Author Image: Barbara Ballinger

Barbara Ballinger

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Designer Tiffany LeBlanc uses low seating everywhere but says the pieces lend themselves to the kind of sprawl often found in family rooms.

Down, down, down: The rise of low seating

Here's a question you might ask yourself as you drop (perhaps less than gracefully) onto a sofa that seems to hover mere inches above the floor: When did sofas, sectionals...
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Shade plants: Gardening in the dark

Sunlight is overrated. Sure, lilacs and lavender need hours of sunlight to thrive. But give us shade plants such as hostas, ferns, tree peonies and lacecap hydrangeas luxuriating in a...
Designer Lorri Dyner likes to use seagrass rugs, which are affordable and work with any style, topped with another layer, here a sheepskin rug.

8 designer tricks to decorate with texture

Walk into some rooms, and you immediately feel welcomed, nurtured, visually excited. You want to curl up on the room's plush velvet sofa, wrap yourself in its nubby thick throw,...