A detail of a garden with boxwood trimmed in to precise, long, rectangular hedges. At rear are several fine brick houses with steep roofs, probably from the 18th century.

Great Alternatives to Boxwood in Your Garden

A close-up of pale blue, lavender, and clear antique bottles clustered together shows cloudiness and some iridescence inside the bottles. Bottles are embossed with images and names of their former contents.

Cleaning Cloudy Glass and “Sick Glass”

Q: A few of my favorite vases are cloudy below the waterline, and some have white horizontal lines. I also have a collection of antique bottles—most have patches that look like they’re coated with a white film. I’ve tried soaking them in soapy water and using bottle brushes to clean them inside. Nothing works! Can […]

A young woman sits on the floor and leans against fuchsia wall looking pensively out her window

Getting Past the Fear of Change

Home renovation shows are all about “The Reveal”—that magical last act when home owners see the glorious completed renovation. They laugh, they cry relieved tears, their grinning kids jump for joy. Everybody loves the new furniture, wallpaper, flooring, and windows. They talk about all the fun they’ll have in this shiny new space, and laugh […]

An assortment of instruments in the lute family plus a long brass horn and a large gourd shaker hang from hooks on a wall

Musical Instruments Make Great Home Decor

Q: Everyone in my house is a musician. That means we have instruments, cases, and music all over the place. I’d love to put our instruments on display instead of having all this musical stuff get in the way. Any ideas on how to make our love of music into a decorating feature, instead of […]

An array of 45 RPM records, record covers, and sheet music that overlap as if spread out on a floor.

Decorate with Music—Display What You Love

Q: I’m looking for style on a budget. Being a jazz musician, I sometimes host musical parties and gigs at my place. I don’t have a lot of cash,but I’d like to have jazz-related art on my walls. I want something more stylish than the posters I had up in college. How can I decorate […]