Blog Posts by Elle Decor

Five designers offer solutions for the square-footage-challenged

• "A generously scaled sofa, mirror, chair, rug, or piece of furniture will trick the eye," notes designer Mariette Himes Gomez, who placed a large Gothic bookcase in a small alcove of her Manhattan apartment, pictured.

• "Always make sure each piece is multiuse," says decorator Alessandra Branca. "A drop-front secretary provides a bookcase, desk, and chest all in one, and a desk or table can be great for both dining and working."

Shopping Tips from Anthropologie's Head Antique Buyer

• Interior decorator Alex Papachristidis recommends creating a glamorous jewel box: "Use larger patterns on the fabrics. Stencil the floors and upholster the walls. With a small room, think grand-I always do."

Photo: Scott Frances/Esto

Trina Turk on Shopping, Color, and Party Hosting

• Designer Suzanne Kasler says: "Add a wall of mirrors. Immediately the space will seem exponentially larger."

• According to

What do more than twenty summers in the French countryside add up to? A beautiful new book-and some sage advice on being a good guest

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When designer Kathryn Ireland first spied La Castellane, a rambling 19th-century farmhouse in the unspoiled French countryside, she felt immediately at home. "La Castellane was easier to buy than a pair of shoes," she writes in her newest book, Summers in France-a scrapbook-style account of her 20-plus summers spent restoring the house, shopping at nearby markets, entertaining hundreds of houseguests, and watching her children (now grown) play, all against the backdrop of the magnificent French countryside.

Summering at La Castellane taught Ireland everything she knows about design and a lot about the art of entertaining, and in turn, about how to be a good guest.

In her many summers hosting houseguests (La Castellane has a whopping 10 guest rooms), Ireland has learned that there are good guests and bad guests. Just in time for summer visits,

The smartest tools for a cutting-edge kitchen

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Oakland, California-based kitchen consultant Mark Stech-Novak has equipped restaurants for some of the world's top chefs, from Thomas Keller to Alain Ducasse. Here, Stech-Novak's guide to the latest status gear for kitchen obsessives:

1. The Smoking Gun This handheld food smoker adds flavor at the last minute and is great for delicate foods like seafood. cuisinetechnology.com

2. The Anti-Griddle A unit that freezes sauces and purees on contact. Stech-Novak uses it to make granita "à la minute" or frozen fruit gels that he wraps around mascarpone. cuisinetechnology.com

3. Sous Vide Sous-vide circulators-essential for any chef worth his molecular-cuisine salt-are coming down in price. Try: Sous Vide Professional, cuisinetechnology.com; SousVide Supreme, sousvidesupreme.com

4. Rotary Vacuum Evaporator San Francisco chef Daniel Patterson introduced Stech-Novak to this futuristic contraption, which extracts herb aromas and

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How to create the perfect display-and how to do it safely

decorating-with-art-art.jpgThe joy of purchasing a new piece of art can quickly turn to stress when it comes time to hang it. How high should it be mounted on the wall? How can it be arranged with other pieces to create an inspired statement? And, crucially, how can you be sure it's safe and secure and won't end up crashing to the floor?

To help answer these questions, we turned to David Kassel, the founder of ILevel, a New York-based professional art placement and installation service that counts Albert Hadley, Bunny Williams, and Victoria Hagan among its many clients.

THE BEST OF ETSY: ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

Hanging Basics

Contrary to popular belief, Kassel says you needn't hammer nails into studs, nor install hefty drywall anchors to support art. Here's how he does it:

• Use picture-hanging hooks, rather than heavy nails or screws. They are very secure. "It's all based on shear weight," says Kassel. "The picture hooks go into the