You might think the impressively low price tag ($4,200) is what makes this renovation from Parisian designers Heju so exceptional, but it’s also the size. The kitchen is nested in a chambre de bonne, Paris’s answer to worker’s housing in the top floor garret of most buildings. The rooms are typically 65 to 130 square feet; they’re impossibly small (I know because I lived in one for a year) and any semblance of a kitchen is rarely functional. But Heju solved the problem with grey and white color-blocked walls, plywood fronts on budget cabinets, Smeg appliances and more. Here is…

Denmark: Invest in festive stamps. Above: Among Denmark’s many holiday traditions (see: the entire concept of hygge), one of the most charming is Danish Christmas seals, in which an artist (or, occasionally, the Queen, who possesses surprising artistic talent) designs a special-edition set of postage stamps for the holiday season. It’s a tradition that’s been going for well over a century. Buy a few of past years’ collections at Present and Correct (this one was a set from 1962 that’s sadly no longer available), or source a similarly festive set from the post office for all of your holiday postage needs. For…

25 Thrifty Ways to Redesign Your Bathroom on a Dime 2 × 1. Revitalize Your Claw-Foot Tub 1. Revitalize Your Claw-Foot Tub Photo by Dominic Blackmore/IPC Images Sometimes an old tub simply needs a boost. Rather than replacing an old timeless cast-iron claw-foot tub, save a bundle by reglazing it instead. You can make it a graphic focal point by coloring the outside a deep or vibrant hue, or give it a soft contrast between a white interior and muted exterior, whichever treatment suits your space. 3 × 2. Have Fun With Wallpaper 2. Have Fun With Wallpaper Photo by…

When we stumbled upon Colombe Studio’s Instagram account, we discovered image after image that activated our endorphins. It was clear that we had to share founder Marta Chrapka’s sophisticated projects on our site. A while ago, we did just that—see A Glamorous Pre-War Flat in Poland, Courtesy of Colombe Design (and eBay)—and today, not content with just a one-off, we’re spotlighting another refreshingly grown-up home by the Warsaw-based designer. This one belongs to a couple (a writer of historical novels and his wife) who asked Chrapka to transform a renovated-for-the-worse apartment into a sophisticated pied-à-terre that was worthy of its prewar…

How to Design the Deck of Your Dreams 2 × Rambling Composite Deck Rambling Composite Deck Photo by Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn Lush trees appear to hug a multi-level, curved deck structure with copious room for entertaining. Building a deck to fit in with the angles and height of existing foliage adds a sense of luxury that only customization will allow. Learn more about synthetic materials for a high-tech, low-fuss deck 4 × Sun-Blocking Pergolas Sun-Blocking Pergolas Photo by Brian C. Robbins Photograhy Inc. Overhead structures can offer shade from the baking sun, and airy walls provide privacy from too-near neighbors.…