When you're touring homes, it's easy to fall for fresh paint and gleaming countertops. But surface details rarely tell the architectural story. The smartest buyers know how to look past cosmetic theater to evaluate a home's bones—its structure, orientation, and true potential. Here's our architect's guide to separating genuine good bones from seductive bad habits, including red flags that signal expensive problems and green flags worth building on.

Settling into a new house doesn’t always mean gut renovations and endless shopping lists. Sometimes it’s the smaller, smarter interventions—how you plan a room, light a space, or create a ritual—that make it feel unmistakably yours. In this post, we share seven ways to claim your space, from entrances with personality to closets that quietly transform daily life.