Apartment Therapy Archive: Mar 2014

When my then-boyfriend and I purchased a 400 square foot apartment almost ten years ago, I cried the night we moved in. It wasn’t in great shape and even though we had a renovation slated, I feared we had made a huge mistake. Jump ahead two years and we had survived the live-in renovation, tied the knot, and were loving life in the “new” apartment.

Whether you are looking to photograph your place to submit to a contest (like our Small Cool or Room for Color) or just want to preserve it for posterity (look how I lived before kids!), here are a few quick styling tips from my own house tour photo shoots that will help you get the perfect shot. 1.Bring in fresh flowers. Fresh flowers, or any bit of greenery, will add a bit of color without modifying your decor, and create the impression that the space is well cared for. 2.Tape it up.

Between high school and college I went to school in England and stayed often with a family in London. The parents, Tim and Caroline Gladstone, were the kindest and best hosts I’ve ever encountered. Whenever I rang their doorbell, Caroline would greet me, welcome me right in the door with my dirty backpack from the train station or airport, and ask me whether I wanted to eat first or wash up.

We are in the middle of a kitchen and bathroom renovation with a quick turnaround (one week), in our small one-bedroom condo, and it has definitely gotten me thinking about different ways to de-stress during the process. With a short amount of time to complete our projects, our home is a disaster area, and we’ve learned a lot of tricks along the way. Here are a few things to remember next time you’re in the midst of a DIY project. 1.

Name: Farmaesthetics Skincare Apothecary & Treatment Boutique Location: Bellevue Ave., Newport, Rhode Island Size: Front shop : 299 square feet, Treatment Room: 130 square feet, Back room with courtyard access (under renovation): 364 square feet Years worked in: 6 years; rented Brenda Brock, founder of the natural skincare line Farmaesthetics, remembers being a little girl, curiously standing on her tippy toes, and straining to see the top of her grandmother’s dressing table.

We’ve all been there: you start a project when it suddenly spirals into much more work than expected. Kata knows this pain first-hand. This Neo-Baroque couch seemed to be in good shape — she just wanted to change the fabric — but as she took it apart, she saw she was in for a bigger job. Wowee. That looks like so much work, but boy was it worth it.

Black and white tile — it’s so classic and timeless. And it’s so simple, but sometimes it can be tricky to get simple right. There are so many options for using black and white tile, beyond the checkered tile that we all know and love. Here are 12 examples of beautiful and unique spaces where black and white tiles were done right. TOP ROW: 1. A simple bathroom with an interesting black & white tile pattern, from Lark & Linen. 2.

(Image credit: Gina Eykemans) From The Kitchn → How To Clean an Oven With Baking Soda & Vinegar

Last spring, I celebrated sundress weather with some huge, blotchy bites on my calves. San Francisco is known for its lack of mosquitoes, so I did the sensible thing and panicked: BEDBUGS. Nope — it was spiders! In an effort to save you the same confusion, I’ve put together this list of tips for IDing your household pests. Bite in the night? Get yourself to a doctor.

Name: Bianca Location: Capitol Hill Neighborhood, Seattle, Washington I moved into this lovely classic building back in October. It’s the smallest place I’ve lived in, at 520 square feet. But I love it. The size forces me to edit and be conscious of how much stuff I own. I’m really enjoying the simplicity. My bedroom doesn’t receive much light.

Dana and her husband had a pretty standard bathroom with some pretty dated wallpaper. Together, they tackled a series of DIY projects that transformed an old and tired bathroom into a new bright space with a seriously darling DIY cottage feel. From Dana: We chose a cool white and aqua palette for our cottage style bathroom. My husband updated the floor with white ceramic hex tile. To complement, he installed beadboard around the room.

Having a home that is inviting — that beckons to visitors and lingers in the minds of guests — makes for both an enjoyable and memorable place. And there’s a bonus benefit to creating a home that is inviting to guests: it’s often more inviting to you, too! We’ve got ten tips to try that will help you craft a home that welcomes everyone who walks through its doors — though, warning, it may make them never want to leave!

Name: Designer and interiors stylist Maureen Stevens and husband Jason (plus a tenant) Location: Old West Austin Neighborhood; Austin, Texas Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented To say Maureen’s home exudes a comfortable style would be an understatement. You immediately feel at ease as soon as you enter her Austin home. Some people just naturally “get” how to make a home look great and inviting.

How does one craft the kind of work week that soothes the soul, flows smoothly and leaves you energized by the time the weekend rolls around again? By taking advantage of a built-in good mood and tackling a few key home to-dos on Sunday. It’s not about aiming for perfection or scrubbing every surface — it’s about setting yourself up to win starting on Monday morning to stay strong through all the conference calls, traffic commutes and PTA meetings.

This resident dreamed of trading in her 90s era furniture for a look that felt like it came out of the pages of magazines like Veranda and House Beautiful. She finally reached out to a professional designer who was able to see that the client was looking for rooms that looked polished but felt cozy, in a transitional style with a heavy dose of navy and white. Steal some of these ideas for your own magazine-worthy home!

Name: Maggie Location: Heilsbronn, Germany When my husband made the Army his career thirteen years ago I knew there would be moves involved but I didn’t expect nine moves in fourteen years. Although all this moving can be hard, I have to say, I love having a new house every few years to put my stamp on. I have a degree in architecture and a husband who lets me do as please with the house.

The retro look might be back in, but this kitchen that hadn’t been touched since the 1960s was a little too retro for the owners of this beach house on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. The kitchen needed a total upgrade (and a small bathroom in the house also needed renovating) but there was a small budget. With the help of a designer, clean lines, IKEA products and a neutral color palette turned this dated kitchen to a modern breath of fresh air.

One of my favorite parts of our collection of Apartment Therapy videos is the “Favorite Things” videos — the series where we ask readers to share the thing in their home that they love most, and the story behind it. The answers people give are funny, sweet, touching, and incredibly personal, a beautiful reminder that often the things you love most aren’t really things at all, but tangible reminders of people and events you treasure.

Dragging furniture from one home to the next is pretty standard practice. And as your most-used furniture finds its new home in your living room, dining room and bedroom, have you ever noticed there’s sometimes perfectly-good-so-why-get-rid-of-it “leftover” furniture that you always struggle to find a place for? For me it’s a handful of chairs.

Are you a pro at trotting out a long-winded list of excuses when others ask why you haven’t hosted in your home in awhile? Sorry, but that list is about to be annihilated. We found the best entertaining excuse-busters we’ve ever published, and we’ve put them all right here in one spot. Take a moment to close your eyes, look deep into your soul, and ask yourself which excuse is really keeping you from sharing your home with others more often.

Name: Michael James Schneider, author and creator of BLCKSMTH Location: Irvington Neighborhood; Portland, Oregon Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 3 months; Rented We met Mike back in August of 2012, when he was living in a stylish bachelor pad in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Fast forward a year and a half, and Mike has left sunny Los Angeles for the rainy Pacific Northwest, and now resides in Portland, Oregon.

Is there anything more delightful than coming across a piece of furniture with good bones and a “free” sign? It’s not everyday that a simple DIY project sparks career inspiration, but this free chair Rachael stumbled on and brought home to fix up did. Though simple, it’s a sweet little makeover, and proof even the most unloved of furniture pieces can look nice with a little cleaning up.

There seemed to be a common thread of dreamy atmospheres in the inspiring spaces from this week’s tours of homes and workspaces. The kind of spaces that enrich and refresh. Did you find ideas to borrow to create your own recharging spaces from this week’s most pinnable tour photos? Pictured above: It’s absolute bedroom perfection in James’ Beautifully Handcrafted Apartment in Clinton Hill.

If you aren’t allowed to paint your walls or you simply don’t want to commit, and if the though of hanging even removable wallpaper gives you hives, we should be friends. Also, you should consider brightening up your standard-issue walls with a lovely wall hanging. A few tiny tacks is all it takes.. TOP ROW: Jesse & Lucas’ Simply Stylish Home + Studio: A vintage Egyptian tapestry livens up the white walls in their son’s room.

As a follow up to my last post with lots of inspiration for how to use decals, removable wallpaper, washi tape, and contact paper, I’ve created a shopping guide so you can have some fun making it happen in your own space. REMOVABLE WALLPAPER: First up is removable wallpaper. Now this is a huge category! What you see is just a tiny sample of what’s out there. Here are a few of my favorites, but I encourage you to look around on each site, as there are so many great styles out there.

Renters everywhere face a common enemy: the dreaded white wall. But should you have walls you cannot paint, fret not! These Apartment Therapy renters work with the white wall, not against it. Granted, we are not all blessed with crown moldings or 15 foot ceilings, but the principles ring true for many a space. The key element is natural light. Jesse’s Modern Bachelor Pad House Tour – Jesse’s space is a veritable tutorial in how to get the most out of a rental.

For some people, spring means Easter, gardening, and baseball. For me it’s all about the start of yard sales, flea markets and thrift shopping. The weather is nice, and families everywhere are doing their big, annual purges. They haul everything to Goodwill, or out to the garage to sell….and into my eager, waiting hands. In the spirit of the season (and my obvious excitement), here are some of our favorite posts of the subject.

When it comes to making a house a home, bookshelves, mantels, and other surfaces provide the perfect opportunity to express your taste, surround yourself with the things you love, and share them with visitors. Here are some quick tips for creating little vignettes without them looking clutter-y. 1. Matching sets of books, pairs of items, and a muted and cohesive color palette keep the bookshelf styling in Eileen’s Bright & Airy Townhouse serene and undistracting. 2.

The easiest way to add color to a room is by painting the walls. But how do you infuse a room with color if you’re not allowed to paint? Of course, there are many solutions — from decorative accessories and art to pillows and throws — but the biggest impact can probably be seen by introducing a vibrant rug. Lets see how these (mostly) neutral rooms get transformed by a colorful rug! 1.

When you’re a designer blogger and you look at pictures of interiors all day, every day, you start to get a feel for what works — and what doesn’t. You also start to get a feel for common mistakes that well-intentioned decorators make, the sort of thing that can throw off the whole feel of a room without you really knowing why. Are you committing one of these classic blunders? Read on for our list of 8 common problems — and what to do about them. 1.

Whether you’re a renter, a non-committal type of person, or have growing kids that like to change their minds often, there are plenty of reasons to explore the option of temporary wall decor. It can also be very affordable, depending on which route you go and how creative you get. Here are ten examples of how you can use decals, removable wallpaper, washi tape, or contact paper in your space.

What with the winter and a busy period at work, I’ve been feeling like I’m in an at-home slump. I have plenty of projects that should be getting done around the house, but instead, I’m consistently scheming of ways to get out of the house, I’m pining for the outdoors, and I seem to have a mental block on wanting to do home improvement projects right now.

If you have a child who loves reading, it can take a good deal of time and energy researching new books for her to devour. Even if your child isn’t a natural reader, finding something to engage and interest her can be the difference between nurturing a life-long bibliophile and a begrudging reader. If you’re not quite sure where to turn to find great books for your children, there’s now a significant group of book subscription services to help you along.

My city backyard includes two unattractive walls that I’d like to see covered in greenery this summer. I’ve started some research into plants that will grow up and down to beautify the space, and here are eight options I’ve found. TOP ROW: 1. A little inspiration: a lighted trellis provides support to vines growing on Leah & Matt’s Enviable Rooftop Oasis. 2.

I don’t remember where I read it or exactly when I read it, but it had to be well over five years ago. Nevertheless, that one little sentence of advice is still stuck in my head to this day. It went something like, “if your room doesn’t feel finished, add a touch of black”. It’s such a simple suggestion, easy for any novice to try out, and it got me thinking. What other tricks do the pros have up their sleeves?

Having a great personality comes from truly knowing and embracing the things that make you unique, and a willingness to share those things with the world. In seeking out spaces with a real personality (a testament, no doubt, to those that created them) I had to look no further than our own house tours. 1. Amy’s Vintage Jewel Tone Apartment Two tone green walls create a background that unifies the space, and makes the colorful and eclectic artwork and accessories in this kitchen pop. 2.

Accessories in a home are defined as the items that add aesthetic value to a space, like art, figurines, plants, or centerpieces, but they can also be functional items like clocks, blankets, pillows, or books. You may not think they are important, but if you’ve ever complained about your room looking unfinished or boring, it’s most likely due to a lack of accessories. The good news is that adding in those small things can make a really big difference.

Name: Fancy Tiger Crafts Location: 59 Broadway, Denver, Colorado Size: 4,000 square feet Years worked in: 2 years Fancy Tiger Crafts is kind of like a knitwear wonderland. With wall to wall shelves of wool and felt yarns being stocked by lovely ladies in hand-crafted sweaters, it’s definitely a place a shopper can really escape to for a while. But it’s not just a great little shop: it’s a community classroom for sewers, knitters and crafters of all skill levels.

Were you born in the ’70s and have major memories of growing up in the ’80s? Yep, me too. So when my sister put on her special ’80s music playlist the other day, I found myself looking reminiscing about our childhood, especially the things we had. Remember when you bought cassette tapes? How about when you bought your very first CD and listened to it on your huge cd player that cost a fortune?

Are you anxious about your decor choices? Can’t stop agonizing over every little decision? It’s time to stop overthinking it! Get ready to drastically simplify the way you decorate. All you need are three little words to make a home that feels perfect for you. Which three? That’s up to you. Try this: identify three adjectives that you’d like to feel while in your room and use those themes to carry you through every decision you make about your decor.

I moved five times in the past nine years: for college (twice), graduate school, and also for work. I once even moved out of a place I loved because my landlord needed to move back in. Among other things, all this moving has taught me that no two homes’ windows are alike, and a new space (or the urge to freshen a current one) can mean a costly adventure in window treatment world. (It’s putting it mildly to say I was sticker shocked when I discovered the price of 118″ drapes.

We fill our rooms with furniture, throw pillows, blankets, books, art, light fixtures, hardware, and miscellaneous decorative objects. That’s a whole lot of look, but the perfect rug can bring it all together… TOP ROW: Natalie and Kevin’s Perfect Parkdale Perch: This poppy rug manages to unite not just the other bright colors (the pillows, the bottles) but the neutral elements (orange-y wood floors, cream walls, charcoal couch) as well.

Name: Pomona Singh Location: Toronto, Canada Size: 1100 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, Owned There’s something so fascinating about getting a peek into another person’s home — I love to see how other people live and the design and details they choose to surround themselves with. Pomona’s thoughtfully decorated space is filled with both old and new treasures, with everything in the perfect place and every detail thought out.

I never quite felt like a real adult until I framed my first piece of art. All through college, I pinned giant collages of unframed art to my walls like a life-size scrapbook. Post-grad, I’ve slowly started framing my favorite pieces. Custom framing is expensive, so I scour thrift stores for well-made frames with glass and hit up my local art supply store for the rest of what I need to do my own custom framing. Ready to get started?

Here’s proof that a dated kitchen doesn’t always need a total overhaul, sometimes a light refresh will do just fine (and save major renovating bucks). Alex and Jon spent just $2,500 to redo their 1928 DC row house kitchen and it looks like a million bucks. They told us that, “Someday we would like to clear everything out and reconfigure the entire kitchen, but for now we decided a little make-over would work.

Infant care classes routinely cover feeding, diapering, and bathing, but parents are left to their own devices when it comes to finding safe and effective solutions for cleaning kids and their belongings. Thankfully there are many great choices, whether you opt to buy or DIY. At bath time, simplicity rules. Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild Liquid Castile Soap is a great option; it’s affordable, unscented, organic, non-GMO verified, and not tested on animals.

(Image credit: Anjali Prasertong) From The Kitchn → 11 Healthy Fruit & Vegetable Treats for Your Dog or Cat

Q: While apartment hunting over the weekend, I stumbled upon an apartment that was mostly great… except for its outdated bathroom that includes an unusable bidet. The bidet is currently filled with old potpourri. Ignoring the fact that the bathroom is bright blue (in an old way, not a cute way), is there any way I could hide the bidet to make this bathroom a little less… unfortunate? A way to incorporate storage but still hide how old the bathroom appears to be? Thanks!