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What does “less is more” really mean? It applies to various areas of life but usually enters a conversation when the topic is about style,

Besides being the place where Cayetano Juarez died (while sitting at the bar in 1883), the Depot is known for its malfatti. Virginia, a nati

Are great rooms great? Each case is different. If omitting walls exposes a beautiful view or allows for more natural light, then yest. If

I have a friendly challenge for you. There’s no prize at the end other than a growing awareness of what constitutes good design. The challenge is to view images through the lens of scale and proportion. The next time you’re looking at shelter magazines or online, home-design and decorating sites, try to identify the small, medium and large elements in the space. Also, try to note in which order you identify them. What? It’s better if I explain with an example. Let’s say you’r

There are as many ways to create a gallery wall as there are walls in the world. There are no rules but I can give a few tips to make yours strong and impressive. A gallery wall is a collection of art composed in an organized way. This can be as simple as lining pieces in a row or arranging them in a grid but it’s usually more mixed than that. Any wall can be a gallery especially if it is long and lonely and has defined end points such as a pair of windows or door openings. A

I’ve been wanting to address the topic of purchasing product online for a long time. Years, in fact. But I knew it would require research and finding time has been a challenge. However, I hope to cover the basics today. When comparing prices between online and retail brick and mortar stores, there seems to be three categories. Products are not actually the same, they are the same but online channels come with risks (and eventually more costs), or they are the same and you wer

I admit that I’ve come late to two popular and entertaining phenomena. One is BritBox, a massive collection of streaming British television shows. Now I don’t have to rely on Masterpiece Theater’s scheduling to watch my favorite sleuths. The other is Instagram, created in 2010 by twenty-somethings Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. It’s a photo and video sharing platform and, in fact, gets its name from the blending of “instant camera” and “telegram”. To date, Instagram has ove

While my power was off last week, and the week before, I did something crazy. Something that I love to do but have not done for the longest time. I didn’t even feel guilty about it as I normally would. I indulged in some leisurely reading. I became immersed in a historical novel with murder, intrigue and time travel. I didn’t and couldn’t answer my phone. I didn’t and couldn’t connect to the internet. So, once I let go of my frustration, I welcomed the downtime and remembered

I’m fairly certain that today’s topic sparked an interest in more than a few of you. “Analysis to paralysis”. Can you relate? When it comes to building, remodeling or furnishing a home, there are a variety of reasons why people find it difficult to make decisions. These decisions are long-lasting, consequential and costly. So, there’s no wonder why some people freeze. They’re afraid to make a mistake. Sometimes, they know what they like and sometimes they don’t. In my experie

As I write today’s column, I have eight bathrooms and two powder rooms in the works. Six are new construction, one is a remodel and the rest are cosmetic upgrades. All but three are small spaces, and I happen to love designing small spaces. Where some homeowners see a challenge, I see freedom. Freedom to toss convention aside and do something fun. Do something dramatic. Why not? It’s just a small bathroom. And, 10 times out of 10, homeowners are thrilled with their unconventi

Final touches to a bathroom update. It was a 1959 San Francisco flat where most bathrooms of that era and in that city, are itty bitty.

According to design industry gurus, the gray trend is dead and the brown trend is returning. However, they’ve been predicting such changes

As the saying goes, “What have you done for me lately?” If you’re talking to your kitchen faucet, the response would be lengthy. Faucets was