By Miranda Jones, Sunset style editor

I have to admit that over the last few years Halloween has lost a bit of its old allure for me. Perhaps it is the social stigma at dressing up when you are passed a certain age or maybe it just my dislike of crowds. The real joy in the holiday for me is staying home, watching Young Frankenstein, making orange food and opening the door to trick o treaters. Sometimes I run out of time to carve a pumpkin (the universal sign for Come, ring my bell. I have CANDY) but I think that these buckets from Uncommon Goods might be a good stand in for a jack o lantern.

These spooky characters were originally maple sap buckets (seasonally appropriate, don't you think?) but are now turned into wonderful tea light holders in Georgia. And for $15 for the trio they are a deal!

By Allison Arieff, Sunset, editor-at-large

Rarely have nature and architecture fused together in such an amazing way as in the projects featured in the new book, Natural Architecture by Alessandro Rocca. It's a gorgeous compendium of artists and architects who have utterly transformed the act of building into a new art form that merges nature, landscape, and the environment.

Works by a diverse array of international artists and architects such as Olafur Eliasson, Patrick Dougherty, Nils-Udo, and Sanfte Strukturen (shown below) are included.

The book is filled with great projects and it's hard to pick favorites but I am particularly drawn to sculptor Dougherty's work (shown on the book's cover and below). His installations are very accessible for those of us in the West: his work can be seen at trip-worthy destinations including the  The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona, the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito, California, and the Museum of Outdoor Arts in Denver, Colorado. Such beauty from a pile of sticks!

By Allison Arieff, Sunset, Editor at Large

A few days ago, I had no need to buy plants but definitely had the urge to pop on over to Flora Grubb.

Named for its co-owner (could she have gone into any other business?), Flora Grubb is not only one of the grooviest, most sustainable, most-forward thinking nurseries on the planet, it is one of the greatest places around just to hang out.

They have an amazing selection of plants to be sure (specializing in palms, succulents and specimens that look as if they've come from another planet); they also have fantastic books on gardening and a wonderful array of garden-related stuff from twig-shaped candlesticks to owl lamps that glow from within. And if you go (and of course you're going to now, right?), you must have a coffee at the cafe inside run by Ritual Roasters. It's not called "ritual" for nothing.

Off the beaten path, but just right off the "T" streetcar line in San Francisco, this not-so-secret anymore garden is definitely worth the trip.

[All photos by Marion Brenner]

By Allison Arieff, Sunset editor-at-large

We had our back deck rebuilt recently. Where we once had a sort of Winchester Mystery House  sort of crazy stairwell that ate up nearly all the actual deck space, we now have just the perfect amount of space out back  for a small dinner table and chairs or two lovely lounges.

I have been coveting this teak and hand-woven fiber one from Design Within Reach:

I think they’re gorgeous, somewhat evocative of designers like Hans Wegner but also of Mediterranean fishing nets. There are also folding chairs and a complete dining set available.

But at $1400 a pop, I’ll probably end up with a pair of these from IKEA  instead:

This kind of high/low alternative exploration is a wonderful feature of one of my favorite design sites, Remodelista created by a trio of women with terrific eyes for design. They’re great at showing you the most out of your price range cooktop, bed, lamp, or chair but then they make you feel better by finding a reasonable facsimile from a store like CB2 or West Elm. Check it out.

By Diane DiPrima, Sunset web producer

Many San Francisco homes include a light well, an outdoor area situated within the structure. Light wells provide light and ventilation but they can offer much more.

Looking out the guest room window of my 1959 row house, I imagined a garden oasis. The faded shingles and roofing material before me inspired a plan of action.

Step 1. Replace the window with a sliding door
Step 2. Strip the walls of shingles and replace with wood siding
Step 3. Build a deck
Step 4. Add a focal point
Step 5. Decorate with plants

It took $7,200 and about 10 full days to complete. Although the cost was high, the rewards are great.

Replacing the window adjacent to the light well with a sliding glass door opens the home in more ways than one. Visitors staying in the guest room are able to step into their own semiprivate garden. (A kitchen window opens to the area.) The room also looks bigger because you can see beyond its boundaries. Sitting on the bed, it's possible to see all the way through the house to watch the rising sun.

Redwood tongue-and-groove siding makes the space feel cozy and custom blended stain adds warmth. The deck is built with wood beams positioned diagonally to make the tiny 4 foot by 10 foot light well appear larger.

A handmade bench serves as a focal point as well as a place to sit and admire the container garden. Evergreen shrubs, horsetail, cactus, and assorted succulents bring in shades of green and fun textures. Five pots in similar colors play with shape while giving the garden a unified look.

Panoramic city views are easily accessible by climbing a dock ladder that is mounted on the wall. Standing on the roof, I see potential gardens in every neighbors' light well.

We'd love to see your small-space makeover. Email me your photos and a brief explanation of your project.

See another light-well conversion.

By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer

So, it's basically the day before Halloween, and--like me--you haven't gotten it together to carve your orange beauties. Well, don't.

On a recent trip to Seattle I snapped this pic of an entryway with simple intact pumpkins adorning the steps. It's likely the homeowners had plans to carve them eventually. But maybe not. They look so nice and artsy and deliberate.

Last week senior designer Monica Ewing and I went on our annual pumpkin-run to Farmer John's Pumpkins in Half Moon Bay, where we loaded five (yes five) wagons with pumpkins to play around with for our October 2008 story. Farmer John had an incredible selection of shapes and colors--ones that look artsy, no carving required.

Here's a little inspiration. It's not too late for a little Halloween spirit--and the bonus to the pumpkin carving procrastination is that if you don't carve them into jack-o-lanterns, they won't look out-of-date come November 1st.

I'm especially in love with the pumpkins that look like watermelons (I'm holding one in the second row pic, left) and the mini pumpkins (gourds?) that look like lemons (third row, middle). Oh, and the green pumpkin that I called "the baby" because it was so new its stem and leaves were still vibrant (third row, left). Farmer John calls the little yellow ones with the long sturdy stem (second row, right) "lollipops". Too cute.

By Sheila Schmitz, Sunset online editor

Sunset's grounds manager Rick Lafrentz designs and plants dozens of containers for courtyards and walkways around our Menlo Park HQ. We never know what he's cooking up until he quietly wheels out the latest show – a shock of giant white tulips in spring; ornamental peppers in late summer; azaleas, cyclamen, and heathers around the holidays. Old favorites appear between experiments with new varieties of grasses and blooms.

In Rick's latest roll-out, pink Gaura lindheimeri petals flit like butterflies above fiery Celosia, a 2007 All-American Selection winner called "Fresh Look Gold." Dwarf purple Heliotrope fills in around the base.

Here's a quartet of them around a fountain.

Like the magazine, Rick plans months in advance. In the works now as replacements for the cool season: pots of flowering cabbage and kale, growing from seed (left) under shade boards in the nursery.

By Sheila Schmitz, Sunset online editor

Reader Eric Howes of Thousand Oaks, CA, planted this Big Max pumpkin in early June. "To my great surprise and pleasure," he says, "a pumpkin was born right on the edge of my koi pond waterfall."

The plant has taken over half his backyard and is on its way over the fence to his neighbor's house. Once it began growing over the falls, he added a plank scaffold to support it. (Eric designed and built the pond and waterfall himself, creating his own concrete blocks inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's Alice Millard House in Pasadena).

With almost two months until Oct. 31, Eric should have a hefty backyard Halloween display. He promises to keep us posted.

Meanwhile, do you have a great Halloween photo to share? Send it to us at home@sunset.com, and watch this space.

By Peter O. Whiteley, Sunset senior writer

I enjoy the sight and sound of water in a garden, so I am always on the lookout for sources for handsome fountains that can be tucked into a corner of a courtyard or in a bed near a window or door. The gentle splashes of water can cool you off just by the sound. I was delighted to find my way to a store  called Garden Temple in Studio City, just over the hills into the San Fernando Valley, north of Los Angeles.

There I found a selection of hand-carved stone fountains that are spare and simple in form with craggy textures and muted stone colors.

It was a nice change from the more Baroque, ornate pre-cast or carved fountains you generally see. Their prices are not low, though, since a mid-sized one can run over $3000. Still, I found the display garden a delight. Garden Temple is located at 13055 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; phone 818-783-0079.

By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home writer

Growing up, it seemed my mom's definition of travel was how many cultural sites we could visit in a day. Once, in Paris, we did the chateau de Versailles, the musée d'Orsay, and the Louvre in one day (though as you may know, each of these three sites easily warrants its own). (In all fairness to my dear mother, I admit there was also an economic advantage to this triumvirate, as we had entry to each of these sites with a single fee day pass).

Perhaps as a post-traumatic reaction to that event, my idea of sight seeing is a little milder. Though not immune to the occasional museum or cathedral, I’m more likely to be found sitting at various cafes with picturesque urban views while scanning fun French décor magazines, sipping a latte (or espresso or café crème, depending on said country and culture) and exercising subtle, but directed, people watching.

On my recent adventure down France’s west coast, I became enamored with café chairs ubiquitous to the charming coffee shop facades.

Below: Café chairs in coffee shops and gardens in Paris, Nantes, Bordeaux, and Toulouse. 

Above left: Café chairs available through Ballard Designs here in the US. 

"Summer" immediately brings to mind a few key ingredients: iced lemonade, sunglasses, hammock.

Though I must admit, the safety (read: body-weight withstanding strength) of hammocks have always made me a bit nervous (especially when hung thoughtlessly over a concrete patio). I can’t help but think (as I smile wittily) that this new product made of reclaimed nylon seat belt material will curb hammock safety paranoia. At least for me.

The goods: Sling hammock from Branch. Made of 100% unused, reclaimed nylon seat belt webbing.

Details: Designed with the professional practitioner of the relaxation arts in mind, this handmade hammock is as comfortable to curl up in as it is cool to look at. Woven of end-of-the line seat belt webbing otherwise destined for the landfill, Sling is durable, weather-resistant, and the most stylish thing to swing between two trees since Tarzan hung up his loincloth. Mounting hardware and rope are included for easily adjustable installation.

Available in six colors: Green (pictured), Orange, White, Chocolate and Black.

It’s green(!): Designer Inghua Ting strives to maintain a zero carbon footprint while placing an emphasis on social and ethical responsibility. Fittingly for a company whose creations are made of reclaimed seat belt material, everyone in TING's London studio bikes to work.

Check out the pillows too.

-- Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home writer

As I attempted to jog (with Northern California lungs in Alabama humidity) during my recent trip to Birmingham, my favorite part about the charming homes in the movie-set-like neighborhoods were the abundance of  entryway porches. Even vacant, the scenes felt like warm evenings are supposed to.

American Heritage Dictionary (via dictionary.com)
porch (pôrch, pōrch)  n. 
1. A covered platform, usually having a separate roof, at an entrance to a building.
2. An open or enclosed gallery or room attached to the outside of a building; a verandah.
3. Obsolete A portico or covered walk.

To this I add:
4. A seemingly necessary attribute to homes in the south where a good quality of life includes warm summer evenings spent lolling outdoors.

-- Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home writer

It's exciting when an idea grows into something you can see and touch, and for me, the Sunset Summer Retreat did just that. The concept, which grew from a conversation Senior Editor Dan Gregory and I had back in January, was to find a way to capture the best of indoor/outdoor living and also rethink what a vacation cabin could be. We wanted to share this novel concept with visitors to our annual Celebration Weekend event and build it right in our own parking lot where we have constructed homes for the past four years. (See the Glidehouse, Sunset Breezehouse, and Celebration Weekend Idea House.) I drew a quick sketch (above) of what we talked about- a “cabin” that we conceptually pulled apart and built on a 2500-square-foot deck. At the center is a modest-sized core structure containing a kitchen and bathroom. Instead of attached bedrooms, we put them in separate tent cabins (made by a company called Sweetwater Bungalows) that were placed around the edge of the deck. One tent is the Master bedroom tent, another is the Bunkhouse where kids sleep, and a third is the Locker room, where all the extra stuff you haul on vacations can be stashed. The rest of the deck divides into outdoor living spaces where you would really live during the day. We included a shaded daybed, a firepit for night-time gatherings, an retractable awning in front of the kitchen doors, an outdoor dining room, a grand barbecue center, an outdoor shower, a shaded rear deck for quiet reading, and even an outdoor movie screen. (You can take a photo tour.) When we were done, I took a picture of the whole thing from a cherry picker in about the same place as my original conceptual sketch. As you can see, dream and reality merged! — Peter Whiteley, Sunset senior writer

Sometimes Ikea hits it just right.

When the interior designers for the show home currently erected in our parking lot found these galvanized planters and white pots (with various design textures) we pretty much bought out the East Palo Alto location. Don't worry: I'm sure they're restocking tonight.

With a palette so universal, a design so simple, and price tags so duh ($3.99-$49.99), the decision is effortless and the payoff is designer. The galvanized pots even have these great plant glides for those of us inclined towards inspirational midnight rearranging.

Galvanized + white + a little greenery. How can that go wrong? (Don't forget to water).

It's a sunny Friday afternoon and as I stare off into the incredible view of the gardens outside my office window all I can think of is how soon I can be home with an icy beverage in my hand and kicking up my feet on a San Francisco rooftop before the sun goes down. Yes, sometimes we have sun in the summer of the California city we call San Francisco.

I’m going through a mental list of rooftop bars contemplating which one I can get to before the sun sets completely....dreaming of the day I’ll have my own rooftop (or backyard) to create my own summertime oasis, complete with outdoor lights evocative of a resort Mecca—because there’s nothing quite like a little glow come sunset.

The daydream turns into a frivolous web search for lighting décor for the patio I don’t quite have.

For those of you who do, here are some faves:

blue café light string from Smith & Hawken (above)

perforated ball lantern + morocco lanterns from West Elm

luau portable lamp from DWR

napa lantern from Pottery Barn

-- Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home writer

We feel pretty good about the idea of remodeling a patio in only 2 weekends. But how about a new floor—albeit transient—for your outdoor space in about 5 minutes?

Yes please.

Step one: Purchase Flor’s Green Achre’s outdoor carpet tiles or West Elm’s Wood Deck Tiles.

Step two: Take them out of the box.

Step three: Lay them on the ground side by side in your desired configuration—making sloth-like movements and taking deep breaths between each piece placement to make you feel like you're actually working hard.

Finally, a solution for those of us who can’t quite get it together to demo the cracked concrete patio. — Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home writer