A friend's house showed me how completely a room could leave the present day behind. I wanted that same feeling from horror decor, and found it in antique stores, worn materials, and objects that were never meant to be frightening.

Empty bookshelves can be more intimidating than full ones. What I learned building mine, one adjustment at a time, was that almost every shelf that improved got better because I took something away, not because I bought something new.

Most people come to Edison's lab for the light bulb. I stopped for an object nobody photographs, and thought of my grandfather the whole time.

Certain objects survive the houses they came from, and antiquing has a way of handing them back to you.

A five dollar violin. A Folon aquarelle found on a Saturday. A spacing rule that makes the whole thing foolproof. How to build a gallery wall that looks like it took years.