Apartment Therapy Archive: May 2017

Getaway. Escape. Whatever you want to call it. Your summer vacation need not be an extravagant European adventure in order to be relaxing. In fact, it’s better if it isn’t. When you really need to take a break from city life, you probably want something close, affordable and, above all else, like a home away from home. These 5 vacation rentals fit the bill, if you’re a New Yorker.

Name: Paula-Jane Buckland, son Rocket (9 years old) and Dixon Location: Coburg North — Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Size: 3229 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting Paula-Jane and her son Rocket moved to Melbourne from Adelaide about four years ago.

Name: Melina Location: West Village, New York — New York The basics: 9 months, rented | 300 square feet If you’ve spent anytime hunting for housing on Craigslist, you know that “cozy” spaces so rarely are. Not so in the case of Melina’s West Village studio. Like something out of a TV show with an excellent acoustic soundtrack, her studio is welcoming, warm and totally charming.

Kate Rumson is the founder of the The Real Houses of IG Instagram account (1.5 million followers and counting). In between running the account and her business, The Real Houses, Kate’s also been in the process of updating her New Jersey home to fit her simple-yet-luxe aesthetic. The first order of business: Tackling the bedroom. Specifically, the closet. Kate was lucky enough to have a huge closet space, but it didn’t offer much in the way of storage or style.

From Apartment Therapy → This Couple Dramatically DIY’d Their Tiny Rental Kitchen & Now It’s Awesome null

At this point, we might all assume that we’re picking the same paint colors because Pinterest or Pantone trends told us to, but a Reddit AMA about “How Paint Colors Get Their Names” with two veteran paint color experts had some surprising takeaways about why we actually choose the colors we do.

(Image credit: William Strawser) From Kitchn → Is This the Smartest Way to Hang Kitchen Curtains? null

This two-family home in Stuyvesant Heights is straight out of central casting and represents all the things we love about older Brooklyn homes like hardwood floors, fireplaces, decorative molding and exposed brick. The 1.5 million price includes an owners’ duplex and a garden-level rental unit (to help pay the mortgage). The home’s architectural details are in keeping with the historic neighborhood’s posh past and exude warmth and charm.

If you’re anything like me, you spend a lot of time each day clicking through your inbox. (And, admittedly, if you’re anything like me you also walk away from the inbox with a seemingly never-ending pile of unread messages and junk mail. Does it ever stop?!) But what if there was a way to make sifting through that inbox easier? Enter Gmail shortcuts. Here are 10 essential shortcuts everyone should know.

I absolutely love Lucite. Though technically an umbrella term for clear acrylic, as is the case with Band-Aid and Kleenex, sometimes the brand name becomes synonymous with describing an item in any form.

The Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in Queens is sharing Jim Henson’s magical escapism for generations to come with a new permanent exhibit of his work, including 47 vintage, original puppets and Muppets. From the 1950s to the 1980s, arguably no one has done more to bring childlike wonder and imagination without limits into popular culture quite like Jim Henson.

IKEA is imagining what the future might look like. The Swedish brand’s external innovation hub, SPACE10, is hosting a three-day festival to explore how we can create a more positive future. The first ever Made in Space will be held June 15 through 17 at SPACE10’s headquarters in Copenhagen and will feature three days of programming across the fields of design, art, architecture, anthropology, philosophy, and social entrepreneurship to brainstorm “alternative futures.

Isabelle’s house tour is endlessly inspiring to me, for starters because it’s just flat out gorgeous but also because it so clearly illustrates how all of the small choices we make can add up to something wonderfully, personally beautiful. And for those of us who are renting, that is pretty damn empowering. Ok, first thing’s first: Isabelle’s rental living room is not exactly problematic to begin with. In fact, it has supermodel-level good bones for a rental.

Megan’s rental bath makeover is low key awe inducing. Without making any major upgrades, it’s like she helped her bathroom leap forward into modern styling, while also time traveling back to the time of glam powder rooms. From Megan: The walls of our bathroom were decked in a puzzling color scheme with one brown wall and the rest purple. It was flat paint so it felt pretty dingy and not very practical in a bathroom.

The tendency of tiny houses is to be a bit cutesy—like a little dollhouse that you can (just barely) fit inside. This tiny Korean house retains the familiar shape that comes to mind when we think of the word “house”, with its comforting, pitched roof, but that’s where the similarities to a child’s toy end. Inside and out, this house is completely modern, with a sleek, even austere minimalism that works particularly well for a scaled-down space.

(Image credit: Jeff Roffman) From Kitchn → My Favorite New Tool for Cleaning the Grill null

There's a reason blush is the new neutral. And these GIFs show how this color works well with any decor style!

Lately, there have been some studies going around that seem to prove that taking a warm bath before bed can help you sleep better (although according to Time.com, 20-minute showers could possibly work too). The theory behind it is that taking a bath raises your body temperature, which then drops after you get out and dry off—that, in turn, can help induce and improve your sleep.

From Apartment Therapy → Feel Better: 7 All-Natural Headache Home Remedies null

(Image credit: Wayfair) null

Joe Gebbia, the co-founder and chief product officer of Airbnb, is putting his degree from the Rhode Island School of Design to good use. His collegiate interest in furniture design led to the creation of a co-branded line of modular furniture for Airbnb and Bernhardt. Surprising to no one, Airbnb has moved its company office spaces several times in the last few years.

Name: Caroline Rodrigues @shopmercimilo @rebelandquillobjects Location: Mt. Washington, Los Angeles Size: 2 bed, 2 bath Years lived in: 1 year, renting Caroline and her husband, Jason, have designed their home in a way that strongly reflects their personality and aesthetic. After moving from New York City back to their home state of California, the couple took every opportunity to feel more connected to nature. They settled into the Mt.

Name: Eva, her fiancée and their cat Location: Williamsburg — Brooklyn, New York The basics: 6.5 years, rented | 450 square feet Eva has been in her studio for almost seven years, which is like 64 in renter’s years. But it all makes sense when you consider she’s acquired two of the most covetable New York real estate finds: a space to oneself (at least, until your partner moves in) and a very chill landlord.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From Kitchn → The Prettiest (and Smartest!) Small-Space Gardens on the Internet null

The Grey's Anatomy star's East Coast getaway is cool and collected.

The other day I had to recycle two shoe boxes. They were very nice boxes, and it damn near killed me. Hello. My name is Nancy Mitchell, and I am a box hoarder. I know we sometimes throw that term around, but if the definition of hoarding is that you’re unable to properly identify which things are valuable and which aren’t, I think it fits my condition, at least when it comes to boxes.

Move over LEGO, there’s a new kid in town—and she wants to expand your mind to new limits of imaginative play and thinking. A groovy design inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes of the 1970s, Troxes are triangular, interlocking, flat-pack building bricks made from Plike, a soft-touch paper that almost feels like plastic.

Mentioning the word controversy in connection with home decor may seem a little silly, but if you read the comments on pretty much any Apartment Therapy post, you will learn that decorating decisions can be very contentious indeed. People have strong opinions, and nowhere is that more true than in the kitchen. We’ve rounded up four elements of kitchen design that people tend to have especially strong opinions about, and debated the merits of each. Where do you fall?

Shopping at Crate and Barrel is a surefire way fill your home with stylish furniture, kitchen gear and decor. Now you can find secondhand Crate and Barrel furnishings for less, much less on Marketplace. For example, the solid walnut Reveal desk normally retails for $899 but is available for $450, gently used. The Crate and Barrel website has the Linea II nightstand priced at $400; a Marketplace steal at $150.

Ready to get steamy? Here's everything you need to know about garment steaming.

June 8 marks the 150th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birth. If you’re a fan of the starchitect, then there are plenty of ways to celebrate the momentous day. Here are a few of them. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is working with museums and sites across the country for the historic day, which means lots of fun stuff no matter where you happen to be. Excitingly, tour admission to several of the icon’s works will be just $1.

Name: Joseph Luk Location: Downtown, Toronto Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; owned Have you ever felt that your home has a dual personality depending on the time of day? The season? Joseph does. During the day, the space is bright, airy and open. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the city, giving the illusion that you’re in the clouds. Transitioning into the evening, the lighting is dim and moody — perfect for having a mellow night in.

I’ve always had this romantic idea about traveling light, where I would walk into a hotel in Paris or a rented shotgun bungalow in New Orleans with nothing but a small backpack on my shoulders, ready to explore the city, unencumbered. While other people would be busy fussing over the wrinkles in their packed away shirts, I’d already be tucked away into some charming little cafe or jazz bar, enjoying the fact that it only took me three seconds to head out the door.

Mel was hired by her clients to breathe some style into this workable, but very dark, slightly cramped bathroom. Using a single piece from the client’s old house as a jumping off point, she identified their style and found solutions for their pain points while giving them the look they wanted. Beautiful blue tile, a subtle yet stylish light fixture and funky accents create a bright bathroom oasis.

When you don’t have a lot of space to work with, sometimes you need a single room to fulfill multiple functions. These multi-tasking spaces all serve more than one purpose — but they do it in the sneakiest way possible, with hidden amenities like beds and desks that tuck away when not in use, so you’d never even know they were there.

Navigating the waters of home decorating can sometimes be a little choppy. You may find yourself often asking “am I doing this right?” with every decision you embark on. And though most of the time, you’re doing just fine, other times, well…someone with a trained eye (and tons of experience) could easily call out some potential pitfalls.

(Image credit: Marie-Lyne Quirion) From Kitchn → Where To Buy Kitchen Cabinet Hardware: 10 Sources for Knobs and Pulls null

Brandon and Gabi aren’t just living a dream life — traveling around and enjoying the beauty of our country — they’re doing it while living in this dreamy Airstream trailer. As we showed in their house tour, tons of thought went into the DIY details of their tiny mobile home, from storage to lighting and more. And while the end result is certainly beautiful, it took A LOT of work to get it there.

When it comes to small space living, making the most of all of your available space is everything. Not everyone has sprawling bathrooms with expansive storage closets, but no matter the square footage you have available, we promise, you can make it work. All you need to do is zero in on the often underused spaces that you might be overlooking.

From Apartment Therapy → Are ’80s Kitchens Making a Comeback?

Name: Natasha Lawyer and Brett Bashaw Location: Seattle, Washington Size: 200 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Natasha Lawyer and Brett Bashaw’s 1971 Airstream Sovereign packs incredible style into a compact space — every inch has been thoughtfully designed and curated by the couple. Over one very eventful year of renovation and restoration, they have been able to build a home that is warm, bright, and that even boasts a feeling of loftiness, all in 200 square feet!

There is lots to love about Aine and Eloise’s East London home. The way the floor-to-ceiling doors open up fully, connecting the home to the outdoors. The soothing neutral color palette punctuated with colorful accessories and word art. But of all the elements to drool over in their house, the kitchen deserves the biggest spotlight.

Name: Sarah and Jordan Location: Elkhart, Iowa The basics: 2 years, owned | 160 square feet Sarah harbored tiny house fantasies. She and her husband turned her dreams into reality. The pair set up shop in an adorable tiny home, finding cute ways to maximize space at every turn. Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: My husband, Jordan, and I live in this 160 square foot tiny house, which we’ve dubbed Lil Blue.

I think it safe to say that, while we’re probably at the height of the bed-in-a-box phenomenon, beds themselves are at an all time low, literally. Many of the popular sleep startups’ mattresses don’t require a boxspring, and a bunch of new bed frame designs are basically hovering just a few inches above the floor or right on top if it, a la this Lonny bedroom. So what was once the look of college crashpads is basically now high design.

Former The Daily Show host Jon Stewart used to call this Tribeca penthouse home. The property is once again on the market, now for $20 million. The 6,280 square foot duplex features five bedrooms, five and a half baths, as well as a “loft like” 37 foot long living room, a media room, and a library. The open kitchen is “expertly equipped,” has a pantry, and a “grand counter as a focal point.

Name: Judy Ross Location: Union Square — New York City, New York Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 18 years, renting It’s no wonder Judy’s apartment is flawless; the accomplished textile designer’s space is a stage for her art. Located in the buzzing Union Square area in Manhattan, Judy manages to keep a cool, chic and totally under-control apartment that works for her busy family.