The other day, I watched an episode of Renovation Realities or $10 Grand in Your Hand or Sweat Equity (or one of those DIY shows) in which the happy renovating couple blew their budget on restored random-width wood floors. Normally, when people on those shows make an outrageously expensive design...

When we renovated our kitchen, one of our bigger decisions was how to handle the vent over our stove. We ended up going with a super cool stainless steel chimney hood. Aesthetically, it was an easy decision - it just looks right in our modern space. Financially, though, it hurt a little - even with...

In an hour or so, the skies are set to open over my house in Baltimore, delivering some kind of record snowfall for the reason. I guess that's why I've got white on my mind. Call me J.Lo, but I think white rooms are incredibly gorgeous, totally elegant, and wildly impractical. When I was a little...

Over the weekend, I spent some time with a few old issues of the late, great, Domino magazine. I was especially enthralled with a February 2008 feature on decorating with really, really intense patterns (think floor-to-ceiling leopard print, plus matching sofas and chairs). It got me thinking about...

Everybody loves a gorgeous kitchen, of course, but what about the nuts and bolts? It's a working room, after all. I do a lot of cooking, so I've spent a lot of time thinking about the little details that make a kitchen really useful. In my experience, if you combine great appliances with these seven...

I am a major minimalist when it comes to outfitting my windows. Most of the windows in my house, especially the big ones, are completely bare. The ones that require some type of cover (like in the bedroom and bathroom) are dressed with the simplest Roman shades I could find, all in neutral off-white...