Apartment Therapy Archive: Nov 2014

Have a spare room that you want to turn into a creativity-inducing craft room the likes of which have never been seen? You just might find some inspiration and ideas in Tasha’s DIY craft room that features bold colors and patterns as well as stylish supply storage solutions. From Tasha: We transformed the remnants of our twin girls’ nursery to my craft room/home office. I selected a neutral gray for the walls and a black and white color palette.

Let’s face it, as cozy and sweet as a small space can feel, it can also sometimes feel like the walls are closing in. With winter on the way, you’ll be spending a lot more time indoors, so you might consider investing in proven ways you can make your small space feel less claustrophobic. We’ve got seven ideas! In a small space, sometimes sacrifices have to be made to make a space feel more airy.

Never quite sure what to get mom for the holidays? It’s tough finding an item that will show her just how much you care, but we’ve gathered ten presents that will please just about any mom out there. 1. Help mom keep track of important events and enjoy photos of her family (or beautiful photos) all year long with a Customizable Photo Wood Calendar from Artifact Uprising, $29.99 2.

When the budget is tight and you don’t have tons of time to spend shopping, sometimes purchasing a lot of your home’s design elements from the same few places is just the easy thing to do. So then what can you do to make sure your living room doesn’t look like a catalog spread and that your home feels like “you?” Find the answer in a few simple steps.

Name: James and Shanna Location: Northgate Park, Durham, North Carolina When I moved from Los Angeles to Durham, North Carolina for a job at Merge Records, I was excited to be able to have an entire place of my own. I rented this two-story bungalow near downtown and a block from a park, and started outfitting it with mid-century finds from Craigslist and thrift stores.

The power of pausing before a purchase to really delve into why you’re about to swipe your credit card could be a powerful way to save more money, especially if you make this kind of retrospection into a habit and take the time to ask yourself these five questions before buying anything new (or new-to-you). Before you make a purchase, consider why you’re buying it and ask yourself if there’s something you already have that can do the job. Want new shorts?

Makeover by: Wendi Location: Seattle, Washington The room had looked the same (horrible) for 18 years. After my divorce, I decided it was time for a change. The project was done over the course of the summer this year, with the main costs being paint and trim. Though I did not set a budget or keep track of the total, the project was relatively inexpensive.

I’ve been making a conscious effort lately to practice gratitude in my daily life. Maybe it’s due to the holiday season, but I mostly attribute it to something I read in passing on my Facebook feed a few weeks back. It was predictably cheesy and went something like this: At school, you were dying to graduate so you could work. At work, you were dying to start a family. With children, you were dying for them to start school so you could get back to work.

I’ve been known to splay out on the sofa on Thanksgiving Day in my unbuttoned jeans, with a glass of wine in one hand and a plate of food in the other. Guilty as charged. But if you’ve got an acute case of cabin fever, or are itching to do something more productive, there’s much to offer beyond football.

Looking for an all-natural solution to keep silver flatware tarnish-free? This simple recipe which includes just a few ingredients may be the holy grail of all-natural silver polish. Like a magic cleaning wand for the laziest chore keepers, this concoction makes tarnish disappear quickly, right before your eyes. Baking soda is key to this simple and quick method for cleaning silverware.

From Apartment Therapy → Quick Tip: How to Easily and Safely Clean Up Every Last Shard of Broken Glass Miniscule, hard-to-see pieces of broken glass are difficult to clean up, but with just a roll of masking tape, you can pick up every little piece safely and easily!

Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving or visiting loved ones as guests, whether your gathering consists of two or thirty, the holiday feeling we all hope for can be summed up in the following all-encompassing phrase: love and be loved. Ranging from physical ways to set the mood, to some unseen ways to make the holiday more meaningful, here are a few ways to add an extra touch of warmth and light to your special days. 1. Laugh when things go wrong.

Whether you’re battling dry skin, tending to a sore throat, or just trying to keep germs at bay, rosemary oil is an excellent remedy for what ails you this winter. Check out just a few of our favorite uses and consider adding it to your health and wellness arsenal! Rosemary has been used medically for centuries as an antiseptic, an aid in digestive and respiratory health, and in skincare.

Never underestimate the power of paint. It’s one of the quickest and most gratifying ways to change a room’s appearance, without spending a lot of money. But before you start covering every inch of your walls, check out these creative and unconventional paint jobs that show a lot of restraint, but are all the more interesting for it. Above, the Melinder family painted their kitchen using three shades of pink to achieve the sun-bleached, dappled effect of stucco.

Name: Holly and Amy Location: Ferndale, Michigan Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: Holly- 5 years, Amy- 6 months; Rented I was greeted at Holly and Amy’s door with open arms and a stemless glass of white wine. I knew it was going to be a pleasant afternoon. These friends, coworkers and roommates live a few streets over from Ferndale’s main drag. The ladies enjoy laughing, collecting art, drinking wine, running marathons and taking in Ferndale’s social scene.

‘Tis the season for road trips to see far-flung family. ‘Tis the season for a whole bunch of other stuff too, of course, but focusing solely on the traveling aspect is the perfect setup to talk about Backseat A-B-See by Maria van Lieshout. And talk about it I will, quite easily, since it has been in heavy rotation with my kids for weeks and has already logged in an impressive amount of miles in the backseat.

Q: We have the Henry sofa from West Elm. Turns out, the back cushions are awful. They’re too squishy, they don’t keep their shape, and are generally uncomfortable. Does anyone ideas or suggestions for replacing them? Where could we go to find something like that? I don’t think I would mind if they were a different fabric. Sent by mimi Editor: Leave your suggestions for mimi in the comments – thanks! • Have a question for our community?

Name: Jasper (7) Location: Sydney, Australia Room Size: 3m x 3.2m I always admire when a kid’s room is reflective of his interests, but still manages to be stylish. That’s one thing I’ve always struggled with reconciling — throwing Elsa and Anna all over the place and painting the room Barney purple just isn’t my idea of fun. Luckily I think my daughter and I have struck a good balance, and I bet the same can be said of Jasper and his mom, Simone.

Part of my motivation behind doing the Style Cure this year was to reclaim our main living space. It has been a whirlwind of a year for us and we pack a lot of living into not a lot of square footage. Unfinished projects, leftovers from our wedding and all of the (amazing) gifts from our guests left us with an apartment that felt like it was always almost there, but not quite.

(Image credit: Emma Christensen) From The Kitchn → The Kitchn’s Guide to Cooking a Turkey

Think your apartment is small? It may seem positively palatial compared to these five living spaces, all of which are smaller than 100 square feet. Read on to find out how the residents make these shoebox-sized spaces work. First up: a tour of a 90 square foot ‘microstudio’ in Manhattan.

Name: Lenora Elizabeth Curbo Location: Northeast Los Angeles, California Size: 1,150 square feet; 2 bedroom/2 bath Years lived in: 2 years; Rented It’s hard to imagine a spot as serene as Elizabeth’s rustic bungalow existing mere minutes from Downtown Los Angeles. Her sweet 1920s home is nestled in the hills of El Sereno, an up-and-coming suburb of Los Angeles, and feels like a secret mountain retreat amidst the hustle and bustle of the city.

Wonderment. The state of awe. And the starting place for creativity and delight. Sounds…wonderful? Then how do we increase wonderment in our kids’ lives? By surrounding them with things that inspire wonder, that’s how. Most items that increase wonderment in a child’s life fall into one of the following four categories. Consider placing them in your child’s room as your four-step plan to designing a wonderful, creativity-inspiring space.

Q: I have a small apartment and am planning a kitchen renovation with cupboards that reach to the ceiling for maximum storage. I am looking for bar stools with fold up steps I can use to reach those shelves. All I can find are the Costco ones that do not fold up (fun retro look though) but they must be cumbersome to move around and have had poor reviews. Do you know of any that are more contemporary and sleek and stylish?

(Image credit: Andrew Forcier) From The Kitchn → Maker Talk Video: Faith’s Effortless Approach to Gatherings

I’m so happy to show you the end results of our bedroom makeover! We painted the walls a warm blue with a contrasting dark gray wall. My friend Casey us gave the vintage dresser and moon print last week as we were searching for a piece which worked out so nicely! (I’m a big fan of the moon print!) We decided on basic textiles with a woven burlap window panel and a gold rod. The new rug has a simple pattern I’m sure we’ll be able to use in future rooms too.

I am beyond thrilled with the result of my Style Cure and today I share my “after” photos! We went from a gloomy, unused, unfinished sunroom to a bright, open, and warm lounge area and office. There are so many elements in this new space that make me extremely happy, but just the fact that I can edit the photos for this post while sitting at a real desk in front of cheerful windows is enough to send me over the moon.

(Image credit: Christine Gallary) From The Kitchn → Here Are 4 Ways to Rescue Thanksgiving Gravy

It’s holiday party season, and we’re looking forward to welcoming friends and family into our homes to celebrate. One of the best ways to decorate for holiday parties is with that good old standby, white fairy lights. The soft glow immediately creates a cozy ambiance and makes any space feel more inviting. Here are a few idea on how to use fairy lights at your next gathering.

From Apartment Therapy → How To Actually Enjoy Your Own Holiday Party: 5 Tips for Entertaining with Ease Stressing out and not enjoying your own party makes you wonder why you’re throwing it in the first place. Here are five tips that will help you actually have fun at your own shindig!

Who does small work for? In an editorial over at Citylab, Kriston Capps argues that the true purpose of microhousing is to provide affordable housing in dense, urban spaces — and that anything else is missing the point.

Most people don’t have separate mudrooms or foyers. Once you walk through the front door, there’s either no buffer or little transition between the entry and the rest of the living space. Which means it’s extra important to set things up in a way that is both practical and pretty. Smart organizational ideas and household tips do just that, and keep your life humming along nicely. Here are seven good ones: 1.

Name: Oscar Beisert Location: Grant Circle (Petworth); Washington, DC Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Own When I first entered the home of Oscar Beisert, I thought for sure he had inherited it from an 90-year-old retired art historian who redecorated as a side hobby. Each wall in his sprawling two-story, three-bedroom home was chock full of carefully placed framed paintings, filled with portraits of historical characters both related and non-related to Oscar.

Lauren is on a tight budget so when she found this sofa at a thrift store for $60, she knew its makeover would also have to be a thrifty affair. From the look of the final project, you’d never know just how much she saved. From Lauren: I ripped out the old fabric, stripped the speckled varnish on the wood frame, sanded it down but kept the bare wood instead of varnishing again. I like how it looks more rustic that way.

With the rush of the holiday season, the ability to whip up a quick project at home versus running to the store again can be a real lifesaver. We’ve rounded up 1o of our favorite printables for Thanksgiving, from a festive banner to cute “to go” bags to remind guests to take home those leftovers. 1. These cute pie box labels from Studio DIY will make that midnight snack even more enticing. 2.

I wasn’t sure if I was biting off more than I could chew when I decided to work on my kitchen again this year for the Style Cure. I mean, both my husband and I work full-time, we have preschooler and a toddler, and it’s that time of year when a lot of other things are happening: birthdays in the family, holiday preparation, and raking leaves, to name a few. But after talking about it ’til we were blue in the face, we decided to jump in head-first and see what happened.

(Image credit: Christine Gallary) From The Kitchn → 5 Ways to Turn Extra Thanksgiving Ingredients into Dinner

Name: Daphne Steinberg Location: San Francisco, California I had just moved to San Francisco from New York and came a couple of months before my fiancee to find a job and a home while he finished out his contract at work. Everyone had warned me how tough it was to find a good place in San Francisco, and to prepare myself for months of searching and hellish open houses.

Do you have a small, dedicated room that you enter into from your front door, that pleasantly greets guests, that houses all the things you need for the day? Yeah me neither. What I do have is a front door that deposits me and my guests directly into my living room and a list of every day items that continually threaten to take over the entire home.

What is harmony, when it comes to one’s home? Well, in general, it’s a feeling of peace and cohesiveness. It’s more than just feeling like everything goes together — it’s the sense that the whole space is better for every element in it. It’s a way to create a sense of calmness throughout your entire home that makes your life just a little bit better. And here are six ways to add more of it to your home!

Name: Karen and Kevin Location: Guildford, Surrey, UK Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 18 years; owned This Victorian apartment in central Guildford is home to Karen, a visual merchandiser who’s embarking on a new career in interior design, and husband Kevin, an aircraft engineer.

Maybe you dream of throwing the perfect holiday party…but you dread the planning, and the preparation, and the cooking, and the cleanup. We’ve got some tips, from our video archives, about how to make the whole thing as simple and painless as possible. You’re on your way to your best (and easiest) holiday party yet. Having a party that’s fun and un-stressy is all about making sure you’re prepared beforehand.

If you’re interested in knowing just how you can take a pair of chairs from IKEA and make them unmistakably your own, you’ll find lots of inspiration from Brynne’s project with these club chairs. From Brynne: After searching for the perfect, affordable club chairs for my living room for weeks, I stumbled across a secondhand pair of IKEA Klappsta chairs (no longer carried in store) on Craigslist.

From Apartment Therapy → Enter for a Chance to win $1500 to Spend on Custom Furniture

Name: Dominic Location: West Hollywood, California I always wanted to have my own place and after having the roommate experience, I’ve decided to get a place of my own. I wanted to be close to work and also in the neighborhood with interior design resources so I chose West Hollywood, California. After seeing many one bedrooms and studios, I found a decent size, large studio apartment. I wanted to showcase my design eye and express my creative insights.

You’ve added curtains that block out that annoying street light. You’ve turned the temperature down in your bedroom. It was tough, but you’ve stopped surfing the web and scrolling through Instagram hours before bedtime. And you sure as heck aren’t drinking caffeine late in the evening. But you’re still not sleeping well! This weekend try one of these three things you may not have tried yet.