Flowers That Hold Their Own Beside Sunflowers
The reputation is that sunflowers are a starter flower. The bouquet you grab at Trader Joe’s when you haven’t thought about it, the thing that shows up at a backyard…
Curtains That Suit a Persian Rug
I was on my knees at eight in the morning, tugging the corner of my rug back into place because the vacuum cord had dragged it sideways for the hundredth…
Light Brown Sofa: Pillow and Wall Colors That Suit the In Between Shade
I was on my knees on the living room floor last Tuesday, taping four different paint chips to the wall next to my sofa, phone flashlight aimed at the fabric…
Taupe Sofa Pillows That Bring Out Its Character
I bought a taupe sofa in 2019 because a magazine told me it was a “safe” choice, and I believed it, and then I spent an entire year hating that…
Charcoal Gray Sofa Pillows That Soften a Dark Couch
I was rearranging my own couch pillows for a video call last Tuesday, the kind where you can see your own square in the corner and start obsessing over what’s…
Tan Leather Sofa Pillows That Suit the Way It Ages
Everyone tells you tan leather is the safe choice. The default. The sofa you buy when you don’t want to think about it anymore, when you’ve spent four months on…
Kitchen Wall Colors to Try With Light Gray Cabinets
My sister Marina stood in my kitchen doorway last month, still had her coat on, looked at my walls and said, “Did you paint this yourself, or did the gray…
Choosing an Outdoor Bulb Color Without Making the Yard Look Harsh
My sister texted me a photo of her own house at 9pm on a Tuesday with the caption “why does my front yard look like a crime scene.” No context.…
Tall Vase, No Flowers: Ideas for Filling the Height
I have a friend, Marguerite, who works at a florist in Somerville, and she told me something that stuck: “The vase is not a life support machine for flowers. It’s…
Side Table Ideas Beyond a Lamp and a Coaster
I bought a side table made entirely of glass and brass rods, no shelf, no drawer, nothing, just a circle of glass balanced on three thin legs, because it looked…