Design Happens caught up with Chicago-based designer Susan Brustrum to get her insights on interior decorating. She is most known for creating comfortable, versatile rooms that make your house feel like home any day of the week. Do you agree with her preference for orange? Disagree with her idea that industrial is overdone? The best […]

Guess we spoke too soon! In Australia, there’s a beautiful cafe (and shopping area) that’s been remodeled from, of all things, a prison.  Aptly named “Jury,” it features some great ideas any convict (or law-abiding citizen) would covet. Plants and wooden structures enhance a natural feel, “reclaiming” the negative environment and making it an aggressively […]

To do it yourself or not to do it yourself: the eternal question. Balancing all aspects of your life can be a challenge in and of itself, so you have to be sure you’re willing to take on the commitment — or share the credit.

Make your kitchen interesting! Think way, way outside the icebox. Your kitchen is your own restaurant — why not decorate it that way? People often forget, in the era of takeout and Netflix, to sit back and enjoy the different ambiances of their favorite restaurants. Maybe it’s stylized chairs, interesting wallpaper, or lighting fixtures with […]

Your bathroom deserves just as much attention as any other room in your house or apartment. Maybe more attention. There are some good suggestions when it comes to subscribing to an aesthetic. A “vintage” bathroom carries different connotations than a “modern” bathroom, and so on, and you’ll have to decide what “your” perfect look is. […]

A triptych — a single piece of artwork broken up between three panels — is a cool way to enhance any room. Whether it’s a realistic picture or a more abstract work, you’ll find that the eye lingers on it longer, it costs less to frame, and it really makes things POP. You get three […]

Houzz gets it. No matter how much modeling or remodeling you’ve done, there’s always one thing you need to keep room for, and that’s books. Stash them there; hide them there; Bryna Howes is a brilliant bookworm with a solution for every type of living space. She did manage to forget a classic spot — […]

Life was easier once, when all you had to do was ask for a forest green crayon or a lime green one. Decorating, on the other hand, seems to require an intimate knowledge of colors that are mere shades off from one another, and a rote memorization of their names. Don’t worry; there’s an app […]