As a decorative artist, Maria Driscoll is constantly creating new rooms for her clients. But when it came time for her to create a special nursery for her first baby, she felt a new kind of challenge as her own toughest customer! She wanted a fun room full of color and warmth in which her [...]

I admit it. I sometimes find choosing furnishings for my home stressful. When I’m making an investment in things like floor coverings, light fixtures and sofas—pieces I know I’ll be living with for quite a while—I want to get it right and spend my money wisely. Pass the Alka-Seltzer, please.
But when it comes to designing [...]

For some of us wine is simply a drink to enjoy at dinner parties; for others, wine is a way of life. There are also plenty of folks in between. Regardless of your place on the wine lovers’ spectrum, it’s helpful to understand your options for collecting and storing this beverage. Who knows? This information [...]

Janice Davidson’s dream had always been to renovate a loft and live in downtown Roanoke. Her dream became a reality in May 2007 when she and her husband decided to renovate the top floor loft of the downtown location of Davidsons, their men’s clothier business. In less than a year, they were living their dream.
Loft [...]

A passion for creating something traditional in unexpected ways comes naturally for me. An affection for all things growing has led me to discover the many uses of plants, particularly in holiday decorating. You can make the most of nature’s gifts with an abundance of inspiring options without leaving your own backyard. A gracious garland, [...]

Close your eyes (figuratively, of course) and imagine yourself in a relaxing hot shower, unwinding and letting your cares flow down the drain as the warm water soothes and transforms you. Then open your eyes and see your shower door, riddled with stubborn soap scum. Daydream interrupted, right?
Glass doors can hold sediment, deposits and even mildew [...]

I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the prowl for some tidbit of information that will make life better, easier, more efficient or fun—whether it’s a crowd-pleasing recipe, a chore-changing dish soap, or, particularly at this time of year, a great gift idea. So this holiday season, I thought I’d seek tips from none other than [...]

When I cook for my family and entertain friends, I yearn to serve them only the most tender roasts, moist chicken breasts and succulent turkey. However, sometimes cooking the meat to perfection is truly a guessing game, played either by taking the meat out of the oven when the arbitrary timer buzzes, or cutting into [...]

If visions of a beautifully set table, mugs of hot-buttered-rum and faces of your nearest and dearest friends are dancing through your head instead of sugar plums, it might be time to host a party! The holiday season is quickly approaching and elegant envelopes in every size and color announce the start of a season [...]

Today’s high-efficiency heating and cooling systems require very little attention and maintenance from homeowners. They do a great job of keeping us comfortably cool in summer and toasty warm in winter with very little effort from us. However, other than scheduling regular maintenance visits, there is one task that falls on the homeowner: changing those [...]