From task lighting for food preparation, crafting and cleaning, to mood lighting for relaxation and entertaining, lighting both natural and artificial plays a pivotal role in how you use and enjoy a space. Equally important are lighting controls that allow you to change the purpose and functionality of lights to suit the time of day (to assist in balancing your circadian rhythms for a better mood, productivity and sleep), as well as a range of activities that occur in any given room. In short, lighting is an important element of every room but frequently treated as an afterthought.

From the 1950s through the 1980s, it was common to have a home bar, previously referred to as a wet bar. It was both a status symbol and a sign of the times spurred by popular movies like “Goldfinger” with Sean Connery and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with Audrey Hepburn. Home bars are making a comeback due to a variety of factors, including cocooning after Sept. 11 and the coronavirus, driving laws, a marked increase in home entertaining and a newfound interest in mixology — in part, from the rise of professional bartenders to star status, perfecting the art of curated cocktails.

In the early stages of planning a home bar, there are many questions to ask yourself, such as: Why create a home bar? Where will it be built? What amenities are essential, and which are merely “nice to have?” What style or “look” is right for the project? Guidelines for answering these questions are provided below.

Do thoughts of holiday entertaining put you on tilt? This article is full of helpful hints and delicious recipes and menu suggestions for stress-free holiday entertaining — allowing you to embrace “home for the holidays” with anticipation and joy.

Let’s begin with a reminder that entertaining and celebrating the holidays is not about a clean house, a perfectly decorated abode or even the food served (family food traditions aside). It is all about the people who will cross your threshold, be they family or friends. Your guests are mainly there to spend quality time with you and the other members of your household.

ADUs are identified in three primary ways, with all having similar characteristics: attached dwelling units, accessory dwelling units or additional dwelling units that are situated on the same lot as a primary residence and typically share a common wall or floor and ceiling with the primary dwelling. Some examples include a daylight basement, living quarters above a garage, a bump-out or an addition to the existing residential structure.

There is a lot to think about when designing and selecting materials for a bathroom project. As with any project, the first step is to define your needs, overall objectives and budget.

Most homeowners need better bathroom storage and more counter space, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Busy lives and the pandemic have significantly changed how homeowners view their bathrooms and what they would like bathrooms “to do” for them, creating a shift from simple, utilitarian spaces to ones that emphasize features for aging-in-place and safety; spa-like amenities that enhance health and wellness; and sustainability for water, energy and material conservation.

When learning a foreign language, a common recommendation is to immerse yourself in the country and the culture of that language. The same can be said for a product. If you really want to understand a product, you need to understand its origin, the raw materials, the manufacturing and distribution processes, and most importantly, the product’s application. In that vein, I recently accepted an invitation from Tile of Spain USA to participate in its Passport to Creativity Tour 2024 for a full immersion into the world of Spanish designed and manufactured tile in Valencia, Spain, the heart of the Spanish tile industry.

When planning to build a new home or remodel an existing one, whom do you call to start the ball rolling on making your dreams a reality? Finding the starting line for a residential building project can feel a bit illusive, so we have created a flow chart to help you navigate these potentially uncharted waters. Note that the timing on the charts pertains to hiring, not necessarily interviewing these professionals.

A list of the primary professionals who may be engaged for your project, along with their educational and professional qualifications, is presented below in alphabetical order. Don’t be surprised by the number and variety of professionals it may take to make your dreams come true.

Do you have specific objectives for your project, such as improving the sound quantity of the room (sound abatement) or products that have low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to minimize the off-gassing of toxic substances that are wreaking havoc on your indoor air quality? It’s easy to search for materials on the internet that are designed for sound abatement, as well as those that maintain health and wellness in your interior home environment.

WHILE A HUSBAND AND WIFE in Bainbridge Island, Wash., were looking for a more accessible home a few years ago, they contacted designer Molly McCabe to get her input on the best choice that needed the least amount of work. She assessed which portions of the properties could be accessible to the husband, who is a full-time wheelchair user, and determined future work that would need to be completed. Once they found their ideal home, they hired McCabe, owner of McCabe by Design, to transform the primary bath into an aesthetically pleasing space accessible to both the husband in the wheelchair and the wife as his primary caregiver.