Wax begonias are fibrous-rooted plants with a compact, bushy shape, fleshy stems, and glossy dark green or bronze leaves. Loose clusters of flowers open through summer and into fall, and while most gardeners treat them as outdoor annuals, they make excellent indoor plants where they become true perennials. They are slow growers that take several […]
A pee accident can soak deep into a mattress or slip past a waterproof pad, and the longer urine sits, the harder the stain and odor are to remove. Dog and cat urine is more concentrated and smellier than human urine, so the sooner you get to it, the better. Most mattress odor jobs take
Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) earns its name from its most devoted visitors. Hummingbirds work the tubular magenta flowers from late winter well into summer, and butterflies stop by for the same nectar. This semi-evergreen perennial is native to the California coast, spreads into a tidy ground cover through rhizomes, and shrugs off drought, deer, and
A room can hold all the right pieces and still feel wrong. Interior designers see the same handful of mistakes over and over, from relying on a single overhead light to buying furniture that does not fit the floor plan. Most of these problems start before decorating begins: the architectural design and building envelope design
A family room is where the household actually lives: movies, board games, homework, and slow conversations at the end of the day. Unlike the more formal living room, it should be laid out for comfort first and decorated to match the way your family uses it. Sorting out the family room vs. living room distinction
A dining table does not need a holiday to look finished. Between the big meals and family gatherings, the table sits at the center of the room, and a few affordable touches keep it inviting every day. The same discipline that goes into holiday dining room decor, from color coordination to table settings, applies in
Most homes already own a few baskets pressed into duty for craft supplies, picnic lunches, or the toy bin in the corner. With a little attention to placement and proportion, the same woven forms work as statement pieces in their own right. Affordable, lightweight, and full of texture, baskets add warmth to a room the
A corner fireplace angles across the junction of two walls, which leaves a wedge of open floor in front of the hearth and two short wall returns on either side. That geometry frustrates standard furniture layouts: a sofa pushed square to the wall sits too far from the fire, and the triangular pocket behind the
Wall paneling began as a practical building treatment: boards and molded sections protected interior walls from chair backs, furniture scuffs, and damp rooms, while the air space behind them added a modest layer of insulation. Homeowners still install paneling for those reasons, but most choose it for the architectural character it gives a room. The
An outdoor fireplace turns a backyard into a gathering place that works in cool weather and extends the evening well past sunset. Gathering around a roaring fire makes an outdoor living room, kitchen, dining area, or patio space feel cozier and more inviting, whether the unit is a do-it-yourself kit or a custom structure in
