Back in January, I made a resolution for the year: “More candles. More candles at the breakfast table, more light in winter, more settling in, more slow mornings, more romance in design, more making more of small moments.” I’ve been thinking about that urge a lot these last weeks, in these uncertain and isolated and anxious times, with long stretches spent indoors, one day blurring into the next. I’ve found myself taking comfort in simple moments and in tiny tasks to care for my space: making the bed up with clean sheets, taking a shower, putting on (sort of) real clothes…

Impactful Blue Walls and Ceiling William Geddes “In this room, we looked at that blue and went all in—that’s how to create impact,” says interior designer Denise Enright. Wrapping the walls with cabinetry not only offers more storage and display, it adds to the enveloping feeling of the space. Using semigloss on the cabinets highlights them as an architectural element; the ceiling’s eggshell finish helps it recede. A window seat provides an extra perch in a room that’s perfect for reading or quiet conversation. Paint: Jamaican Dream; OlympicArt: “Koi Zen I” by Amanti Art; Hayneedle.comRug: Prism hand-knotted jute rug; Dash…

Either you’ve installed a new door or decided to change the door’s trim for aesthetic reasons. Either way, to trim a door, you need to bridge the gap between the door jamb (the frame from on which the door is hinged and where the latch engages) and the wall. This is done with molding called casing. Casing can be molded or flat, and whether the casing legs and head meet at the top of the door in miter joints or butt joints depends partly on which you choose. First, Prep the Door For casing to sit flat and for the…

“I’ve never been by myself so much, but I’m treating this period as a good pause,” London designer Oscar Piccolo tells us. “I’ve always felt connected to domestic spaces so I am finding this aspect interesting. My home is my studio, really the two go hand in hand.” A 2018 fine arts graduate of London’s Chelsea College of Arts, Piccolo emerged as a multi-media talent to watch thanks to his Lampada Cappello, a serpentine lamp with a playful, hat-inspired shade that he sells on his website—and keeps selling out. Currently living solo and social distancing, he’s at work on a…

Like millions of quarantining families, for the past few weeks my husband and I have been working from home and our kids “distance-learning.” He and I, in general, don’t work well together (he’s on conference calls all day; I prefer to do my work while half-tuning in to the Brian Lehrer Show), nor do our sons (let’s just say one likes to hum and the other really, really doesn’t), so we’ve all retreated to separate corners of our house. My husband snagged the study as his remote office. Our 14-year-old son has taken over the den. Our 9-year-old has chosen…

The This Old House Reviews team is committed to providing comprehensive and unbiased reviews to our readers. This means earning your trust through transparency and having the data to back up our ratings and recommendations. Our Rating Methodology for Home Warranty Providers With that in mind, we spent time creating an objective rating system to score each home warranty company. Here’s what that review process looks like: We call every home warranty provider, talking to sales agents and company representatives. We get quotes, ask questions, and fully understand the protection plan offerings. We test the customer service, including factors such…