Take Covers Once your ac goes on for the next gazillion weeks, you’re stuck with an odd dilemma: It’s hotter than the surface of Venus outside, but in your pad, it’s fre...

Prep Station Milly designer Michelle Smith is known for merging Nantucket-classic prints with New York City-edgy cuts. Her limited-edition collection for Banana Republic (Bana...

Re-Do It Yourself Thinking about tossing that rickety old bookshelf? Let Barb Blair, author of “Furniture Makeovers” ($25, Chronicle Books), convince you why it’s worth ...

Black-Tie Bargains Prom season may be over, but wedding season is just revving up (welcome, June bridezillas!). The new Johnny Tuxedo (Johnnytuxedo.co.uk) lets young blokes pl...

Clean, Chic Not content to fill downtown lofts and suburban bungalows with squared-off sofas and massive mirrors, Crate & Barrel is going into the housekeeping business, t...

Hair Tactics Despite its creepy moniker, Shaw’s The Barber of Hell’s Bottom (818 Rhode Island Ave. NW; 202-332-0200) does not employ murderous Sweeney Todd types. Instead,...

Pore Favor When those funny-looking nose strips just won’t zap your dry, zitty dermis, bring in backup with Colbert M.D.’s Intensify Facial Discs ($58 for 20, Colbertmd.co...

Retro Stop In a reality TV landscape clogged with housewives and Kardashians, the Smithsonian Channel’s new “L.A. Frock Stars” catwalks out something refreshingly differ...

The Price Is White Getting hitched costs a mint these days, particularly in spendy D.C. But wedding belles can score big-day dresses on little budgets at Loehmann’s Grab the...

Brace Yourself To call the new Alex and Ani outpost in Georgetown (the brand’s 28th locale) a “jewelry store” is a disservice (3068 M St. NW; 202-333-4195). Rather, the ...

Aisle Be There As a curator for the National Gallery of Art, Nina O’Neil is surrounded by one-of-a-kind beauties of bygone eras. Such masterpieces seem to have spurred her c...

Divan Divas You can hang up hopes of hanging an original Da Vinci in your living room. But local home-design company Naked Decor (Nakeddecor.com) brings masterpieces to your c...

Have a Vine Time Le Cordon Bleu alum and Austin-native Eric Rohleder, left, is not a grouch; he just wines a lot. In fact, the gourmand is so friendly he named his new Union M...

Hot for Chocolate Artfully Chocolate’s hot cocoas have garnered fans far beyond the sweet shop’s Del Ray and Alexandria locales. That’s why the boutique recently release...

Global Warmth Globe-trotting goods — Japanese futons, Indian rugs — can give your pad a well-traveled vibe. But for accents that are more hip than hippie, try Web boutique...