This kitchen makeover comes from our very own Sewing 101 expert, the super talented and clever Brett Bara. Like many renters, Brett wasn’t allowed to alter anything permanent in her apartment. However, using her eye for fabrics and her DIY savvy, Brett was able to lighten, brighten and totally modernize this little kitchen for very…
Antique sofas are beautiful, but I’ve never considered them practical, especially if they are upholstered in the light colored linens, leathers and wools that look so fantastic on sofas of this shape. Rebekah had the ingenious idea of using a white faux leather on this old piece; according to her, the fabric holds up amazingly…
Much like Grace, I’ve never met a stripe I didn’t like, and the design on this painted dresser from Carol is no exception. Upon discovering that the wood was in very poor condition, Carol decided to give the mid-century piece a neutral stripe design. I love the use of such a wide chevron shape and…
I’m not usually a fan of chrome chairs, but when I saw Lucie’s chair makeover, I realized that metal chairs have great potential when placed in capable hands. Lucie chose wisely when she used the bright, bold pattern; it definitely added a dose of fun to the simple frame. Great work, Lucie! — Kate Time: 6…
After a meeting in the city yesterday, I couldn’t resist the gravitational pull to check out the newly renovated JCrew store on 5th avenue. And while I found myself drawn to all the sparkliest bits in the store (my shopping companion almost bought the black sequined harem pants. She was braver than I.), I ended…
I want Ruthie Chapman Sommers to decorate my life. Not just because she is a tastemaker of the highest degree, but also because she exudes style, wit, sincerity, savvy and humility. Ruthie is a girl I definitely would have wanted to be friends with in school. She has studied antiques and art in Paris; opened and…
I have three vintage suitcases gathering dust in the back of my closet, so I could not be happier to see a luggage DIY project from the talented Ashley Poskin. We featured her burlap chair in our Before & After column last August, and her signature salvage style is back again in this lovely coffee…
Bead-and-pin baskets became a popular craft in the 50s and 60s. The baskets are made entirely out of safety pins, cheap craft-store beads and wire. You can find vintage versions at flea markets, eBay or Etsy for $10 to $25. I decorate my mantel every spring season with my collection of these beaded treasures and…
If you’ve got spring cleaning on the brain, you may be looking for some new organizational solutions (aren’t we all?). Here’s a quick and easy sewing project to help the cause — fabric bins! These little containers are perfect for holding odds and ends, from bathroom clutter to craft-room supplies. I’ll show you how to…
This coming weekend there is a fantastic event taking place at Terrain — aka, my dream garden home. From 11am to 4pm on Saturday, Terrain will be celebrating all things Brooklyn with a huge range of events/demonstrations. There will be stenciling classes from Claudia Pearson; food events with Renato and Matt from Baked; Early Bird Granola; the authors…
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is basically the best goofy teen movie there is, and after watching it, I think I’m long overdue for a — cough cough — day home from school. John Hughes is no slouch when it comes to the teen dream (hello, Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club), so it’s no surprise…
Image above: illustration by Julia Rothman I have to confess that I’ve never thought much about window treatments in my own space. If I didn’t live on a highly trafficked street, I’d probably do without them all together. I compromise by having minimalist matchstick blinds that are left completely open throughout the day. (And I…
Today’s Biz Ladies post comes from Tess Lloyd and Maja Rose of Polli, a design-based business that creates sustainable jewelry and home accessories. This Sydney company prides itself on its sustainable product lines, and today Tess and Maja share some of their quick and easy secrets to making your business green. From ordering eco-friendly office supplies…
Illustration by Julia Rothman Today’s city guide comes from Adelaide local Alicia Parsons. When she’s not feeding her paper addiction at her stationery business Akimbo, Alicia can be found sharing pretty and practical ideas for home and life on her blog Atypical Type A. Adelaide may be smaller than the bigger cities in the eastern…
As much as I love stripes and dots, lately I’ve found myself drawn to more subdued patterns. I typically go for the boldest print I can find, but after falling head over heels for Diva’s delicately dotted napkins, I’ve been gravitating toward prints and patterns with subtle applications and softer color palettes. These napkins and pillows…
Growing up, I nursed a pretty healthy crush on a boy who was majorly into geology. He was always talking about hiking, mountains and rocks, so I took it upon myself to learn about all those things. While all the hard work never really paid off, I did leave that phase of my life with…
Canadian-born photographer Philip Newton traveled the world shooting fashion, portrait, travel, sport and personal photographs before opting to settle down in Seattle to raise three kids. When he found this house, it was slated to be torn down and replaced by a McMansion. Philip was able to save it, and after a nine-month reconstruction job and…
About this time last year, we peeked into the Brooklyn home that prop stylist, set designer and painter Heather Chontos shared with her two daughters. Since then, Heather has packed everyone up and moved to Missoula, Montana, to join boyfriend Herb Thornby. The drive from Brooklyn to Montana took three days and lots of ice…
Three years ago, Nancy and Dana moved with their four dogs from a 1,000-square-foot 1920s bungalow into this 3,000-square-foot modern mountain farmhouse in the Santa Cruz Mountains that was designed and built by Greg Heitzler. Their furniture was California bungalow-sized — too diminutive for the new place — so they scoured Craigslist and worked with…
[Today we're putting some of our site-wide audit notes into effect and changing "Simply Color" to "Make it Yours". This column was originally about finding paint colors to help recreate rooms from past home tours, but we quickly expanded the scope to cover not just paint, but products and home decor to fully get the...
