Apartment Therapy Archive: Mar 2016

All of us, at one time or another, find ourselves in that state of Trying Not to Buy Stuff. You might be saving for a big goal or maybe you’ve KonMari’d your home to bits and don’t want to mess it up. But Stuff has a way of just wanting to be bought, doesn’t it? Boredom can somehow convince us that a new chair or pair of shoes will improve our lives, and our resolve can melt in the face of a good sale.

It’s not every day you get married, so you should do it exactly the way you want to. If running away quietly to city hall sounds like the perfect wedding day for you, then by all means–make it happen! But you should know that even elopements require a bit of smart planning. And since, you know, you don’t get married every day, we tapped somebody who kinda does for some great advice. Katie Jane is an NYC-based wedding photographer who specializes in capturing elopements.

You don’t need fancy, expensive tools to keep your home clean. In fact, it turns out you can get a whole lot done with just a toothbrush (preferably not yours… or that of anyone you love).

There’s a reason that people herald the charm of really old homes. Stepping into one of these homes – built between 1890 and the 1910s – is like stepping back in time. The details, the fixtures and the architecture will transport you to a different place, captivating your attention (and certainly your envy). So hop into the Apartment Therapy House Tour time machine for a tour of some of our favorite turn-of-the-century homes.

Name: Victoria Location: A Small Country Village, England I bought my home in 2014, it’s a 1970s semi-detached bungalow in a lovely friendly street in a pretty village in the south of the UK. I’m very lucky to have wonderful neighbours and everyone on the street looks out for each other – it’s one of the best things about country living.

Name: Margaret Sche and Gabe Belgara Location: Uptown — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Theirs is a Texas love story. Margaret can thank her mom for insisting she join her for some live country music and two-steppin’ on that fated Friday night when she met Gabe at Blanco’s. The beloved Houston dance hall—now closed—was one of Gabe’s favorite honky-tonks, and sparks flew when the two met.

While Emily’s kitchen certainly wasn’t in the worst shape visually of some of our submissions, I became much more invested in this transformation (and wept for the state of her baked goods) when I found out she was using a 50 year old oven. From Emily: Our kitchen was original from 1965, and after living with it for two years we decided it was time to renovate – I’d been using the original stove and oven!

You know rent is too damn high when even closets are out of range. Illustrator Pete Berkowitz built a pod in his friends’ living room, and is paying $400 a month to live in it. The pod, which cost $1,300 to construct, has a sliding door and a curtain, along with a light and a fold down desk. Berkowitz, while admitting that living in a pod is silly, says it’s quite cozy.

(Image credit: Emma Christensen) From The Kitchn → 21 Vegetarian Burgers, Wraps, and Sandwiches to Make for Meatless Monday

We’re used to seeing marble in bathrooms or on kitchen countertops, but this gorgeously veined stone can make a big impact in other parts of your home, too. If you don’t want to spend time babying your countertops but still crave a little extra bit of luxury in your home, try one of these five ideas. Above: Marble in a workspace feels especially luxurious. A marble accent wall, because why not? You could also get the look with wallpaper. (This might be wallpaper.

Dear Alice, It comes and goes but sometimes these arguments can last for weeks and there is no escape from the daily barrage of screaming and yelling. I can even hear it upstairs through noise-cancelling headphones. Although he doesn’t shout back, I still get really upset when this happens, having grown up in a household where shouting and verbal abuse were not uncommon.

I have to admit, I’ve never really thought of the ceiling as something you can DIY. Christina proves that you not only can, you can do it beautifully. And while this project may not be for the DIY-faint of heart, it can definitely provide some inspiration. Skill Level: Moderate Time Required: Weekend Cost: $100 2x4s Tongue and groove wood planks Wood stain Crown molding Saw Build a frame on the wall out of 2x4s. Stain the wood planks ahead of time.

Want to live like Elizabeth Taylor? The icon’s Palm Springs hideaway is available on vacation rental site HomeAway for $500 a night. The “Jewel of the Desert” features 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in the main house, plus a detached casita with a king bedroom and en-suite bath. There’s also a cabana off the across from the waterfall pool. The property has been updated by Kathy Ireland, yet still has some of Taylor’s possessions, including a Warhol of her.

Think outside the shelf.

Don't let your artistic skill-level prevent you from creating your own masterpiece.

Name: Megan and Todd Walsh, one cat, and three dogs Location: West Asheville, North Carolina Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 7 months; Rented Applying a fresh coat of white paint on the walls in each room was the first thing Todd and Megan, owners of Atomic Furnishing, did to their new rental—a simple and inexpensive change that created the perfect backdrop to highlight the couple’s colorful collection of mid-century furnishings, rugs and art.

Be a floral pro in ten minutes.

Whether you use your desk for homework, writing the great American novel, or just paying a few bills, you’re a lot more likely to get things done if your workspace is organized and beautiful. And the good news is that having an attractive workspace doesn’t have to mean spending a ton of money. Check out these nine stylish DIYs for your desk.

Name: Casey Keasler and her dog, Winston Location: Portland, Oregon Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 6 months For many freelancers and small business owners, working from home often means using a laptop at the breakfast table and/or wearing pajamas for 95% of the day. But Casey Keasler, creative director of the multidisciplinary design firm Casework, wanted her home office to be a space that was both client- and staff-friendly.

Project by: Christina Location: Jackson, Mississippi We had a small leak in our guest bathroom that required a hole to be knocked in the wall in order to access the pipe. I had (at that time) a wonderful idea to just go ahead and redo the entire bathroom to something a little more fun and light.

Discrimination is bad for business. The organizers behind High Point Market have released a statement saying as much, in regards to North Carolina’s HB2 “bathroom bill,” which prevents transgender people from using the restroom that matches their identity. The backlash against the law is growing, with many companies, the state of New York, and the NBA taking action.

(Image credit: Michaela Cisney) From The Kitchn → 6 Ways We Save Money by Having Groceries Delivered

Name: Casey & Savannah Location: Nashville, Tennessee We are Casey and Savannah, best friends, business partners, roommates and Airbnb hosts. Our home was purchased by Casey’s parents and we rent it from them. It has four bedrooms and two bathrooms and is 1,963 square feet. It was built in 1945, which made for lots of charm, but also many problems when it was first purchased.

Name: Laurel Martinsky Location: Santa Barbara, California Size: 500 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Rented Perched up in the hills above Santa Barbara, Laurel’s flower-filled home evokes the English country garden aesthetic of which she is fond. When she moved to the studio in 2011, instead of buying new pieces, Laurel worked with her existing collection of beloved furniture, taking on the challenge of making larger-scale pieces work in the one-room, multi-functioning space.

I don’t know about your home, but at my place, even with an open concept kitchen and a dining table, we always seem to end up in the living room with all the snacks and drinks squeezed on the coffee table. Let’s face it: it’s more casual and comfortable than standing around a kitchen or sitting on a stiff dining chair. These days it’s rare to have both a family and living room, so it’s nice to really put a lot of thought and style into the one you have.

There’s a lot to love about string lights: they’re inexpensive, they’re versatile, and they add a soft, warm glow to any room. If you want to add a bit of a romantic touch to your bedroom, or just shake up your style a little, try out one of these nine creative ways to use those little twinkly lights. Above: Attach a sheer curtain to the ceiling and drape string lights above for a dreamy, romantic DIY canopy. Spotted on Homeedit.

Names: Katie Kavanagh and Nick Kuizenga Location: South End — Boston, Massachusetts Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented Many of us have learned that in the world of apartment hunting, the word “cozy” is often a euphemism for “small.” And Nick and Katie’s apartment, part of a brownstone that was once a single family home, is no exception.

Even though “having too much art” is so not a problem, it can definitely feel like one sometimes. So what’s a savvy apartment dweller to do when they’ve run out of wall space for their private collection? The home of one New Orleans-based artist might offer some ideas.

It’s on just about everyone’s dream home wishlist: a clawfoot tub in the bathroom. But you don’t have to live in an opulent mansion to have one of your very own. These tub-boasting baths range from affordably chic to decidedly decadent—and everything in between. 1. Above, this tub’s hot orange hue brings vibrancy to an otherwise clinically clean bath. Set up inside a partially-enclosed shower, it nearly welcomes splish-splashing around.

Kevin’s hallway update is an excellent blend of style and function and a testament to really thinking about how the furniture is serving the space when making design choices. Also, I’m a total sucker for an interesting ceiling and this one is tops. From Kevin: When it comes to small spaces that are hard to design, the hallway is one of the worst offenders.

(Image credit: Alexis Buryk) From The Kitchn → 5 Practical Things That Help You Make Time to Cook Dinner

I’m in my fourth year of writing for Apartment Therapy, and I’ve been an Apartment Therapy/The Kitchn reader for even longer. Like all of you longtime folks, I’ve definitely found many tips from our sites that have changed the way I operate, while others that I was so gung-ho on—projects and tips that I was sure I’d get right to work on—have been languishing on the island of I’m-never-going-to-actually-do-this for years.

I’m a firm believer that rules are meant to be broken. So if you’re feeling pressured to do things a certain way, here’s your official permission to break out of the mold and decide for yourself what a wedding really looks like. Without further ado, here’s the complete list of wedding traditions you can skip if you want to: Everything. What I’m trying to get across is this: Your wedding is your wedding. Wedding traditions–they’re all optional.

Name: Sandra Location: San Francisco, California I’m a textile designer behind the brand Happy French Gang and I live in a typical San Franciscan apartment in a very old house right in front of the famous Dolores Park. The place is about 800 square feet and I think we brought some French spirit to that place! We have two bedrooms, and the one we gave to our 5 year old is facing the cool Dolores St. palm trees.

These aren’t the rooms of road trips past: Motel 6 has been recently undergoing a facelift. 75% of the budget chains are already sporting a more modern, colorful look. Updated rooms have accent walls in orange, turquoise, or lime, a platform king- or queen-sized bed, a flat-screen TV, a wood-like floor (no more wondering what’s lurking in the carpets), a nook for personal electronics and a multimedia panel to connect a laptop or an MP3 player.

Cabinet hardware is a little detail that can have a big impact on the look of your kitchen or bathroom. The good news is that these days there are quite a few retailers offering modern, minimally styled pieces in a variety of budgets. Here are seven of our favorites. Superfront makes a line of pulls and knobs designed for IKEA cabinets, but they would be equally nice on other cabinets as well. (Blogger Maiju Saw used them in her kitchen.

Name: Seth and Maureen Conant and their cats, Frank and Lucy Location: Seattle, Washington Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Owned Walking into Maureen and Seth’s house transports you to the 1950s. In fact, just walking along their street gives you that feeling! They live in a little enclave of mid-century homes in northwest Seattle, most of which were built by the same architect, Thomas Dunstan, in the late 1950s.

Brushing your teeth. We all do it, some begrudgingly, some enthusiastically. If you’re looking to elevate your brushing experience (and get a little more thorough) check out these three excellent electric toothbrushes. There’s nothing wrong with brushing manually (as long as you’re doing it two times a day and flossing) but research has shown that electric toothbrushes give you a slight leg up, hygiene-wise.

If your nightstand could talk, what would it say about you? Is it a purely functional place for just the basics, or do you make room for more personal items that provide an intimate glimpse of your life? The Apartment Therapy editorial teams shares what items always live bedside (and why), and what never, ever will.

Name: Joe Cafuir and Keith DeNatale Location: Grand Lake—Oakland, California Size: 300 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented It’s easy for a tiny apartment full of plants and tchotchkes to feel cluttered. But when done the right way—as Joe and Keith have with their tiny 300-square-foot studio—the space can be warm and inviting without feeling crammed or excessive.

Our 1961 Colonial house on Long Island had orange shag carpeting and some delightful fixtures when we purchased it in 2013. We ended up renovating nearly every room in the house, but it’s taken all this time for me to finish decorating! The room I’m sharing is our powder room. It had a shell shaped sink in the shortest vanity I’ve ever seen when we started. I decided to use the small space to get dramatic with color.

There’s something about Australia. Everyone who hails from there (ok, everyone I’ve met, and I have a very reliable sample set of two) is tall and beautiful and has a sort of relaxed goodwill, and as if that weren’t enough, all their interiors are, seemingly, colorful and sundrenched and full of just the right mix of interesting things.

Crate & Barrel is getting into the paint space. Color by Crate & Barrel includes 35 hues “inspired by the purity of an artist’s palette.” The collection is a result of a collaboration with Colorhouse, a Portland-based company that produces paint that’s no VOC, no toxic fumes/HAPs-free, no reproductive toxins and no chemical solvents. The paints, which come in three finishes, are available in stores and online.

(Image credit: Abbye Churchill) From The Kitchn → 4 Tips for Bringing Plant Life into the Kitchen