Wow Home Idea

"If you want to pull out all the stops, start with a La Cornue range," designer Frank Ponterio says. It's the dark center of a wall of white cabinetry, and its elegant brass trim inspired the brass fixtures, which are unlacquered so they will mellow over time. Then he picked up the black with Pietra Cardosa stone on the counters, dark furniture, and a dark floor. "It's a handsome, black-tie look that suits this traditional 100-year-old house." Nathan Kirkman 1. Choose an Invisible Fridge Twin 36-inch Sub-Zero refrigerators with freezer drawers are integrated into the cabinetry, so the focus remains on the star of the show — that range. "Everything else is part of the backdrop," Ponterio says. 2. Put Down a Butcher Block This separate piece was designed to function as a cutting board and look like an antique chest. It holds knives, serving pieces, and linens. During a party, it's the perfect place to set out the hors d'oeuvres. 3. Add So...

Nursery owner Flora Grubb offers words of advice for your next garden center visit. Matthew Benson MISTAKE: Shopping for just flowers, not foliage SOLUTION: "I often tell my customers that every flowering plant is beautiful at its prime — full of lush, abundant blooms," says Flora. "But then I'll ask, 'How does it look for the rest of the year?'" Before you buy, consider the plant's leaves and structure. Include specimens with spectacular foliage, like the annual coleus, the shrub cotinus, or decorative grasses to help keep beds interesting when flowers are not at peak. Matthew Benson MISTAKE: Buying insufficient amounts of a single variety SOLUTION: "Taking home only one or two pots of a particular specimen is a surefire way to make your garden look hodgepodge," says Flora. Depending on the size of the pot and the type of plant, she suggests buying at least three containers (though six or more of a species is preferred) for a unified, w...

Somehow, turning the eeriest parts of Halloween (bones, ghosts, spiders and mice!) into irresistible desserts makes things a lot less scary. But let's be real — if it tastes like pumpkin or chocolate and is smothered in buttercream, you'd have a hard time spooking us out of a fork. Johnny Miller Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Frosting Mounted on wire, knotted ribbon transforms into a batch of inky bats. Don't let the toppers distract you from the true star of this chocolatey-pumpkin cake, though: the creamy brown butter frosting. Get the recipe at Good Housekeeping » What you'll need:  black ribbon ($$, amazon.com ) Brian Woodcock Buried Alive Cake Crawling with (plastic) arachnids and topped with a layer of chocolate dirt, this layer cake practically screams "IT'S ALIVE!" Get the recipe at Country Living » What you'll need:  plastic spiders ($,  amazon.com ) Chelsea Lupkin Chocolate Filled Pumpkins Filled with not one but...

Getty You could choose which city to live in based on how cozy it is or how romantic it is — San Antonio is for lovers, apparently — but how about its favorite design aesthetic?  Spoonflower, an online site that lets you design your own fabric and paper, analyzed almost 200,000 of its orders to determine the most popular prints and patterns in cities across the country. Unsurprisingly, traditional patterns like damask and stripes  made the cut – they're favorites in  Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Arlington, Virginia , respectively. But some peculiar trends emerged, too.  Houston residents couldn't decide between a love of paisley and zombies , while in Portland, Oregon, a print by the name of "Ditsy" was the clear winner. C alifornians seem to be drawn to the classics , with Victorian motifs dominating Berkeley and toile in San Jose. And unless you live in Columbus, Ohio, you'll have ...

The start of summer signals the end of peony season, sadly, but lookalike flower varieties are easy to come by — any time of the year. Summer: English Garden Roses Like peonies, garden roses are available in a variety of pastel and coral hues. They also have "almost identical petals that mirror the peony's iconic 'powder-puff' petal," says Eric Buterbaugh, celebrity florist and Chief Floral Designer of The Bouqs. The likeness is especially evident in old-fashioned English roses when they are in bloom. Fall: Dahlias The beautiful, large heads on dahlias are available in a range of wonderful colors like peonies. But the flower's peony-flowering variety bear the closet resemblance to their short-lived counterpart. Winter: Ranunculus "Ranunculus are often mistaken for peonies – they're just smaller," Buterbaugh says. Ranunculus' tightly packed petal structure gives them a similar texture and shape to peonies. They also come in a variety of ...

Courtesy of Julie Vick When my husband and I got married, we bought home in Denver — a Victorian that was built in 1903 and sat on a picturesque tree-lined street. It needed a lot of work, but we were up for the challenge. "Fixing up an old house together sounds romantic," a friend said. But my dad said: "I hope you've seen The Money Pit." I had, and remembered that in the movie the renovation takes much longer than expected and almost rips the couple apart, but still, I was feeling optimistic. Plus I loved the scene where Tom Hanks falls through a hole in the floor hidden by a large oriental rug, and is wedged in said hole for hours. Fixing up an old house could be hilarious! You just had to look at it the right way. Our most immediate problem was that the upstairs master suite lacked some basic things — like walls. The bathroom, which featured a glass shower, was completely exposed to the hallway and a wall covered in windows. Basically,...

Getty Jorg Greuel So you know that wire hangers only lead to heartache when used for clothes, creating lumps and bumps in the worst places. But, you're likely to have a treasure trove of these puppies sitting around awaiting their fate at trash day. Instead, make use of your hoard with these helpful tips. 1. Declog a drain. Simply unwind the neck and fold the hook tighter to create a slim snake that gets the gunk out. 2. Support a feeble plant. Limp stems can lean on a "trellis" made by an unwound hanger inserted into the dirt. 3. Make a wreath. Shape the wire hanger into a circle, then get crafty. See Rustic Pig Design's tutorial for making this scrap fabric wreath. 4. Skim debris off pools. Keep bird baths, swimming pools, and other water features clean with a skimmer you make by shaping the hanger into a circle and stretching pantyhose over it. 5. Corral flip flops. Compress the ends of the hanger, then bend up in a hook shape. Or, follow Epbot's instruc...