Art & Design
![Santa Fe’s Indian Market](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20220820-1092tn.jpg)
Santa Fe’s Indian Market
The Santa Fe Indian Market, started a century ago to save Native American culture and art, is the largest Native American event in North America.
![Heavenly Stone Masons](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200119-334-tn.jpg)
Heavenly Stone Masons
Medieval masons created almost magical architecture with their magnificent mastery of stone and geometry.
![The Style that Went Around the World](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Neo-Gothictn.jpg)
The Style that Went Around the World
Most Gothic architecture was built in the 19th and 20th centuries when the medieval style underwent a global revival. Now, Gothic is trending again.
![How to Read Stained Glass Windows](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Stained-Glass-Window-8tn.jpg)
How to Read Stained Glass Windows
Stained glass windows, one of the most durable types of art, have long imparted both powerful religious and secular messages.
![Christmas Gnome Infestation](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Gnomes-35tn.jpg)
Christmas Gnome Infestation
Christmas gnomes are on the march this year in stores, DIY projects and on social media. We look at the strong opinions the mischievous little creatures invoke.
![Saint Sulpice Church - Paris’s Temporary Cathedral](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Saint-Sulpice-14.jpg)
Saint Sulpice Church - Paris’s Temporary Cathedral
Saint Sulpice Church in Paris has a turbulent history dating to the 7th century. Today, it is Paris's temporary cathedral amidst the pandemic.
![The Sustainable Culture of Yogurt Jars](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Yogurt-jars-12tn.jpg)
The Sustainable Culture of Yogurt Jars
Cute little glass and ceramic yogurt jars have become a DIY trend and recycling strategy.
![The Rosetta Stone](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20190124-0534tn.jpg)
The Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone, which revolutionized the study of Egypt and ancient languages, continues to court controversy today.
![Comeback of the Courtyard House](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/IMG_3381tn.jpg)
Comeback of the Courtyard House
The pandemic, soaring cost of housing and environmental concerns are renewing interest in courtyard houses, albeit on a miniature scale.
![Versailles’ Checkered Legacy](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20190131-0531tn.jpg)
Versailles’ Checkered Legacy
Versailles has an image of lavish opulence under the Sun King, Louis XIV, but the palace also has a history of revolution and American ties.
![Tradition in a Teapot](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/IMG_3395tn.jpg)
Tradition in a Teapot
Unglazed clay Yixing teapots hold within them hundreds of years of tradition and craftsmanship.
![Gothic Architecture - Imagining Infinity](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200120-869.jpg)
Gothic Architecture - Imagining Infinity
Gothic architecture has been called both magnificent and monstrous. We examine why.
![The Booming and Broiling Southwest](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20160507-515tn.jpg)
The Booming and Broiling Southwest
The American Southwest is the fastest growing region in the United States, but also the hottest and most arid.
![Japan’s Golden Pavilion](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20180402-294tn.jpg)
Japan’s Golden Pavilion
The Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan, is evidence of Japan's aesthetic balance of restrained simplicity and bursts of opulent grandeur.
![Why is Washington, D.C. so Roman?](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20120228_245tn.jpg)
Why is Washington, D.C. so Roman?
The U.S. capital has more Roman-style architecture than almost any major city. We explore why.
![Seagrove’s Marvelous Pottery](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20090307-730tn.jpg)
Seagrove’s Marvelous Pottery
For beautiful handmade pottery, there is no better place in the United States than Seagrove, North Carolina.
![The Panthéon of Paris](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200128-176tn.jpg)
The Panthéon of Paris
The Panthéon in Paris, France's national mausoleum, embraces the contradictory themes of the nation's turbulent history.
![A Classical Chinese Garden](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20180918-278tn.jpg)
A Classical Chinese Garden
Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Ore., was built by artisans from the garden city of Suzhou, China, to demonstrate the basic elements of Chinese gardens.
![Japan’s Poignant Cherry Blossom Season](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20170406-118tn.jpg)
Japan’s Poignant Cherry Blossom Season
Japan's annual cherry blossom season conveys a timely message of renewal, transience and death in a year of global tragedy.
![Qing Ming Painting Resonates Over Centuries](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Boattn.jpg)
Qing Ming Painting Resonates Over Centuries
China's most famous painting captured traditional life, the traces of which have survived into modern times.
![Making a Box for a Chinese Painting](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20210217-003tn.jpg)
Making a Box for a Chinese Painting
We built a wooden box for a treasured hand-painted copy of China's most famous painting - Along the River During the Qingming Festival.
![Translating the Bible](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Wycliffite-Bible-1300stn.jpg)
Translating the Bible
Millions of Christians will turn to the Bible this week to read the Christmas story in hundreds of languages.
![Gift Wrapping](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/IMG_2467tn.jpg)
Gift Wrapping
Wrapping gifts beautifully can help take the edge off of social distancing during the holidays.
![Toward Touchless Technology](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200810-104tn.jpg)
Toward Touchless Technology
The global pandemic is transitioning us from touch to touchless technology.
![Making the Invisible Visible](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/cloth-faces-tn.png)
Making the Invisible Visible
The field of data-based infographics is helping the world see, understand and respond to the invisible threat of the pandemic.
![Resting Place of Kings](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200118-0379tn.jpg)
Resting Place of Kings
France's dazzling royal necropolis, the Basilica of Saint Denis, is also the birthplace of Gothic architecture.
![Renovating a Western Landmark](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200810-360tn.jpg)
Renovating a Western Landmark
The Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square, among America's most popular tourist destinations, are undergoing a major renovation.
![Inside a Chinese Painting](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/selects0038tn.jpg)
Inside a Chinese Painting
Take a quick break and enjoy spectacular scenery on a boat trip down the Li River near Guilin, China.
![Inventory App and Sticker Dots](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200715-003tn.jpg)
Inventory App and Sticker Dots
Use sticker dots and an easy inventory app, Enough Stuff, to keep track of your food supplies, toiletries and other stuff of all kinds.
![Private Paradises Amid Adversity](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/japanese-roomtn.jpg)
Private Paradises Amid Adversity
Sheltering at home has been accompanied by an outpouring of creativity that can help us cope with adversity and shape our future.
![Paris’s Oldest Church Restored](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200129-855tn.jpg)
Paris’s Oldest Church Restored
Paris' oldest church, Saint Germain des Prés, is emerging from layers of grime and soot as a meticulous restoration reveals its vibrant color.
![Calendars - The Way We Keep Time](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Calendars-tn.jpg)
Calendars - The Way We Keep Time
Our calendar system evolved over thousands of years and is continuing to do so with electronic calendars and globalization.
![Portraits of Mary](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20130118-642-tn.jpg)
Portraits of Mary
Mary, the mother of Christ, may be the most prominent visual icon in the world. We explore her history.
![Journal Strokes for Different Folks](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20191030-007tn.jpg)
Journal Strokes for Different Folks
Journaling is an eye- and heart-opening strategy that helps people sort out their lives and feelings and work out their problems.
![What is the Louvre?](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Louvre-and-pyramid-tn.jpg)
What is the Louvre?
The former palace, the world's largest museum, music video and fashion show venue, and global brand has never been more cool.
![Park City’s Kimball Arts Festival](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Maialeisztn.jpg)
Park City’s Kimball Arts Festival
The Kimball Arts Festival in Park City, Utah, is a feast for art enthusiasts. Here are our favorites from this year's show.
![Hand Typing](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Hand-typing-tn.jpg)
Hand Typing
Simple, legible, careful handwriting on beautiful paper seems old-fashioned in a digital era, but an iOS app developer counts it as one of his most useful tools.
![Japanese Design Past and Present](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Kengo-Kuma-garden-tn.jpg)
Japanese Design Past and Present
Architect Kengo Kuma's village at the Portland Japanese Garden blends modern architecture with traditional Japanese design.
![Dolls with Souls](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Japanese-empresstn.jpg)
Dolls with Souls
Japan's magnificent tradition of fine doll making is a miniature window into the nation's culture and history.
![The Many Layers of Mona Lisa](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Mona-Lisatn.jpg)
The Many Layers of Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa has long been mysterious, not just because of her smile. But was mystery or realism her famous creator's object?
![The World Mourns Notre Dame](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Notre-Dame-maintn.jpg)
The World Mourns Notre Dame
Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris, France's national cathedral, was badly damaged in a fire.
![Memorial to Once-Forgotten People](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20130520-054_1.jpg)
Memorial to Once-Forgotten People
A moving monument and burial ground in Manhattan comemorates enslaved people who once made up more than a third of New York City.
![Minimalist Jewelry with Meaning](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Wrist-band-tn.jpg)
Minimalist Jewelry with Meaning
A silversmith's pared down designs lend understated focus to a minimalist wardrobe and help simplify clothing for a busy lifestyle.
![New iPad Pro is a Game Changer](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/iPad-Pro%2C-notebook-and-checklist-post-it-note-tn.jpg)
New iPad Pro is a Game Changer
Apple's new iPad Pro has transformed personal organization and design. It's a combination command center and mobile design studio.
![Non-biblical Nativity Figures](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou1109078743-copytn.jpg)
Non-biblical Nativity Figures
Why are those figurines in large nativity scenes dressed in European dresses and broad-brimmed hats instead of Biblical costumes?
![Illuminated Manuscripts](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20170803-338tn.jpg)
Illuminated Manuscripts
Illuminated medieval manuscripts preserved culture and religious beliefs and set a foundation for book design and art styles.
![Katsura Villa’s Enigmatic Design](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20180404-270tn.jpg)
Katsura Villa’s Enigmatic Design
Modernist architects admired Katsura Villa as the pinnacle of Japanese architecture and design. It is more complex than they thought.
![Building an Arch and Cabinets](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/IMG_9821-tn.jpg)
Building an Arch and Cabinets
To carve space for our office out of a larger living space, we built an arch and cabinets out of old reclaimed beams.
![Retreat by Design](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20180401-151-copy.jpg)
Retreat by Design
What makes a retreat restful and soul restoring? A former imperial retreat in Kyoto, Japan, gets retreat design just right.
![Mantel from Reclaimed Wood](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20161209-037tn.jpg)
Mantel from Reclaimed Wood
Making a fireplace mantel from a reclaimed log requires mounting it so the supporting wall will bear its weight.
![Elements of a Japanese Garden](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20170803-085tn.jpg)
Elements of a Japanese Garden
Imagine you're sitting in Los Angeles traffic on a hot day. Take a break and head for a cool green oasis - Suihoen Japanese Garden
![Herbie rides again ... and again](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20171007-157tn_1.jpg)
Herbie rides again ... and again
The Volkswagen Beetle was among the most iconic designs of the 20th century because it was affordable, simple and cute.
![When Simplicity is a Necessity](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Artboard_30-80.jpg)
When Simplicity is a Necessity
Simplicity is a necessity for disabled people. The accessible design of some great products exemplifies this characteristic.
![The Round Door Arrives](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Round-door2-tn.jpg)
The Round Door Arrives
The Thoughtful House's round door has arrived and been installed. Our video and blog celebrate round architecture.
![Why Isn’t Every Town Like Carmel?](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Lilliput-tn.jpg)
Why Isn’t Every Town Like Carmel?
Carmel, California, demonstrates how design, planning and environmentalism can enhance a small town.