Apartment Therapy Archive: Mar 2017

As a writer for Apartment Therapy, I spend a lot of time predicting trends, and watching trends come and go. I also spend a lot of time thinking about why certain trends come and go. Interior design is always being influenced by outside factors—certainly fashion, and definitely pop culture.

As a self-described "sensory driven guy," Gil's space isn't just pretty to look at. A mix of textures and materials blend beautifully to stimulate all the senses.

There are a few privileges to being an editor in the design world, one of which is getting to see the future (a.k.a. what’s going to be in stores well before anyone else is privy to that information). This comes in handy when trend forecasting happens to be your sport of choice.

Welcome to The Stacked Barn project where I lead you through a year-long odyssey that I’ve never been on before: the building of a new house. I’m going to show you how my new home gets built – step by step. Chapter Six is here. This is Chapter Seven. Today I’m going to take you on a very exciting run through the last three or so months. Between December and March the house has really come together and the end is in sight.

California is one of those places people (at least the ones who didn’t grow up there) dream about moving to some day. Between the glamour of Hollywood, the laid back vibes and the beautiful beaches, it’s definitely a desirable destination. But have you ever wondered what living on the California coast really looks like? We combed through rental listings to find apartments, condos and houses in cities up and down the coastline, so you can see for yourself.

Name: Georgiana Location: Adams Morgan/Dupont Circle — Washington, D.C. I live on the 7th floor of a building built in 1923 in Adams Morgan/Dupont Circle neighborhood (I can never tell which it is), there are definitely some quirks to such an old building, the elevator for example is terrifying – a fair-weather metal box that is not built for anyone that has an aversion to elevators that may or may not work.

Many good things in life take time and money, but every now and then you can cut some corners and take a few minutes to improve a room in your home without a significant investment. This weekend, make your bedroom a better place with these easy (and completely free!) changes. Clear Your Nightstand(s): Is your bedside table functional, or is it bogged down by used earplugs, loose change, unread books, and half empty glasses of water?

Feeling blue (or green, or red)? Today, we’re shopping the spectrum of hues from Canopy, the site that curates stylish finds from Amazon’s enormous catalog. Check out what we’ve come up with: If you haven’t heard of Canopy, think of it as a shopping experience that mixes the ease of Amazon, the visual aspect of Pinterest, and the connectivity of social media, all in one.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From Kitchn → This Is the Most Popular Pizza Recipe on Pinterest

Don’t let the April 1st snowstorms threatening part of the Northeast fool you, spring is on way. Although some of us can’t open up the windows and let it in (I’m a little jealous of those of you who can), you can prep for the sunny months ahead. Start shopping for planters now and pick up some tips from the green thumb pros. That way you’ll be ready to maximize the greenery both inside and out of your home.

Splish, splash … Bissell will change the way your dog gets a bath. The popular vacuum brand is crowdfunding BarkBath, a mess-free new way to get your four-legged friends clean. BarkBath is a portable bath unit that washes your dog without you even having to coax her into the tub (or take her to the groomer). The nozzle penetrates the fur so your pet is cleaned from the skin up—not the fur down—getting dirt, dander up and out of your pup’s coat.

When I was growing up in Lafayette, Louisiana, my family took a lot of trips to Mississippi to see my grandparents, and on the way back, I remember, there was this one lavender house, right by the interstate, that always caught my eye. This one pale, pale purple home, in a sea of beiges, seemed almost magical.

Time and time again, necessity proves to be the mother of invention. That’s certainly the case for Femke Furnée, founder of FEST Amsterdam. If you’re already hip to the awesomeness that is this Dutch home goods company, you’re definitely not alone, as the brand, in its four years of operation, has taken the design world by storm. But let’s go back to the beginning here.

Project by: Ariela Najman of Stripe Design Services Location: Santa Cruz, California Interior designer, Ariela Najman, was tasked with adding some light and breezy style to her client’s California ranch house. Along with other smart upgrades, she added a calming and eye-catching blue in the kitchen giving it a timeless look with a twist. From Ariela: Stripe Design Services was approached in 2016 by a local couple wanting a makeover for their kitchen, dining room and living room.

Update 5/26/17: IKEA announced this week that their smart lighting collection will also come with voice activation, supporting all three major assistants, Siri, Google, and Alexa. 3/31/17: The home of the future just got a lot more accessible. This week, IKEA debuted their new smart lighting collection. If you’ve been curious about smart home tech, but haven’t yet dipped your toe in, the Swedish retailer just made it as easy as—you guessed it—screwing in a lightbulb.

My lovely roommate has recently met and is seeing a partner. And as nice as this guy is, he’s always at our place. He technically lives with his ex-girlfriend, so my roommate cannot go there. How many nights a week is it acceptable for him to be here? Currently it’s about four (which is over the weekend), and it’s driving me up the wall – I feel like I’m living with a couple, and it’s my apartment. How best do I handle this?

(Image credit: Susanna Hopler) From Kitchn → Beyond KitchenAid: 8 Other Stand Mixers on the Market

These "neat freaks" share their recommendations for the cleaning tool they can't live without. Their answers might leave you floored!

At this point, you’ve probably tried everything to save money—skipping your morning coffee, using apps to squirrel away extra change, etc.—but some strategies just don’t feel doable, or like they even save you all that much in the long run. Saving money—no matter what you’re saving it for—can sometimes feel like an impossible chore. But there is a strategy that just might help you in more ways than one: Having a No-Spend Weekend once a month.

From Apartment Therapy → 5 Breakfast Machines for the Most Important Meal of the Day

Bride & Groom: Margarita Passione + Byron Zinonos Wedding Date: September 3, 2016 Venue: Greenpoint Loft in Brooklyn, NY Number of guests: 120 This couple of high school friends turned into lovebirds some (ten-ish) years later—safe to say they knew each other pretty well by the time they decided to get married in Brooklyn last year.

Name: Leo and Daniel Location: Dolores Heights — San Francisco, California Size: 1,250 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2.5 years Leo and Daniel consider themselves fortunate to live in a stunning, spacious San Francisco apartment overlooking the city’s skyline. Daniel’s parents own the building, so he and his sister (who lives in the unit above the couple) got first dibs.

The Modern Farmhouse aesthetic is incredibly popular right now for its bold mix of high contrast elements: black and white, rustic and modern, warm and industrial, pretty yet unfussy. If you’re into the Modern Farmhouse style (and apparently a lot of us are), we’ve put together four complete rooms (using beautiful designer rooms as our jumping off point) to help you shop the look.

Big news for H&M fans: The company is opening a brand new fashion and home store concept this year. Here’s what we know so far. Called Arket, the retailer will be a “modern-day market that will offer essential products for men, women, children and home,” Business of Fashion reported.

Name: Kelsey Location: Washington, D.C. Sara and I moved in together almost two years ago. I had lived in shared houses ever since college and was thrilled to create a home with Sara where we could welcome our friends and family and offer a little calm in the storm of D.C. Our home is filled with vintage pieces and IKEA finds that we have upgraded with modern details like knobs and pulls from Rejuvenation and Anthropologie.

Even if you’re not the type to make a special trip out for a birthday freebie (or two or ten), this is definitely one that might change your mind. Purveyor of stylishly chic candles, Diptyque, will hand over a gift to you on your very special day. We just have one very pressing question: Why did no one tell us about this sooner??

(Image credit: Tyler Olson) shutterstock From Kitchn → How Not to Be a Jerk When Sampling Free Food at the Grocery Store

My apartment was built in 1915. With that antique construction date comes a ton of positive side effects for any design lover, as well as one negative one: beautiful architectural details that don’t always translate well into efficient, modern living. My bedroom’s fake fireplace is the perfect example of both.

If you’ve ever wondered why spring cleaning came to be such a staple of the homekeeping zeitgeist, you should know that climate and cleaning have a long and storied relationship. It isn’t arbitrary that we take on a massive deep clean of our homes in the springtime, it’s almost destiny. The mild weather of spring simply makes cleaning easier.

When Addison spotted a piece she’d been lusting after at a thrift store, she knew she had to have it. After snatching up the large ottoman of her dreams, she decided to put her extra cash towards spiffing it up a bit. I got this square ottoman for $20 from a thrift store. This ottoman was still structurally sound but need new fabric. Other ottomans this size can go for upwards of $500 so I was super happy to find this for so cheap at a thrift store! The ottoman is 37 inches by 37 inches.

My little bathroom is one of the things I love most about my little New York apartment, but unfortunately, it does not have much in the way of storage. As someone very devoted to the idea of order, if not always the practice of it, this troubles me a great deal, and so I’ve come up with a few solutions that allow me to fit a whole bathroom’s worth of things into my small, storage-challenged space, all (mostly) out of sight.

(Image credit: Liz Calka) From Kitchn → How Often Should You Be Cleaning Your Kitchen Cabinets?

Dream of living in an open, airy, minimal home but find yourself in a beige-hued, standard suburban house? After you pick your jaw up off the floor upon viewing these before and afters of a renovated Cleveland home, you’ll likely be inspired and motivated to try your hand at modernizing your own space!

From Apartment Therapy → How to Remove Labels From Jars (and Turn Jars Into Glassware)

Name: Jess Location: Duboce — San Francisco, California I moved into this one bedroom almost four years ago and shared it with my best friend. It’s only 500 square feet, so by the time that I took over the space fully, I was ready to make it my own. My style is very bright, bohemian and eclectic. I’m a story producer at Pinterest so I love having things around me that tie back to stories, like a place or trip.

(Image credit: Christine Han) From Kitchn → I Tried the Instant Pot and Didn’t Love it. What Am I Missing?

It’s easy to get stuck on the style trappings of your existing furniture. Say you purchased an ultra modern sectional back when you were in a hardcore minimalist/Marie Kondo phase, where way less was more, but now you’ve grown tired of the streamlined look, or perhaps you love the look of a Chesterfield sofa, but it doesn’t play nice with your bohemian decor leanings…how do you make it work without sacrificing what you already have (or just plain want)?

We know you had good intentions: when you come across a free curbside cast-off, or have a piece you’ve become seriously attached to, it’s hard to let it go. But after your best efforts to work it into your home, something’s still not working…and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When you’re faced with the decision to toss or transform an old piece of furniture, why not upgrade it into something useful?

Every night when it’s time to go to sleep, I follow the same routine: Shut the bedroom door, turn off the lights and meander my way to my bed in the dark, because my light switch—and the only major lighting in my room—is on the complete opposite side of the room. Or at least, I did, until a few weeks ago when I bought a light bulb I could talk to instead.

... And turn jars into glassware, with hot water and baking soda.

Name: Lucia and Jose Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 1291 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Natural light bounces off of the high ceilings, patterned tile floors and other dazzling architectural features of this Spanish apartment, which serves as both the home and workspace for a creative, world-traveling couple. Lucia and Jose run Anker Prod, where they create videos for advertising and weddings.

We still miss catching up on the goings on of our favorite Parks & Rec staffers, but a new craft competition show is bringing back together two of the show’s illustrious alumni, Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman. Here’s what we know so far: Called The Handmade Project, the reality competition show is produced by Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions. The series’ six episodes have already been picked up by NBC for next season.

When Target starts to carry something, you know you've reached trend fever pitch.

An old brand learns new tricks. Today, Williams Sonoma launched its first ever home decor collaboration in its 60 year history with luxury lifestyle brand AERIN. AERIN, for those unfamiliar, was founded by beauty industry royalty Aerin Lauder, granddaughter of Estée Lauder. It debuted in 2012 with candles, cosmetics, and home accessories, and quickly expanded into furniture, rugs, and lighting.

Until we received this submission, we just kind of assumed that a dark and bland laundry room is sort of par for the course when you’re renting. If you’re on the lucky side it’s clean and not spooky and those of us on the other end of the spectrum truck it to the laundromat. Well throw out what you thought you knew about laundry rooms and deep dive into this laundry room makeover! From Cat: Laundry. It’s loads of fun, right?

Few things in the world of decorating are more controversial than the pink bathroom. Those old, Mamie-pink 1950s bathrooms were first loved, and then hated, and then loved by some and hated by others (with equal passion on both sides). And now there’s a whole new generation of pink bathrooms — and they’re anything but frilly and froufrou. Say hello to the sophisticated new pink bathroom.