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Stalking the Wild Fig
The French writer Paul Valéry is quoted as stating, “You may deprive me of anything you like except coffee, cigarettes, and figs.” I'm with him on the figs. There’s nothing as decadent as a box of...
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The Ultimate Porch Swing (Seats Two)
Finding a good-looking porch swing feels like a coup of sorts. Finding a good-looking porch swing where the designers have also thought of clever places to tuck icy drinks and books for lazy-day...
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The Lavender Lover's Handbook
Lavender. There’s really nothing quite like lavender. Other herbs are fragrant, but the scent of lavender is unmistakable: sweet but sharp, calming but invigorating. It’s also a beautiful plant, not...
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Will I Ever Be Able to Grow Enough Basil to Make Pesto?
"Basil is tricky," people said in an effort to console me after my basil collapsed. They tried to explain away my plight: "You're probably overwatering." "Basil needs a lot of water." "Is it wilting in...
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Summertime Delicacies: Corn and Tomato Salad
Some people are crazy about caviar. Others go nuts over truffles. For me, summer fruits and vegetables are the greatest of delicacies. Especially corn and tomatoes. Not to mention corn. And tomatoes....
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Architect Visit: Beach Cabins from Sommarnöjen
Discovered on Materialicious: prefab beach houses from Sommarnöjen, a Stockholm-based company with the tagline "Small house. Great architects." The company commissioned well-respected Swedish...
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A Bedside Water Bottle for House Guests
Sometimes when I see something really lovely that I'd like to buy but perhaps don't technically need to ensure my continued survival on this planet, I hesitate. I put away my wallet as a wave of...
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Steep Ravine Cabins: Million Dollar Views for $100 a Night
When friends invited my husband and me to join them for a weekend at Steep Ravine cabins, we had no idea what to expect. What we knew: the ten cabins are an hour north of San Francisco, it's really...
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The Week in Review: Your Summer Tutorial
From fresh eggs to the beauty of Barcelona (where Michelle is headed right now, if the plane took off on time), we're reveling in the heat of summer right now. Above: Photograph by Kate Baldwin via...
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In the News: The Top 5 Posts of the Week
All work should halt, and we should instead lie in hammocks eating popsicles when the temperatures top 90 degrees. Elect me president and I will get it done. (This is the same campaign promise I ran on...
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A Room with a View in Upstate NY
Justus Kempthorne and Inez Valk-Kempthorne, who fled Manhattan a while back, make a good team: He's a carpenter and cabinetmaker, she's a chef/caterer. When they refurbished an 1860s house in the...
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Best Outdoor Room Winner: Wall Morris Interior Design's Irish Cottage
From the moment Gail Wall Morris moved into a century-old Irish workman's cottage, a vestige of the era when her town was a fishing village rather than a suburb of Dublin, the house made a point of...
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Our New Favorite Beach Towel: Bamboo, We Hardly Knew You
Bamboo needs a new press agent. For an invasive plant that's on everybody's Most Feared list, it certainly has a lot of hidden talents. Who knew, for instance, that you could weave bamboo fibers into...
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How to Get that Summer Glow: Natural Beauty Advice from Jessa Blades
On a hot summer day when I was teenager, I took a break from my assigned chore of pulling jewelweed from between the hydrangeas to accompany my mom, Doe, to the grocery store. We'd been working in the...
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DIY: Lime-Green Painted Tire Swing
Spotted at Babylonstoren in South Africa: A simple tire swing painted green adds a citrusy dash of color to the garden. Above: To create your own tire swing, consult the step-by-step instructions at My...
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The Ultimate Rustic Tree Houses, Canadian Edition
Toronto-based Michael Greenwood "grew up around wood, in the family workshop and in the forests of southern Ontario." After graduating from college, Greenwood began undertaking small home renovations...
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Best Architectural Garden Feature Winner: Specht Harpman Architects
The Winner of our Considered Design Awards Best Architectural Garden Feature category is the modern architectural landscape surrounding a new house by Specht Harpman Architects. Sited on a hilltop in...
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Sussex Garden Trugs: A Classic You Can't Improve
Simple Sussex garden trugs caught Queen Victoria's eye one day 150 years ago, as she strolled through the Crystal Palace in London. Awarded a Royal Warrant, the baskets are still crafted the same way...
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Shiny Happy Furniture from Melbourne
Possibly the cheeriest patio pieces we've seen yet: indoor/outdoor furniture from Melbourne-based Tait, made for "all the brilliant weather that Australia can throw at it." Owned by husband and wife...
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10 Easy Pieces: Nap-Worthy Hammocks
Ingredients for the ultimate summer escape: two trees, one hammock, and a gentle breeze. Here, a roundup of our favorites made of exceptionally soft woven cotton and detailed, in several cases, with...
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