These remarkable words by John Cage made us think of two teeny videos made by his friend Fast Forward that expand them…
Read MoreOtto Zitko Makes Me Want to Paint on the Walls
Even though I will never have the mastery of Otto Zitko’s wondrous scribble-scrabble, I wanted some of the experience of it, so I figured out how and when…
Read MoreThe How and Why of Donald Judd’s Brilliant Plywood Tables
Artist Donald Judd’s iconic plywood tables are made with materials you can get anywhere, with methods just about anybody can do: his response to the lack of useful, well-designed furniture he was unable to find.
Read MoreSolar Lanterns Make Lunar Magic, Sensual Bubbles and, in the end, Stars
One of the best ways we know to create outdoor lighting magic in warm months are with Shoji Solar Lanterns…
Read More2 Ideas To Evoke Charming Wabi-Sabi in Your Space
Tiny Japanese restaurant Davelle employs inspired tricks to create a “bright and thoughtful little world” and a lovely feeling of wabi-sabi.
Read MoreSimple Ways to Create Private Space with Fabric Room Dividers and ‘Slung Cloths’
The quest for a calming, private space can feel like an impossible dream, particularly for those who share tight living quarters. Here are some ideas…
Read MoreSimple Furoshiki Cloth Becomes a Carry Bag, Apron, Kitchen Towel, Scarf…
This useful little video and chart demonstrate ways of using furoshiki cloths — large multipurpose squares of cotton fabric — to make carry bags, aprons, more…
Read MoreNew Washi Tapes Transform Space with Morphable (or Removable) Designs
This 2-minute video shows just how liberating and morphable a room or design created with washi tape can be. Nitto’s new Haru tape is pushing the possibilities of washi tape.
Read MoreRe-envision Broken Things As Newly Useful Ones with Memories (Su Tung Po)
Some of my favorite tools are broken ones that I’ve re-envisioned, turning their flaw into an often-cool looking virtue, with memories.
Read MoreMakeshift Mortars and Pestles Make Sublime Walnut Pesto (and Other Delicious Things)
Although a real mortar and pestle is a lovely tool to have, you can achieve their rounded flavors and elemental textures with makeshift ones. Take this Walnut Pesto, for example…
Read MoreSimple Effective Way to Dampen Irritating Vibrations
Our ever-awake world is full of machinery creating disturbing vibrations (and sleepless nights). After much trial and error, here’s the most effective way we found to dampen them..
Read MoreHow to Stretch Those Too-Tight Shoes You Love (Really Works)
I got so many raves about my tried-and-true method of stretching too-tight shoes, that I’m publishing it again, five years later.
Read MoreUse Empathy and Observation to Find Simple Solutions (Mileha Soneji)
Designer Mileha Soneji loves to create innovations that aren’t dependent on technology, like the two she created for her uncle with Parkinson’s using a unique approach we can all employ…
Read MoreDraped Linens and Drop Cloths Transform Furniture in a Chateau (and Your House as Well)
For need-of-a- refresh sofa or chairs, we take a cue from this chill 12th Century château in France transformed with the artful use of draped cloth.
Read MoreThe Rocks I Use Around My Home are Really Ancient Artifacts
Seth Boyden’s charming video, An Object at Rest, has changed the way I view the nearly two dozen rocks and stones I use around my space.
Read MoreSalvaged Marble and Stone For Tables, Shelves, Backsplashes…
A budget apartment overhaul by a Brooklyn design student reminded us of the great design possibilities inherent in salvaged cuts of marble and other stone.
Read MoreFree Downloadable Coloring Books from the World’s Great Collections
This trove of free downloadable coloring books from museums, libraries and universities around the world amplify the powerful the practice of coloring.
Read MoreHang a Book By the Bed or Loo (or Anywhere) for Quick Access to Illumination
How charming (and easy) to hang a small book of essential reading by the bed, or, as we imagine, anywhere. You can take the book off the cord to read it in a moment and just as quickly hang it back up. Here’s how.
Read MoreBig DIY Linen Projects and Room Dividers + Where to Find the Extra Wide Linen to Make Them
In our age of diminishing spaces that have to serve many purposes, linen projects like room dividers, curtains, draped slip covers and spreads hold many possibilities. The logistical question: where to buy really wide linen?
Read MoreA Strong Sugru-like Adhesive You Can Make
Designer Stephen Johnson’s colorful adhesive dough prototype will bond all sorts of materials, including wood, glass, stone and metal and is strong enough to bond furniture parts together. We wondered if we could make some ourselves…
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