This Home on Stilts Lives Rent-Free in My Mind

Crack open a design editor’s inspiration bank.
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Hello from Copenhagen, where my husband and I whisk away every September. He runs a half-marathon while I embark on a marathon of my own, scavenging the city’s many home brands for the best debuts. Design is so integral to the Danish story, and being here always reminds me that iconic styles we covet in other parts of the world are just a part of locals’ everyday lives. Seeing how other people live with objects can be both aspirational and actionable—as in “I would have never thought to pair that light with this dining table,” then trying it (or a spin on it) yourself. Over my years as a home editor, certain spaces, and the ideas inside them, have stuck with me. My hunt for fresh inspiration, funny enough, prompted me to revisit a few of them. Samantha Weiss-Hills, managing editor, home and shopping

On Board: Small Wonders

When I write home tours, I make a point to ask about the little touches: tiny artworks on display, a special piece of pottery, unique doorknobs I’ve spotted in photos. They’re just as important to a space’s story as paint colors and statement furniture. My tip: Scour people’s bookcases for the best inspiration.

Small Wonders decorating ideas
Photography by Anaïs & Dax; Styling by Merisa Libbey

Nine ideas that I’ll never stop thinking about:

01. Artist Maya Schindler’s home on stilts is my North Star in many ways. One idea I had to steal: draping sheepskin over all kinds of furniture—I’m partial to Overland’s rugs. (Her blanket stack? It inspired my own, too.)

02. Designer Michael Yarinsky of Office of Tangible Space and I connected over our shared love of entertaining when I interviewed him about his Brooklyn home. His stackable glassware is chef’s kiss.

03. When I spotted this Crate & Barrel lamp in the home of Emily Ward (one half of interior design studio Pierce & Ward), all I wanted for myself was wicker lighting; this one from West Elm is now on our bar.

04. The Minna wall storage basket from Eliza Gran’s Hudson Valley cabin has been sitting in my cart for months.

05. Designer Nick Poe’s Chinatown loft is quintessentially New York, and he swears by candlelight (a nod to his mother). I snapped a photo of the beeswax tapers he uses to reference when I host dinner parties.

06. I can’t help but continually zoom in on ceramist Beth Katz’s bookshelves for reading inspo. After picking out titles like And the Mountains Echoed, Living on the Earth, and How to Wrap Five Eggs, I recently bought Gifts of Age, a photography and essay exploration of older women living exuberant lives.

07. Photographer Nicki Sebastian upholstered a chair for the reading nook in her warm L.A. home with a delicate…

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Samantha Weiss-Hills Avatar

Samantha Weiss-Hills

Managing Editor, Home & Shopping

Samantha Weiss-Hills is the managing editor of home and shopping for Domino. She edits and writes home tours, shopping guides, and features, and she’s the friend who everyone texts for glassware, sofa, and sheet recommendations. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Alex, and their beagle-corgi, Elsa.