Apartment Therapy Archive: Jun 2013

With a lot of research, planning, and smart shopping, Judy transformed this kitchen for only $13,000, including all labor and materials. The fixtures are from Overstock, Wayfair, and eBay. The cabinet boxes, countertops, and range hood were purchased during an IKEA kitchen sale. The marble was their only splurge. We brought costs down by doing away with the general contractor, keeping the existing appliances and floor, and getting materials that looked high-end-ish, but were really not in price.

Walking into the workspace of Denver based artist and floral designer Stephanie Clark of Lale Florals, I finally felt as if I had found my floral designer match! Nothing in her space was fussy or frilly. Instead of buckets of red roses filling the floral bays, her studio was stocked with more offbeat and creative objects, such as a pallet of succulents, antlers and air plants.

Whether you’re 8 or 80, LEGOs remain a favorite medium to explore creativity, block by block. But unless you’re a parent, it’s likely it’s been awhile since you’ve explored your architect inclinations. Fortunately, there are several building apps taking advantage of tablet screens, allowing users to tap into their inner designer…all without the danger of stepping on any errant pieces. 1. Minecraft – Pocket Edition (Android & iOS), $6.99. 2.

When talking about weddings, there’s almost no subject that brings out people’s, er, opinions, quite like that of the wedding registry. Traditionally, the reasoning behind a registry is twofold: to help wedding guests decide what to give the happy couple, and to help out a young couple setting up a home together for the first time.

Name: Kristen Coates and Chris WyllieLocation: Newport, Rhode IslandSize: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; rentedKristen Coates loves to have a home full of guests. She and partner Chris Wyllie, both artists who divide their time between New York and Rhode Island, had entertaining in mind when they moved into their spacious third-floor apartment in the heart of Newport above their gallery Egg + Dart.

The hammock is the standard of lazy summer relaxing. What if your daily hygiene standards could be met in such a position? The latest bathtub from UK firm Splinter Works is the ultimate in staycation fixtures. There’s been no shortage of strange, luxe tubs on Apartment Therapy, but the carbon-fiber Vessel may be the most chill, or as Splinter Works is calling it, “the ultimate vehicle for escapism.

Name: Amina Location: Rome, ItalyThis is the room of my daughter Amina but is my room as well!I’m a single mum, and I haven’t the ability to get a bigger house for us, but I am happy and proud of our small room for two. I like sun, colors and everything that we can enjoy. Thank you Apartment Therapy!Thanks, Giorgia!

Little Tikes playhouses have been around for decades and, man, some of them look it! I’m glad that they are passed from family to family and are popular items at garage sales and on Craigslist rather than taking up space in landfills, but sometimes they can really show their age and wear. One way to bring them back to life and improve their appearance is to paint them. These families have done just that and it looks like their kids will get plenty more use out of them.

Name: Briana Babani and Dominic Cancilla Location: North Loop; Austin, Texas Size: 1050 square feet Years lived in: Rented 1.5 years Artist Briana Babani and her husband Dominic had to tackle two of the biggest challenges renters face. One: how to combine the homes of two furniture lovers (recently married) and two: how to make a home with a stylish previous owner and very distinctive bones look like you.

It’s quite amazing how much background noise our brains can manage to filter out without us ever even noticing. Taking a moment to concentrate on the audible, I suddenly become aware of the sound of the refrigerator whirring from the open kitchen, the air brakes of the city buses below, and the heavy steps of my neighbors above…Most people understand exposure to very loud noises can be damaging to the fragile parts of your ear.

If the kitchen is the heart of the home, the living room is the soul. It’s the place where friends and family come together to spend quality time, make memories, and compete in tour de force UNO tournaments (okay, maybe that’s just my family). Aside from being a place to bring people together, living rooms are often the spaces in our homes we turn to for rest and relaxation. All this and more makes finding the right sofa for you super important.

Name: BenicioLocation: Silver Lake- Los Angeles, CARoom Size: 125 Square Feet When you’re the child of a very talented interior designer such as Rosa Beltran, founder of Rosa Beltran Design in Los Angeles, you’re guaranteed to have a pretty awesome nursery. 15-month-old Benicio has an incredible room chock full of fun and inspiration that he’ll get to explore as he grows.

Last week I wrote the guide to sofa shopping, and this week I am looking at the fabrics that upholster your sofa. If you are going high-end with a custom sofa and need the perfect fabric, are re-upholstering a vintage piece, or just want some insight into what all of those funny characters on the sofa tag mean when you are perusing IKEA next weekend, this is the guide for you.

I love being outdoors, and I love long showers, so to me, the combination of those two things = pure bliss. Now all I need, besides an endless summer, is a backyard with a little more, er, privacy. TOP ROW:1. An outdoor tub under a citrus tree is just about perfect. From Alexandra Eliot’s 1890’s Farmhouse (click to see full tour). 2.

I can attest to the challenge of refinishing a vintage stereo entertainment cabinet. They’re undoubtedly beautiful, but also big, heavy, packed with difficult to disassemble, pre-miniaturization era electronics, and usually require a great deal of stripping and refinishing to bring them back to glory.

Save yourself money by buying the right one.

Imagine your job takes you out of town for a couple of months. When it’s finally time to come home, you think about how you can’t wait to kick back in your own  bedroom with your own stuff. But here’s something you didn’t expect: Your roommates decided to give your tidy space a major makeover. And it’s not exactly your style …That’s what happened to Reddit user Twoverend.

Is your washing machine taking a stroll around the laundry room? Washing uneven loads or resting the washer on uneven flooring can cause the appliance to vibrate excessively and move around the laundry room (scientists have labeled the behavior “walking”). In case you had any doubt, it’s totally not supposed to be doing that. But it’s a problem that has plagued front-loading washing machines for years. Here’s how to stop your washing machine from moving.

Name: Casey, Andrea, Nathan, Dylan & Carly Figlewicz Location: Lomita, CA (South Bay) Size: 1300 square feet Years Lived In: Two months!! We just bought this house after waiting eight months to hear from the bank! We are loving it. You would never guess that the Figlewicz family moved into their Lomita home just two short months ago. Family photos, handmade artwork, and heirlooms abound and give the house a feeling that they’ve always lived there.

We often extol the virtues of creating a nursery that will grow with your child and we still believe that. But if you find design and decorating fun, maybe you are looking forward to updating the nursery to a “big kid” room. Reader Laura felt it was time to go from “the land of the dinosaurs” to “swimming with the fishes” in her son’s new, nautical bedroom.

Name: Ebba, Andy and Euan Goring Location: Kinross, Scotland Size: 3 Bedroom Maisonette Years lived in: 3 years; Owned Ebba and Andrew, newly wed and expecting their first child, found their diamond in the rough in the form of a two story maisonnette in bonny Kinross. The building itself is over a hundred years old, and was converted in the 1960’s.

The whole project, including the paint, cost $27. If this sounds good to you too, head on over to Chrissann’s blog, Ducklings in a Row Thanks, Chrissann!

We are big fans of reusing old jars, as you can see here, here and here. Below are five more projects you can do with a glass jar and a few simple materials. 1. Drill a hole in the top and use it to store your string. Use a jar with a fun top or simply paint your own. 2. Wrap them in twine to make simple and cheap centerpiece vases. 3. Cover jar lids with pretty scrap paper, and use them to store your odds & ends. 4. Make your own natural air freshener.

When we first saw this basement bathroom at the open house before we purchased our home, my first thoughts were, “that’s gotta go”. For the next six months after the house was ours, this bathroom renovation sat on the back burner until we finally had the time to tackle it.Once the time came to jump into it we were faced with problem after problem (isn’t that how all renovations go?).

Name:RachelLocation:Size: Years Lived In:In the heart of downtown Colorado Springs sits a quaint, colorful house filled with laughter and the pitter patter of playful feet. It’s the bustling Denbow home of four, headed up by crafty momma blogger Rachel Denbow, of Smile and Wave and Red Velvet Art. Upon arrival at the Denbow abode, I am greeted at the door by young Sebastian. “Izzy drink?!” he asks with excitement. “I cleaned my room!

Many people are divided on the idea of “games” at weddings. There are those who find them fun and harmless, and those who think that surely weddings are enjoyable enough as-is, and question the need to add opportunities for embarrassment to the day’s schedule. While I have sympathies with the latter group, my older sister, who married last summer, is firmly in the former camp.

The public service announcement above horrifically illustrates just how easy it can be for furniture to tip over onto a small child. Whether they are trying to climb a dresser or reach for their favorite book on an upper shelf, kids can exert enough pressure to tip over even large pieces of furniture.There are a number of very inexpensive anti-tip brackets and straps, all simple to attach onto furniture, televisions, and walls to keep things from tipping over.

I’m finally coming to terms with the fact that I won’t be able to take my plants with me on my cross-country move — though I did think for a moment, “I’ll just shove them in the moving pod!”. But then I read that plants can’t go without light, air, and water for 10 days, so there goes that plan. What to do?

Residing on an upper floor can provide a bit more privacy and safety, but also comes with a cost. Recently, my neighbor came knocking to inform me she could hear loud music through the ceiling. Embarrassed, I quickly turned down the volume and began investigating ways to reduce noise from traveling through the floor.My search landed me on a site specializing in noise isolation solutions.

Both professional interior designers and crafters/DIYers struggle with the same kinds of problems: how to make a small room feel larger, how to bring ample light through less than ample windows, and where in the world to store all of that extra fabric for future projects. (Image credit: Apartment Therapy) With a dedicated craft room, storage space is probably not a concern.

Name: Jillian Schiavi, artist and founder of jilly ink, lettering and paper design Location: Lincoln Park; Chicago, Illinois Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented Moving into your first solo apartment is a challenge best met with enthusiasm, flexibility, and vision.

By now we’re all well aware that most reality TV is anything but a reflection of reality (just take a look at how many writers are listed in the credits). But what about those home improvement shows we love so much? The ones that feature nice, normal people, realistic homes and this thing (maybe you’ve heard of it) called a budget. They seem pretty legit, right?  Right? Let’s take a look.

Name: CarolineLocation: Western Addition – San Francisco, California Everything in my home has been discovered on a treasure hunt. Whether I was at a flea market, garage sale, or it is something a wonderful friend gave me, each piece is a little find. Being an artist, I am inspired everywhere I go. Color always stops me in my tracks — hence my latest turquoise and chartreuse obsession.

Name: Tamara Brink and Jessica Dolgan / The Humble Pie Store  Location: Baker Neighborhood, Denver, ColoradoSize: 1500 square feetYears occupied: 8 months Remember in elementary school, how there were those chicks who were (crazy) good at everything? I mean, they could paint, rock the perfect outfit everyday, nail the crazy math problem on the chalkboard, and even show up the boys in kickball?

One of my friends recently described shopping for a sofa with her husband as one of the most depressing things one could do on a weekend. It is one of those furniture purchases where people are terrified of making a mistake, since the general thought is that a sofa will be in your home for at least the next ten years. Here is a simple guide to help you navigate the overwhelming sofa market.

Name: Nikki McWilliams Location: WASPS Meadow Mill Studios; Dundee, Scotland Size: 200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; rented Nikki McWilliams, famed for her fabulous biscuit-themed soft furnishings, is as sweet as the treats that inspire her work.

I was browsing Etsy one day, and I noticed someone selling a book that I loved as a child. It was ‘Half Magic,’ by Edward Eager, but the title of the book wasn’t anywhere in the listing. The book was being sold as a prop. ‘Vintage décor,’ the listing said. Which made me sad, but also got me thinking. Are books becoming obsolete?

While IKEA remains a favorite destination for affordably accessorizing or furnishing the home quickly on a budget, making the trip out to the crowded aisles on a weekend can be a challenge, especially for anyone without a car. But what if you could skip the crowds and lines altogether (and the temptations of Swedish candies awaiting at the checkout lines)?

Today’s Before & After comes from Jérémy, a very talented 16 year old designer from Canada. Here he transforms an old vintage fan from boring to bold with just a paint job. From Jérémy: Old machines are phenomenal artistic works, provided with the refurbishment if they need it. Here’s how an old Eagle Aire fan can be rejuvenated after 50 years without losing its “vintage look.

It’s easy to think, “it’s just a little dust” when it comes to keeping house. What with all of life’s daily responsibilities, who has the time to be dusting and sweeping every surface? However, one should note dust is a silent killer, especially when it comes to electronic devices.

Here’s kind of a cool thing. This steel-framed chair had seen better days. Enter Janusz, who has an abiding love for the world’s most humble material — cardboard — and for bringing old furniture back to life. Click here to see what he did next. While the text isn’t in English, there are enough photos so you get the idea how it was made here and here. It almost look like inlay, doesn’t it?Thanks for sharing, Janusz!

Lindsay fell in love with the shape of this vintage record player console from Craigslist, but when she picked it up, it was beyond dirty. A lot of elbow grease and a little paint later, check out the results:From Lindsay: I have a thing for vintage record player cabinets. I found this Mid-Century style record console that had been gutted on Craigslist, and picked it up immediately. It is solid wood, and was in fairly good condition. Except it was FILTHY.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)From The Kitchn → 10 Things To Pack for Cooking on Vacation

I have a friend who has more kids than me, whose husband works longer hours than mine, who cooks and bakes more than I do, and yet her house is tidier than mine, always tidier than mine. What gives? I decided that this week, it was time to get to the bottom of it: what are the dirty little secrets of those tidy families? I have been watching all my tidy friends and taking notes. Here’s what I have observed that is common to them all. 1. Their whole family has less stuff.

Name: Hillary Schuster, graphic designer and aspiring wedding stylist, and Michael Kiser, freelance writer, photographer, brand strategist, and founder of Good Beer Hunting Location: Ravenswood; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented Curios collected and lovingly composed unify the style of Hillary and Michael, a Chicago couple who balance home space with work space, and ephemera with plenty of classic, quality pieces.

Jenna found this planter at a junk store for just $2. Though it was in rough shape, she saw its potential. See how she transformed it into a totally cute vessel for indoor planting.From Jenna: My apartment is small and I have lots of terrariums around the house, but am always looking for fun ways to bring more greenery inside. I found this planter stand at a junk store for $2 — a new coat of paint in a herringbone print, plus some jars I had lying around and voila!