Katherine Owen
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Articles by Katherine Owen
9 Heat-Tolerant Plants That Thrive In Containers All Summer Long Original
In the South, one must always be prepared for the heat—and that goes for the plants that live here, too. When temperatures can spike three seasons out of the year, with record-breaking numbers common in the summer months, plants in the South should be selected and primed to withstand high temperatures for an extended period of time.
How Long Can Butter Sit Out On The Counter Before It Goes Bad? Original
Meet the woman on a mission to change America's mind about room-temperature butter. By Katherine Owen Published on May 10, 2026 Like many people, Joelle Mertzel, a mom and resident in Los Angeles, California, always thought butter should be kept in the fridge. After all, it's a dairy product and the label says, "Keep refrigerated." Plus, it's refrigerated in cases in the store. The logic follows.
When Is It Too Late To Prune Roses? Don’t Miss This Window Original
Bouts of warm weather in your area confirm that it's definitely spring. If you've been pushing "prune the roses" farther and farther down your to-do list, we don't blame you. There are so many other things to do in the spring garden. If you think you've waited too long, you're in luck. It may not be too late for you and your roses, depending on which type you are growing. Read on for tips on when and how to prune your prized rose bushes and what to do if it is too late.
10 No-Grass Backyard Ideas That Practically Take Care Of Themselves Original
Sometimes, the grass is greener when there's less to care for. By Katherine Owen Published on April 20, 2026 Credit: Photography Ralph Anderson Maintenance, sustainability, personal style—there are plenty of reasons to consider an alternative to the traditional grass backyard. Maybe you want to permanently strike "mow the lawn" off your to-do list or love the enchanted, earthy look of sprawling moss across your backyard. If you've got low-mow, no-maintenance yards on your mind, you're not alone.
10 Things Southerners Just Can’t Bring Themselves To Throw Away
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) put a female fugitive on its Top Ten Most Wanted list with a $1,000,000 reward, and a string of tips led to …
10 Things Southerners Just Can’t Bring Themselves To Throw Away Original
Credit: Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Southerners are experts at mixing the old with the new. Whether it’s a leather purse or an old wooden chest, Southerners know how to see the heirloom quality of what might otherwise be considered hand-me-downs. Tour any Southern home, and you're likely to find family stories in every room—from the cast-iron skillet in the kitchen to a plush stack of quilts in the guest bedroom.
How To Design An 800-Square-Foot Cottage That Feels Like A Dream Original
When Atlanta architect Brandon Ingram was tasked with designing a small cottage 30 minutes outside of Tallahassee, Florida, he knew it needed to be two things: "extremely efficient and super Southern." Extremely efficient because this is the second building on the property and county laws mandated that it be no more than 800 square feet.
This Historic Austin Home Reno Fuses Texas Traditional With California Cool Original
Hidden in the northwest corner of downtown Austin, just a few blocks from the Texas capitol, the Judges Hill neighborhood is home to some of the city’s most significant architectural history. A mere four blocks wide, the area’s picturesque tree-shaded streets lead to erstwhile homes of notable justices, some dating as far back as the 1800s.
Why Paperwhites Make The Best Holiday Gifts Original
Spread good cheer with these snowy white bulbs. By Katherine Owen Published on December 14, 2025 Credit: ROBBIE CAPONETTO; Styling: BROOKE MCAFEE Paperwhite bulbs are great gifts to hand out to all your friends during the holidays. “I love giving paperwhites to people during the holidays,” says says Birmingham floral designer Brooke McAfee.
Why Paperwhites Make The Best Holiday Gifts
12 hours ago Ever notice how gardening trends seem to change just when you get comfortable? Lately, more people are questioning the no-dig approach and exploring what actually works best for their space. No-dig gardening has been a favorite for its gentle touch on the earth. Instead of turning the soil, you …
How Often You Should Be Watering Your Christmas Tree Original
Keep your tree festive and fresh for the holiday season. By Katherine Owen Published on November 29, 2025 Credit: Getty Images You've corralled the family, walked the lot, looked at every last tree, debated which was too Charlie Brown and which looked like it belonged in the center of town. You settled on one that was juuust right, brought it home, trimmed it to your heart's content, and now it's time to simply enjoy, right? Not so fast.
This North Carolina Home Feels Like A Real Life Gingerbread House At Christmastime Original
Credit: Brie Williams; Styling: Kendra Surface; Design: Louise Copeland It's a familiar sentiment for all who travel: “What if I just move here?” After what started as a two-week trip to visit interior designer Louise Copeland and her family in Charlotte in 2020, Amanda Frank did just that with her husband, Grady, and their four children. Copeland had recently relocated from New York City to the Queen City, and it didn’t take much to convince the Franks to follow suit.
29 Impressive Indoor Container Garden Ideas
You can enjoy the outdoors even when you're stuck inside. Bring the earthy greenery, colorful flowers, and intoxicating aromas of your favorite outdoor retreat into your home with an indoor container garden. We're showing you our favorite indoor planter ideas, from playful arrangements of succulents to pots of overflowing vibrant primrose. No matter the season, there are plenty of ways to bring your garden inside.
10 Things A Southerner Never Throws Away Original
Southerners are experts at mixing the old with the new. Whether it’s a leather purse or an old wooden chest, Southerners know how to see the heirloom quality of what might otherwise be considered hand-me-downs. Tour any Southern home, and you're likely to find family stories in every room—from the cast-iron skillet in the kitchen to a plush stack of quilts in the guest bedroom. Sometimes we’re just being sentimental, but we promise there’s some practicality at play too.
This Colorful Charlottesville Home Is Bursting With Christmas Cheer Original
For Natasha Lawler, her love for hosting dictates her interior decor. "I really like entertaining," says the woman who cites a crown roast as her go-to crowd-pleaser. "It's easy. Ask the butcher to tie up a rack of pork like a crown. Then just bake it like a roast." Not surprisingly, Lawler works in event planning and public relations. In 2013, she moved from Hong Kong with her husband and their family into this 1929 Charlottesville, Virginia, home.
This Chic Home in California's Wine Country Is an Ode to Mother Nature
A California Wine Country Home Inspired by NatureBrett Wood Photography "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Before Sandra Jordan established her eponymous line of alpaca textiles, she was a silver designer. And a Spanish literature teacher. And the creative director of a winery. She’d lived in South America, the Philippines, Germany, Massachusetts, and beyond.
This Fall-Bloomer Brings Vibrant Color And Butterflies To Your Garden
Even if you aren't fortunate enough to live next to a meadow of wildflowers, you can still capture their untamed beauty in a container or garden this summer by planting cosmos. Cosmos come in various colors, from burgundy to pink to white. Mix them up for a more natural look, like a wildflower meadow. Bonus: this colorful flower, native to tropical America, attracts birds and butterflies with its cheery blooms.
The Best of All Worlds
Community but seclusion. A walkable location but off the beaten path. City living set against a backdrop of greenery… The last developable lot in Cedar Lane at Cherry Creek, site number 12, boasts a rare combination of features that few listings can claim these days, particularly in Denver’s hot neighborhoods. Fully ensconced behind a 12-foot gate, the community is home to 21 luxury lots and is within walking distance (via a pedestrian bridge) to downtown Cherry Creek.
This Low Country Pied-à-Terre Is a Tale of Two Cities
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This Low Country Pied-à-Terre Is a Tale of Two Cities
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Designer Melissa Rufty’s pied-à-terre sits squarely in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. One of the oldest homes in the neighborhood, the one-room 1860s Greek Revival has an undeniable Low Country air. “When I walked in, I felt like I was on a movie set. I can’t explain it any other way than that,” Rufty recalls.
12 Things A Southerner Never Throws Away
Southerners are experts at mixing the old with the new. Whether it’s a leather purse or an old wooden chest, Southerners know how to see the heirloom quality of what might otherwise be considered hand-me-downs. Tour any Southern home, and you're likely to find family stories in every room—from the cast-iron skillet in the kitchen to a plush stack of quilts in the guest bedroom. Sometimes we’re just being sentimental, but we promise there’s some practicality at play too.
The Art of Reflection
Step Inside the World of Artist Kristen Abbott, Where Creativity and Community are All Waypoints to Finding Center Article by Katherine Owen Photography by Lindsey Mazzaferro Photo & MBER Creative Originally published in Boulder Lifestyle From artist Kristen Abbott’s home studio in South Boulder, each change of the seasons is a chance to collaborate with nature and cultivate new techniques and mediums.
42 Laundry Room Ideas We're Obsessed With
If only there were a way to make laundry an enjoyable task. Just because it's a chore, the room itself shouldn't be a bore. What if we took a space about function and added whimsy, charm, and color to it? Enter our best laundry room ideas. Your laundry room shouldn't suffer just because it exists for a purpose everyone dreads. We think laundry rooms should be cheery, fun, and inspiring to make up for the dull tasks they require.
Pandemic Proof
Like many, Michael Milton and his wife Gabrielle Henning got really into baking in 2020. But for the Denver couple, their home-kitchen experiments came with professional ambition. The two share a background in the food and beverage industry, and, following early lockdown layoffs, were looking for a creative way to work. Enter: Pandemic Donuts. Gabrielle is a chef by training with a background in pastry and led the duo on the culinary front.
Form & Function
In Denver, Three Ceramists, Each With Their Own Unique Approach, Prove Magic Happens When a Maker Finds Their Medium Natalie Legg Artist Natalie Legg knows a thing or two (thousand) about mugs. “I used to thrift obsessively back when I lived in Chicago, and I would always buy vintage mugs or just odd unique mugs,” she recounts. “So I guess you could say I have quite a collection.
Material World
Every year, around 12 million tons of furniture end up in U.S. landfills. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, discarded carpets and rugs add another 2.5 million tons on top of that. But this isn’t a story about problems, but about solutions–chic ones, at that. When Jerri Hobdy, a Denver-based furniture and lighting designer, first started out, the role of sustainability within the design industry was nebulous—and niche.
Shop the Look: Chic Dreams
Log Provider: Honest Abe Log & Timber Homes Photo by: Brandon Malone At this dreamy Tennessee log-and-timber retreat, “farmhouse” is so much more than a decor scheme. The hybrid home is situated on the family farm, Acres of Grace, which homeowner April Smith-Patterson inherited from her father and now tends to with her husband, Nick.
This Is How Often You Should Be Watering Your Christmas Tree
You've corralled the family, walked the lot, looked at every last tree, debated which was too Charlie Brown and which looked like it belonged in the center of town. You settled on one that was juuust right, brought it home, trimmed it to your heart's content, and now it's time to simply enjoy, right? Not so fast. Unlike most holiday decor, it's not just about easy setup and smart storage.
How To Store An Artificial Christmas Tree Original
One of the biggest perks of an artificial tree is that you get to reuse it each year—no hauling a fresh tree home from the local lot, sprinkling needles everywhere as you drag it into the house. You save time, money, and energy. That is, if you store your artificial tree correctly. There is no shortage of products on the market these days to make the process a little easier.
How to Light Up Your Log Home
Wood soaks up light like a sponge, so to account for the increased light absorption in a log house full of nature’s finest, you’ll need at least twice the lumens that would be required in a timber frame or conventional home with abundant reflective drywall. Golden Eagle Log Homes photo. Lighting design is the ultimate marriage of form and function. Scale, shape and style all come to mind when choosing a fixture, but placement, purpose and power should be given equal consideration.
18 Interior Window Trim Ideas for Any Home Style
Sliding Doors into Gray Kitchen with Farmhouse Sink Credit: Laurey W. Glenn When it comes to adding color and personality to a space, it's easy to forget about the interior window trim in favor of large-scale opportunities, like the walls, ceiling, floor, and furnishings. But take a closer look, and you'll see just how impactful this small design detail can be.
No-Grass Backyard Ideas for Easy Maintenance in Any Season
Credit: Photo: Van Chaplin Maintenance, sustainability, personal style–there are plenty of reasons to consider an alternative to the traditional grass backyard. Maybe you want to permanently strike "mow the lawn" off your to-do list or maybe you love the enchanted, earthy look of sprawling moss across your backyard. If you've got low-mow, no-maintenance yards on your mind, you're not alone.
Living Space: Painted floors are having a moment
Not just for pretty porches and coastal cottages, painted floors are taking over home interiors. Images of quaint, rustic country homes or sprawling Southern porches may come to mind when you think of painted floors, and for fans of classic design, the trend is nothing new. But the latest looks prove painted floors are for every style and space, and modern applications have put a fresh (and functional) spin on the approach.
Living Space: Painted floors are having a moment
Not just for pretty porches and coastal cottages, painted floors are taking over home interiors. Images of quaint, rustic country homes or sprawling Southern porches may come to mind when you think of painted floors, and for fans of classic design, the trend is nothing new. But the latest looks prove painted floors are for every style and space, and modern applications have put a fresh (and functional) spin on the approach.
Living Space: Painted floors are having a moment
Not just for pretty porches and coastal cottages, painted floors are taking over home interiors. Images of quaint, rustic country homes or sprawling Southern porches may come to mind when you think of painted floors, and for fans of classic design, the trend is nothing new. But the latest looks prove painted floors are for every style and space, and modern applications have put a fresh (and functional) spin on the approach.
Living Space: Painted floors are having a moment
Not just for pretty porches and coastal cottages, painted floors are taking over home interiors. Images of quaint, rustic country homes or sprawling Southern porches may come to mind when you think of painted floors, and for fans of classic design, the trend is nothing new. But the latest looks prove painted floors are for every style and space, and modern applications have put a fresh (and functional) spin on the approach.
Camp Lingo Only Southerners Would Know
It won’t be long until you sound like a true BNOC. By Katherine Owen July 06, 2022 For many Southerners, the end of the school year and the arrival of long, hot days meant one thing growing up: camp time. No matter if you went away to spend weeks in the bunks with your best friends or simply went for the day, summer camp was a special summer tradition. It meant long days of adventure, catching up with old friends and making new ones around the campfire.
25 Wall Molding Ideas That'll Dress Up Any Room
Vertical molding and antiques Credit: LAUREY W. GLENN When you think of wall molding, your first thought is probably a formal living room or fanciful dining room, most likely outfitted in a traditional aesthetic. But as a small detail that makes a big difference, wall molding deserves a revisit. No longer just for dignified dining rooms and stately sitting rooms, wall molding adds dimension and showcases an attention to detail in any space.
10 Green Kitchen Wall Ideas That Are Trendy Yet Timeless
The 2016 idea house's kitchen features deep green walls Credit: LAUREY W. GLENN When it comes to colorful kitchen design, blue is often the first hue to come to mind. But take a peek inside the following kitchens, and you'll see just how timeless green can truly be. Match the green tones in your kitchen to the view of your lawn, or opt for a tone with a more eccentric influence.
6 Porch Railing Styles Fit for Any Southern Home
When you think of a Southern home, one of the first things to come to mind is probably an inviting porch. But take a closer look, and you'll see it's the little details that make for such picture-perfect porches. One such detail is the railing style. "The fun thing about railings to me is it's like the jewelry on the house," explains Mary-Dolph Simpson, president of Simpson Builders, Inc. "You can do anything." So how do you choose?
Creating Your Perfect Outdoor Space
Search Query FOLLOW US > A porch, patio or deck should be more than just a pretty face. Here’s how to design outdoor spaces you’ll actually use. Naturally, a functional (and fun) place to take in the scenery is a must. Outdoor rooms instantly expand living and entertaining spaces and, in some cases, for only a modest cost. Honest Abe Log Homes photo by Brandon Malone. If simply adding an outdoor room dramatically expands your living space, adding a roof and screening it in ups the ante.
Painted Floors Are Having a Moment—Here's What to Know Before Grabbing a Brush
Not just for pretty porches and coastal cottages, painted floors are taking over home interiors. Images of quaint, rustic country homes or sprawling Southern porches may come to mind when you think of "painted floors" and for fans of classic design, the trend is nothing new. But the latest looks prove painted floors are for every style and space, and modern applications have put a fresh (and functional) spin on the approach.
Skirted Sinks Are Back in a Big Way
Leah Ashley, an interior stylist in Austin, Texas, is taking her love affair with skirted sinks to the next level in her family's new home. "In researching design plans for our new build, I was most drawn to European kitchens and baths where they incorporate fabric everywhere. I love how the room can take on either a formal or a more casual vibe depending on the fabric and the pleat," she says.
5 Things a Southerner Never Throws Away
Southerners are experts at mixing the old with the new. Whether it's a leather purse or old wooden chest, Southerners know how to see the heirloom quality of what might otherwise be considered hand-me-downs. Take a tour of any Southern home and you're likely to find family stories in every room—from Mama's cast-iron skillet in the kitchen to a plush stack of quilts in the guest bedroom. Here are five things Southerners simply never throw away.
Is It Too Late To Prune My Roses?
Here’s what to do if spring caught you by surprise. By Katherine Owen March 11, 2022 Birmingham Zoo's groundhog, Jamie "Birmingham" Bill, may have slept through this year's Groundhog Day, but recent bouts of warm weather have us thinking spring is coming either way. If you've been pushing "prune the roses" farther and farther down your to-do list, we don't blame you. Luckily, it may not be too late for you and your roses.
The Easiest Plants to Grow From Clippings
Whether you want to share a flower with a friend, save your favorites from the frost, or simply fill your home with plenty of plants, a quick snip is often the easiest way to grow. By Katherine Owen February 14, 2022 Sometimes a new plant doesn't require a trip to the garden shop, but a quick visit to a friend's yard or even your own. Growing plants from clippings is a super simple way to make the most, quite literally, of what you have.
You Can't Go Wrong with These Greige Paint Colors for Refreshing Your Home in 2022
Sherwin-Williams Anew Grey in Mudroom Credit: Laurey W. Glenn It's no wonder greige has taken up reign in people's homes, from powder bathrooms to primary bedrooms. This soothing shade not only boasts the best of both worlds–the chicness of gray and the inviting warmth of beige–but also blends in seamlessly to any design style. It's as at-home in a modern farmhouse as it is in a cozy cottage.
Is My Dog Sleeping Too Much?
Should we really let sleeping dogs lie? By Katherine Owen January 28, 2022 If you started working from home in recent years, you may have been surprised to find out just how much of the day your pup spends snoozing away. It's enviable. And according to Dr. George Melillo, Co-founder and Chief Veterinary Officer of Heart + Paw, it's completely normal. He says a dog typically spends about half the day sleeping or resting. Yep—12 to 14 hours of pure rest and relaxation.
30 Gray And White Kitchen Ideas We Love
If the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a gray and white kitchen is a sterile, industrial space, think again. Take a look at these kitchens and you'll see you can push this palette any direction—from playful and modern to cozy and classic to every design style in between. Whether you choose to coat your cabinets in a striking gray or simply add a metallic pop here and there, there are plenty of ways to achieve this dreamy scheme.
5 Things You Should Never Apologize For-And the One You Should
Sometimes, “sorry!” just slips out. Here’s what to say instead. By Katherine Owen December 09, 2021 In many situations, a concise, heartfelt apology can go a long way. After all, life presents all kinds of situations where a short and sweet "I'm sorry" is a simple fix; you bumped grocery carts at the store or ran a few minutes late (and not because you decided to get coffee on the way!). But sometimes, it's not so clear.
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