Coffee Tables for a Leather Sofa
I reach for my coffee table roughly fourteen times a day. I know that number because I counted for a week last spring, out of boredom, while I was supposed…
Dressers That Go With a Pax Wardrobe
I bought a dresser off Facebook Marketplace once, seventy dollars, drove forty minutes each way to get it, absolutely thrilled with myself, and got it home to stand next to…
Protecting a Wood Table From a Vase
My dad picked up the vase off my kitchen table last week, turned it over like he was checking a weld, and said, “You got nothing under this.” Not a…
Floating TV Stand: What Goes Underneath
I own three floating TV stands. Three. Across two houses and one truly regrettable rental in between, I have mounted three separate slabs of wood to three separate walls, and…
Fire Pit on Grass: Protecting the Lawn
I own six separate things whose entire job is to stop my fire pit from murdering my lawn. Six. A heat resistant mat that lives folded in the shed for…
Chiminea on a Deck: Rules Worth Knowing First
I bought my first chiminea because a colleague at school posted a photo of hers on a Friday afternoon in October, looking extremely pleased with herself, glass of wine in…
Under an Outdoor Rug: Pads, Drainage and Deck Protection
I ruined a rug in one season and I want to be very clear about how avoidable that was, because the whole thing came down to a decision I made…
Under a Chiminea: What Protects the Ground
Okay so here’s the reputation chimineas have, and I bought into it completely for about a year: they’re basically decorative. Clay pot, cute silhouette, throw some wood in, done, it’s…
Accent Wall Colors for a Light Gray Room
Odette stood in my dining room doorway with her coat still on, looked at the strip of blue green paint I’d rolled onto one wall, and said, “Isla, did you…
Wall Sconces: Bulbs, Shades and Placement
I count them properly maybe twice a year, usually right before my husband asks why the hall closet won’t shut, and the number currently sits at fourteen. Fourteen wall sconces,…