Garden Bed Edging That Lasts: Border Solutions Beyond Basic Black Plastic
My landscape edging education began with what I now call the Great Mulch Migration of 2016. Three weeks after installing new garden beds in our Minneapolis Tudor’s backyard—complete with the black plastic edging the big box store employee assured me would “keep everything in place”—I stood staring at what looked like a crime scene. Heavy […]
Hardworking Hallways: Turning Pass-Through Spaces Into Functional Areas
I’ve always thought it’s kinda funny how we treat hallways in American homes. We spend thousands on their flooring, paint, and lighting—then use them for absolutely nothing except walking through to get somewhere else. It’s like buying an expensive car and only using it while it’s parked in the garage. My grandfather would’ve called that […]
Fireplace Focal Points: Design Approaches That Enhance Rather Than Compete
My first memorable encounter with a truly disastrous fireplace design happened during a home consultation in Chicago’s northern suburbs. The owners had recently purchased a lovely 1920s Tudor with what had once been a classic brick fireplace. The previous owners, apparently seized by HGTV fever around 2010, had “modernized” it with floor-to-ceiling glass mosaic tile […]
The Kitchen Cabinet Paint Job That Lasts: Proper Techniques for Durable Results
You know what haunts my renovation nightmares? That client call six months after a cabinet painting project when they sheepishly admit their “beautiful new kitchen” is now chipping like crazy, with coffee rings staining the once-pristine surfaces and mysterious sticky patches that won’t wipe clean. I got that call three times in my early consulting […]
Deck Design Secrets: Details That Make Outdoor Living Spaces Better
The first deck I ever built was a disaster. I was 22, fresh out of college, helping my buddy Jason create a “simple” 10×12 platform behind his starter home in Michigan. We had a circular saw, enthusiasm, and absolutely no idea what we were doing. Two weekends and one minor injury later (turns out deck […]
Front Yard Curb Appeal: Landscaping That Makes Arriving Home Better
I still remember the moment I realized how much a front yard matters. It was after a particularly grueling day consulting on a problem-plagued renovation in St. Paul—the kind where you discover three layers of previous bad decisions every time you open up a wall. I’d spent nine hours crawling through a cramped attic tracing […]
Curb Appeal Quick Wins: Front Yard Updates You Can Do This Weekend
Last spring, my neighbor Tom put his 1970s split-level on the market. Nice house, good bones, but man—that front yard looked like it had given up sometime during the Obama administration. Brown patches in the lawn, overgrown yews hiding half the windows, and a concrete path with more cracks than a dropped mirror. His realtor […]
Aging-Friendly Home Updates That Look Great at Any Life Stage
I knew we were in trouble when my father-in-law Bob tried to navigate our guest bathroom during Thanksgiving dinner. At 78, his knees aren’t what they used to be, and watching him struggle to lower himself onto our standard-height toilet—while trying to maintain his dignity—was painful for everyone. Later that weekend, he mentioned that showering […]
Backsplash Magic: Small Tile Changes That Completely Transform Your Kitchen
The kitchen in my grandparents’ house had this wild floral wallpaper behind the sink that somehow survived thirty years of Minnesota humidity. When we finally peeled it off during my high school summer break, we found newspaper from 1962 underneath—complete with Kennedy headlines and ads for 29-cent pot roast. Pop supervised as Dad and I […]
Bathroom Storage Breakthrough: Solutions Even When Space Is Tight
I thought I’d seen small bathrooms before, but my friend Eliza’s Manhattan apartment took cramped to a whole new level. The entire bathroom was roughly the size of a phone booth—maybe 5×7 feet total—with a toilet, pedestal sink, and shower stall crammed together so tightly you could practically brush your teeth, shower, and use the […]