Apartment Therapy Archive: Jul 2013

Name: Ashley Location: West Town; Chicago, IllinoisSize: 1,800 square feetYears lived in: 2 years; RentedAshley had quite a project on her hands. She had just finished her residency, and moved out of a three-bedroom apartment that was shared by a total of four roommates. With only a handful of furniture pieces in tow, she went searching for more space, and found a former embroidery factory that had been recently renovated in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood.

We all know how hard it is to make something look more expensive than it really is, let alone transforming old furniture into decor worthy of high end, elegant spaces. But here are a series of projects that do just that, turning salvaged finds into fancy pieces, with the help of luxurious faux finishes.  TOP ROWShagreenA Mere LifeAgateGorgeous Shiny Things 3. MarblePoppytalk 4. MalachiteLittle Green Notebook 5. SnakeskinRecently BOTTOM ROWFurStyle At HomeBoneThe Vintique Object 8.

Name: Andi Forker and Dean Enell Location: Alamo Square; San Francisco, California Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; owned We followed their Renovation Diary as Andi and Dean fully gutted and remodeled their kitchen, but now the improvements have extended throughout their entire home. For this couple, the past three years have been spent fixing up their Victorian flat, room by room. With most of their major goals accomplished, they have an amazing space to show for it.

thatBuying a house on a busy street let my husband and I live in an area we otherwise couldn’t afford. We are only a few blocks from the heart of the neighborhood, which means loads of walkable options for food, shopping, etc. We enjoy beautiful views of the mountains when we walk our pup on clear days. And it’s easy to get to downtown by car or bus.But what about all that racket, you ask? You get used to it, I swear.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)From The Kitchn→ 12 Creative S’mores for a Party

How many times have you returned home from a fantastic vacation, only to hear yourself telling someone that you’re so exhausted you need another one to recover? The pace of modern life is making it increasingly difficult for us to switch off, and time away from home can end up being just as stressful, albeit more fun, than our everyday lives. Read on for some tips on how to really unwind on your vacation.

For some of us there’s no place like home, but for others wanderlust reigns supreme. Naturally the latter want to pass on their love of travel to their little ones, and what better place to start than where they’ll be spending much of their first few years of life – the nursery.

Name: Arthur Garcia-Clemente & Kristin Over Location: Printer’s Row, Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Rented When two interior designers move in together for the first time, to a loft space with only a few walls and even fewer enclosed rooms, the chances for design conflict run high.

The key to being a great host is anticipating your guests’ needs. I always make sure to have three things ready before the arrival of guests: clean sheets, plenty of snacks, and my wi-fi password written down on a notepad in the guest room. The latter is a modern day convenience any host should graciously offer to overnight guests and it turns out there’s an even easier (and more secure) way to make guests feel at-home and connected.

Name: Irina (and Lummi) Location: South Loop; Chicago, Illinois Size: 975 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; owned Coleridge, influenced by an opium-induced dream, wrote of “a stately pleasure-dome” that Kubla Khan established in Xanadu. In this space, verdant gardens mingled with caves of ice, and the sweet scent of incense floated above the sun-dappled hills, inspiring “deep delight.

Name: Gemma (4 months) Location: Atlanta, Georgia We wanted something that wasn’t too cutesy, and we wanted a wall color and furniture that were gender neutral so we can reuse the room and just change out accessories if we have a boy in the future. The concept for the room came from my obsession with the baby animal photos from Sharon Montrose’s Animal Print Shop. I wish I had an excuse to buy more of them!

With a little thought and careful use of the following solutions, you can tame the distracting sounds in your home and create a more peaceful space without the echoing.

On those unbearably hot days I really need to turn on our apartment’s window air conditioner I’m certainly thankful I installed it. But for the majority of the year the air conditioner is an unsightly presence, blocking a third of the view looking outside our windows and keeping desirable light from entering…A Brooklyn designer decided it was time to give eyesore window air conditioners a visual makeover.

From The Kitchn→ 15 Food Instagram Accounts You Should Follow

Materials: Any deep photo frame smaller than 8.

The ‘before’ version of Marie Clare and Peter’s Park Slope townhouse was not without its charm. Marie Clare and Peter fell in love with the house, but had a few changes in mind to make the space lighter, more open, and the perfect home for their small family. To find the perfect contractor for their project, Marie Clare and Peter turned to The Sweeten, a NYC-area resource that connects homeowners to architects, designers and contractors.

Traveling with babies and toddlers can seem incredibly daunting, but luckily there are a lot of great products on the market today to make the journey go smoother. From safety to entertainment to sleep, there’s a gadget for just about every aspect of your trip. 1. Staying at a hotel, relative, or friend’s house and worried about childproofing for your little one? Enter the Travel Tot kit – everything you need to childproof a space, and it all comes off cleanly.2.

(Image credit: Emma Christensen)From The Kitchn→ How To Shuck Corn Quickly Cleanly

(Image credit: Chris Perez)From The Kitchn→ How To Make the Best Iced Coffee

“Cabinet week finally came! We have been waiting for this. But, just days before they were to be delivered and installed, we elected to delay the process…” • Kitchen Renovation Diary: New Cabinets! Apartment Therapy

(Image credit: Emma Christensen)From The Kitchn→ Recipe: Best-Ever Veggie Burgers

There’s a good chance you’re not experiencing the full internet speeds you’re paying for. A weak wireless connection is often the bottleneck between advertised maximum speeds and the reality of waiting for pages to load and files to download. So what’s the point of paying for all this speed if you can’t take full advantage of it?

Intrepid DIYer Emily was looking for a patio table, and happened to score this one on Craigslist for free. But it wasn’t quite love at first sight. The chairs were covered in a weird mottled brown paint, and the cushions were falling apart. Plus, Emily admits, she’s not such a huge fan of glass top tables. (Not that I can blame her — my roommate and I had a glass-topped table in college and that thing squeaked. I can still hear it now. Squeak squeak squeak.

Sent by AngelaEditor: First try using a pink eraser to remove the mark. If the marker stain proves stubborn, a mixture of 1 part isopropyl rubbing alcohol with 2 parts water (you make have to tweak this proportions) can also remove the stain.Ironically, using a black dry erase marker over the permanent marker can also help remove Sharpies marks, due to the solvent in the formula!Leave any additional suggestions for Angela in the comments below.

(Image credit: Emma Christensen)From The Kitchn→ How To Make Bread in the Slow Cooker

Name: Jeannie Mai and Freddy Harteis Location: Los Angeles, California Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Owned You may recognize this lovely lady from “How Do I Look” on The Style Network, or from her new shows “Style Pop” or “The Real.” Jeannie Mai has a fun spunky spirit and a distinct bold style. She is married to Freddy Harteis, who is also in the entertainment industry and has a show called “The Hollywood Hunter.

It seems so long since I had so much time in my apartment alone to myself. Actually, it’s been over 3 and half years. Which means all those things I used to do with hours of time seems to have vanished from my mind.Still, I am taking advice from a friend who said, “Make the most of the time you’ve got! Write down everything you want to do and cross it off, even if it’s tiny things like sleeping in one morning or taking a long shower.

In most bathrooms, showering is a sort of secondary function to bathing. It’s a little unusual, because I’m willing to bet most of us take more showers than baths. But there you have it — take a bathtub, add a curtain so the water doesn’t get all over the place, and now it’s a decently serviceable shower. Those of you lucky enough to have a larger bathroom may have a shower with one of those cool modern glass enclosures. Those are pretty slick.

“I was wondering if anyone had experience with Martha Stewart’s kitchen cabinet line… I love the style of Martha’s cabinets and all of the organizational options. And the cabinets seem to be a great value…” From Apartment Therapy→ Martha Stewart Kitchen Cabinets?

Do you remember the tour of Kyle’s renovated apartment in San Francisco? A fully realized interpretation of one homeowner’s style, the interior design not only reflects Kyle’s cozy cottage-style aesthetics but also two parts of her personality – a definite focus on neatness coupled with a love of entertaining. Hence, the super closet…Hidden behind the door panels is a full laundry area and what just possibly may be the tidiest pantry I’ve ever seen.

Name: Chris Apollo Lynn Location: Bouldin Creek; Austin, Texas Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented Chris Apollo Lynn always smiles when he speaks. A calming personality, he’s equal parts exuberance and enthusiasm, especially about the city of Austin and its community.

I’ve long admired the ingenuity of Londoners when it comes to small spaces. Their storied city of eight million has housing prices even higher than New York’s, which means crafty Londoners often have to squeeze in wherever they can. (Case in point: this 77 square foot apartment on the market a few years ago for $335K.) But young architect Laura Clark really takes the cake. She’s managed to create a beautiful home — out of a public restroom.

Name: Karen Racicot, actor and artist Location: Parkdale, Toronto Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, owned Flamboyant French actor/artist Karen Racicot emphasizes the use of bold colors in every aspect of her style, right down to her hot pink Brita water filter. As an extensive world traveller, jewelry designer and painter, she set out to create a vibrant “living jewelry box” with her Westside condo.

“What ideas do you have for hiding/updating/bedazzling the existing light fixture without just putting up a new one?” From Apartment Therapy→How To Update Our Dining Room Light Fixture?

Your grandma did it and your mom does it all the time, so should you continue the tradition? From salting boiling water to grinding ice, read on for the truth about four common household hints… Myth: Adding salt to water makes it boil faster. The Truth: Nope. Salted water actually takes a little bit longer to boil, since the salt raises the boiling point from 100°C to around 106°C.

Name: Sofia Berger Location: Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York Size: 480 square feet + garden Years lived in: 3 years; rented Sofia is a banker by day and an aspiring interior designer in the rest of her time. She frequents the hardware stores so often that the employees know her by name. Her bookcases are stocked with shelter magazines and her furniture has been decoupaged, reconstructed, upholstered, hacked or built from scratch.

(Image credit: Lisa Pepin)From the Kitchn→ Growing Beer: A Visit to Farm Boy Farms’ Hops Grain Farm in North Carolina

Name: Kristen Coates & Chris Wyllie Location: Newport Harbor, Rhode Island Size: 34′ Houseboat Years lived in: 18 months; owned It all started with a wildly imaginative dream, sketched on a cocktail napkin one summer night in 2011. Chris and Kristen wanted to design a boat to use as a creative outlet and a place for entertaining summer guests. Never mind the fact that neither had experience with boat building.

One of the revelations of living in a small home is that choosing less square footage doesn’t mean you necessarily have to make do with less, just that you need to be super smart about how you organize the space you do have. And, once you go into “storage genius” mode, it tends to have a ripple effect – many tiny homes end up with as much usable storage area as places with a larger footprint, thanks to the space-savvy residents.

Have you ever been on a cruise? Although I’m not a cruise expert, I have been on several and have had the opportunity to talk to many cruise travelers about the pros and cons of this niche of travel. Cruises take a very specific type of traveler, and can be a blast if you’re ready, or a horrible time if you’re not. Pros:1. It’s a moving hotel. After my husband and I planned our wedding for fourteen months, we wanted nothing more than to not plan a single second more.

Name: Anne and Richard Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York Size: 2,500 square feet, 2 bedroom Years lived in: 2 years; Owned “I think that you go astray when you aim for perfection,” declares Anne when discussing her approach to home decor. Anne and Richard’s relatively new home is filled with a mix of the old and the new, the damaged and the pristine. For Anne, these charming inconsistencies make her home a much more comfortable place in which to live.

Lighting makes the room, and a beautiful table lamp can punctuate a space like little else. A great source for the above is Lotte Lamps, a family-run company which to this day produces beautiful pieces of mid-century design. Read on for a brief history of the company, as well as shopping resources for this modern design classic.

(Image credit: Faith Durand)From The Kitchn→ 5 Salad Dressings To Know By Heart

Name: Teeny, Pie Baker, and Aaron, Content manager for PBS Kids Location: Woodley Park, Washington DC Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Renting You know that really down-to-earth couple in your circle of friends with the gorgeously decorated apartment in the coolest part of the city, full of vintage gems they always seem to have the best luck snagging right off the street? Well, pie baker Teeny Lamothe and her boyfriend Aaron are those friends.

A few years ago I wrote about a distressed glazing technique which has a distressed feel to it, a way we developed to add visual texture to your walls that doesn’t like a stock rag rolling. Here, we take this process one step further. The look is both soft and contemporary, works well in urban environments, and is still livable. It’s unique every time, and in this example we’re emphasizing a linear quality, as if the “concrete” was poured into a wood formwork.

Name: Mireille and Simon Location: Alt-Moabit, Berlin, Germany Size: 1,140 square feet/106 square meters Years lived in: 8 months; rented Entering Mireille and Simon’s rambling, open-concept living space, it’s easy to forget for a moment that you’re standing on the top floor of a Deco-era building situated just north of Berlin’s Tiergarten and Brandenburger Tor.