cool idea

If you've extinguished the fantasy of living in a fresh-flower-filled home this Spring, allow us to rekindle the flame. Turns out, creating eye-catching centerpieces doesn't require financial sacrifice, skill, or even petals (in some cases). We're banking on these three easy centerpieces for maintaining a stylish coffee table — all Spring long!

Bottles as Bud Vases
Tulips continue to grow after they are cut, which makes blending them in arrangements a bit tricky. Show off their playful silhouettes (while saving cash) by sticking just a handful in individual bottles. All sorts of bottles from apothecary to soda pop will work — just be sure to peel off unsightly soda labels.

Veggie Arrangements
You also don't have to stick strictly to flowers. Artichokes and stones look downright architectural when placed in a cylinder glass vase and are in season this time of year.

Keep reading for our final centerpiece that's a cinch to pull off — we've saved the best for last!

If you associate wine bottle light fixtures with faux Tuscan paint jobs, grape motifs, and wall murals, you might be cutting its cool factor short. Sure, the idea might not be the most novel, but the way you style it can be. Enter Maison Estate in South Africa.

Nestled in the Valley of the Huguenots, this winery's tasting room, deli, and restaurant, look as though they've been plucked from the pages of a shelter glossy. Stark white ceilings, walls, and floors dominate the winery's color palette, while elements like natural wood finishes, iron, and leather add warmth. The crowning example though might be this dining room setup. An earthy modernist's dream!

For a similar look, try hanging these upcycled beauties we've spotted on Etsy (bonus points for adding a reclaimed wooden dining table surrounded by ghost chairs)!

As a renter, I always assumed that sconces were out of the question for me. Even candle options can seem impractical for everyday use. Thanks to my latest discovery, though, I'm enjoying the flattering yet focused glow of my very own electrical sconces, and I owe my newfound lighting freedom to New York-based blogger Daniel Kanter of Manhattan Nest.

Daniel came up with a perfectly brilliant resolution — a swanky sconce fashioned from three main components: a $5 Ikea Fräck bathroom mirror, a chrome-dipped Edison bulb, and colorful cording. As promised, it's incredibly affordable, surprisingly easy to assemble, and actually pretty versatile — even if industrial chic isn't your bag. The best part? Aside from being able to take them with you when you move, you'll now have space for essential nightstand toppers (like flowers!).

Keep reading to see my take on the sconce hack and read on for Daniel's step-by-step tutorial.

If you're a hearthless urbanite who craves the rustic charm of a wood pile in your home, then allow us to present a practical solution for nabbing the look. We first fell for this log-cabin-inspired wall-covering in our quest for wallpapers that create a cozy optical illusion. Imagine a panel of these faux logs underneath an exposed staircase!

Starting at $104 for the smallest size, owning it becomes a pricey project, even if you frame a minipanel, which is why I flipped when I discovered this Ikea fabric!

Those of you with small kitchens most likely have a spice rack situation — you either devote an entire cabinet to stashing them (which still doesn't grant easy access) or sacrifice precious counter space. Either way, you lose.

Allow us to introduce you to another, more artful option. Create a hive-like wall installation that frees both your cabinets and counter space with Gneiss Spice. The honeycomb-shaped glass jars are topped with gold plastisol lids with strong magnets and can be adhered to a wall plate in rusted metal or sleek stainless steel. If wall space is also limited, no problem. Just stick them on your refrigerator!

I always look forward to Sweet Paul's Crafty Friday posts, but I flipped when I saw his cozy little knit vase. As Paul points out, practically everyone has an old sweater with some sort of defect and a vase laying around the house. Instead of wasting money and time hunting for all of the necessary bits, just take a look through your sweater bins and cabinets to prep for this ridiculously easy DIY. Place the vase in the arm of the sweater, and leave a couple of extra inches of sweater material from the bottom of the vase. Fold the two inches of fabric, and you end up with the cutest Winter vase. Thanks Sweet Paul!

Photos by Alexandra Grablewski

Any furniture that supports my wining and dining habits is all right by me, but I think I've found the love of my life in a picnic table. Medlock Ames's recently opened tasting room in Healdsburg, CA, clearly has plenty of wine to serve. With that in mind, architect Luke Wade cleverly retrofitted an old picnic table with a galvanized steel wine cooler built into one of the slats.

It seems easy enough to re-create at home with a simple saw and a trough that fits the space. For the kiddies, you can chill colorful sodas and lemonade, while you store that Sauvignon for yourself.

What do you think? Want one?

I just returned from a whirlwind three-day trip to North Carolina to learn about Shaw Floors' new line for HGTV Home. The first evening of the trip, I attended a dinner in the charming courtyard of Deerpark Restaurant, located in a historic barn designed by Richard Morris Hunt on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. The scene was absolutely romantic with twinkling string lights wrapped around the trees and gorgeous tablescapes at each round table.

While the use of small carpet remnants as table runners was quite cute for the occasion, I probably won't be replicating the look at home. But I did fall head over heels for the romantic fruit and floral votives at each table. Orchids, anchored by glass beads, and citrus were slipped into clear glass cylindric vases of staggering heights, which were then filled with water. A floating candle was lit on top of each vase, and small tealights were scattered around the table for a truly unforgettable display. I can't wait for my next dinner party, so I can replicate this look!

I'm staying in Amsterdam for a few days at JL Hotel No76, a just-opened boutique hotel located in two 18th century mansions in the middle of the city. The chic rooms are restrained in most of their elements, save for the wallpaper designed by Dutch artist Barbara Broekman. Each of the 39 rooms has been given a uniquely designed range of wallpaper, based on detailed enlargements of original embroidered artwork.

I love the idea of using textiles as hung artwork, but this reinterpretation of traditional hung tapestry is a uniquely modern twist on the idea. It also would be an easy project to re-create yourself. By using photography and enlarged printouts on paper, or by simply tiling together standard-size sheets of paper featuring a photo of a favorite textile, you could create a similar look in your home.

Have you ever tried creating your own wallpaper? Is it a project you'd like to tackle?

Remember when you were a kid, and carving words and pictures into your school desk was an absolute no-no? Well, good news: you're a big kid now, and those rules no longer apply! As long as you do it tastefully, that is.

At Clif Winery's tasting room in Napa Valley (run by the family that invented Clif bars for cyclists), this dining table features a winding path carved into its top, an homage to the switchback-filled roads that avid cyclists often tackle. And at Homeroom restaurant in Oakland, CA, each table is engraved with the restaurant's logo, a tiny paper airplane. In both cases, the artfully done carvings add a subtle, personalized detail to otherwise plain pieces of furniture.

Try it yourself to spice up a tired piece of furniture or a flea market find: just trace your free-handed or stenciled design onto your work surface, then lightly carve into the wood with a sharp X-acto blade. If you're happy with your creation and want to preserve it, apply a stain or sealant over the design.