How to Cure the Renovation Bug?

The renovation of Geoff and Liz Caan’s house in Newton, Mass., has been a 16-year work in progress. Since the couple bought the 1920s Georgian-style brick house in the Chestnut Hill historic district in 2003, Ms. Caan, an interior designer who favors rooms bursting with statement-making color and pattern, has rarely rested. Renovating and redecorating…

Her Fans Want to Walk in Her Shoes

One of the most coveted items of the holiday season could have been plucked from a Disney fantasy. An exotic reimagining of a Cinderella glass slipper called the Begum, it is also one of this season’s most blatantly knocked-off designs. Loose interpretations of its spindly rococo heel have cropped up at stores and e-tail sites…

At ‘Black Out’ Performances, the Power of Healing Through Community

A handful of playwrights, directors, filmmakers and film lovers have created spaces for black audiences to crack jokes and clap back without apology and, afterward, process complex, nuanced race-related issues. In recent years, there have been many conversations about the importance and impact of positive, multidimensional representation in Hollywood and on Broadway. But white audiences…

A Newcomer to Christmas Creates a Very Old Eggnog

Growing up Jewish in Oklahoma City, Aaron Goldfarb encountered few opportunities to drink eggnog during the holiday season. But romance can change a person’s circumstances. “I married a woman who loves the holidays,” said Mr. Goldfarb, who writes about beer, whiskey and cocktails for publications like Esquire and Punch. His book “Gather Around Cocktails” (Dovetail,…