Author Archives: Christine Lennon

Murphy Beds Are Having a Moment. How You Can Incorporate the Design Hack

People cannot multitask. You may have yourself fooled into thinking that you’re a high-functioning juggler of many duties at once, but your cerebral cortex can… Read More

Stop Searching for the Ultimate California Ranch House… Because We Found It for You

When you close your eyes and picture the perfect California wine-country retreat, what comes to mind? Do you think of rolling, golden… Read More

A Book Lover’s Guide to Styling Your Shelves

I once overheard a prop stylist ask a bookseller on the famous second floor of The Last Bookstore, nirvana for secondhand… Read More

A Newport Beach Designer Infuses a Builder’s House with Charm and Character

“Clean, coastal, calm, and simple” is how Pure Salt designer and co-founder Leigh Lincoln describes the home she designed… Read More

Where to Buy Furniture When You Need It Now

If you follow your favorite interior designers on social media, you may have noticed them kvetching about project delays. They’re not talking about routine hiccups… Read More

The 2022 Color of the Year Is (Drumroll, Please)…Kinda Purple?

Periwinkle the plant, also known as myrtle, is a fast-growing ground cover. It’s a European native that produces dainty, cheerful, poisonous, blue-violet flowers. Periwinkle the… Read More

A Classic Seventies Condo on Oregon’s Black Butte Ranch Gets a Modern Makeover

As Portland-based designers and architects, the team at Hacker Architects had the condos at Black Butte Ranch, an 1800 acre resort… Read More

3 Quick and Cheerful Ways to Decorate for the Holidays with French Flair

Jean-Pascal Lemire opened his eponymous floral shop in downtown Los Angeles, a jewel-box studio space that would look right at home… Read More

A Breezy Malibu Surf Shack Is Filled with Small Space Living Ideas

“This was a real experiment in multi-use living,” says Los Angeles-based interior designer Susan Taylor, founder of Davis Taylor Design, of… Read More

Don’t Let Your Veggies Hide in the Kitchen. Use Them to Decorate a Fall Harvest Table

If you think your vegetables are too pretty to hide in the produce drawer of your refrigerator, you are not alone. Autumn… Read More

Built-in Bunk Rooms Make Space for More Family, More Friends, and More Fun

There’s a particular kind of fantasy vacation that appeals to parents who want to travel with other families, grandparents who can’t get enough of… Read More

Dark and Moody Plates Make Your Table Look Like a Dutch Still Life—in a Good Way

White plates are an undeniable staple in a well-stocked kitchen. They go with any decor, they’re typically easy to replace when they… Read More

An Ideal Sonoma Country House Embraces “Sky Theater” Views and Shaker Simplicity

The secret to a happy weekend and vacation retreat might be simplicity. Without complicated gardens to tend, extra bedrooms to tidy, or any of the… Read More

Settling the Top Sheet Debate: The Best Quick-Change Duvet Covers and Topless Sets for Anyone Ditching the Two-Sheet Bed

My top sheet is making me look old. It’s a generational thing, I’m told, to be making my bed with crisply tucked hospital corners, just… Read More

Prepare for Crisp Days and Long Nights by Layering Snuggly Sheepskins, Real or Faux, Just About Anywhere

Back in the early ’00s, that mythical pre-Pinterest era when you found decor inspiration at friends’ houses and in magazines you bought on the newsstand,… Read More

Two Architects Erase Everything Basic About Their Family’s Ranch House

Takashi Yanai and Patricia Rhee, the “Y” and “R” in the L.A. and San Francisco-based EYRC architecture studio, are partners at work and… Read More

When a Big Box Arrives, And It’s Mail Order Pie, That’s Amore

I have told one story about Thanksgiving that demonstrates my habit of making too many desserts—and the odd tension that can surface during… Read More

Queen Anne Victorian Houses Are the Classic Haunted House Prototype. Ever Wonder Why?

Norman Bates, Edward Scissorhands, the Addams family, Count Chocula—all dark and slightly twisted characters who live in rambling old Victorians, an architectural style that’s become… Read More

These Colorado-Made Wooden Puzzles Sell out in a Hurry. Get Yours While You Can

Flashback to March 2020: Remember what you were desperate to get your hands on? Toilet paper, baking supplies, and puzzles—lots and lots… Read More

We’re Mad for Plaid, the Classic Pattern Your House Needs Now

There are some homes in which beachy-casual furniture, or that bright and bold modern look, just doesn’t work. A mountain cabin with hunting lodge vibes;… Read More

An Unloved Building on an Apple Farm Gets Its Second Wind As a Cool, Creative Weekend Retreat

Tieton, Washington, population 1,100, has an austere, wind-swept beauty that appeals to the kind of people who find quiet, open spaces inspiring. The… Read More

Embrace the Dark Side by Painting Your House Black

If you’ve been paying attention to Sunset‘s home and design coverage over the last 10 years (or more) you may have noticed that dark exterior… Read More

How Many Sofa Pillows Are Too Many Sofa Pillows?

“Elsie was my husband’s grandmother,” explains Lauren Meichtry from her home in Manhattan Beach, which is also the headquarters for her growing pillow business,… Read More

Have an Under-Used Closet? Awkward Alcove? Empty Built-in Shelving? Turn It into a Pocket Bar

You may have heard of cloffices, craft nooks, coffee corners, or pantries and alcoves transformed into impossibly clever and hyper-organized spaces designed to… Read More