What it is: Southwestern style evokes the charm and romance of desert landscapes as well as the Old West. It combines old with new, rugged with refined and earthy with fanciful to make a design with exude power and warmth. Why it works: Maybe more than any other fashion, the Southwestern appearance immediately conveys a […]
If you had to imagine the earliest material known to man, wood would probably come to mind. Believe chimpanzees using twigs to suck termites — this material has been put to use by those of us with opposable thumbs for ages. As such, it is difficult to think of a use to the material that […]
Once you’ve planted your vegetable garden and made sure your fruit trees are doing well, it is time to turn into a flower garden to look for more edibles. It’s true that you may use the blossoms of several well-known herbs, like rosemary, and squash blossoms have long been a favorite summer treat, and of […]
There’s been a major trend in using watercolors, paint textures, ombres and dip-dyes in design. I’ve been seeing it a lot in graphic design, on websites and in paper goods, in addition to a translation of it in blossom decoration. I’ve been using the techniques myself in a few of my own projects and discover […]
For most of us, a French landscape is also a formal landscape, and therein lies its appeal. Believe Versailles, possibly the most famous French garden area. It has a different look and feel that set it apart from its own Italian neighbors to the south as well as its British neighbors to the north east. […]
Kathryn Goh’s customers came to her with a rather simple directive: design a sleek, minimalist space that reflects their modern design aesthetic. “My customers really reflect the youthful Singaporean professional set. They work hard, traveling a lot, and if they’re in the home they need things to be simple, orderly and hassle free,” says Goh, […]
A lot people live in tiny houses with trees that are minimal. However, as comfy as they are, they can start to feel cramped and stifling. A large part of furniture can overwhelm the space — occasionally it won’t even fit through the doorway. As a concert pianist, I had no space for a piano […]
Seems like a lot of us are currently paperless (well, nearly). And as we discussed in previous ideabooks, filing cabinets take up a lot of room in the office, are an eyesore and typically house items which may live virtually. What to do with them? Try the next neat ideas. Filing cabinets tend to be […]
Five years ago, Richard and Rachel Funk drove around the Tarrytown neighborhood of West Austin and fell in love with a townhouse still under construction. Richard believes himself a true Austinite and understood right away they’d call this place home. Ever since that time, the couple designed their townhouse after a simple, elegant and modern […]
Jennifer Holmes, the blogger behind Dear Lillie, moved into this Williamsburg, Virginia, townhouse along with her loved ones nearly four decades ago when an opportunity arose for her husband to coach at William and Mary College. In her signature style, Holmes transformed the simple home into a stylish home that matches the traditional appearance of […]