Carol (@carolpham) took on the spring '26 ORC by tackling what she affectionately dubbed "the most awkward wall in my house", a partially recessed half-wall that never quite pulled its weight in the room. Her goal from the start was to turn a space that "always felt a little unfinished" into an intentional cozy nook with shelving and a small seating moment.

Jeanne (@littlejoymarket) tackled her primary closet during the Fall 2022 ORC, with the goal of building a fully custom, floor-to-ceiling closet and dressing room, complete with cabinets, trim, moulding, and a rolling library ladder to reach it all. The result of this massive undertaking could not be more stunning.

The room Cathy Balsom transformed into an absolutely beautiful nursery during the spring '24 ORC started out with zero closets or storage space. Cathy's solution was to build custom built-ins that embrace the room's slanted ceiling rather than fighting it, turning what could've been wasted, awkward space into a fully functional and beautiful storage wall.

It feels kind of insane to say marble and other natural stones are having a moment right now, since they’ve been “trending” for quite literally centuries, but the past couple of years really have seen a boom in marble, marble alternatives, and natural stone in kitchens and bathrooms. Here’s our guide to marble, marble alternatives, and how to choose, featuring some amazing past ORC projects.

Color is one of the most nuanced elements in any design, and the English language doesn’t make it easy. We have maybe a dozen everyday words for color, but color itself has dozens of distinct properties. The result is a lot of “you know what I mean” conversations that somehow end in the wrong wall paint.

The good news is that you don’t need a degree in color theory to fix this, you just need to master five concepts.

I've been working on a guest bedroom transformation for a few months now, and my vision for the light fixture was specific enough that I knew I was going to have to get creative.

To nobody's surprise, the ORC community has produced some incredible garage glow-ups over the years. In my opinion, garage transformations are some of the most satisfying before-and-afters out there. Seriously underrated.

Good eclectic design is more than just mixing lots of elements. The best eclectic spaces feel surprising and remarkable due to the juxtaposition of eras and styles.

I've tried aging terracotta with garden lime before, but it's surprisingly hard to pull off. Getting that authentic weathered look rather than an obviously painted-on whitewash is genuinely challenging.

Let's talk about how to protect yourself and make sure you can keep DIYing for years to come.

If you’re hankering for some extra warmth in your space, be it temperature or vibe-wise, here are just a few ways you can infuse a bit of coziness into any room of your home.

Whatever color you want it to be!

Click through to read our take on “color of the year.”

Virginia from Team ORC tackled a mini project during the fall event. The catalyst for this project is named Clancy.

Some of the most satisfying home improvements are the tiny ones that take less than an hour but somehow never make it to the top of the to-do list.

Last week, on the very first day after the time change, I could already feel myself getting sluggish and blah as the sun started setting at 5:30pm. This year, I'm deciding to be proactive and set myself up for success, and I've learned some genuinely interesting stuff that I'm sharing here.

We're officially halfway through the fall '25 ORC, and wow, what a season it's shaping up to be! We've been absolutely loving watching everyone's progress unfold. In case you missed the first few weeks, here are just a few of the MANY highlights from this season so far.

Welcome back, now comes the fun part! It's time to use design to finish creating a dining space you'll enjoy. The aesthetic choices you make should support and enhance the functional plan you created in Part 1.

If your Instagram feed is anything like ours right now, you're probably drowning in jaw-dropping fall vignettes that look like they took a full weekend (and a small fortune) to create. Not everyone has Martha Stewart's budget or her team of stylists, though, and that's absolutely okay.

As we head into October and November, we're sharing our strategy for bringing seasonal charm into your home in an economical, thoughtful, and refreshingly low-effort way.

When it comes to creating a dining space, the most crucial (and the oft skipped) step of the process is figuring out how you actually live and how the space where you eat can fit or enhance your existing routines.

It is SO tempting to jump straight into decor, but unfortunately even the most beautiful dining room in the world won't serve you well if it doesn't match how your family actually eats, entertains, and uses the space.

When it comes to window treatments, there's an overwhelming number of options available, each with its own benefits and best-use scenarios. Let's break down every major type of window treatment, when to use each one, and how to choose what's right for your space.