Apartment Therapy Archive: Oct 2017

If you’ve ever wanted to live like the Obamas, here’s a chance: the modern Martha’s Vineyard property where the former First Family vacationed is on the market—for $17.75 million. 8 Snail Road—also known as the Chilmark House—served as the 2013 “summer White House,” and features six bedrooms, five full and two partial baths across 7,000 square feet.

Black and white is classic. But what happens when you add a little bit of gold? Well, then you’ve really got something. The proportions might be a little different, but these nine spaces all work this color combo, guaranteed to add a little glamour and drama to even the humblest of spaces. Above: In this space from Residence Magazine via My Unfinished Home, gold and white accents take on a new aura when paired with dark, dusty walls.

Taylor Swift has embraced the New York state of mind so completely, and so broadly through real estate investments, that some pop culture writers have started referring to her downtown Manhattan ‘hood as “Taybeca.” Now, the New York Post reports that Swift has mic-dropped a whopping $18 million for a townhouse at 153 Franklin Street in Tribeca (with a somewhat shady past) in an off-market deal.

From Apartment Therapy → Who Has The Guts To Renovate After Martha Stewart? This Guy.

It may pay to be a morning person.

As we near the end of 2017, we are naturally looking to the future. Quite a few paint companies have announced their 2018 Colors of the Year, and there are a broad range of hues to choose from. Here’s a roundup of what they say we’ll be seeing more of in the coming months, along with advice on how to decorate with them. PPG Paints and two of its other brands, Olympic and Glidden, all went to the dark side with a shade of black for 2018.

Inspiring rooms your guests will feel like sinking into and staying awhile.

Here are 10 headboards you can totally DIY – and none of them require sewing! Give your bedroom the statement headboard it deserves with these helpful tutorials: velvet, tufted, faux leather, wingback, and so much more! If you’re lucky enough to score a blanket like this at a thrift store (or if you happen to own one already and don’t need it for blanketing purposes), this project is for you.

Leave it to IKEA to create an ad that people will watch, even if it’s intentionally long and boring. The Swedish retailer’s latest YouTube preroll ads (the commercials before a video that you can skip after five seconds) are really mundane and yet, weirdly mesmerizing.

Name: Stephan Kaspers, Judith Bolk, and their cats Dinkey and Wolly Location: Coevorden, the Netherlands Size: 1,292 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned A less adventurous person might have backed away from this house built in 1920 — charming as it was, it was practically uninhabitable and in dire need of updates. But as a little boy Stephan loved rearranging his bedroom, tweaking details to make the space look lovely.

I don’t know how to write for television. I mean, I have a general sense of how to format a script, if I’m being generous with myself, and I can imagine sitting around a table with a group of people saying something like “Does it make sense for the Commodore to be in that scene, or does it mess with the timestream?

Here today, gone in a matter of days: if you’ve been thinking of making an offer on a home for sale near you, don’t delay. According a new report, US homes are sitting on the market for the shortest amount of time in nearly 30 years — a mere three weeks. Good news if you’ve been thinking of selling your home, for sure, but bad news because experts say that it may be a sign of something worse to come.

Because after all, classic styles never go out of fashion.

Chantel’s bathroom had a dark dungeon of an enclosed shower, dated vanity that lacked storage, and an odd medicine cabinet behind the toilet that protruded from the wall. With 35 years of use into this bathroom, it suffered from a grunge she just couldn’t get rid of — not to mention a slight odor and an odd color scheme that she just couldn’t live with. As you can see above, the 1980s was in full effect. The bathroom was originally one large 16′ x 7′ bathroom.

Fresh cut flowers for my home are a little luxury I like to indulge in when I can. They make my rooms feel instantly energized and just make me happier, plain and simple. Plus, according to this article, they can also prompt you to keep your home tidier, and I’ll take all the motivation I can get! The only problem is, lush and lovely arrangements, when bought repeatedly, can become a bit of an expense, which usually holds me back from always having florals on display.

Have you ever felt like the exercise of replacing the fitted sheet on your bed should be an Olympic sport? One innovative new company in New York feels your pain and wants to arm you with better equipment: a sheet set that’s more like a layered ski shell than your standard bedding. Stretto is a new zip-on, zip-off fitted sheet design that envelopes your mattress more like a mattress cover — allowing you to just zip off the top part for cleaning and zip a fresh one back on.

From infrared to microwave, saunas are like so hot right now. But when it comes to those good ol’ cozy, healthful feelings, nothing does it quite like the original firewood-stoked version — especially when that sauna happens to have scenic vistas and is literally floating on a lake in middle of hygge land itself.

It is now a well worn internet trope/undeniable truth that it is basically impossible to leave Target without grabbing a bunch of impulse buys. Well, they must be onto us because they’ve announced a plan to make their beauty aisle resemble that of Sephora, also known as the other place that takes all your money.

We’ll be honest, this post is little more than an excuse to look at cute kids in cute costumes. We asked for your favorite, most adorable, most out-there childhood costumes and you delivered. Revel in all this glorious Halloween nostalgia. Shout out to all the creative parents who made some really impressive costumes and let their kids commit to some of the more out-there ideas. We’ve got home made masterpieces, repurposed recital costumes and some truly great masks.

Name: Steph Waterman Location: Carroll Gardens — Brooklyn, NY Size: 600 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting Kaz and Steph are the “design obsessed duo” behind The Stylephiles. “We are oceans apart in Sydney and New York.

Here’s something that will slow you up in the morning: piles of loose shoes that you have to paw through looking for a matched pair, or a table cluttered with stuff that’s camouflaging your keys. Stop being underprepared and overwhelmed in the morning by giving yourself a dedicated and organized place to store your stuff. You might just be able to get out the door faster. Adding a set of hooks is an easy and affordable way to create instant storage in any entryway, big or small.

Most of us have complicated relationships with the places where we live. Unless you have unlimited amounts of money, there’s probably something about your home that you don’t like. Maybe you don’t like the place where you live much at all, and are stuck there because of circumstances or budget.

If you had $18 million to burn, how would you spend it? If you’re Paul Manafort, allegedly you’d hop over to your neighborhood antique rug shop and drop (nearly) a cool mil just on carpet.

Just when you thought you’d run out of gifts for even the most discerning and enthusiastic Harry Potter fan, J.K. Rowling and co. deliver. Today the good folks at Pottermore announced that their art shop is now available in the US, after launching earlier this year for EU and UK Harry Potter fans. There are over forty pieces available, specially curated by the team at Pottermore.

You might want to sit down for this: Urban Outfitters is having a big sale on seating, namely sofas, and you can save a Benjamin on a whole bunch of styles and options. All 90-plus sofa options on Urban Outfitters’ website are applicable, and the discount is applied automatically at checkout. We spy mid-century, traditional, and boho regular and sleeper styles in velvet, microfiber, tweed, and leather to bedeck any living space.

You may have heard about guarantors during your apartment hunt, but if you’re not familiar with what they actually do—or how you can still find one if you don’t know anyone personally who can be a guarantor (or even land an apartment you love without one!)—we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know about getting a guarantor. A guarantor is someone who signs your lease with you to guarantee payment in case you can’t pay for some reason.

As holiday party season quickly approaches, you may find yourself revisiting all of your party habits. Do you show up early, same bottle of wine in tow? Arrive late empty-handed but full of good cheer? Keep a series of excuses in a draft folder on your phone and just sit the whole thing out all together?

Certain landlords, and almost all dorms, have strict rules against painting the walls, which is a major bummer if you love color. So imagine my excitement when I learned about removable, paintable wallpaper — I shouted “hallelujah” and quickly ordered some to find out if it was the answer to all our rental wishes and dreams. So, is this product too good to be true? One thing to note is that it took awhile to find actual removable paintable wallpaper.

Staying healthy during the harsh weather season is always an uphill battle. Along with the dozens of cold and flu viruses flying around, you have stuffy noses and coughs to deal with, too. For those times, it pays to have a solid humidifier on hand to help fight any cold weather bugs coming your way. Currently, Amazon is offering a pretty steep discount (today only) on one of their top-rated models, just in time for flu season. BUY IT: Marsboy Ultrasonic Cool and Warm Mist Humidifier, $49.

If you’ve been eyeing anything from IKEA recently, now might be the time to click add to cart. The Swedish retailer announced a free shipping promotion today that’s good until Friday, November 3. According to IKEA’s homepage, free shipping is valid on orders of $250 or more, both in store and online. If you purchase in store, though, be aware that delivery area limitations apply. It also only applies to in stock purchases and not retroactively to prior purchases.

One Redditor took the “trash” laying around his home workshop —including two old mattresses he used for cushions — and turned it into this sleek, mid-century inspired, industrial-reclaimed couch. For about $100, not including tools.

As a part of our reader month, we asked the AT community to weigh in on the scariest home cleaning tasks. Some of the responses were chores that are simply gross, while others are a little more challenging—and some speak to real fears (anyone else an arachnophobe?). But beyond just being scary, they all have something in common: they’re totally doable—you might just need a little help.

Name: Brandon Bourdganis Location: Ferndale, Michigan Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned “My home is a snapshot of my life…I try to incorporate memories from my family, travels, city, state and friends while making it look very personal and uniquely me.

A nine acre working ranch in Arizona is currently on the market for 5 million dollars. The property is perfect for enjoying the expansive Arizona landscape, sunning by the pool, and physically fighting off alien creatures. According to the current owners, John and Joyce Edmonds, the ranch is a hot bed of paranormal and alien activity.

When Giovanni purchased his Brooklyn condo, the kitchen had barely any cabinet space — and almost no workspace to speak of. His kitchen was just a drab row of appliances stacked next to each other, adjoining an alcove where a combination washer/dryer sat, visible to the rest of the apartment.

Celebs tend to go all out on Halloween, and what they (and let’s be real, their teams of stylists) come up with is often both frightful and delightful. Check out what some famous faces donned for the season’s spooky soirees. Happy Early Halloween & Happy Birthday Gorgeous ❤️ A post shared by Adele (@adele) on Oct 29, 2017 at 2:20am PDT Adele goes for a glam vintage… puppet? Clown? Either way, she looks fabulous.

Halloween is tomorrow. By now, you’ve probably gotten your pumpkins and nailed down your costume, if you’re dressing up. But if you’re behind the curve this fall, no worries. It’s not too late to add a little bit of haunting to your house. Or just a cute Halloween accent or two. Pretty sure the best place to turn to for inspiration when you’re in a decorating time crunch is to HGTV stars.

(Image credit: Kitchn Video) From Kitchn → 5 Last-Minute Halloween Costumes for Food-Lovers null

We showed off Timothy’s remodel of his inherited childhood home in a tour recently — it’s beautiful, modern and it perfectly illustrates what can be done with a limited budget. Timothy was kind enough to contribute family photos from the early ’90s showing the front room — or parlor — in its original state, complete with drab carpet and lackluster furniture.

And how do you keep your plants alive even when the temperatures are dropping and sunlight is low?

Scrolling through Instagram, Pinterest or your favorite design blogs can be a bit disheartening sometimes. Everything is so perfect, and the furniture and accessories are so luxe that it’s easy to get down about the state of your own home. Except any super stylish person will tell you it doesn’t take a ton of money to create a beautiful home. After stumbling across a spectacular floor lamp at Target earlier this week (read on to see it!

IKEA kitchen sales are legendary. 3-4 times a year, for about a month, the store has a department-wide sale for up to 20% off — a huge savings off big ticket purchases for a renovation. IKEA’s current sale goes until Sunday, April 8, so we hit them up for all their juiciest bits of insider intel, all to help you get the most out of the opportunity. Read on, then head to your local IKEA, or plan ahead and get all your ducks in a row for the next one.

To dig into the heads of our most loyal followers, we surveyed readers last month on a bevy of topics. They revealed their favorite cleaning shortcuts, their most hated chore, even the Apartment Therapy advice that has been a game-changer for their home life. We also asked them about trends. We learned that readers are still pretty much into the whole boho look and really love colored doors (and color, in general).

As temperatures begin to drop, now’s the time to turn your place into a cozy nest. Sure, you could break out a throw blanket or light a fire, but this duvet inspired armchair is some next level cocooning. The chair, called COLE, is a product of Russian furniture designer Kseniya Alferova.

If you’ve ever lived in an apartment with an old, crumbling bathroom, you recognize Janna’s frustration with her Manhattan bathroom. “No matter how much we cleaned, it never felt clean,” she said. The small bathroom was dominated by an enormous seven foot tub, as demonstrated by the “before” pic above. In addition to the less-than-ideal layout, the walls and floors were in bad shape, the toilet leaked, and the vanity was beginning to fall apart.