Shameless Plug: My "Handmade Modern" Article in Sunset Magazine

Super-excited to see my piece on San Francisco indie boutiques specializing in handmade modern wares (as well as some great product picks from local design maven Meg Mateo Ilasco) in the May issue of Sunset magazine, which just hit newsstands.

Grab your copy today, or click on the images above to read it here.

Shameless Plug: Portland's West End in Via Magazine

I just realized -- doh! -- that my write-up on Portland's burgeoning "West End" area is in the current issue of Via magazine.

Check it out on the Via website. Or click the image above to read it here.

Shameless Plug: My eBay Article for HGTV

If you visit this blog with any regularly, you'll undoubtedly notice that I'm a bit of an eBay addict.

A few of you newbie eBayers have asked for tips on shopping the auction giant, and I have just the thing: Click on over to the Home and Garden Television website to read my feature on surfing eBay like a pro. If I do say so myself, it's packed with great advice on hunting down the coolest stuff on the site as well as fresh ideas for decorating with your eBay booty.

You can find the article here.

Shameless Plug: My "Faucet Trends" Article on HGTV

When it comes to faucets, shoppers suddenly seem to have a choice of everything, well, for the kitchen sink.

The hottest trends include the rise of modern, minimalist designs and utilitarian-chic faucets worthy of professional kitchens. What's more, the newest faucets feature better functionality, more novel shapes, and a broader assortment of finishes than ever before.

See the latest designs -- and get tips for zeroing in on the styles, finishes, and features that will work best for you -- right here.

Shameless Plug: Figueroa Hotel Writeup in Via Magazine

I've been doing a little freelance work lately for the regional travel magazine Via. The short piece above is from the November/December issue.

Magazines are in my blood, but one thing I love about the web is that there are no bothersome space limits. So, in the spirit of excess, here are a few more shots of the Figueroa's lushly exotic interior (which I first discovered thanks to the lovely blog Hidden in France -- merci, Corine!):

One day I'll get to the real Morocco -- but until then, the Figueroa fits the bill for a taste of Marrakech a bit closer to home.

Click here for more info on the hotel.

Who Knew? Tap Water Tips

We’ve all heard it a million times: To flush the lead that’s built up overnight in household pipes, run the faucet for a minute or more each morning before brewing coffee or filling your water bottle.

But did you know that one flush won’t do you for the rest of the day? So say researchers at the University of North Carolina’s Environmental Quality Institute, who found that lead is back at 25 percent of overnight levels within ten minutes of flushing the tap, and at 50 percent within 30 minutes.

Don’t throw up your hands and buy stock in Evian just yet, though -- the UNC water-quality experts have a simple solution: Flush the tap, then fill up a pitcher and drink from that for the rest of the day.

Bonus: If you let the uncovered pitcher sit in the fridge for a few hours, virtually all the disinfecting chemicals that your water supplier adds to battle germs (but that can be harmful in their own right) will evaporate. So rather than doing it first thing in the morning, “flush and fill” before you hit the sack at night.

(Shameless plug: Click here to read my Real Simple article on drinking water and your health.)

Good Reads: San Francisco Magazine's "Oakland" Issue

The current issue of San Francisco magazine offers a special 30-page package on "The New Oakland," detailing the set-to-explode art, housing, neighborhood, culinary, nightlife, political, and retail scenes here, and comparing my beloved adopted city to such white-hot areas as San Francisco's SoMa, New York's Brooklyn, and L.A.'s downtown.

It's the sort of thing that fills me with equal measures of heart-swelling hometown pride and bristling annoyance.

On the one hand, it's great to get some well-deserved recognition from our big-sister city across the Bay, and even beyond. On the other, just because the residents and media movers and shakers in that sometimes-snooty, often myopic, 49-square-mile burg have discovered that Oakland -- right under their nose and either ignored or dissed for so long -- is, indeed, pretty damn happening doesn't mean we needed their blessing for that to be so.

Still, I have to give them props: The issue boasts some stellar writing, and it even clued this longtime Oakland booster in to a few cool things I hadn't known about.

If you live anywhere near these parts or are just curious about what the "new" Oakland is all about, be sure to pick up a copy of San Francisco's current issue, or check it out online.

(P.S. If the cover models above look a little familiar, there's good reason: They're Old Oakland entrepreneurs Alfonso Dominguez of the new FiveTen Studio and Johnelle Mancha of Mignonne, both recently highlighted in this blog.)

Shameless Plug: "Ask Leah"

Confession: I'm the sort of person who color codes my file folders, and who updates my "To Do" list at least twice a day. (OK, fine, I admit it: I'm totally anal.)

Now, as the "Ask Leah" columnist for MSN.com's brand-new Home Sweet Home channel, I get to help other people get organized, too.

To take a look, click here, then click on the "Organization" tab under the Home Sweet Home header. (If you have any organizational challenges of your own, hit the "Submit Your Question" button in the Ask Leah box to send them in, and I'll do my best to offer solutions.)

While you're there, check out the articles, tips, and bulletin boards in the Organization, Home Care, Entertaining, and Family areas, and let the Home Sweet Home editors know what you think.

Shameless Plug: My "Coffee Table Tips" Piece on HGTV

How long has that group of tired tchotchkes been gathering dust on your coffee table, so familiar to you that you barely even notice them anymore? Or maybe your table has the opposite problem: Used as a repository for nothing more than the TV listings, the remote control, and the odd coaster or two, it’s not exactly adding to the aesthetic appeal of the room.

Time to try something new and put your coffee table to work showcasing treasures that will surprise and delight you and your visitors every time you see them.

Not sure where to start? Click here to read my HGTV article and to get expert tips on "tablescaping."

Shameless Plug: My "Shelf Decorating Guide" on HGTV

My latest opus for HGTV.com: "Transform bland bookcases and wall shelves into stunning displays with 13 top-shelf decorating tips from interior designers."

You can read the article right here.

(Hint: Sharp-eyed readers may recognize one of the interior designers I quoted, Megan Samuels, as the blogger behind the always lovely and amusing BeachBungalow8.)

And don't miss all the great shots of viewers' beautifully accessorized shelves pulled from the new HGTV Decorating flickr pool. There's lots of wonderful, real-life inspiration to be found there.

By the way, apologies for all of the "shameless plugs" I've subjected you to of late. I promise that after one more article goes up shortly, it will be very, very quiet on the self-promoting front for awhile ...

(Any editors out there? Call me! ;-)

Shameless Plug: My "Back-Friendly Home" Article in Prevention

Just another shamelessly self-promoting enjoiner to go read my latest article in the September issue of Prevention magazine ...

Is your home hurting your back? Find out about surprising back-pain culprits lurking in your home -- everything from a poorly placed TP holder to the wrong kind of pillow. Plus, simple fixes that will get your back on track.

Read the article here.

Shameless Plug: My "Bedroom Design DON'TS" Article on HGTV

Another article by yours truly is up on the Home & Garden Television website:

From choosing the wrong wall color to outfitting a room for everything but restful sleep, discover ten typical bedroom-design mistakes -- and how to avoid them.

Read the article right here.

Shameless Plug: My "Bedroom Feng Shui" Article on HGTV

Do you feng shui? I confess that I'm a bit of a skeptic.

But while researching my latest article for HGTV, "Feng Shui Your Bedroom," I was won over by the fact that -- whether or not you buy into feng shui's underlying philosophies -- many of its principles simply make good design sense.

Click here to read the article, and to discover simple feng shui strategies that will turn your chaotic and uninspiring bedroom into a serene and sensual sanctuary.

Shameless Plug: Heath Ceramics House Tour

My "House Tour" of Heath Ceramics owners Catherine Bailey and Robin Petravic's jaw-droppingly gorgeous Sausalito home is up over at Apartment Therapy: San Francisco.

Click on over to see it.

Want to share your own home -- or simply show off a room or a project you're proud of? Please let me know!

eBay Find of the Day: Karl Springer Lucite Table

Did I mention that, in addition to all my other design fetishes, I have a little Lucite fixation as well? (In fact, I wrote a whole article about it, called "Clearly Cool," which you can find here.)

One of the great things about Lucite is the way it draws the eye without adding any visual weight to a space (great for smaller rooms and those you're trying to keep light and airy), as well as the way it bounces light around the room.

This cool little table was designed by none other than Karl Springer, one of the icons of Lucite furniture (and of general Seventies fabulousness). The Greek Key detail on it is very unusual -- and pretty dang awesome, if you ask me.

Current bid: $154.

Shameless Plug: My Article on Open-Plan Design on HGTV

If you're lucky enough to live in a loft or a home without a lot of walls carving up the public rooms, you know that pulling together these wide-open spaces presents as many design challenges as it does opportunities.

In that case, click on over to Home & Garden Television's website to read my new article on open-plan design, which is packed with expert tips on creating a cohesive and beautiful open space.

One of the most exciting things for me in working on this piece was having the opportunity to chat with Kenneth Brown, host of HGTV's reDesign. Of all the HGTV designers, he's the one I have the biggest design crush on (that's his own fabulous Santa Monica loft, above), and he was just as nice and down-to-earth in person as he is on TV.

Anyway, you can find the article here.

Shameless Plug: New(ish) Article in Real Simple

I also have an article on protecting yourself from indoor and outdoor air pollution in last month's Real Simple magazine. Read it here.

Shameless Plug: New Article on HGTV.com

My piece on "Family-Friendly Design" -- with DOs and DON'Ts for creating a space that will stand up to family life and still look fabulous -- just went up on the HGTV website. Check it out here.