Author: Jura Koncius

A freshly starched and pressed white tablecloth used to be a requisite part of any major dining occasion, especially a family-filled holiday meal. Chill, the pros say. It’s OK to be more laid-back about the whole holiday table thing. Today, cloths have many stylish alternatives, whether setting plates on bare wood, experimenting with runners or…

You can’t buy the official White House china patterns that presidential families use to entertain. But a new line of glass decoupage plates by designer John Derian and artist Katharine Barnwell feature patterns taken from six administrations. The line, just introduced by the White House Historical Association, features interpretations of presidential dining services from the…

On the last day of school before Christmas vacation, a charming tradition took place in front of my son’s school. Kids from kindergarten to eighth grade stopped by to drop off gifts for the cheerful crossing guard, who steadfastly performed her duties daily, rain or shine. The children loved surprising her, and throughout the morning,…

Many people associate a special smell with the holidays. Warm gingerbread. Crushed peppermint. Frosty martinis. Freshly cut pine. Chances are, a scented candle recreates your Christmas memory, though we are sorry to report that if your remembrance is the cocktail, Yankee Candle’s Alpine Martini has been discontinued. “During the holidays, people spend more time indoors,…

Japanese decluttering diva Marie Kondo started as an organizing consultant while she was a 19-year-old university student in Tokyo. Her 2011 book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” has sold millions of copies, and her idea of keeping items only if they “spark joy” has inspired many to toss mountains of household clutter. Her “KonMari”…

Jessica McFadden has a pretty good laundry routine going with her family of five — until the start of the school year, with its extra gym and activity clothes. One child brings dirty clothes to the laundry room, another folds the clean clothes and delivers them to each bedroom, and one is a master sock…

Most people who vacation on Cape Cod come home with a shark snow globe, cranberry-scented soap or the like. But I drove back a few years ago with a yellow club chair wedged into my station wagon. The $35 chair caught my eye at a favorite church thrift shop in Dennis Port. At 32 inches…

No longer the pariahs of decor, fake flowers are showing up at some of the best addresses. “There is a place for faux flowers today,” says Whitney Robinson, editor in chief of Elle Decor. “They are essentially copies of what you would buy fresh.” Although beautiful arrangements such as the bowl of 400 fresh lavender…