Between the endless stream of holiday music, window displays and festive events, the holiday season can sometimes feel like a never-ending parade of opportunities to blow the budget. But when you set and stick with a budget you feel comfortable with, …
My Houzz: A Seattle Cottage With Decades of Memories (32 photos)
Carla Madrigal is in her seventh decade and now lives in what is just her second home in the past 42 years. For 38 years, she lived in a spacious Victorian rental in San Francisco. But when life necessitated a change 4½ years ago, she and husband Ben LeFebvre moved north to Seattle to buy…
Are the Latest High-Definition TVs for You? Here’s What to Know (7 photos)
I know there are people out there who have no problem watching a movie on a laptop. But my reaction always is, “Wow, you are missing an incredible experience.” Personally, I watch a movie to be transported away from my everyday life. I like to connect with the movie, relate to the characters, feel the…
Pet of the Week: Mai Tai the Parrot (7 photos)
This feature is part of our Pet of the Week series, in which we profile pets shared by home dwellers and home improvement pros.Mai Tai, a Congo African grey parrot, is a social guy who likes to emulate household noises and fill his home with original …
Shop Houzz: November Bestsellers (115 photos)
See what your fellow Houzzers have been shopping for lately with our collection of November bestsellers. Browse by category and outfit every room in your home with trendy elements like reclaimed wood, industrial furnishings and farmhouse accents.
Room of the Day: An Inviting Space for Sipping Wine With Friends (4 photos)
Wine rooms or cellars are usually enclosed, climate-controlled spaces for quiet, intimate tastings of the wine enthusiast’s favorite vintages. Not so in this family’s home. The owners wanted their wine room, located directly off the family room, to be a warm and inviting space that would draw…
10 Fresh Design Ideas for Utility Rooms (10 photos)
Ask any homeowner what they’d like to improve about their property, and a likely response is the addition of a utility room. The stark reality of all too many homes is an overflowing laundry basket in the kitchen, assorted linen drying on the radiators, and never being able to find a pair of socks that…
8 Essential Shrubs for Wildlife in the Great Lakes and Midwest (8 photos)
It’s easy to support multiple types of wildlife, such as birds and bees, when you use native plants in your landscape. Native plants have coevolved with native insects and host more insect biomass (which feeds birds) than nonnative plants. And they have been shown to be about four times more attractive…
A Backyard Horse Barn Becomes a Home Office and Guest Quarters (9 photos)
Many of us dream of having a backyard shed or studio to spend time in. Annie Mennes’ backyard escape came in the form of a dilapidated horse barn on her property in New York’s Hudson Valley. “As an architect, I loved it,” she says. Mennes, who runs her own architecture firm from home, appreciated the…
