Unless you're currently living in your dream house, chances are you had to make some compromises when you chose your current digs. Maybe you sacrificed square footage for a dishwasher, gave up outdoor space in order to be right in the middle of the city, or put up with drafty windows and creaky floors in exchange for your home's vintage charm. Once you've moved a few times, you get a sense of Read more

As we wind into the last stretch of Summer, my mind is racing ahead to all of the items that still need to be checked off on my end-of-Summer home maintenance to-do list. One task that I definitely need to get to in the next month is cleaning out my rain gutters. It's something I neglected to do at the beginning of the Summer, and even though the Bay Area monsoons won't start for another couple Read more

While I love to think of Summer as a time to enjoy some carefree fun in the sun, the truth is there are numerous household-related tasks that have to be accomplished as well. From lawn maintenance to repairing outdoor patios, Summer often means hard work for many homeowners. The Summer-related task that I'm dreading is powerwashing and restaining our deck, as well as our tenants' deck. Both Read more

Happy Mother's Day! As I celebrate today with my family, I've been thinking back to ways we celebrated Mother's Day when I was a kid. One of my most vivid memories of a Mother's Day past was the year my siblings and I said "thanks" by completely re-organizing all of her kitchen cupboards. I think that we were 12, 10, and 8 at the time, and while I'm sure she appreciated having her Tupperware Read more

After sharing Brian Patrick Flynn's five decorating pet peeves on Tuesday, I got to thinking about decorating pet peeves that aren't so much about taste or aesthetics but based on habit and irrationality. One example of mine is blinds. I hate blinds. I don't hate the look of blinds, per se; some I find quite lovely. But for the life of me, I can't stand to have my blinds down. I think this goes Read more

As part of my 2011 home-related resolutions, I'm going to try to host more events at my house. Brunches, movie nights, babysitting exchanges, and crafting afternoons are all on the calendar in the next few months. Apparently I'm not alone: a friend of mine is hosting her own "crafternoon" next Saturday, and several other friends have already sent emails about upcoming dinner parties and Read more

A few close friends of mine are moving into their dream homes in early 2011. As you may imagine, their to-do lists are miles long, full of plans to repaint, retile, tear down walls, and in general, create a lot of mayhem in the New Year. Of course, this temporary mayhem will yield some amazing long-term results in terms of their homes' beauty and functionality. My home-related New Year's Read more

Our holiday decorating was a bit abbreviated this year because we had the windows in our living room, dining room, and kitchen installed this week, three days before our annual Feuerzangenbowle (a German flaming punch holiday party). While I'd trimmed the tree weeks ago, we had to move it away from the windows for our contractor and crew to access them. (I don't recommend trying to move a fully Read more

Confession: we haven't had a proper tree topper for the past several years. It's the type of thing that I overlook until the last minute, and then scramble for a solution. Last year I DIYed a star ornament out of wallpaper remnants, and it was actually a good solution. But this year I want to get something a little more permanent. I'm a big fan of this Santos Tree Topper ($70), whose Read more

There are plenty of practical items we all want and need for our homes: a well-made sofa, unique art, and accents that reflect our personalities. But then there are those fantasy gifts that we dream of decorating our home — or surrounding outdoor space — with. For me, that dream gift is the Modo Chandelier ($6,000), which was used in Metropolitan Home's Modern by Design showhouse. Designed Read more