Blog Posts by Sunset Magazine

See how a garden designer turned an old toolshed into a place to work, play, and be inspired.

More from Sunset:

How to customize your garden's style

Inspiring outdoor makeovers

Amazing small yard makeovers

Time for an update? Pick your favorite style from our list of beautiful kitchen designs and get inspired.

James Carrier
Sunny kitchen remodel
The homeowners wanted to preserve and enhance the architectural style of their 1929 San Mateo house while opening the kitchen to the outdoors.
They selected concrete counters, a farmhouse-style sink, and white wood cabinets.
A long center island with a butcher-block surface and deep overhangs is great for two-person cooking, prep work, and entertaining.
More about this kitchen makeover

Thomas J. Story
Eco-conscious kitchen
Smooth slim concrete counters edge the kitchen's perimeter. A thick concrete slab on the island gets its texture and golden flecks of color from recycled rice hulls.

Terrence Moore
Wide-open kitchen
Big curved beams create a wide-open kitchen/family room. Clerestory windows bounce the light off the ceiling, brightening the space.

Edmund Barr
Playful farmhouse kitchen
Formerly a slender galley, this kitchen is now an open, multipurpose space with an adjacent hallway that

Try an overnight in a treehouse, a vintage trailer, a hanging orb, and more unusual sleeps.

More ideas:
Top 10 hotels under $150
Top 10 B&Bs in the West
12 cozy winter lodges

Shady Dell, Bisbee, AZ
Think of Lucille Ball in The Long, Long Trailer, and you'll get the picture of the Shady Dell-a vintage aluminum-trailer park revamped into an inn, within the equally throwback town of Bisbee. Choose among nine fully furnished trailers, including a polished shiny 1949 Airstream dubbed the Bridal Suite because it displays black-and-white wedding albums; the 1959 Boles Aero (pictured), with a gold-flecked starburst pattern on its walls; and a tiki bus decked out in Polynesian fantasy. Happy hour here is like a tail-gate party, with new friends and croquet on the artificial-turf patio. The Dell's itty-bitty Dot's Diner is itself worth a trip for burgers, milkshakes, and house-made cherry pie.

The Charlie, West Hollywood, CA
Once upon a time, Charlie Chaplin lived on a compound of storybook English Tudor-style cottages surrounded by flowers and

Transform your bathroom space with ideas for counters, vanities, and sinks.

Solid-surface counter
The white solid-surface counter in this kids' bath doesn't compete with the strong pattern on the floor.

Mosaic tile counter
Ice blue glass mosaic tiles cover the countertop and extend into a tiled wall that also includes white and ocean blue.

Center-sloped sink
Sleek wall-mounted faucets pour into both sides of a center-sloped double sink

Enameled cast iron sink
Enameled cast iron is a long-lasting, maintenance-free choice for a sink.

Integral concrete sink
Concrete fabricators can get creative with integral sinks, as they aren't limited by standard molds and sizes. In this example, water spills into a reservoir that leads to a pipe under the sink.

Integral porcelain sink
This integral porcelain sink is set on a floating white cabinet and has ample counter space on either end.

Rosy concrete sink
This smaller-than-average rosy pink concrete integral sink works well in a half bath.

Back-to-back vanities
Back-to-back floating vanities give each person his or her own space. Deep, wide, wall-mounted sinks make a design statement, and setting them

Hosting brunch this weekend? We've got you covered with these easy ideas that can be ready in 30 minutes or less!

90+ weekend escapes
Best of the West: The Big Dish Vote-off

Apple Oven Cake
Apple Oven Cake
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 sweet apple such as Fuji, peeled and sliced
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Melt butter in a 12-in. ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, swirling to combine. Add apple and cook until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a blender, whirl together eggs, salt, flour, and milk. Pour egg mixture into pan and bake until puffed and brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Shirred Eggs
Shirred Eggs
Ingredients
1/4 teaspoon butter
2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream
2 eggs
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon

Whet your appetite for great food-and-drink weekend trips, from cheese to craft beer with our list of the top Western destinations.

Tomales Bay, CA
Oysters: Tomales Bay, CA
Just under an hour north of the city lies Point Reyes, a gorgeous seashore that also boasts the Bay Area's lauded oysters. At Tomales Bay Oyster Company, you bring the sides, the drinks and the appetite; they supply picnic supplies, hot sauce, and some of the best oysters you can find.

Fort Collins, CO
Beer: Fort Collins, CO
We said what everyone else says after they first taste New Belgium Brewing's La Folie: This isn't beer! The Flemish-style sour ale, squeezed out in small batches year-round, is aged for up to three years in French oak. The result: an intensely tart brew with a long-lasting dry fruity finish. So much better than beer.
Best time to go: April, for refreshing sour beer and spring skiing.

Bend, OR
Beer: Bend, OR
Don't let the skull and crossbones fool you. Up-and-comer Boneyard Beer kegs some of the most balanced beers in the West.

Forget old-school spider plants. A new wave of unusual and dramatic indoor plants are as much decor as they are greenery. Striking shapes, sizes, and colors make them more spectacular than ever.

The starlet
Dracaena warneckii 'Jade Jewel'
Foliage: Variegated leaves from compact rosettes that resemble starbursts.
Plant: Shapely and slender as a palm, it grows slowly to 8 feet tall with sturdy, upright canes.
Light: Moderate to bright.

The diva
Variegated Ficus decora
Foliage: Big leaves are simply spectacular.
Plant: Indoors, it reaches 10 feets tall. Leaves turn brown or drop if this finicky plant doesn't get what it wants (no drafts, no wet leaves).
Light: Bright.

The grand dame
Ficus lyrata 'Little Fiddle'
Foliage: Large, leather, nearly violin-shaped leaves.
Plant: This stately plant can reach 20 feet tall. To maintain its size and shape, prune branches in early spring. Feed the plant after pruning; rotate it every few weeks to keep it from leaning.
Light: Moderate to bright.

The climber (at left)
Ficus triangularis
Foliage:

Whether you're cooking for your sweetheart on Valentine's Day or dining out, we've compiled a list of some of the West's best wines and perfect pairings that will be sure to impress the apple of your eye on the year's most romantic day.

Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc: crisp and refreshing
Taste: Tart lemon, grapefruit, melon, and tropicals like passionfruit over a pleasant grassiness and herbal quality.
Pair with: Cheeses, green vegetables, oysters, delicate fish, fresh herbs, mild vinaigrettes, dishes with tangy dairy, pesto.
Try it with: Roasted Artichoke Salad with Lemon and Mint

Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon: the king of reds
Taste: Plums, blackberries, and black currant; sometimes violets or rose petals, and often mint, mocha, and eucalyptus or cedar; strong tannins underneath.
Pair with: Well-marbled beef, hearty fowl, spice rubs and sauces, marinades with soy sauce, long-braised stews, pot roast, grilled red meat.

Chardonnay
Chardonnay: rich and complex white
Taste: Green apple, pear, melon, creamy lemon, and