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

by Laura Grey
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

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

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 […]

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A bent-wood chair sits on a hardscaped patio surrounded by planting areas, shrubs, trees, and potted plants but with no lawn.
Outdoor Living Q&A

Sustainable Landscaping and Garden Design

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

Q: I want to live in a way that benefits my family, the animals and pollinators around us, and the planet. I’d like to know more about sustainable landscaping. What are some simple things I can do in my garden to live in harmony with my surroundings? A: You can make significant and lasting improvements […]

A boxy, white, open-plan interior space with a large opening facing the sea is dotted with only white, cream, and beige minimalist furnishings. Beige modern chairs and sofas are topped with terracotta pillows and sit on a seagrass rug with a round wicker table in foreground. In the background is a simple minimalist dining table and chairs below pendant lights that end in flat wicker shades. A few black metal frames, light fixtures, and a black and white folding chair provide the only dark elements in the room.
Q&A Style, Decor & Design

Stylish and Serene Vacation Home Decor

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

Q: I inherited my folks’ 1970s beach house. It’s full of furniture my parents bought when I was a kid. I love the place, but Mom covered everything with ocean-related stuff. The bathroom has whale tiles and an octopus toilet seat! The curtains have an anchor pattern, the kitchen chair backs look like boat wheels, […]

A single very rustic looking barn door of reused pale wood planks crossed diagonaly by another plant is suspended from black rail and rests on black metal wheels in a very industrial looking home. The floors are poured grey concrete; the walls appear to be concrete as well. There are two plans on the floor, but otherwise the only things in the room are three bare-bulb pendant lights, a black and grey artwork in an industrial style framed and hanging next to the barn door, a small table with some books, and more books and rocks on the floor in the room beyond the door. There is a multipaned industrial-looking window at the back of the room seen through the door.
Q&A Style, Decor & Design

Barn Doors—Yes or No?

by Laura Grey No Comments Share this  

Q: I like rustic design elements like basketry and wrought iron, neutral pottery, and raw wood. I don’t want a lot of small stuff filling up my house, though. My place is a friendly house in the country. It should look put together over time, with things made and collected by hand. I don’t want […]