home for greater accessibility. The first article in this series focuses on the first stage—how to plan accessible renovations. This second article features a renovation success story about a real-life remodel undertaken by Jody and Drew Yarborough, a Californian couple who renovated their […]

A woman sits in a wheelchair in front of a computer sitting on a counter. Her smiling young daughter stands next to her pointing at something on the screen. A son sits in a chair behind her facing away from her toward a window.
Accessibility Design 101

Home Remodeling for Accessibility: The Planning Stage

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

This is the first of three articles on how to remodel your home for greater accessibility. This one focuses on the first stage: planning an accessible renovation. Article two features a success story about a real-life renovation undertaken by Jody and Drew Yarborough, a Californian couple who renovated their Silicon Valley home to make it […]

Many fabrics are draped all over walls in a bazaar in Central or South Asia
Q&A Style, Decor & Design

Decorate Your Home with Fabric

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

Q: I love the idea of using more patterned fabrics as decor, but so far all I can think to make with them is curtains, pillows, or quilts. How else can I decorate with fabric around my home? I’d like to try something more interesting and unusual. A: There are many ways to add variety […]

Wooden lounge chairs and dining tables on patio with many palms and a cat drinking from the in-ground spa
Outdoor Living Q&A

Caring for Outdoor Furniture

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Q: I’m planning to buy some good-quality wooden outdoor furniture for my deck. My neighbor’s outdoor table and chairs are looking pretty sad already, and they’re only a couple of years old. How should I go about caring for outdoor furniture so that it looks good over the long haul? A: Having a lovely outdoor […]

A closeup of a decaying wooden front door with an oval window overlaid with decorative black metal and bars. The door is chipped and worn.
Feature

Repairing a Damaged Home

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

Some homes are full of things that are a bit wonky or dinged up. But though they may be broken or rough around the edges, they still matter to us. Just because something is cracked or damaged doesn’t mean it’s lost its value. We may still see the beauty in it even if it’s chipped […]

A view of the contents of a dishwasher as seen from above. At left is the top utensil drawer filled with an antique silver-plated serving fork, a modern Oneida Michelangelo pattern dinner fork, an a cut crystal knife rest. At right is the lower rack of the dishwasher which holds two Mikasa Chatsworth vintage cut crystal wine glasses.
Care & Cleaning Collecting Q&A

Is It Safe to Put Crystal and Silver in the Dishwasher?

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

Q: I’ve always heard that you should never put silver, crystal, or china in an automatic dishwasher. Now I’m reading that newer dishwashers and modern detergents are safer for sterling silver, silverplate, crystal, and delicate china. Is it really okay to wash these things in a dishwasher?  A: Modern dishwasher technologies and designs, and today’s detergent formulations, make […]

Antique dining and serving dishes in cream porcelain decorated with purple swags of garlands are placed over a white tablecloth on a long table. Delicate white carved chairs with gilded details are along one side of the table. The wall behind is painted a soft robin's egg blue surrounded by lavish white wainscoting.
Care & Cleaning Collecting Q&A

How Dangerous Is Lead in Dishes and Crystal?

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

Q: I often buy vintage dishes, glasses, and serving ware from thrift shops and estate sales, and I inherited a good bit of it from my family, too. I’d love to use it, but I understand older dishes and crystal were often made with lead. Is it safe to use my antique crystal glasses, decanters, […]