The Money Issue
Like
Share
Our annual money issue tells you what great design really costs, from a self-built home in Oregon to a set of corner stores converted into top-shelf homes. Plus, new lighting for almost every budget.
Stories
Editor’s Letter: Talking About Money
Our annual budget issue shares how, in spite of an affordable housing crisis, people are finding clever ways to build great homes.
By William Hanley - a month ago
Mirrored Storage—Love It or Hate It?
A stylish way to stow stuff or a high maintenance mess? Our followers and staff reflect on the pros and cons of this glassy option.
What Live/Work Spaces Have Looked Like Through the Ages
People around the world have merged home and labor for centuries.
31 Eye-Catching Light Fixtures for (Almost) Every Budget
Our selections span a cheeky $139 portable light to a $10,000 designer floor lamp.
How Much Did That House Actually Cost to Build? A Shelter Magazine May or May Not Tell You
It depends entirely on the period of history you’re living through.
Construction Diary: They Lived in a Yurt for Six Years as They DIYed Their $708K Home
In Oregon’s High Desert, a retired couple built a monolithic concrete house with their own hands.
Budget Breakdown: Mermaids and Miyazaki Inspired This $699K Fairy-Tale Bay Area Home
Once upon a time, an interior designer and an architect got together to design a house that feels like a fantasy.
Budget Breakdown: Their $1.2M Berkshires Cabin Is Tiny—But It Has a Massive Wall of Glass
“By placing the living room down on ground level, it’s almost like you’re on a picnic blanket, sitting in the meadow,” says architect Dan Hisel.
The Case for the Developer Mural
In the age of value-engineered structure, corporate-funded street art has become the architectural detailing that some of the public has been craving—and criticizing.
Before & After: For Less Than $200K, a Fixer-Upper in Northern California Becomes a Beacon of Color
Following a contractor hiccup, the homeowners handled the renovation themselves—from the bold hues to built-ins.
We Need to Bring Back “Dump Decor”
Garbage picking was once a great way to furnish our homes on the cheap. If we resurrected it, would we be better off?
Budget Breakdown: They Turned a B.C. Corner Store Into a Home—and Just Had to Keep the Pepsi Sign
How a young family of three hacked an expensive housing market and built their residence for $397K.
Budget Breakdown: It’s Hard to Tell This South Phoenix Home Was Once a Convenience Store
The shelves were still fully stocked when Amy Williams purchased the property and turned it into a refined, loft-like home for $450K.
Budget Breakdown: To Stay in the Bay Area, He Renovated a Former Market Into a Home
Brand consultant Will Meeker always wanted to do a conversion.
The Barcelona Feminist Co-op Queering Nuclear Family Norms
In the increasingly expensive city, La Morada models an affordable alternative to typical renting or buying that looks beyond the traditional household.
Welcome to Paradise Palms, the Las Vegas Neighborhood Where Midcentury Preservation Is Priceless
Call it kitsch, or commitment to detail—in this community, a group of obsessives are passionately maintaining the design heritage of their subdivision.
Why Designer Drew Seskunas Sawed Off This Weird Tree Root
He explains why, exactly, he was drawn to its unusual natural tension.