You can learn everything you need to know about a person by the way they handle a string of holiday lights. When confronted with tangled cords, burned-out bulbs and hanging hassles, do they joyfully whistle “Deck the Halls,” or does they get red-faced and start swearing. Throw a ladder, icy conditions and electricity into the…
As a girl, whenever I was impatiently looking forward to a special day, like the end of school or going on vacation, my mom would always say, “Don’t wish your life away.” Decades later, I’ve finally figured out what she meant. She wasn’t trying to dampen my excitement. Rather she was reminding me to not…
I get a bad rap for being the Stuff Police, the one who gets between you and the things you love. While it’s true that I harp on those who have too much (including myself), and urge them to purge, edit, donate, toss, sell, clear out, hand down and throw away, occasionally — as you’ll…
Have you had this conversation with yourself? “Self, I don’t know what color to paint my walls.” “I’ll go with a neutral white or beige to play it safe,” you decide. The sofa? “Better be safe and get off white,” you reason. The area rug? “Hmm, I don’t want it to be too limiting, maybe…
The prospect of hosting a dinner party at my house filled my heart with panic. I had been wanting to update my dining room. Suddenly, I had an incentive — and a deadline. The dinner party wasn’t my idea. A few months ago, a friend hatched a plan to auction off a dinner for eight…
Wallpaper has made a major comeback. I recently got the bug to refresh and update my dining room, whose furniture dates back to the 1990s. So, I asked Los Angeles designer Christopher Grubb to consult. That is, I would send him photos. He’d provide decorating direction. I’d do the legwork. This arrangement saved us both…
