Forget the Open Floor Plan--It's Time to Bring Back Walls

  What to Do Before You Start Set your goals.  When planning an entryway project, consider the size and style of your home. Does the front door open into a large, dedicated foyer that offers lots of storage possibilities, or is your entryway smaller? Perhaps your home  doesn’t have a dedicated front hall . The front door might open directly into the main living area, making it difficult to create a drop zone for jackets and bags. When researching storage options, consider your decor and vision for the space. Browse photos on Houzz for ideas and create an ideabook of your favorite photos for inspiration. I recommend that before you make any purchases, you measure your space carefully and look closely at the dimensions of the products you’re considering. I suggest incorporating storage that matches both your style and the needs of your household. Leah Bolger Design Be selective about what you store in your entryway.  Think carefully about the items you want to keep in ...

  A small backyard can hold more than a patio, a few plants and some grass. With the right design and some clever moves to visually expand your space, you can add more features than you might imagine. In many ways, renovating a small yard is no different than tackling a larger space — you’ll still collect inspiration photos, establish a budget and hire a professional, among many other things. However, given more limited square footage and the likelihood of closer neighbors, you’ll have to prioritize what you want, think about multiuse features and consider adding screening or noise-mitigating features. If you’re ready renovate your outdoor space, read on to learn how to  navigate the process through the planning and conceptual phases, and how to  get from your current look to one that fits your life and style. Harper Design Build 1. Assess Your Existing Outdoor Space Walk around your yard and note what’s already there. You might even consider making a basic sketch of your...

Y ou fling open the door to your new home, and it’s just as fabulous as you imagined. The previous owner deep-cleaned the space; all it needs is your chic decor to make it feel like home. But what about your billions of roommates? If you can’t see them, don’t turn on the light to get a better look. We’re talking bacteria, people. Like so many other household items we come into contact with daily, light switches can get nasty—especially considering how often they get cleaned (probably somewhere between once a year and never). You touch light switches so often you may not even realize how much bacteria you’e transferring to them with your dirty hands. And while toilet seats have  50 bacteria  per square inch, light switches boast an eye-watering  217 bacteria  per square inch. So in this installment of  The Germaphobe Chronicles , we’re documenting everything you need to know about the gross factor of your light switches, from the moment you move in to how long th...