Best Japanese Bath Towels: 5 Favorites for Luxury & Comfort
Soft but not aggressively fluffy. Sized to fit in a washer and dryer with room to spare. And designed with care and subtlety. There is something just right about the best Japanese cotton bath towels. Above: The Lana Towel by Kontex has a gauzy texture that looks like wool but is 100 percent cotton. Available in gray, shown, or brown in...
Wet Room Bathroom Guide: Design Ideas & Renovation Tips
Sleek and stylish open-concept bathrooms—with entire walls and floors clad in gorgeous tile—are all the rage these days. But are these artfully designed, modern spaces suitable for everyone? To get the lowdown on so-called “wet rooms,” we consulted designer Hanna Wiegers, who’s worked with the likes of Berman Horn Studio and Jocelyn O. Dickson Architecture. Here’s what you need to...
Historic Brownstone Renovation: Before & After Design Inspiration
Architects Jess Hinshaw and Andrew Fisk specialize in sensitive modernizations of old New York City structures: see, for instance, The Sentimental Minimalist, a tour of Jess’s own Brooklyn townhouse, and Andrea’s own Late-19th Century Quarters in Pinks, Greens, and Grays. The two run Shapeless Studio and one of the many designs of theirs that we’ve featured is A Kitchen that...
Casa Modesta: A Family House Turned Rural Retreat in Portugal’s Algarve
When friends of mine returned from a trip to southern Portugal a while back, they told me all about their secret find: Casa Modesta, a rural guest house on the Ria Formosa Nature Park in the Algarve. Before owner Carlos Fernandes and his sister, Vânia Brito Fernandes, inherited the house from their grandparents, it was a small 1940s house typical...
Bright London Bathroom Design: Sunshine Bath Inspiration
The standout bathrooms in a London townhouse designed by firm Bradley Van Der Straeten are drenched in unexpected color, from the paint to the tiles. On the first floor, the bathroom is cloaked in yellow—and faces the south side of the house “to make the most of the daylight and brightness,” the firm explains. Here, we list the key features...
1970s California Style Resort: Sun Ranch in Byron Bay
Located in the hinterlands of Byron Bay, the Australian seaside hangout and surfing hub, Sun Ranch channels the area’s hang loose vibe. But it does so in surprising, inventive ways: the resort is set on a 55-acre former cattle farm and takes inspiration from 1970s California ranches houses—sunken living room, crushed velvet upholstery, fringed lampshades, and all.It’s the brainchild of...
Sunken Bath Design Ideas: Luxury Bathroom Trend 2025
Noted and admired of late: sunken baths. Below, seven alluring examples of bathtubs that skim the floor for a look that is at once modern and classic (think Roman baths). Some are deep cuts from our archives, others newly spotted.Won’t you step right down? Above: At a guesthouse in Algarve, Portugal, a combination shower-tub is clad in handmade matte white...
Apartment Renovation Before & After: Maximalist Interior Design
Côte de Folk founder Sophie Rowell moonlights as a campanologist. Let me save you from having to Google the term and tell you now that a campanologist is one who rings church bells. It may seem like an odd side gig for a fashion stylist-turned-interior designer (named a “Rising Star” by House & Garden U.K. last year), but one peek...
Best Modern Cabinet Knobs: Top 10 Stylish Hardware Ideas
The easiest (and cheapest) way to spiff up a kitchen: replace the cabinet knobs. Cabinet knobs may be small in size, but their impact is large: The right choice can make all the difference in a space. It’s also a great trick for upgrading a rental space. Here’s a roundup of our favorite modern knobs. Above: The Schoolhouse Riverwood Knob,...
Before & After: Stunning Yard Sale Makeover Using Budget-Friendly Cabinet Hardware
Think you need a big budget to refresh your cabinets? Think again — here’s how a $20 yard sale find got a whole new life.Looking for affordable cabinet hardware? Here are some of my favorite cabinet drawer and door pulls by category.Do you remember this chair?The one with the cute pillow of Buddy that I talked about on Monday?I got...