Buy It: Hamilton Beach Food Processor ($59, Target) Buy It: Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Coffee Maker ($120, Target) Buy It: Mainstays Loaf Pan ($4, Walmart) Buy It: Mainstays Nonstick Muffin Pan ($5, Walmart) Buy It: Rachael Ray Deep Fry Pan ($40, Target) Buy It: Ozark Trail Cast Iron Skillet ($10, Walmart)

Kitchen Dimensions: 17’ x 12' Try these custom touches in a small kitchen. Kitchen Dimensions: 15’ x 10’ Kitchen Dimensions: 10’ x 19’ Kitchen Dimensions: 12’ x 11’ Kitchen Dimensions: 16’ x 10' These small kitchen design ideas will maximize a galley space. Kitchen Dimensions: 18’ x 13’ Kitchen Dimensions: 18’ x 11’ Kitchen Dimensions: 14’ x 12'

In this kitchen, a trio of skylights adds natural brightness to supplement several pendant lights. The windows also accentuate the angles of the ceiling. Contrasting paint colors—soft beige and crisp white— add dimension to the room. Note: When operable, windows placed high in a room are a valuable source of ventilation, moving hot air out as lower windows let cool air in.

About Maxwell Ryan: Maxwell is the founder of Apartment Therapy, the uber-popular website devoted to stylish living in small spaces, who recently added BHG contributor to his resume. Look for his column, “Apartment Therapist,” in the magazine several tiimes a year! Frame a doorway with bookcases or shelves to turn wasted space into storage. Spring for built-ins, or get the same function with freestanding units. This solution works best for less-frequently used passageways, such as pantry or laundry room doors, rather than main entries....

Buy It: Cuisinart Deep Dish Pie Pan, $10.99, Macy’s

Buy It: Sur la Table 12-Ounce Round Gratin Dish, $10.00, Sur la Table Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare ingredients and assemble the lasagna over the weekend or on an evening you have some extra time, then refrigerate for up to two days before baking (and devouring).

Due to their physical or chemical makeup, these surfaces naturally kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria and viruses, helping you keep your home cleaner with less spraying and scrubbing. Of course, hand-washing and disinfecting high-touch surfaces are vital to prevent the spread of germs throughout your home, but choosing the right materials can boost the health and hygiene of spaces like kitchens, bathrooms, mudrooms, and more. Learn how to use these naturally antimicrobial surfaces to keep your home cleaner and safer....

Season of Bloom: Spring to frost Light: Full sun to part shade Water: Plant in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 5-9 Season of Bloom: Summer to fall Light: Full sun to part shade Water: Plant in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 5 feet tall Zones: 8-10 Season of Bloom: Summer Light: Full sun Water: Plant in medium moisture, well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 5-9 Season of Bloom: Summer Light: Full sun Water: Plant in dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil Size: Up to 2 feet tall Zones: 5-8 Season of Bloom: Spring Light: Full sun Water: Plant in dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil Size: Up to 2 feet tall Zones: 6-9 Season of Bloom: Late spring Light: Full sun Water: Plant in dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil Size: Up to 2 feet tall Zones: 4-8 Season of Bloom: Early spring Light: Full sun Water: Plant in dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil Size: Up to 18 inches tall Zones: 6-9 Season of Bloom: Spring to fall Light: Full sun to part shade Water: Plant in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 2 feet tall Zones: 10-11 Season of Bloom: Spring to fall Light: Full sun to part shade Water: Plant in average, evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 2 feet tall Zones: 8-10 Season of Bloom: Spring to fall Light: Full sun to part shade Water: Plant in average, evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 20 inches tall Zones: 8-10 Season of Bloom: Early summer to fall Light: Full Sun Water: Plant in well-drained soil Size: Up to 16 inches tall Zones: 8-10 Season of Bloom: Summer Light: Full sun Water: Plant in dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 7-10 Season of Bloom: Summer to fall Light: Full sun Water: Plant in well-drained soil Size: Up to 18 inches tall Zones: 8-11 Season of Bloom: Early summer Light: Full sun Water: Plant in average, well-drained soil Size: Up to 2 feet tall Zones: 8-11 Season of Bloom: Summer to fall Light: Full sun to part shade Water: Plant in moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 8-10 Season of Bloom: Summer to fall Light: Full Sun to partial shade Water: Plant in moderate well-drained soil Size: Up to 28 inches tall Zones: 8-11 Season of Bloom: Late summer to frost Light: Full sun Water: Plant in evenly, moist well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 8-10 Season of Bloom: Late summer to fall Light: Full sun Water: Plant in even moisture, well-drained soil Size: Up to 4 feet tall Zones: 8-10 Season of Bloom: Fall Light: Full sun Water: Plant in even moisture, well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 8-10 Season of Bloom: Summer Light: Full sun Water: Plant in average, dry to medium well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 5-8 Season of Bloom: Spring Light: Full sun Water: Plant in average, dry to medium, well-drained soil Size: Up to 2 feet tall Zones: 4-8 Season of Bloom: Summer Light: Full sun Water: Plant in average, dry to medium, well-drained soil Size: Up to 18 inches tall Zones: 4-8 Season of Bloom: Summer Light: Full sun Water: Plant in average, dry to medium, well-drained soil Size: Up to 18 inches tall Zones: 4-8 Season of Bloom: Summer Light: Full sun to part shade Water: Plant in average moist to somewhat dry soil Size: Up to 30 inches tall Zones: 7-10 Season of Bloom: Summer to fall Light: Full sun Water: Plant in well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 5-9 Season of Bloom: Summer Light: Full sun Water: Plant in average, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 6-9 Season of Bloom: Late summer Light: Full sun Water: Plant in average, dry to medium well-drained soil Size: Up to 5 feet tall Zones: 5-9 Season of Bloom: Late spring to early fall Light: Full sun Water: Plant in evenly moist to dry, well-drained soil Size: Up to 4 feet tall Zones: 9-11 Season of Bloom: Late spring Light: Full sun Water: Plant in well-drained soil Size: Up to 2 feet tall Zones: 6-9 Season of Bloom: Late spring/early summer Light: Full sun to part shade Water: Plant in well-drained soil Size: Up to 18 inches tall Zones: 4-9 Season of Bloom: Spring to early summer Light: Full sun Water: Drought-Tolerant Size: Up to 5 feet tall Zones: 8-11

Make the Halloween craft: Trace a moon onto one pumpkin and a bat onto another using a pencil. Leaving the traced shapes unpainted, paint the rest of the moon pumpkin black and the bat pumpkin white. Hammer crafts nail every ¼-inch around the edges of the moon and bat, making sure the nails remain slightly above the surface of the pumpkin. For each pumpkin, randomly wrap string in a contrasting color around the nails to create the webbed design....

Hand Potato Masher Here’s the tool most people have in their kitchens for mashing potatoes. The handheld masher is the simplest tool for mashing potatoes, and it allows you to do the mashing right in the pan you cooked in. This potato masher gives a coarser texture with a homemade look. Of course, you can keep mashing longer for creamier results (like our Perfect Mashed Potatoes). Editor’s Note: Potato mashers like this traditionally come with a wavy wire (as pictured) but are also available with a grid plate that produces a more even texture....

But what if they did? We turned to Wendy Lau of @thekwendyhome, who just transformed her own patio into a lounge area worthy of a seaside resort, for her best tips for creating an outdoor retreat that feels like an extension of your home’s interior—and that you’ll love spending time in. 1. Pick a Purpose “I think, for outdoor spaces traditionally, there are two things that people want to do: They either want it to do al fresco dining, or they want to do a lounging area,” Lau says....

We tapped a few interior designers to determine the shades that are currently on their radar, and their picks offer tons of timeless inspiration. “We’re seeing a move away from the all-white kitchen in favor of cabinets that are bold and adventurous,” Austin-based designer Killy Scheer of Scheer & Co. For a colorful refresh with both style and staying power, try one of these designer-favorite kitchen color trends for 2022 and beyond....

The most recent fashion craze poised to cross over into interiors is the head-to-toe monochromatic look. Outfits swathed in a single color were on full display on the Capitol steps during Inauguration Day festivities, and the trend featured prominently in the spring/summer 2021 collections of iconic design houses like Chanel and Prada. In fashion, this bold use of color creates a sleek and striking impression, and the effect is similar for interiors....

More Inspiring Before-and-After Room Makeovers After: Light and Airy The homeowners wanted lots of light for their entryway. So they integrated a modern slatted front door and lots of windows into the space. They also raised the roof (literally) to bring added dimension and height. Before: Definitely Dated A mix of green wallpaper and wooden stairs defined this entryway before the remodel. Weathered linoleum flooring desperately needed to be replaced....

How to Bake Sweet Potatoes Obviously, baking is the most common way to cook sweet potatoes in the oven. If you have the time, baking sweet potatoes is a great way to enjoy tender sweet potatoes with crispy skin. To bake sweet potatoes: Scrub 4 medium potatoes (6 to 8 ounces each), pat dry, then prick with a fork. Bake on a baking sheet at 425°F 40 to 60 minutes, or until tender....

Long-Blooming Perennials That Thrive in the Sun Our first three nominees are right at home in any sunny situation. They reward the eye when massed in sweeping drifts, blended in a border, or left to fend for themselves in a wild garden. Bonus: These long-flowering lovelies are also drought-tolerant. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ and other varieties) These vibrant perennials offer showy yellow-orange petals with bronze-brown central cones. With a 3- to 4-inch span, black-eyed Susans are ideal for cutting—and you’ll have plenty of time to snip a few for a vase....

The trends during the uncertain days of 2020 leaned towards the familiar and cozy. Sourdough starters, warm-from-the-oven cookies, and classic egg salad sandwiches returned to favor as a source of comfort, as the 2020 Google Year in Search trends show. In 2021, as we began to return to life before COVID-19, the trend shifted from the familiar to the different and more interesting in flavors and recipes. Cooking at home continued to be more popular than ever, but we were looking for ways to stretch our culinary experiences in our kitchens....

Buy It: Nordic Ware Aluminum Extra Large Cookie Sheet ($16, Walmart) Buy It: Crock-Pot 4.5-Quart Manual Slow Cooker ($25, Target) Buy It: Ozark Trail 9-Inch Cast Iron Griddle ($16, Walmart) Test Kitchen Tip: If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes. Drain before using.