We’re about to move into a cute Cape Cod just outside of Washington, DC. A lot of its vintage charm has been preserved — which we love — but this also includes ridiculously small closets. (See our “coat closet” above.) We’re coming from a space that had great closets despite being built in the 1930s, so this is going to be a big change for us. What have you done to deal with tiny (or nonexistent) closets in your space? Wardrobes from Ikea? Shelves from the Container Store? Do tell! –Michelle V.K.

Is covering a room in tile awesome or crazy? All I know is, I love it. Trend USA just introduced the Wallpaper collection, 64 patterns in 130 color combinations. You buy the mosaic glass tiles in segments that make it simpler to create a repeating pattern. Each style starts at $23 a square foot. That’s a bit steep, but the patterns are undeniably cool, and you put them on floors, walls — even ceilings! I so want a new bathroom I can put these in. Or any room, really. Feast your eyes on all the variations here. –Mary T.

Casa Sugar saw a post at This Old House about how to cope when your grown kids move back in. She decided to look at it from the other side with a post for young (and not-so-young) adults on how a necessary move back in with your parents can be handled gracefully. Thankfully, I haven’t had this dilemma, but the advice still resonated with me as until recently I stayed with my elderly mom at her home four times a year when I was working in her city. Especially good is the advice to carve out your own space — I bought a couple outdoor chairs so I could spend a little time in the yard, something that my mom rarely does these days. See the whole article here. –Mary T.

Don’t forget to send us photos of your small garden — indoors or out — to get a chance to win a lead-free, water-saving garden hose. See all the details here!

I work in one of NYC’s food havens, the Chelsea Market Building. And the other day, during a lunchtime stroll, I was pleasantly surprised to find the pair behind grillchef.com giving out samples of the most amazing grilled cheese sandwich I have had. It was just a bite, but they handed out the recipe and I had to make my own. Here’s how: You need crusty bread (of course), sharp cheddar cheese, an apple (Fuji, braeburn or Granny Smith), one lemon’s juice and zest, 1 tsp of olive oil, and butter. Slice the apples thinly and toss with lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper. Butter one side of two pieces of bread. Build your sandwich — butter on the outside — of cheese, apples, cheese. Grill on a pan or use a George Foreman grill like I did. I can’t quite describe how amazingly good this grilled cheese is. Forget tomatoes (my former staple). From now on I am using lemony apples. Trust me on this one. — Angela M.

Interesting surroundings, interesting people, cool art, and they take dogs? It’s no surprise we liked our stay at the Ace Hotel in Portland so much.

Because we have two large mastiffs, we made sure to get a room that wouldn’t be too small. We ended up in one of the Superior Deluxe corner rooms, and let’s just say — yes, it was big enough! At 500 square feet, it was larger than my first apartment. The enormous couch (which converts into two twin beds, and no, we didn’t let the dogs on them) was super comfortable and looked to be upholstered with old military tent material. The desk was made from reclaimed wood and a battered Marines locker. The room also had a record player and a selection of vinyl. I had a nice moment of nostalgia listening to a Boz Scaggs record that was once a major feature in my older sister’s music collection. Click for more photos and fun! (more…)

Oh, we love the shelves around here. The latest are these Small Comic Bookshelves by Fusca Design, as seen at Outblush, and There’s the “Bigcomic Shelve” if you have more to say. Just one catch: we can’t figure out how to buy them. Can you?

A few years ago, I was struggling with a bad addiction to caffeinated, high fructose corn syrup-laden carbonated beverages — most notably Coke and Pepsi. Quitting that stuff was the hardest thing I’ve ever quit, seriously. Occasionally, I still crave those sweet, fizzy delights and indulge, but only in a cane sugar-sweetened Coke or Pepsi from Mexico (which still has other naughty stuff in it, like artificial flavors). How delighted was I to see Pepsi Natural on the shelf at Target the other day? With its cane sugar and all-natural kola nut extract tempting me, of course I immediately imbibed, but with restraint — this is a “classy” soda after all. The carbonation wasn’t as aggressive as most colas I’ve tried, and the cola flavor itself was much more subdued and earthy than regular Pepsi. Delicious and different, indeed — but thankfully not addicting! –Megan B.

Need a good place to start looking for a Mother’s Day gift? PeacockModern on Etsy is a treasure trove of cute vintage pieces. Owner Heidi Unruh scours thrift shops so you don’t have to — she has a discerning eye for good quality vintage design and the odd dash of quirkiness, and her prices are reasonable, too. The Esty store is updated often with a good range of vintage glass and dinnerware, Pyrex, Mikasa, and Danish Modern, spiced up with a bit of kitsch. Plus, they’ll ship all over the world. See all the latest vintage wares at PeacockModern here. –Paola T

I still haven’t exactly honed my green thumb (read: I even kill cacti) but I’ve heard that keeping plants in a terrarium is an especially easy method for keeping them alive. At least I’ll be less likely to let them dry out. I think one of these pear-shaped Recycled Glass Terrariums from Viva Terra would look especially cool on a kitchen window ledge. At $49 they’re a little pricey, but if it will keep me from killing a plant every other month, then it practically pays for itself. –Erica P.