INSIGHTS + DISCOVERIES

Every year, I test hundreds of products. For clients, for my home, for organizing projects, for content. Most are fine. Some are forgettable. And a very select few become the things I use constantly, recommend unprompted, and genuinely miss when I run out. These are my favorites of 2025. The products that earned their place in my routine, my home, and my recommendations. Not because a brand sent them or because they photograph well, but because they actually delivered. If you

Interior Design: Rachel Cannon Limited Interiors | Photo: Kim Meadowlark If English is my first language, color is my second. I’ve spent over twenty years helping clients understand color in their homes. Paint colors, fabric selections, and the way a room’s lighting change the way a gray reads warm or cool. So when I started offering seasonal color analysis services, the most common question wasn’t about dramatic jewel tones or bold prints. It was about neutrals. “Should I bu

After 21 years of designing for clients, I can tell within minutes of walking into someone's home whether they have a point of view or they just bought what was trending. There's a world of difference between homes that look curated and homes that look decorated. These gifts are for people in the first category. Those are your friends whose homes tell a story, where quality and originality take precedence over what everyone else has. They’re the ones who would rather have one

As an expert shopper and a certified professional organizer, the trickiness of gift-giving season isn't lost on me. We all want to find the perfect present that will add to our people's lives, not just create more clutter and chaos. Let me let you in on my best gift-giving hack: the right gifts aren't clutter. They're the opposite. They're what make everything else in your home work better. They create space, reduce visual noise, and make daily routines function. These five g

As a self-identified beauty-product junkie, I was very selective about what made this list of recommended beauty and wellness gifts.  I test things thoroughly, and I definitely don’t recommend products just because a brand sent them to me.  These are my top beauty and wellness picks for the holidays. Some I own and use constantly, some I just started testing after seeing real results from friends, and some I want to try. 1. Pursonic Massage Mat with Heat SHOP HERE This is for

Black Friday has a reputation problem. The deals feel desperate, the energy feels frantic, and half the "discounts" are for things nobody wanted at full price anyway. (My mom and I often reminisce about the year we dragged ourselves out of bed at 4am to be the first in line at the mall when it opened at 5am, only to realize when we brought our armloads of items to the register that NONE of it was included in the Black Friday specials! We dropped the items and left, empty-hand

After two decades of sourcing for clients' homes, I've developed a sixth sense for what actually gets used versus what becomes expensive clutter. The difference usually comes down to one thing: does it make daily life better, or does it just look good in the box? The best home gifts enhance how people actually live. They're beautiful enough to leave out but functional enough to use daily. They work in multiple settings without screaming for attention. Most importantly, they'r

So here’s a funny story. We wrapped a kitchen photoshoot last week, and I had these beautiful vegetables that we’d styled for the countertop shots: tons of yellow squash, some small butternut squash, and leeks. They looked gorgeous in the photos, and I didn’t want to just throw them out afterwards, so I brought them home with me. Friendsgiving was coming up, and I knew I wanted to bring something other than the usual suspects. I had this random thought: what if I just asked m

Small gifts can be the hardest to get right. Too often, they end up feeling like afterthoughts: obligatory stocking stuffers grabbed at checkout or generic cheap trinkets that scream, "I forgot about you until yesterday!" I think the best small gifts are the indulgences people wouldn't buy for themselves. Think upgrades to everyday routines and little things that make ordinary moments feel special. Here are five little luxuries that punch way  above their weight class. They’r

In my years as a professional interior designer, I’ve learned not to be a victim to branding. An instantly recognizable name or hefty price tag doesn’t equal quality.  The secret is curation: knowing what’s actually good, what looks more expensive than it is, and what people will use constantly versus what ends up forgotten in a closet. My top five gifts under $100 feel significantly more thoughtful than their price tag suggests. I either own them, have them on my own wishlis

I’ll be straight with you: I find men incredibly hard to buy for. Not because men are complicated, but because I don’t speak golf, I can’t tell you what makes one grill better than another, and I have no opinion on whether someone needs a new multi-tool when they already own six. So this year, instead of pretending I understand hobbies I don’t participate in, I’m sticking with what I know: quality items that get used constantly. Things I either own myself, have gifted success

I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I’m hard to shop for. I get it. I buy whatever I want most of the time, and I rarely tell anyone what I’m eyeing.  You probably know someone like me. She’s curated her entire life, from her morning coffee ritual to her evening skincare routine, and generic gifts just won't cut it. If you have someone in your life who fits that description, this journal entry is for you! Here are five of my picks from my "For Her" guide that are th

Interior Design: Rachel Cannon Limited Interiors | Photo: Kim Meadowlark Let’s be honest: most gift guides are useless. They’re either 100+ items that nobody has time to scroll through, or they’re sponsored content disguised as “recommendations,” OR they’re the same products every other influencer is linking because everyone’s working from the same PR list. You’ll never catch me doing that. I decided to start sharing my finds with my followers so that you’d get to see how rea

Photo: Jackie Haxthausen I’ve been a professional shopper and buyer my whole life. (Honestly, you’d think I was solely responsible for the entire US economy the way I am chronically shopping online.) When it comes to Black Friday, it should come as no surprise that I have opinions. Here’s what you’ll NEVER catch me doing: waking up at 4am to fight someone over an electronic I don’t need. Clicking “buy now” on everything with a red sale tag. Spending money just because somethi

SHOP THIS LOOK: Holidays in the Cannon household always meant one thing: we got dressed up. We would start planning our outfits weeks in advance, and even my dad would swap his usual casual wear for something a bit more special. That tradition stuck with me, and I love any reason to get dressed up. (Truth be told, I’ve never needed much convincing to put together a cute outfit!) Thanksgiving, Christmas, even just a fun brunch—they’re all fair game for pulling out something fe

Interior Design: Rachel Cannon Limited Interiors | Photo: Kim Meadowlark | Model: Sprinkles I will be the first to tell you that, from an aesthetic perspective, Halloween is my least favorite holiday. The glorification of all things macabre is a little too gruesome for my delicate heart. As a child of the 80s, I grew up actively avoiding the horror movies my friends seemed to love - Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist - and to this day, I