Q: So, form and function are butting heads in our boy + girl apartment living room.The room looks squished, with lots of seating, and enough storage for all our collective "stuff". But out of necessity, the room is rearranged regularly to accommodate my boy's gaming needs. I feel bad for "putting the furniture back" when clearly the problem is with the function of the arrangement... 

Q: We have bought a Preston Sofa from Made.com in the praline brown color. The walls and carpet are neutral. The living room door is a certain shade of wood and so we are worried a different color wood won't look right. What do you think?

Last weekend marked Boston's first SoWa Open Market of the season: the outdoor marketplace was packed as artists and makers of all types set up tents to display their wares. Though gorgeous sunshine may have discouraged people from visiting the adjacent artists' lofts open for the neighborhood's Art Walk, I made sure to stroll through, and left feeling inspired by their creative spaces. A browse through our Apartment Therapy archives yields provides a glimpse into even more inspiring places where art is made. 

Name: Max & Molly, 1
Location: Stamford, CT

For my twin's first birthday party I decided on a Milk & Cookies theme. Since I have a twin girl and boy, I wanted to stick with a gender-neutral theme. I had seen some cute parties with this theme on Pinterest and liked it because at one they could finally have milk and who doesn't love cookies! Our colors were brown white and green.

Name: Andi Forker
Type of Project: Kitchen Renovation — full gut remodel
Location: San Francisco, California
Type of building: 1890's Victorian condo

Whenever friends visit my apartment, they remark it's a “happy place” exhibiting a love of color. Playful shapes, patterns, and vibrant elements all reflect my affinity for the cheerful, and I'm always on the look out for a few more additions. Here are a few playful tech accessories currently on my Pinterest wish list for a future home office update project...

Mother's Day gift ideas have expanded well beyond flowers, jewelry, and other traditional gifts (though those always remain welcome). Mom may want a tablet, the latest phone, or maybe just some help setting up her visual voicemail. You don't necessarily have to buy her anything to show how much you care, so we've gathered a few tech-oriented ideas with price tags starting from "free" on up!

Q: We recently got some new neighbors — a couple with five kids.  They sure love their family time in their backyard. That's fine with us except that when they are outside, they can see right into our house. Unfortunately, the city has restrictions on fence height — no higher than 6 feet.