Cabinet Colors That Hold Their Own Against Light Gray Walls
I own fourteen paint sample pots right now. Fourteen. They’re lined up on top of the fridge because that’s the only surface in this house currently safe from small hands,…
Top of a Bookcase: What Sits Up There Without Looking Cluttered
My sister-in-law Renee stood in my living room, tilted her head at the bookcase, and said, “Did you just… give up up there?” She wasn’t wrong. At that point the…
The Wall Above a Sideboard: Mirrors, Art and Shelves
My wife walked into the dining room, took one look at the wall above our sideboard, and just said, “Ben. What is happening up there.” Which was fair, because at…
Making Clothes Smell Nice in a Wardrobe Without Overdoing It
I own eleven shirts I wear on rotation and I probably open that closet door around fourteen times a week, more if laundry’s backed up, which it usually is. And…
Bathroom Vanity Countertop: What Stays Out and What Goes Away
I checked my phone’s screen time app for something unrelated last week and it reminded me, weirdly, that I open my bathroom cabinet about eleven times a day. I didn’t…
Vase Ideas for People Who Dont Like Flowers
My wife walked into the kitchen, looked at the big glass vase sitting on the counter, looked at me, and said, “There’s nothing in that.” There was something in it.…
Vase Shapes That Suit Artificial Flowers
I counted them last week. Actually counted, walked room to room with a notepad like a lunatic, and the number came out at twenty three. Twenty three vases in a…
Weighting a Vase of Fake Flowers
My wife walked past the console table in our entryway last Tuesday, stopped dead, picked up the tall glass vase with the faux eucalyptus stems in it, and said, “Why…
Big Vase Ideas for Rooms With Space to Spare
I own eleven big vases. Eleven. I counted them last week while attempting to dust one and had to sit down for a second, because that number arrived so gradually…
What to Put on a Coffee Table: Height, Texture and Restraint
Coffee tables have a reputation problem, and it’s the same one that ruins pantries and closets and every other surface that gets photographed for design blogs: they’re supposed to look…