By KIM COOK, Associated Press

Home decor’s got a split personality this year: Call it “city glow” and “cottage flow.”

At the two international design fairs that I attended — Maison et Objet in France, Ambiente in Germany — acres of exhibition booths were full of Art Deco furnishings, island-vibe rattan seating and lighting, and lots of emphasis on sustainably produced materials.

But a couple of aesthetics drawing crowds were especially interesting.

Capturing the ‘city glow’

One was an exuberant urban vibe I’m nicknaming “city glow.” It’s full of highlighter-hued throw pillows, edgy surrealism, street art and hefty, Brutalist-style furniture — lots of sharp-cornered steel or concrete consoles and lamps that loomed over rooms — as well as rugs and wallcoverings covered in graffiti-style motifs or swaths of vibrant color.

This image released by Oliver Gal shows Dark Dahlia II 3D wall decor. (The Oliver Gal Artist Co. via AP)

Gretchen Rivera, an interior designer in Washington, D.C., sees it as a look that resonates especially with “younger generations who grew up with digital influences. There’s surrealist art, energetic colors and playful, almost toy-like design.”

Interior designer Anton Liakhov in Nice, France, agrees: “For a generation clamoring for creativity and self-expression, it’s loud and in-your-face.”

For surface colors, look at Benjamin Moore’s spicy orange Bryce Canyon or the bubblegum-pink Springtime Bloom. Daydream Apothecary has a whole collection of neon wall paints for intrepid decorators.

This image released by The Oliver Gal Artist Co. shows rococo-inspired frames in high-gloss acrylics paired with playful graphic imagery. (The Oliver Gal Artist Co. via AP)

Sisters Ana and Lola Sánchez use art as a bold form of self-expression at their luxe brand Oliver Gal, in South Florida. It’s known for its handcrafted, statement-making pieces — including large acrylic gummy bears, graphic surfboards and wall art inspired by fashion, pop culture and modern surrealism. The result is a vibrant, edgy aesthetic.

A new collection, Rococo Pop, introduces rococo-inspired frames in high-gloss acrylics paired with playful graphic imagery. “We wanted to take the opulence of 18th century rococo,” notes Ana Sánchez, “and give it a cheeky, pop-art punch.”

“These frames are like little rebels in ballgowns — elegant, over-the-top and totally unexpected,” adds Lola Sánchez.

The style, her sister says, “celebrates contrast. Old World charm meets modern mischief.”

Following the ‘cottage flow’

The other impressive decor style at the design fairs was very different from the urban look. I’m calling this one “cottage flow,” and Liakhov describes it as evoking a “peaceful sanctuary, where you can play around with textures that are anchored in, and in tune with, nature.”

Think nubby woolen throws in mossy hues. Softly burnished wooden tables. Vintage quilts, and dishware. Gingham and garden florals. Landscape prints. Imagery of birds and woodland animals on textiles and wallcoverings.

This image released by Little Greene shows a wallpaper design called Animal Kingdom Pea. (Little Greene via AP)

Etsy’s 2025 spring/summer trend report showed that searches for “French cottage decor” were up over 26,000% compared to 2024.

“I see people embracing a slower pace to life where they can,” says New York-based interior and decor designer Kathy Kuo about the country cottage style.

“The past two decades or so were dominated by a glorification of fast-paced ‘hustle culture’ — trends like cottagecore and coastal grandmother are evidence that the pendulum’s swinging toward taking pleasure in simpler, more nature-adjacent things in life, whether or not you actually live in a country cottage,” she says.

This photo provided by Kathy Kuo Home shows a room she decorated in Windham N.Y., in the cottagecore trend. (Kathy Kuo Home via AP)

Paint colors are also reflecting the trend. A calming sage green called Quietude is HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams’ color of the year. Little-Greene’s collection has names like Rolling Fog, Tea with Florence and Hammock.

Mixing the styles

Watching design show visitors excitedly discovering new finds among the aisles, I thought THIS is what’s fun about home decorating: You can think as creatively as you like when it comes to your own home.

You’re all about high-octane city nightlife? Come this way.

Scottish crofts, Scandi cabins and cozy porches more your thing? Right over here.

This photo shows cottage-style furniture and décor on display at the Ambiente trade fair in Frankfurt on Feb. 9, 2025. (Kim Cook via AP)

And if you want to mix these two aesthetics? Go for it. There’s space to blend elements of both, says Kuo.

“Design trends are so fluid. I absolutely see the potential to merge these into each other,” she says. “Many city dwellers love time in nature and have an affinity for a more rustic look, while still feeling called to honor their urban environment in their home. I see plenty of modern interior design motifs that are sleek and urban on the surface, but in the details, they’re infused with organic textures and biophilic elements.”

“Really, the best designs are the ones that are personal, rather than perfect,” she adds.

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You could display an array of contemporary glass bowls on a curvy walnut credenza. Mix botanical patterns in vibrant, unexpected colors. Soften room elements like a sleek table and industrial-style lamp with boucle or velvet cushions and a fluffy rug. Pair polished concrete floors with vintage-inspired wallcovering.

If you don’t want to mix elements in one space, consider using sliding partitions from one room to another. You’ll create a little style “journey.”

If the recent international design fairs are any indication, you’re going to find loads of fun home decor in stores over the coming months. Get ready to flow

New York-based writer Kim Cook covers design and decor topics regularly for The Associated Press. Follow her on Instagram at @kimcookhome.

By JESSICA DAMIANO

In the garden, the start of the growing season means the return of dirt under our fingernails, the scent of freshly spread mulch and the first blooming roses. In my neighborhood, and perhaps yours, it also means an audible onslaught of lawnmowers, leaf blowers and other tools of the landscaper’s trade.

From 8 a.m. through at least early afternoon — five or six days every week — the hum of power tools and other machines disrupts my peace. But even more concerning is that my peace pales in importance to that of my property’s other residents.

Birds, squirrels, rabbits, frogs, insects and other wildlife are critically affected by human-made noise. They’re outdoors right in the middle of what must seem to them a war zone — with no escape. And the battleground noises that surround them aren’t merely nuisances; they disrupt the basic instincts the animals’ lives depend on.

Instincts such as those that alert them to the presence of predators become masked under the gas-powered cacophony prevalent throughout most of suburbia.

The unnatural sounds can also force birds, bats and insects into changing their feeding, nesting and mating habits, says Kevin Munroe, Long Island Preserve Director for The Nature Conservancy, based in Cold Spring Harbor, New York.

“Quite a few animals communicate primarily through song, and their songs are how they find each other,” Munroe said. Those with soft and quiet songs, like warblers, small species of owls, bats and some species of crickets, for instance, can be so badly drowned out by noise pollution that “they literally cannot build families or reproduce,” he said.

To illustrate the point, Munroe likens the animals’ songs to navigation systems.

“Imagine these songs are the birds’ roadmaps to each other, and imagine you’re using your GPS to get somewhere and all of a sudden it turns off, and that’s the only way you can find your family. Now, with it turned off, there’s no way you’ll find your family. That’s what song is like for these animals,” he said.

Artificial noises from power equipment, traffic, construction and industrial sources, can also cause stress and hearing loss in animals. A University of Georgia study even found that highway noises can elevate heart rates in monarch caterpillars.

Thoughtful planning can reduce the noise

This may seem like a losing battle in modern society, but there are steps we can take to help.

The Nature Conservancy recommends changes to industrial practices that include accounting for sensitive areas when siting noise-producing facilities, such as access roads and compressor stations, and designing them to include sound barriers such as walls, vegetative screening and noise-absorbing equipment.

Altering the timing and duration of noisy activities during breeding and hibernation periods could also reduce adverse effects on wildlife, the organization said.

What you can do at home

On our own properties, small changes can make a big impact. Because birds do their “most important talking to each other” between dawn and 9 a.m., Munroe recommends shifting noisy yardwork later. Another critical time for many species of wildlife is after dark, he said.

“You can play music and have fun, but try not to make any loud noises,” he said.

In addition, creating sound buffers by planting dense native trees, evergreens or deciduous shrubs, and switching from gas- to battery-powered tools, including leaf blowers, string trimmers and chainsaws, are simple things homeowners can do to avoid causing harm.

Educating and introducing change to local communities is important, too. Munroe suggests working with your homeowners association, schools, businesses and churches to limit loud, destructive activity on their properties.

“Talk to local municipalities about their noise ordinances and (encourage them to) create a sound sanctuary in the neighborhood (to protect) wood thrushes, katydids” and other wildlife, he said.

And always observe noise ordinances at home and in public places, like parks.

Wild animals serve as “pollinators, affect pest control and have a positive effect on our agriculture and our economy,” Munroe said. “We want them in our neighborhoods.”

Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

For more AP gardening stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.

By KATHERINE ROTH, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — My first tip-off were the little things, the high-pitched little things: the doorbell and ringtones my kids could hear but I could not.

Then it was the garbled-sounding conversations, and the accompanying annoyance of having to ask people to repeat themselves. Or worse, giving up and just playing along without being able to follow everything that was being said.

Even then, I stalled for years before finally going through the process of getting a hearing aid. How do you even begin? Will it look clunky and make me feel like a dinosaur? And the cost!

Getting a hearing test, and confirmation that I needed a hearing aid, was just the beginning.

Finding an expert

The doctor handed me a list of places I could go to get fitted. I made some calls and narrowed it down to the places that took my insurance and my zero-interest health care credit card.

The first couple places were demoralizing: I walked in, was told it’d be $7,000 for the “best” option (they mysteriously didn’t happen to have any other options handy), then marched right back out the door, utterly discouraged.

I started asking friends and neighbors whether they wore a hearing aid, or knew anyone at all with a hearing aid, and could point me to a good audiologist.

It took a lot of poking around, but I found one — and it made all the difference.

The joy of reconnecting with the world

I’ve been wearing my hearing aids for several months now, and they are as easy as slipping on a pair of glasses, are almost invisible, have reconnected me with the world, and, as crazy as this may sound, they bring me joy.

This combination of images shows promotional art for Oticon Intent hearing aids. (Oticon via AP)

After talking with a few audiologists around the country, it turns out that my experience is pretty typical.

“There are a lot of people who stall before getting one,” says Meagan P. Bachmann, director of audiology at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, in North Carolina.

“Hearing is important because it connects us with people,” she says. “Multiple studies show that not hearing can affect your ability to connect with others and participate in life, so you have to think of it in terms of overall health. Maybe you no longer go to family events, or you don’t understand your doctor. People start to withdraw. A lot of people come in because it’s gotten so bad that it is impacting their relationships.”

Steps to take

To speed up the process and make it less frustrating, here’s what the pros recommend:

1. Get tested, take the results seriously, and know that many if not most hearing aids these days are small, nearly invisible, rechargeable, and pretty easy to wear and maintain. And believe it or not, hearing aids can be fun — these days, there are colors to choose from and ways to bejewel them. One company, Deafmetal, makes jazzy-looking “safety rings” to help keep hearing aids in place.

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2. Shop for an expert audiologist. Look for someone who takes your insurance or any sort of medical credit card you might have, or has a payment plan of some kind, if needed. This is a world at the awkward juncture of consumerism and medical care, but a good audiologist should come across as a medical provider, not a salesperson. And a good audiologist should take the time to work with you to find a hearing aid that meets your individual needs, and also fits your budget.

A good place to start is often with your doctor; with the American Academy of Audiologists, which lists providers on its website; or by word of mouth.

“Although all hearing aids are amplifiers, not everybody needs the same thing,” says Bachmann. “Fitting a hearing aid is an art. It changes the acoustics, and everyone is different. You want someone who listens to your lifestyle needs. Do you have a lot of difficulty with noise? Are you mostly in quiet situations? How much technology do you need, and what kind?”

Greta Stamper, an audiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, agrees. “Hearing loss is not a one-time thing. It’s a chronic health condition. It should be a partnership between you and your audiologist,” she said. “It’s someone asking you what you’re looking for and how it’s going. You shouldn’t feel pressured or pushed.”

3. A note on cost. Although hearing aids can be pricey, there are affordable options, and a good audiologist should be able to let you try out options at several price points. Insurance often covers much of the cost, and there are ways to pay for the remaining cost in installments. Also, avoidance has pretty high costs as well, audiologists say, and the longer the wait, the harder it may be to solve the problem with a hearing aid. Although there are cheaper hearing aids at big box stores, Bachmann warns that it’s good to check with your audiologist before taking that route. “Some of those hearing aids are locked, so that you’re not allowed to have them programmed by an outside audiologist,” she says.

Remember, says Stamper, that hearing aids are an investment, and usually last between five and six years.

4. Know your rights. “We select what is the most likely to be successful, and if it doesn’t work out you come back and do something else,” says Stamper. She said most states mandate a trial period. In some cases, hearing-aid companies also cover the cost of multiple visits to your audiologist while you are getting used to your new hearing aid and get training in how to use and maintain it.

5. Embrace the process, and expect it to take a little time and a few expert tweaks. Audiologists say your brain needs time to adjust to a hearing aid, and that hearing-aid settings should be adjusted little by little as your brain adapts to them.

“A big misconception is that you can just wear them a couple hours a day. Your brain does better with it if you use them most of the day. Your brain needs to adapt to hearing sounds it hasn’t heard for a while, and it takes the brain awhile to relearn how to process all those sounds,” says Stamper.

6. Be realistic. “Although hearing aids can be enormously beneficial, they may not give you back your normal hearing,” says Stamper. Depending on the situation, there might be limitations to what a hearing aid can do.

“It might just be lots of improvement in the key areas in which you’re struggling,” said Stamper.

Using hearing aids is a process, the audiologists say, and although it requires some patience, it can be well worth the journey.

By DAN FRIO, Edmunds

If you wanted a midsize truck 10 years ago, your choices included an aging Toyota Tacoma or an even older Nissan Frontier design. Today, renewed versions of the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger and Honda Ridgeline have revitalized the segment enough to have spawned a new compact pickup class, led by the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.

They approach light-duty truck utility from different angles. Although it offers a wildly fuel-efficient hybrid engine, the Maverick, with robust towing and hauling limits, plus its bouncy ride and barren interior, is a more conventional pickup. The Santa Cruz is classier and more comfortable, more SUV than truck. It can tow more than the Ford, but it lacks the heavy hauling strength. The best one for buyers really comes down to intended use.

This photo provided by Hyundai shows the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz, a compact pickup with a car-like interior and impressive towing capabilities. (Courtesy of Hyundai Motor America via AP)

Power and fuel economy

Both the Maverick and Santa Cruz start with four-cylinder engines rated at 191 horsepower. Neither truck is quick, but both are capable. Importantly, the Maverick is a hybrid that delivers an impressive 38 mpg combined, and we even squeezed out a few extra mpg in our real-world testing. The Santa Cruz isn’t a hybrid but gets up to 25 mpg combined (22 city/30 highway). Adding all-wheel drive shaves the estimates for both trucks by 1 mpg.

Both models offer optional turbo engines for better performance. The Maverick can dash from 0 to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds with its 250-horsepower four-cylinder, while the Santa Cruz is nearly as swift (6.8 seconds) with its 281-horsepower engine. The turbo trucks are also more evenly matched at the pump. The turbo Maverick gets an EPA-estimated 23-25 mpg combined, which we confirmed in our real-world testing, while the Santa Cruz actually outperformed its 21-22 mpg combined EPA rating with 29 mpg in our tests.

Winner: Maverick

Towing and payload

Properly equipped, the Maverick can tow up to 4,000 pounds, plenty for a small pop-up or travel trailer, or a couple of dirt bikes with a trailer and fuel, but doing so requires the pricier turbo engine. (The hybrid is limited to 2,000 pounds.) The Santa Cruz is rated at a more robust 5,000 pounds with its turbo engine or 3,500 pounds with its base engine. One thousand pounds isn’t much when comparing big trucks, but it’s a sizable advantage for a compact pickup.

The Maverick’s 1,500-pound payload capacity — fuel, passengers and bed weight combined — edges out the Santa Cruz’s rating of 1,411 pounds, and the Ford’s slightly longer bed improves utility. The Maverick also offers a trailering package — hitch, wiring harness and trailer brake controller — from the factory. For the Santa Cruz, you’d need to source aftermarket components. Since both trucks are capable in different ways, this choice comes down to specific use cases.

Winner: tie

Off-road capability

Neither truck offers serious off-road hardware, although the Maverick comes close. Both can handle a rutted trail or fire road thanks to optional all-wheel drive, a measure of body armor, and roughly 8.5 inches of ground clearance. The Santa Cruz XRT trim includes all-terrain tires, front tow hooks and a surround-view monitor to enhance visibility, but the Maverick Tremor trim is the best choice for dirt work.

The Tremor comes with even higher ground clearance, a specially tuned suspension and locking rear differential, underbody skid plates, and modes that optimize speed and traction for different terrain. But the pricey Tremor ($42,690) isn’t the only way to go off-road. The optional FX4 package for the Maverick XLT trim offers several of the same features for less money.

Winner: Maverick

Comfort, tech and value

If you expect a truck-like ride, the Maverick doesn’t disappoint. It jostles along like a basic work truck, its street-oriented Lobo trim the only exception. The Santa Cruz feels like a Mercedes by comparison, with a softer, controlled ride more typical of a crossover. The theme continues in the cabin, which feels fresher and more upmarket than the Maverick’s plastic expanse.

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Both trucks come with large touchscreens — 13.2-inch in the Maverick, 12.3-inch in the Santa Cruz — underpinned by clean user interfaces and responsive software. But the Hyundai’s extra standard and optional driver aids, including adaptive cruise control, give it an edge. You can also get more optional creature comforts with the Santa Cruz, such as ventilated seats and leather upholstery. Both trucks cost nearly the same, with the Maverick starting at $29,840 (including destination) and the Santa Cruz at $30,200. The latter’s classier features give it an edge here.

Winner: Santa Cruz

Edmunds says

Get the Maverick if you need typical truck muscle or excellent fuel economy. Get the Santa Cruz if you want classier crossover comfort or need to tow heavier loads.

This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.

Dan Frio is a contributor at Edmunds.