Apartment Therapy Archive: Aug 2013

image:b1df9e6ce2d284f7eacdde073b54b87576d1c11c w:540 s:"fit" class_name:"mt-image-center" show_pin_button:"true" show_image_credits:"true" I’ve always lived in small spaces, and even wrote about how I prefer it here. Not only do I like the design challenge of a smaller apartment, but living small also allows me to live in great cities, which can get pricey with more square footage.

(Image credit: Faith Durand) From The Kitchn → How To Make Jello Shots for Grown-Ups

There’s been a small wave of burglaries and petty theft around our neighborhood the last few months, several happening right through the front door of local homes.

Last year, Manisha posed a question to the Apartment Therapy community about how to add some color to her living room. “It needs some oomph,” she said. “Right now everything seems to be grey, white and black.” Armed with your suggestions, Manisha added color in a few strategic places. Want to see what her living room looks like now?

Name: Charlie Location: Echo Park – Los Angeles, California Room Size: 120 square feet Charlie was just a baby when she made her first Apartment Therapy debut in her family’s house tour. Her itty-bitty room barely fit a crib and a small play area and I was very curious how her room would transform as she grew older.

John had been searching for an Adrian Pearsall style sofa for a long time. As he was scouring Craigslist one day, he came across an ad that simply said, “Vintage Couch – $60.” Luckily, he took a chance and found this amazing (though horribly upholstered) sofa. From John: Because I’d been researching this style of sofa for months, I was pretty sure it wasn’t a real Pearsall, but I didn’t care. I’m not a label whore.

It’s been only a few weeks since I made the big move south to Atlanta and meeting new people and making friends with the neighbors is very high on my list of things to do. I’ve just moved from a city I love, where I had a circle of friends who lived within 5 blocks, so to put it bluntly, I’m having a difficult time adjusting. I’m struggling with making new friends and meeting my neighbors.

Yesterday we saw the reveal of Wash U freshman Laken’s spruced up new digs. Today, Laken is showing us how she created the custom bed canopy shown above. If you like the look, you can make one for yourself! Materials Large 24″ diameter embroidery hoop Two curtain panels (we used one package of IKEA Vivan, for $9.

Getting Around and Accommodations Left: Transit Tracker Boston – Right: Boston City Guide TripAdvisor Transit Tracker Boston – iOS Boston’s MBTA transit service covers 89 square mile of the city’s historic cityscape. This iOS app is invaluable when traveling using Boston’s ferries, streetcars, buses, and subways, offering a comprehensive guide to the MBTA for locals and out of towners alike.

Name: Designer Allison Burke, with architect husband Ryan and hound dog Blue Jay Location: French Place/Cherrywood; Austin, Texas Size: 1600 square feet Years lived in: 3.5 years; Owned Allison Burke is a designer with 13 years of experience in high-end residential, small scale commercial and craft-driven interiors. It’s not surprising the home she shares with her architect husband is a modern mix of white walls, pops of color and purposeful accessories.

When you ask parents what not to buy for a nursery, a changing table rises to the top of the list. “Official” changing tables don’t repurpose well into non-baby furniture so many parents choose alternatives to traditional changing tables, primarily dressers or desks that are at a comfortable height and deep enough to accommodate a changing pad.

Name: Martina & Lola Location: Madrid, Spain Room Size: 49 square feet When Bea first saw her home, she fell in love with this room – the biggest in the house – and decided to give it to her daughters Martina and Lola. She had always dreamt of a big and bright room for them, and set about filling it with the things they loved – festive garlands on the ceiling, a little seating area for reading bedtime stories, and a lovely light-filled art corner.

(Image credit: Emma Christensen) From The Kitchn → How To Make Stir-Fry Freezer Meals

New bedding doesn't have to cost a fortune.

That pristine wool carpet you just installed looks great. Keep it looking that way for years with these straightforward, easy tips. Vacuum regularly. Loop carpets like Berbers are more delicate and should be vacuumed only with suction. Pile carpets, like Saxony pile and textured pile, can withstand heavier cleaning and should be cleaned with a beater bar. Natural wool has a wax coating that keeps dirt on the surface, making it easy to keep clean by vacuuming. Stain treat immediately.

Psssst. Hey, so are you thinking about entering this year’s Room for Color contest, sponsored by Chip It! by Sherwin-Williams? I can let you in on the absolute best way to garner maximum votes for any entry: take your time on the photos so you submit great ones.

Laken, the college freshman we introduced you to last week, is all moved in and set up, and ready to start classes this week. She took her college blah dorm and turned it into something personal and comfortable. Want to see what she did with her space? Let’s break it down, and see what Laken did to make it work: 1. Configured her furniture, i.e. raised the bed, to allow for more storage. As a result, the dresser, some storage bins and a hamper fit nicely underneath and stay out of sight.

Name: Marti Palermo and Jarrod Routh Location: Lincoln Square; Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; rented There’s a real effortlessness about Marti and Jarrod’s home: a fresh, comfortable simplicity that immediately puts one at ease. I felt right at home on a Sunday afternoon with sunlight streaming through the windows, Wild Belle on the stereo, and a cold glass of beer.

One of my favorite home trends is families using their space to suit current needs and desires instead of being hemmed in by traditional floor plans or how a room had always been used. Last week we saw Lindsey turn her family’s formal dining room into a family study and today’s example is a huge family room re-imagined as a dream playroom for two young kids. It’s quite the transformation and is just what this family wanted.

With the school year upon us, many households are about to be brightened up by an influx of their youngest occupants’ art. But what do you do with all of it? I have always sheepishly referred to my car as “the gallery,” as art projects tend to accumulate there after school pickup. But no more! This year I’ll be implementing some of these great ideas to store and display my kids’ art. DIY: 1. Rotating Art Display: a homemade art display using bull clips 2.

After 10 years of living with a crumbling kitchen, Judy finally decided enough was enough. Inspired by a certain robin’s egg blue box, she worked with her limited budget to get a Tiffany’s inspired kitchen without the Tiffany’s inspired price. Judy saved some cash by reusing the appliances and flooring and hiring locally in her neighborhood of Queens, NYC. She splurged on marble countertops but still managed to ring in the remodel at about $13,000.

From The Kitchn→ Garden Tour: An Afternoon in Rick Bayless’ Garden

If you’ve been noticing a trend of steel windows and doors showing up in some of your favorite images, you’re not alone. These industrial modern beauties are moving outside of factories and into our homes. The strong steel provides for narrow mullions, huge expanses of glass, and lots of light, and works in both modern and traditional architecture.

Name: Kelsey and Mike Sheofsky (and Louella and Bird Sheofsky) Location: Mission; San Francisco, California Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 2 1/2 years; Rented Kelsey and Mike make their living by creating beautiful outdoor spaces for their pop-up lodging service Shelter Co. They bring the same effortless style, laid back attitude and appreciation for travel to their San Francisco home, which they share with their perpetually chatty 7 month old Louella and their dog Bird.

Location: Belmont Heights, Long Beach, California Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Lisa and her twin daughters live in the bottom floor of a duplex owned by her twin sister Lori Lamont and Lori’s husband Monte Weiss. You may remember Lori and Monte’s home from a few weeks ago. Although Lisa’s style is very different, her home has a similar comfort and California ease.

Day 18: Monday, August 26 Assignment: Work on your furniture placement only – no accessories, artwork or decor yet! Congratulations to everyone on making it to the last leg of the Style Cure, with an extra round of applause for everyone who tackled the big paint job this past weekend.

If the bus or train is your usual mode of getting to and from work, take a gander at this roundup of tablet apps designed for killing time in transit. The best part of this roundup is that all of these apps do not require an internet connection, making each addictively uninterruptable… 1. Puzzle Retreat (iOS & Android), Free. 2. Solar Flux HD (iPad), $3.99. 3. Plants vs Zombies 2 (iOS), Free. 4. Whale Trail (Android & iOS), Free. 5. Doodle Fit 2: Around the World (iOS & Android), Free. 6.

Most computers, appliances, and electronics get fairly hot while in operation and need sufficient air flow to keep them running efficiently. Dust is one of the biggest culprits of electrical equipment failure, due to ventilation interference and eventual overheating.

I just bid farewell to our last task chair review sample, noting as much as I found this and other new models comfortable in different ways, my tried and true task chair I purchased way back in 2008 keeps proving to be the most comfortable. But after years of daily use, the chair has definitely seen better days.

This 1925 home was intended to be a boxy Spanish bungalow but due to some unfortunate 1980’s additions, the aesthetic was a little lacking and Hunter knew he could help reclaim its original pizazz. Want to see this little house now?Much better!From Hunter: I decided immediately that the home needed to be restored to its intended Spanish style. Most of the homes on the block were this style and I could tell the home was originally built that way.

Interior design games are as functional as they are fun, allowing you to design spaces with nearly limitless options. If you’re hoping to use your smart device to level up your interior decorating skills, an interior design game could be the way to go. Whether you’re looking for a photo-realistic game that can truly help you conceptualize that space you’ve been itching to redesign, or something more fun and lighthearted, there’s an interior design game for you.

Name: Ara Katz and Chris Ovitz Location: Abbot Kinney Boulevard; Venice, California Size: 1,700 square feet Years lived in: 1 1/2 years Ara and Chris decided to move in together and looked endlessly for a loft, but couldn’t find the right space. They kept coming back to a loft building on Abbot Kinney as the model for their dream home, but every unit was already occupied. Ara constantly kept her eye on the building and after a long wait, a unit was finally available.

Finding a stylish office chair can be a nightmare. When I transitioned into working from home, I spent weeks poring over catalogs and browsing online for an office chair that wouldn’t make my bedroom/home office feel too…office-y. 1. West Elm Saddle Dining Chair, $299. 2. Specimen Editions Perch Chair, $495. 3. Wyndtree Furniture Dining Chair, $580. 4. Inmod Carolyn 3/4 Armchair, $1,612. 5. Duna Chair, $520. 6. LaFlat Aluminum/Teak Wood Chair, $160. 7.

Name: Joey Grana and Gerard Dislaire Location: Mount Washington, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years; Owned A trip to Joey and Gerard’s serene hillside home will take your breath away and may leave you wondering: am I in California, or have I been transported to the French Alps?

We considered mounting the TV on top of the fireplace, but don’t relish the idea of having stiff necks after catching our favorite shows. Another option was to mount the TV to left of the fireplace, but we realized that the window directly across the room may cause a bit of glare. The most obvious solution is to place the TV and console along the long wall to the right of the living room, with the sofa across from it.

Whether being projected onto a big wall during a cocktail party, or played quietly in the living room during game night, a background movie can act as a conversation starter, art, music, and entertainment all in one. Plus it’s easy to pop a disc in the DVD player or call up a title from Netflix. The only hard part, of course, is finding just the right background film.

Drop by IKEA’s as-is section, any thrift store, Goodwill, or yard sale, and you’ll eventually run into one of these wooden slat bed bases.

(Image credit: Leela Cyd)From The Kitchn→ An Outdoor Movie Party

Name: Joanne and Brian King Location: Bay Spring; Barrington, Rhode Island Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 35 years; owned It’s a perfect summer evening. There’s a mellow breeze and a blanket of soft golden light. The Kings are sitting on their deck with drinks and a cheese tray watching sailboats race in Narragansett Bay. A couple sitting in a parked car takes in the scenery from across the street.

Name: Page Evans, daughters Peyton and Katherine, and Angus the Lab Location: Georgetown; Washington, DC Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 8 years; Owned Page and her two daughters moved into this two bedroom in the heart of Georgetown eight years ago — they were downsizing after a divorce. Upon moving, Page, an art consultant and writer, set out to bring the small, 19th-century house up to date.

Shaun’s UK home was originally occupied by a dear old lady who was a smoker, so the room was dated and “ciggie stained.”  But he had big plans for this small room.Shaun kept his canvas — the walls and furniture — white in order to let his artwork and  personal items shine even more.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)From The Kitchn → The Best Way To Keep Guacamole Green

Chicago is a city known for its many distinctive neighborhoods. No matter your price point, your social scene, or your living needs, the city offers something for everyone. But because of this diversity, it can sometimes be difficult to know just what your pocketbook is in for. My main caveat is that these are medianAs a final note, I looked only at single-family homes or condos, not two-flats or three-flats that could potentially be converted into single-family homes.

Laken is an incoming freshman at Washington University in Saint Louis and, just this Sunday, moved into her new dorm on campus. She was greeted by a very typical sight: commercial grade carpeting, conspicuous vents, and standard issue furniture. The dorms are very nice by all accounts, but it’s always a challenge to transform an impersonal space into a comfortable home for the next nine months.Laken has less than a week to get her room ready before classes begin.

We love a good, simple IKEA hack. In the hands of Sarah of Smitten Studio, this plain pine Tarva got a coat of paint and a little bling. Check out the results:Fresh white, gold legs, and brass knobs add much needed storage and a dash of style in the bedroom of Sarah’s cabin, after the removal of a bunk bed/closet system. Sarah also sawed a couple inches off of the dresser’s legs for a more contemporary proportion. Check out more photos over at Smitten Studio.

(Image credit: Lucy Hewett)From the Kitchn→ Brian and Julia’s Live-Work Loft Kitchen

Earlier this month, I gave you a peek inside a backyard in Brooklyn, courtesy of the folks over at Lonny magazine.  It was over-the-top bohemian — a very stylish look, but the majority of readers agreed that this laid-back, eclectic style was anything but practical. This time around, I thought I’d delve into our archives to show you outdoor spaces emanating a slightly bohemian vibe that are a bit more realistic and attainable.