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The Latest: May 2015

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Cozy living room with dark walls, colorful rug, mid-century sideboard, plants, and eclectic wall art.
The New Living Room: 4 Top Trends
Living rooms are like living, breathing things that constantly evolve along with their inhabitants. We watch them change over time, as tastes and moods shift. Where are they today? If you’re thinking of redecorating or renovating, here are four of the top trends for modern living rooms. We’ve seen a lot of light wood and Scandinavian pastels in recent years, but lately there’s been a shift — perhaps ushered in by Abigail Ahern — towards dark walls and moody decor.
Dabney Frake
May 12, 2015
An Eclectic, Scandinavian-Inspired, Bespoke Australian Home
Name: John & Jo Ryan, and 3 kids (Erica [absent], Austin and Sophia) Location: Wonthaggi, Victoria, Australia Size: 26 square meters Years lived in: 9.5 years owned With three growing kids to think about, Jo and John have put together a functional family home with different spaces to study, play music and relax. The neutral color palette makes it a calming space to be in, and its proximity to the ocean lends to the cruisy vibe.
Sophie Timothy
May 12, 2015
Before & After: Free Cabinet Gets Pretty Paneling
Seduced by the siren song of free, Angelica scooped up this cabinet—as the panels started falling off. Not to be deterred, she took some fabric remnants and transformed it into a versatile piece: From Angelica: This modest wine cabinet was a free find. It looked like all it needed was a fresh coat of paint and it would become a great piece for extra storage in our home. But as I got it out of the car, the panels started falling off. I could not complain as it was free!
Tara Bellucci
May 12, 2015
Kerry’s Fun French Quarter Apartment
Name: Kerry Maloney Location: French Quarter — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Rented Six rows of neatly displayed wigs decorate a brick wall in Kerry Maloney’s French Quarter apartment. They’ve been collected from Mardi Gras costumes throughout the years. They’re decked out with stars and plumes, birds and elaborate handmade crowns. There’s the French aristocrat, the drum major, the conehead, and the wizard.
Jacqueline Marque
May 11, 2015
Carolyn’s Bedroom Makeover: The Bland, Beige Before
It’s been over a year since my partner and I moved into our home. There were plenty of things to occupy our attention, such as getting rid of the garish mixture of red and yellow walls in the downstairs living area, installing a new door, fixing some damaged exterior portions, and so on and so forth. But finally, enough was enough, and we decided to tackle the one room that hadn’t gotten a speck of attention: the bedroom. Feast your eyes on that peachy-beige wonder.
Carolyn Purnell
May 11, 2015
Partner
Before & After: 3 Thrift Store Finds Get a Facelift
More often than not, all you need to take a beat-up bureau, discarded desk, or tired trunk from shabby to chic is a few dollars and a dream. We partnered with Liberty Hardware to give three thrift store finds a DIY furniture facelift using their new collection of fun and modern furniture hardware and accessory pieces sold exclusively at The Home Depot.
Sponsored Post
May 11, 2015
Before & After: Bland Bi-Fold Shutters to Chic Closet Doors
These blah shutter bi-fold doors appear in many a rental, and Jessica’s was no exception. While she decorating her daughter’s room, she had an idea to transform them into something a little more glam: What a difference! From Jessica: While redecorating my girl’s room, I had a big Ah-ha moment.
Tara Bellucci
May 11, 2015
What Does Your Favorite Breakfast Cereal Say About You?
(Image credit: Shutterstock/ Brent Hofacker) shutterstock From The Kitchn → The Cereal Personality Test: What Your Favorite Breakfast Cereal Says About You
Apartment Therapy
May 11, 2015
How To Talk to Your Landlord (and Get What You Want)
The landlord v. tenant relationship can be a tricky one to master; there are so many minefields to step around when dealing with your home and his property. But going into any discussion with the right knowledge and attitude can significantly improve your chances of request success. Here’s where to start. The number one secret to getting extra-good service from your landlord? Be the kind of tenant your landlord wants to keep around.
Jennifer Hunter
May 10, 2015
Before & After: Dining Room Goes Really Deep
Erin’s dining room suffered the same fate as most of its kind. Hardly used except for special evenings, it was a blah purgatory for clutter and unused stuff. It needed a style boost to get the family to use it more often. And here’s what it looks like today. Erin took her time getting it fully decorated, and gathering things for the walls. She also used a lot of items that she already owned — like the table and rug — and swapped from other rooms in the house.
Dabney Frake
May 10, 2015
Whitney’s “More Is More” Style Studio
Name: Whitney Location: Gramercy Park, New York, New York There is a lot going on in my little studio, in line with my “more is more” style. I like large patterns and bright colors and didn’t want to shy away from them just because my space is so small (450 square feet). I went big on the walls, and the pièce de résistance is the hexagonal pattern that took me about a week to do between making the stencils, taping it all off, and actually painting.
Adrienne Breaux
May 9, 2015
Before & After: VITTSJO Coffee Table is Mint to Be
IKEA’s VITTSJÖ line is a sleek and modern staple as is, but Lidia took hers and gave it a minty fresh look. From Lidia: Being a a big fan of interior design, I find myself in constant decorating mode. I really enjoy bringing to life an idea or creative project and recently found myself doing it with our small living room. After painting the walls and rearranging the furniture, I noticed my small living space could fit a coffee table and would be more inviting.
Tara Bellucci
May 9, 2015
Before & After: A Shop Your Space Bedroom Makeover
We love a good “shop your space” room transformation. Jay is a Minneapolis-based designer and this bedroom project was completed in a day (another benefit of using a lot of what you’ve got!). With a few new elements and a shift in the space, there’s now a blissful new bedroom: From Jay: This bedroom redo was really fast and really easy.
Tara Bellucci
May 8, 2015
Before & After: A Classic Refresh for a Brooklyn Bathroom
The bathroom in Amy’s Brooklyn Heights condo wasn’t terrible or falling apart. But after living there for a while, she started to notice how the finishes picked by the previous owner weren’t in line with the style of the rest of her home, and the vanity cabinet and countertop extension were making the narrow bathroom feel unnecessarily cramped. So she decided to swap out a few fixtures, and replace the tile, to make her bathroom feel bigger and give it a classic, timeless feel.
Nancy Mitchell
May 8, 2015
A Mother’s Day Picnic Menu
(Image credit: Erika Tracy) From The Kitchn → A Menu for a Mother’s Day Picnic
Apartment Therapy
May 8, 2015
15 Mother’s Day Brunch DIY Decor Ideas
Not only is Mother’s Day a time to celebrate and thank all the wonderful moms in your life but it’s also a great excuse to host and style a beautiful spring brunch. Setting up a gorgeous table shows your guests how special they are and makes an event that much more memorable (and provides lots of great photo opps!). With the Spring season, there’s no shortage of colorful inspiration.
Melissa DiRenzo
May 7, 2015
Before & After: Back to Black & White Bathroom for $200
Since they’ll eventually sell this house, Kelley didn’t want to spend too much money in updating the place. So when this bathroom was feeling a little bit country, she set a short budget, and made the existing vintage tile shine: From Kelley: We live in a small cape cod house built in 1951. We love it, but can’t stay here forever because the layout and size doesn’t really allow for a family in the future.
Tara Bellucci
May 7, 2015
5 Kitchen Habits That Let You Sleep In
(Image credit: Leela Cyd) From The Kitchn → 5 Kitchen Habits That Let You Be a Little Bit Lazy in the Morning
Tara Bellucci
May 6, 2015
Secrets of People Who Don’t Stress Out When They Travel
Have some trips coming up (for business or pleasure)? Want to know how to glide through the airport, not break a sweat on a road trip and in general, enjoy the act of traveling — the actual getting from one place to another — a bit more? Take a page out of the notebook of travelers who never seem mussed or frustrated with these stress-less secrets.
Adrienne Breaux
May 5, 2015
Savannah’s Eclectic Emotional Home
Name: Savannah Farris-Gilbert Location: Los Angeles, CA Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; rent Interior Designer Savannah Farris-Gilbert grew up in Los Angeles, raised by designers and artists. She believes there is an ease about growing up in LA and in the way in which people here interact with space. “Shoes were always kicked off my the door, there were always rugs underfoot, sun streaming through windows, the outside was very much a part of the indoors.
Bethany Nauert
May 5, 2015
10 Rules for a Clutter-Free Kitchen
(Image credit: Leela Cyd) From The Kitchn → The 10 Commandments of a Clutter-Free Kitchen
Apartment Therapy
May 5, 2015
Partner
3 Time-Saving Kitchen Hacks You Need to Know
Let’s be honest: we could all use a little help in the kitchen, especially if it means saving time. With all the joy that the kitchen brings, it seems that we’re spending more time cleaning, organizing, and searching, than we are nomming. We should all change that. Here are 3 of our favorite time-saving kitchen tricks of the trade. How much time have you spent under your sink hunting through a bucket for that glass cleaner?
Sponsored Post
May 4, 2015
How To Clean Your Wood Kitchen Cabinets
(Image credit: Erika Tracy) From The Kitchn → How To Clean Wood Kitchen Cabinets (and the Best Cleaner for the Job)
Apartment Therapy
May 4, 2015
Andy and Sam’s Sunny & Light Tokyo Flat
Name: Andy & Sam Location: Tokyo, Japan After a whirlwind romance and a couple of countries, we decided to leave sunny England and fulfill our dream of living in Japan. It is truly a magical place and we feel so fortunate to call this our home for a while. We knew the minute we walked in, this was the flat for us. It’s so light and sunny, decently sized for Tokyo and has a view of Mt. Fuji. It’s our sanctuary from the craziness of packed trains and busy streets.
Adrienne Breaux
May 3, 2015
4 Terrific Habits of Homebodies (That Anyone Can Do)
Everyone knows a homebody. (And if you don’t know one, you definitely are one.) Homebodies aren’t boring and they’re not necessarily shy. They just know hanging around the house can be pretty awesome. Here’s why… Homebodies love spending time at home and so they naturally put a lot of effort into making their home a great place to be. That might manifest through calming colors, lots of comfortable seating or even just plenty of snacks.
Jennifer Hunter
May 3, 2015
Tasha’s Darling St. Paul Story and a Half
Name: Tasha Location: St. Paul, Minnesota This is our darling little 1940 story and a half. It’s our first home and we purchased it a little over a year ago. While it is very much a work in progress (it’s pink and a bad pink) there are certain things I am quite proud of. The main thing, the fact that we furnished it with a very low budget. For instance take our living room… Many of the pieces are from thrift stores. One thing I am very good at is “treasure hunting”.
Adrienne Breaux
May 2, 2015
The Worst Real Estate Euphemisms (And What They Actually Mean)
We’ve heard some pretty delusional ways to describe architectural features over the years. There are always certain less-than-desirable elements to any home and it makes sense to soften the bad things by lying… er— circumventing the truth. So what are the most common euphemisms we’ve come across? Read on. Nice try, this means tiny. Means just old. Don’t be fooled, this means basement. Small/weird. Usually more shabby, less chic.
Jennifer Hunter
May 1, 2015
Before & After: A Surprise Living Room Makeover
While she was overseas with their daughter, Jeffery decided to surprise his wife with a total living room transformation. See the new room—and read about her reaction—after the jump! From Jeffery: My wife and daughter went to the Philippines for 3 months. I wanted to surprise my wife with a living room makeover, which I tackled in the two weeks before their arrival home. Our living room was boring. The last owners had a thing for wood grain and dull colors.
Tara Bellucci
May 1, 2015
Which High-Powered Blender is Right for You?
(Image credit: Christine Gallary) From The Kitchn → Vitamix, Blendtec, and Breville: Which High-Powered, High-Investment Blender is Right for You?
Apartment Therapy
May 1, 2015