Apartment Therapy Archive: Feb 2016

Q: I just moved in to a tiny bungalow. There is a small loft area accessible only by a rickety staircase (currently). My landlord told me he doesn’t want to rebuild the stairs; rather, he is going to buy a spiral staircase kit and have it replace the stairs. At first I was thrilled, but then I realized—how will I get furniture up there? Including this loft, the bungalow is only four rooms so if I don’t use it, it’s like only getting 3/4 of a house!

Whether it happens after the first date or the fifteenth, bringing a date to your apartment is nerve-wracking. Are they weirded out by the socks on the floor? The fine layer of scum on the shower tiles? The giant LEGO collection? Some of the hardworking folks at the Apartment Therapy Media office took a break from their day jobs to give us the lowdown on what your dates are really thinking.

We have strong associations with the color pink: most people think of it as a ‘girly’ color. But have you ever stopped to think about why that is? It might surprise you to learn that this strange association of color with gender can be traced to just one person: 1950s First Lady Mamie Eisenhower. The post – World War II era, in America, was a period of unprecedented prosperity.

Gisbert Pöppler via Dustjacket Attic Kitchen cabinets: they’re necessary, but let’s face it—they aren’t always the most interesting pieces of furniture. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case! Here are imaginative kitchens that make use of large, antique pieces of furniture in addition to regular kitchen cabinets. They’re drama-filled, glamorous, and practical. Read on to find out why you may want to give this trend a try.

Name: Grant Devine Location: Fort Point — Boston, Massachusetts Size: 350 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented On the way up from the trendy lobby in Grant’s building—a recently converted shoe factory in the rapidly developing Fort Point neighborhood—he tells me that a year ago it would have been unimaginable to invite a photographer into his home. He explains that in his first year here, he did little more than move in the essentials.

Last week, everyone was spared, but this week—someone actually goes home. Who’s couch didn’t sit well with the judges? It seems like this week, more than any week so far, someone had to go home for a truly great piece. Kyle’s teak sofa had a gorgeous frame, sunny upholstery, and meaningful inspiration of ikigai. We’re going to miss what he does with his wood. Seeing your designs each week, it’s amazing that you’ve only been designing for two years!

I’ve got to tell you: if you didn’t believe in reincarnation before, you will now. These five projects are so brilliant, it will leave you wondering if those things weren’t destined for their new use all along. It’s one thing to recycle, it’s quite another to reinvent. Peeking through Tom & Allison’s Amazing DIY House of Reclaimed & Unusual Objects is like an I-Spy game of recycling brilliance.

It seemed like only recently, the limited options in the wedding dress world were all fitted, strapless balls of white chiffon. Thankfully, designers have caught up to what real brides want: Dresses that look and feel more like the things they wear every day. (Your favorite stores might even have started bridal collections.) These three different bridal trends are rooted in reality. And as for how to pull them off, here’s the secret: There is no secret.

Sara Dahlquist is the real deal. She is warm, funny, creative, stylish, gorgeous, and she is a native Oregonian—born and raised in Portland. For the past decade, she has been working as a personal stylist, connecting with clients through her company, Dahl Style, and her column in The Oregonian.

When you’re dealing with tired and busted furniture, you have a couple of options. You can fix the easy water stains, dents, or cracks. But if fixing all the boo boos takes too much time, or you want a completely new look, you can cover up the old with a completely new material. When you’ve tried everything, and it still doesn’t look right, it might be time to start from scratch and take your furniture back to its beginnings.

Name: Alison and Jeff Allen (and sons Finn & Gus) Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 2,200 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned I stumbled upon Alison’s home via Instagram and knew right away that I found a gem. A bold teal living room is always a good sign! As I got to know Alison through her blog (Deuce Cities Henhouse), which features her home improvement projects, my excitement grew to see it in person.

After moving into her new home, Sara realized her design non-negotiable was living with her old, stained, formica countertops. With a little research she was able to find a fast and affordable fix to tide her over till it’s time for a renovation. From Sara: My husband and I moved into my grandparent’s old house a year ago and we’ve been making slow progress in each room, but I’ve really been focused on the kitchen lately, specifically on appliances and the counter.

(Image credit: Jill Silverman Hough) From The Kitchn → Research-Backed Excuse to Drink More Wine: It Could Help You Lose Weight

You’re not alone on this wedding planning journey. There are plenty of books (and blogs, like our new Weddings Channel) out there to help you with advice and inspiration. And if you pick the right books, you can keep them around long after wedding planning. They’d look great mixed in with your design and fashion titles on your coffee table or bookshelf.

New Orleans is a city of mystery, magic, music and a whole lot of style. New Orleans homes just have that je ne sais quoi. There have been quite a few stunning peeks into the homes of New Orleanians on Apartment Therapy in recent years, and I can’t help but notice all the lessons about designing fearlessly — with color, pattern and yes, sometimes a little weirdness! There’s nothing that fills a home with personality like lots of art, the more the better.

Name: Amber & Ryan Location: Downtown — Los Angeles, California We ended up with a lease on this massive two story industrial loft inside a 1900s factory building completely by chance 18 months ago, when our best friends had to move out unexpectedly after investing thousands of dollars into building it out as a living space. They just wanted their investment to stay in the family.

Name: Holly and Ryan, daughters Stellan and Kinley, and German Shepherd Dublin Location: Peterborough — Ontario, Canada Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned When you walk into this family home, you are overcome by a sense of happiness. It’s one of those spaces where you can feel the amount of love and care that has been put into it. It also happens that the people who live in the home are just as warm and welcoming as the physical space itself.

Hollywood’s biggest night, the Oscars, is inching ever closer, so we thought it was time to reflect on the design lessons tucked away in some of this year’s nominated films. From how to properly hire a plumber to crafting a moody room worthy of an affair, here are our favorite silver screen tips to bring home to your real life.

Do you live in Stockholm, Berlin, Kraków or Paris? Will you be close to home for from Mid-March to late April? Do you have a unique, stylish apartment or house that you’d love to share with Apartment Therapy readers? Read on for details on how we can work together to feature your style on the site.

Name: Todd and Kate Novak Location: French Quarter — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 675 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned New Orleans is known as a city that loves color, and Kate and Todd Novak embraced that notion with a touch of “understated” bordello in their French Quarter getaway. Though they call Marin County, California, home, Kate and Todd’s love of New Orleans stems from their time at Tulane University.

As a young married couple (and now toddler parents!), we’ve relocated 3 times in five years with Justin’s company. Our last move brought us home to Greenville, South Carolina, where the real estate market in our dream neighborhood was insanely competitive. Since we were relocating from Northern Maine, we couldn’t be on site when a potential home would go on the market so we ended up in multiple bidding wars on properties that we had only seen via FaceTime.

The bed is one of the most important spots in your home, and spending time making it look a bit more luxurious is a benefit to both your bedroom decor and your mental health. That said, buying beautiful sheets, comforters and pillows can add up and might feel like something you should skip when you are on a tight budget. But, your bed doesn’t have to be basic. Here are some thrifty shopping and design tricks to help you dress a bed on a dime.

Name: Steve and Debbie Cotton and their dogs, Baxter and Kiko Location: Western Cape, South Africa Size: 1,800 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Debbie and Steve have a keen eye for color and a unique style which is evident as soon as you enter their lovely house. Full of personality, warmth and quirky touches, the space makes one feel at home right away.

As a fan of mindfulness (and a wannabe fan of meditation — I’m still working on cementing a practice) it was both surprising and delightful to hear the news that while meditation didn’t have a ton of scientific proof to support all the healthy-living claims its fans have made for years, it does now. A recent study delivered some strong evidence that meditation is scientifically a brain game changer.

After growing weary of their home state of Nebraska, Carson and Mel needed a change. Recalling an old pipe dream of theirs to travel to every state and file stories from the road, the couple started scouring Craigslist and abandoned shelter belts for vintage travel trailers they could rehab. They met ‘Craigslist Ray’ in a parking lot in Stuart, Iowa, where they purchased the trailer — soon to be known as Elsie — for $1,300.

Even if you clean up every time you cook, there will always be food bits and residue — think crumbs and grease — that are pesky pros at working their dirty ways into every crevice and cranny in your kitchen, not to mention clinging stubbornly to surfaces. Even if things look clean overall, there are certain spots that are easily forgotten in the day to day. Zero in on these three spots and choose one (or more) to tackle this weekend.

Drowning in books, records and other forms of media? Tired of the storage solutions you’ve been using for the past few years? A new year is a great opportunity to get a handle on the content you want to keep on hand in your home. Here are three novel ideas for locations you might not have used yet for media storage.

We’re always being presented with different new trends for the kitchen, but there are some that capture your mind in a particular way. Here are five trends for the kitchen that besides being new and a little different, are especially lovely — ways to add a little luxury and beauty to a space you use every day. 1. Showstopping sinks. Farmhouse sinks are nothing new, but a marble farmhouse sink — well, that’s definitely different.

Name: CEO Simone Vingerhoets-Ziesmann of Wilkhahn, German Furniture Manufacturer Location: Chicago, Illinois Size: 2,225 square feet Years lived in: 9 months Wilkhahn is a well-known and respected office furniture design and manufacturing firm with roots in Germany but with a global presence and offices around the world.

Combining multiple patterns makes for interesting and layered spaces, and one of the more fun parts of pulling together a room — once you’re comfortable with doing it. It’s creative work in part, but there are also some guidelines to make it easier for us non-professionals. These bathrooms can teach us all the art of mixing it up.

Dusit Thani Maldives via Design Milk Welcome to daydream central. The winter days are cold and gray, and my thoughts have been occupied with nothing but sunny, luxurious spaces that could serve as warm escapes. If, like me, you’re craving sunlight and beauty, read on and revel. I’ve got some real treats for you! The photo above is of the Dusit Thani Maldives resort on the serene Mudhdhoo Island.

Name: Tara and Thierry Broucqsault, their son Henri, dogs Lola and Junebug, Maverick the cat, and Bobby the Gecko Location: Santa Barbara, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 11 years; Owned Set high above the street, Tara and Thierry’s charming cottage is a place where family, pets and guests can truly feel at home.

Lounging is serious business.

Cooler months mean more entertaining indoors, and nights out become nights in with cocktails. There’s something about a bar cart that makes a space feel grown-up, don’t you think? You don’t have to have a bar cart to be a great host, but it sure is convenient, and, let’s be honest, it’s so much fun to style! There are as many bar cart styling options as there are cocktails, and there’s no shortage of inspiration, including this past roundup we pulled for you.

I had promised not to remodel anything else, since the house is getting a bit packed, but this guy caught my eye. This little sad cabinet had belonged to a 1960s bookshelf that was long gone and was laying about in the quietness of a my grandparents garage. Legless, scratched and with some water stains, it needed some TLC. After some deep sanding, it was time to give it a new structure. So, as a totally inept carpenter, I did what any girl would do: call her father.

Hank’s Colorful, Maximalist Mini-Museum in Massachusetts With the primary elections well upon us, politics are everywhere. But this post focuses on primaries of a different sort: primary colors. Red-yellow-blue is a color combination that many people would probably dismiss offhand as too simplistic, but as these rooms show, when it’s done right, it can be elegant and stimulating.

(Image credit: Faith Durand) From The Kitchn → You’re Closing Your Chip Bags Wrong

Name: Monica Location: Seattle, Washington Hi! My name is Monica Bennett and please let me introduce you to my Silver Girl — my beautiful 2012, 27′ International Signature Airstream travel trailer. This beauty accompanies us on all of our Pacific Northwest non-stop outdoor adventures. She offers up a cozy and relaxing retreat after a day spent outdoors trekking through lush green moss carpeted rain forests, to fly fishing some of the most crystal clear rivers.

I don’t think you choose to have a restaurant wedding as much as a restaurant wedding chooses you. You have to be a laid-back couple who are after a relaxed affair. The type of wedding planners where “great food” is the most important item on the list of what you want for your big day, and second is “not really having to decorate.” If that sounds like you, there are some big pros to hosting your wedding reception at one of your city’s finest eateries.

We talk about temporary and removable decor as being good for rentals and keeping landlords happy, but it’s also great for tenants to make changes themselves over time. Especially if you’re in your home for awhile, and your tastes or life circumstances change over the years, it’s quick and easy for you to swap out a few different features here and there and, in the process, completely change the look and feel of your space.

It was Gary and Chelsey’s personal style that first enticed us to peek inside their mod Astoria apartment. While they each have a strong individual aesthetic, their mutual love for classic vintage attire means they complement each other perfectly. With closets full of pieces ranging from classic motorcycle jackets and wool capes to Star Wars sweatshirts and Swedish Hasbeens, the couple seem to have honed their own cohesive brand of style.

It’s a unique problem, but no less worthy of attention than how to dress a gallery wall or what to do when your kitchen’s too small. The presence of a piano in the room can be seriously demanding on decor. Here are more than a dozen rooms who’ve mastered it. Do you have a piano at home?

No closet? No problem. You know how Edward Sharpe says “Home is wherever I’m with you”? Here’s your new motto: My closet is wherever I keep my clothes. Let’s just grab a sturdy garment rack (or make one from scratch) and set up shop in the living room or bedroom. It can look great, with the right inspiration. Flank a garment rack with a dresser on each side, like shown above in Jeanette & Mikul’s Airy, Sunny and Minimal One-Room East Bay Loft.

Over the past few years, pendant lights have gotten progressively larger. The industrial trend meant that heavy metal barn lights and concrete domes found new homes over our kitchen tables and entryways. Perhaps as a response to all this visual weight, another type of oversized light has emerged. They’re still large in scale, but are visually much lighter, often using materials like wire and rattan to allow light to flow through the fixture. Which look do you like best?

Name: Lauren Pirie Location: Bloorcourt — Toronto, Ontario Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; Rented When I first entered Lauren’s apartment, I was immediately captivated by all of the art that covers the wall of the long corridor; Lauren’s work is truly enigmatic and delicate. The corridor then led me to the kitchen/living room/studio space.