Apartment Therapy Archive: 2017

While Amazon sells a plethora of things these days (yep, even tiny houses), they started with books. Here’s what people read the most—and the fastest—in 2017. According to Amazon Charts, people couldn’t put down the following titles.

It’s the eve of new year, and today, many minds are turning toward picking resolutions for 2018. One person who won’t be making them, though, is soon-to-be duchess Meghan Markle. It’s no secret that Meghan already has a stellar 2018 on deck—she’ll be marrying Prince Harry in May, and after having spent Christmas with the in-laws, she and her beau are jetting off to start the year on vacation. And, she’ll be sans resolutions.

With the New Year right around the corner, now is the time to reflect on the past twelve months and contemplate resolutions for the future. Whether it’s eating more healthily, paying off credit card debt or flossing, setting goals helps you create a life filled with actions or accomplishments that reflect your values. If only it was that simple. Ever gone into January with the best of intentions, only to toss them aside or forget about them come February?

We saw a lot of interesting and fun things hit the market this year, and we saw a whole host of interesting things hit the almost-market on Kickstarter. We decided to take a look back at all the innovative and independent options that wanted us to clean better, sleep better and drink better in 2017. After a new study came out to tell us that our towels are basically never, ever clean, these Kickstarter towels started looking mighty, mighty good.

From breakups to break-ins, the paparazzi captured all the highs and lows of 2017—including the aftermath of some of the most costly celebrity robberies. Multiple Hollywood stars made headlines as their homes were robbed and thieves made off with millions of dollars in valuables. Here’s what you can learn from their mistakes. With so many high-profile break-ins this last year, it begs the question: what security measures are in place and is it enough?

You'll feel so much better about 2018 when you do.

When Queen Elizabeth II sits down to make her annual holiday address to TV cameras, she takes a cue from her lively collection of family photographs on her desk. Turns out, she’s not playing favorites with the photos that are displayed. According to people.

Many places in the United States are facing an extreme cold front this week, with temperatures much chillier than normal for early in the winter season. While that might means you need to bundle up a bit more for New Year’s Eve festivities, don’t forget about your four legged family members. Here are a few ways that you can protect pets from the cold.

We probably wouldn’t have pegged the Queen of England as one of those holiday decor stragglers, but it turns out that Elizabeth II is a February type of gal. According to Architectural Digest, the Queen and Prince Philip keep their halls decked until February 6th every year. That means they’ve got tinsel and candy canes kicking around until almost Valentine’s Day!

In the latest issue of InStyle, Drew Barrymore shares her secrets to life, love and keeping things in perspective. The actress and producer reflects on her life in the spotlight and creating a home for her two young daughters—one that she really would prefer not to leave. The spread features a charming set of photos where Drew re-shoots some of her most notable childhood photos.

Christmas may be over but that doesn’t mean you have to do away with Christmas-y things entirely. Much like the pine tree that is perhaps still in your living room, the Christmas spirit lingers for days after the holiday has technically in ended. With that mindset, I’d like to invite you to partake in this delightful trailer for BBC One’s Mary, Mel and Sue’s Big Christmas Thank You.

Tis the season for gift giving. And chances are, you were gifted with some kind of high-ticket electronic this month. Along with those pricey presents comes product warranties — i.e. the opportunity to get a refund or replacement if you find yourself dissatisfied with the item. And while it’s easy to forget all about warranties when an item is a gift, it’s important to remember in any case that it is there if you need it.

This year’s house tours featured some of the most gorgeous homes yet. Stunning studio apartments were small but beautifully furnished. There were homes that were short on stuff, but big on style. We even saw well-decorated tiny homes…on wheels. Frankly, homes across America AND around the world impressed me with warm, welcoming, unique and lovely interiors. Really the only thing I enjoyed seeing more than the beautiful homes…were the amazingly adorable furry inhabitants!

In my mission to read as many books as I could in 2017, I explored new genres, new voices, and became the go-to girl for book recommendations. It’s a job I happily accept, as I’ve learned a lot about what makes a good book (and more) from reading so many this year.

I set (what I thought was) an ambitious reading goal for myself in January 2017: I wanted to read 52 books. One book every week seemed challenging and exciting, but I was well through my quota by early summer. I pushed ahead, aiming for an even 100 but it’s looking like I will fall short of that renewed goal. Looking for a recommendation? Read Samatha’s picks here: I Read 75 Books in 2017 & These Were My Top 10 Still, a grand total of 75 books (and counting) is not too shabby.

The era of Peak TV shows no signs of slowing down. While it can be overwhelming, having too many options isn’t exactly the worst way to kick off a new year. Here are some of the shows we’re looking forward to watching in 2018: This horror-inducing new anthology series from Stephen King and J. J. Abrams revolves around the fictional Maine town that serves as the backdrop for King’s stories.

Earlier this week, the world watched Queen Elizabeth’s annual Christmas message. It’s been quite an eventful year, and the monarch touched upon everything from the Manchester bombing and the Grenfell fire to her 70th wedding anniversary to Prince Philip. But fans of Netflix’s The Crown—which came back for season 2 earlier this month—were feeling some deja vu. [Some spoilers ahead.