Big payoffs

Home renovations can be easy. Really. We swear. We're not talking about redoing your kitchen or putting in a new pool, no. Rather there are a range of quick fixes that can have outsize impact. Like redoing your floors with less expensive hardwood alternatives or enlivening a room with a new coat of (white) paint. Or go wild out back and get yourself some new lights and a swank fire pit. Quick fixes for a happy home. Illustration: Felix Decombat Freshening up your living situation can also be as simple as finding a signature scented candle—we tested 101!—to conjure a mood and memories in the minds of you and your guests. Or start even more simple and get yourself a svelte new step ladder and finally bring down that rare bottle from the top shelf. (Changing a bulb or sweeping a cobweb while you're at, optional.)  D.S. & Durga's Tuberose Myrrhder scented candle is a mood in itself.  Illustration: Lucie Langston Believe it or not, even deeper cleaning can be fun.  We found that the single most satisfying way to wash off all that pandemic grime—both on your house and your heart—was an electric pressure washer. Our tester said it best: It's funny how you just kind of grow accustomed to living with a pall of soot on everything, literally and metaphorically. I watched as the gray-black water rolled off my front stairs and felt another layer of sorrow wash away with it. Eager to keep riding that high, I took on washing the whole house, windows and all. I stood back to admire my handiwork and couldn't believe how much brighter my home—and my mood—had become.  Sounds nice, right? Follow the links below and start feeling the "Ahhh." The White Room at Kelmscott Manor started a design obsession with pallid pigments. Source: Society of Antiquaries, Kelmscott Manor, C Birchmore

How to Make Your Home Smell Better—Forever Carefully selecting a signature scent for your house will make a memorable emotional experience for yourself and your guests. The Single Most Satisfying Way to Wash Off That Pandemic Grime When you're a hammer, everything is a nail—which is maybe why ever since I got this new pressure washer, gunk is everywhere I look. If Hardwood Floor Prices Have You Down, Try a More Eco-Friendly Option Better for the environment and easier on the wallet, too. The Canny Business Model Behind Our Obsession With White Paint Whether it's for a white-box minimalism or blank-canvas home renovation, opting for pallid pigments has never been more popular. How did we get here? Get a Step Up on Your To-Do List With a Svelte Yet Sturdy Ladder Hasegawa's Lucano step ladder is a surprisingly stylish boost for overhead projects.

Reanimate Your Social Life

It took Jeff "Beachbum" Berry over a decade to track down the original recipe for the Zombie, the faux-tropical drink made famous at legendary tiki bar Don the Beachcomber in Los Angeles. A potent mix of three rums, lime, and grapefruit juices, as well as assorted syrups and bitters—nine ingredients in all—it's a difficult drink to master at home. Until now. Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, as a zombie, serves up a Zombie. Photographer: Jonpaul Balak Each rum in a tropical drink contributes something specific. In the classic Zombie, aged Jamaican rum offers fruit and funk, overproof Demerara rum gives bold brown sugar tones and a wallop of alcohol, and the neutral canvas of gold Puerto Rican rum ties it all together—a whopping 4 ounces of alcohol. No surprise it was one of the most popular drinks of the 1930s. "After Prohibition, it was like a punch in the face to the Anti-Saloon League," Berry explains. "It's such a strong drink, Donn [Beach] would serve only two to a customer. That added added to the mystique." Hamilton's final mix blends rums from Jamaica, Guyana, and Trinidad in exacting proportions. Courtesy of Jeff Berry On shelves soon, Hamilton Rum's Beachbum Berry's Zombie Blend combines three carefully sourced and proportioned out rums in one bottle. Plus at $40, it's a significant savings over buying three separate rums.  Our advice: make the Zombie your summer signature cocktail, whether you're throwing a tiki party or just want to forget your worries poolside. (Or on the couch. We don't judge.) "People will try different recipes at home and then say, 'Why didn't the Zombie come out as well as it could, or should?'" says Berry. He personally sampled a lot of "godawful" versions in the 1980s and '90s that tasted like "Hawaiian Punch with a lot of rum in it."  Here's a recipe to avoid all that. Plus, the original should you dare. A classic Zombie in a classic tiki mug. Photographer: Ivan Pantic/iStockphoto Hamilton-Beachbum Zombie Recipe Courtesy Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, Latitude 29 2 oz Beachbum Berry's Zombie Rum Blend 3/4 oz fresh lime juice 1/2 oz white grapefruit juice 1/2 oz Latitude 29 Formula Falernum 1/2 oz cinnamon syrup Teaspoon pomegranate syrup 1/8 teaspoon (8 drops) Pernod or Herbsaint Dash Angostura bitters 3/4 cup (6 oz) crushed ice Blend everything at high speed for no more than 5 seconds. Pour into a tall glass. Add ice to fill. Garnish with a mint sprig.   In Other News

A New Space Travel Company Is Offering Cheaper, Safer Flights There's a Trick to Making the Summer's Perfect Tomato Sandwich The 2021 Mercedes-Benz S Class Sedan Is the Best in Its Segment New Vegas Resort Is a $4.3 Billion Bet on City's Comeback Two Things You Should Always Pack on Every International Trip Hamptons Parties Return with Champagne Guns and Exclusive Rose

Paid Post For over 20 years, Selective Search Matchmakers have protected our clients' time, privacy and preferences in their search for love. Customized searches that employ proven executive search methodologies have resulted in love for thousands of couples. Get started with a complimentary consultation. Selective Search LLC. Get Noticed Once considered outré and flashy, rainbow gradients on watches are now de rigueur—especially now, as Pride wraps up Sunday. Here are five watches from luxury brands that aren't afraid to sparkle. Looking for something less expensive? Click through for six more options.  Source: Parmigiani  Source: Parmigiani  Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Metropolitaine Rainbow Opal This gorgeous watch from Swiss brand Parmigiani Fleurier has a delicate blue opal dial with a striking play of color: The left side of the dial appears more blue and purple, and the colors change to green, red, and orange on the right. The model is surrounded by an elegant ombré rainbow composed of 36 perfectly set baguette-cut gemstones. The Tonda Metropolitaine watch has applied gold hour markers and skeleton-leaf-shaped hands that allow the opal to peek through. $85,000 Source: Rolex Source: Rolex Rolex Day-Date 36  For a more discreet rainbow, Rolex's Day-Date 36 is the way to go. This fabulous jeweled watch has a diamond-pavéd dial (we said the rainbow was discreet, not the watch) with 10 fancy colored sapphires as hour markers. The center link of the 18-carat white gold president bracelet is also set with diamonds, as is the bezel. The watch displays the day of the week at 12 o'clock and the date at 3 o'clock. It's powered by the in-house Calibre 3255, which has a 70-hour power reserve. Price on request Source: Saks Source: Saks Gucci Rainbow Plexiglass Watch This colorful and playful watch from Gucci has a 40 mm rectangular plexiglass case with rainbow hues, including a band of gold glitter. The narrow plexiglass bracelet is studded, with colored crystals on the back, as well as Gucci's signature bee motif. The watch has a white mother-of-pearl dial and is powered by a quartz movement. $920Hublot Spirit of Big Bang King Gold Rainbow relates to The Best Rainbow Watches, From Diamond-Studded to Digital Source: Hublot Source: Hublot Hublot's creative designers have decked out the iconic Big Bang watch in everything from colored velvet and bold ceramic to clear sapphire, and  its new rainbow-hued collection is turning heads. The Spirit of Big Bang King Gold Rainbow has a tonneau-shaped case made from Hublot's proprietary King Gold, which is warmer-looking than traditional gold. The case, bezel, and dial are fully set with a rainbow of gemstones, and the alligator strap is also dyed in rainbow colors. $92,600 Source: Chanel Source: Chanel Chanel J12 Chanel's designers had rainbows on their minds when designing the 2021 watch collection. Several models feature a rainbow in some way, including multicolored indicators, gem-set bezels on the J12, and hidden rainbow-colored gemstones along the side of a diamond-set bracelet. The Première Electro weaves a rainbow-colored leather strap through the chain bracelet, which wraps around the wrist three times. Price on request

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Step Inside Frank Gehry's Newest Tower in the South of France The centerpiece of Luma Arles, an art campus in the French city, is finally open to the public.

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