Category: Design 101
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The Official (Mostly Affordable) EHD 2025 Outdoor Furniture Roundup
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While it’s not “warm” in most places, yet (in the US at least), it is on its way, meaning our outdoor spaces are going to be calling our names sooner than we think. And if you are someone who needs either a new piece of furniture or an entire set, this post is here to…
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Not Ugly AFFORDABLE Ceiling Lights To Replace Your Boob Lights
Hi! It’s me Jess—your resident light fixture obsessed friend. Today I am here to chat to you about your boobs. BOOB LIGHTS! We allll know the ones. Landlords and flippers love them because they are cheap (especially when you need to get a lot of them). It’s a real “don’t hate the player, hate the…
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Emily Reviews Her First Professionally Shot Apartment From 2010 (Lots Of Feelings!)
Fifteen years ago (when I was 30) this whole thing began – both DesignStar and the blog launched in early 2010. Y’all, we barely had smartphones, the OG Facebook had just reached the non-college population, and Pinterest was just an idea without an office (thus me having boxes of magazines and an actual pin board).…
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Arlyn’s Love Letter to Latin American Designers & Creatives (Well…Sort Of)
Since January 20, 2025—though really, since the morning of November 6, 2024—I’ve felt a heavy weight on my heart as someone of Latino heritage. I’ve always felt like an American. I was born in Florida and with the exception of about a year and a half where my family lived in Puerto Rico when I…
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Arlyn Is Considering Turning Her Dining Room Into A Playroom: 3 Options To Make It Work
The dining room in my previous home was *literally* the jewel box of that place. It was my showpiece, the room I loved to just sit in and look around. I was proud to host dinners and game nights there. I was grateful for a beautiful space like that when it became the impromptu home…
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My First Time Hanging A Gallery Wall With Picture Rail Rods (So Easy And Looks So Good!)
Robyn and Ryan (two of our best friends) have this gorgeous 100-year-old home (see the intro post here) that has picture molding near the crown, which gave us an opportunity to use picture rods (art rods?) for the gallery wall above the sofa. I had bought most of these pieces for their basement in their…
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A Reader Rebuttal: Why Painting The Bookcases A Dark Blue With Light Walls Was The Right Choice
This blog post has a very happy ending – which is a very good thing as I was the one who kinda forced my best friend to invest in painting (which wasn’t cheap) and I got a lot of pushback from readers (which I don’t mind, but at times doesn’t help with the self-doubt). Well,…
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Our Rugs In The Wild: Come See How The Rugs USA Giveaway Winners Styled Their New Rugs!
You might remember that back in September, we did a Rugs USA giveaway in celebration of our new collection. Five lucky winners got to choose from either of our two collections to help cozy up or refresh their homes. To be helpful, and show people the possibilities, I suggested two rugs per winner but they…
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Yay Or Nay Reviews: Our Honest Feelings About 5 Major Mattress Brands (Because We’ve Slept On Them:))
Purchasing a mattress is a big deal. We spend so much time sleeping (or laying) in our beds that making the not-ideal decision for our wants and needs would be SUCH a bummer. Not to mention so cumbersome because it’s not a small little thing either. We’re here today to help you make an educated…
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If We Could Recommend One Pendant Light For Any Style It Might Be This One…Come See Why
I can’t tell you when or where I was when I first saw a Noguchi Akari light sculpture but I can tell you that I have been in love with them since that moment. Considering they were first designed in the early 1950s and are as popular as ever almost 40 years after Noguchi’s passing,…