Installing tile is one of the necessary evils of great bathroom design. No bathroom is complete without at least some tile, and the better the tile job, the more polished and pristine the final product will look. But buying tile is expensive, to say nothing of the cost of hiring someone to install it. And […]
Floor medallions are often found in entryways or other large, open spaces – places where they’re free to make an impression. They can be made of stone or other tile or sometimes wood pieces, and can either be assembled or carved, etched, or stained directly onto the floor. They’re usually circular in design and act […]
One of the biggest stresses in a major bathroom remodel is choosing just the right tile: for the floors, for the walls, and especially for the shower. It’s a delicate balance choosing a tile that not only looks good now, but that will still look good ten years from now – one that’s subtle but […]
Summer is the season for outdoor entertaining; barbecues and pool parties and just lounging around spending time with friends and family and soaking up a little sun. But it can be difficult to decorate a one-season space, especially if you have a relatively small deck or patio. One of the best ways to maximize seating […]
I think there’s a tendency to want to conquer small or oddly shaped bathrooms – to bend them to your will and just make them work. The problem is, without a sledgehammer and a big investment, a small bathroom is never going to be big, and a weird shaped one is never going to be […]
One of the most popular and rewarding home renovations you can do these days is turning your master bathroom into a luxury spa. Luxury bathtubs, walk-in showers, heated floors, and the like are all hugely popular – which means a major return on investments. But one important aspect of designing a large master suite is […]
Like death and taxes, laundry is one of those little inevitabilities of life – it piles up faster than you’d expect, takes longer to do than you think, and it often seems like there’s another load that needs to be run before you’ve finished putting away the last one. In short, keeping a family clean […]
Every summer I start out with the intent to spend more time outside: grilling, walking, reading, or just laying out in the sun. But unfortunately I happen to live in a climate where “fun in the sun” means high heat and high humidity – in other words, not that much fun at all. All too […]
Crystal chandeliers are essentially the gold standard of home lighting fixtures. They’re traditional, beautiful, elegant… and expensive. Genuine leaded glass crystals are often made by hand using proprietary chemical formulas and time-tested artisan techniques, which makes for an heirloom quality piece, but not one that’s ideal for a smaller budget or even a smaller home. […]
By and large, modern spaces are fairly monochromatic. Glass and steel, black, white, and gray, simple lines and straightforward designs that all add up to a sleek, stylish – and very minimalist – decor. But if you ask me, as elegant as a very simple, sophisticated modern design can be, it isn’t always terribly inviting. […]