By Audrey van Petegem, Chief Editor
Interior designers have simple tricks in making a house a home. You know, those little techniques to bring not only style but warmth and intimacy into your personal space. Candles are a great way to do this, and using reusable peel and stick accents takes you one step further to suit the mood, season or special occasion. Indigoroot has created a simple, chic, interchangeable and reusable solution to add those nice touches to your home.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, Indigoroot makes it easy to add a romantic touch using their CandleClothes™ and Wrapitz™. If you [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
I know that I have mentioned this before but I’m a strong believer (an advocate even) in the theory that “Sitting Will Kill You”. For me, it wasn’t a lifestyle choice. About two years ago, I found that sitting (which I did ALL DAY in front of my computer) had become intolerable. First, it was the foam in my chair that started to “burn” me (allergic reaction, I guess). When that happened, I switched to a mesh chair, no foam. No burning but the framework of the chair was cutting me behind the knees and the whole [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
As the cold weather and frightful storms shutter us indoors, we must make the best of our nesting environment.
We mentioned the beautiful LightAir air purifiers a few months ago. If anyone in your family has allergies, this can especially help in the closed-in months. And then, I mentioned Light Therapy, which worked well for me to help combat Seasonal Affective Disorder.
What else can we do? How about replenishing the air moisture that the heaters strip away. Dry skin, painful sinuses, limp hair that no amount of conditioning will fix… Sure, humidifiers are a staple in many homes [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
The pumpkin is traditionally the central feature in Halloween decorations. Do you know where the tradition came from?
Apparently, it derives from an old Irish myth about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack”.  If you google his name you will get several sites that will tell you a variation of the story. Here is one from History.com:
“According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
There are many things to love about having a home office: no wasted commuting time, no constant interruptions by well-meaning or just annoying colleagues, no need to get dressed up and done up…
Ironically – or logically – the reverse of many of these complaints make for other complaints: no commute means that I sometimes never get above 1500 steps in the day – way below the recommended 10,000 steps/day. See? running for the train/bus has its advantages; the isolation makes me crave colleagues of any kind, annoying or not; the consecutive days spend in yoga gear and [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
I have always been attracted to the aesthetics and ornamentation of the various cultures around the world. The more ancient and the more “exotic” it is, the more it speaks to me. Which is why I was found gaping, high in visual nirvana, when I came upon the Images d’Orient collection.
Peggy Raphaël Dabar is the designer behind this collection of tabletop gems. She is from Lebanon and studied design in the United States. You can see the homage paid to her Mediterranean heritage in the various collections at Image D’Orient, the company she and her brother [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Admittedly, I love this time a year. And what is not to love! The outside is looking all anew with trees budding, flowers blooming and the freshness in the air is intoxicating! As I open my doors to bring in the sights, scents and sounds of the outdoors, I look at my home and see that it is tired looking, stuffy and drab.
It is definitely time to refresh, rejuvenate and reorganize the inside of my home. And I want to do it quickly and inexpensively. So, I went looking for versatile and budget-friendly ideas to [...]

If you have been reading us for a while, it’s pretty clear to you that we love products and businesses with a good story. This is one such GREAT story AND cause. It’s about Arzu Studio Hope.
Arzu (which means hope in Dari, a variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan) was founded in 2004 by social entrepreneur Connie K. Duckworth. Connie left the world of finance to start this enterprise with the mission to promote women’s rights and economic empowerment in Afghanistan. She knew nothing about that country or about international development and nothing about rugs but she knew [...]

No. Not that kind of swinging. We’re talking about the most beautiful (and clever) porch swings ever designed. Actually, these are the first improvement in porch swings since they were first developed in Ancient Greece some 2400 years ago.
The Weather…Or Not™ Swings (WON) are designed by Becky Irvine who came up with the concept after she wondered whether the swing she wanted for her porch should face towards the wooded area where she might watch a delightful family of foxes, or back across the terrace to visit with family and friends. She wanted BOTH and that’s what the Weather…Or Not [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
I saw these lampshades while visiting Toronto a few months ago and, being in the beginning stages of planning a large event for a non-profit, I couldn’t help but be immediately attracted by these unusual, beautiful, colorful and oh-so affordable statement-making lampshades. How they would – literally and metaphorically – light up the room and create instant ambiance for the event. And then, I mentally started redecorating my family room and my teens’ bedrooms too.
Let me introduce the Jigsaw Lamp (shade). It’s available in 11 different colors and six different sizes. Each kit consist of 30 [...]