Stories We’re Loving This Week

3 Decorating Conundrums Solved with Kraft Paper –> Pop Sugar Home

There’s something very appealing about taking simple, everyday items and elevating them to so much more. Take these inventive uses for Kraft paper – who thought it could be so chic? I’m especially loving the table-runner concept, topped off by brilliant seasonal bouquets. I’m definitely stealing this idea for my next dinner party. — Jessica Mordo, senior web editor. 

James van Sweden Dies at 78; His Designs Urged Lawns to Grow –> NYT

Last week, landscape architect James van Sweden, passed away. I’ve unearthed my old copy of Gardening with Nature to remind myself why I loved his gardens so much when I started working in the nursery business so long ago. The movement he started was known as The New American Garden: Big swathes of grasses, meadows of native flowers, and wide borders of easy care shrubs swept away the then de rigueur foundation plantings and fussy rows of bedding plants. His gardens looked like works of art. And best of all, his insistence that plants should work with their surroundings helped me convince customers to plant what their gardens were able to grow. — Margaret Sloan, production coordinator 

Giving New Meaning to the Term Treehouse –> Gardenista

We’ve seen brilliant uses of trees grown in pots for indoor décor. But get a load of these homes that use trees as part of the architectural design, from load-bearing structural elements to a lofted treehouse. Talk about bringing the outdoors in! — Jessica Mordo, senior web editor. 

Everything You Need to Know About the National Parks Closures –> National Geographic

Like many around the West, several staffers here at Sunset are dealing with last-minute changes to their national-park vacation plans. This straightforward guide to the national park closures from National Geo is a must-read for anyone who had a Yosemite (or Grand Canyon, or Grand Teton…) visit on the books this weekend.  — Aislyn Greene, assistant editor