The best thing about leaving Hawai‘i is coming back – and it’s never more true than the moment you step off the airplane and smell the sweet scent of flowers wafting from a nearby lei stand or planter. Ahh. Home sweet home.

To keep the house you call home smelling just as sweet, Alora Ambiance diffusers bring a virtual Hawaii garden into any room. 

Alora owner Annie Gibbons-Hope formulates many of the scents at her four-acre property in Palolo, drawing inspiration from the expanse of trees and flowers growing around her. Isola, the most tropical-smelling fragrance (the... Read more »

 So you like to reinvent your style. Big deal. It’s not like you’re a commitment-phobe or anything. As if. You totally committed to those attention-getting Noelani Designs shell earrings, and every night you’re married to one side of the reversible Kiri Cover on your bed. And hello, it’s a woman’s right to change her mind, isn’t it?

Yes ­– and apparently it’s a man’s wish, too. Because when James... Read more »

 How do we break this to you? The ceiling fan light – you know, the only thing illuminating your living room – is not really a lamp. Yes, it emits light. Yes, when it’s on, it’s not dark. But this functionary add-on is all about convenience, not style. It does not elevate your home décor, it does not say “this is so me.” Its only declaration is calling out every spot, wrinkle, and imperfection in your life.

Now Mark Chai’s pendant lamps – the ones that grace the chic innards of Town and Downtown restaurants –... Read more »

There’s the dining room you’ve never eaten in. The garage you’ve never parked in. And the storage unit that costs nearly as much as your rent – and unlike your house, it’s air conditioned.

You really have nowhere else to stuff your stuff.

Call Kelly Galvin, of Organized in Paradise . She can size up your space, help you find a place for everything and work out a plan to always keep your things put away. Whether you have an overflowing closet, a jumbled home office or an overflowing garage, Galvin will help you see order in the chaos.

She brings a mathematical sensibility... Read more »

How many HGTV shows have you watched where the interior designer makes a dull condo into House Beautiful in just 30 minutes?

A half hour at your place won’t even get the hall closet cleaned out, let alone a whole room designed. What you need is professional help.

At Pacific Home on Ward Avenue , a free hour of design advice from an on-staff interior designer is on tap. Their newly launched Design Bar lets you belly up with photos, floor plans and ideas for your problem room. You’ll come away with the pro’s recommendations for how to arrange furniture, maximize space,... Read more »

Last year’s hit design book Hawai‘i: A Sense of Place is still a fixture on your coffee table. But staring at that photo of an oversize pune‘e on a spacious lanai hasn’t sparked any grand ideas for your considerably cozier living area.

That’s why interior design expert Rachel Mallon of Design Savvy Maui created Room in a Book

—to help people who want to personally design their space but don’t know where to begin.

Complete an online questionnaire, provide space dimensions and pictures, and in a month or less (one week for pdf... Read more »