PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Your home should be your sanctuary — but especially your bedroom. 

After all, it’s the place where you escape at the end of the day (or for a mid-afternoon nap; we don’t judge) and it should be filled with things that bring you comfort, such as good bedding, the right pillow and, our favorite, a good book. 

But seriously, your preferred pillow, sheets, comforters and other accessories can all be key to you getting a good night’s rest. 

After lots of research, plus some personal experience, these are the five budget-friendly essentials that every bedroom needs to make it a comfortable (and stress-free) respite. 

Sweet dreams! 

Related: Goldilocks Would Approve of These Just Right Mattresses

(We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.)

The Perfect Pillow

Beckham Hotel Collection Bed Pillows

$59.99 for a set of two | Buy Here

After years of searching for the Goldilocks of pillows — not too fluffy, not too flat — and never finding it, trust me when I say the Beckham Hotel collection pillow is the one you want.

Filled with a soft down alternative, and boasting a 250-thread count, the pillow is juuuuust right for back, stomach or side sleepers. The pillows, which come in a set of two, are OEKO-TEX certified and have a breathable, soft cotton cover. Unlike other cushions, I’ve found the Beckham Hotel pillows keep their shape even after repeated use.

I’m not the only one who loves them; the pillows have close to 240,000 positive reviews on Amazon. “I sleep so much better and wake feeling rested and ready to face the day,” wrote one five-star reviewer. “It’s not too firm and not too soft. It’s medium firmness and very comfortable.”

Bed Rest

Utopia Bedding Comforter Duvet Insert

$26.49 | Buy Here

Now that you’ve found the perfect pillow, the next step is pairing it with a cozy duvet. Bolstered by more than 118,000 positive reviews, the Utopia duvet insert’s name says it all.

Featuring elegant, box-style stitching, the 100% microfiber comforter has four corner tabs, making it easy to put inside any duvet cover and secure it in place. The comforter, which comes in a variety of colors and sizes, also looks stylish sans duvet cover, but what I like best about it is that it is machine washable — not to mention economically friendly.

“It’s wonderful when you receive a product, and it turns out to be even better than expected,” wrote one reviewer. “This Utopia Duvet insert has a light, luxurious feel that would make you think you are in a 5-star hotel.” 

Between the Sheets

California Design Den Cotton Sheets

$39.99 | Buy Here

A winner of Good Housekeeping’s Best Bedding awards in 2023 and 2024, California Design Den’s 100% cotton sheets offer luxury on a budget.

While most cotton sheet sets typically cost well over $100, California Den’s bedding is half the price — and has all of the sumptuousness. The 400-thread count sheet set comes with a flat top sheet, two standard-size pillowcases and a fitted bottom sheet with extra-deep pockets, which easily fits even tall mattresses.

Reviewers like that the machine-washable sheets, which come in numerous colors and patterns, are extra soft and resistant to pilling.

Mattress Matters  

Lucid 3 Inch Mattress Topper

$91.99 for a Queen | Buy Here

For an even dreamier sleep, consider a mattress topper, such as this highly rated down alternative and gel memory foam mattress topper by Lucid.

For those who sleep hot (I’m one of them), the contoured memory foam is infused with a cooling gel material that captures and dissipates heat. A ventilated design also regulates temperature and improves airflow, so you can sleep even more comfortably. The topper comes in thicknesses that range from 2 to 4 inches.

“My body feels so soothingly cradled,” raved one reviewer. “I’m not tossing and turning constantly trying to get comfortable. It’s just pure bliss. This may sound strange, but it feels like a hug.”

Lights Out

RYB HOME Velvet Curtains

$47.95 for a pair of 84-inch length curtains | Buy Here

If you’re looking to add some luxury to your space, velvet is always the way to go — including with curtains. I recently purchased these room-darkening velvet drapes by RYB HOME in bold emerald green for my 10-year-old daughter’s room and they did not disappoint.

Besides adding some glam to her boho-style bedroom, the plush, heavy drapes really do block out the light, ensuring better sleep. The curtains, which range in length from 72 to 120 inches for those extra-tall ceilings, also come in a ton of different neutral and jewel-like colors.

With two different sizes of rod pockets on the top, you can choose either rod pocket or back tap for hanging options. 

PHOTOS BY JESSE RIESMEYER/DESIGN BY INTERIORS BY SEASHAL

Raise your hand if you got out of the house more in 2023.

Yes? That’s what we thought.

After several years of hunkering down at home because of the pandemic, people are traveling again, meeting up with friends or family members they haven’t seen in awhile — or just heading back to the office.

The shift is also having an effect on home trends. If last year was the year of the home office, then 2024 is all about creating specialized niches that speak to you.

“We want the meditation room, we want the home gym, we want those intentional spaces and less of that flex space,” says interior designer Juliane Mazzarella, owner of Avenue Interiors in Sewickley. “Now that we’re moving beyond COVID, what has stuck in your life? If you turned your guest bedroom into an office and went back to work, what is it now?”

Other trends to look out for in the new year include an emphasis on sustainable products, a warm neutral color palette (brown, which hasn’t been popular since the 1970s, is huge for 2024) and a focus on luxe, textured materials such as velvet and bouclé.

If you’re looking to update your home, here’s what else local design experts have to say about the trends coming down the pike for 2024 — and how to implement them in your home.

PHOTOS BY NORA BEST PHOTOGRAPHY/DESIGN BY INTERIORS BY SEASHAL

The New Neutrals

Design experts have been heralding the end of gray (now called “Millennial Gray” because of its association with a certain generation) as the go-to neutral for years now, but 2024 might really be its death knell. Instead, beige has been dominating the market.

“You’re seeing virtually no grays — it’s truly out now,” Mazzarella says. “Everything is definitely beige. Stark white is also out.”

Taking its place are cozy, warmer neutrals such as creamy off-whites, taupes and rich browns. Mazzarella says cognac-toned leather also is becoming a popular material choice.

PHOTO BY JESSE RIESMEYER/DESIGN BY INTERIORS BY SEASHAL

“As we continue our shift to warmer palettes, we’re seeing a lot of organic hues, including terra cotta, mustard yellow and greens,” adds interior designer Jennifer Janeway, owner of Jennifer Janeway Designs in Cranberry. “These colors create soft, cozy and welcoming environments.”

Janeway says she recently created a serene primary bedroom by combining sage green and turmeric yellow with warm woods. For a living room project, she added an avocado-hued velvet sofa accented by playful patterned pillows in gold and green.

Seashal Belldina, owner of Pittsburgh-based Interiors by Seashal, says during her fall journey to High Point Market — the influential biannual furnishing industry trade show held in High Point, North Carolina — she noted muted tones and bolder colors mixed with warmer undertones, clean lines and organic shapes, as well as vintage accents and natural materials.

“Some showrooms combined that warm neutral backdrop with a pop of bold color in shades of blue, green and orange,” she says.

PHOTO BY DAVE BRYCE PHOTOGRAPHY/DESIGN BY JENNIFER JANEWAY

In the Kitchen

While a white kitchen will always be classic, Janeway says many of her clients are experimenting with color, including a project she completed with deep green cabinetry complemented by butcher block countertops and brass hardware.

“Taking a chance on a colorful kitchen lets homeowners express their personality and fill each day with joy,” she says.

According to home renovation and design platform Houzz, appliance garages are also having a moment. The pull-down kitchen door conceals countertop appliances such as blenders, coffee makers and toasters while keeping them easily accessible (and organized).

In its 2024 Kitchen Trends report, the National Kitchen & Bath Association also cited walk-in, butler and built-in pantries as must-haves, along with floor-to-ceiling cabinetry and deep lower cabinets to help maximize storage; there’s also a desire for built-in charging stations.

Mazzarella says an easy way to zhuzh up the kitchen is to add dramatic, substantial hardware to cabinets or to create a dedicated beverage station for coffees or teas.

“Islands have also gotten a bit smaller, and homeowners are starting to want workstation sinks instead of traditional sinks,” she adds of upcoming kitchen trends.

Blues, Natural Materials and Textures

Feeling blue doesn’t have to be a bummer. According to 2024 Color of the Year predictions, blue is the standout color for the home.

Keep in mind this isn’t a deep or primary blue; Mazzarella says the accessible hue is all about softness. Indeed, the Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year is Upward, a pale, dreamy blue with soothing gray undertones.

Mazzarella also sees blues with a hint of green growing in popularity; the pretty peacock shade is a versatile way to add color to your home.

“That teal color plays nicely against foundation and flooring,” she says.

Nubby bouclé and other nature-inspired textures have been trending for the last few years, and Janeway predicts they will continue to be in demand for 2024, including on window blinds.

PHOTO BY DAVE BRYCE PHOTOGRAPHY/DESIGN BY JENNIFER JANEWAY

“Our clients are loving the warmth and texture that natural shades bring to their homes,” she says. “Made of materials like bamboo, jute, sisal, these window treatments provide a gorgeous light-filtering glow that adds layers of texture to the sitting area.”

Belldina says case goods, such as dressers and shelves, are taking on warmer tones, textures and organic shapes; materials such as spalted maple, alabaster, metals and natural stone also can enhance a piece’s connection to nature.

In the bedroom, Belldina says “livable luxury,” including washable velvets and sustainable materials with boho accents such as unrefined fringe trim, are on trend.

Thanks to the 2023 blockbuster “Barbie,” the upbeat Barbiecore trend also is transitioning into 2024, albeit in a more toned-down way. Instead of bright pinks, Mazzarella says there’s a push toward dusty rose, mauves and aubergine hues.

Squishy, bubble-shaped “marshmallow” pieces that Barbie would love to sit on are another fun way to update your own dreamhouse, as are striking Murano glass chandeliers and curvier furniture.

“It’s not that in-your-face pink, but there’s definitely a feminineness that’s coming in,” Mazzarella says.

PHOTOS COURTESY SHERWIN WILLIAMS

Thanks, Gwyneth

The expensive-looking, label-free fashions that actress and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow wore during her heavily covered 2023 civil trial involving a ski collision (which she won) introduced everyone to the term “quiet luxury” — and the theme has carried over to the home realm.

Also called “stealth wealth,” this seemingly effortless style relies on simple design principles aided by high-quality materials, usually in muted tones. Mazzarella adds that “disposable” furniture trends (similar to fast fashion) typically bought online are coming to an end, with homeowners gravitating toward sustainable, custom-made pieces that can last a lifetime.

“I can give you exactly what you want and you’re going to have it for the next 20 years,” she says of ordering bespoke pieces. “Clients are starting to have sustainability first in mind, and then where and how [the pieces] are made and what the materials are.”

Janeway agrees there’s a movement toward more sustainable fabrics created from recycled materials in design.

FLAT LAY BY JENNIFER JANEWAY DESIGNS

“At Highpoint Market this fall, we discovered these Thibaut fabrics from their Ethos collection and had some fun putting together a colorful flat lay with them,” she says. “This fabric collection is made in large part from recycled polyester or recycled plastic bottles (depending on the specific fabric) and combines surprisingly tough performance with sustainability.”

If overhauling the entire house — which can be both expensive and time-consuming — is out of reach, Mazzarella suggests adding little luxuries to your everyday life such as scented candles, high-quality sheets, an upgraded mattress or a cashmere throw on the sofa.

Throw in a properly framed piece of art or a few handcrafted items you picked up on your recommenced vacations and you’ve got yourself a Gwyneth-approved, luxury look.

“Just in general with all the trends, the volume got turned down,” Mazzarella says. “Things are just getting more personal again; your home shouldn’t look like a staged home.”

PHOTOS BY FULL CIRCLE MEDIA

A Pittsburgh couple who wanted to trade loft living for something more spacious opted to skip the suburbs and create their ideal home in the middle of all the city has to offer.

Their vision led to the transformation of a dilapidated commercial property Downtown into a three-story contemporary home that now boasts a two-story courtyard and an urban-style outdoor living space.

“We like to be pushed in what we do, and as soon as I walked in, I knew this was a project we would like,” says Todd Klippa, owner of TK Construction of Oakdale, the company that brought the couple’s dream to fruition.

BEFORE

The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, had their eyes on the space — which was once a graphic arts business then a storage space — for years prior to buying it in 2020. They knew the building had good bones, and they loved the exposed brick walls and original steel I-joists that gave it an industrial vibe.

The building’s already established open concept lent itself to the couple’s desired floor plan, but a lack of natural light and access to an outdoor space for their dog required some creative solutions during renovations, which were completed in 2022 after pandemic-related delays.

AFTER

A street-facing wall on the main floor that formerly had just one small window became a series of room-stretching panels of glass. The rooftop, accessible off the third-story mancave, became a spacious deck that, in addition to turf for their pooch, has views of the surrounding skyscrapers.

Inside, the first floor hosts a three-car garage as well as an in-law suite with access to a courtyard, where there’s a climbing wall of checkered greenery.

On the main floor, the Mid-Century Modern-style kitchen features a powder blue glass backsplash and frameless cabinets. Modernica fiberglass chairs run the length of the expansive island, which is topped with pearl-and-gold quartz counters that complement the wood cabinets; the island’s textured, powder blue base matches the backsplash.

Seamless panels keep the kitchen’s pantry and utilities tucked out of sight, while a drop ceiling creates separation from the living room and dining space.

The primary suite has a bathroom with a steam shower and a walk-in closet that houses a washer and dryer. More window walls look down upon the courtyard, flooding the space with light.

Klippa and his team were purposeful in preserving certain parts of the existing structure, such as a faded 5-cent sign they discovered under the plaster in the entryway.

The exposed steel beams also were painted to match their original tangerine, and after undergoing extensive polishing, the original concrete floors carry a modern warehouse vibe throughout the home.

More modern elements dominate the exterior, which has staggered, gray-black Hardie boards around the entire structure to create dimension.

Throughout the home, more nods to the couple’s preferred urban aesthetic come in the form of glass globe light fixtures and sleek furnishings. An image advertising an Andy Warhol retrospective greets guests on the lower level.

Each detail came together to give the couple their own private Downtown haven, set amid some of the city’s most popular attractions.

PHOTO BY TAMMY WARAKS

Chris Waraks is an urban warrior of a different kind, using hammer and nails to transform neighborhoods. Now, the North Side resident is using those same tools to change lives.

Nearly two decades ago, Waraks was living in Greensburg and working as a contractor in new home construction, specializing in high-end upgrades, with his business, Mr. Renovation. Then the recession hit.

“We were taking out builder-grade kitchens and installing higher-grade kitchens,” Waraks recalls. “When 2009 hit, everything dried up for us.”

As it turned out, a home purchase Waraks and his wife, Tammy, had made on Spring Hill a few years prior would end up steering their lives in a completely different direction.

“We moved into a house that we owned free and clear; we bought my grandparents’ house from my family — honestly, because I didn’t want to see it go to a flipper,” Waraks says. “We decided to just move down here.”

Like many Pittsburgh neighborhoods, Spring Hill is a small community that sits atop a hill. The under-the-radar neighborhood is just three miles from Downtown. Despite great views of the city, many locals don’t even know it exists.

In the valley below it is Spring Garden — a community dating back to the early 1800s. Settled by German and Austrian immigrants, its residents often worked in the neighborhood’s rendering factories, slaughterhouses and tanneries. The neighborhood architecture was mainly simple — frame row houses dotted with classic Victorian beauties built by some of the more successful businessmen who settled in the area.

In the 1960s, Spring Garden’s population began a steady decline with the city’s suburban exodus. From the 1980s to 2010, the neighborhood saw double-digit declines top more than 30% in some decades until 2010, when there were just 884 residents left in what had become a den of drug activity, abandoned houses and squatters.

“Spring Hill, it’s like being in the suburbs,” Waraks says. “But Spring Garden had been left for so long. There was so much drug activity and crime down there. When people started visiting me, they said, ‘It’s too bad you have to go through that to get here.’”

The neighborhood’s reputation made Waraks and his wife wonder what they could do to improve the community in a mindful way.

That’s when Waraks met Kim Basick. She had fallen in love with the neighborhood and purchased an early 1800s-era row house on Peralta Street. She went on to buy several more properties on the street that she turned into rental properties.

Basick says she ran into Waraks in March 2014, when she went to the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show in search of a company to help her upgrade her rental properties. Waraks stood out from the other contractors she met that day.

“He had a small, 8-by-10 booth that had all these antique tools,” Basick says. “I told him about my project and he said, ‘I would be very interested. I live in Spring Hill.’”

Of the three contractors who showed up at her properties to give bids on the work, Waraks was the only one who brought paper, pencil and a tape measure.

“It was a no-brainer,” Basick says. “As we sat down to sign the contract, he said, ‘Maybe we could go into business together. You own all of the properties down here, maybe we could change the community.’”

A partnership was formed and their first renovation project, at 915 Peralta St., won a design contest with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in May 2016.

“That was our initial project in the Spring Garden area. We really started trying to set the bar for what was going on in the city but wasn’t happening there,” Waraks says, referring to the frenzied building activity of Lawrenceville and the East End happening just across the Allegheny River.

“From that point on, it was us and history,” Basick adds.

Waraks’ construction team included his son, Kyle, an architect who once spent summers on sites with him, and long-time crew leader Bob Sobocinski. Together, they went on to renovate eight houses on Peralta Street, two on nearby Concord Street and one on Spring Garden Avenue. Then, Waraks tackled a condemned, historic house in Fineview that was featured in “This Old House” magazine. That renovation garnered national attention.

As each of Waraks’ renovations sold and urban homesteaders started moving in, the trajectory of the neighborhood began to change. Waraks renovated a corner building for a coffee shop that his wife, Tammy, ran for several years; the shop is still in operation today under new owners. He also mobilized a team to clean up a local park that was central to drug activity.

“No one was taking responsibility for the park down there,” Waraks says. “I worked out a deal with The Home Depot; they gave me the materials at cost. I worked with the Steel City Boxing crew to remove and rebuild the fence, and Junk King owner Ed Stripay hauled it all away for free to promo a ‘Clean Up America’ campaign.”

Lisa McAnany, president of the board of directors for the Community Alliance of Spring Garden & East Deutschtown organization, says combating blight is one of the community’s biggest issues. She is grateful to Waraks and his crew for their vested interest in truly reviving the neighborhood while preserving its original details.

“As a community group, we have seen a lot of bad flippers come in; you know, putting new siding on old, rotted siding,” McAnany says. “Chris just raises the bar and does everything right.”

Waraks’ renovation at 926 Peralta was the last “big money project house” as he turns to training others to continue the neighborhood transformation. He is currently working with Reimagine Reentry on an incubator program that works with people being released from prison.  Reimagine Reentry will take the workers through a six-week program learning OSHA 10 and basic construction skills, including construction math and first aid, Waraks says.

Trainees will have the option to apply to Waraks’ team renovating blighted, abandoned house while working alongside skilled tradespeople. Waraks says he is seeking grants and donations as the renovation costs will be higher than the resale value of the homes. Some properties also will be used as transitional housing for the trainees, who will receive services and support during the program.

“We talked to Chris about the Workforce Development Program he wants to get up and running,” McAnany adds. “We think it is important because it will respect the history of the community.”

As for the future, Waraks’ vision is for Spring Garden to operate as it did when it was a thriving neighborhood.

“Eight years ago, our focus was to rebuild the community,” he says. “We took a big chunk out of that.  “Our goal was to always not just to have these higher-priced houses. We want the lawyer to live next to the garbage man. That is the community that we want to see — the average working-class Joe out on his stoop having a beer with his doctor.”

To read more about the dramatic restoration of 926 Peralta Street in Spring Garden, visit here. 

When Dr. Freddie Fu, the renowned orthopedic surgeon and Pittsburgh Magazine’s 2021 Pittsburgher of the Year, was diagnosed with cancer in early 2021, his daughter, Joyce Fu, knew she had to come home.

She and her husband, Chad Martin, moved as fast as they could, frantically searching for Pittsburgh real estate from their apartment in New York City.

Her father’s aggressive form of melanoma moved faster. By the time they’d identified the perfect home for their family in Point Breeze, it was clear the move would not happen in time. Dr. Fu died in September 2021, but his daughter was able to give her father the gift of knowing his wife would not be left alone.

“I think he was comforted knowing we’d be right across the street from my mom,” Fu says.

Yes, Fu bought a home on the same quiet, private street where she’d grown up, ensuring it is now the street where her three children will grow up, too. It was a bit disconcerting the first time she walked through, rediscovering rooms she’d wandered as a child — when neighborhood kids flitted from door to door during the summer months — and knowing they now belonged to her.

To make the new house feel like her own (and to take care of some needed upgrades), Fu turned to Pittsburgh designer Katy Popple. Helping bring their plans to life was Fu’s father-in-law, Jeff A. Martin, a retired contractor.

Popple was immediately impressed with the stately home, which was built in 1925. “It’s an incredibly gorgeous house with amazing bones, but the previous family had lived there for 20 or 30 years, so it needed some cosmetic work,” she says.

Fu and Popple decided to keep the integrity of the house — including the layout, the floors, and the fireplaces — and focus their attention on renovating the kitchen and bathrooms. They gave the rest of the space a facelift by stripping away old wallpaper, brushing on fresh coats of paint and buying all new furniture. (The family’s existing furniture stayed in New York.)

As with most renovations, the main focus was the kitchen. On a typical project, Popple says she changes the entire flow of cabinets and appliances, either to accommodate an open concept or to maximize space, but not so with this house.

The established layout worked surprisingly well, and Fu liked how the walls held the kitchen captive in the rear of the home. Instead of a major makeover, Popple recommended moving the old painted cabinets and dated granite, replacing them with custom floor-to-ceiling light wood cabinetry and gleaming white quartz countertops with gold marbling.

And because the family had long lived with apartment-sized appliances in New York, they got a kick out of splurging on a 42-inch refrigerator in stainless steel.

Just beyond the kitchen, the living and dining room walls were painted milky white to provide a neutral backdrop for the family’s Mid-Century Modern-inspired furniture and Fu’s collection of Chinese vases and dishes.

But the home isn’t all restraint and elegance. The kitchen pass-through — which doubles as Fu’s office — and the first-floor bathroom each sport a whimsical wallpaper from the Milton & King line. The office got a leafy pattern with pops of pink, green and yellow, while the bathroom got a comic book-style cityscape with fire-breathing Godzillas.

“We have a little funkiness in there,” Fu laughs.

To carry a cohesive look throughout the 4,000-square-foot house, Popple recommended using the same wood cabinets from the kitchen in the first-floor mudroom — which houses the kids’ sports equipment — and second-floor bathrooms. She also carried the neutral paint palette into the bedrooms.

The primary bedroom proved to be the home’s one design puzzle — the layout was such that there was no good spot to place the bed. To remedy that, Popple suggested boxing in a fireplace by building a wall around it, creating a bump out for the bedframe. The solution not only provided a solid backdrop for the bed, but also created deep window sills where Fu could place greenery.

Fu’s three kids also got bedrooms that not only reflected their distinct personalities, but fell right into the sweet spot between kid and grown-up design (think tiger-faced pillows and furry lounge chairs).

Fu’s daughter was especially delighted when Popple designed her space for an en-suite bathroom with a standup shower.

“It’s really hard to move when you’re in seventh grade,” Fu says, “but it’s a lot easier when you have a great room and your own bathroom.”

The entire overhaul took about 10 months, during which the family remained in New York. Long-distance design can be a difficult endeavor — particularly when you’re touching every room in the house. But Popple called this one a breeze thanks to Jeff Martin  — and to Fu for being an ideal client.

“She’s so outgoing and friendly and kind,” Popple says. “Plus, she’s decisive. She knows what she wants, and she can verbalize it. It’s not like that with everybody.”

Thanks to some furniture delays, Popple has been back to the home several times since Fu and her family moved in a year ago; she says it’s been rewarding to watch them take her design and make it their own.

Fu, for her part, is thrilled with the outcome.

“We love Katy, and I feel so lucky we got her to do the project,” she says. “I can’t pick a favorite part. I love the whole house. I could say something about every room.”

PHOTOS COURTESY ROSA COLUCCI AND CHRIS WARAKS

I met Chris Waraks eight years ago, when I toured a Spring Garden home he renovated that won an award for a local renovation contest. Waraks worked with investor/owner Kim Basick on that home and six others on Peralta Street.

Across the street from his renovation was a grand Victorian-style row house that was crumbling with each passing day. In his heart, Waraks knew he could not stand to see it collapse. Basick would end up buying the house for $16,000 through sheriff sale. 

Waraks quickly secured the main part of the house until he could begin work on it. I got a peek at it soon after and was so enchanted I dubbed it “The Mayor’s House” because it was so stately. The front living room had the most amazing plaster crown molding I had ever seen. Waraks walked me over to the fireplace mantle and blew the dust off the facade, revealing gold decorative paint. Kneeling down, he wiped off the hearth, which uncovered a bed of colorful tiles that were waiting to see daylight again. 

Here’s what Waraks told me about this special project. 

CW: “[The house] was built in 1888. I found a date on the plaster molding. The late Carol Peterson did a house history on it. It was built by William M. Sauer. He started the largest mechanical firm in the nation with a little plumbing shop on Chestnut Street. His dad was a bartender on the corner. The company is still in operation today.”

My tour consisted of the front room and the entry staircase. The rest was unstable. From the side street, I could see pigeons flying into a nest they made in the back of the house.

CW: “The roof was so badly damaged over the years of leaking and it had weakened all of the floors all the way through the house. So, you could walk into the living room and had to be very careful and stay on the outside wall to walk through the dining room. The back section of the house that had the kitchen and bathroom above, those areas were almost completely collapsed. The front wall of that had collapsed and had come down on to that section of the house.” 

Waraks started renovations in 2019, nearly three years after the initial purchase. Although he was unable to save the damaged plaster molding, he installed a wood crown and a wallpaper border in its place. He also managed to restore the home’s original slate fireplaces, which have a faux marble finish. 

CW: “They were all completely removed while construction was done and replaced in the end. We were able to touch up the original pattern and repainted it.” 

The entire house was gutted to the studs and all the original woodwork was removed, numbered and stored. Pieces were milled and several were restored on site, including a set of pocket doors that are 10½ feet tall. The front window shutters were restored as well. Waraks’ crew salvaged trim from the house and pieced it back together to look as it did originally.

The entry was also a salvage mission. It features original leather-embossed wainscoting that was dyed in shades of green, gold and red. The staircase and newel post had an intricate ladder design on the spindles. 

CW: “The embossed leather wainscoting in the hallway I left until the end. I cleaned it with Simply Green [cleaner]. I could not believe it when all of the colors appeared — beautiful. For the staircase, we were fortunate that I had to remove a section of railing that ran longways. We had all the parts needed to rebuild it. The steps are original; they were sagging, so we opened them up, lifted and secured them from underneath.” 

In the dining room, new lighting, windows and a removal of a door allowed for better flow into the kitchen. From there, Lisa Ryan took the reins in decorating the property for her son, who purchased it at the beginning of 2023. 

CW: “We needed to give it modern amenities, make it look and feel like the original. There was a full built-in back in the corner and the house also had a butler’s pantry that is now a powder room. It was originally built so that you walked into the kitchen through one door and loop back into the dining room. We didn’t go too crazy with the wall cabinets because originally there wouldn’t have been a lot of wall cabinets in a kitchen like that. We did a lot of base cabinets.” 

Ryan made excellent use of the space, installing a free-standing island and a metal cow relief above the stove. The second floor features a large guest bathroom, a laundry room hidden behind a pocket door and two bedrooms. One is a guest bedroom, decorated with a national parks theme; the second guest bedroom is an office. Exquisite woodwork painted in contrasting dark and light hues show up on arched casing, doors and trim. The office decor features a mix of superheroes, sports and pop culture. Through the windows, views of the city skyline peek out from the rooftops. 

The winding staircase continues to the third floor, where a stunning primary suite awaits. There, Ryan introduced a Southwestern theme that fits perfectly with the masculine space. The primary bathroom features a stunning shower with floor-to-ceiling tile, a custom-painted vanity and a walk-in closet. 

The exterior of the house is a story in itself. Terra cotta tile accents, the stairs, sidewalks and stone were all restored. The home’s wood accents were painted a rich green to complement the deep red bricks. 

The basement has been restored but not finished. Kyle Waraks, Chris’ son, unearthed a North Side mystery when he noticed a stone arch a foot from the floor surface. 

CW: “The floor was kind of collapsing in that section. Kyle dropped the digging bar and it dropped 6 feet. We dug and found a tunnel that went to the yard of the neighboring house.  There were tunnels coming off of the brewery he ran and we think that this linked to another tunnel. We were looking at dates; it was not old enough for the Underground Railroad.” 

Every corner throughout the home tells a story — and Ryan has a story for every piece. She says 90% of her finds are either second-hand and repurposed. Among her favorites is a copy of a Rembrandt painting to hang over the dining room mantel. At the base, stone Gryphons stand guard.

Waraks and his crew also completely renovated the property’s rear house, which is used as a rental. Ryan outfitted it with loungey sectionals, fun art and even a Scrabble table.

Waraks adds he has no regrets about putting the time into saving this house. 

CW: “A demo guy that I know once said to me, ‘Some of the most beautiful houses I tear down in the City of Pittsburgh could be saved and could be restored; the only bad thing is that the roof is in the basement.’ This house just fit that criteria, but to be able to bring it back up again and save it was one of the most rewarding things.”  

Read more about Waraks and his Spring Garden renovations. 

About Time
This tick-tock rocks! Known for its geode planters, Tal & Bert has released a clock version of its signature piece that features a crushed quartz geode outlined in 22-karat gold leaf. It also comes with your choice of gold or black hardware.
Price: $66
Tal & Bert, locations at 2892 W. Liberty Ave., Dormont and 1003 Main St., Sharpsburg, talandbert.com 

Soap Story
Can you dig it? After you’re done playing in the dirt, Lovett Sundries’ Gardener’s Soap is perfect for powering off grime. The gentle cleanser uses olive and coconut oils to leave hands feeling petal soft.
Price: $10
Lovett Sundries, 761 Penn Ave., Wilkinsburg; 412-204-6866, lovettsundries.com

Bug Off
While you’re out enjoying nature, Lovett Sundries offers an essential-oil-based insect repellent. The pleasant-smelling concoction also is available in a refill bottle with no plastic pump.
Price: $15
Lovett Sundries, 761 Penn Ave, Wilkinsburg; 412-204-6866, lovettsundries.com

What a Cad
Set this one on your outdoor tablescape. FDP Studio’s hand-thrown Self Draining Cutlery Caddy has a perforated base that allows your silverware to easily air dry. Finished in an oatmeal glaze, the dishwasher-safe caddy is created from chocolate stoneware clay with an extra heavy base to prevent tipping.
Price: $38
FDP Studio Shop, 2082 Route 130, Pleasant Unity; 724-423-2900, fdpstudioshop.com

PHOTOS COURTESY MARGARET HOOTON

In a lilting soprano that could tease a toddler to sleep — as this early childhood music teacher often does — Margaret Hooton chats as she meanders through a muddy patch that soon will be a riot of colorful blooms.

This is Hooton’s second walk through her beloved garden since returning from vacation, when she checked it out at midnight with a flashlight.

Scissors in hand, she clips and artfully arranges flowers as she rounds her home in Mt. Lebanon’s Mission Hills, delighted to see old favorites sprouting among new floral friends, some of them gifts from fellow gardeners. “Ooooh, smell this,” she urges, sniffing the bouquet that is emerging — daffodils, purple tulips, yellow and pale-pink peony tulips, viburnum, bleeding heart, apple blossoms and a sprig of mint.

Her formal, 1920s-era Caste Brothers stone Tudor and its mature gardens retain their good bones. But the home Hooton and her husband, Mike, have lived in for more than 30 years is also a welcoming, contemporary space for entertaining family and friends. (Hooton is as adept at blending ingredients for a one-pot or a grill surprise, enhanced by her home-grown herbs, as she is at throwing together a nosegay.)

Living in Color

In the kitchen, it takes but a minute for Hooton to extract the perfect vase from the mountain of handmade pottery that decorates one wall; most were made by her son Robert, an art teacher in Bethel Park, but others were handcrafted by local artists. She sets her creation on a countertop, snaps a photo and offers it to her guest, who suddenly is motivated to dine at the table with a centerpiece tonight instead of on the couch in front of “Jeopardy.”

Life changing? Perhaps not. Still, the flowers are a brief treat, serving as a reminder that gifts don’t need to be expensive or enduring, unlike large, pricey floral designs we order and expect to last a week.

“The stuff I do is very fleeting,” Hooton acknowledges. “You enjoy it for one or two days.”

Her smile underlines pleasure in proffering cheer to anyone who will accept; she often posts pictures of her petite bouquets on her Instagram page (@MBHooton), where dozens of folks will pause on an ordinary day to soak up a bit of beauty. So far, she has posted more than 130 unique bouquets on Instagram, each captioned with a simple list of the flowers used.

A Musical Beginning

Hooton grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, one of 10 children of a physician and a homemaker who tended stately peonies and lilacs in their front yard but also rented a vacant lot to grow vegetables. She attributes her patience for gardening to her mother but, like her dad, prefers flowers, a hobby they shared enthusiastically over many years and miles. Her family also was musical; Hooton’s dad taught her to play guitar. An affinity for gardening and music connects her and her siblings to this day.

When a job for her husband with Heinz’s law department lured the couple to Pittsburgh, Hooton rented a plot at the municipal golf course where she experimented with “easy seed flowers — zinnias, cosmos and bachelor buttons.”

Then they moved to their “forever home,” which was begging for gardens. “So I just dug up the lawn and started growing flowers,” Hooton says. She soon met like-minded neighbors who were eager to exchange tips and plants, including Nancy Smith, who designs and cares for Mt. Lebanon Library’s gardens.

When Hooton, Smith and neighbor Mark Trumbull volunteered to maintain the public planting bed in the traffic circle between their homes, Trumbell remembers Hooton’s dad sending some of his famous red canna lilies to help them get started. The cannas thrived there, but, ironically, things came full circle years later when the trio received an SOS — “My cannas didn’t make it through the winter,” said Hooton’s dad. Soon, some of his own donated flower tubers were heading home to him.

In the 1970s, Hooton started as a music major at University of Iowa but switched to journalism, although she remained a singer in the school’s choir and traveling show group. When her children were young, she worked in public relations for cultural arts organizations, but eventually found a way to share her joy for the world with children. “When did we decide we’re not all worthy to be singers and artists?”

Guitar under her arm, a head full of silly songs in her repertoire, and not a shy bone in her body, she found a position at St. Paul’s Episcopal Nursery School, where she so captivated her young audience that then-director Winnie Feise convinced the school to pay for Hooton to attend early childhood music training at Duquesne University. The university later retained Hooton to design courses that integrate the arts into early childhood curriculum.

These days, she teaches workshops for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, visits classrooms in Pittsburgh Public Schools, presents at national conferences and regularly emcees Carnegie Museum of Art’s Holiday Party for Special Guests. The Friday after Thanksgiving, she and her brother, Bob Barnett, a professional tenor who traveled with the Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus, presented a free interactive family sing-along at Mt. Lebanon Library. And she still is eagerly welcomed at St. Paul’s, where her spring program — a whirl of clanging, leaping, twirling, singing and scrunched-up scarves that magically turn into beautiful flowers — creates harmony between music and nature.

Creating Moments of Beauty

Back in her garden, Hooton grows about 40 varieties of flowers, an accomplishment she attributes largely to taking risks and cutting her losses.

“Half the stuff I plant doesn’t make it, so I just plant something else,” she says. “One of the funniest signs I ever saw on a garden tour said, ‘This looked so much better in the catalog.’”

She has begun showcasing her music online for children in the same spirit she offers her bouquets. On any night, you might find her on the Facebook page Planting Seeds of Love, where participants can share ideas, songs, activities and lesson plans for children, reading a classic good night story for toddlers, perhaps turning it into a lullaby with an impromptu melody.

“Little bits of beauty are accessible to anyone,” Hooton says. “I drive through the countryside, and almost everyone has a basket or a patch of flowers in front of their home. It doesn’t have to be fancy.

“I have had success with seeds from expensive places and also have had fun growing zinnias from seeds I bought at the Dollar Store … Bringing a little beauty into the world doesn’t have to be expensive.”

RENDERINGS BY JOE SKIBBA, DEPICTION, LLC

North Hills native Kristin Karsh was perusing her local farmers market offerings when she stumbled upon a flier for the Rachel Carson EcoVillage being built on the outskirts of Chatham University’s Eden Hall campus in Richland.

Drawn in by the beautiful illustrations and the promise of adventure,  Karsh, a paraprofessional in the Pine-Richland School District, decided to become a resident.

“I was looking for connection,” she says. “I was seeking a community. I was open to it. I’m kind of one of these people that I really love variety in my life, and I’m intrigued by new things.”

Focused on sustainability, inclusivity and diversity, the Rachel Carson EcoVillage, named for the famed environmentalist and Chatham alumna, is a multi-generational community made up of 35 units that invites residents to build strong relationships with neighbors while caring for the local environment. Construction begins this summer, and residents can expect their units to be built within 12 months.

“The whole idea of this EcoVillage is really built on the desire of the people to know their neighbors, to have that sense of belonging that is so hard to find today,” says architect Stefani Danes, EcoVillage project manager and adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Architecture. “And that desire to play a role in the community is something that makes us happier and healthier and actually live longer.”

In 2008, the Eden Hall Foundation donated 388 acres in Richland to Chatham; today, its suburban campus, the world’s first university campus to be designed as a showcase for sustainable solutions, is home to the Falk School of Sustainability & Environment.

The idea of the village was built into the original master plans for the satellite campus. Two years ago, residents, environmental educators and ecologists began to study the natural environment around the proposed community.

Danes says the project was approached as a “part of the natural world around us.” Unlike the lawns and shrubs of a typical suburban neighborhood, the EcoVillage will be surrounded with meadow and forest.

“We accept that nature changes,” Danes says. “And so we’ve looked at how the environment will change and we will change with it over a 30-year period. So taking the longer, bigger view is really what green approach is all about.”

The village will house three types of buildings ranging from one-bedroom units (with pricing starting in the $300,000s) to larger units (priced in the $500,000s) that are able to accommodate families. A bedroom and full bathroom are located on the ground floor of all units, along with an accessible entrance. While the units don’t have a basement, they will include large porches and private yards.

All units also will have a customizable upper floor plan. Danes says this open space can be used for two additional bedrooms, a yoga studio or a home office. She adds units are still available; interested members are encouraged to attend meetings and learn about the community.

“These are open to a lot of different lifestyles and we kind of look forward to seeing what people decide to do with them,” she says.

A notable feature of the community is the common house, a building with a dining room, kitchen and sitting room for neighbors to share. The space also includes two guest rooms and two additional apartments for residents who want the convenience and amenities that come with living above the dining quarters.

Along with compact units that preserve the natural area around the village, Danes says the houses are being built with “durability” in mind and will be certified by the Passive House Institute, a non-profit group that promotes a high standard for construction, resulting in buildings that are energy efficient, comfortable and affordable.

The village is also powered by green, renewable energy resources.

“That means that they’re highly insulated. They waste much less energy than typical buildings do, and in fact our utility bills are going to be just a small fraction of what they would ordinarily be,” Danes says.

Living on campus will also give residents a chance to learn with students and participate in campus events. Residents may audit classes, access campus recreation facilities and an outdoor pool and explore six miles of winding trails.

“It’s amazing what the school is doing, and all of the ways that they have gone beyond being [a] traditional university to being really tightly connected with the whole community and engaging students and community members beyond the classroom,” Danes says.

From retirees to sustainability-minded environmental stewards, the EcoVillage has already attracted a wide swath of potential residents. Now involved in the membership and outreach planning group for the village, Karsh, 64,  has been guiding potential members to become “Explorers” — and find out if the EcoVillage is the right fit for their lifestyle.

“We all have some things in common but we’re all very different as well,” she says. “So everyone’s kind of looking at it through their own lens and trying to figure out if they can make it work for them.”

A retired environmental educator from Slippery Rock, Becky Lubold is one of those prospective EcoVillage residents. Lubold says she already had been searching to live in an intentional cohousing community when she came across the EcoVillage. Right away, she knew it would fulfill her aspirations to make a positive impact on the earth while getting to know her neighbors, including sharing food, music and good times.

“I have been amazed at the range of creativity, talent, skills, backgrounds and experiences that we represent — and at the friendships that we have already developed,” she says.

PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

As the days grow warmer and longer, it’s time to drag Heywood out of the closet and get him ready for picnic season.

Heywood is a large plaid blanket named after Heywood Hale Broun, the flamboyant sportscaster of the 1960s and ’70s. Woodie, as he was called, favored outrageous plaid sports jackets; he would have looked perfectly at home wearing our picnic blanket.

Whether it was a formal outing to a nearby park or setting up a folding table in the driveway of our house in Brooklyn, eating outdoors has always been a favorite of mine. Dining “al fresco” was probably the only part of being a Boy Scout that I really enjoyed (although the knot-tying skills have come in handy).

“Picnic” itself is a rather strange word. It comes from the French “pique-nique” and means a “social gathering where each attendee brings a share of the food” or “a light informal meal where one would leisurely pick and nibble at food.”

I like aspects of both definitions. A picnic is all about sharing, both food and time; there is no rushing through a picnic. I also really like the idea of spending the time outdoors nibbling on a little bit of this and that, with plenty of time for a Frisbee toss or cornhole game.

During the ’50s and ’60s, the standard picnic fare often included things such as potato salad and deviled eggs. However, salmonella got the better of those ideas; now we tend to shy away from dishes that rely heavily on mayonnaise — unless, of course, you have some form of portable refrigeration that will keep things cool and safe.

So what do we bring to picnics these days? Salads. All three of these recipes are weatherproof and perfect for nibbling; they also go great with anything else people might bring to the gathering.

A lifelong home cook with a big Italian-American family, Chris Fennimore was the longtime program director, as well as the popular “cooking guy,” at WQED. In 1993, he began producing and hosting the series “QED Cooks,” which won a James Beard Award and an Emmy. He has produced, contributed to and edited more than 100 community cookbooks in WQED’s “America’s Homecooking Series.”

Recipes

Celery and Green Olive Salad
(Oliva Schiacciate)

1 pound Sicilian cracked green olives
1 head celery
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup white or red wine vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Smash the olives on a cutting board using the flat side of a large knife or the bottom of a coffee mug. Remove the pits and coarsely chop the olives. Wash and dry the celery stalks. Use a vegetable peeler on the outside of each stalk to remove the strings. Cut each stalk crosswise into ¼-inch pieces. Mix all the ingredients together and let them marinate overnight. Serve as a side salad or part of an antipasto.

Carrot Salad

2 pounds of carrots, grated
1 cup golden raisins
4 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 8-ounce cans crushed pineapple (drained)
½ cup shredded coconut
½ cup roasted sunflower seeds

Use the coarse side of the grater for the carrots then toss all the ingredients and let them marinate for a little while to mix the flavors. Sprinkle the sunflower seeds on at the last minute so they retain their crunchiness.

Caprese Skewers

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
4 ounces olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar glaze
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper (or ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 pound small mozzarella balls
Basil leaves

Mix the tomato halves with the olive oil, vinegar and spices and marinate overnight. Cut the basil leaves into small pieces. Assemble the skewers, alternating tomato halves, mozzarella balls and basil leaves. Place the skewers side by side in a 9×12 pan (it’s OK to stack). Pour the remaining marinade over the skewers and cover.

PHOTOS BY DAVE BRYCE PHOTOGRAPHY

Late last summer, Meghan McDermott stepped onto her covered patio and peered at the backyard with a feeling that landed somewhere between dread and excitement. The renovation of her family’s six-bedroom, red-brick Colonial in Upper St. Clair was stretching into its 15th month — with all the noise, dust and disruption that entails — and they hadn’t even considered the outdoor space yet.

In order to complete the three-story addition on the back of the home, construction workers had to dig out a new foundation and then fill and grade the property. That process left a backyard that was wider, flatter and brimming with possibilities. McDermott didn’t want to see that potential squandered in the face of renovation fatigue.

“We need to pay just as much attention to the outside as we did to the inside,” McDermott warned her family. “The outside should be just as designed.”

Of course, that would be a tall order given the scope of the indoor renovation overseen by McDermott, the owner of Blue and Blanc Design. The expanded square footage allowed for an entertainment room in the basement; a dining area, sitting room and laundry room on the first floor; and an expanded master bedroom and office on the second level.

True to McDermott’s tailored, transitional aesthetic, the new space is packed with clever, customized details: rich navy cabinetry in the butler’s pantry, a water-bottle filling station in the hallway, a barrel ceiling in the sitting room and — wait for it — floral wallpaper in the elevator. (Yes, they added an elevator to save square footage in the basement and make laundry days easier.)

McDermott was set on having that same attention to detail in the backyard while creating a space that served the entire family’s needs.

Her four children, who range in age from 8 to 14, immediately proposed one very specific idea — a pool. Fulfilling that request took some thought and compromise.

While the yard was now wide, it was still fairly shallow and hemmed in by a brick wall and a stand of evergreens. McDermott suggested an in-ground hot tub the family could use year-round, but the kids balked at that. Instead, they ended up somewhere in the middle, with a 4½-foot-deep plunge pool that can be heated to 105 degrees on chilly nights or provide a refreshing dip on summer days.

To maximize space, the pool is situated in the corner of the yard and curves with the arc of the brick wall. The placement is visually pleasing, plus it preserves a wide swath of uninterrupted green where the kids can toss a football or run with the family dog, Fletcher.

While McDermott was willing to concede on the pool, she was prepared to fight for her ideal dining area. She had long envisioned a long white table set on a diamond pattern and a blue stone-and-grass patio.

“I wanted it to look like something out of a magazine,” she says.

It was doable, her landscaper agreed, but to ensure its longevity, he advised using turf between the stones instead of grass. The suggestion raised the price tag, but McDermott took the leap. In fact, she decided to turf the entire backyard, providing 365 days of green (and no yellow spots left behind by Fletcher).

“I figured, we need to do it once, do it right and not cut any corners,” McDermott says.

Just beyond the dining area are the covered patio, stone fireplace and a 60-inch television, which pre-date the renovation, and a new, state-of-the-art Twin Eagles grill framed in navy fireproof board.

Because the addition is wrapped in bright white molding, it’s all set on a clean backdrop and accentuated with pops of blue (including throw pillows in a leafy motif from Schumacher’s outdoor line).

McDermott considered adding unexpected colors but kept returning to her signature palette of blue and “blanc.”

“It just keeps everything so crisp and clean,” she says.

In all, the renovation took 18 months and, because it finished last fall, this will be the family’s first full summer in the upgraded outdoor space. They’re already taking advantage of all it has to offer. On an unseasonably warm day in April, a forgotten game of cornhole lay on the turf while McDermott readied the plunge pool for visitors.

“I’m my own worst client,” McDermott jokes. “I see a new thing and I want it.”

But, in this backyard, it seems she got everything she desired.

Feeling Groovy
Found at Lawrenceville’s Von Walter & Funk, this groovy, hand-printed set of rocks glass were made in collaboration with 70s House Manchester. The dishwasher-safe glasses are presented in equally far-out, custom gift boxes.
Price: $45
Von Walter & Funk, 5210 Butler St., Lawrenceville; 412-784-0800, vonwalterandfunk.com 

Flower Power
Think spring in your home all year long with hand-crafted flora frames by South Hills-based Moss & Fern. The pressed flowers and foliage in the graceful gold floating frames are all sourced locally.
Price: $40
love, Pittsburgh, locations in Mount Washington, Downtown and Strip District; 412-258-6611, lovepittsburghshop.com

Bag it Up
Comfy and cute, the LAPETIA Small Vegan Sling Silicone Bag is water resistant and BPA free. Strap it over your shoulder for a casual, stylish look while you’re out and about.
Price: $75
Von Walter & Funk, 5210 Butler St., Lawrenceville; 412-784-0800, vonwalterandfunk.com 

Pittsburgh Pride
Where are yinz from? Let your shirt do the talking with Socielle’s popular Pittsburgh Places pullover naming some of the city’s most iconic neighborhoods.
Price: $63.50
Socielle, 632 California Ave., Avalon; shopsocielle.com 

PHOTOS BY CHRIS FENNIMORE

Like so many of the most memorable dishes from my childhood, Arancini were served only once a year in connection to a particular season or holiday — in this case, Easter.

The name in Sicilian means “oranges” and these golden balls of flavored rice, with their crispy breadcrumb coating and surprise savory center, are a perfect indulgence at the end of the 40 days of culinary deprivation known as Lent.

As a child, I could never grasp why we only enjoyed this dish once a year. It was only when I was older and we tried to replicate the recipe during our annual Easter family reunion at my sister Pat’s house in Maryland that I came to realize the incredible amount of preparation and work that went into each bite.

First, you have to make an enormous batch of rice — and it must be the perfect consistency in order to be molded into little balls. Then, the filling of chopped meat with tomato paste, cloves, cinnamon and pepper has to be simmered and cooled.

None of us were as good as Mom at cupping a portion of the rice in a ladle, filling with the meat and then molding more rice on top to create a seamless sphere.

While my brother Chuck fired up Mom’s deep fryer, we then prepped the balls by rolling them in beaten egg and seasoned breadcrumbs. Finally, they were lowered, three or four at a time, into the hot oil.

As soon as they were browned, drained, and put on a plate covered in paper towels, the spheres were consumed to evaluate the need for a higher or lower temperature, more seasoning, etc.

As we hovered over the fryer in Pat’s kitchen, this process was repeated until the mixture was nearly gone. Only the last half-dozen or so ever made it to the table.

No wonder Mom only made these once a year.

And then, one fall, Mom had an inspiration: make the Arancini as a casserole, with all the same flavor profiles and textures as the little “oranges,” but none of the fussiness and aggravation. Hallelujah!

Here is our recipe, plus some tips for creating a rice casserole that is easy enough for a weeknight, but with all the deliciousness of a complicated, annual food ritual. This particular version has the flavoring profile called Cacio e Pepe, or Cheese and Pepper.

Known as the WQED Cookin’ Guy, Chris Fennimore shares his recipes and remembrances in each HOME issue. 

Recipes

Cacio e Pepe Rice Casserole

2 cups arborio rice

4 cups chicken stock

1 stick butter

1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 cups unseasoned breadcrumbs

Put the rice and the stock in an instant pot cooker. Use the rice setting on your machine or cook it for 12 minutes on low pressure. Let the pressure release naturally. Stir in the butter, cheese and pepper until the butter is completely melted. Use 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to coat the bottom of a 9-by-13 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle one cup of the breadcrumbs on top and shake the pan to distribute evenly. Pour in the rice and pat down until evenly distributed and smooth on top. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil with the remaining breadcrumbs and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the casserole. Spread evenly with a spoon and flatten. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until the breadcrumbs start to brown. Make sure when serving to scoop down all the way to the bottom breadcrumb layer.

Optional Meat Filling

Feel free to augment the rice mixture with sauteed mushrooms, onion, etc. — or to add a layer of this highly seasoned chopped meat. If you do add the meat, you can drop the pepper from the rice mixture.

1 pound chopped beef (80/20)

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 small can tomato paste

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Fry the beef in a skillet until it begins to brown. Stir in the onion and cook until the onion is wilted. Add the tomato paste and spices and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool before adding to the casserole. Proceed as above with the oil and breadcrumb layer. Use ½ of the rice and press flat. Then add the rest of the rice and the final breadcrumb layer. Bake as above.

Makes approximately 4 cups of risotto

PHOTOS COURTESY SHERWIN WILLIAMS

When it comes to trending paint colors for 2023, new twists on neutrals and whimsical nods to nature will dominate. As for bringing these outdoors-inspired hues into your home, it can be as simple as adding an accent piece or as elaborate as a floor-to-ceiling paint commitment, local design experts say.

“People are so over the white and the gray right now,” says Pittsburgh-based interior designer Hayley Watters. “We’re looking for cheerful colors. [We] want something that’s tranquil and soft and easy to relax around.”

The New Neutral.   Color experts have chosen an array of options for anyone looking to infuse much-needed calm — particularly in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic — into the home. For its 2023 Color of the Year, Sherwin-Williams selected Redend Point, a soulful, earthy terracotta color with subtle pink undertones.

Lauren Piasecki, founding partner and designer at Black Cherry Design, says this take on popular flesh tones is an ideal neutral for people not on board with bringing brown tones into their homes but who are open to a hue that works well with anything from blacks to greens and even bright yellows. “So many things would pair really well with this,” she says, adding how committing an entire space to the more classic hue could create a trendy English cottage vibe.

Sue Wadden, Sherwin-Williams director of color marketing, says Redend Point is ideal for social areas like dining and living rooms with its warmth and ability to inspire connection. “It’s also a cosmetic tone, meaning it is perfect for spaces where you practice self-care, such as the bathroom or bedroom,” she says.

Wadden adds Redend Point can add drama when on a ceiling and also works well in smaller places such as a console or even the base of a lamp.

Given the terracotta tone, Watters recommends introducing Redend Point through pottery. For more accent inspiration, homeowners may explore Sherwin-Williams collaboration with Etsy, which showcases curated selections of goods that pair well with the paint, including wall art, candles and custom-made furniture.

PHOTO COURTESY PPG PAINTS

Taking on Teal.   The GLIDDEN Paint by PPG’s 2023 Color of the Year, Vining Ivy, evokes tranquility, balance and renewal, says Ashley McCollum, color marketing manager for PPG. The bold blue-green is a natural fit for anyone who is looking to introduce color to more neutral palettes, she adds. “It can be toned down or it can be toned up. It really depends on what you pair it with.”

The jewel-toned teal works well with deeper woods and white trim, McCollum says, and can create a more luxurious feel when accessorized with gold accents. The shade also shines on exteriors, particularly in more wooded areas, and can also make a bold statement on kitchen cabinetry, McCollum says.

Piasecki calls Vining Ivy a happier version of the dark blues and greens popular in kitchens recently and suggests coating perimeter cabinets in the hue while leaving the island with a wood stain — or even painting the lower cabinets Vining Ivy while leaving upper cabinets white. “If there’s a color that’s on trend and people are doing it a lot, I like to do it in a way that’s not super committal,” she says.

For a more surprising pop of color, use Vining Ivy on the back of a bookshelf or on shelving surrounding a fireplace, McCollum suggests. Adventurous homeowners might even consider coating an entire room — ceiling, walls, trim and all — in Vining Ivy.

“I think a lot of people now just want to go completely maximalist and use color like an all-encompassing envelope,” Watters says. “If you’re going to use it, go for it. Just go big or go home.”

PHOTO BY JASON SNYDER. DESIGN BY BLACK CHERRY

Lovely lavender.   Offering a more edgy, nostalgic nod to nature is Digital Lavender, Coloro and consumer trend forecaster WGSN’s color choice for 2023. The vibrant, eye-catching shade — which appears in the framed painting above — could work well as a doorway or as trim for a white or beige wall, Watters says.

“I’m seeing it everywhere — in fashion, in print, in digital design,” Watters says of the playful tone. “If you wanted to be trendy and on top of it, this would be the shade to work with.”

Piasecki sees the youthful shade working best in bedrooms and suggests relying more on accessories such as rugs and artwork to bring in pops of the purple. She also encourages homeowners to let their creativity shine by bringing Vining Ivy, Redend Point and Digital Lavender together.

“That could be a really fun palette to build off of,” she says.

Talkin’ Snack
If there’s a better motto for winter, we haven’t found one. The “Always Be Snackin” cotton flour sack tea towel by garbella adds a fun touch of whimsy to your kitchen.
Price: $16
garbella, 5202 Carnegie St., Upper Lawrenceville; garbella.net 

Inner Goddess
Treat your dry winter skin with the luxurious Goddess Body Oil by Una Biologicals. Apply it before you get in the shower and let it sink in. Your rejuvenated skin will thank you.
Price: $22
Una Biologicals, 3707 Butler St., Lawrenceville; 412-621-4126, unabiologicals.com 

Pulp Popcorn
‘Tis the season to curl up with a movie, and you don’t have to be a “Pulp Fiction” fan to love Steel City Salt Company’s Royale with Cheese. Made in collaboration with Lawrenceville’s Row House Cinema, the cheesy blend has a hint of smoked sea salt and spices. We think Vincent Vega would approve.
Price: $9.95
Steel City Salt Company, 206 Grant Ave., Millvale; 412-407-9271, steelcitysalt.com

Catch Some Sun
Give your winter décor some sparkle with Maddie Rigatti’s handcrafted suncatchers. Sold at MJ Eclectic (formerly known as Shop Blakley Jean), the suncatchers are made with genuine gemstones, including crystal quartz, labradorite and amazonite. Place them in a well-lit window to project a rainbow across the room.
Price: $20 to $60
MJ Eclectic (inside the Lawrenceville Market House), 4112 Butler St., Lawrenceville; blakleyjean.com

PHOTO BY MICHAEL PARENTE

The change happened in the fall of 2018.

On Cinque Cerra-Saunders’ Instagram feed, ripped denim, classic hightops and smoldering gazes slowly gave way to distressed brick, stainless steel appliances and big grins, marking his transformation from creative director of a menswear line to real estate investor and home designer.

Of course, nothing is ever as simple as it seems on social media.

In reality, that transition happened over a decade and included multiple moves across the country, a killer return on a real estate investment, a little luck and a lot of hard work. But Cerra-Saunders eventually, perhaps ironically, ended up right back where he began — happily living and working in less than 1,000 square feet.

CINQUE CERRA-SAUNDERS USED HIS SIGNATURE CLEVER DESIGN CHOICES TO TRANSFORM THIS SHADYSIDE LOFT | PHOTOS BY STUDIO LITHE

“I’m attracted to living smaller because it’s a simpler way of living,” Cerra-Saunders says. “It forces you to process clutter and be intentional about what you’re keeping in your life.”

It’s a trend he showcases as the host of A&E’s series “Living Smaller,” which premiered last year, visiting tiny home evangelists across the country. And it’s a lifestyle he lives right here in Pittsburgh, as a designer with a reputation for transforming “small, quirky” spaces into works of functional art.

“I love the aesthetic challenge of it,” he says. “Anyone can buy a 5,000-square-foot house and be organized. There’s no challenge in that.”

Cerra-Saunders sowed the seeds of that creativity growing up in his mother’s turn-of-the-century brownstone in the Bronx, full of tiny nooks and weekend projects. That, and a steady television diet of “This Old House” and “Trading Spaces,” sparked his love of design. And though he eventually switched from studying interior design to menswear at the Fashion Institute of Technology, he kept one foot firmly planted in real estate, working for a high-end residential designer in New York City.

The turning point came in 2014, the year Cerra-Saunders bought his first property. It took two years of searching to pinpoint the right place at the right price, but he eventually landed a co-op on the 21st floor of The Executive Towers, an apartment building in the Bronx he’d admired since he was a kid. With just 400 square feet of space to work with, the ensuing renovation tested his ingenuity, his skill and his wallet.

He relied on reclaimed materials (picking up custom cabinets on the cheap from a defunct Brooklyn condo development) and affordable design tricks (disguising faux brick boards with joint compound and white paint) to achieve the look and feel he wanted. Within six months, he took the aforementioned creative director job with the brand Young and Reckless in Los Angeles and was forced to lease the refurbished space, but the experience left a lasting mark.

“It solidified that this is what I wanted to be doing,” Cerra-Saunders says.

The itch for another project began immediately after completing the first, but he was not quite prepared to dive into the West Coast real estate market. That’s when Pittsburgh came calling.

Cerra-Saunders was working on some freelance designs for Daily Bread, the Pittsburgh-based  lifestyle brand founded by Bill Niels of Mac Miller’s Most Dope crew fame, when he landed in the Steel City for the first time. A quick Google search later, his interest was definitely piqued.

He asked his business partner, “Did you know Pittsburgh is the No. 3 place to flip a house in the country?” He added, “apparently, there’s this neighborhood called
Lawrenceville.”

The naivete of that bright-eyed statement makes Cerra-Saunders chuckle, given Lawrenceville’s solid standing as one of Pittsburgh’s “it” spots and his own deep dive into the Pittsburgh housing market. But at the time, as he purchased a 700-square-foot house on Craigslist, sight unseen, it all felt like an exciting gamble.

The properties and the design ideas came fast and furious after that first flip. Shadyside, Swissvale, Polish Hill and Fox Chapel. Slab-front cabinets, black architectural elements, feather-finish walls and small appliances. Cerra-Saunders also stages all his properties, sometimes selling them fully or partially furnished (“You want to see a realtor’s head explode?” he asks. “Tell them you’re going to install a 24-inch range.”)

But bouncing between his full-time job in Los Angeles and his labor of love in Pittsburgh — with a dog in tow — got old fast. So Cerra-Saunders made two decisions: He was going to sell that co-op in New York and make a permanent move to Pittsburgh, where he lived in Shadyside before landing his current loft in Oakland.

The former decision set him up financially. It took seven offers and four buyers (the condo board rejected the first three), but he got more than double what he paid for the property in 2014. The latter decision gave him an unexpected, but well-fitting, place to do the work he’s always wanted to do.

“Flipping got me here, but what really sealed the deal is that Pittsburgh feels familiar,” Cerra-Saunders says. “I’m a Northeasterner. I love small spaces. I love a brick building. You have that here, but it’s also clean, it’s affordable, the people are friendly and you can walk your dog at 2 a.m. and feel OK.”

Then there’s that other intangible thing Pittsburgh provides creatives who make a home here.

“It’s a sense that you can make your mark and be a part of something cool rather than a needle in a haystack,” he says.

Cerra-Saunders is certainly no needle in a haystack. The A&E series has made him not just a familiar face but perhaps the face of the current living-small movement. And his clever design hacks and bold decor choices, including pink area rugs, blue appliances and yellow gallery walls, have earned him a following of more than 16,000 on Instagram.

Though he describes his design style as aspirational — “I want people to walk in and feel like they’ve arrived” — he ultimately listens to the house as much as he listens to what’s in his own head.

“Houses have souls,” Cerra-Saunders says. “They tell you what they want to be; your job is to make them more of that.”

BEDROOM PROJECT BY SEASHAL BELLDINA, PHOTOS BY NORA BEST PHOTOGRAPHY

Ah, the pandemic.

Nearly three years after the coronavirus drove everyone indoors, the home trends that defined that period, such as nature-inspired interiors and earthy hues, continue to go strong for 2023.

And as we emerge into an aftermath that is less than ideal (hello rising inflation and global uncertainty), design experts say this year’s trends reflect a cautious optimism alongside an ongoing desire to seek refuge within one’s own four walls.

“The idea of a sanctuary is still strong, but in a more personalized way,” says designer Juliane Mazzarella, owner of Avenue Interiors in Sewickley. “I would say there’s an overall trend of personal touches, a bit of whimsy — and luxury.”

With many companies allowing employees to work out of the office post-pandemic, Pittsburgh-based interior designer Amanda Bock says permanent workspaces also remain trending for homes.

“I think we’re going to see some of the same pandemic trends continue where people are really defining their spaces more,” she says. “With my clients, I see a lot more thought and intentionality going into how they want to use each room in their house.”

Other design trends to look for in 2023 are organic materials, curved furniture shapes, rich paint colors and darker-tone woods. Here’s a closer look at what local design experts have to say about the trends you’ll be seeing in the new year.

Color Is Back

Fresh off a trip to North Carolina for the biannual, influential furnishings trade show known as the High Point Market, Pittsburgh-based interior designer Seashal Belldina says warmer color palettes made up of desert tones and Moroccan spices (such as merlot, red, deep orange and turmeric) are trending.

On the cooler side, blush pink, teal, mint green, blue-greens and jewel tones were also prevalent at the show. Designer Jennifer Janeway of Pittsburgh-based Jennifer Janeway Designs calls the bolder color palettes a nod to the positive outlook that’s emerging after several years of upheaval.

REDEND POINT FLAT LAY BY JENNIFER JANEWAY. DESK PROJECT BY JENNIFER JANEWAY WITH PHOTO BY DAVE BRYCE PHOTOGRAPHY

“For so many years, gray and white has reigned supreme — that is, until now,” she says. “We’re seeing trending colors get much warmer and more bold. Color is coming back into our lives; think of the overwhelming flush of green hues so popular last year.”

That doesn’t mean you should go out today and paint your walls red. Instead, Belldina, owner of Interiors by Seashal, recommends adding bolder tones through accessories, such as a rug with a pop of warm colors or a chair outfitted in a muted red velvet.

“Mixing your neutral spaces with pops of these colors is an easy way to incorporate these color trends into your home,” she says.

Another one of her favorite combinations is pairing teal with blush pink, while Janeway adds that dark, moody hues (such as the almost-black Forged Steel by Sherwin-Williams) are a great way to add dimension to your home.

“It can also help to define a space, like a dining room, as a separate and distinct part of the home,” she says.

DESIGN BY JENNIFER JANEWAY. PHOTOS BY JERONIMO CREATIVE AND DAVE BRYCE PHOTOGRAPHY

Shape Up

Interior design trends often mirror what’s happening in the fashion world, and just like the recent resurgence of flared pants, home styles from the 1970s are back, according to Belldina.

“Organic natural materials, curved sculptural shapes, burl wood, rattan/woven materials, velvet, mixed metals and Art Deco influences were seen throughout the market,” she says.

Large-scale lighting and clustered pendants are also on trend for 2023, Belldina says. And while materials such as rattan were found in everything from furniture to lighting at High Point, Belldina cautions against overusing it in the home.

“Too much of a good thing isn’t always good,” she says. “So maybe have a rattan head chair at the dining table with a coordinating natural-looking light.”

Regarding rugs, Belldina says watercolor-influenced prints and geometric shapes were seen throughout the market. Mazzarella, another fall High Point Market attendee, also noted a shift from organic shapes to more cubes, pyramids, spheres and cylinders.

“You could still see an Art Deco influence to a lot of patterns,” she says. “Block printing was still very strong in fabrics. You are seeing some 1980s’ themes popping up as well.”

HIGHPOINT MARKET PHOTOS BY JULIANE MAZZARELLA.

The New Tradition

And because fashion is nothing if not unpredictable, Mazzarella also notes a resurgence at High Point of traditional details and patterns, such as stripes, damasks, silks and plaids.

Contrasting welt on upholstery (which Mazzarella calls an inexpensive way to add detail to custom furniture) was another big trend.

“It was in really great combinations, like leather with suede piping, solid fabrics highlighted by a small pattern, high contrast like black and white and the classic execution of using a solid color to highlight a color in a patterned fabric,” she says.

Furniture with dressmaker details such as buttons, tabs and exposed wood, on both case goods and upholstery, were also seen throughout the market, Belldina says. Another emerging trend is furniture with wood incorporated into it, such as on the arm of a sofa or the back of a chair.

“Wood finishes are going darker and more refined,” Mazzarella says. “I’m seeing less rustic and primitive. Carving, reeded panels, details, inlays, exotic woods — it’s all about showing off the craftsmanship.”

BATHROOM PROJECT BY SEASHAL BELLDINA WITH PHOTOGRAPHY BY NORA BEST PHOTOGRAPHY

Say Hello to Darker Wood Tones 

Speaking of wood, after years of lighter tones dominating the market, Belldina, like Mazzarella, noticed a return to darker furniture stains. This includes wood accents on sofas and chairs.

“In past markets, we’ve seen a lot of white oak and whitewashed and gray tones in furniture,” Belldina says. “This time, in almost all the showrooms, we saw dark stain was back again, probably because it pairs so well with those desert tones and Moroccan spices.”

Giving Life to an Unused Space 

As Bock notes, home offices continue to trend into 2023. With more people working away from the office, Janeway suggests turning underutilized spaces in the home into a flexible workspace.

“By adding floating shelves and a desk to an unused corner in a room, you’ll gain an instant productivity zone,” she says.

Her other suggestions include bringing in integrated task lighting to create a bright work area as well as adding decorative storage boxes, bins and folders as an attractive way to keep things organized.

“A fun pop of floral wallpaper and a touch of whimsical décor can turn a ho-hum workspace into your favorite place for weekday conference calls and answering emails,” she adds.

PHOTOS BY LAURA GUMMERMAN, COURTESY OF A BEAUTIFUL MESS

A staff writer for the well-loved lifestyle blog A Beautiful Mess, Laura Gummerman boomeranged back to Pittsburgh with her 5-year-old daughter, Lola, and her husband, musician and Twenty One Pilots guitarist Todd Gummerman, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Laura shares her projects on her popular instagram account, @Gummergal, and her own blog, gummergal.com.

You can take the girl out of Pittsburgh, but you can’t take the Pittsburgh out of the girl, am I right? Where in the region did you grow up — and what made you decide to move back? 
I grew up in five different houses, but they were all in the North Hills area of town, so I consider myself a North Hills gal through and through. I actually never planned on moving back (mostly due to the winter weather, honestly — my husband and I hate being cold), but we had our daughter five years ago while we were living in Nashville, Tennessee, and missed being near my family with a little one around. We also moved during the fall of 2020, with COVID in full swing, so life just felt very isolated and uncertain being far from family.

Were you searching for a Mid-Century Modern house in particular, or did you just happen to fall in love with this home? What were your first thoughts upon seeing it? And what did it look like at the time? 
We actually saw the house pop up a few times on our searches and loved the obvious mid-century vibe of the front, but we always passed over it without really looking at it since the square footage didn’t show there was also a basement.  Once we realized it had a semi-finished basement, and that it was 4 minutes from my parent’s house, we decided to view it over FaceTime; it seemed a lot more interesting than it looked in the photos.  We love mid-century homes, and the huge windows, slanted flat roof and inside/outside fireplace really gave us some mini-Frank Lloyd Wright vibes. As the inspector of the home said, it had a lot of issues due to age, neglect and DIY projects done poorly, so we really had our work cut out for us — but the original vibe of the home, and the property it’s set on, made us decide it was worth a rehab.

Your house looks so fun now! How would you describe your vision for it? 
My last home had a mostly ’60s vibe, but I wanted to add some more ’70s into the mix for this home. I focused on a mostly warm color palette, with pops of camel brown and mustard, daisy prints, and rounded arched accents, and then mixed in more trendy items like all-gold hardware, fluted décor and lots of millennial pink.

What were some of the renovations you undertook? How did you determine which project you wanted to (or needed to) do first? 
We replaced a poorly installed tile flooring that covered the majority of the main floor with wide-board white oak in a light wash to brighten the space. The tile wasn’t that old but was popping up all over the place and breaking apart so that we had to wear shoes in the house to avoid cutting our feet, and all the lines of grout were loose and would get sucked out every time I tried to vacuum. Let’s just say getting the white oak in was quite an ordeal, but a total game changer for the house.

We had to wait to fully do the kitchen makeover until we did all the floors, but replacing everything in the dated kitchen (and then, eventually, the main bathroom) also really elevated the house. We did leave some cool original elements like the Weldtex combed plywood ceiling panels that are in the living room, hallway and main bedroom. We didn’t know what they were at first, but we needed to replace several of them due to old water damage. My mom found the name by looking online so we could hunt down a company that still replicates them. It was quite a job to get all the panels looking good again, but the checkerboard pattern that’s made from the combed stripes facing different directions is unique and fun.

Do you have a favorite room?
I do love the living room with its giant windows and — even though I’m not a “winter person” — it’s a great place to sit during the holidays when it snows near the gas fireplace we installed. It really feels like you are in a snow globe. My mom also helped me handpaint daisy wallpaper in my daughter’s room. That was the first room of the house to be done, so it was a really happy haven from all the renovation chaos happening all around us. I still love spending time in that room.

What do you have planned next?
We finally got the upstairs in great shape so we just started moving onto some outdoor spaces (my mom has been our landscaper — she’s amazing), and we are updating the basement so it can be used fully and match the vibe of the upstairs.

As a writer for A Beautiful Mess, you often share DIY tips and projects with readers. What DIY projects did you undertake for your new home? 
I did several fun DIY wallpaper projects with either paint or custom-cut removable wall decals to create a wallpaper look that’s easy to remove or paint over. I also did a board- and-batten project in our stairwell that really makes just a simple staircase feel special.  Adding a custom arched trim design to the interior doors also really elevated a simple slab door, and I built-in a double wardrobe into my office that also has a complementary design for a bit of a Parisian flair.  Adding a channel-tufted pink velvet banquette (with storage underneath) to our kitchen also gave an empty corner a purpose and adds some whimsy to the space.

How do you like being back in the ’Burgh? What’s the reaction from your husband since he didn’t grow up here? 
Well, we haven’t magically started loving winter, that’s for sure, but it is great to be around family and some of our best friends again and get to do holidays and birthdays together. We are hoping to be able to venture to more places and explore the city again as life returns to normal.

Pandemics and full-home renovations mean you don’t go many places besides the hardware store, but now that we’ve reached a good spot with our home we want to get out more and reacquaint ourselves with the city … and I’ll need some Pamela’s pancakes pretty soon, so I’m sure we’ll at least be in Shadyside.  Todd grew up in Illinois, so he’s used to having all the seasons like we do here and he was actually the one who started to think about moving here in the first place. He’s a Pittsburgh fan in general.

OK, one last question: How did you become a blogger? And what about the moniker Gummergal — that’s a play on your last name, right?
Yes, it is! I just kind of thought of something short and unique for an online handle about 10 years ago and it just seemed like kind of a funny play on the name, and now it’s sort of become my nickname among friends as well.  I started blogging 11 years ago, back when every person I knew had their own blog, and I was simultaneously (and single-handedly, I might add) fixing up the first home Todd and I bought together in Springfield, Missouri.  Todd was on a four-month tour at the time, so I moved us in and renovated the house while he was gone; he basically came back to a totally different home at the end of the tour. He says it was like his own live HGTV show! He loved it.

One of my friends, Elsie Larson, had a really successful blog with her sister, Emma Chapman, and Elsie was so impressed with what I did with the house that she asked me to be one of their first full-time employees — and I’ve been blogging for A Beautiful Mess for 10 years now.  I feel like that’s not helpful career advice to say “already be friends with someone who can offer you a great job,” but I didn’t know there was any possibility of a job with them, and Elsie didn’t know I had those skills until she saw me doing my best on something I loved just to simply please myself. So, do what you love and do it well, because you never know who’s watching!

PHOTOS BY ERIN KELLY

When Highland Park residents Joe and Pepper bought their home in 2015, renovating their colorless kitchen was a must.

The couple, who have asked that their last names not be used, have always had a knack for design. Joe says he and his wife, who love to entertain guests, knew right away that they wanted to scrap the kitchen’s gray speckle-tiled floor and countertops, not to mention its cramped layout.

“The previous kitchen had a very 1980s-like aesthetic. It was very congested, and it wasn’t social at all,” Joe says. “It was really hard to hang out with whoever was cooking.”

The couple mulled over what to do with their kitchen for years — until Pepper realized the green, leafy wallpaper in the home’s entryway might look even better in the kitchen.

“Green is one of my favorite colors, and I have a lot of house plants and really natural things, so it kind of blends in,” she says. “[The wallpaper] was the color palette inspiration.”

After teaming up with interior designers Alison Shapiro of A. Shapiro Design and Amanda Johnson of Oakmont-based Marino Kitchen & Bath, the couple’s kitchen is much more fit for their sociable lifestyle — and very green. Construction on the kitchen began in late 2020 and finished in spring 2021.

To open up space and emphasize natural light, the designers took down the wall between the kitchen and dining room. Today, a walnut peninsula countertop separates the cooking and dining areas. The duo also prioritized deep cabinetry, painted Vogue Green by Sherwin-Williams, to maximize storage. Coordinating with the rich olive hue are Joe and Pepper’s plethora of plants, which sit on the large window sill.

Johnson says the fun, naturistic green was inspired by deVOL Kitchens, an interior design firm based in England. Completing the look are vintage French light fixtures from the 1950s the couple chose.

“It’s kind of like an English country look, kind of eclectic and imperfect,” Johnson says. “It was fun because people in Pittsburgh are more conservative when it comes to color. But when you do have someone that comes in and they want a green kitchen, it’s a little bit more exciting.”

She adds one of her favorite details of the renovation is the exposed brick behind the range.

“The brick was originally there. We left it as is and worked around it, which meant we had to modify the cabinets,” she says. “Those cabinets are actually extra deep in order to accommodate that brick column or chimney that’s there, and the range hood above matches the cabinets.”

Shapiro says in addition to the green cabinets, she used the sink, stove and brick column as guiding principles to highlight the stunning glass cabinetry when redesigning the space.

“We were able to open up to the dining room so we could create those nice focal points around the window with the glass cabinets around it,” she says. “That’s really a highlight, that you can see it from the dining room.”

An open-floor plan came first and foremost when imagining the renovation, Joe says.

“The connection between the dining room and the kitchen enables a lot more interaction with whoever’s in the kitchen, which is usually my wife because she’s the cook,” he says. “It’s made cooking much more social. I can sit at the countertop now and just chit chat — I feel like it makes the whole process of preparing food a lot more enjoyable for everybody.”

Joe, a carpenter and furniture designer, handmade most of the furniture in the couple’s home, including the dining room table, console table, dining room chairs and buffet.

“Most of it, Pepper and I designed together,” he says.

Shapiro says the furniture adds a personal touch to the renovation and also complements the white oak, herringbone patterned floors and walnut peninsula countertop.

“Joe already started bringing aspects of nature into the house with the wood tones and the furniture that he built,” she says. “So preserving the natural wood floors and coordinating those raw natural wood moments were pretty crucial in connecting the beauty and the style of the handmade furniture that’s throughout the rest of the space.”

Shapiro says that although a leafy green wallpaper isn’t common in a kitchen, it felt perfect for this renovation because it gave the space plenty of nature-inspired texture. Also, because the house is on a hill, there are views of treetops throughout the home, including from the large window in the kitchen.

“Nature always has a place in the kitchen — because that’s where food comes from,” Shapiro says. “There’s this great correlation between leaves on the wallpaper and leaves that you see on the trees through the windows in the kitchen — and then the leaves that are in your salad.”

People like their houses to look like other houses. A drive down any residential street will confirm this.

We tend to be comfortable choosing from a limited array of familiar shapes, accessories and decorative motifs. A subtle twist here or customization there is usually sufficient to express our individuality. Most of us do not go in for blatant oddities.

Then there are people like Susanne Slavick and Quentin Beck. Slavick is a painter and retired Carnegie Mellon University art professor who lives in a remarkably unusual house in Ross.

Beck was the young man who designed it almost 90 years ago.

Back then, he was a recent graduate from Penn State who had gone into business with his uncle doing residential construction with a new type of insulated reinforced concrete. Beck was the creative force behind Swan Acres, the region’s first suburban housing plan in what then was called the Modernist style.

HOUSE DRAWING 1937

The blocky, low-slung, flat-roofed dwellings Beck created in Ross might also be classified as Art Moderne, Art Deco or International Style, a coinage that references the movement’s European origins. The terms aren’t precisely interchangeable, but one might say they reside in the same neighborhood.

Houses in the unorthodox and arguably jarring style are seldom seen in typical neighborhoods, but they have unique charms. Take the living room of Slavick’s two-story house on Swan Drive, with its glass-block accents and the streamlined curve of its fireplace mantel, for example. A large wraparound corner window produces the pleasant sense of actually reclining under the shady limbs and pink-and-white blossoms of the dogwood trees just outside, rather than just looking at a flat picture of it.

“We just recognized the house has good lines,” says Slavick.

The daughter of an American literature professor and a high school French and German teacher, Slavick attended high school in Maine. She studied painting at Yale and then in Rome for a year before earning her MFA from Temple University. She moved to Pittsburgh in 1984 to accept a faculty position at CMU; she and her first husband bought the Swan Acres house five years later, shortly before the birth of their son.

Slavick employed her artistic abilities to decorate their home. It is full of paintings and photography by her and other artists; a Pompeiian fresco she discovered in a book from the campus library inspired a bullseye and checkerboard design she painted on her dining room walls.

The stucco on the outside is tan, bringing to mind adobe. But when this was a new model home in 1937, it was stark white and sleek, like the bridge of an ocean liner. That year, the trade journal Architectural Forum said Swan Acres would soon be “the nation’s first Modern subdivision.”

Harry Pople, a North Hills real estate entrepreneur, joined forces with the Becks to build four show homes in a new development off Babcock Boulevard. Pople told Architectural Forum he expected all 33 parcels to be sold by the following year, with all houses to be built in the angular Modernist style.

There had been neighborhoods like these before. Miami Beach was already awash in Art Deco houses by then, and in Indiana, a developer had bought half a dozen futuristic model homes from the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair and relocated them to his new community of Beverly Shores, on the dunes overlooking Lake Michigan. But if the claim that Swan Acres would be the first of its kind in America was overblown, the development was undeniably in the vanguard.

Unfortunately, Pople did not hit his sales targets. The short-lived firm of Beck, Pople & Beck dissolved soon after the four model homes went up. Some subsequent houses in the neighborhood nodded toward Quentin Beck’s originals, but the exclusive design restrictions were abandoned, and Swan Acres wound up looking more or less like other suburban plans of the era.

Pople’s vision that his development would be far removed from any hustle and bustle also turned out to be misguided. In the journal article, he said he had chosen a site “far enough out in the country to be five miles from any considerable shopping district.” But in 1951, the new McKnight Plaza Shopping Center just down the road would unveil the biggest parking lot in the North Hills, with 500 spaces.

The founder of Swan Acres stood his ground and lived in one of the original show homes. When Slavick moved in, Pople’s elderly widow, Emma Jo, was still living next door. The original owner of Slavick’s house, Fred Horst, was a banking executive and World War II Naval officer who was forced to sell after a merger left him with a gold watch but no more job.

As for Quentin Beck, his later home designs became less avant-garde, but he still kept an eye on the future. In his later years, Beck tried without success to win backers for his own mass transit concept, in which elevated trains would whoosh commuters into the city via clear plastic pneumatic tubes.

Slavick found love again in 1994 with another art professor at CMU, Andrew Ellis Johnson. Today, his art is as much of the interior decor as Slavick’s. Years ago, the couple had a large studio built next to the house where they both work, and Slavick is eager to spend more time there now that the demands of academia have receded.

This summer, after she retired and closed the book on 42 years of teaching, Slavick and Johnson finally got married.

Mark Houser is the author of “MultiStories: 55 Antique Skyscrapers & the Business Tycoons Who Built Them.”

Stadium Showdown
Game-day snacks get an upgrade when they’re in this porcelain, football stadium-shaped serving bowl from STAK Ceramics and Fort Pitt Clay Works. The original artwork depicts the view from atop Acrisure Stadium.
stakceramics.com
{$86}

Heart of Porcelain
These wheel-thrown, hand-painted porcelain nesting bowls by LGG Creative Art are perfect to hold rings, tea light candles or other small items; they also make a great gift for teachers or bridesmaids.  Available at love, Pittsburgh.
Locations in Mount Washington, Downtown and Strip District; 412-258-6611, lovepittsburghshop.com
{$45 for striped nesting heart; $15 to $35 for black or white nesting hearts, depending on size.}

Abridged Version 
Pittsburgh’s sister bridges get scents with this candle trio from Blis 23 Candle. The Roberto is a mix of caramel, whiskey and sea salt, while the Rachel is scented with sandalwood, lemon grass and green tea.  Available at love, Pittsburgh.
Locations in Mount Washington, Downtown and Strip District; 412-258-6611, lovepittsburghshop.com
{$16 each}

Sign of the Times
Give yourself a pep talk, and brighten up your walls, with these oversized canvas hangings from House15143 in Sewickley.
436 Beaver St., Sewickley; 412-259-8953, house15143.com
{$80}

PHOTOS BY TOM O’CONNOR

It was like the house had stood all those years just waiting for them.

Built in 1895, the grand Victorian duplex on Broad Street in Sewickley was there when the family of Mark Izydore’s grandmother settled in the area and started a nursery and grass-cutting service that kept the village’s lawns green and manicured.

It was there as Heather Wildman grew up at one end of Broad Street in the 1980s and ’90s, and it was there when she moved back to the other end after 13 years away.

It was there when Marta Izydore stood at the corner of Beaver and Broad streets feeling like she belonged somewhere for the first time since her childhood in Poland.

The three of them finally converged on the property in 2018, when the Izydores purchased it and enlisted Wildman, an architectural designer and co-owner of Pittsburgh-based Wildman Chalmers Design, to bring it back to life.

Wildman was an obvious choice. She had previously renovated the right side of the duplex, so she was familiar with the building. Her love of historical architecture and position as chair of the Sewickley Historic Review Commission also gave her a unique view of the home’s possibilities.

“I like to think holistically, inside and outside — what is it we have to save and what is it that works?,” Wildman says. “It’s a win when you can preserve the character of the home and modernize the spaces.”

The ensuing infrastructure-to-interior design and renovation on all four stories of the home took more than two years, and involved hundreds of tiny decisions (which happened mostly long distance as the Izydores resided in Florida), but the house on Broad Street is now the perfect blend of style and history. 

“There’s a charm Heather was able to extract,” Marta says. “Her taste is flawless, and she let us think and dream big. It was just a blank canvas when we started.”

Mark chortles at that. “It was something,” he says.

Like so many old Pittsburgh homes before it, this one had been split into multiple apartments. (If you count all of the former residents who have stopped to chat with Marta, “It seems like the whole town lived here at one time,” she says.) Still, it was in good condition and many of the original, Victorian characteristics were worth saving, including leaded glass windows, pocket doors and ornate trim and carvings. 

What couldn’t be saved had to be ordered — the mantels were shipped in from the United Kingdom — or built. Ted Stevenson, who creates custom woodwork, ended up leaving his mark in nearly every room in the house, including building the bright white kitchen cabinets, the bathroom vanities, the dining room built-ins, coffered ceilings and the office paneling.

But, for Wildman, there is a fine line between honoring the home’s historical character and replicating it, and Stevenson and contractor Rody Nash — who Wildman says carefully develops historical projects around Sewickley, including this one — walked that line with practiced ease. 

“I don’t want it to be mock historic,” she says. “I want there to be a marriage of old and new.”

Perhaps nowhere is that better represented than in the kitchen. The open kitchen and family room combo are housed in a square, 22-foot addition that could have read too modern and blocky against the original architecture, if not for the skylight Wildman placed above the massive quartzite island. It’s a cathedral-style window, with angled glass and geometric trim, that lends the space a bit of character and charm.

Elsewhere, more subtle touches nod to the past. Basketweave-inspired tile floors adorn the four bathrooms, vintage maps and photographs hang on the study walls, gas lights burn on the porch, Mark’s grandfather’s clock sits atop a mantel, and a Murphy bed is tucked into the wall of the basement playroom.

The couple purchased classic art and furnishings locally from the Sewickley Antiquarian Shop, the Sewickley Gallery and Frame Shop and Cuttings Flower and Garden Market, giving the home a cohesive finish. Wildman Chalmers designer Sara Coax also assisted the Izydores in selecting furnishings such as lighting, furniture and hardware.

Of course, it is 2022 and the Izydores have two young daughters, so modern amenities were also a must. An elevator runs between the basement and the third-floor master bedroom — a feature Mark insisted upon with his aging mother in mind but became equally useful when Marta injured her knee over the summer. 

Mark also fought for a sound-proofed stereo room where he can play his vinyl records through state-of-the-art speakers. Marta originally questioned the need for such an indulgence, but the sound has launched many an impromptu dance party, and even made one guest cry in delight. (When Mark spins Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move,” you can almost imagine her piano is right there in the room.)

No matter where they begin their days in the four-bedroom house, the family inevitably ends them on the side porch. Located just off the family room, the porch becomes a part of the home’s interior with just a few flips and switches. The glass doors fold open and vinyl panels descend from the roof, creating a seal against the winter chill and summer heat. 

“At night, with the crickets, it’s like a symphony,” Mark says. “We spend 90% of our time out here.”

And, when guests arrive, it’s a quick duck into the bourbon room for refreshments. Located just off the kitchen, the room’s floor-to-ceiling cabinets are stocked with hundreds of amber bottles in all sizes and shapes, as much art installation as bar storage. 

“And we don’t even drink bourbon,” Mark admits with a chuckle.

It’s that kind of detail that the Izydores insisted upon that makes this home a standout in Wildman’s eyes.

“Their commitment to this project was so great,” Wildman says. “We have a lot of wonderful, educated clients, but we don’t get a lot of clients with that type of commitment to the vision.”  

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

After a chaotic start to 2022 that saw a huge spike in prices, things have changed a lot in the housing market since July.

With interest rates at 5.5% on a 30-year loan and inflation on the rise, buyers are taking a hard look at what they can afford, while sellers are evaluating the asking price on their properties.

Buyers had been looking at a $843 monthly payment toward principal and interest for every $200,000 borrowed at 3%; that amount now is $1,261 on a 5.5% loan — a difference of $418 each month.

The extra amount, along with the rising price of everyday goods, has taken many buyers out of the market. For those who remain, their buying power has shrunk.

This may also be a good time to remind buyers that the rate on a 30-year loan was 5.5% as recently as 2018. And since the market has cooled, this is still a good time to buy; you can always refinance your home if the rates drop again.

Hot Property offers an inside look into unique and historic homes on the market. Each week, Hot Property goes behind the For Sale sign to share the story of a special Pittsburgh-area home. Four times a year, Hot Property gives an in-depth look at the region’s real estate market in Pittsburgh Magazine HOME, tracking housing prices and sales and detailing where the hot properties can be found. Rosa Colucci can be reached at onecordovaroad@gmail.com

PHOTOS BY LAURA PETRILLA

Swimsuit and flip-flop season may be brief in Pittsburgh, but Beth Fay Lane is able to hold onto it longer than most with an innovative addition at her home.

Lane, marketing director and hardware specialist at SPLASH Kitchen Bath Home, and her husband, Calvin Lane, were able to create an outdoor oasis at their two-story, Mid-Century Modern ranch in Upper St. Clair by building a custom indoor swim-spa pool space.

When the couple moved there in 2003, they remodeled the original kitchen and bathrooms with modern amenities that gave a nod to the home’s 1950s’ roots. The backyard hadn’t been updated since the home was built, and Lane viewed it as an opportunity to extend her home’s indoor/outdoor footprint, even in the face of the area’s unpredictable weather.

“Living in Pittsburgh, it’s nice to have somewhere year-round to escape that kind of feels like you’re on vacation,” she says.

Having plenty of experience with interior design, Lane — who teamed up with Garfield-based Shelton Design/Build for the architectural plans and construction — had a clear vision of what she wanted for her home. Construction began in June 2018, and the addition was completed in 2020.

Bob Shelton, principal architect and president of Shelton Design/Build, says Lane’s vision encouraged his architectural team to think creatively about how to work within constraints of the existing home, including its limited volumetric space.

“We were bouncing back and forth about maximizing what we could do with the space that we had. It was challenging to create this really striking space,” he says.

To compensate, Shelton Design/Build built the swim-spa pool before anything else in the addition. Lane adds that one of the benefits of building an indoor swim-spa — which can be a daunting process — is that it’s highly customized; a wall of panoramic glass doors connects it to the outside. The room also can maintain summer temperatures year-round.

“It’s not something that people do all the time. The nice thing with how we designed it was we retained the original exterior of our home and just put in doors to the existing house,” she says. “So even though it’s an indoor pool, we were able to treat that new space like its own envelope.”

Lane says she often pictures a finished space before the project begins and selects materials along the way that she believes fit the finished look, then adds in fun, personal details. Her own home project was no exception — and she definitely brought the fun. Some of her favorite features in the swim-spa are the disco ball that glitters above the pool and a colorful, oversized marlin fish that hangs on one wall.

“I found the big marlin fish at a flea market years ago for $50,” Lane says. “As soon as I imagined this space, I knew it would be hanging on the focal wall at the end of the pool. I’ve always embraced the unexpected, like the disco ball over the pool, because why not?”

Lane adds she wanted the light and bright pool area to contrast with the moody feel of the yacht-style kitchen. She tied the unexpected themes together with Mid-Century, retro detailing that matches the rest of the house.

“As much as we wanted the main area to have a Palm Springs feel — bright and white with textures and surfaces to complement the Mid-Century elements in the rest of the house — if it was all designed that way, it would feel too formulaic and one-note,” she says.

The galley-style kitchen has black chalkboard paint walls that are connected to the bathroom area by a custom, surfboard-shaped countertop. Inspired by vintage Chris-Craft boats, Lane also clad the ceiling in a glossy wood. The countertop, made of a laminate with a gray ghost outline of modern wavy wood grain, adds to the dramatic vibe.

In the spacious, spa-like bathroom, which includes a steam shower and oversized benches, Lane chose glossy tones of blues and grays that complement the striking black light fixtures. The bathroom also has a full-sized, dark water mural and a large vanity. It connects to the swim-spa space by a wall of custom-made, panoramic glass doors.

Lane, who loves to entertain, says she wanted guests to feel as though they were on the ultimate destination vacation when they enter her home.

“I wanted it to have a feel of when you stepped off the plane when you were a kid going on vacation. It was the temperature, the lights — you knew you were somewhere else,” she says. “What we wanted was a vacation house but attached to our house.”

The addition doesn’t stop there. On top of it is a large 60-by-25-square-foot rooftop deck that overlooks St. Clair Country Club. Lane calls the space — which was designed like a commercial rooftop deck with areas of Ipe tropical wood, cement pavers and a cable rail system that provides an unobstructed view — one of the most exciting parts of the project.

“We never had a deck or anything before. So on our upper level, we turned three sets of windows into doors. Before, that was just nothing, just second-story air freefall,” she says. “The deck really expanded the footprint of the upper level and gave us a huge swath of outdoor living.”

Shelton says Lane’s roof deck was the biggest Shelton Design/Build has ever built. He was particularly pleased by how the Brazilian hardwood integrated into the stair and railing system, as well as how it added a warm accent to the white nickel gap siding.

“The details of that turned out very clean,” he says.

The addition is ideal for surviving Pittsburgh’s long winters, according to the Lanes. They keep the temperature in the swim-spa space, which is decked out with tropical plants, at a balmy 80 degrees.

“Just to be able to come home from work in the middle of winter where it’s normally dark and kind of gloomy out, it’s so nice to be able to put on the bright lights and get in the pool; you can be swimming with a foot of snow outside,” Lane says. “It’s awesome being able to get the mood-lifting benefits of summertime, even when it’s not summertime.”

PHOTO BY MARTHA SWISS

First impressions matter.

In today’s hot real-estate market, where houses often go under contract within days, prospective buyers may decide whether or not to investigate the inside of your home based on what it looks like on the outside. Even if you’re not selling right now, it’s important that your home looks inviting to you.

There are a few basic tenets of good curb appeal and many that are quick and inexpensive. So the next time you approach your house, keep these tips in mind as you take a cold, hard look at the message the front of your house sends.

PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK

Show them the door.

People shouldn’t feel as though they need a machete to reach your front door. It’s basic human nature to want to see where we’re going, so show them the door — or at least the walkway that leads to the door.

While vegetation is great for softening the hard edges of a house and providing shade, gardens at the front of a house should be maintained.

One easy-to-care-for shrub to consider adding to your home is boxwood. A quick springtime shearing in whatever shape you like provides a well-coiffed image for the rest of the year.

Any trees or shrubs that have a compact growth habit also tend to work well at the front and corners of a house. Examples of some naturally tidy shrubs include slender deutzia, Sixteen Candles summersweet, Yakushima rhododendron, Duke Garden Japanese plum yew and Tiny Wine ninebark.

Small trees that add texture to your landscape without obscuring the front of your house include Japanese maples, native dogwood, some flowering crabapples (Malus; there are many varieties, check the tag for mature size), serviceberry and redbud.

You also want to make sure to clean up old plant debris and cut back or remove overgrown shrubs. For any trees that need to be trimmed or removed, hire an arborist.

Whether you place them on your mailbox or directly on the house, prominent house numbers look attractive and also help people know they have the right address. If there is more than one front entry to your home (which is surprisingly common), provide visual cues as to which door to use. This can be as simple as adding a decorative pot containing seasonal plantings, a door mat, a mailbox or a wreath on the door you want people to enter.

Repair it.

A crooked mailbox, peeling paint or a cracked or broken walkway all signify neglect. If that’s the message the outside of your house sends, prospective buyers might not give it a second look. Sometimes, a simple power wash is all that’s needed to spruce up dirty siding or shutters.

A fresh coat of paint on the front door in an appealing color also is an easy way to brighten up your home. Blue is a trending color right now for front doors in a wide range of hues, from deep slate blue to turquoise to aqua. Don’t be afraid to go for something bold, like chartreuse, black or red. You can easily repaint if you don’t like it.

Aside from aesthetics, walkways and steps shouldn’t be tripping hazards; if yours have seen better days, consider repairing or replacing them. A secure handrail also is important to have on steps.

Go outside and see how your house appears at night. Is the lighting adequate for a safe journey from sidewalk or driveway to the front door? If not, there are tons of lighting options available at home improvement stores, including front door sidelights, pole-and-ground fixtures and accent lights. Many are solar powered or have a dusk-to-dawn feature.

A covering over the front door also provides a place where visitors can get out of the weather, as well as a spot where deliveries may be safely left. Beyond a front porch, a door overhang, portico or awning can be an attractive option to add to your front entrance.

Stash it.

Trash and recycling containers aren’t attractive, so store them around the side of the house or install fencing to hide them. Make sure to put away snow shovels and bags of deicer at the end of winter; remove clutter such as piles of bricks and stones, building supplies, unused sports equipment and children’s toys from the front of your house.

Defunct cars and motor homes can also signal neglect, so if you have one in your driveway, consider selling or donating it. There are many charities that accept old vehicles.

Dress it up.

Think about investing in a few things to make your house look inviting. These could include a few large planters, an arbor over the front walkway, or a wreath on the front door. Changing planters and door decor seasonally also keeps curb appeal fresh.

Regarding containers, there are a wide range of planting options at the garden center. New varieties of million bells are flowering power houses all season, and most varieties of scaevola stay tidy and flower from spring through late summer. Euphorbia, or “Diamond Frost”  and “Diamond Snow,” can also bring a frothy texture to containers.

Don’t forget about foliage — you can’t go wrong with bold coleus, and they come in an eye-popping range of colors. Perennial coral bells also have leaves of many hues and help anchor a container planting.

With large containers, consider using compact varieties of woody shrubs such as boxwood, cotoneaster, hydrangeas or roses. Smaller Japanese maples also make stunning specimens in containers.

Just keep in mind that most shrubs and trees will eventually get too large for the pot, but that gives you a reason to change things up — and the plants can be relocated into your landscape.

Adding furniture to a front porch is another way to make it look inviting. Spruce up your tired furniture by cleaning it and giving it a fresh coat of paint, then add new cushions and pillows that complement your home’s color scheme.

A few well-placed items such as statues and flags may also add personality, although you might want to remove these things if you are selling your home because they can distract from — rather than enhance — a first impression.

Find inspiration.

You can always find ideas for improving your home’s curb appeal by taking a walk or drive through various neighborhoods, watching home improvement shows, going on garden and home tours, perusing magazines, and scrolling through online sources such as Pinterest. Take photos and note the ideas that would work for your home.

In the meantime, roll up your sleeves and get rid of what doesn’t make your house look welcoming, then clean and repair the rest.

Handley Court, the hilltop French Normandy-style estate in Fox Chapel where Dana and Duffy Hanna are raising their three children, has many apparent charms.

Rustic and elegant, the sprawling seven-bedroom property at the top of Pasadena Drive has half-timbered white stucco walls topped with slate roofs and a jaunty ornamental turret. Built in 1923, it hugs three sides of a large central courtyard paved with granite Belgian block. Stone steps circling a fountain at the open end lead up to a walled formal lawn and gardens planted with several varieties of peonies.

The sunken living room’s beamed ceiling rises 20 feet at the peak, but the vast space it covers is stitched together by wrought iron at either end. The decorative screen above the fireplace complements the railings at the foyer. It’s evident why the architect, Brandon Smith, had plenty of commissions, not only for country houses such as this one but for several country clubs.

But for all its appeal, warm memories prompted the Hannas to buy the place in 2013.

“I always say it’s one of the most emotional events of your life, buying or selling a home. It’s a lot more than a transaction,” says Duffy, the son of Pittsburgh real estate mogul Howard “Hoddy” Hanna III and president of the family real estate empire’s mortgage, title and escrow companies.

Duffy grew up in Fox Chapel, and his family were friends with Handley Court’s previous residents and often visited them. Fourth of July picnics were his favorite, as the lawn is an ideal vantage point to watch the borough’s two country clubs set off their competing fireworks.

Dana, cofounder of the local nonprofit Women Leading Women and national director for the Napa Valley winemaker One Hope, first saw the home during a baby shower held for her when she was 8 months pregnant with the couple’s first child. “This whole room was just pulsating with love,” the New Jersey native says. “I got really emotional looking around at all the faces of the people who were there with me, supporting and embracing me. So it just blows my mind that we live in this house now.”

Occupying a 99-year-old house has its challenges, such as bringing the home up to modern-day living standards without losing the original detail. “Having it still look historic with today’s tech – getting cable, for instance, or Wi-Fi — they weren’t thinking of that when they built this place,” Duffy notes.

Each renovation, from the opened-up kitchen to a new family room to an ongoing ground-up rebuild and expansion of the main bedroom suite, has been finished with hand-done stucco interiors by knowledgeable craftsmen to match the original walls. Yet much remains as it always was, such as in the wood-paneled “boot room,” where a series of four stained glass windows depicts scenes from a fox hunt.

DR. EDWARD McCAGUE

The hooves of horses did once clop on the cobbles of Handley Court. Original owners Dr. Edward and Margaret McCague raised three girls and three boys here, all trained in the equestrian arts. The oldest daughter, Peggy, placed third in a Devon Horse Show jumping event before reaching her teens, and their son Edward Jr. recalls riding his mount 4 miles north to the blacksmith shop in the 1987 book “Fox Chapel: A History of an Area and its People” by Frances Hardie. Edward Jr. also recalled the silver service and air of hushed formality in the dining room, which today still features its polished beam ceiling and colorfully tiled fireplace hearth. He added his stern father also loved to entertain guests, and he had a half-gallon cocktail shaker to prove it.

Dr. Edward McCague, the lord of the manor, had immigrated to Pittsburgh as a boy with his family from Yorkshire, England, under much humbler circumstances. His father, a laborer and eventual union organizer at the Homestead Works, died in an industrial accident, and the family was evicted from company housing soon after.

Penury set the resolve of Edward, the oldest of 10 children. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1912 and served in British and American army hospitals in World War I, where he specialized in treating pelvic injuries. He went on to found the department of urology at Mercy Hospital and became a professor at Pitt. In 1920, Edward, the son of a poor Carnegie Steel rabble-rouser, married Margaret McCook, the wealthy daughter of Henry Clay Frick’s attorney.

Edward and Margaret bought a house in Squirrel Hill but were soon intrigued by developments in O’Hara Township. Mostly scattered farms and dirt roads that wound past the occasional clandestine whiskey still, it was becoming a bucolic enclave for wealthy East End families. Pittsburgh Field Club, bumped from Regent Square after Frick ended its lease in 1914, moved there first and secured 171 acres for 18 holes. The private Shady Side Academy followed in 1922, transforming into a country boarding school. Fox Chapel Golf Club opened the following year, when the McCagues built their estate.

At first, they intended Handley Court as a summer retreat. But the lure of life as landed gentry with a ready retinue of servants proved too enticing, so they added a coal furnace and made the move permanent. In 1934, the McCagues and their neighbors made a more public declaration of their long-term intentions. Their vote to form a breakaway municipality left O’Hara Township cleaved in two.

Mark Houser is the author of MultiStories: 55 Antique Skyscrapers & the Business Tycoons Who Built Them.

PHOTOS BY DAVID ASCHKENAS

Back when Hazelwood’s Mill 19 was still a place to make steel, workers woke early, poured out of tall, narrow houses and descended the nearest set of city steps until they had arrived at the monstrous building along the Monongahela River.

On the southern stretch of the neighborhood’s Gate Lodge Way sat four such houses, occupied by several such workers, situated along just such a flight of steps. Over the years, after the mill folded and the residents fled, the houses, too, began to disappear. Bulldozers took the structures; time and nature came for the foundations.

All but one.

THE HOMEMAKER THOUGHT, WITH A BIT OF WORK, THE HOUSE COULD BE THE PERFECT PLACE FOR HER PRINTMAKING AND LETTERSET DESIGN STUDIO. IT TURNED OUT TO BE SO MUCH MORE.

The remaining house was something of an oddity. Its steep staircases and peculiar layout hinted at a former life as a boarding house. White siding and a questionable bathroom addition — protruding from the house like an appendage and bolstered by nothing more than two-by-fours — didn’t offer much curb appeal. And the pothole-pocked alley made even getting to the driveway a bumpy adventure.

But Morgen Bell thought, with a bit of work, it could be the perfect place to house her printmaking and letterset design studio. It turned out to be much more.

With expertise from architect Jeffrey DeNinno, of Highland Park-based DeNinno Architects, and her mother Martha Bell’s financial support, Morgen and her husband, Bill, polished the house that was once an eyesore into a gem that serves as a workshop on the first floor and a family home on the top two.

INTENT ON PRESERVING THE CENTURY-OLD HOME’S HISTORY, THE BELL FAMILY RETAINED AND REUSED MATERIALS WHENEVER POSSIBLE, INCLUDING KEEPING THE ORIGINAL HARDWOOD FLOORING.

They never intended to use the house as their primary residence, but they fell in love with its location and country-meets-city contradictions.

“We took it from a typical, Pittsburgh hillside house to something special,” DeNinno says.

The renovated home looks as though it’s been pulled from pages of a fairytale, with white oak siding, a double-decker porch and towering, tree-trunk columns. The Bells even gave it a fitting moniker — the “Three Bears House.” But getting there, particularly in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, was a bit of a challenge.

The process began in 2019 with a messy, but necessary, demolition. The team tore the house down to its studs, removed the central chimney and sliced off the problematic addition. They also pushed back the fallen earth that had swamped one side of the house and secured it behind a retaining wall of split-face blue stone. Their work unveiled a sturdy, balloon-frame structure with large, well-placed windows.

“It was a simple style, nothing fancy,” DeNinno says.

But Morgen wasn’t looking for fancy; she saw potential. DeNinno agreed her plans for a workshop, two bedrooms, a small kitchen, a living room, a bathroom and ample outdoor space were possible but probably pricey. That’s when Martha stepped in. The family matriarch had both a knack for design and a chunk of money she’d inherited from her own mother, and she was eager to use both to help her family.

The timing was poetic. It was the spring of 2020, and the coronavirus pandemic had just shut down schools, forcing Morgen to spend her days playing teacher to her daughter rather than helming a renovation.

“And it gave me something to do other than sit in my house,” Martha adds.

So, with Martha and DeNinno leading the charge, the renovation began in earnest.

Martha was set on retaining and re-using materials whenever possible, both to preserve the home’s history and to be environmentally friendly. Inside, that meant salvaging as much of the original hardwood flooring as possible, keeping old staircases and scrubbing decades of soot from the framing so it could remain exposed. Outside, when Martha insisted on saving the property’s lone cedar tree, DeNinno shored up the hillside underneath it with Gabion boxes full of scrap limestone from a local fabricator.

“At first, I didn’t understand why she wanted to keep it, but I’m glad we did,” DeNinno says. “It belongs there.”

Given the home’s age — it was built circa 1890 — and condition when purchased, most of the material had to be new. Even then, DeNinno carefully sourced the materials, preferring to buy locally and sustainably.

A natural linoleum covers the first-floor workshop, 22 solar panels line the standing seam metal roof, and skylights flood the attic with natural light. Morgen managed to track down a sink for the second-floor bathroom for a mere $5. And DeNinno claimed a powder room door from an old church.

“It’s the best door in the house,” Bell says his find.

Though the house is full of such hidden details, perhaps the finest is also its most visible — the porch. After Martha and DeNinno decided the customary 6-by-6 posts wouldn’t do, a sawmill operator and his son handpicked the tree trunks that would serve as porch columns from where they were logging timber in West Virginia. The installation was a painstakingly precise affair; the tree trunks had to be lifted by a crane and dangled until aligned just so before they could be dropped into place.

Martha was so impressed by the process that she spent the entire day recording it on her phone.

The tree trunks lend the house a rustic charm that no one could have imagined when it was still covered in white siding. And the porch itself, at 10 feet wide and running the length of the structure, nearly doubles the home’s living space.

“It expands the house and gives it a presence it didn’t have before,” DeNinno says. “It transformed the house.”

During the peak of construction, on quiet mornings before the crew arrived, DeNinno used the porch as his office and could almost convince himself he was stationed along a country road and not a city alley.

It’s an odd and beautiful juxtaposition, Martha says, like living in a city park.

From the porch, the family can watch deer wander across the yard and birds gather in the cherry trees, but they can also hear passing trains (which they’ve learned to identify by their whistles), spot the Glenwood Bridge and peer across Second Avenue into the local recycling plant.

It isn’t for everyone, they admit.

“But I like it,” Morgen says with a shrug. “It’s got a gritty, Pittsburgh thing going on, and recycling I wholeheartedly endorse. I can’t be mad at it.”

They do have some concerns about Hazelwood’s impending development and designation as Pittsburgh’s new “it” neighborhood. Ironically, Martha laments, the steel mill that once made Hazelwood a melting pot of races and ethnicities is the very thing that could result in its gentrification.

A trio of Pittsburgh-based foundations — The Heinz Endowments, the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation — are transforming 178 riverfront acres, including the former mill site, into what’s being touted as “a model for the transformative redevelopment of an urban brownfield.” Hazelwood Green, as it’s called, has garnered both praise (notably from President Joe Biden) and criticism.

Much of that consternation occurred four years ago, when the city offered up Hazelwood Green as a possible location for Amazon’s HQ2 project. The Amazon deal eventually fell through, but development at the site has forged ahead. The most celebrated resident is Carnegie Mellon University, which is using the mill’s original steel skeleton as the location of its new robotics innovation center and advanced manufacturing institute.

CITY MEETS COUNTRY AT THE THREE BEARS HOUSE, WHICH IS SURROUNDED BY GREENERY, YET CLOSE TO CITY AMENITIES. AMONG THE NEW ADDITIONS TO THE HOUSE ARE SKYLIGHTS AND A DOUBLE FRONT PORCH WITH TREE-TRUNK POSTS | DRONE IMAGE BY DIVINEMAYHEM STUDIOS

While Hazelwood Green is sure to give the depressed neighborhood a much-needed economic boost, the Bells — who note their appreciation for the local Hazelwood groups working to preserve the Greenway — fear that rapid growth at the site, along with the neighborhood’s prime location near Oakland’s hospitals and universities, could result in a flood of new residents and construction.

They’ve petitioned the city to buy several empty, neighboring lots so they can maintain the privacy that they’ve thus far enjoyed. And, if their neighbors sign off on the plans, they will consider constructing a family-friendly second home on one of those lots.

If they decide to build, DeNinno should expect a call. Martha believes their synergy fueled the successful final product. They spent an awful lot of time together as the project unfolded, sharing coffee, ideas and inside jokes. It was their conversation that sparked the tree-trunk column concept. And Martha still teases DeNinno about the seven hand-rubbed coats of shellac he had added to the interior wood trim as a way to highlight the character of the pine and add depth to the finish.

“He put up with me, and I’m sure I was a pain,” she says with a laugh.

For DeNinno, the project was something of a palate cleanser, a break from the larger, big-budget structures he typically designs. The Bells weren’t interested in en-suite bathrooms and restaurant-inspired kitchens. Morgen didn’t even want a dishwasher.

“It was a tough project to leave,” DeNinno admits. “It’s sort of like children; you have to let them go.”

But the ride was a good one — and the result couldn’t have been better.

“It’s something I designed and something I’m proud to have worked on, but it really reflects the owners,” he says. “This is truly their house, as it should be.”

Dining Delight

If you’re looking for the perfect summer table setting, Pittsburgh interior designer Molly Singer has got you covered with this elegant arrangement centered by a Christian Lacroix-designed porcelain dinner plate and beachy island glassware by Amanda Lindroth.
Molly Singer Home, 300 Freeport Road, Blawnox; 412/794-8463, mollysingerhome.com
{Prices: striped dinner plate, $80; scalloped placemat (set of 6), $195; Latesia linens, $63; island ice tea glasses (Set of 4), $68; flatware (Set of 5), $72; seersucker dinner napkins (Set of 10), $80}

Animal Attraction

Cast in artisan concrete, this handcrafted planter by Cord+Iron in Beaver features a chic, hand-painted leopard print design that will add a stylish pop to any interior space.
Cord+Iron, 330 Insurance St., Beaver; cordandiron.com 
{$35.99}

The Scent of Summer 

Keep mosquitos at bay with a citronella candle that actually smells good. The Haven Series from Cord+Iron blends refreshing summer fragrances with natural citronella oil.
Cord+Iron, 330 Insurance St., Beaver; cordandiron.com 
{$24.99}

Roar Worthy 

Make your front stoop the king of the neighborhood with Pennoyer Newman’s lion planter. Cast from a Coe family lead original, the lightweight planter is weather resistant in all climates.
Shoppe B, 4434 Butler St., Lawrenceville; 412/779-0162, brendafridaydesign.com/shoppeb
{$1,650}

Tooling Around

The handcrafted gardening tools by Tuli Fisher of Fisher Blacksmithing, available at The Shop at Phipps, are as beautiful as the landscapes they help create. Each tool is forged from high-carbon steel and features black walnut handles.
The Shop at Phipps, 1 Schenley Drive, Oakland; 412/622-6914, shop.conservatory.org 
{garden rake, planting trowel and sickle section hoe, $68 each}