Apartment Therapy Archive: Dec 2013

Enjoying the outdoors may seem like a faraway dream in these gray days of December… but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy these photos of some of the most beautiful and inspiring outdoor spaces from our 2013 house tours. Open the slideshow to see our favorite outdoor spaces. To view the full house tour, click the links to the right of each photo.

We can’t resist a good IKEA hack. Of course these pieces are lovely on their own, but this year a few intrepid DIYers managed to take a few basics to the next level. Swedish ingenuity + your ingenuity = some really inspired pieces of furniture. Click the links to see the ‘afters’. (Hint: clicking the links with your mouse wheel will open each link in a new window.) TOP ROW: 1. The IKEA VITTSJÖ: 5 Colorful Hacks 2. Before & After: From IKEA Dining Table to Chic Desk 3.

Some siblings share bedrooms because of limited space and others because it’s just fun. Either way, these sisters are shacking up in style, primed for play, secret-sharing, giggles and memory making.

New Yorkers are like no one else. Never have so many done so much in such small spaces. We’re always impressed by the savvy and style of New York and this year may have been our best yet. From Beautiful Brooklyn to Marvelous Manhattan and everywhere in between, here are our best 2013 New York House Tours. 1. Bryan & Sarah’s Vintage Modern Home & Studio 2. Joey and Antoni’s Brooklyn Charmer 3. Emma & Mike’s Whimsical Home in Brooklyn 4.

Although you may not be awake for a lot of it, the bedroom is probably the part of your house where you spend the most time. So why not make it a good one? Take inspiration from these beautiful, serene bedrooms from our 2013 house tours. Click on the gallery to see our favorite bedrooms. Love the rooms and want to see more? Click on the links next to the photos in the gallery to see the full tour of each house.

Shared rooms are always a bit of a challenge as parents strive to make each child feel welcome and represented. When the room is shared by a boy and a girl there is the added challenge of finding the right balance of gender neutral (gender friendly?) without feeling…totally neutral and bland.

Some of my favorite before & afters are the ones where some intrepid DIYer sees the potential in a piece that everyone else would’ve left on the curb. From a side table turned pet bed to a humble crate turned into a swing, this year’s projects featured plenty of impressive repurposings. Check out some of our favorites. To view the ‘after’ photos, click the links for each project.

It’s in their nature: kids love to hide. Some kids hide under the table, some under a blanket fort. And some really lucky ducks have dedicated hideouts at home. Here are ten examples that we wrote about this past year. They range from the very easy and do-able to the more elaborate and fantastical. 1. A Secret Kids Room Through the Closet2. Playhouse from Lori and Jeromy’s Stylish Family Home3. Grey’s Bed Nook from Jill Dan’s Lighthearted Home4.

It’s a space where memories are made, a place to gather together with friends and family over a good meal. From this year’s tours, here are some of our favorite dining rooms. Click the slideshow to see our favorite dining rooms. To see the full house tours, click the links in the captions to the right of each photo.

Here’s a look back at Maxwell’s renovation of his and Ursula’s new apartment in SoHo. If you missed any of this earlier in the year, you’ll definitely want to take a look — I think you’ll be impressed with how much he was able to achieve in such a short span of time. Here’s another view of the kitchen before, to give you an idea of what we were dealing with.

Sometimes a little color can make a big difference. Read on to see some of our favorite colorful makeovers from 2013. To see the ‘afters’, click on the links for each project. (Hint: clicking each link with the scroll wheel of your mouse will open it in a new window.) Enjoy! TOP ROW: 1. Before & After: Plain Jane Entryway Now Pops with Pattern & Color 2. Before & After: A Dressed-Up Dresser 3. Before & After: An Old Chest Gets a Big Change 4.

Ah, the kitchen. The source of many good things to eat, the site of many gatherings with friends. You might get a little jealous when you see these beautiful kitchens from our 2013 house tours. I know I did. Check out the slideshow to see our favorite kitchens. Like what you see? Clicking the links in the captions will take you to the full house tour.

Shortly after moving into their Chinook, Washington home, Meg and Josh decided to tackle a big project: transforming their existing laundry room and breakfast room into a single, open mudroom/breakfast nook combo. Before the project began, the breakfast room and laundry room were separated by a wall, making the small house seemed more cramped. Meg and Josh envisioned a single, open space the would serve as breakfast nook, laundry room, and mudroom all in one, with lots of built-in storage.

Our reader-submitted House Calls offer just a taste of their homes and style. Though only some go on to become full House Tours, we love these little glimpses into spaces all over the globe.

Most of our Renovation Diary projects involve transforming an existing space. This one was different because Faith and Mike chose to create a bathroom in their 1920s Columbus home where before there was only a sleeping porch. Originally the space was only 7 feet tall, with a sloping floor that would have to be replaced. It was a unique project, and a unique challenge. (You can see many more photos of the original space in the post that introduced Faith and Mike’s bathroom remodel.

The bathroom isn’t just a place where you brush your teeth and get un-dirty; it’s also the ultimate retreat from the cares of the world. Even if you’re brought work home or are in a fight with your partner, no one can bother you in the bathroom. The time you spend there is exclusively, blissfully yours. From LA to Philly, Austin to Edinburgh, here are some of our favorite bathrooms from this year’s tours. Click the slideshow to see our favorite bathrooms.

Every home has at least one tiny, annoying thing that drives us nuts. And we all need simple but clever ways to finally deal with it. These posts won’t cure cancer but darn tootin’ they will make your days that much more bearable. So get ready to have perfectly folded fitted sheets, straight artwork, and non-slamming doors. I’ll just say it now: you’re welcome.

Thinking about throwing a holiday party, but are worried about it being blah? I got together with an old friend in 2007 and put together this simple primer, which we’ve been updating and collecting comments on ever since. Are you hosting one this season and need last minute pointers? Here’s Party Architecture to the rescue… Here are the four PILLARS of good Party Architecture: Density, Structure, Lighting & Flow.

Before there were loofahs and washcloths, people used an old fashioned bar of soap sewn into a felted wool covering. The wool was exfoliating and had antibacterial qualities, and the soap created a nice lather without wasting its suds. In the last few years, felted soap has come back into fashion (it’s popping up in lots of Etsy shops as well as Anthropologie, and is a popular gift item this season). Today, we show you how to make it!

Here at Apartment Therapy, we love a good before & after. Although many of our before & afters feature down-on-their-luck furniture pieces rescued by enterprising DIYers, some of my favorites are the projects in which a whole room is transformed. Check out some of the best makeovers of 2013. TOP ROW: 1. Before and After: Bri Emery’s Living Room Makeover 2. Before After: From Boring Bedroom to Chic Shared Space 3. Before After: A Blank Wall Gets Shelved 4.

Great style is a language we can all speak. Each year readers from around the globe share their children’s rooms with us and we delight in seeing which trends know no boundaries and which are new to us.

We’ve said it a million times and 2013 was no exception: the best, cheapest and easiest way to dramatically transform your space is by using color. In fact, the hardest part of any painting project is probably deciding which color to choose. We got you. Here are 10 of the best in our series of Paint Color Portfolios to inspire you to make the leap to a more colorful home in 2014. 1.Coral Bathrooms 2. Black Bedrooms 3. Dark Green Kitchens 4. Dark Blue Dining Rooms 5. Light Grey Nurseries 6.

For kids, play is all around them, but it is nice if you’re able to allot a part of your home just for them to use for art-making, playing with toys and pretend play. Here’s a look back at ten of our favorite playrooms featured this year.

Everyone loves a pretty picture, but Pinterest is about so much more than just inspirational images, it’s also great for zeroing in on the most useful hints, clever tips and just plain cool content of Apartment Therapy. How to clean your kitchen sink? We got you. What about a super-helpful, incredibly organized packing list to make sure your vacay goes smoothly. Yep. Here they are, our biggest hits on Pinterest. 1.5 Simmer Pot Recipes To Make Your Home Smell Like Fall 2.

Name: Sonja Rasula, Founder of UNIQUE USA Location: The Unique Space // 1275 E 6th Street, LA CA 90021 //Los Angeles Arts District Size: 18,000 square feet Years lived in: I’ve been renovating the space for the past four months, and we just opened in December! Welcome to the Los Angeles Art District’s newest neighbor, The Unique Space! It’s 18,000 square feet of raw warehouse space, completely renovated and redesigned by the incomparable Sonja Rasula.

Name: Stephen Stocker and Antwann Nourse Location: Andersonville, Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years Two items I spotted at Stephen and Antwann’s home: A book by Nate Berkus and a painting of the Superman “S”. So what do you get when you cross Superman with Nate Berkus?

I have a project I’ve wanted to paint forever, and I finally found someone to pay me to do it. He’s European and she likes French antiques, so it was a match made in heaven. Let’s take a look… But first, let’s back up and review our history of decorative painting. In the 1480s the Domus Aurea was rediscovered.

Mirrored accents are just the thing to add a little bling to a room. Mixed with other textures, reflective side tables and consoles add a dose of refinement. Here are some options in a range of prices. TOP ROW: 1. Foxed mirror console from West Elm, $549 2. Threshold mirrored modern accent table from Target, $99 3. Square iron and glass Newman side table from Lamps Plus, $540.91 4. Plum & Bow Libby side table from Urban Outfitters, $149 5. Mirror and rust side table from Lamps Plus, $99.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From The Kitchn → Jeanee’s Sunny Vintage Kitchen

Even fans of the big retailer’s affordable finds know that it can sometimes be difficult to have a “grown-up” looking place when sporting the same IKEA pieces as everyone else. Those without the time or means to hack their pieces into a custom look will find inspiration in the fact that when mixed with flea market vintage finds, other affordable furnishings, some high-end pieces, and a dash of personality, IKEA pieces blend beautifully into your home’s overall look.

After a solid year of having to wear pants at all times in my house, for Christmas I am finally getting myself the gift of curtains. Even if you do want to wear pants all the time and don’t worry about the neighbors judging your TV-watching choices, curtains are an excellent way to pull a room together and make everything look elegant and finished. Unfortunately, they can be very expensive. Enter this budget solution.

Whether you’re into deep, rich wall colors or not, going for a dark color in the bedroom may seem scary — after all, no one wants to feel like they’re sleeping in a cave! But with dark grays, rich browns, tantalizing jewel tones and even a “shocking” cobalt blue, the proof in these stylish bedrooms from our house tours is convincing.

Kris’ apartment in Brixton is an LA style bungalow bang in the middle of downtown South London. Kris renovated it to sell, and, after seeing the after pics, we can see why it was such a hot commodity. What a difference! We’re especially loving the new, glowy flooring and bright, white open feeling. From Kris: The goal was to bring the space to life. It was an old bungalow with no light or life.

Growing up, I had a pretty well defined gift opening tradition: go see a movie Christmas Eve (to pass the time for my sister and I anxiously waiting for Christmas Day), then open one gift when we returned home that night. Then, Christmas morning, we’d wake up, sort our gifts, and then each take turns to open one gift at a time while the others watched.

I never would’ve thought of this, but you have to admit it’s kind of genius: Catie from Fleur d’Elise dips her paper snowflakes in wax to preserve them. “This means they are stiffer, less likely to tear, and can either be taped to a window or hung in a tree.” I am definitely adding this to my craft to-try list! Recycled or decorative paper. The thicker it is, the harder it is to fold, so I recommend notebook paper or equivalent weight.

(Image credit: Ilva Beretta) From The Kitchn → My Family’s Christmas in Italy

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know by now that Radiant Orchid, a medium-toned pinky purple, is Pantone’s color of the year for 2014. As Janel mentioned the other day when she broke the news, it marries well with grey (the real color of the year in my opinion), as well as creamy whites and metallics. And, may I add, it’s a great color for bathrooms and bedrooms, where it reflects off your skin and makes you look amazing (I know, my bathroom used to be this color).

Due to some rowdy cats, Lizzie was in need of a new slipcover for her IKEA Kivik loveseat and chaise. Instead of shelling out close to 200 smackers, she decided to try a different route: dyeing. She began with a plain white IKEA slipcover ($50), and took a chance on a bathtub dye job since she doesn’t have a washer. To give the back cusions some definition and polish, she decided on tufting (so smart!).

Name: Oliver (graphic designer), Sherrie, and Cookie (a four-year-old Pekingese) Location: Bronx, New York Size: 525 square feet Years lived in: Under 2 years; Rented After living and volunteering abroad, Oliver and Sherrie had to start their home from scratch. Their experience in a third world country had a big influence on the way they approached furnishing their apartment.

Here are 12 easy ways to make the un-fun process of hanging artwork a little bit more tolerable. Follow these tips and tricks and you might just spare your fingers some physical pain, or skip the mental frustration that comes from drilling holes in the wrong place the first time around. Read these, and live wiser my friends: 1. This goes in the “how to figure out where to stick the nail” folder, and it’s a good one from Fabulous Home Blog. 2.

(Image credit: Emma Christensen) From The Kitchn → 4 Tips for Mailing Cookies

Name: Baby R Location: Leiden, The Netherlands Room Size: About 11 square meters I’ve always been drawn to Dutch and Scandinavian-style spaces. There’s just something about the bright whites, vivid pops of color, and amazing vintage pieces mixed in with the modern decor. Baby R’s nursery is no exception. Fuchsia drapes, bold patterned wallpaper, fabulous frocks, and washi taped walls – this space has it all. How would you describe the look and feel of this room? Fun!

I knew I was a grown up the moment I switched out my IKEA mattress for a much more comfortable mattress I could invest in (and it was the best decision I ever made, but that’s a different post for a different day). Still, there’s a lot of great stuff to be found at the Swedish furniture giant. These nine pieces are tried and tested purchases that even grown-ups with grown-up money should consider snatching up for their homes.

New Year’s Eve is almost here. And if you are going celebrate with kids present, it needs a little planning so everybody remains happy. There are many ways to help the whole evening go well, without fatigue tantrums, boredom, or general chaos, whether you’re letting them stay up late or not, and whether you’re having a big party or a quiet evening at home. Here are 15 ideas for things to do before the clock strikes twelve and the ball falls: 1.

Keeping warm in the winter time sometimes requires extra work and some ingenuity. Thankfully, our reader community is a generous one; people regularly share helpful tips and secrets in the comments. Today, I’ve gathered just some of their great ideas on how to seal up windows and deal with drafts — so you can live as toasty (and as cheaply) at home as possible this cold season. gudnis: If you have double hung windows, head to the hardwre store and find some FELT weatherstripping.

After all of the delicious food and free-flowing drinks, what’s left in your party budget for flowers? Whether you’ve only got $4 or nearly $40 to blow on bouquets, an appropriate and pretty arrangement can be yours. I grabbed a bunch of those ubiquitous 3-for-$12 bunches from the grocery store and started arranging. Here is my haul from the grocery store: three sets of 3-for-$12 bunches, for a total of nine bunches and $36 plus tax.