Apartment Therapy Archive: Sep 2014

(Image credit: Michaela Cisney) From The Kitchn → How Color Influences Your Grocery Shopping (And How to Outsmart It!)

You might not be able to change a lot of things in your small kitchen, but you can do the next best thing: give the illusion of larger, more open, space. Breathe better, and move about with ease, with these six suggestions: Low Contrast Color: Keep everything in the same color family, with minor variation. Light colors, or all white helps too. In the kitchen above, the cabinets and appliances blend in with the walls, and things feel more spacious than they actually are.

It’s been a while since we posted these 10 unconventional ways to paint your space, and in the meantime, we’ve found even more weird and wonderful ideas for painting outside the box. Above: Pauline from Petite Passport took these photos of the Hotel Pratik Rambla, in Barcelona. I love the way they’ve painted the room with what amounts to a giant stripe, which begins at the head of the bed and cascades across the ceiling and all the way down the opposite wall.

Last year Danielle picked up a vintage settee for $50 and, with her mom as co-pilot, wanted to take it on as her first foray into upholstery. She was conflicted about the fabric to use: something modern and bold or something more traditional? Readers chimed in, many urging her to have it professionally recovered instead of trying it herself and the majority of readers advised going with a classic print and color for the fabric. Did she take either piece of advice?… No and yes!

Kelly and her husband bought their first home in Spanish Town, Baton Rouge and it had a lot of…character. They’ve been sprucing it up ever since and their recent project was to transform this office space into a room to welcome their new baby. Two big challenges: decorating for either a boy or a girl and making this dark, claustrophobic space into a happy, bright room for their child.

Name: Kim & Scott Myles (and Ollie) Location: Los Angeles, CA Size: 1,100 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented It’s not an overstatement to say that Kim Myles is happy. The winner of HGTV Design Star won America over with her beautiful designs, and her cheerful, infectious personality. Now on OWN’s Home Made Simple, this design star is making everyone’s home a little happier with her signature colorful and exuberant style.

When I started Apartment Therapy as a design service in NYC in 2001, I quickly noticed that if I helped someone to improve their home, but their refrigerator was empty, progress halted. In other words, no matter how lovely I was able to get a home to look, if my clients didn’t come home to cook and eat, everything got cold and dusty.

Diana and her husband love their recently updated kitchen but it made their living room pale in comparison. So these self-proclaimed DIY-ers got to work sprucing up this space on a budget that was based on what the old on-their-way-out items could be sold for… From Diana: My living room is constantly changing but I don’t buy out of my budget. I sell what needs to be gone and with that money I buy the new things I need.

(Image credit: Africa Studio) shutterstock From The Kitchn → The Herb You Love or Hate: Cilantro

(Image credit: Naomi Robinson) From The Kitchn → Recipe: Glazed Apple Fritters

There are a select few of lucky folks out there who get to live in authentic converted lofts full of character— and then there’s everyone else. Even if you live in a suburban home, you can still infuse your space with the feeling of wood beams, cement floors and exposed brick walls. It’s true! This amazing transformation by Shannon from AKA Design + Life is proof. She turned this simple space into a brick wall full of character that could pass for any cool downtown coffee shop.

If you love the bohemian look — or you’re just looking to add a little color or texture or pattern to your sleeping space — you’ll find plenty of inspiration in this set of ten eclectic bedrooms. Above: this cabin, from Lantliv via Planete Deco, is a riot of texture and pattern, but somehow the overall feel is comfy and relaxing. An oversized houseplant and lots of pillows liven up this space from The Marion House Book via A Cup of Jo.

Once we bit the bullet and ordered a sleeper sofa for our guest room, I started thinking: how many nights in a hotel would this same amount of money buy? Would we actually come out ahead by paying for our guests’ lodging instead of a piece of furniture? Let’s say the average price of a sofa bed is $1,500 (I did not arrive at this number mathematically, but I have looked at hundreds of sofa beds in the last few weeks.) and that the average night’s stay in a hotel/motel is $150.

The underpinnings of good home design is a clear understanding of who you actually are — coming to grips with how you use your rooms, who’s in them with you, and what you need and when. In a world of design blogs and Pinterest, it’s sometimes hard to not pine over beautiful homes, without taking the time to assess whether or not they’d work for us. The key is getting to the root of your lifestyle, and then setting your home up accordingly.

From Apartment Therapy → Before & After: A Brooklyn Kitchen Lightens Up This drab, brown kitchen goes through a dramatic renovation and the remodel is spectacular!

I’m sure you know what color roses you really like…and the color sweater that looks best on you…and the color car you’d choose first from the showroom floor. Why then, when it comes to choosing paint colors for a room at home do so many of us freeze up and start questioning our own palate for palettes?

Do you organize your books by title, genre, author, Dewey Decimal system, or color? Why not spice things up by corralling your most dangerous volumes on one noble shelf dedicated to freedom?

This kitchen before and after is a little different from our usual fare because it doesn’t involve a change in style: it involves a change in function. Blaise, Kristin, and their three kids had just made the move from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Their new home was almost twice as big as their previous one, but the kitchen, they found, was prohibitively small. They loved the way it looked, but they didn’t love storing kitchen basics in the basement and pots and pans in the oven.

If you’re really lucky, your independently-bought applainces fit perfectly into the already-built room you put them into, without an inch to spare. The rest of us, however, are left to deal with awkward spaces where the oven doesn’t quite fill the space between cabinets and the washer and dryer seem to float in the laundry room. In those spaces, you have no choice but to get creative.

Alicia and her husband are always looking for ways to spruce up their apartment without painting or damaging the walls. This quick solution cost them just 10 bucks and zero wall holes to spackle later. Lovely! We’re making mental notes about this temporary decor. From Alicia: We came up with the idea of adding a vinyl wall above our mantle and love how it turned out! Ten dollars later and zero damage done to the apartment, we love the difference this made to our living room!

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From The Kitchn → 8 Genius Solutions for Your Pets in the Kitchen

Name: Charlotte Brown Location: Upper West Side, New York City What I love about my 300 square foot Upper West Side apartment is how it encompasses warmth and is a home where tranquil is infused with curiosity. And I am surrounded by the design and creativity that influence me everyday. My aesthetic was to create a classic home that time travels to the simpler Victorian time period with a modern twist.

It’s never easy trying to create a beautiful space that reflects your personality when you don’t have a big budget, but it’s even harder when you’ve got two people’s tastes in the mix. Chelsea and her boyfriend managed to style a bedroom using only DIY projects, hand-me-down furniture and vintage finds that is a combination of both their tastes.

Color is kind of tough, if we’re being honest. Or more accurately, a lot can go wrong when attempting to use color in your home, even with the best of intentions. Here are 10 of the most common color mistakes at home — and how you can fix them. Without light, color wouldn’t be much to look at. And as much as the right light can make a color sing…it can also make a gray go lavender or a white look dingy.

It’s fall! The leaves are changing color, there’s a delicious coolness in the air, and you’re wondering how in the world you’re going to get all those winter coats to fit in your closet. That’s right — it’s time for the semi-annual changing of the guard, from summer clothes to winter clothes. And it might also be time for a fall closet cleanout.

Name: Nick and Lizzie Johnson Location: Meatpacking District / Chelsea, New York City Size: 1 Bedroom Years lived in: 18 months Nick and Lizzie relocated from London to New York during a rough week; Hurricane Sandy had just hit and they were about to face some apartment-seeking challenges. Narrowing their search to areas unaffected by the storm, they fell in love with Chelsea and the West Village.

You know we’re big fans of furniture transformations that look totally different after getting a DIY makeover. This old dresser turned modern media stand is a great example of how a few small changes can make a big impact on the way a furniture piece looks! From Kala: My parents bought me this dresser as part of a bedroom set when I was 15 and I’ve held onto it because of its solid make (its gone through eight+ moves with me!).

Name: Marlee Grace of Have Company Location: Avenue for the Arts; Downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Located on South Division, a street also called The Avenue for the Arts, Have Company is a shop and artist residency. Marlee Grace, Have Company’s owner and curator, is always changing the shop’s interior to accommodate new merchandise and make room for visiting artist workshops and zine readings.

Name: Christine Hamilton Location: Dallas, Texas Nearly two years ago our little family moved from a tiny Manhattan apartment to an 1850 square foot 1950s ranch style home in Dallas, Texas. We live in a neighborhood called Lake Highlands and it is filled with lots of young families, which is great for our 3-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son. We renovated the kitchen and living areas a few months after moving in. It was an undertaking, but completely worth it.

While renovating an over 100-year-old Victorian sounds like fun, it’s also a lot of work, which is why Lilly and her husband are tackling this home project room by room. They decided to fix this room up so they could use it as a bedroom while they makeover the master bedroom, but they love the finished result so much they might keep sleeping in here! From Lilly: For years my husband and I used this room as a spare bedroom/storage space.

We’ve provided no shortage of information on how to get a better night’s sleep, with plenty of advice on how to outfit your bedroom to be the perfect rest place. But what about when you’re on vacation? Or traveling for work? Or even staying the night at a friend’s house? How do you make sure you give yourself a good night’s sleep then? We’ve got some ideas.

This sofa has seen better days. Honestly, it takes a lot of vision to think it’s got any potential! Tinca took this sofa home and changed it for the better — plus made it ultra functional for a home that happens to house pretty cute pets. From Tinca: Maybe we found this old sofa on a curb and then dragged it inside or maybe we didn’t. 🙂 But we did decide to give it a complete overhaul. Originally this was a sofa bed you could stretch out.

How do you spend your time at home? Is it spent wisely? Is it enjoyable? No matter the way it looks — whether it’s close to your dream home or far from it — everyone can agree that actively finding pleasure in your home is vital to enjoying the rest of your life. So how can you increase your enjoyment of your home? Here are seven ideas. 1. Open your home to the outdoors more A part of feeling out of whack is not feeling connected to nature and the changing of the seasons.

In case you haven’t heard, copper is the biggest trend in DIY. Fittings and pipe made from copper are easy to find at hardware and home stores, and people love the warm metallic shimmer it gives off. Is it the new gold? Maybe. With these creative DIY projects, you don’t have to spend a lot to find out. We featured 10 increidble copper paint, paper and pipe projects in this trend roundup.

Is your small space starting to get a bit cramped, a little claustrophobic? Maybe you’re downgrading to a more petite pad and you’re feeling a little freaked. We can help. If you follow these 10 commandments, you’ll be happily living small in no time. Especially in a small space, clutter can completely take over and make your home feel even smaller than it already is. Get it under control and take back your space, no excuses.

Windows. You know, those holes in the wall (preferably with glass in them) that let in light. Most windows are pretty unremarkable — you notice the view, but not the window itself. Not so for these windows. These windows are weird and wonderful and completely steal the show. Above: what’s better than a round window? A fully operational round window. From Debi Treloar via Oh Mai Darling.

From Apartment Therapy → How to Save Money: 6 Tips for Planning a Spending-Free Weekend It’s not easy to not spend any money on the weekend, but here are 6 tips that will help!

Many of us are lauding the joys of fall, the pumpkin and cinnamon treats, the changing leaves, the cooler weather. But as anyone who suffers from allergies can tell you, these autumn days can be among the worst of the year when it comes to sneezing, itchy eyes, and sniffles. The main culprit of fall allergies is ragweed. A WebMD article on the subject says: Scientists estimate that a single ragweed plant can release one billion grains of pollen over the course of a single ragweed season.

(Image credit: Urban Outfitters) From The Kitchn → 11 Handsome Bar Carts That Will Keep the Party Rolling

Name: Kaisa and Otto Location: Käpylä; Helsinki, Finland Size: 441 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Owned There are a few things that one expects when stepping into a Finnish apartment—a row of shoes by the door, labeled towels racks in the bathroom, and at least a few Finnish design staples. Kaisa and Otto’s home certainly ticks all of those boxes, but when it comes to showcasing Finnish design staples, they have gone above and beyond.

I’m a big fan of homemade Halloween costumes and look forward to seeing all of the creative costumes the kids in my neighborhood come up with. Each year my son proposes a costume idea and he and I do our best to execute it. One product, which I picked up at a hardware store, has come to the rescue for the past three years running and has so much potential to be a part of scads of different costumes: Aluminum foil tape. Bam.

From Apartment Therapy → Before & After: 8 Kitchen Makeover Projects from Around the Web

Tom and Alison had “grungy greige dust-mite-infested allergy-inducing wall-to-wall carpet” in their 90-year-old rental so they took a big risk and pulled it up (with landlord permission of course). The beautiful wood was in great condition except for this one spot, so they found a unique (not to mention genius) way to enjoy their new floors, rot-free.

Name: Scott Location: Mar Vista – Los Angeles, California Howdy. We have recently finished remodeling a 2bed/1bath into a 2bed/2bath. We live in the upper apartment of a duplex we own. We love Mar Vista because it is close enough to Venice to have access to the beach lifestyle without the tourists and craziness. Our farmers’ market is the best in the area and at the end of the street. We travel a lot and will eventually rent the place out, so we decided to stay neutral in color.

(Image credit: Lucy Hewett) From The Kitchn → 5 Farmers Market Finds You Should Freeze Right Now

From Apartment Therapy → 5 Ways to Use Tablets in the Kitchen Your tablet can be a useful kitchen tool: here are five ways that it can help you learn to cook or make meal prep more interactive and exciting!