apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

When we think of inspiring bedrooms, Motel 6 and Best Western aren’t the first names that come to mind, but recent projects have us reconsidering budget chains as good examples of “cheap chic.”

Last week we wrote about the Huxtable House, a TV home that always seemed warm and welcoming to us. Apartment Therapy readers chimed in with their favorite nostalgic sitcom sets. The most popular TV home, according to the comments, was…

Project: Pomegranate Candle Votive
Time: 1/2 hour
Cost: $2 (or whatever it costs to buy pomegranates)

We bought some deep red pomegranates at the grocery store and, rather than throw out the beautiful rind, we decided to make them into candle votives. Remembering Maxwell's clementine candle project, we looked up the steps and modified them to make these holiday tealight holders.

Name: Pierluigi Molteni's Plug-In House
Location: Bologna, Italy
Size/Type: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom modular home
Years lived in: 1 month (September 11 - October 3, 2009)

At the Cersaie exhibition in Bologna this past October, we had the chance to tour a mod Italian home built for the show. The Plug-In House, designed by Italian architect Pierluigi Molteni in collaboration with Alessia Curella and Sophie Berianidze, is a modular home that's centered on a hallway, or "spine," from which rooms branch off. It seemed like we couldn't turn a corner without finding something out of the ordinary.

Apartment Therapy has followed interior designer Kara Mann's work ever since she served on the judging panel of our Small Cool 2007 contest. Her signature palette blends earthy textures with high-gloss accents and one-of-a-kind accessories. It's a moody aesthetic that stands out from the pack.

Our friend is having a Christmas party next week and she asked us to help out with the playlist. We have a few favorites we have to include...The Ramones Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight), The Pogues Fairytale of New York (The Christmas Song), and everybody's favorite...A Charlie Brown Christmas. Our full list so far is below...give us your suggestions in the comments.

Aaron's post on New York houses triggered my childhood fantasy of big city home life, which was rooted in the Brooklyn home of the Huxtables, aka Bill Cosby and family. Nevermind that the interior side windows and large backyard didn't really match up with the exterior shots of a brownstone rowhouse—it was my 7-year-old self's dream home.

Last night, we stumbled across a listing for our dream home and immediately started trying to figure out a way to make a lot of money and move to Cabo San Lucas full time.

Just a little bit of symmetry can help to simplify a congested small space. In China, pairs of objects are said to bring harmony and wholeness to a home. We think there might be something to the idea.

Part of patchwork’s appeal is its handmade, DIY aesthetic. It seems antithetical to modernism’s industrial roots, but many designers of the current generation have worked hard to reinvigorate modernist forms with a sense of warmth and individuality. These sofas each use the mix n’ match appeal of patchwork to bring some personality to fairly stripped-down forms.

It's like Etsy for fine art. Zatista is an online source that connects sellers (either artists or galleries) with web-saavy collectors. Their inventory includes lots of affordable original artworks, as well as some higher-end pieces in the mix.

For those of us in cold climates, snow is on the way if it hasn't arrived yet. It's always a challenge keeping the slush from seeping inside, but if you prep your entryway, you can keep your floors clean without having to mop every day.

This arrangement from Fjorn Scandinavian is an inspiring small-space alternative to a traditional Christmas tree. To make your own…

We've been noticing a lot of corporate office spaces designed to feel like homes, so when we came across a pitch from Vitra about incorporating "living areas" into contemporary offices, it struck a chord.