A Roanoke, Virginia, couple saw great potential in this foursquare house in the city’s historic square, but they knew they had their work cut out for them. They called upon Circle Design Studio, a design-build firm they’d hired to renovate their previous home, to help give this one a refresh that respected the 1925 architecture. Interior designer Emily Borg worked closely with the couple to preserve the home’s historic details while making the layout and style functional for them. The result is a fresh and personal mix of styles that works well with the traditional home.

Whether you’re setting up house for the first time or you just hope to streamline your setup, this guide to creating a welcoming front porch is a good place to begin. It helps to start with a clean slate, so when the weather permits, consider thoroughly tidying your porch as step one. Dust off cobwebs, sweep the floor and assess your furniture and accessories. When you’re ready to choose what to put back (or buy), consider the 10 elements on this list, and then share your own porch essentials in the Comments.

These Southern California homeowners were living in the wonderfully warm climate of Orange County and had numerous doors opening up to their backyard. But their landscape design did not provide good structure for indoor-outdoor living, and it didn’t connect to the beautiful Craftsman-style architecture of their house. They searched Houzz and found landscape designer Sacha McCrae to help them transform their yard and check off every item on their must-have list. These included an outdoor fireplace, a shaded space, an outdoor lounge and dining area, a designated grilling area and the calming sound of trickling water. Here’s a look at how McCrae fit it all into the relatively compact backyard in a pleasing way.

What with cleaning, shopping, table setting and all those (many, many) dishes to cook, pulling off Thanksgiving dinner is a major accomplishment. If you’re planning to host the big meal this year, whether it’s your first time or your 20th, chances are you’d love to make it a bit easier — which is where this guide comes in. Pick and choose from an abundance of tips and tricks to make this Thanksgiving your smartest, most stress-free yet.

Holiday and party guests may never see your bedroom or home office, but they’ll likely make a stop in the powder room. With a little extra care, you can make this small but hardworking space welcoming, whether for a special occasion or drop-in visitors. Here are 10 touches to help dress up your powder room for company.

There’s plenty to do this time of year, with the holidays around the corner and gardens nearing the end of the growing season. There’s a case to be made for skipping any major fall garden cleanup, but there are a handful of end-of-year tasks to keep on your to-do list. After all, nobody wants to deal with an irrigation line breaking or downspouts clogging with leaves right when everyone’s sitting down to dinner. Avoid last-minute surprises by getting on top of the following garden tasks now and you’ll be able to cruise through the holidays with time and energy to spare.

A fireplace is a natural focal point in any room. Therefore, transforming it or simply updating it can have a dramatic impact on the overall look of a space. Check out the following before-and-after fireplace photos and let us know which ones spark inspiration for you.

The kitchen island or peninsula is often the home’s hub, where family and friends gather to help with the cooking (or just the eating). This central position makes it an important design feature and a great place to add personality to your kitchen. Re-dressing the island can provide a dramatic face-lift on any budget. Here are 10 of my favorite ideas you can use to give the heart of the house a little love.

One great way to give your living or family room a relatively small but impactful makeover is to add built-ins. Before you meet with a designer, think about what you want to hide from view but keep handy, such as toys, media equipment or CDs you’ll never part with, to put in closed cabinetry. Then think about what you want to display — books, favorite photos, collections and artwork. Including these things in the conversation with your designer will be important in customizing the design to function for your needs. As for style, check out these 12 examples of beautiful built-ins to see if they inspire ideas for your home.