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Name: Jocelyn, mom of Griff (3) and Lila (8mos) Location: Tribeca, New York City Room Size: 150 square feet The great thing about Jocelyn’s nursery is that it is as completely engaging for kids as it is for adults. Jocelyn has managed to create a kid oasis without overloading the room with too many kid-centric items. When Jocelyn and her husband moved into this loft apartment, they had no kids and the space had a completely different feel.
Tea tree oil (or malaleuca if you’re fancy) is widely thought to have antimicrobial and antiseptic properties. While many people use it for health & beauty issues, it’s also quite useful around the house. Unlike other household products, it’s also safe and natural. All-Purpose Cleaner: Fill a spray bottle with water and add a few teaspoons of oil. Shake vigorously and spray to clean and disinfect.
Breanna’s parents pickedup this trunk for her at an antique show for only $10. What a great deal for such a multi-purpose, handsome piece! She added one simple element and is now using this antique in a whole new way. We can never get enough of coffee tables with storage — they’re so perfect for small spaces — and the addition of a sturdy top really takes the classic trunk table up a notch.
Name: Susan Snow Location: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island This house is a two-story traditional style. My boyfriend lived in it previously, so it had a real bachelor pad feel to it, which was terribly dated. When we decided to move in together, the renovations, updating and decorating started! Thanks, Susan! • Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour & House Call Submission Form.
Anna and her fiancé were like many couples who are just starting out: their first home was full of mismatched hand-me-downs. Even though there’s a big front window, the room never felt like it got a lot of natural light. And it was just small and cramped. Their goal: Make their living room lighter, brighter and look bigger! Here’s how they did it.
Dark and old, this TV tray was less than inspiring, but DeaAnna saw potential in it, and bought it for only $8. It was a small afternoon project with only a few materials, but the result is impressive and affordable! From DeaAnna: Who doesn’t love a great garage sale? It’s one of my guilty pleasures, so when I came across this TV tray at my neighbor’s house for $8, I snatched it up with visions of greatness (lofty, I know).
Name: Noah Allison Location: Brooklyn, New York Six months ago, I finally made the move to New York from Los Angeles. As a result that I became car-free over two years ago, assimilating to public transit was much easier than adapting to the realization that I was going to be living in a much smaller space that I was use to.
Alyssa needed a console table, but the one she had her eye on to buy was too big and too expensive So when she came across this simple, dark IKEA laptop table, she realized for a little bit of money and only a few steps she could transform it into a cute, compact console perfect for her home. From Alyssa: A few years ago I stupidly sold a killer acrylic console table in a fit of re-decorating mania and I’ve regretted it ever since. So, I was on the hunt for a replacement.
Name: Nina Location: Hermosa Beach, CA Although Hermosa Beach is a cool 30 minutes from my office, boyfriend, friends, and yoga studio, I fell in love with my apartment down there the moment I walked in. The hardwood floors, the beamed ceilings, the ocean view. However, the space came with it’s own unique challenges… For one, it’s a small studio. It doesn’t have designated/separate spaces for sleeping/eating/lounging. And the kicker is: it doesn’t have a kitchen.
When Barbara found this beat-up but beautiful chair in a thrift store, she already had two peacock chairs, but something about this one was different. It wasn’t very exciting to look at, but the chair was so sturdy and strong that she couldn’t help but bring it home. We just love Barbara’s thoughtful take on preowned furniture. Every DIYer can relate to these sentiments. Barbara says: Secondhand furniture can sometimes be like people.
Name: Danielle of Good Look’n Location: West Midtown; Atlanta, GA Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 5 Months Moving from Boston just four months ago, Danielle has just recently settled into her industrial style loft. She hasn’t let that stop her from creating a space that is all her own. After all, she also has made a business out of making things look, well, good!
Name: Juliana Location: Montpelier, France A few years ago, I quit my old job and back to school to become interior architect. I was 30, people thought I was crazy, but when I found this old apartment from sixties I started to imagine how many things we could do in there and how I would love to work in a design job! Dreams can come true! It’s a 82 square meter apartment near historic center, with 2 rooms and a 14 square meter balcony.
Welcome to the most chaotic, most used, most loved room in my home, my kitchen! Now, this kitchen certainly isn’t the biggest I’ve lived with (That award goes to my first place in Houston. It only had one cabinet, but technically the kitchen was 12 by 15 feet!) or fanciest I’ve ever had (That would be my first kitchen in NYC.
From Apartment Therapy → 6 DIY Ideas for Cramped Kitchen Counters Everyone needs more kitchen counter space, so here are some easy ideas that don’t involve any major renovations!
They’re a familiar scene dotting the city skyline — sleekly conical yet distinctly old-world — but just how much do you know about how water towers work, why we still use them and exactly how safe the tanks where we store our drinking water really are? The municipal water mains of New York City provide enough pressure to lift water roughly six stories up in the air. As turn-of-the-century buildings grew taller and taller, so did the demand for water at higher elevations.
Name: Roderick of Beautiful Budapest Apartments Location: Budapest I am an American owner of a real estate business in Budapest. We create apartments in 19th century buildings that are beautiful, highly comfortable, and have very low energy costs (Passivhaus technology). This most recent project is a 100 sq meter apartment. The interior designer is Judit Koczoh. More info on Roderick’s business: Beautiful Budapest Thanks, Roderick!
From Apartment Therapy → How Your Cell Phone & 1 Simple Tip Will Save You 100s of Headaches Instead of writing things down, use your cell phone to easily capture ideas or things you need to reference in the near future!
We spend so much time in the kitchen. We spend so much time on our kitchens. The last thing you want to plonk in that space is a great big hunk of rainforest-themed plastic! Here are some high chairs that are good looking and long wearing, that you will use many kids over and never tire of seeing (and wiping down) day in, day out. 1. Svan Signet’s High Chair. A customizable chair with optional seat cover, wrap around bentwood bucket seat.
While packing up her apartment for a move, Jenn asked her three-year-old son, “If you could have anything in the world in your new room, what would it be?” His answer was immediate: “A garage to keep all of my trucks.” So rather than ditch this drab, old shelf in the move, the wheels began turning. Absolutely adorable! We love how Jenn turned those scallop shapes into little-boy-worthy cars! From Jenn: I gave the shelf a quick coat of Pool Blue paint.
Name: Brooke Location: Seattle, WA I’m a graphic designer + art director living in Seattle. I moved here a year ago from San Francisco, and found the best little loft apartment. I was working from home, so it was important to make a space I loved being in… all day long. A lot of the my stuff from San Francisco didn’t fit in my apartment (so it’s in my boyfriends equally as awesome apartment), and I bought some new pieces. I’m from Texas, so I love ranch style decor.
Name: Malene Barnett Location: Bedford-Stuyesant; Brooklyn, New York Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 5 years lived in; 6 years owned One barely has to enter the home of luxury carpet designer Malene Barnett to appreciate her eclectic and refined design sensibility. Years before meeting Malene at a book launch in Soho, her home caught my eye. As a neighbor and frequent passerby, several design elements jumped out at me within the few seconds it took to ride my bike or walk past her home.
Name: Hannah & Tara Location: Denton, Texas (Editor’s note: It’s a delightful coincidence that this weekend’s house calls came from the same stylish spot in Texas.) My best friend Tara and I lived in a student-living apartment together with two other girls for two years before moving into this space for our senior year at The University of North Texas.
It’s not that Pauline was ungrateful for her kitchen nook — it was a convenient corner with a desktop that could be a great place to do work. It’s just that it didn’t fit her needs (or aesthetics). So she came up with a plan to mold it to be a space she could use, came across some surprises while tearing out the old stuff, and got clever to finish out what turned into a very creative corner! Bonus: There’s inspiration (and a link to instructions) for DIY art inside!
Name: Paige & Dwight Location: Denton, Texas Our little home is located just north of downtown Denton, Texas. The 1100 square foot, 1940s home is one that Dwight bought over a decade ago and he gutted it a couple of years ago, preserving the mantel and as much of the hardwood flooring as possible, but replacing almost every single other detail in the home.
Want to make a more pleasant impression with your porch? You might find inspiration in this subtle but effective porch makeover, involving some bright paint and new pattern! Read More: → 7 Steps to a Fantastic Front Porch (Inspired by Real-Life Makeovers) From Neena: I had been thinking about stenciling our veranda floor for the past three years but never got around to doing it till now.
Name: Giuliana Lomaglio, bartender, musician, and artist Location: Echo Park; Los Angeles, CA Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; rented From her colorful wardrobe to her vibrant spirit, Giuliana oozes character. Her eclectic Echo Park home, which houses a diverse collection of art, reflects her fun-loving attitude and warm personality.
Stef stumbled on this $7 chair in a thrift store in Iowa while visiting her little brother in grad school. As a resident of California, she didn’t quite know how she was going to get it back home, but for $7, she’d find a way (thankfully her frequent traveling mom helped out). Once home, it sat as-is for another three years.
Name: Micha Thomas, co-founder of The Made In America Project Location: Laurel Canyon-Los Angeles, CA Years lived in: less than 1 year; rent Micha Thomas is the co-founder of the Made In America Project, a grass roots operation to bring love and attention to small domestic brands and companies. Her home in Laurel Canyon is a perfect mix of Southern California and Santa Fe style and the ultimate Bohemian retreat .
Libby bagged this solid wood dresser at a vintage store for $20. She says, “I couldn’t believe it – I thought the price tag would say $200!” Gorgeous! We love how she got rid of what didn’t work (uhhh…layers and layers of paint) but kept what did (those pulls are everything). Great job, Libby. From Libby: I used my orbital sander to take off the three previous layers of paint on the top and edges, to reveal the raw wood underneath.
Name: Paul Location: Long Beach, CA My wife and I have been living in lofts since 2005, and bought this loft in 2007. as an artist, it was always really important to me to have my work space in the home, so lofts have been ideal. Our home is in the Temple Lofts, which is a converted Masonic Temple from 1926. our unit is one of the largest in the building at 2322sqft and features original brick work throughout the house.
Name: Calvin and Kelly Location: Atlanta, GA My better half, Kelly and I took on the task of building our dream home on an empty lot in an up and coming neighborhood in Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta. We conveniently had close friends that were amazing architects and were willing to go on the journey with us on this creation. We had a few significant hardships along the way, some typical to most building experiences – Builder that took our money, bad sub-contractors, etc. You name it.
Beau in Australia is a woman of few words. We don’t know where or how she came across this “little old discarded dressing table,” but her results speak for themselves. Gorgeous! We’re loving that colorful, graphic fabric choice. Great job. Beau says she transformed this piece into a, “small, chippy hall stand using Annie Sloan Duck Egg and geometric style fabric to wrap the drawers.” Check out Beau’s blog, Drip Designs. Thank you Beau!
Name: Eva Katz and Philip Sugerman Location: Jamaica Plain; Boston, Massachusetts Size: 2,600 square feet Years lived in: 8 years; Owned No wonder passersby stop to snap photos: Situated on a charming street near Jamaica Pond in Boston’s Emerald Necklace, the exterior of Eva and Philip’s pretty Painted Lady is a total jewel. Inspired by art, food, and worldy travels, the inside shimmers just as brightly.
