Wendy Silverstein
Wendy Silverstein is a former editor at Architectural Digest, Home, Kitchen & Bath Customer Planner, and Home/Style magazines. A consultant to the design industry, she works closely with interior designers, architects and other professionals in the field.
Hardwood Fireplace Surrounds and Mantels
It has been a long time since a fireplace was a practical necessity in the typical American home. Nowadays we have much more efficient, economic, and environmentally friendly methods of heating our houses and apartments. But the fireplace hasn’t lost its considerable...
Hardwood Holiday Gifts
It’s gift-giving season, and once again I’ve found the range of items made of hardwood—from delightfully quirky children’s toys to exquisitely crafted custom furniture—that will help simplify my holiday shopping. Here are six hardwood products I’ve already put on my...
Conserving America’s Hardwood Forests
Seeing the devastation caused recently by hurricanes and wild fires in both the United States mainland and the Caribbean islands made me think about our native woodlands and the organizations dedicated to preserving and maintaining them. Here are three sterling...
American Hardwood, Spanish Dreams
When it comes to international promotions, nobody does more inventive work than our sister organization, the American Hardwood Export Council. Last year, in collaboration with the IE School of Architecture & Design in Madrid and the Hay Festival Segovia, Spain,...
Hardwood Takes a Bath
Near our lakeside summer cottage in upstate New York is a charming old house built in the 1920s. Its original owner was an accomplished wooden-boat builder who used his skills to install an oak tub in the master bathroom. It’s simple and rustic, yet beautifully...
Hardwood in the Home Office
Ongoing changes in technology and the job market have seen more and more Americans working from home. This trend has led to a marked increase in the number of residential offices—not just make-do spaces or surfaces like dining room tables temporary transformed into...
Hardwood Goes to the Fair
Each spring, I look forward to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York, a four-day extravaganza where more than 800 exhibitors from around the globe display the latest furniture, lighting, flooring, and every other conceivable product for...
Walnut Takes to the Road
Like many design enthusiasts, I’ve always had a special affection for vintage Airstream trailers, a classic American brand that’s distinguished by its rounded, aerodynamic shape and polished aluminum coachwork. First produced in the 1930s, the Airstream’s iconic form...
Modern Oak
Ask anyone to name a hardwood, and it’s a safe bet they’ll reply, “Oak.” There are good reasons for this. Of the more than 600 extant species of oak found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, 90 are native to the United States, making the hardy, attractive, and...
Finding a Contractor for a Hardwood Floor
One sure fire way to refresh an interior is to put in new hardwood flooring. But for most of us, the idea of replacing an entire floor seems overwhelming, unless you’re lucky enough to find a good, reliable, reasonably priced contractor to do the job. There are now...