āThe main problem with our home was the lack of light,ā says Ephraim Cohen. He and his wife, Yehudit, bought the house two years ago after moving from the U.S. with plans to retire in Israel. It was close to their daughter and grandchildren, and the perfect size for the two of them. Architect… ,…
What first attracted me to this gently mounding shrub at the nursery was the distinctive bronze foliage that glowed in the sun. The fragrant tubular yellow blooms came as an unexpected bonus, as did the discovery that deer do minimal damage to it ā just a little early spring nibbling, not enough to… , Great…
Ductless mini-split air conditioners are popping up all over the place as an energy-efficient alternative to central air conditioning systems. Why? Because you can individually control zones of your house, so you donāt waste energy cooling a room youāre not in.From an interior design point… , 10 Ways to Hide That Air Conditioner (14 photos),…
Who wants to hang out at the mall? Not these teens. They relax with their friends in a colorful former family room off the entrance of their parentsā updated Danville, California, ranch home. Designer Kristin Rowell and her team from ScavulloDesign… , Room of the Day: Playing Up Color in a California Lounge (7 photos),…
Itās pineapple season (in home decor, that is)! Iāve been spotting pineapples in decorating across all styles and all types of home accessories. The pineapple as a design motif is quirky and whimsical, and thatās what I love ā thereās a certain sense of humor about it. I say, give me more pineapple,… , Guest…
Like a blank page or canvas, an empty room can be either an opportunity or a challenge. With so many ways to fill it, how do you know where to start?I’ve taken some of the basic rules of furniture arrangement and distilled them into 10 simple tips. They’ll help you figure out where… , How…
Avid gardeners and those in the landscape industry talk about soil a lot. Clay, sand, topsoil, mulch, amendments, compost ā we throw around these terms regularly because the ground is so essential to what we do. For anyone who claims to have a āblack thumb,ā I would like to let you in on… , The…
Having an air conditioner is a near-must in climates where months-long heat waves are a summer norm. (Weāre fanning our faces with you, Houston and Atlanta!) And with that comes an equally scorching energy bill. Even in regions with gentler climates, homeowners can still experience enough hot days… , 6 Ways to Cool Off Without…
I drool over cottage kitchens, but then, my husband does most of the cooking. (I cooked for the first 25 years, so it seemed only fair that he cook for the next 25.) Naturally, his response to cottage kitchens is distinctly different from mine. Where I drool, he spits. So how can a cottage… ,…
You probably wouldnāt guess it, but turn-of-the-century rural farmhouses have a lot in common design-wise with big-city industrial buildings from the same era. Both types of structures were born out of a need for function at a minimum cost, and both have simple forms and were made from raw materials,… , Bathroom Workbook: 10 Elements…