Smart Renovation
Why This Once-Dated Kitchen Feature Is Now Popular, per a
Somewhere in the past decade, tens of thousands of American kitchens lost their breakfast nooks. Homeowners ripped out the built-in banquettes, tossed the
The Lab
All Lab Entries
124 entries published · page 6 of 11
Smart Renovation
13 Million Americans Are Struggling To Keep Their Homes
Somewhere around 13 million American households are running their cooling systems at full capacity and still sweating through the night. The reflexive
Spatial Planning
From Awkward to Airy: See How a Designer Reworked This
Narrow layouts get blamed for a lot. Rooms feel like hallways, furniture floats at odd angles, natural light dies somewhere between the front window and
Smart Renovation
Inside the 'Cultlike' Quest To Find the Rare Wood Needed To
Midcentury modern homes were sold on a promise — open plans, indoor-outdoor blur, honest materials. The honest-materials part is the one that keeps
Smart Renovation
Homebuilders See Material Costs Jump 6.7% in a Year
Material costs for homebuilders climbed roughly 6–7% over a recent twelve-month stretch — verify the current figure with industry sources like the
Spatial Planning
This 500-Square-Foot Studio Doubles as an Artist's Home and
A 500-square-foot studio apartment is already a tight proposition for someone who just sleeps and eats there. Add an active art practice — with paints
Smart Renovation
What Every Home Needs for an Extended Power Outage
Most power outage advice gets written by people who assume you have three days to prepare. The reality is that a transformer blows during a winter storm
Smart Renovation
Behr's 2027 Color of the Year Will Keep You Grounded in
Behr has named a warm, earthy mid-tone — "Comfort," catalogued as a muted clay-beige with brownish undertones — as its 2027 Color of the Year. The
Smart Renovation
Home Depot, Lowe's: remodeling idles as big projects lag
When Home Depot and Lowe's both report that large-ticket remodeling projects are stalling, that's not just a retail earnings story. It's a leading
California Spaces
Data centers' effect on utility bills — what real estate
Northern California's grid was already under seasonal stress before the data center buildout accelerated. Now, with large-scale facilities going up across
California Spaces
How 'Hurricane Resistant' Babcock Ranch Is Pioneering the
Babcock Ranch made national headlines twice in the same week during Hurricane Ian in September 2022. First, when Ian made landfall as one of the most
California Spaces
Altadena Wildfire Victims Turn to Factory Homes To Speed
When the January 2025 Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, it didn't just burn structures. It erased entire street blocks of modest mid-century homes, many