Ideas & Advice

Practical guidance for the room you are working on — sizes, heights and the checks that prevent returns.

How To Style A Console Or A Shelf Without It Looking ClutteredDecor

How To Style A Console Or A Shelf Without It Looking Cluttered

Group in threes, vary the height, and leave a third of the surface empty.

2 min read How To Hang A Gallery Wall That Looks PlannedDecor

How To Hang A Gallery Wall That Looks Planned

Lay it out on the floor, hang from the center line, and stop adding frames when the shape stops reading.

2 min read Storage Ideas For Rooms That Are Already FullSmall spaces

Storage Ideas For Rooms That Are Already Full

Vertical space, doubled-up furniture, and the closet rule that frees up a shelf.

2 min read How To Make A Laundry Room Work In Four Feet Of WallSmall spaces

How To Make A Laundry Room Work In Four Feet Of Wall

Vertical storage, a drying plan, and the one surface a laundry room cannot do without.

2 min read How To Build An Entryway When You Barely Have A HallwaySmall spaces

How To Build An Entryway When You Barely Have A Hallway

Four functions, sixteen inches of depth. What an entry has to do before it can look like anything.

2 min read How To Add Counter Space Without A RenovationHow-to

How To Add Counter Space Without A Renovation

A rolling cart earns its footprint or it does not. How to work out which before you buy one.

2 min read What Height Should A Table Lamp Be?Buying guide

What Height Should A Table Lamp Be?

A quick way to check shade height against your nightstand before you order.

2 min read How To Light A Room With Three Sources Instead Of OneHow-to

How To Light A Room With Three Sources Instead Of One

Why the ceiling fixture is the problem, and the three heights a room needs light at.

2 min read What Height Should A Side Table Be?Buying guide

What Height Should A Side Table Be?

Measure the arm of the sofa first. Everything else about a side table follows from that one number.

2 min read How To Set Up A Desk You Can Work At All DayFurniture

How To Set Up A Desk You Can Work At All Day

Desk depth, seat height and where the light goes. Three measurements that decide whether you use the room.

2 min read How To Choose A Bookcase That Fits The Wall And The Things On ItBuying guide

How To Choose A Bookcase That Fits The Wall And The Things On It

Depth matters more than height, and shelf weight capacity is the number most people never check.

2 min read How To Pick A Rug Size Without GuessingBath

How To Pick A Rug Size Without Guessing

The measurement most people skip, and the two rules that keep a rug from looking like a bath mat in a big room.

2 min read A Bathroom Refresh You Can Finish In A WeekendBath

A Bathroom Refresh You Can Finish In A Weekend

Four swaps, no contractor, no paint. Start with the things you touch every day.

2 min read The Guest Room Checklist: In the Order Guests Notice ThingsBedding

The Guest Room Checklist: In the Order Guests Notice Things

Start with the mattress and the bedside surface. The decorative layer matters least and costs most.

2 min read How to layer a bed that stays comfortable year-roundBedding

How to layer a bed that stays comfortable year-round

Sheet, quilt, blanket, pillows. What each layer is actually for, and what you can skip.

2 min read How Many Throw Pillows, And In What SizesBedding

How Many Throw Pillows, And In What Sizes

A repeatable formula for a sofa and for a bed, plus the pillow count that starts to look staged.

2 min read