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The Latest: Mar 2016

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Toothbrush with blue and orange bristles resting in a glass bowl of white powder on a wooden surface.
30 Things You Can Get Squeaky Clean with a Toothbrush
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).
Taryn Williford
Mar 31, 2016
Vintage Charm: Tour 10 Beautiful 100-Year-Old Homes
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.
Taryn Williford
Mar 31, 2016
Victoria’s English Country Cottage
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.
Nora Taylor
Mar 31, 2016
Margaret & Gabe’s “Classic with an Eclectic Twist” New Orleans Home
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.
Jacqueline Marque
Mar 31, 2016
Before & After: A Kitchen Moves Out of the ’60s With a Little Help From IKEA
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!
Nora Taylor
Mar 31, 2016
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Sponsored Post
Mar 31, 2016
20 New Ways to Use Shelf Brackets You’ve Never Thought Of
Think outside the shelf.
Dabney Frake
Mar 30, 2016
Casey & Savannah’s “Southwestern, Vintage & Glamorous” Nashville Home
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.
Nora Taylor
Mar 29, 2016
Before & After: A Hallway Gets a Chic Update From Top to Bottom
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.
Nora Taylor
Mar 29, 2016
Before & After: Bold Bathroom Color Choices
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.
Nora Taylor
Mar 28, 2016
An 85-Year-Old ‘Tiny House’ in the Style of Frank Lloyd Wright
We often talk about tiny houses and small space living as if they’re a new thing, but the truth is that little houses have been around for years (and were, in fact, once the norm for a majority of Americans). Case in point: this 85-year-old home, built by one of his disciples in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright, whose compact 552 square foot floorplan provides plenty of inspiration for the small houses of today.
Nancy Mitchell
Mar 28, 2016
Violeta’s Vivacious New Look
Name: Violeta Location: County Limerick, Ireland My home was featured on Apartment Therapy six years ago and a lot of new things happened since then in our home and garden. We went crazy in the hallway and painted it all black! I just think hallways are always neglected by people and that’s a big mistake. A pop of color can go a long way. Why not to decorate it like you would do in your living room? My husband’s office is not his anymore. I took it over.
Nora Taylor
Mar 27, 2016
Hannah’s Bright & Beautiful Apartment (With a Show-Stealing Dog)
Name: Hannah Location: Chicago, Illinois Two years ago my husband and I and our winsome Goldendoodle, Hadley moved out of a typical, dark, old Chicago three-flat apartment and into this beautiful, new construction condo near the hip neighborhood of Logan Square. My husband, Josh is in medical school and I work from home as a Creative Director so it was very important to us to have a bright, sunny, and inspiring space to spend our days studying and working!
Nora Taylor
Mar 26, 2016
This Bedroom & Bathroom Makeover Has Cozy Nooks, Clever Closets & Dreamy Design Details
Names: Finley (4-years-old) and Jackson (5 1/2 years old) Location: Seattle, Washington Room sizes: Bathroom – 47 square feet; Finley’s Room – 100 square feet; Jackson’s Room -130 square feet The adorable Finley and Jackson of Finley and Jackson’s “Modern Shabby-Chic” Bedrooms & Playrooms are back with new and improved big kid bedrooms and bathroom. Their mom, Emily, had been thinking about adding a bathroom to the upper level of their home for years.
Breanne Johnsen
Mar 25, 2016
Real-Life Design Lessons: How To Build a Home “Uniform”
When you’re decorating, you might feel pressure to add variety to your space by layering in as many different ideas or influences as you can. But, just like a wardrobe template, having a home decor “uniform” actually makes creating a beautiful space even easier. That’s a big lesson that I took away from Kristina & Jason’s Gorgeous, Graphic Australian Home.
Taryn Williford
Mar 25, 2016
3 Reasons To Fall Madly in Love With Your Toaster Oven
(Image credit: Casey Barber) From The Kitchn → 3 Reasons My Toaster Oven Is My Kitchen MVP
Apartment Therapy
Mar 25, 2016
6 Ways to Fill a Wall that Are as Useful as They Are Beautiful
Imagine for a moment that you’re an infallibly practical person. The idea of filling a wall with framed artwork…well, it would be such a waste, wouldn’t it? Sure, there’s value in surrounding yourself and decorating your walls with pretty things. But useful things can be beautiful, too. A cork wall treatment acts as a big mood board, perfect for a study, home office or any room that welcomes constant visual change.
Taryn Williford
Mar 24, 2016
Katie’s Fiercely Funky, Patterned Paradise Bedroom
Name: Katie (15) Location: Sumter, South Carolina This past summer we moved into a new house which means new rooms for the kids. This go round my daughter is fifteen and while I had some ideas for the room her plans were a little different, so I let her be the boss. Her original plans for the room had always been coral and aqua so when we spied some aqua Zebra sheets at Macy’s we had out inspiration.
Nora Taylor
Mar 24, 2016
Fresh Ideas for Fixing Funky Features
Sometimes there’s just something in your home that you just can’t change, but also can’t stand the sight of. These fresh ideas could help you hide, disguise or beautify an element in your home you wish you couldn’t see. While the long and narrow piece of storage furniture below the window in this small condo might look like a fancy credenza or storage shelf, it actually has two purposes. It’s a custom-made storage piece that also hides an unsightly radiator!
Adrienne Breaux
Mar 24, 2016
Before & After: Tearing Down a Wall to Open Up a Kitchen
One thing I love about this upgrade is that you can still see the heart of the original kitchen, it’s just…grown into its looks. Cara made a ton of smart choices to upgrade the look and usability of the space to create a bright and sleek kitchen. From Cara: Before we even put in an offer on our current house, we knew that to make the house fit our needs and gain serious points for resale, the walls separating the closed off kitchen and formal dining room needed to go.
Nora Taylor
Mar 24, 2016
Hannah’s Quality Cool Loft
Name: Hannah Location: Oakland, California This 650 square foot live/work studio is located in an artisan facility in West Oakland, CA. I originally moved in because the space could easily function as both my home and work space. As my company grew and moved into a proper office, I was finally able to claim the space as my own. Now the furnishings consist of a healthy balance of IKEA basics, vintage gems and tons of plants (over 40+ and counting!
Nora Taylor
Mar 23, 2016
Real Estate Lessons from The Novogratz: 10 Wise House Hunting Tips
Cortney and Robert Novogratz have famously successfully navigated the choppy waters of high-end residential real estate in New York City and Los Angeles for years. Through market ups and downs, multiple renovations and redesigns — not to mention raising seven kids while they are at it — they’ve always managed to find great deals. And now, they’re sharing their secrets with us.
Janel Laban
Mar 23, 2016
Balancing Stuff and Space: 12 Inspiring “Minimal Plus” Rooms
Total minimalism can be hard to achieve for many of us who have a love of art, accessories, furniture and stuff. But often, many of us crave the peacefulness that homes described as “minimal” can offer. I think there’s a type of room design that still exudes calm while celebrating some stuff. I call it: “minimal plus.
Adrienne Breaux
Mar 23, 2016
Heloise’s “Ever Changing” D.C. Apartment
Location: U Street Corridor — Washington, D.C. I live up the road from President Obama and my place is almost 1,000 square feet. I decorated on a budget. I started my company while simultaneously moving into a new place, and it really leaves the decorating budget to a minimum. I prefer neutrals such as whites and grays for your bones, i.e. couch and chairs, and then like to add color elsewhere. That way you have more options for trading out pillows and fabrics down the road.
Nora Taylor
Mar 22, 2016
Before & After: From Bland to “Glam, Industrial, and Very Modern”
Spoiler alert: they remove the carpet. And, yes, it goes a long way in brightening and modernizing the room, but Christina and her boyfriend don’t stop there. From paint, to furniture, to light fixtures, this is a pretty impressive overhaul. From Christina: My boyfriend and I bought a one bed, one bath condo in San Jose, California about a year ago and immediately saw so much potential for it once we moved in.
Nora Taylor
Mar 22, 2016
Before & After: Smart Updates for a Generic Kitchen
Here’s a thing that’s bound to happen when you’re house shopping: you see a place where the previous owner has replaced the kitchen (or bathroom), ostensibly as a selling point, but the new kitchen or bathroom already looks incredibly dated. It’s especially frustrating if you really like the place otherwise, because then you find yourself in the position of either living with a kitchen that you really don’t like, or ripping out one that’s brand-new.
Nancy Mitchell
Mar 21, 2016
Mandi’s Eclectic Fixer Upper
Name: Mandi Location: North End — Tacoma, Washington My husband and I bought a major fixer-upper a few years ago. It was that magical combination of a clear vision, a husband who trusted me and a few family members with construction know-how. The house was very willy-wonka (the floors were so sloped it was an experience walking through the house), pink-carpet in the bathroom, brown shag rug in the living area, and a kitchen layout that was so, so awful.
Nora Taylor
Mar 21, 2016
Making Mirrored Walls Modern: Seven Ideas to Steal
Michael Reeves via Dering Hall We all know that mirrors are fantastic for making a space appear larger than it is. It goes like this: available light + reflective surface(s) = much more light = greater sense of space. The problem is that a mirrored wall can sometimes feel vaguely commercial, or even cliche, if the application is off. Here are seven mirrored walls that are anything but, and that pack a big (spatial) punch as well. The lead image is of a Michael Reeves-designed home in London.
Eleanor Büsing
Mar 21, 2016
Loud Blender Messing With Your Morning? We Have Some Tips for Keeping It Quiet
(Image credit: Christine Gallary) From The Kitchn → 4 Tricks to Quiet Your Loud Blender
Nora Taylor
Mar 21, 2016
Sverre & Maren Ingeborg’s Norwegian Victorian With A “Touch of Color and Love”
Name: Sverre & Maren Ingeborg Location: Ottestad, Norway We live in a PINK victorian house on the country side in Norway (1.5 hours from the capital). The house and outbuildings are 2,000 square feet, and we both live and work together from our amazing 99 year old place. We have many trees just as old as the house and a sweet yard. The outbuildings will soon contain our small film production company.
Nora Taylor
Mar 20, 2016
A Young Family, a 100-Year-Old Home and Some “Welcoming Vibes”
Project by: Victoria Sass and Sarah Swanson Location: Kingfield — Minneapolis, Minnesota This stunning Kingfield neighborhood home will be celebrating its 100th birthday this year. It wowed us with unique arts and crafts details like stained glass, wood ceiling beams, and a bronze banister statue. The homeowners, Ben and Emily (they’ll let you call them Bemily, because they are adorable like that!) impressed us with their great taste and welcoming vibes.
Nora Taylor
Mar 19, 2016
Eric & Patrick’s Design Playground
Name: Eric Stauble and Patrick Maziarski Location: Mid-City — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Owned Welcome to the very creative home of Eric Stauble and Patrick Maziarski, who are both immersed in the creative design world. With an eclectic mix of custom-designed, reupholstered and vintage pieces, this home offers the best of indoor and outdoor living.
Bethany Nauert
Mar 19, 2016
Space Saving Smart Furniture Switcheroos
In a small home, every inch counts. If you’re looking for ways to find more space in your home, peruse this list of furniture switcheroo suggestions. They are smart and suitable substitutes for bulkier furniture, and making these switches could give you more space. A small wooden shelf, a repurposed desk drawer or a cube shelf (like above) can drastically reduce the space a nightstand might take up without eliminating a handy bedside surface.
Adrienne Breaux
Mar 18, 2016
Olesya’s New Orleans Studio in a Converted Rice Mill
Name: Olesya Ianovitch Location: Bywater; New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 785 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented You Are Beautiful. These are the words boldly painted in white on the side of a century-old industrial converted rice mill in New Orleans’ Bywater neighborhood. The upbeat message, rumored to be the work of Banksy, mirrors Olesya Ivanovich’s approach to life.
Jacqueline Marque
Mar 18, 2016
111 Tips, Tricks and Strategies for Organizing Your Kitchen
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From The Kitchn → Our Epic (Almost) A-Z Guide to Organizing Your Kitchen
Apartment Therapy
Mar 18, 2016
Brilliant & Beautiful: 5 New Ways to Hang Coat Hooks
Coat hooks. I mean… there’s not really much you can do there, right? (Wrong.) With one or two or 20 standard coat hooks and a little bit of ingenuity, you can create some pretty stellar little hallway hacks worthy of bearing an artsy label like “entryway installment” (rather than dull old coat rack).
Taryn Williford
Mar 17, 2016
Before & After: Breathing New Life Into A Run-Down Kitchen
In October of 2014, my boyfriend, Sean and I purchased the tiny row house I had been living in for the past six years. When I moved to Philly to be closer to family I hadn’t expected our little residential spot off of (a then desolate and rather gritty) Frankford Avenue to all-of-a-sudden become Philadelphia’s hippest/hipsteriest hood.
Nora Taylor
Mar 17, 2016
Before & After: A Den Full of Hollywood Glam
Who couldn’t use a little glam in their life, right? Okay, so maybe it takes a certain type of person to pull off a really glam look at home, but Tim from Design Maze and the resident of this apartment were the perfect team to pull off this eye-popping den with a modern take on Hollywood glamour. I think it will make even the most minimalist design lover feel a little glam-envy. The best part? This is a rental apartment so everything is temporary.
Melissa DiRenzo
Mar 16, 2016
Molly & Daniel: The Freelance Life in LA
Molly and Daniel are true blue partners in crime. They live together in a 1920’s-era Los Feliz apartment, work together as business partners, and support each other’s freelance work goals. They’re also great storytellers, fun to be around, and, as far as cute couples go, they’re like Olympic ice skating team cute. Here’s life with Molly and Daniel… The story of Molly and Daniel starts off with a simple twist of fate.
Julia Brenner
Mar 16, 2016
9 Completely Luxe Things You Need (Ok, Will Want) in Your Next Home
BLOCK722 architects via Sigreki Anna Interiors “Need” is, of course, a relative term. But take a quick look at these over-the-top-glam details and tell me you don’t at least want one of these in your life. 1. (above) This sunken soaking tub in a summer house by BLOCK722 is to die for. View not included. Roundhouse Design via This is Glamorous 2. This completely necessary built-in ice bucket for Champagne. 3.
Eleanor Büsing
Mar 16, 2016
Shop the Rest of Your Home to Save a Sad Bathroom
No time or extra funds to spend on decorating your plain bathroom? You are not stuck with a sad space. You can shop the rest of your space to decorate a boring bathroom—create a more cheery room without leaving the house or spending any money. Peruse this “shopping list” of items you may already have at home to transform any bathroom into a brighter, bolder space.
Adrienne Breaux
Mar 16, 2016
Before & After: An Outdated Kitchen Gets an On Time & (Almost) On Budget Update
Bradley and I had been house shopping for over a year, but in the Denver market, it was nearly impossibly to nail something down in our budget with all of the crazy investor offers constantly swooping in with full-cash offers. We had just lost another bid on a house and the next day, I got a call from our realtor that he had just gotten a listing and that we should come take a look.
Nora Taylor
Mar 16, 2016
5 Tips for Maximizing Your Microwave Cooking
(Image credit: Adrienne Breaux) From The Kitchn → 5 Smart Tips for Better Microwave Cooking
Apartment Therapy
Mar 16, 2016
Before & After: A Closetless Apartment Dilemma, Solved
When you find the perfect apartment, but it doesn’t have a closet, you have two choices: You can either A. throw away all your clothes, or B. get creative. I chose B. Finding an apartment in New York is not easy. In fact, it is damn near impossible.
Nancy Mitchell
Mar 15, 2016
Beautifully Balanced Design Ideas to Steal from a Couple with Completely Opposite Decor Tastes
Allen Loeb is a lawyer. Nate Clark is a comedian and actor. And according to the couple (who share a house in West Hollywood) though they don’t bicker about much, they each have entirely different tastes when it comes to designing a home. While some might crumble under the pressure of trying to design with different tastes, these two have created a lovely home together that fits both of their personalities.
Adrienne Breaux
Mar 15, 2016
A Super Simple Way to Store All Your Reusable Grocery Bags
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From The Kitchn → A Smarter Way to Organize All Your Reusable Grocery Bags
Apartment Therapy
Mar 15, 2016
Patricia’s Lovely, Vintage Antwerp Apartment
Name: Patricia Location: Antwerp, Belgium I live in a 135 square meter apartment (the internet tells me that’s 1453 square feet) together with my boyfriend Dieter and my cat George. I’m the owner of online boutique Lily and The Lady and a freelancer, Dieter is an architect who has his own firm. Our apartment is a 1930s building on a beautiful wide street in Antwerp, Belgium. It is the first home we purchased, and we’ve been renovating it with love for the past two years.
Nora Taylor
Mar 14, 2016
Show Off Your Home’s Style: How to Submit to Apartment Therapy
Do you have a beautiful home you’re proud of? We love getting in submissions from Apartment Therapy readers around the globe…and then sharing real-life style on the site! Check out previously published house calls for inspiration! We receive A LOT of submissions, but unfortunately we’re not able to publish every one. If your home or project is chosen to be published, you will receive an email from us.
Apartment Therapy
Mar 14, 2016