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 Read more

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 Read more

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 Read more

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 Read more

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 Read more

From feathers to leaves to papercut numbers, there's so much opportunity for creativity when creating place cards for your wedding tables. It's these little details that truly make your reception a memorable event, so it's definitely a place to have fun! I'm absolutely charmed with this idea of using ring boxes as place card holders from Nonpareil Magazine that was used in a To Catch a Read more

One of my favorite products I discovered at Messe Frankfurt's Ambiente consumer goods trade show in February was the Flux Chair, a weather-proof polypropylene origami chair, which can be used indoors or out. Designed by Dutch industrial designers Douwe Jacobs and Tom Schouten, it folds out from flat to a chair in only 10 seconds. Better yet, it's light as a feather at only 10.6 lbs., but can Read more

One day, I'd love to own an old Victorian home with historic details like parquet flooring, crown molding, and intricately carved fireplaces in every bedroom. Unfortunately, you can't always get what you want — especially in a rental — so the only alternative is to fake it 'til you make it. I love how Spanish designer Diego Ladino gave Mezzogiorno Restaurant in Madrid an age-old look by Read more

The antler and hunting trophy trend has been around for some time, and I will venture to say that taxidermy wall décor and antler chandeliers (sorry, Jason Miller) are officially over. But there's still a place for a call to the wild in your home — if you get creative. I love how one Living Etc reader reimagined the style by DIY-ing a set of rustic curtain rod finials and curtain tiebacks Read more

Black isn't my go-to paint color of choice, but the next time I decide to mount a glaring television on my wall, I'll reconsider the moody shade. In the March/April issue of Lonny, homeowner Jennifer Bandier's bedroom small screen was treated to a clever camouflage thanks to a coat of black paint. Surrounded by an array of photographs with white mats and black frames, the oft-inconspicuous flat Read more