Name: Rachel
Location: Silverlake, CA
Type of space:: backyard and porch

Tell us about your outdoor project and how you enjoy it: Whether in large groups or small, adults or kids, for barbeques or for brunches, early morning until the wee hours, from the upstairs porch, just off the kitchen, shaded with hanging vines, to the patio table to the bench around the fire pit to the hot tub, the whole space has been designed around my frequent entertaining.

An entry in the "why didn't we think of that?" category: the write on, wipe off bath accessories from Spain's Sonia help morph an adult-sized bathroom into a kid-friendly place.

Gabriel Kakon and Scott Richler of Gabriel-Scott have been in NY for the past few days. The young Canadians aren't seeing many of the city's sights, however. They're here to show their first furniture and lighting collection, Blackened Gold, at ICFF (The International Contemporary Furniture Fair), the annual furniture fair that's currently taking over the Jacobs Javits Center. Their collection, star-shaped tables accented by gold pieces, and bling-tastic chandeliers, hide an intriguing secret; they're actually flat packed and come deconstructed. I sat down with them to talk inspiration, perspiration and anticipation as they prepped for the big weekend.

Ever since I moved into my apartment, I've been tempted to redo my kitchen. Since I'm not leaving anytime soon, I've been edging closer and closer to making that dream a reality. But, this is a rental. How can I fix up my kitchen without undergoing a massive renovation or spending a lot of money? Here's what I've come up with.

Christian May wears many hats. You may know him as the bubbly and irreverent voice behind the popular blog Maison 21. If you live in Los Angeles, you may have stumbled across him (as I did) via the vintage furniture he sells on Craigslist. But the hat for which he's receiving accolades this week is designer. As one of three emerging designers in the annual Legends of LaCienaga event, he's designed a window that can be seen throughout the event (which takes place this weekend). He shared his thought process and offered up a whole lot of great decor tips!

When I painted my living room, my friend Rose pitched in to get the job done. When she needed help figuring out how to arrange a wall of pictures, she called me.

A room, or a home, that is otherwise stark and simple can be transformed by adding a dramatic light fixture. Whether a curvaceous chandelier, simple drum shade or paper globe, lighting a room is like adding earrings to an outfit: a bit of bling, a bit of sparkle and whole lot of bang and boom!

My friend Cat and I were talking sleep. Or lack thereof. We are two of the worst sleepers ever, posting status updates on Twitter at 5 am. Things have gotten better, however, since we made these home changes.

While I love coming home to a clean house, opening the door after I've had the cleaning lady in feels extra special. She kicks it up a notch in a way I never seem to match; my house literally sparkles and my mood brightens. Here are some other ways to pamper your home and, by extension, yourself.

Ah, Monday morning. Here you are again. Do I greet you with a jolt or snuggle back into my bed? My bed is warm and cozy. No wonder I'm often guilty of snuggling back into it after silencing the alarm. Suddenly, three snooze buttons' worth later, I'm late, dragging through my day. Here are some ways to find some morning energy.