TROPOLISM

Tropolism means discovering that construction is not mystical, just time-consuming.

While we prefer to let our friends over at The Gutter plumb the depths of the New York Times' House and Home/Garden section, today's how-to Q&A, while clearly intended to soften Mr. Meier's image as a cold-hearted spender of cash on shower doors, is useful because it demystifies design and disassembles the pieces of a home, creating a toolkit for designing your own place. Out of wenge, ipe, and corian, of course, with 1/4" reveals at the base of each skim-coated wall.

(Unlike last week's piece on what kind of ketchup he uses on his grill, which was completely mystifying.)

My favorite magazines are the ones that break it down. Martha Stewart Living, which is a fantastic source for things like making your own lamp shades (none of my lamps have shades, but hey, it's useful information anyway). Dwell, for lining your living room with gingerbread. And the list goes on. What's great about this piece is that it divulges secrets of the Very Famous, and for architecture, not just decoration. The possibilities are greater: a non-architect could create something original out of these secrets. More, please.