How Lemon Became the Smell of Clean
Clean didn’t always smell like lemons. So how did a fruit become shorthand for a freshly cleaned house? The answer is hiding in the cleaning aisle.
The House Has a Mood
10 posts
Your House Has Desire Lines
Urban planners have a name for the paths people wear across the grass instead of using the sidewalk. Your house has them too.
The Color of the Year Is a Feeling
By Robin Murphy On August 26, Behr announced its 2027 Color of the Year. It’s green. More precisely, it’s an earthy olive green that can move toward moss depending on…
The House Doesn’t Know the Difference
Move a picture that's hung for years and the wall behind it is a different color. A house keeps track — and it records affection and neglect exactly the same way.
Your House Has a Smell. You Just Can’t Smell It.
Your house has a smell. You just stopped noticing it. That's your nose turning down the volume, not evidence that nothing is there.
Your House Is Trying to Tell You Something
Houses are more talkative than we give them credit for. A musty smell, a slow drain, dust that won't stay gone. They're not separate annoyances. They're clues.
The Emotional Difference Between Tidy and Clean
Tidy and clean get shoved into the same junk drawer, but they solve different problems. Once you see the difference, a lot about how your home feels starts to make sense.
A House Older Than the Country
I used to live in a house built around 1744. With the country turning 250 years old, I've been thinking about how that old house taught me about caring for a home.
Why Some People Can Relax in a Mess and Others Can’t
Some people can sit in a messy room and not hear it. Others can't relax until the counter is clear. Neither is wrong, and it's rarely about the mess.
Your House Has an Atmosphere
Your house can look spotless and still have lousy air. Here's what's actually floating around your home, why the dust keeps coming back two days after you clean, and what actually helps.