ReadyMade: Instructions for everyday life

You puddle jumpers made quite a splash with our umbrella challenge, but the prize goes to Maria Javornik and Jennifer Salas of Madison, Wisconsin, who built a magazine rack from their broken bumbershoots.

It’s easy to spot a designer’s home: Everything fits together just so. Colors naturally complement each other; furniture is arranged to make optimal use of space; works of art are clustered to create a pleasing symmetry; and tchotchkes harmonize rather than clutter...

You’ve got your knife skills down. You can wield those eight inches of German steel like a dicing samurai...

There are a lot of different magazines out there, and they come in as many shapes and sizes as they do topics...

The basic bookcase: It’s a big box with shelves. But think of it as a blank canvas and things get much more interesting...