Cubby Archive

The "after" feels like a breath of fresh air.

What was the single best thing you bought for your home recently?TaraDear Tara,I’m a shopaholic and LOVE to constantly upgrade and improve my home, so I’m going to give a short list of TEN THINGS I’ve purchased recently that I really, really love: 1. KnifeAid – I’ve discovered an easy way to keep my knives sharp (since I never ever sharpened them before and they are always dull), but sending them in the mail to Knife Aid.

Aside from being ultra practical, this redo is gorgeous to boot.

The teeny space just needed a little pick-me-up.

The easy DIY project makes the family's entryway way more functional for them.

The mission: infuse character through thoughtful layers, heirloom furnishings, and curated artwork.

As I’ve entered my thirties and begun hosting friends of my own, I have adopted my grandmother's cleaning method that I remembered from childhood.

We call it the "Magic Trash" strategy — but it's more like a fresh game they can't get enough of.

Lisa Donahue and her daughter, Megan Donahue, started Live Simply Buses as a tribute to their brother and son Michael who passed away at the age of 15.

It's tried-and-true kitchen wisdom!

Fill your home with LEGO furniture.

Say goodbye to messy closets for good!

When she and her husband first bought it, Kara Haren's apartment had cranberry painted walls, a kitchen that hadn't been touched in 20 years, and flimsy and cracked windows. In the six years they've lived there, they have renovated each room to feel special and specific to them.

From air quality down to organizing your home for rituals, these experts share their best advice for creating a healthy family home.

NOTE: These short memory stories, dropped in as they are to my Ask Maxwell column, do serve a purpose. While definitely different, my aim is to provide context for what we were thinking when we were children, which will help us to understand our own children. I find that in going back into my own childhood and sharing stories of my own struggles and what I was thinking at the time has been very helpful in connecting with my own daughter as she has grown.

My kitchen has never smelled better.

You'll never look back.

It's my go-to for stains — and keeping my hands super soft — from now on.