If you're from the Midwest, the odds are good that you have at least one afghan blanket rattling around your house. In my experience, they reached the peak of popularity in the 1970's; the decade of all things garish and mostly ugly. Moms and grandmas went nuts with these things. The colors were decade appropriate i.e shit brown, burnt orange, avocado green, or every color imaginable put together in a schizophrenic Holly Hobby patchwork nightmare. An afghan is basically any k

There are all sorts of design principles. Depending on who you ask there are either 5, 7 or 12 commonly accepted architectural design princi

Party Stores Are Great Because... They have it all. And besides all the name brands that we're all used to, I love that party stores wil

Blue moon ice cream is quite the culinary mystery. Most signs point to blue moon ice cream being invented in Milwaukee. There's no defin

When you live in a land-locked state, there is nothing better than a trip to a lake house. Here in the Midwest, we are lucky to have so many

Maple Syrup has not changed much over time. Sap is collected and boiled down to syrup. That's it. But what's contemporary about mapl

We all know Pantone are the color experts but I needed to translate the Pantone spring colors 2019 language into a color language for modern

First off: what are accessory dwelling units? Accessory dwelling unit means: a room or set of rooms in a single-family home in a single-family zone that has been designed or configured to be used as a separate dwelling unit and has been established by permit; a secondary house or apartment that shares the building lot of a larger, primary house. Accessory dwelling units can be detached from the main residence... Home and studio by In Praise of Shadows They can be attached as

PEOPLE LOVE TO DECORATE SHIT. That's the life lesson. Sounds obvious or simple but it definitely goes deeper than my simplification. The gist of it is that since time began, humans have been decorating things. Their clothes, their weapons, their homes. Some of the oldest surviving home art is cave paintings. You could research this topic for a lifetime. People have careers devoted to answering the questions: what is art? when did art begin? why do humans make art? It really

If you have a home remodeling or commercial interior design project in mind, keep reading for the 8 colors you must have from Fireclay Tile 

A thoughtful architectural detail is one that goes beyond it's function to relate to its context, its inhabitants or its purpose in a way th

How can you not love fall?! Especially here in the midwest. The air changes, the smell changes, and the color changes BIG TIME. It starts in

Design. Seems obvious, right? Architects design buildings. That's their job, mystery solved. In many cases, you don't legally need a

Kitchens and baths tend to be designed in very neutral palettes for ease of resale. Kitchen and baths are also expensive areas to renovate. So if you're a color lover, or even if you're just looking for a change, it might seem like it's cost prohibitive to change the kitchen or bath. However, there are several low cost things you can easily do. In a nutshell: cabinet color, light fixtures, rugs, accessories and/or a little paint can give cool bursts of color to a neutral spa

I have to admit, I love the term house mullet. Yes, "mullet" instantly conjures up visions of Billy Ray Cyrus and my prom date but

Site planning is so often overlooked as a "thing" by clients. I think good site planning is one of those qualities most people don

Michigan themed tiki drinks! Pure Michigan Every year my lovely friends from Minnesota bring their girls and rent a cottage on Lake Michiga

Whether it's your side hustle or your full time business, you need a home office to be organized, functional, and comfortable. Keep read

Chances are if you've gotten to the point of needing a design professional, you've been thinking about your project for a long time

It's that time of year: gift/anxiety time. To ease a little bit of that, I've put together a gift guide with some midwest modern style to it. So, relax, grab a glass of your favorite nog or grog and I'll walk you through my picks.... ADULTS Booze and/or food. It's really just that simple. Let's face it, adults typically have everything they want and/or need. (I do have some non edible picks coming up though if you have to have a "thing") First up: booze. You know those liquo