In a Vase on Monday: Web Design

Interior design trends come and go—two-toned kitchen cabinets? As of now, out. Incorporating natural elements? As always, in. But, there's one decorating movement that’s ridden the trend wave for years (and years) now, and we want an answer to its ultimate trendiness: farmhouse design.  After a decade of shiplap walls and barn doors saturating the interior design world, the question remains: is farmhouse still in style? Or, should you set down the distressed wood and try another trend? We asked two design experts for their thoughts. 

Carson Downing

Mirrors work for more than checking your look before you head out the door—they are also a key component in interior design and can complete a room when used correctly. However, sometimes mirrors can actually detract from your decor if not used properly. We spoke with design experts to find out how to avoid missteps with mirrors.

It’s officially peak guest season and if you’re like us, you’d want your entryway to look swoon-worthy from the minute guests step in. Whatever the occasion may be—whether a Thanksgiving dinner, a Christmas party, or a book club gathering—nothing beats a well-designed entrance that leaves a lasting impression. 

Photos: doreenwynja.com

Is there a gardener anywhere who wouldn’t appreciate a beautiful space designed specifically to keep maintenance requirements realistic and manageable? I recently designed such a landscape for a client who wanted to replace her front lawn with a garden where her family of six could play, socialize, and gather with their large circle of relatives and friends. The goal was to strike a balance between beauty and ease of care, since she wanted to maintain the space without hiring outside help. The design we came up with is an excellent example of a hardworking landscape that looks great but does not require hours of labor or a crew of landscapers to keep it that way. As a bonus, the new garden requires about half the water that the turfgrass did.

Last week I chose random blooms for my Monday vase, blooms that had missed out on being featured; this week I am choosing (mostly) blooms with shorter stems, blooms that have missed out to others such as dahlias, which could otherwise easily dominate vases from June to October.

Open-concept kitchens are wonderful for flexibility between rooms—for example, you can cook an amazing pasta dish in the kitchen and migrate right to the couch to eat it. But, if you're a bit stumped as to how you should decorate your open kitchen so that it looks top-notch, we have you covered.

Decor styles like modern farmhouse and cottagecore are classic for a reason, and they're not going anywhere anytime soon. So it's not too surprising that a more rustic version of these aesthetics is gaining popularity: Appropriately deemed farmcore, the trending style inspired by slow-country living gives a more earthy, rural feel to your space. While not as mainstream as other nature-inspired looks just yet, you're about to see it take over homes everywhere—big cities included. Here's how to get ahead of the trend.

Having decided to pick blooms that had not been included in a vase this year, not because they were not vase-worthy but more due to the seasonal abundance, I toyed for a while with different titles – Waifs and Strays? Pigs Ear? – but the ease of finding a prop meant that Random Selection, like the blooms, made the cut.

If you crave a home that appears a bit more elevated, keep in mind that there are many ways that you can restyle items that you already own to make your house look and feel brand new.

Determining where to start your paint color journey can be daunting no matter the shade, but when it comes to kitchen cabinetry, taking a bird’s eye view is essential. That's why we were totally intrigued reading a new report from Living Spaces, which noted that one of 2023's most popular kitchen cabinet colors in the U.S. was bolder than we expected: alongside white, blue was tied for second among most states.