Blog Posts by Sunset Magazine

On a driveway, atop a doghouse, up a wall - here's how to garden in small and unusual spaces.


Garden in a driveway


Landscape architect Jeni Webber replaced this Palo Alto home's solid driveway with two strips of concrete, leaving space for a tiny garden in the middle.


>More: Learn more about this driveway makeover


On a vertical garden tower
No room to garden? 

A vertical garden tower will give you plenty of space for edibles, and takes up very little room.


> More: Learn how to plant a vertical garden tower yourself


On a city roof
Plants that grow on city rooftops need to be able to stand up to constant sunlight and harsh winds.

For this project, landscape designer Lauren Schneider mixed California natives that thrive in hot, dry conditions with plants that evolved in similar climates.
> 

More: Learn more about this hardy rooftop garden


On a table
Pasadena landscape architect Heather Lenkin came up with a simple way to make a tabletop garden. Follow her easy how-to for a

Freshen up your living spaces with these cool DIY projects.


1) Shadowbox wall vase
Turn a shadow-box frame into a vessel for your favorite things from the garden or flower shop. Flowers or cuttings ― such as these leucadendron blooms ― extend through the opening of a picture mat to create an organic work of 3-dimensional art. Group two or three frames on the wall or use one for a tabletop display. Change the background and cuttings for a new look any time you like.
> More: How to make a shadowbox vase


2) Fake a Roman shade
In rooms where privacy isn't important, you can give windows all the dressing they need with shorter faux Roman shades.

They aren't full-length, so these tricksters require far less fabric than the real McCoy and can often be made from inexpensive remnants.
> More: How to fake a Roman shade


3) Paint a floor canvas
A cool floor covering made from painted canvas is simple to make and surprisingly durable―and it adds instant graphic punch to your room.

You can

Peek inside a Northern California home that has all the trappings of a normal life-except garbage.


MEET THE JOHNSONS
On trash day in Mill Valley, California, the Johnson home has no garbage. Nothing. There is a hefty compost bin and a teeny recycling bin-one that Béa Johnson is embarrassed exists at all. "So much recycling really goes to waste, so you need to try to reduce that too."

Garbage, though, is something that happens rarely in this modern, minimalistically decorated house. That's by day-to-day intention-to live simpler and lighter on the planet. Their quest started three years ago when Béa and husband Scott downsized from a 3,000-square-foot home to their current 1,400 square feet. But it had been on Béa's mind ever since she'd nannied for a family that lost everything in a fire. Béa decided she wanted to truly love and use and know everything she kept in her home. "Even down to the vegetable peeler," she says.


KITCHEN
The kitchen looks eerily unlived in, yet Béa cooks

Ready to recharge your routine in the new year? Here's how to make the most of every day between Monday and Saturday.


Monday: Take back the morning
6:30 a.m. While most of us are hitting snooze, then stumbling out of bed clamoring for coffee, Carrie Sloan is bobbing in San Francisco Bay in her tank suit, goggles, and chin-strap cap. The 33-year-old belongs to the Dolphin Club-a swimming and boating club dating back to 1877-where the unwritten law, even in 50° water, is no wetsuits. Starting the day with a swim is a way to reboot her mind, get inspired, and play before sitting down at her desk. It's sort of like carving out a reverse happy hour. But swap the margarita for sea lions and views of Alcatraz.



• Lengthen the a.m.

: An early start can "make you feel the exhilaration of your own aliveness," Sloan says.

• Use MAPS: MAPS (that is, meaning, authenticity, purpose, strengths) activities help develop inner contentment, says Aymee Coget, CEO of the American Happiness

Kick start your "eat healthier" resolution with 10 easy-to-follow strategies


1. Eat mussels
You'd think their briny sweetness would be all the reason we need to celebrate mussels, as well as other seafood that's low on the food chain, like oysters and clams. Well, there's more. Mussels are off the charts for vitamin B12, and high in iron, protein, even vitamin C.
> Suggested recipe: Saffron Steamed Mussels


2. Make it sustainable-meat Sundays
Grass-fed meat may take a bigger bite out of your wallet than the usual grain-fed supermarket choice, but the extra dollars pay off nutritionally with meat that is lower in fat, and--thanks to the animals' pasture-based diet--higher in omega-3s and a group of fatty acids that can actually lower your cholesterol. Farmers' markets and some supermarkets sell grass-fed beef and sometimes bison, lamb, and even goat.
> Suggested recipe: Mini Lamb Meatballs with Cilantro-Mint Chutney


3. Try meatless Mondays
You may have heard the slogan, which

Get great tips on small-space living in style and comfort from a 900-square-foot cottage, eco-friendly loft, vintage trailer, houseboat, bungalow, and more.


1. Santa Monica cottage
The owner, an architectural designer, kept most of the walls in the cottage white and added splashes of color with accent pillows, throws, and pottery.
> See more of this home


2. Remodeled Airstream home
A landscape architect lives in a remodeled 1959 Airstream trailer, which he parks behind a Berkeley, CA, co-op. The space is only 15 ft. long and 7 ft. wide, but Stavropoulos makes it work by avoiding unnecessary possessions and utilizing built-in furniture.
> See more of this home


3. Creative loft
By using spaces for multiple purposes, the owner is able to maximize the square footage of her small loft. The dining space (shown here, below the master bedroom) is also used as a home office.
> See more of this home


4. Modern houseboat
This modern prefab houseboat is only 1,000 square-feet. When the

Time for an update? Pick your favorite style from our photo collection of beautiful kitchen designs.


1. Cottage kitchen
Oversize windows and skylights invite in the sunshine. Walls are painted a light-bouncing white, while white ceramic subway tiles brighten the kitchen and baths. For contrast, the wooden floors are stained in a custom mix of ebony and dark walnut shades; the high-gloss polyurethane top coat reflects even more light.
> See more of this kitchen


2. Open Craftsman kitchen
The ground floor of the once single-story house is now essentially one combined kitchen, dining area, living space, and home office, with bedrooms in an upstairs addition.
> See more of this kitchen


3. A kitchen with layers of color
The clean design of this blue and white kitchen is layered with pops of energetic color. The red drum pendant from Croft & Little illuminates the bamboo island top from Teragren.

Glass-front cabinets provide a showcase for colorful pottery.

The bamboo-topped table on

Warm up winter with a special mocha, hot cider, mulled wine, glass of bubbly, or fizzy cocktail.


1. Layered Mocha
Sip hot chocolate through layers of hot espresso and thick, cold cream in this deconstructed mocha.

Recipe:
Prep and Cook Time: about 30 minutes. Notes: Serve in heatproof glasses to see the layers. Stir in more sugar to taste. Yield: Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup chopped semisweet chocolate
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided, plus more to taste
• 1 cup hot brewed espresso
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)

• Place cream in a bowl and chill until very cold, about 15 minutes. Fill 4 heatproof glasses (6 to 8 oz. each) with boiling water.
• In a small saucepan over high heat, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and whisk in chopped chocolate until smoothly blended. Add 1 tbsp. sugar. Stir over medium-low heat until mixture thickens slightly and coats spoon in a thin layer, 3 to 5