Changing your kitchen hardware is a small way to make a big impact on your space. There’s no better way to freshen your look than with a touch of brass in your knobs and pulls. 

SLHL:  What selections do you make first in doing a kitchen remodel?
Chris: An appliance wish list is essential to determine the overall layout of a kitchen. Cabinetry typically comes next.  As the most dominant feature of the room, it can drive the design.

When he was six years old, Nate Bonner ate every meal using a replica Imperial Swiss Army Knife that was a gift from his grandfather, Phil. Twenty eight years later, the beautiful hand-made kitchen knives that Bonner designs, machines and sells in his Maplewood store, KnifeWorks, reflect his passion for a household item that many of us mistakenly take for granted. “If you want to learn about people, study their tools,” Bonner says. “The most basic tool is the knife. It’s the one tool that binds all of humanity.”

Fried chicken—the omnipresent American bird of choice—may well be the most difficult simple food to prepare. Many a restaurateur has tried and failed, but it’s Chef Rick Lewis whose Southern chicken restaurant is causing the latest flap. 

Wine may not spring to mind when the menu features such dishes as fried green tomatoes, flaky Southern biscuits and a mouth-watering version of Southern fried chicken, with mashed potatoes, pan gravy and collard greens. Still, the many flavors in each dish, not to mention the acidic, savory, salty and buttery notes that one tastes with each bite, are actually quite compatible with a number of wines from around the world.

From the historic, tree-lined streets of their Compton Heights neighborhood, Ron and Jessie Mueller’s 1905 three-story sits comfortably among its neighbors. But just beyond the front door of the 112-year-old residence reveals the couple’s fresh and quirky design that showcases their individual style, which Jessie thoroughly describes as indie folk with a mid-century vibe; comfortable yet eclectic; clean lines but quirky; even a bit bohemian. “It’s plant hoarder meets chickens and eggs meets babies,” she says with a laugh.