The Latest
2018
January

The Latest: Jan 2018

Welcome to the hub for accessing all our latest posts! Easily sort through content by date to quickly find what you’re looking for — you’ll never miss out on the latest updates here.
A Cute & Quirky Austin Bungalow
Name: Taylor Clouse Location: Hyde Park — Austin, Texas Size: 900 square feet “There are three tenants in this home, two of the people variety and one of the four-legged variety,” shares Taylor Clouse, of Love County Interiors & Design. “My roommate purchased the home about two years ago and I’m just renting. So, all the changes are strictly cosmetic at this point. The house needs a lot of love, leveling the foundation, new sheetrock etc.
Adrienne Breaux
Jan 18, 2018
The Colorfully Eclectic Colorado House That’s the Very Opposite of Boring
Name: Tina Bousu Location: Loveland, Colorado Years lived in: 6 years Size: 4500 square feet “Our home was a beige canvas when we moved in!” says Tina Bousu, interior stylist and blogger. “I went room by room to create spaces we enjoy living in and that reflect our personality and lifestyle. Some of our projects include adding beams, installing wood ceilings, murals, creating metallic accent walls and a down-to-the-studs kitchen reno.
Adrienne Breaux
Jan 17, 2018
A Positively Perfect, Renovated A-Frame Home in Oregon
Name: Liz Nelsen Location: Hood River, Oregon “My husband Andy and myself along with our two daughters Penelope and Isabella moved to Hood River, Oregon about a year and a half ago from San Diego with the dream to buy land and our first home,” describes Liz Nelson. “We initially found our home in May of last year but it took several months before we closed after waiting for the subdivision of the property and a ton of contingencies.
Adrienne Breaux
Jan 16, 2018
Is it OK to Store Dirty Laundry in the Washing Machine? We Have the Answer
Adult life is full of difficult decisions. Like which vocation to choose as your profession. Or where to settle down. Or this classic conundrum: what you do when the pile of dirty clothes currently taking up residence in the corner of your room isn’t big enough to wash yet? For many of us, that means tossing the pile into the washing machine to lay in wait until enough clothes accrue to run a cycle — hamper be damned. I mean, it’s a perfectly logical step, right?
Julie Sprankles
Jan 15, 2018
Before & After: This IKEA Hack Is Every Neat Freak’s Dream
Evygenia from Foxy and Brass has a small desk that’s tucked inside an alcove in her apartment, and it’s surrounded by built-in shelving. To get herself organized, she hacked an IKEA SKADIS pegboard to fit the space. Not only does the spot look ten times better, but the project solved more than one small space problem. First she cut the pegboard exactly to size [note: the SKÅDIS pegboard isn’t currently available in the U.S.
Dabney Frake
Jan 15, 2018
These Are America’s Most Expensive Zip Codes
Real estate website PropertyShark recently released their annual rankings of the most expensive zip codes in the country for 2017. If you, like me, were alive in the ’90s, you probably assumed that the top spot belongs to 90210. Shockingly enough, Beverly Hills only came in at #5. The top spot is in California, but in Atherton in Silicon Valley—which doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?
Nora Taylor
Jan 14, 2018
Own Halle Berry’s Former Hollywood Hills Home For $3.8M
Golden Globe and Academy Award winner Halle Berry’s former Mediterranean villa has just hit the market for $3.8 million, according to Architectural Digest. The home boasts an impressive 4,300-square-feet and sits on a third of an acre in the highly desirable Hollywood Hills. This home is all about the #1 rule of real estate: location, location, location.
Marni Epstein-Mervis
Jan 12, 2018
One Woman in California Successfully Returned a Dead Christmas Tree to Costco
We love Costco — and its famously generous return policy — but is there a point at which consumers abuse their rights to, well, always be right? Does a woman in California returning her dead Christmas tree in January fall into the category of shameless retail returns that should not be refunded?
Melissa Massello
Jan 12, 2018
Seriously Strange Things We Learned from Popular Mechanics’ Archive
Popular Mechanics first launched on January 11th in 1902. Over the past century they’ve written about just about everything that involves home projects: tools, how-tos, and advice. They recently took a look back at some of their household handyman tips, and let’s just say that there were a few rather unorthodox ideas. When it comes to the world of DIY and home repair, people try a lot of stuff out: some stick and become useful and some are just plain clunky and weird.
Sarah Rae Smith
Jan 12, 2018
Pottery Barn Launches PB Apartment To Focus on Small Spaces
We’ve always thought small was cool, but we’re glad to see that major retailers are getting the memo. Now Pottery Barn is betting on smaller spaces in a big way with their new brand, PB Apartment. It was big news when the major retailer debuted their first small spaces line in 2017, especially since it almost became synonymous with decor for big, suburban houses in the ’90s and 2000s.
Tara Bellucci
Jan 11, 2018
These 500-Unit Tiny Home Developments in Austin are Millennial Goals
Like a trendy modern trailer home park, two new developments in the Austin area are hoping to attract about 500 new residents with their “bring it or build it” tiny home community model.
Melissa Massello
Jan 11, 2018
Why You Should Keep Your Used Dryer Sheets
If you use dryer sheets to keep your clothes lovely-smelling and static-free, don’t throw them away. Put a basket in the laundry room to hold your used dryer sheets and reach for them to make any of the following household tasks easier (and much more pleasantly scented). Wipe one over your clothes or furniture to help remove pet hair. Run them over your baseboards and other molding to lift dust and help repel it.
Shifrah Combiths
Jan 10, 2018
Live Out Your Castle Fantasies: Rent This Brooklyn Turret for $4400 a Month
You don’t have to be a helpless damsel in distress to have Rapunzel-esque dreams: this historic, turreted Crown Heights home is available for rent—though it would help to have a royal partner to actually foot the bill. Carved out of the “tower” section of this landmark home nicknamed “The Castle,” the two-bedroom, two-bathroom “penthouse” apartment has all the romantic character and charm one could want from a Brooklyn brownstone.
Melissa Massello
Jan 10, 2018
Greta Garbo’s Insta-Worthy Apartment Sold For $8.5 Million
Swedish siren of the silver screen, Oscar winner, and actual film legend Greta Garbo had one hell of a home. The actor’s former apartment, located in the exclusive Campanile, hit the market in March and recently sold for well above the asking price. Up from the initial asking price of $5.95 million to a whopping $8.5 million, the home went under contract almost as soon as it hit the market, finding the final buyer in December.
Nora Taylor
Jan 10, 2018
IKEA’s New Credit Card Is Now Available
If you fly a lot, it makes sense to get a credit card with airline rewards. Now, if moderately priced Swedish furnishings are your thing, IKEA just released a card for you. The retailer announced back in January their plans to launch a branded credit card in the United States that will also provide additional financing options for “major home projects,” as initially reported by trade publication Chain Store Age.
Tara Bellucci
Jan 10, 2018
This IKEA Ad Is a Coupon And a Pregnancy Test
Welcome to dystopia. Here, magazine ads contain both coupons and pregnancy tests. Yes, you can now pee on an IKEA ad to see if a) you qualify for a discount, and b) you’re pregnant. This very real ad will tell you if you’re with child and if you are (mazel tov, by the way), you’ll receive a coupon for cribs. According to a story in AdWeek, Swedish advertising agency Åkestam Holst created this, um, innovative ad to run in Swedish women’s magazine, Amelia.
Nora Taylor
Jan 9, 2018
A Sunny Micro Studio in Georgia
Name: Kelly Jackson Location: Atlanta, Georgia Size: 300 square feet “We bought this Eastlake-style Victorian home almost a year ago, right after we had a newborn baby (our second child, daughter Lucy),” writes Kelly Jackson. “The whole house needed major renovations, but my husband, who is a realtor, convinced me that despite this being the WORST time ever to take on a major reno and uproot our whole family, that this was an amazing investment.
Adrienne Breaux
Jan 9, 2018
Daniel Craig May Have Bought This Fixer Upper in Brooklyn
It looks like James Bond himself may be Skyfall-ing into Brooklyn. Daniel Craig, the dashing Englishman known for his roles in Bond flicks like Spectre and Casino Royale, is rumored to be the new owner of a $6.75 million home in Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighborhood along his wife, the equally-as-stunning Rachel Weisz. Naturally, the brownstone, which was built in 1901, previously belonged to another famous Brit: author Martin Amis.
Megan Johnson
Jan 9, 2018
A Frank Lloyd Wright Building In Montana Is About To Be Demolished
Frank Lloyd Wright fanatics everywhere are undoubtedly hoping a buyer who has an appreciation for the famed architect’s expansive legacy – along with a cool nest egg stashed away – will step in and save one of just three FLW structures in Montana from demolition. As Curbed reports, The Lockridge Medical Center in White Fish, Montana will meet a most unpleasant fate unless someone pays the $1.
Kenya Foy
Jan 9, 2018
Why You Should Keep Toothpaste in the Kitchen
I love finding ways to use things I already have in new life-hack-y ways, like removing labels on jars with coconut oil and baking soda. Like toothpaste: It’s something we all have in our bathrooms. But here are a few reasons to keep a tube in the kitchen. Gently rubbing non-gel toothpaste on water rings can remove them from a wooden table. Scrubbing chrome fixtures with a dab of toothpaste will make them gleam. Rub the toothpaste into the chrome with a rag and then buff with a clean rag.
Shifrah Combiths
Jan 9, 2018
Before & After: A Mauve Toilet Meets Its End
Scuffed mauve toilet, periwinkle walls, mauve sink, pebbled glass shower door, yellowed shower stall—what’s not to love? Well, perhaps a few tiny updates might be in order here… Ahhhh, much better! I know there are those of you who dislike white-centric makeovers (I always love them), but in this case, the interplay between the mostly white walls and the mostly black floor is so fun and vibrant, and the room really pops.
Tess Wilson
Jan 8, 2018
Polly Pocket Was a Tiny House Pioneer. Here Are 7 of Her Best Design Lessons
90s nostalgia suckers, this one’s for you: This weekend, we reported the breaking news that original Polly Pockets are apparently selling for thousands of dollars. If you’ve already called home to confirm that you don’t have any of these lottery tickets collecting dust in the attic between the Beanie Babies and American Girl dolls, you’re not alone. But what exactly was it about those miniature plastic dollhouses that could keep our childhood selves entertained for hours?
Laura Schocker
Jan 8, 2018
Is 2018 the Right Year to Buy a Home?
If buying your first home is among your New Year’s resolutions for 2018, you might be viewing the current real estate landscape with equal parts hopeful wonder and anxious dread. As a first-time buyer, you can expect plenty of company at open houses and a lot of headwinds in your search. Experts predict 2018 will be another seller’s market, with demand far outpacing the available inventory of homes for sale. But that doesn’t mean you have to sit on the sidelines.
Jon Gorey
Jan 8, 2018
The Genius Reason to Tape a String To Your Moving Boxes
In my adult life, I’ve moved almost twenty times. No seriously, I have. It’s not a badge of honor by any means, but, because of this, I’m now awesome at packing everything I own in quick order, and knowing exactly how many and what size boxes I’ll need. It’s a super power. So color me surprised when I saw this tip about a new (to me) method of box packing that makes unpacking even easier.
Sarah Rae Smith
Jan 8, 2018
This Modern Loft in Chicago Checks All the Right Boxes
An airy loft with exposed brick and plenty of natural light has to be the ultimate urban real estate fantasy. This Chicago penthouse ticks off all those must-haves and more. Chef’s kitchen? Private roof deck? Incredible master suite? Check, check, check. 2105 West Concord Place, Unit 7 Located in Chicago, Illinois $999,000 3,200 square feet 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, one half bath Tricked-out kitchens with not one, but two islands are usually the stuff of suburban real estate listings.
Colleen Egan
Jan 8, 2018
7 “Old Fashioned” Decor Ideas That Are Actually Super Chic
Blue and white ginger jars have always had a special place in decorators’ (and grandma’s) hearts, but Chinoiserie has had a massive boom in searches on Pinterest lately, meaning it’s going mainstream. And that spike is only part of a much larger trend of old, antique, and retro aesthetics coming back into vogue. Not only are ginger jars having a moment, but so are sputnik lamps, velvet upholstery, and rattan pieces, among many others.
Marlen Komar
Jan 7, 2018
Check Your Mom’s Attic, Because Your Old Polly Pockets Could Be Worth a Ton
Did you have Polly Pockets as a kid? I sure did. Those tiny little choking hazards lived in minuscule worlds tucked inside jewel-toned compacts. And like many things I wish I still had even decades after they got passed on to cousins or thrift stores, I often contemplate hunting some down on eBay. And apparently, I’m not alone. Well it turns out, if you’re stricken with the nostalgia bug, it could cost you.
Tara Bellucci
Jan 7, 2018
Before & After: Maximizing Every Square Inch of A Small Bedroom
We featured Medina’s closet makeover the other day, and now we are back to show you the rest of her bedroom, which she recently redid to take full advantage of every inch of the space. It’s a small room, so she had to get very creative…. This isn’t true before photo, but you can picture a standard rental bedroom with bland cream-colored walls, beige carpet and that ugly melamine wardrobe that Medina and her husband weren’t allowed to get rid of.
Dabney Frake
Jan 7, 2018
A DIY Designer & Chronic Rearranger’s Boston Condo
Name: Annabel Joy, her husband Kean, and her French bulldog, Mona Location: Boston, Massachusetts Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned “I’m a full-time public school teacher and a DIY designer/chronic rearranger/plant-hoarder,” writes Annabel Joy. “I love pop art and bright white rooms with pops of color like hot pink and neon yellow. My husband Kean, on the other hand, prefers a more toned-down aesthetic.
Adrienne Breaux
Jan 7, 2018
3 Things Super Organized People Do at Home that You Don’t
Each of us has personal feelings about cleaning and home keeping. But what remains remarkably similar across the board is the trouble spots that we all find tricky to solve. Which, by extension, means that those perpetually organized people who never seem to have the stuff explosions most of us fall prey to have found successful ways to address these very same sticking points. Nothing multiplies like paper piles.
Shifrah Combiths
Jan 7, 2018
Check Out This $38M Mansion, Decorated by Lenny Kravitz
If you’re on the market for a home whose interior screams “are you gonna come my way,” then look no further. A spec home with interior design from none other than rock god/scarf legend, Lenny Kravitz, has hit the market in Los Angeles. The $38 million dollar mansion in the Hollywood Hills comes with such rockstar accoutrements as a nightclub, a 70-foot-wide wrap around swimming pool and lots of shag carpeting.
Nora Taylor
Jan 6, 2018
8 Unexpected (& Cheap!) Things You Haven’t Thought to Frame as Art
Tired of doing the same-old, same-old? Here are some super personal out-of-the-box ideas.
Marlen Komar
Jan 6, 2018
A Warm California House That Feels Nothing Like a Tract Home
Name: Andrea Van Soest Location: Murrieta, California Size: 3500 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, owned “Many of the homes in Southern California (like ours) are tract homes,” confesses Andrea Van Soest. “While our builder did a good job of making the exterior of our neighborhood look darling, we have worked hard to make the inside of our home feel nothing like a tract home.
Adrienne Breaux
Jan 6, 2018
Harry Says Relax: These Potter-Themed ASMR Videos Are So Calming
We’ve talked a bit about ASMR here in the hallowed Apartment Therapy halls, with this Oddly IKEA video and this post about ASMR improving one writer’s sleep life, but haven’t fully investigated this internet phenomena. Well, now there’s a series of ASMR videos that incorporate none other than Harry Potter.
Nora Taylor
Jan 6, 2018
This Guy Built a Farmhouse Table & Redditors Ate Up The End Result
Mark Haggerty shared his DIY table project on the social media platform earlier this week and people are really loving it — both for the amazing end result, and for the price tag: $850, including lumber, hardware, tools, glue, and stain. From Mark: I have always wanted a farmhouse table, and when I bought my first house, the space next to the kitchen was begging for it. Buying a table wasn’t in the budget— plus, what’s the fun in that!
Dabney Frake
Jan 5, 2018
How to Use This Unexpected IKEA Product in Every Room of the Home
IKEA’s Algot collection is a closet system, a modular, budget-friendly alternative to something like the Container Store’s Elfa. But like a lot of IKEA products, it’s also incredibly versatile, suitable for a huge variety of uses that go far beyond closets. Here are some of our favorite ways to use Algot shelves, drawers, and bins in every room of the house. Algot can be a bit of a lifesaver in a closetless entryway, providing drawers, shoe racks, hanging bars, and shelves.
Nancy Mitchell
Jan 5, 2018
A Renovated Cabin So Cozy Inside, Winter Won’t Seem So Bad
Name: Danielle and Ely Franko and Pomapoo, Bentley Location: Haines Falls, New York Size: 1530 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned “We purchased our home almost two years ago with the intention of fixing it up within a year and listing it for rent,” begins Danielle Franko. “At that point we had no emotional attachments, no idea of the work that would be required, and no real vision for what we wanted it to look like.
Adrienne Breaux
Jan 5, 2018
Modern Minimalism Meets Traditional Beautifully in Brooklyn
Name: Bev Wilson Location: Boerum Hill — Brooklyn, New York Size: 975 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned “I am a Brooklyn-based lawyer with a passion for interior design and photography,” writes Bev Wilson of Room Sauce. “My Instagram and website document the renovation of my fixer upper apartment, my design and staging projects, and my design travels. When I bought my apartment, it had been used as a rental for over ten years and was not in good shape.
Adrienne Breaux
Jan 4, 2018
Your New Year’s Cosmic Cleanout: The Perfect Cleaning & Decluttering Plan for Every Zodiac Sign
New Year’s perpetually brings on the urge to purge, and with Mercury now out of retrograde and a pack of planets in Queen-of-the-Capsule-Collection, Capricorn, it’s a luminous moment to catch some serious stardust with your Swiffer.
Bess Matassa
Jan 4, 2018
Make Your Radiators More Effective With This Household Staple
If you’re on the East Coast of the United States, chances are you’re currently being pummeled by what meteorologists are (horrifically) calling a bomb cyclone. Basically, it’s a blizzard on steroids (aka low barometric pressure). If you’re safe and sound at home but could use a little more oomph from your radiator, here’s a handy tip that uses something you probably have in your kitchen drawer.
Tara Bellucci
Jan 4, 2018
Before and After: An Unbelievably Quick Kitchen Update
This kitchen has quite a bit of vintage charm, and all that white certainly does a great job reflecting the sunlight pouring in from the window. And there’s nothing better than a window over the dishwashing sink, but the room could definitely use a little something. Fortunately, that certain something was do-able in a single week.
Tess Wilson
Jan 4, 2018
This $20 Find Can Cut Your Vacuuming Time in Half
So often, our biggest hurdles to getting stuff done are mental ones.
Shifrah Combiths
Jan 4, 2018
Here’s the Secret Weapon for Decluttering Your Space
Sometimes the biggest obstacle standing between you and a cleaner, clutter-free home is an unwillingness to just let go of unneeded stuff. When faced with getting rid of things, we can all turn into a bunch of hoarders at heart (“but what if I need it someday?!”). Luckily, your best weapon against a chronic case of “keep it just in case”-itis is a simple thing we like to call the outbox.
Taryn Williford
Jan 4, 2018
Casting Call: Do You Want a Paint Makeover for Your Tiny Home? Let Us Help!
Let us give your tiny home a makeover! We’re looking for a reader whose tiny home has good bones but needs a little sparkle and personality. If you’ve been wanting to give your tiny home a more defined and stylish look, you might be just the person we’re looking for. We’re working with an advertiser to help our readers explore bold, exciting paint upgrades in their tiny homes and to document it in a before-and-after video.
Creative Studio
Jan 3, 2018
These IKEA Hacks Will Dominate 2018: A Top 10 Countdown
Here's our top 10 countdown of predictions....
Dabney Frake
Jan 3, 2018
Partner
How to Start Loving Your Laundry Room
To make laundry less of a chore, set up your space with the right supplies.
Creative Studio
Jan 3, 2018
Do This and You’re One Hour Closer to a Happier, Healthier Home
There’s a quote by French writer Antoine de Saint Exupéry that I’ve always loved to repeat to myself when I need perspective: “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” As much as you want your home to be a better, happier place, you have to understand that it takes work to get there. And not all of that work is spent on hands and knees, scrubbing showers or sorting drawers. Much of the work is just planning — deciding what to do and committing to when to do it.
Taryn Williford
Jan 3, 2018
America’s New Most Expensive Listing Will Ask Half a Billion Dollars
I’ve got bad news for you, writers who were working on their “Great Gatsby but 2018” projects. Truth has eclipsed all possible fiction with this $500 million dollar house about to hit the market. The plans for the house, like the price tag, are equal parts frightful and fantastic—so far from most people’s daily experience as to be some sort of joke.
Nora Taylor
Jan 2, 2018