The Eternal, Essential Apartment
We may think of the apartment building as the ultimate symbol of modern urban living, but as a typology, it dates to antiquity.
Home Foundations Are Crumbling. This Mineral Is to Blame.
Pyrrhotite causes cracks in concrete. But research on how widespread the issue might be has only scratched the surface.
The Tiny House Trend Began 100 Years Ago
In 1924, sociologist and social reformer Caroline Bartlett Crane designed an award-winning tiny home in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
How Hobbies Changed the Home
Basements, sheds, and workshops found their way into American homes because leisure activities pursued by men and boys were often loud and smelly.
Dawn of the Bathroom
The bathroom didn’t become a thing until the nineteenth century, and most working-class US homes added plumbed-in amenities in piecemeal fashion over time.
Heating Your Home Sustainably
Home heating can be done more sustainably than we currently do it. How to do it depends on a number of factors.
The Punk Rock Linguistics of Cottagecore
So you want to borrow a concept from another culture but don’t know what to call it? Try a morpheme!
Smart Toilets: The Jetpack of the Bathroom
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are envisioning a toilet that can analyze urine for indicators of disease.
A Phrenologist’s Dream of an Octagon House
Orson S. Fowler thought houses without right angles would offer a better life, but his own architectural experiments did not end well.
What Ever Happened to the Parlor?
For musicologist Edith Borroff, the parlor was egalitarian, open, and joyful—all qualities she equates with the best musical spirit.