Apartment Therapy Archive: May 2010

Name: Violet KathleneAge: 2 Weeks, 2 DaysLocation: Central PennsylvaniaRoom size: 12′ x 7′ How to create a cohesive, beautiful nursery in a small room with sloped ceilings? Planning. Violet’s mom, Lauren, gathered inspiration, made a plan and recruited family to pull off some terrific DIY projects. The result is this fresh, dreamy space filled with light and soft touches. It melds modern and classic pieces into a contemporary space that feels timeless at the same time.

Whatever the size of your apartment, condo or house, there’s one spot that is seen first by everyone (including yourself) that enters your home: the entryway. Different homes have different needs for this pivotal area, and Apartment Therapy has tried to provide information for everyone over the years.

In a two dog household where anything stuffed, bouncy or squeaky gets gnawed on and drooled upon, we quickly realized that we might need to take more action than just playing fetch. Although you might not think about cleaning your pets toys, depending on how quickly they go through them, it can be an added bonus that results in a cleaner toy bin.

Although the Spring Cure came to a close last week we came across one made over space that just couldn’t wait until the Fall to share. Kitchen spices have never looked so good with this fun chalkboard frame treatment! • Read the full post at Apartment Therapy

Name: Lanz Brooks with roommates Michael and BrentLocation: Hayes Valley, San FranciscoSize: 4,000 square feetYears lived in: Lanz for 4½ years (Michael since 1994) Last Thursday, we had a glimpse into half of Lanz, Michael and Brent’s amazing Hayes Valley home with Part 1 of their House Tour. The first part focused on the first floor of their two story Hayes Valley apartment and many of the common areas.

Name: Beth Knox and Bill Hutchins Location: Takoma Park, Maryland (just over the District line) Size: 2,100 square feet — 4 bedrooms + basement apartment Years lived in: 4 years, owned Other occupants: Tenants in basement, 20-something children from time to time, a variety of guests (extended stay), currently a Congolese pastor seeking asylum.

Lighting has always been a great way to personalize your home, but it can also be draining to the pocketbook. Saving for something you love is fine, but if you’re trying to makeover an entire home, sometimes you’re left deciding between buying fixtures like toilets and sinks — or super cool shades for your lighting choices. Try this quick trick to makeover any shade for under $20!

One of the more difficult things to organize, especially in a small space, is dress up clothes. Unlike day to day clothes, dress up clothes involve poufy crinoline-lined princess dresses and stuffed dragon tails that take up more room than we’d like. We’ve got a few organizing tips for you. Hang them on wall hooks. My current method of storing dress up clothes is to separate them into 2 batches: one batch is hung up on a caterpillar wall rack.

We’ve covered some cool sustainable room dividers in the past, like Buzzispace’s soft felt partitions, Gaiam’s Bamboo Screen, and Michelle Brand’s Plastic Bottle Decor. Now we’ve gathered even more choices; details after the jump.1. Greenworks, from Sweden, makes these gorgeous mobile living walls. The plants are grown in pockets in felt fabric. Their website doesn’t indicate if these are available in the U.S.

All month long, our Apartment Therapy editorial team have been working hard to put together our Dream Outdoor Rooms. Although it’s nice to dream, we’re bigger fans of easy projects that can quickly become reality — like this outdoor canopy!If your budget is small and spending a weekend constructing some giant roof to shield your guests (or even just yourself) from the sun isn’t on the agenda, try this simple tent construction instead.

We still can’t get over the “duh!” moment when Gwyneth Paltrow, of all people, showed us how to protect our bathroom counters from hot hair styling tools with silicone pot holders. Click through for yet another I-feel-so-dumb-for-not-thinking-of-this-myself tip for washing out your blender after a smoothie binge. • Read the full post at Unplggd

Name: Cameron Saless & Matthew AllardLocation: West Hollywood, CaliforniaSize: 1,600 square feetYears lived in: One year We vividly remember the day when we were forwarded pics of Matt and Cameron’s home. We were in the midst of a frenzied loop of Facebook, GoFugYourself and Dlisted, when we immediately stopped what we were doing. Our eyes were drawn to the blend of beautiful modern pieces mixed with playful colors and a cozy touch that can’t be beat.

Name: Debbie MillmanLocation: ChelseaSize: 1,600 square feet — 2 bedroom with backyardYears lived in: 16 Debbie was in the mood for a change but wasn’t sure how to go about it. As Debbie recalls, Susan replied, “Well, if we are going to get new furniture, maybe we should get new floors, and if we get new floors maybe we should get…an entire new everything!” When Debbie asked what she should do with all her old furniture, Susan replied, “Curbside!

One of the best things about moving earlier this year was getting a kitchen with plenty of natural light, but no actual direct sunlight. It makes it the perfect breeding ground for our favorite indoor plant: the Rex Begonia.We’ve been growing begonias from cuttings for years. Our very first came from Gramma (the begonia matriarch, if you will): a Rex Begonia that would flower its pink blossoms like clockwork.

Termites are a major bummer. Not only are they totally gross to look at, but the longer you ignore them, the more damage they do to your home. Unfortunately, just like how dispersant chemicals can be more harmful than the oil spill they clean up, fumigating your home can be more harmful to you and the environment than a few bugs. Luckily, there’s an alternative that lets you both save your home and be friendly to the environment.

We were surprised to see how simple it is to make your own laundry detergent. No, you don’t have to make your own, but hey- this is even a good recipe to keep on hand in case you run out of detergent and need to do your laundry in a hurry.Here’s Amanda Soule’s recipe:Homemade Laundry Powder(Makes approximately 5 cups)2 cups (finely) grated castile soap*1 cup borax1 cup baking soda1 cup soda ash (washing soda)Read her full post for the details on how she makes it here.

You can make your own spray air-freshener in just a few minutes using three simple ingredients. It’s a natural way to remove household odors, and the spray works well in the bathroom, on most fabrics and carpets, even in shoes. You can also customize it to suit your tastes.

It’s summer and if you’re not getting out of town, chances are you’ll find yourself fighting a battle with the heat between now and the fall. Maybe you’re like us and you don’t have air conditioning, maybe you’re trying not to rack up big bills, or maybe you’re trying to be more environmentally-friendly. Here are some tricks we’ve accumulated through years of grinning and bearing (and sometimes baring) it.

As you know, my sister is planning to move next month, though she hasn’t yet found a new apartment. After deciding that the theft of all her personal information from a prospective landlord was a sign not to rent from him, she abandoned her application for that apartment and is continuing the search. We looked at one yesterday that she really loves- great light, good kitchen, big rooms. The only problem? The previous renters had pets, and it shows.

Name: Chris, Gretchen & Eero HotzLocation: Portland, OregonSize: 2,600 square feetYears lived in: 3 Chris and Gretchen have put a lot of love and thought into their mid-century home. They’ve renovated sections to open it up and streamline the aesthetic. This couple, along with their 6-year-old son, have created a space that is full of art, fun and adventure, while retaining a sophisticated design sensibility.

My mom recently purchased an iMac &mdash her first and only Apple product. She had a Dell laptop and was a little worried about a keyboard and mouse (they weren’t included in the purchase). She called to ask how much a keyboard and mouse would cost and I offered to send her our Apple white USB keyboard and mouse. There was only one problem..

There are so many different and unique storage options for the living room. Gone are the days of traditional living room furniture &mdash expand your horizons! Start bringing pieces of furniture from the bedroom into the living room, you’ll be surprised by the outcome.Dressers in the living room isn’t something you’ll see everyday, or every house you walk into &mdash but more and more people are adopting this technique and we think it should be open for discussion.

Have you seen today’s entries in The Kitchn’s Small Cool Kitchens Contest? Take a peek, and if you like what you see, give them a thumb’s up! • Andrea’s Fresh and Modern New York Kitchen• Catherine’s Modern Entertaining Kitchen in Seattle• Julia’s Efficient Brooklyn Studio Kitchen• Helen’s Eclectic Yet Calming Philadelphia Kitchen

Name: MattLocation: Astoria, Queens — NYCSize: 375 square feetYears lived in: 9 (Image credit: Apartment Therapy) (Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Apartment Therapy Survey:My Style: A mix of Mid-Century Modern, old and new pieces and graphic elements.

Name: Randal DawkinsLocation: Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC This is my small apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I am an antiques buyer for a Manhattan firm and an interior designer. My aesthetic is a layered look — filled with antiques and art of many periods and styles. I like to consider my apartment my miniature English country house.Thanks Randal!• HOUSE TOUR ARCHIVE Check out past house tours here• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy?

As spring winds down, bringing the oh-so-hot temperatures of summer all the closer, we are knee deep in cleaning. In the midst of purging and decluttering, we’ve come across a handful of wool sweaters that really don’t need to make an appearance as apparel ever again. Here are 10 things you can do to reincarnate those tired old wool sweaters.Felting wool is as simple as washing an old 100% wool sweater in hot water.

Although we often advocate using an existing piece of furniture as a changing table (and many of you think they’re unnecessary altogether), we’ve long been curious about Ikea’s Antilop changer which is potentially the best of both worlds as it has a dedicated purpose, but little impact in a small room. Knowing it was Small Space month here, Jen offers us her review of the Antilop which she uses in her twin’s bedroom. Read more to see what she thinks of it.

If you don’t own a dishwasher, invest in a good dish rack—it can mean the difference between whether or not you enjoy doing the dishes. No, really…it sounds like hyperbole, but we’ve been through the experience of upgrading from a cheap model to a nice one and it changed the way we felt about our daily dish-washing chores.

Above: Whipped detergent is an easy-to-make green cleaner that’s good for spots.Cleaning up spills and spots on upholstery can be tricky, but it’s an important part of making sure that you can use your furniture as long as possible, helping save resources. We’ve rounded up a few tips after the jump on how to spot-clean upholstery safely and sustainably, so that you’ll want to cuddle up with your couch again.

We’ve been using this cleaning system for two weeks now and it’s so well designed, we had to write about it. Sold by Japanese retailer Muji, it’s a combination broom/mop/sponge/duster system that’s efficient, easy to store, and looks better than any broom we’ve ever owned.A telescopic pole extends from 27 to 44 inches, so you can store it inside a tall kitchen cabinet.

There’s almost nothing we like more than fresh bread dipped in olive oil, and it’s definitely a staple in most of our cooking. But this lovely oil has household uses that reach beyond the kitchen.

Name: Tina, Matthew & Pablo Location: Port Douglas, QLD, Australia Size: 98 square meters [1060 square feet]Years lived in: 3 years, owned Artist Tina and her chef husband Matthew live in a beachside cottage in Port Douglas with their toddler Pablo. Living half the year in one of Australia’s most beautiful holiday destinations and the other half in Berlin, they make good use of their home by renting it out as a holiday rental when they’re not there.

Cleaning out your bathroom cabinet can sometimes be painful. More often than not, the items that we purchase for our morning routines don’t come at low prices. We buy potions and lotions and cremes that hide our wrinkles and shine our hair and it’s not an easy thing to part with them when the time comes. But how do you know what goes?Sorting through old or unused items in your bathroom cabinets is as easy as coming to terms with what your family is actually using.

Have you seen today’s entries in The Kitchn’s Small Cool Kitchens Contest? Take a peek, and if you like what you see, give them a thumb’s up! • Carin’s Light, Bright Vermont Kitchen• Brittany’s New Bright White Portland Kitchen• Shannon’s Labour of Love Kitchen in Ottawa• Kevin and Kelly’s Overhauled Victorian Kitchen in Virginia

Daybeds always seem luxurious – not in and of themselves, but the mere fact that you might have room for a daybed seems luxurious. But maybe we’re thinking about them all wrong. A daybed is actually one of those multipurpose pieces of furniture that can be useful in small homes – couch-like seating during the day and a bed at night. Pretty perfect for a playroom or kids’ room that needs to double as a guest room on occasion.

Name: Lanz Brooks with roommates Michael and BrentLocation: Hayes Valley, San FranciscoSize: 4,000 square feetYears lived in: Lanz for 4½ years (Michael since 1994) The home of roommates Lanz, Michael and Brent is one of those rare San Francisco apartments that actually predates the earthquake and fire of 1906 that nearly destroyed the entire city.

Anyone else out there have a problem keeping their laundry in one place? It’s tempting to throw your clothes on the floor at the end of a long day, but it’s an express ticket to messy-town. If you’re still looking for the right system to help you keep your clothes corralled, here are a few options for dealing with dirty laundry.

In our never-ending quest for the best natural cleaning methods, we’ve often turned to the kitchen. (Check out previous posts on the cleaning power of citrus, coffee grounds, olive oil, and of course, vinegar and baking soda.) Now we turn to the cucumber, another food item with benefits beyond nutrition. Read on to find out how cucumbers can help you clean up your home.First, a cucumber slice is great at removing tarnish from stainless steel. Use it to shine up your faucets and sinks.

Name: Matthew MauProfession: Graphic Designer by day and DJ by nightLocation: Downtown Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: 845 Square FeetType: Studio Loft Years lived in: 2 Years I met Matthew through school and was visiting him at his downtown loft talking about websites. As he was talking to me, I was looking around and couldn’t help but be distracted by his designer’s eye for decor. His personal space is a close replica of his interests and personality.

Free yourself of boring storage! Here is a stylish storage system project from Cathe over at Just Something I Made. She uses old cigar boxes with label holder hardware for organizing small stuff in her studio space.I’ve been storing things in cigar boxes for years, but the cigar boxes themselves have become disorganized. This solution for keeping everything in its place and knowing where that place is strikes me as genius. The simplest things always are. Thanks Cathe!

It’s spring cleaning month on Apartment Therapy, and we’ve been looking at a lot of clean homes, but we’re turning for a moment to those rooms that don’t usually show up on the pages of blogs and home magazines because they’re just…well…too messy. Although they may not be healthy or even very liveable, they’ve definitely got a story to tell, and some of them are captivating enough to support a whole TV show or film.

There are a few things that never go out of style, and are worth the investment. We feel that way about vintage camp blankets. And now one of our favorite vintage stores Three Potato Four has acquired a small collection of original all-cotton 1920’s-1940’s Beacon and Esmond Mills camp blankets, and we love them.What exactly are camp blankets, you ask? The blankets were first designed in the late 19th century, the designs copied from Navajo hand weavings.

Miele has just unveiled two beautiful series of appliances, which are set to match the interior decor of your kitchen. One series is called Fire and one is called Ice, and it’s safe to say that they look gorgeous. • Read the full post at Unplggd

Name: Jenn SkiLocation: Bedford, New HampshireSize: 2,400 square feetYears lived in: 2½ years — ownedWho else lives there: My husband Al and cat FloydThe mid-century modern aesthetic gets lots of air play here on Apartment Therapy and seems to be the coveted style among hipsters. This interior design style which often includes sparse furnishings and straight lines is often austere.

Home offices are seeing an increasing amount of use. It doesn’t matter if you work from home, play more WoW than you should or even spend your evenings camped out doing homework almost one thing is for sure — it could stand to smell a little better. Here’s a few tips to keeping your space fresh with minimal upkeep.Depending on how you use your office, there could be different layers of funk that need to be tackled, so assess your mess and see which tips work best for you below.

There’s almost nothing we like more than fresh bread dipped in olive oil, and it’s definitely a staple in most of our cooking. But this lovely oil has household uses that reach beyond the kitchen. See how it can help you below the jump:1. Clean your cast-iron pans: Make a scrubbing paste with olive or another vegetable oil and a teaspoon of coarse salt. Scrub it in with a stiff brush, then rinse with hot water.2.

You would be surprised how many household items can come to your aid when plants find themselves under attack from pests and disease. You’ll find a list of ten items after the jump, just to give you an idea of what can be used before one resorts to a store-bought chemical or pesticide. Have you

We haven’t even moved in to our house yet, and the garage, which will also be our laundry room, already smells like a tractor barn. (For those of you who didn’t grow up on a farm, think diesel.) Needless to say, we want to nip this in the bud.These outdoor areas tend to be bigger than the power of vinegar and baking soda, which we use to soak up odors inside the home. Here are a few green ideas we’ve found to deal with the smells.