Makeup and the Coronavirus: An Uneasy Mix

It was business as usual at Sephora in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan Monday evening, give or take a few face masks not of the soothing mud variety. Customers were browsing the latest Urban Decay palettes, sitting at mirrored stations getting makeup applied by sales associates and stocking up on luxury skin care, including $335…

Will That Be One Gable or Two?

This article is part of our latest Design special section, which is about getting personal with customization. In architecture, the tension between freedom and restrictions animates the best work. We wonder how a building by, say, Frank Gehry can stand up, given the striking twists and turns of its form. No matter how visually striking,…

Getting Comfortable with Furniture Customization

This article is part of our latest Design special section, which is about getting personal with customization. Customization has always been part of home furnishings. Urged on by their clients, interior designers seek out luxurious fabrics and collaborate with workshops to design special pieces. And even mass-market items like Crate & Barrel sofas come with…

The King of D.I.Y. Dwellings

BOLINAS, Calif. — Self-sufficiency is like perfection, said Lloyd Kahn, the guru of guerrilla architecture and dean of all things D.I.Y. “You never quite get there, but you’re moving toward it all the time.” On this late February morning, the chickens had been fed, the sourdough loaves baked and left cooling on a rack. The…