apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Name: Josh Ganshorn and Jen Zahigian
Location: Oakland, California (near Jack London Square)
Owned/Rented: Owned
Size: 1650 sq. feet
Type: Loft
Years Lived: Owned 5 years, lived in 3+ years (took a couple years to build)

It's been said that finding the right home is a lot like falling in love, Hollywood style: The minute you cross the threshold, you just...know. You inspect every detail, you think about the changes and renovations, you imagine yourself living there. But what happens when you don't find that perfect home? You can keep looking--or take a risk. Josh and Jen did just that when they decided to take an empty 1920s warehouse with concrete floors and turn it into an ideal home for themselves.

We posted about open shelving in bathrooms previously on Apartment Therapy, but we love the idea of using the shelves to enhance the decor. We absolutely adore the aquatic themed bathroom in the first photo. A collection of starfish, coral, and shells is what you would be surrounded by when taking a bath.

So much of what we post about is what we would like to have in our own home. This wonderful idea of a community bookcase made us think of ways how to share with our community more than we already do. We donate to Goodwill regularly, but how great would it be to create something that everyone in your neighborhood could use and enjoy.

With colder days just around the corner, we have been looking at warm blankets and winter decor. Through our search we came across a story from the Domino archives about Tartan. The patterns can be very classy and as decorating elements somewhat courageous and unexpected.

Because today is the first day of Fall and many trees are already changing color, at least in some parts of the country, we wanted to share with you this great DIY project on how to make a maple leaf wreath.

We posted about framing wallpaper samples previously on Apartment Therapy, but we especially like the way it is done in this neutrally decorated room. For many, committing to one wallpaper is an overwhelming choice, so starting with framed samples could be a perfect way to see what works.

We have been looking for a vintage rocking chair for awhile. There is something incredibly relaxing about rocking chairs. We imagine ourselves sitting in a rocking chair on a balcony or a porch on a beautiful day, just soaking up the sun. Gabrielle Blair from DesignMom.com has set out on a mission to find seven of them for each one of her family members.