Blog Posts by Sunset Magazine

Gain curb appeal and outdoor living space with fresh ideas for your porch, patio, and garden.


Modern façade makeover (before)
A dated façade and a bleak concrete front yard-that's what the owners of this '50s rancher got when they bought their Southern California home. Instead of remodeling the home, though, the couple used a simpler, less costly strategy to solve both problems.


Modern façade makeover (after)
This may look like a whole new house, but the sleek façade is really a wall masking a brand new open-air living room.
> See more of this makeover


Desert front yard facelift (before)
A scruffy lawn and an oddly configured walkway do nothing for this Phoenix house-the yard is wasted space.


Desert front yard facelift (after)
The owners replaced the lawn with drought-tolerant grasses, then added young trees and a paved area beside the front door.
> See more of this makeover


Low-water curb appeal (before)
Summers are hot in Grants Pass, Oregon, and a front yard that is mostly

Read More »from 18 must-see front yard makeovers

Give mom the priceless gift of experience this year-plan a day doing what she loves best.


For the creative crafter
Help mom breathe new life into her home with fun decorating projects, from making a memory box table (pictured) to creating an outdoor chandelier.
> More: 30 easy home decorating projects


For the budding homesteader
Is mom curious about expanding her homesteading activities beyond edible gardening? If raising chickens appeals, help her get into the act by ordering her a coop and chicks, and steering her toward our chicken-raising tips. Or if mom's sights are set on beekeeping and honey making, buy her a starter kit and get her plenty of guidance from our beekeeping chronicles.


> More: How to raise backyard chickens and bees


For the aspiring edible gardener
What better way to spend the day than laying ground for the gift that keeps on giving? Help mom get her garden started with our tips on the best planting methods and the top fruits, veggies, and herbs for home

Read More »from Mother's Day crafts, chicken coops, and more great gift ideas for mom

Despite recent drug-related violence in Mexico, this long-loved vacation getaway is still safe to visit-with caveats.

Best places to visit in Western Mexico

Sayulita, Mexico
Puerto Vallarta/Sayulita. The spasms of drug violence in areas surrounding Puerto Vallarta do not seem to have affected the beach city itself. Try Hacienda San Angel, a lovely boutique hotel set among bougainvillea-traced villas in the terra-cotta-tiled downtown. Go north to visit beautiful Sayulita, a onetime fishing village colonized by surfers and expats.
> Related: Bargain getaway to Puerto Vallarta

Mexico City. A world-class city off too many travelers' radars. Street crime is more of a problem here than in U.S. cities, but follow a few rules-i.e., never hail a cab from the street; don't carry a lot of cash or credit cards, and keep them hidden-and you should be fine. A clutch of new boutique hotels (Hotel Brick is one of the latest), along with excellent restaurants (we'll single out Pujol), are a welcome counterpoint to

Read More »from 5 (safe) Mexican escapes

Enjoy these fresh ideas for light and easy weeknight dinners.


Poached Salmon Niçoise
This reinvented version of Salade Niçoise uses wild Western salmon instead of tuna and anchovies, and adds watercress-because we love greens.

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 10 black peppercorns
• 2 cups white wine
• 2 pounds skin-on wild salmon fillet pieces (1 to 1 1/2 in. thick)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
• 5 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped basil
• Sea salt to taste
• 2 large bunches watercress, root ends trimmed, leaving stems intact
• 10 small yellow-skinned new potatoes, boiled until tender and cut in half
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, cut into quarters
• 1/4 pound haricots verts (French green beans) or regular green beans, trimmed and boiled until tender-crisp
• 1/2 cup pitted Niçoise olives

Read More »from 10 delicious main-dish salads

A raised bed is one of the best ways to grow vegetables. Use this easy DIY plan to build one on your own.




Materials


• One 6-foot-long 4-by-4 ($15)
• Six 8-foot-long 2-by-6s ($75)
• One 10-foot-long 1-inch PVC pipe ($3)
• Two 10-foot-long ½-inch PVC pipes ($6)
• 32 3½-inch #14 wood screws and 16 ½-inch #8 wood screws ($29)
• One 4- by 10-foot roll of ¼-inch-mesh hardware cloth ($15)
• Eight 1-inch galvanized tube straps (semicircular brackets; $3.60)
• 32 cubic feet (1 1/5 cu. yd.) soil mix ($100 in bags; look for combination of topsoil, compost, and potting soil).

With a table or power saw, cut the 4-by-4 into four 16-inch-tall corner posts. Cut two of the 2-by-6s in half. Cut the 1-inch PVC pipe into four 12-inch-long pieces and the ½-inch PVC pipes into 6-foot-long pieces. Assemble pieces on a hard, flat surface.
> Related: More ideas for planting boxes


Assemble
Build bed upside down. Set a 4-foot 2-by-6 on its thin edge on pavement, and place a 16-inch Read More »from How to build the perfect raised bed garden

In a small space, being creative with color, materials, and layout yields big payoffs-and savings.


Mix high and low
In this living room, inexpensive furniture mingles with high-end touches: Ikea curtains hang on plumbing pipe behind a $1,200 chandelier; custom pillows sit atop a bargain (at $579) settee from Urban Outfitters; a hand-painted chinoi­serie coffee table rests on an old Pakistani rug ($85 on eBay).
> Related: Top tips for freestyle decorating


Update secondhand furnishings
A $10 framed mirror from Goodwill reads "high class" with a couple of coats of high-gloss red paint.
> Related: Turn secondhand finds into eco-chic decor


Create multi-purpose areas
With no proper dining room, this breakfast nook functions as such-and doubles as an art table for children. Thankfully, the vinyl cushions are specially treated to resist ink and countless other messy materials. The benches provide storage space under their hinged lids. Bold wallpaper (Chinatown Toile by Flavor Paper;

Read More »from 16 smart strategies for small-home décor

Give your holiday meal a new spin with these tasty takes on in-season lamb.


Lamb Chops with Roasted Salsa
Quick-to-cook lamb chops served with a fresh summer salsa are all that's needed for a simple weeknight dinner. We serve it with a salad loaded with good-quality feta for a complete meal.

Recipe:
• Yield: Makes 4 servings
• Total prep and cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
• Finely shredded zest of 1 1/2 lemons
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 8 lamb rib chops (about 1 3/4 lbs. total)
• 1 ripe tomato
• 1 small red onion, peeled and halved
• 2 bell peppers, seeded and quartered
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation
1. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for high heat (450° to 550°; you can hold your hand 5 in. above cooking grate only 2 to 4 seconds). In a large resealable plastic

Read More »from 7 delicious lamb recipes for Easter

Check out this year's must-try garden design and landscaping trends.


Eco chic
Sustainability is fun in this backyard, which has a hot tub and rock-lined firepit tucked behind the grassy "meadow," but uses 95 percent locally sourced or salvaged materials. It says, 'Grab the marsh­mallows and meet me at the campfire.'
> More: See the details for this garden design


Fireproofed & lawnless
Years after a firestorm ravaged their lot, the owners of this garden decided they wanted a yard to match their rebuilt modern home. So they opted for a patio of bluestone pavers, crushed rock, and low groundcovers, edged with a sinuous concrete seat wall-and contained fire burns in a custom firepit of Cor-ten steel.
> More: See the details for this garden design


Front yard living
This family created space where none existed before, turning a sloped front yard into a modern play den. Concrete planters are placed along the sidewalk, with a firepit and raised patio inside. Phormiums and a gate add

Read More »from 13 knockout garden designs