Specialty Interiors

Explore expert guides, custom design ideas, and renovation tips for specialty interiors. Upgrade your home’s unique spaces and built-in features today

Vertical white battens being leveled and nailed onto a painted bedroom wall in progress

InteriorAccent Walls & Millwork9 min read

Install a Board-and-Batten Accent Wall That Looks Built-In

A step-by-step guide to a board-and-batten accent wall: spacing math that lands even, adhesive plus nails, caulk discipline, and enamel paint that seals the look.

A partially built wooden mudroom bench with shoe cubbies and a beadboard panel with coat hooks

InteriorMudrooms & Laundries10 min read

Build a Mudroom Bench With Hooks and Cubbies

A weekend build for a mudroom drop zone: a sturdy plywood bench with shoe cubbies, a beadboard hook wall, and a shelf — anchored to studs and sized to real coats.

A golden retriever inspects an arched plywood pet nook being built into the space under a staircase

InteriorPet Spaces9 min read

Build a Built-In Pet Nook That Retires the Crate

A step-by-step guide to building a built-in dog nook under the stairs or in a cabinet bay, sized for the animal, with ventilation and easy-clean finishes.

Raised tiled dog-wash station with gray tile walls, curb, handheld sprayer, and tiling tools on a mudroom floor

InteriorPet Spaces12 min read

Build a Mudroom Dog-Wash Station With a Tiled Curb

A step-by-step guide to building a raised, tiled dog-wash station in a mudroom: blocking, curbed pan, waterproofing, drain, tile, and a handheld sprayer.

A fold-down plywood workbench open from a wall cabinet with pegboard tools hanging inside the door

InteriorCraft & Hobby Rooms10 min read

Build a Fold-Down Hobby Workbench With Tool Storage Inside

A step-by-step guide to a wall-mounted fold-down workbench: stud-anchored case, plywood top on a piano hinge, folding legs, and pegboard tool storage.

A solid wood desktop being set onto wall cleats between two alcove walls in a home office

InteriorHome Offices10 min read

Build a Wall-to-Wall Home Office Desk on Cleats

A step-by-step guide to a built-in desk spanning two walls: level cleats into studs, a solid-core door as the top, scribed edges, and hidden cable management.

Bright craft room with white pegboard wall holding scissors and ribbon, cutting table with green mat, and rolling cart beneath

InteriorCraft & Hobby Rooms9 min read

Set Up a Craft Room That Practically Cleans Itself

A step-by-step guide to organizing a craft room around a wall system, a counter-height cutting table, and rolling cart zones so every project has a home.

A painted white window seat with an open hinged lid revealing books stored inside beneath a sunny window

InteriorLibraries & Reading Nooks10 min read

Build a Window Seat With Book Storage Underneath

A step-by-step guide to building a window seat with storage: leveled base frame, plywood box, hinged lid or drawers, scribed face frame, fitted cushion.

Floor-to-ceiling built-in bookcase under construction with painted face frames, plywood boxes, and a rolling ladder rail

InteriorLibraries & Reading Nooks12 min read

Build a Floor-to-Ceiling Library Wall With a Rolling Ladder

A step-by-step guide to a built-in library wall: plywood boxes on a leveled base, anchored to studs, face frames for a furniture look, and a ladder rail.