Living

For Kim West and Ed Clark, it was love at second sight—the first sight failed to ignite passion

Let us help shed some, er, light on your inner decorating genius. This month’s project is a simple chandelier, made with beads and yarn, that’s fully customizable to match your décor. Bright, no? Materials: Clear beads; thick string (or yarn); metal hoops in two sizes, one large and one small; hanging light bulb. Tools: Scissors, […]

The benefit to living in an old, not-at-all-well-preserved house is that one feels free to add almost anything into the mix that one bloody well feels like adding. You wouldn’t do this at, say, Montpelier, but our house is not “historic,” it’s just old. So we gleefully throw in an element here, an element there, […]

Many homeowners share a familiar plight: living in a house that isn’t “finished,” according to some mental list of as-yet-uncompleted tasks. When everything on the list is crossed off, the house will be done, and the occupants can live in a state of satisfied accomplishment. At the Batesville home of Robin Dripps and Lucia Phinney, […]

Winter greens What better way to keep the springtime spirit alive during winter than growing an indoor garden? Chives, cilantro, and parsley aren’t too fussy and require just a little water and light. If you don’t have a sunny corner, use reflector lights with fluorescent bulbs to give your plants some artificial sunshine. For the […]

The playroom’s the thing Problem: How to keep peace with four kids and three bedrooms “Our house is constantly evolving,” says Jennifer Scott of her three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Belmont. “Every space, every room has changed over time as the kids have had different needs.” Jesse, 14, and brother Wyatt, 6, share a bedroom, as […]

Rethinking the cabbage The term “cabbage” may conjure images of bleak, Eastern-bloc preparations, but in reality it is a succulent, versatile vegetable that can warm even the coldest wintertime heart. Cabbage can be stored in a root cellar or refrigerator for several months, and may even be overwintered in the field in mild climates. Its […]

One of the most stressful aspects of buying a home? The closing —signing a bunch of documents you may or may not fully understand (are you buying a house or signing away a limb?), forking over a big check, and, perhaps worst of all, discovering your estimated closing costs far exceed what you were originally […]

Kristin Szakos is a soft-spoken person, but she’s found a strong voice in local politics. In 2008 she was a local coordinator for the Obama campaign; in 2009, she became a candidate herself and captured a seat on City Council. If you imagined that both races involved a lot of e-mailing, phone calls and organizational […]

Red ringer We found this simple, lovely quilt from the Denise Schmidt line at Pillow Mint (queen size, $415). Dig how it combines a traditional pattern with a subtly modern approach to color? We sure do.             Security for the rest of us You may not have one of those […]