The Latest: Nov 2017

If you like someone enough to let them stay inside your home, chances are you like them enough to want them to have a nice time during their visit. Help that happen by making sure your guest room is a cozy and functional place to stay before the holidays get here! Guest rooms can easily turn into “junk” rooms the longer they sit unoccupied.

One thing we love about Instagram is the rise in popularity of art installations—a little more art appreciation is always a good thing in our book, even if you’re doing it for the ‘gram. And we have exciting news for New Yorkers: Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms are back, along with even more works from the 88 year old artist.

I’m at a loss to explain how this happens, but sometimes something that’s been around for a really long time suddenly feels very, very now. Case in point: channel tufting. Ever since Dabney wrote a post about adding channel tufting to your walls, I’ve been seeing it everywhere, and each example seems more perfect than the last. Here’s a little more channel tufting inspiration, plus our favorite furniture picks for getting the look at home.

The Japanese retailer first debuted the designs in 2015.

Thanksgiving is arguably the star holiday of the cooking world. And, apart from the oven, there’s no other kitchen feature that gets more play during this time of year quite like the island—whether built-in or freestanding. Before you gather around yours this year, take a moment to appreciate how this modern day kitchen staple came to be the status symbol that it has become (because it hasn’t always been that way).

The tragic wildfires that raged through Northern California’s wine country in October were responsible for over 40 deaths and caused roughly $3 billion in damages, making it one of the most costly fires in the state’s history. Now, with the survivors face the daunting task of putting their lives back together, one retailer wants to help them at least try to get some rest.

Part of adulting is encountering the urge to pack up a few belongings, abandon all of your responsibilities and set off toward No Man’s Land to live in a self-imposed state of hermithood. We’ve all had that thought at one point or another, but plotting an escape of that magnitude isn’t as simple as it sounds. Luckily, there’s now a “living vehicle” that can support several weeks’ worth of off-the-grid living.

Halloween may have just wrapped, meaning all the TV commercials and the entire retail industry has jumped well past Thanksgiving into the gift-giving holidays. But as much as you might be willing it to be winter, it’s still technically fall for well over a month. And while it might have snowed recently in parts of the US, for others, it still feels like summer.

Fixer Upper fans, today’s the day you’ve been waiting for. Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Hearth & Hand with Magnolia collection is finally available at Target. The ongoing collaboration (there will be new pieces each season) between the HGTV stars and the Minneapolis based retailer was announced back in September (just two weeks before they said they were ending Fixer Upper).

You don’t have to worry about getting your sea legs under you to enjoy living aboard this vintage cargo ship-turned-gorgeous modern home. This lovely abode for the land-bound is the design handiwork of Amsterdam firm ANA architecten, which took on this unique renovation at the request of the ship’s owner. ANA architecten transformed the original 1957 ship by shortening it so that it could fit the dock space.

Honest show of hands, how many of you have made trips to IKEA not so much for any decor or furniture items, but for the meatballs or to stock up on lingonberry drink? Well, discount German supermarket chain, Lidl, is betting on the idea that Americans enjoy grocery shopping where we buy our decor.

As someone who used to work as an architect and now writes about small spaces, I love seeing how a clever design can completely transform a tiny space. At first glance, this little Italian apartment did not seem very promising. Its 317 square feet (29.5 square meters) were awkwardly chopped up into a tiny bedroom, barely large enough for a bed, an oddly placed bathroom, and a combination living room/dining room/kitchen that was strangely shaped and a bit cavernous.

We’re about to enter “sale season” when every retailer touts their steals and deals to entice you to spend your hard-earned money at their store. I’m all for a sale, but get back to me when you have some real reductions to tempt me with. 10% you say? Sorry, that is definitely not going to make me walk across the room and dig my credit card out of my bag. 20%? I’m listening. 30%? 40%? 50%? Okay, you have my attention.

Anthropologie is set up in a way that it’s not just a “store” but a “shopping experience.” It’s a place you stroll through, linger around, dream of living in. Part of that magical experience? The just-strong-enough aroma that fills the air, luring you across the impeccably styled threshold. I always thought the retailer’s sweet smell was a perfect marriage of all the candles they were burning throughout the store.

Cooking tools for each Hogwarts house.

My family and I live in a remote area—the nearest town has 200 people—so when it came time to replace our falling-apart sofa, our IRL shopping options were very limited unless we wanted to devote our lives to driving to furniture stores. The closest shops were perfectly respectable but lacked a certain flair. It seemed like ordering a sofa online was our only good option, and I’m thrilled it was, because it ended up working out great.