Guides

Why a Heavy Cast-Iron Doorstop Doubles as a Sculptural PaperweightA doorstop is usually treated as a practical object: something wedged beneath a swinging door, forgotten once the latch catches. A heavy cast-iron example has…
When Small Ceramic Spheres Play TogetherSmall objects often carry more visual weight than their scale suggests. A sphere placed beside a stack of books can stop the eye, while a group of related…
How to create a small, intentional display of travel mementosTravel souvenirs arrive with emotional charge. A chipped tea cup from a rainy week, a market token, a ferry ticket or a tiny clay figure can recall a place…
The Delight of a Woven Raffia Trivet Accentuating a Teak TableA teak dining table already brings a sense of permanence to a room. Its golden-brown grain, softened edges and generous surface make it the kind of piece that…
Brass Lessons from a Trove of AntiquesLast winter, I came home from a narrow secondhand shop in Carlton, Melbourne, with an unruly haul: a candlestick with a wobbly candle cup, two drawer pulls, a…
Round framed weaves in softer tonesDecorating with a collection of round, framed weaves in softer tones gives a room instant calm. Each circular work softens the geometry of a wall while adding…
The power of one painted vase on a neutral shelfA neutral shelf can look finished and still feel unresolved. Cream, oatmeal, pale timber and soft grey form a calm field, but without a point of emphasis the…
The charm of mismatched linen cushions in earthy tonesLinen cushions in clay, sand, olive and faded rust bring a calm layer to a room without demanding attention. Their woven texture catches daylight, softens hard…
How to balance a low, long coffee table with tall vase arrangementsA low, long coffee table can make a living room feel grounded, but a tall vase arrangement beside it can easily tilt the room towards visual top-heaviness. The…
A ceramic guardian for a stack of booksThe allure of a ceramic cat or dog as a guardian of a stack of books is both visual and narrative. The books form a low, horizontal mass; the animal rises…