Life’s too short not to be delicious. So today, we’ve scoured the web for kitchen inspirations and rounded up a baker’s dozen… well, about half of one, anyway.

First up, the fine folks of HGTV share a plethora of dream kitchens with us; from traditionally-appointed chefs’ kitchens (above) to sleek, minimalist urban spaces, there’s something for everyone.

Next, Apartment Therapy gives us a salad course and shares tips for those of us attempting to grow our own herbs and veggies, adding a little extra organic deliciousness to the dishes we prepare:

Architectural Digest artfully lets us into the kitchens of a dozen celebrities, including Ellen DeGeneres and Portia DeRossi, whose artisanal kitchen features teak, glass and stainless steel accents:

Elsewhere, Remodelista features a stunning series of  photographs of an arboreal kitchen made of no fewer than eight locally-milled oak trees in Munich…

…for those in need of a little homemade after-dinner pick-me-up, Furniture Fashion offers a roundup of 10 sleek cappuccino makers…

…and for dessert, Country Living reaches back to the 1950s and shares some of the sweetest little retro-modern dessert bowls we’ve ever seen.

Photo credits: HGTV, Apartment Therapy and Architectural Digest

Have you wondered how interior spaces are now starting to sport rustic wood paneling everywhere you look? From children’s rooms to family rooms and even ceilings, wood paneling has reinvented itself.

Now, we aren’t talking the plywood wood paneling of the seventies that may have lined your parents’ basement walls; this is natural and it’s reclaimed wood. Old wood pallets used from warehouses are getting a new life as wood paneling and looking fabulous as a repurposed finish.

Look at how to update your bland wall with rustic wood paneling that is natural and looks fabulous.

• Getting your wood supply: Before you can get the rustic look in your interiors, choose wood that is free from bugs, major splits, etc. Try visiting reclaimed lumber yards or places that have wooden pallets: home improvement stores, garden centers, sod nurseries, etc. These places will give you a good selection of wood that you can choose from. Ensure that the wood is untreated from pesticides that could be harmful. Look for variations in color and size to add an artisan and rustic quality to your wall.

• Installing textured wood panels: Before applying to the wall, remove all nails and sand down the planks to ensure they are safe for your interiors. While this may be time consuming it will be well worth it when you have a custom wall that is safe to lean up against and admire from a far. Sort panels out by width and line up on a wall to be able to determine which wood plank should align with others. Take care in choosing nails that will be long enough to ensure wood planks will adhere to the wall securely. Applying plywood to your drywall will give the wood planks a backer board and will also protect your wall.

Similarly to laying out tile, align the planks and nail planks side by side until the wall is complete. You will love the finished rustic nature of the room and this is a perfect do it yourself project for two or more people.

Creating an accent wall with reclaimed textured wood panels can give an aesthetic that you never imagined, and the rustic appeal will be cherished for years to come.

All photo credits: Bower Power

It’s been said that necessity is the mother of invention, and rightly so. When extra space is a luxury few can afford, yet there’s a growing awareness of the benefits of sustainability farming, organic cooking and good green living in general, traditional backyard gardens are often relegated to the “someday” file.

But there’s a solution that, given a smidge of creativity and access to an Internet tutorial or two, isn’t so unattainable after all.

Vertical gardens, also known as “living walls,” have risen to prominence in urban settings of late and are beginning to take root – pun very much intended — in the suburbs as well, as hobby botanists and designers alike are experimenting with the latest trends in interior greenery.

From the minimalist succulents board above to the salad greens, aquaponic vegetables and al fresco ivy wall below, it appears the options for vertical gardening are limited only by the imagination (and, of course, the height of any given ceiling).

Photo credits: Bright Green USA, Re-Nest/Apartment Therapy, Poppytalk and Plants on Walls

It’s difficult to keep a classic down, and the Fenton Art Glass Company is a prime and relevant example of a “little engine that could,” commercially speaking. Founded in Ohio in 1905, the glass company started out creating glassware heavily influenced by competitors Tiffany and Steuben, but by 1907, the brand found its way with iridescent carnival glass, which quickly became a collector’s item.

By the time the Great Depression was drawing to a close in the late 1930s, the company released a series of iridescent hobnail glass perfume bottles to the Wrisley Company, and in the years that followed, it began experimenting with the hobnail pattern in milk glass pieces.

They became Fenton’s best sellers and set the course for decades to follow, leaving room for imitation and experimentation with colored glass overlays as well as new shapes.

By the mid-1940s, blue hobnail pieces came into prominence, marking the period with a milky sky blue series that’s still incredibly popular among collectors today.

When the company announced its plans to shutter in 2007, the resulting spike in sales breathed life into the company for an additional four years as customers scrambled to get their hands on one last piece of an American classic.

The company finally closed its doors in 2011, and hobnail glass made by both Fenton and its imitators still enjoys remarkable popularity on the aftermarket scene.

Photo credits: Antiques Navigator, Ruby Lane (x2) and K&M Antiques

In every small bathroom there is the challenge of where to put personal items, how to store cleaners out of plain sight, and how to accommodate your guests when using your tiny bathroom.

There are many blunders that homeowners make when trying to outfit their bathroom, such as putting in a pedestal sink to save space, but then there is no place to store towels or for guests to put their purse.

Here are tips to help you overcome common guest bathroom blunders in your home.

• Think of your guests first: While a beautiful guest bathroom is nice to have, your guests will appreciate a well thought out and functional bathroom even more. If you have a small pedestal think, consider putting a small stool, side table or even a decorative wall hook for your guests to hang their belongings. Install shelving or design architectural niches in the wall to house soap, extra toilet paper rolls and hand towels so your guests don’t have to search.

Photo credit: Design Sponge

• Hide what doesn’t need to be seen: While this sounds obvious, the truth is that many of us forget that guests don’t need to see your personal hygiene accessories, bathroom cleaners and extra supplies. Behind the toilet on the floor is not the best storage place for anything. Visually, it looks unkempt and it’s probably less than sanitary for housing anything, as well. Opt for a closed cabinet vanity or utilizing a closet in an adjacent linen closet. If you have enough space, consider reusing a piece of furniture to house towels, paper towels and small pampering items for your guests to easily access.

Photo credit: Houzz

Your guest bathroom should feel welcoming and above all, comfortable for your visitors. Even if your guest bathroom is small, use these helpful ideas and tips to accommodate simple hospitality items that will make your guest bathroom beautifully functional and make you look like the thoughtful homeowner.

Photo credit top: Colorado Homes Magazine

Short of the bed, the bath is the one thing in a home designed to do the most magical job of reducing our stress and restoring our perspective. Even the tiniest of old-fashioned claw-foot tubs and European showers can bring us peace simply by the act of stepping into them and feeling the hot water swirl around us.

Today’s quintet of baths, though, takes relaxation to a whole new level; one might even call them transcendent.

From the pool-style shorefront soaking tub fashioned into the form of a small infinity pool to the walk-in shower open to the yard beyond on three sides, these bathrooms are practically spa vacations in and of themselves. Bringing the great outdoors in can take a quiet bubble bath and transform it into a life-affirming experience; let’s just hope the neighbors aren’t watching.

Photo credits: Centro Architecture (x3) and DesignBoom

It’s more important now than ever to create sanctuaries out of our homes — places where we can truly decompress and feel comfortable and cared for, even when a jolt from the outside world is a mere buzz or beep away. So, today’s roundup links us to inspiration around the web for cozy, luxurious living.

First up, Elle Decor offers a feature on Lulu deKwiatkowski, maker of sophisticated fabrics for kids’ rooms (above). Next, Furniture Fashion shares an eco-friendly and eye-catching roundup of ten pieces of gorgeous reclaimed wood furniture:

Real Simple offers glimpses into 14 impeccable made-over living and dining rooms to set your imagination ablaze:

Elsewhere, the helpful folks behind The Nest share nearly a dozen tips for making a small space seem larger…

… and Dwell revs up our wanderlust with its tale of a northern Italian couple trading up a tiny flat for a farmhouse, chronicling their adventures in decorating.

Photo credits: Elle Decor, Furniture Fashion and Real Simple

With all of the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, our interiors often take a back seat and we lose touch with nature. Greenery and plants are the perfect way to connect back with nature and make a fun craft with your kids at the same time.

For a unique craft, try this sea terrarium that mimics underwater sea life. Take a look at this easy DIY idea which uses sand, greenery and pretend sea life creatures for one-of-a-kind terrariums from Making it Lovely blog.

• Gather your terrarium supplies: First decide what type of glass enclosure you’d like to use. There are many options from lightbulbs and open glass Christmas ornaments to candle votive holders you can pick up from a craft store. These will serve as your display containers. Next, choose a plant that is small and will look beautiful when displayed in a “dwarfed” version. Succulents were used in this DIY project and will need coarse sand and cactus soil.

“The nice thing about working with succulents is their shallow root system and how little soil they really require to survive. If some of your plants are a bit too large for your vessel, you can simply trim off a bit of the root or some of the leaves and stick them right in the soil.” …Making it Lovely

• Assembling your succulent terrarium: Lay out your sandy bottom with the coarse sand and cactus soil. Once this layer is down, it’s time to add the succulents. Separate the plants and include some of the nutrient-rich potting soil while planting. Once you’ve planted the succulents, include more sand and consider adding a few miniature sea aquarium mermaids and sea life additions.

“If you wish, you can add a little mermaid or two, and some pretty rocks or shells to complete your seascape. The miniature mermaids are actually cocktail drink markers I found online and spray painted them white to be a bit more sophisticated.”… Making it Lovely

Once you have completed these steps you can enjoy your succulent sea terrarium. Add a few drops of water after planting and every other day for the first 2-3 days. To care for them into the future, water lightly once a week. Enjoy your new ‘seaquarium’ on your favorite table side!

All photo credits: Making it Lovely

We’ve all heard the conversational trope, “It was like I’d been living in greyscale, and suddenly everything was full color.” While technicolor living is arguably preferable to an existence devoid of zest, there’s something to be said for a calm, cool bedroom in which to fall asleep.

Whether we dream in black and white or color, no one seems to know for sure, but today’s roundup of grey and white bedrooms is, to put it simply, as dreamy as can be.

Captured in a photo series by Decorology, these sublime combinations of texture and hue lull us into a relaxed state simply by looking at them; the serene palette and thoughtfully-considered accents are things of beauty, perfect for giving us our first and last glimpses of the world each day as we cleanse our emotional palates and start again, refreshed.

Photo credits: Decorology

Every once in a while, when someone uses the phrase “wall art,” it’s meant in a literal fashion. In the design climate in which we’re currently living, when personalization is not only accepted, but lauded and appreciated more than ever, illustrated walls are perhaps the ultimate way to personalize a space and convey a certain aesthetic that no one piece of furniture ever could.

Above, stylist and former Martha Stewart staffer Shana Faust effectively uses the approach in a photo shoot to illustrate — on every level — a feminine air of cosmopolitan style and flirtation. More whimsical still is the window wall art found and shared by 2D Studio, placing windows where none exist:

Used to even more bombastic effect, this direct application of art by Jonas Carlberg brings a balance of organized chaos to a neutral but hardly boring workspace.

Photo credits: Shana Faust, Pinterest/2D Studio and Jonas Carlberg

If you think only people can walk the fashion runways in gorgeous frocks, then think again! Take a look at your furniture slipcovers and see if they look frumpy and worn, or are they fashionable enough to be mistaken for couture fashions.

Bernotat & Co has designed a new line of chair slipcovers that are stylish, modern and gorgeous. Whether you are looking for versatility in your living room or you want to repurpose your dining room chairs, look at these creative fashion ideas in slipcovers.

Bernotat & Co “Unveiled at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair, the custom-made “wardrobe” adds style, comfort and versatility to staid furnishings”… Inhabitat

Chair Wear is Bernotat & Co’s latest creation who says, ‘Why buy a new chair when you can dress up the one you have? During this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, we will present CHAIR WEAR, custom-made clothing for chairs”… Bernotat & Co

These unique designs were unveiled at Milan’s Furniture fair and Chair Wear is definitely a twist on the traditional chair slipcover. Whether you prefer a streamlined and simple cover or a bubbly and cozy variety, there is an option for your design style. Ranging in different colors, materials and textures, Chair Wear is like picking out your favorite outfit to wear to a party!

“Conceived by Anke Bernotat and Jan Jacob Borstlap, Chair Wear is especially great for new homeowners, as it offers the look of a high-design home, when you’re really on a thrift store budget. The pieces harmonize with vintage, new and classic chairs, creating a dialogue between old and new.”… Inhabitat

In addition to their beautiful and whimsical silhouettes, each slipcover also provides cushioning to make the ordinary hard chair more comfortable to sit in. What a fun idea for your interiors. A wardrobe for your furniture that can change with the mood you are in. There will be no more wondering… “What should my furniture wear today?”

All photo credits: Bernotat

Some 60 years ago, a visionary named Guy Dessauges spoke of cylindrical housing — pods of sorts in which people would live an independent yet somehow communal existence in tubular spaces. His dreamlike designs of futuristic cave dwellings date back to the 1960s and have now begun springing to life in the form of hotels around the world.

In Tepotzlan, Mexico, stands TuboHotel, a smattering of single-unit cylinders each outfitted with a bed and cozy — albeit sparse — decor. They’re sans bathrooms, meaning guests must take a short walk to use the communal facilities offered on site; T3Arc is the architecture firm responsible for bringing the cylinders to life.

Accommodations are available starting at 300 pesos per night.

Similar concepts are emerging the world over, from Das Park hotel in Austria — another series of minimalist concrete cylindrical pods with spartan accommodations — and this 3D model, rendered and produced by T. Althoff  in another step toward transforming a visionary’s ahead-of-his-time idea into today’s reality.

Photo credits: Architizer and Guy Dessauges

Perhaps we’ve just got Hollywood on the brain this weekend, but since we posted the other day about Lenny Kravitz’s burgeoning interior design career, we’ve noticed more celebrity-tinged home decor news than usual.

First and foremost, perhaps influenced in particular by Kravitz’s multi-hyphenate approach to life, Justin Timberlake (above) has launched a curated home goods community called HomeMint along with business partner Estee Stanley. He gave Remodelista a guided tour of the project’s evolution, and needless to say, it’s well-choreographed and entertaining. We wouldn’t have expected anything less.

Next, CasaSugar’s got a heaping helping of celebrity home news for us, including the sales of Jennifer Aniston’s NYC apartment and Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor’s Hollywood home, plus an inside look at Miley Cyrus’s new digs:

Farther south, ABC News is reporting that piano man Billy Joel has listed his Miami Beach home for nearly $15 million – a bold statement in the current housing market, but we’ll bet it sells like hotcakes if he leaves some personally-played ebonies and ivories inside the home for the buyer:

In slightly less star-studded yet still colorfully creative news, Design*Sponge treats us to a review of a lovely tray collection from Gretel Home, perfect for keeping baubles and trinkets in one place yet still beautifully displayed…

…while FresHome thinks big and lets us inside a gorgeous and thoughtfully appointed home fit for a star and made from reclaimed wood. Granted, it’s in Australia, but perhaps Hugh Jackman’s in the market for something eco-friendly down under?

Happy stargazing, and happy weekending!

Photo credits: HomeMint, CasaSugar and ABC News