Plants die. Sweaters go out of fashion. Chocolates get gobbled fast. But design books are gifts that keep giving.
It’s true. Sumptuously illustrated books about well-designed objects, inviting interiors, and extraordinary homes are forever useful, always up there on the shelf offering ideas or the occasional escape into a more comely world.
So add a trip to the bookstore to your last-minute shopping rounds and look for these selections from among this year’s notable releases: (more…)
Looked at creatively, a stairway can be a surprisingly upbeat part of a home. We generally think of a staircase simply as an architectural workhorse that provides access between one floor and another.
However, it is also a space that can be decorated with an accent color or wall design to bring a dash of pizazz to a small home.
Such a project is easiest if the house is built according to a traditional house plan with a clearly defined core that features square corners and offers simple starting and stopping points. In a more modern or complex layout that features bull-nose drywall corners and unusual angles, phasing in an accent color is more of a challenge. (more…)
