Author Archives: Nicole Clausing

Gold Winners of the 2022 Sunset International Wine Competition

Our judges tasted innumerable bottles during the course of the 2022 Sunset International Wine Competition. Here are the ones that qualified at the Gold… Read More

These Tiny Country Inns Are the Ultimate Weekend Escape

With travelers continuing to seek intimate experiences as the world reopens, diminutive properties that crib on the craftsmanship of European inns, Italian agriturismos, and… Read More

This Pie Makes Every Other Holiday Dessert Look Boring

Jaynelle St. Jean’s pies are modernist works of edible art. Over the past few years, the Oakland-based baker has established herself as a design-minded deliverer… Read More

The Plants You Wouldn’t Think to Keep Indoors but Should (and Other Ways to Be a Garden Rebel)

The new Terrain: The Houseplant Book by Melissa Lowrie bills itself as “an insider’s guide to cultivating and collecting the most… Read More

Book One of These Baja Hotels and the Rest of Your Vacation Will Take Care of Itself

Though there’s no bad time to go, Mexico’s western peninsula comes alive during harvest season, when innovative wine, delightful tasting rooms, and otherworldly… Read More

Wait, This Common Gardening Shoe Is Chic Now?!

I knew when my millennial sister, who happens to be a floral designer, started rocking Crocs that something was up. She’s stylish and talented (just check… Read More

Insider Guide: Hollywood, California

Sunset’s Insider Guide series highlights seasonal diversions and secret travel tips from local experts. Follow along as we learn where to eat, drink,… Read More

How an Architect’s Unconventional Use of Space Transformed a Malibu Beach House

Join guest editor Camille Styles as she and her family transform a 1950s Malibu beach bungalow into their dream retreat—and in the process, discover… Read More

Here’s What We Wish We’d Known Before We Put in a Firepit

Getting a new firepit can be as easy as going online and clicking add to cart. But, whether you’re going the built-in route or… Read More

Before You Plan Your Halloween Party, Memorize These 3 Tips

Rande Gerber and partners George Clooney and Michael Meldman have established Casamigos as a household name for all things… Read More

This Garden’s Secret (and Best) Feature Is Actually Hidden in Plain Sight

When I looked at the garden Christian Douglas Design created for a couple in Mill Valley, California, it was easy to focus… Read More

Meet the Winemaker Working to Put Fine Wine on Your Table—Every Night

T Bar T vineyard climbs up into the hills of Sonoma’s Alexander Valley like a painting. That’s Sam Jordan’s first memory of his family’s wine… Read More

Drink the Issue: Sunset Wine Club’s Perfect Pairings from the 2022 Travel Issue

The wines of the West are an integral part of the lifestyle that we celebrate in our pages—and the Sunset Wine Club is the essence… Read More

Insider Guide: Napa Valley, California

Sunset’s Insider Guide series highlights seasonal diversions and secret travel tips from local experts. Follow along as we learn where to eat, drink, stay, and… Read More

The $5,000 Spice You Should Be Cooking with Every Day

It’s not often that a chef and a farmer are able to sit down to dinner and enjoy the fruits of their combined labor. … Read More

There Goes the Sun: Your October-November Garden Checklist

Plant For abundant indoor blooms, try Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), whose birdlike flowers come in orange, pink, violet, and white.  Grow containers of mint… Read More

I’m Obsessed with Garden Clothes Right Now—These Are Worth the Splurge

I remember when high-end brooms came on the market. You know, the ones with hand-beveled ash handles, corn bristles, and leather hanging loops. The… Read More

This Is the Secret to Creating Perfect Neapolitan Pizza at Home

When chef Daniele Uditi moved to California from Italy 10 years ago, he was accompanied by a secret companion. In his suitcase, he’d hidden… Read More

A Playhouse, Rope Climb, and Sunset Views: This Sustainable Garden Has It All

When landscaper Jessica Viola, of Viola Gardens, starts thinking about a new client’s garden, she doesn’t start with the plants, she… Read More

How an L.A. Writer Created the Kind of Workplace You Thought Only Existed on T.V.

Mara Brock Akil likes to say that her office in historic West Adams reminds her of a Phyllis Hyman song. Assured, feminine,… Read More

Insider Guide: Driggs, Idaho

Lea… Read More

Hannah Che’s Vegan Chinese Recipes Modernize a 1,000-Year-Old Tradition

Can veganism go viral? If anyone can accomplish that in the world of Chinese cuisine, it’s Hannah Che. Hailing from Portland and now… Read More

Want Fall Color? You Don’t Need to Plant a Tree

The first day of fall is Sep. 22, which means it’s almost time for autumnal shades in the garden. But what makes fall leaves change… Read More

The Minimalist Arizona Garden That Turns Water Away

The term minimalism isn’t always associated with gardens, but this stone-on-stone outdoor space in Sedona, Arizona, has a decidedly minimalist feel. Which… Read More