Sign in Subscribe

lighting

Your concrete slab is costing you more than you think — here’s what outdoor living actually looks like in 2026

Most American backyards tell the same story: a concrete slab, a rusting grill and folding chairs dragged out a few times each summer before disappearing again. The square footage is there, but the layout rarely gives people a reason to stay outside for long. Today’s homeowners rethink those spaces

What separates a patio from an outdoor room, and how to cross that line

Your backyard has never had more cooking going on in it. American homeowners have been quietly crossing the line between a patio and a proper outdoor room, and the cooking setup is what most of them crossed it with. What was once a seasonal question of where to put the

The chrome era cools as designers turn to these metals for 2026

For years, a chrome finish was the default answer for anyone who wanted a kitchen or bathroom to look pulled together. That premise is losing ground to brass and nickel, which behave, age and sit differently in a room. What changed is not the metals but what designers decided a

‘Peaky Blinders’ fans turn streaming night into a Shelby-style watch party

Tommy Shelby is back, and fans of “Peaky Blinders” are turning the film’s return into more than a routine streaming night. With “Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man” arriving on Netflix on March 20, viewers have a ready-made excuse to recreate a hint of 1920s Birmingham at home, trading

From patios to pergolas, outdoor living gets structured

The first sign of a backyard project often appears when someone walks outside with a measuring tape and starts pacing the lawn. Homeowners now plan patios and pergolas with the same care used for an indoor renovation so that guests can move easily from the dining table to a lounge

Spring brunch season arrives as hosts plan to brunch like a boss

Spring calendars fill up quickly as home cooks lock in dates for long-anticipated late-morning gatherings. Spring brunch season is underway, and hosts across the country move from casual ideas to organized plans with menus drafted and grocery lists in hand. As invitations go out and prep schedules come

Letter to the editor: Reduce light pollution

Not so long ago I could easily view celestial wonders — planets, stars, nebula — from within Montana’s larger city limits. Unfortunately, that is now difficult due to explosive city growth and the concomitant increase in light pollution from homes, businesses, parking lots, and streetlights. Human light pollution is switching the