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2017
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The Latest: Apr 2017

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Modern kitchen with white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, wooden island, and dining table under a decorative pendant light.
Smart Shopping: Are IKEA Stoves Actually a Good Deal?
You may already buy things like bookcases and sheepskin rugs from IKEA, but did you know you can buy kitchen appliances there too? If you’re not sure about making such a big budget purchase at the big blue store, we did a little research to see how IKEA’s line of ranges compares to products from other manufacturers. Here’s what we found out.
Nancy Mitchell
Apr 9, 2017
DIY Skin Detox: How to Make Activated Charcoal Bath Bombs and Marbled Soaps
Activated charcoal—an ingredient perhaps best-known as those black specks in our Brita water filters—has recently been showing up in everything from trendy ice cream to skincare products. Beloved for its detoxing abilities, this it-ingredient is credited with cleansing skin, whitening teeth and treating acne. To get in on the skin-clearing natural wonder, we picked up some food-grade activated coconut charcoal and put it to work in marbled soap bars and bath bombs that mean business.
Marla Christiansen
Apr 9, 2017
How to Make the Super Tricky “Shotgun” Layout Work
I recently stayed in a traditional shotgun apartment in New Orleans with my partner and one of my best friends. If you aren’t familiar with the shotgun home layout, it’s typically long and narrow, and made up of rooms that are directly connected to each other, directing you through each room to get to the next. The layouts were very popular in the South (especially New Orleans), but are also common in New York and Chicago.
Esteban Cortez
Apr 9, 2017
Good Scents: 50+ Things You Can Make Using Essential Oils
While essential oils have been used for aromatherapy for hundreds of years, these all-natural scents are seeing a spike in popularity as more people are learning about their de-stressing and energizing abilities. Derived from plants or flowers, most often through steam distillation, essential oils can be used to make scented candles, oil diffusers, even pest repellants.
Katie Holdefehr
Apr 9, 2017
A Look at Blue Bahia Granite (It’s So Beautiful We Can’t Stop Looking)
Last year while shopping with a friend for kitchen countertops, I saw and fell for a small piece of blue-and-white polished stone that reminded me of photos of Earth taken from space. Blue bahia granite, as I learned, is quarried in Brazil and is “legendary for its beauty” (although its “stunning blue colors can be a little hard to incorporate into a kitchen,” at least according to one site).
Edith Zimmerman
Apr 8, 2017
How to Clean Your Keurig Coffee Machine
(Image credit: Erika Tracy) From Kitchn → How to Clean a Keurig Coffee Machine null
Apartment Therapy
Apr 7, 2017
Feel Free to Daydream About Moving into This Apartment for the Rest of the Day
Name: Anouska Location: Dulwich — London, United Kingdom Anouska, an interior designer, and her partner have taken the already good bones of a nineteenth century English terrace house and truly made them sing. The perfectly balanced use of bold colors, beautiful furniture and charming accents give the home a bright sophisticated look.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
Apr 7, 2017
FINALLY Organize Your Spices & Make Your Own Magnetic Spice Rack
The paradox of learning how to cook is that the more competent you become, the less competent you feel, because you end up with a jumble of spices cluttering up your kitchen cabinets. Every new, exciting, unfamiliar spice you acquire — sumac, amchoor powder, fenugreek — translates into less space in your designated spice shelf, which then makes any given spice harder to find.
L.V. Anderson
Apr 7, 2017
Bold Design Idea: Paint Your Window Frames to Create Instant Appeal
Color (via paint) can be a very powerful design tool, especially when used in unexpected places. While most people don’t necessarily think to paint the inside of their window frames, it can be the difference between a run-of-the-mill room and a spectacular, and memorable interior. A few “pros” to painting your window frames: It’s not as big a time/money commitment as painting your walls.
Tess Wilson
Apr 7, 2017
8 Ways A Pegboard Can Make Your Kitchen Shine
(Image credit: Kitchn Video) From Kitchn → 8 Ways to Use a Pegboard to Make your Kitchen Better null
The Kitchn
Apr 7, 2017
Partner
Audrey and Adam’s House Hustle: Crisis Averted
Name: Adam, Audrey, and Jules (age 2.5) Location: Eagle Rock, Los Angeles Size: 1,012 square feet Years lived in: Owned 14 months When Adam and Audrey were looking for a good starter home, they wanted a ready-to-go renovation with a few perks (AC and a yard) that their Los Feliz rental didn’t have. Even though they’d been priced out of their neighborhood and nearby Silver Lake, they still wanted an area that was cool, plus safe and family-friendly: Eagle Rock fit the bill.
Sponsored Post
Apr 7, 2017
Here’s How Often Should You Clean Each Part of Your Kitchen
(Image credit: Aimée Mazzenga) From Kitchn → Here’s How Often Should You Clean All the Parts of Your Kitchen null
Apartment Therapy
Apr 7, 2017
Before & After: 70 Square Feet + $750 Dollars = 1 Amazing Bedroom
Tricia was faced with a herculean (ok not really, but pretty difficult) task of maximizing a small space with sloped ceilings and outdated features. The result is cozy, crisp and stylish. Tricia: Before we got started on giving our smallest bedroom in the house a makeover, the walls were an odd shade of pistachio green and the flat part of the ceiling was covered in popcorn texture. The biggest obstacle in making the 100 square foot room livable was the awkward floor plan.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
Apr 6, 2017
Making a NYC Studio Work (with the Help of a Murphy Bed)
Name: Eileen and Walter the golden retriever Location: Upper East Side — New York, New York The basics: 5.5 years, rented We love the charming and approachable functionality of Eileen’s apartment. Fitting a busy life AND a golden retriever into a New York studio is no easy feat, and Eileen manages to do it with style. Tell Us a Little About Yourself: I’m a native New Yorker who had lived in the diaspora (Boston & DC) for 10 years before returning to NYC.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
Apr 6, 2017
Model Home: Tyra Banks’ Manhattan Apartment Asks $17.5 Million
Up until recently, we had yet to come across a house listing that instantly made us smize, but that was before we learned Tyra Banks is selling her Manhattan apartment. According to Architectural Digest, the supermodel-turned-mogul and mom placed her posh NYC digs on the market for $17.5 million, giving an entirely new and fab meaning to the words “model home.
Kenya Foy
Apr 6, 2017
Everything You Need to Know About Halo Top Ice Cream
(Image credit: Lauren Volo) From Kitchn → What’s the Deal with Halo Top Ice Cream? null
Apartment Therapy
Apr 5, 2017
A Modern Kitchen For a 250-Year-Old English Cottage
Project by: Tamsin Allen of Fawn Interiors Location: Hampshire, United Kingdom Tamsin Allen was charged with adding a modern industrial look to a cottage, without losing any of the 250-year-old antique charm. She completely removed the kitchen and started from scratch to create a functional and beautiful space perfectly catered to her clients needs. From Tamsin: Our first project for this thatched cottage (approximate age: 250 years old) was a challenging one.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
Apr 5, 2017
Above the Fray in a Small Manhattan Penthouse (with Private Roof Deck)
Having private outdoor space in New York City is on the wishlist of many (most?) residents here. We’re drawn to the hustle and bustle of the city, but at the same time we’re always looking for places to retreat and re-energize. I imagine this 287 square foot roof deck would be just the antidote to the urban whirl below.
Carrie McBride
Apr 4, 2017
Need to Know Design Info: The Famous Furniture of Charlotte Perriand
If you haven't heard of her, you've definitely seen her work.
Nancy Mitchell
Apr 4, 2017
Setting Up a Home in a Once Abandoned Building
Name: Julie Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma In 2012, we bought a basically abandoned three story brick building through our family real estate company. Over the next three years, we (along with a team of professionals) renovated the building while doing everything we could to preserve its character. The end result is 24 apartments that combine the charm of 100+ year-old brick walls with the warmth of solid oak cabinets and hand-built custom finishes.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
Apr 4, 2017
5 Tips for Really Sticking to Your Vacation Food Budget
(Image credit: Liz Clayman) From Kitchn → 5 Tips for Sticking to Your Vacation Food Budget null
Apartment Therapy
Apr 4, 2017
Look We Absolutely Love: Dark Colors for the Bathroom
After getting burned by Eisenhower-era pinks and olive greens, we’ve been playing it safe, color-wise, in the bathroom for a long time. Subway tile and white walls dominate modern bathrooms, with maybe a little grey tile on the floor for contrast. But that may all be about to change. More and more now I’m starting to see bathrooms that embrace the darker, moodier colors that are already so popular in other parts of the house. Take a look at these nine stylish examples.
Nancy Mitchell
Apr 4, 2017
An Actually Affordable Oceanside Apartment from Big Little Lies
We were here for the real estate porn of HBO’s star-studded limited series Big Little Lies just as much as the storyline. We bid farewell to the characters’ stunning mansions during the finale that aired on Sunday, but one property from the show can be yours—and could actually be within the price range of mere mortals. [This post contains spoilers for episode six.
Tara Bellucci
Apr 4, 2017
How To Deep Clean Your Kitchen Trash Can
(Image credit: Erika Tracy) From Kitchn → How To Clean a Kitchen Trash Can null
Apartment Therapy
Apr 4, 2017
An Interior Design Student’s Bright Brooklyn Apartment
Name: Kate Location: Brooklyn Heights — Brooklyn, New York I live in a two bedroom, pre-war federal-style townhouse in Brooklyn Heights, as one of four owners in the building. I moved here four years ago from a studio in Gramercy to get more space, but mostly because I love the sense of history in both the apartment (it’s got thick moldings and an old marble fireplace), and the neighborhood. For me, walking through the streets on a Saturday is an exciting activity in itself.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
Apr 3, 2017
7 Rooms That Break Rug Size “Rules” (And Still Look Good)
I’ll be honest, when I got the brief for this article, I took one look at the title and thought: no way. I’ve gone on record around here as a rug-size militant, and one who believes that bigger is nearly always better. But before dismissing the idea completely, I decided to have a hunt for rooms breaking traditional rug rules and still managing to look good. Lo and behold, what I found was eye-opening to say the least.
Eleanor Büsing
Apr 3, 2017
Marie Kondo, Take the Wheel: I’m Trying to Part with Sentimental Clutter and it’s HARD!
I have some things that have been sitting in drawers and closets for years and—while I don’t need or use these things—I am pained to part with them. Some are inherited, some were formerly important, some never made sense, and a lot are scraps: of papers, events, good days, and really amazing trips. They’re little material bits of my life that sit in drawers or the back of closets. And I’ve never figured out how to part with them.
Julia Brenner
Apr 3, 2017
Side-by-Side: Two Identical Lofts Decorated Totally Differently
Beyond satiating curiosity, getting to see how different people tackle the layout of homes with the same floor plan is also illuminating. Do the same people have the same design challenges? Do they use space in the same way? Does architecture have a strong affect on the furniture and accessories selected? Tirsh and Minky share a lovely North Oakland loft with their dog Arnie. As the owners of Hunter & Lew, a design studio, having a home that fosters creativity is clearly important to them.
Adrienne Breaux
Apr 3, 2017
How To Clean an Oven
(Image credit: Gina Eykemans) From Kitchn → How To Clean an Oven with Baking Soda & Vinegar
Apartment Therapy
Apr 3, 2017
Before & After: A New Kitchen (and Bedroom) for a Little Brooklyn Apartment
When Sarah and Oleg connected their Prospect Heights apartment’s galley kitchen to the living room, and turned the adjoining dining nook into an office, they had no idea how perfectly timed their renovation was. They found out they were expecting soon thereafter and the newly separate office became a perfect new home for two baby girls. The apartment was set up with a long, narrow kitchen running parallel to the living room, and separated by a wall.
Nancy Mitchell
Apr 2, 2017
The Tiniest Castle In The UK Is For Sale
Castles are usually expansive, grand affairs, but the old adage that good things come in small packages applies even to stone manors. Molly’s Lodge is the tiniest castle in the United Kingdom, and it also happens to be for sale.
Tara Bellucci
Apr 2, 2017
Before & After: A Beat Up Dresser Gets Chic Scandi Style
Dana became the proud owner of a very large, worn down dresser because she knew with a little love and guidance, it could really be something. Who knew that sanding, painting and hand crafting some leather straps really turned this situation around (Dana knew). From Dana: I bought this dresser for $40 from a man who likely picked it up off a curb. It was really heavy and I could tell that it had good bones but had no idea what was under the several layers of stubborn brown paint.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
Apr 2, 2017
Good Things in Small Packages: Tiny Kitchen Appliances Are Totally On Trend
Minimalism is officially a thing right now, with people (and especially millennials) cutting back their possessions, moving into tiny homes, and living with a whole lot less. Kitchen appliances have followed suit, and more small stoves and fridges are available than ever before. If you’re living in a wee kitchen — or just want to save space without sacrificing style — then consider one of these compact designs for your space.
Melissa DiRenzo
Apr 1, 2017
Maxwell's Fantastic Find: Ollie Chair
Maxwell's Fantastic Find: Ollie Chair
Jun 6, 2024
A Spice Rack Becomes a Bedside Shelf | IKEA Hacks
A Spice Rack Becomes a Bedside Shelf | IKEA Hacks
Apr 7, 2017
How To Clean Burnt Pots & Pans
How To Clean Burnt Pots & Pans
Apr 4, 2017
IKEA Hacks: Eket Stackable Side Table
IKEA Hacks: Eket Stackable Side Table
Apr 7, 2017
IKEA Hacks: Stenciled Rast Dresser
IKEA Hacks: Stenciled Rast Dresser
Apr 7, 2017
IKEA Hacks: Rast Dresser
IKEA Hacks: Rast Dresser
Apr 7, 2017
A Perfect Project: Closet Makeover
A Perfect Project: Closet Makeover
Apr 3, 2017
Are You Saying These Decor Terms Correctly?
Are You Saying These Decor Terms Correctly?
Apr 3, 2017