Apartment Therapy Archive: Feb 2019

If you’re familiar with our Instagram, you know we love to fill our feed with jaw-dropping spaces that aim to inspire—whether it’s regrammed from a follower or photographed in one of our House Tours. Since we feel that our audience truly have a great eye for design, we wanted give some of our top liked posts from February a little extra lovin’. To narrow it down, we decided to focus on living rooms that we’ve featured over the past 28 days.

This is the best deal on West Elm right now.

We have strong feelings about a lot of things, but until recently, towel quantity wasn’t one of them. In a hilariously earnest social media post, writer Yashar Ali tweeted about bath towels, specifically the number of towels adults should ideally own. Fortunately, Yashar doesn’t have quite as many towel categories as Monica Geller, but he did start what became a wildly popular towel meme based on his suggested that there should be 50 towels per adult couple.

Whether or not you’re actually in the market for a new home, scrolling through real estate listings can be habit-forming. Looking at all the cool living spaces available can be oodles of fun, even if they’re halfway across the country or seriously out of your budget. Case in point? One of Trulia’s most popular listings this month: This stunning nine-bedroom, 10-bathroom mansion in Encino, California. At a listing price of $7.

It’s only for a limited time, so get to shopping!

Fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent was onto something when he famously said, “Fashions fade, style is eternal.” Your personal style is so much more than haphazardly throwing on a T-shirt and pair of jeans; it’s a reflection of who you are. It’s as much a part of your identity as your job or Instagram feed. So why should your home be any different?

Perfect Night In is a series where we ask actors, artists, entrepreneurs, and beyond how they’d spend the ultimate luxury—a blissful evening at home. If you follow entertainment news and are a loyal fan of interior design, odds are you are aware of Moll Anderson. Known for her lifestyle advice and tips, there’s little that she doesn’t touch when it comes to the home—and on every platform imaginable, too.

You saved up that down payment—and those extra closing costs. The furniture has been bought and the rooms have been painted. You’ve sent the movers a deposit and even paid your first mortgage payment! You’re past the most stressful financial part of homeownership, right? Not so fast. A large portion of American homeowners say they’re still facing financial anxiety—even after move-in day.

Name: Freddie Chavda and pups Location: Bushwick — Brooklyn, New York Size: Somewhere between 850 – 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 1 year, renting Freddie’s Bushwick loft is a perfect example of taking a raw, industrial space and turning it into a home. But rather than just filling it with newly purchased furniture, he both thrifted and found elements to add warmth to his home… as well as custom built many of the elements in the home.

If you’ve been waiting for the next big brand collab from Target, well, we have great news. The Minneapolis-based retailer announced today that it’s partnering with vineyard vines for an exclusive collection that will launch this spring. Details are slim at the moment, but what we do know is that the collection will launch online and in stores on May 18, 2019, just in time for summer fun.

Plants are everywhere these days, and there’s no better time to become a first-time plant parent. But actually choosing a plant can be intimidating if you’ve never bought one before. Here’s what you need to know about navigating the whole experience. Related: 5 Things to Know When Becoming a First-Time Plant Parent Odds are good that you’ve seen beautiful plants on social media. Bookmark a few options to show the sales associate when you get to the store.

It’s one thing to check into a hotel, like at the Hotel Nikko San Francisco, where Buster, the hotel’s “Canine Operating Officer” is available 24/7 for an on-demand cuddle. But to get to live in a rental building with an on-site dog who lives in the lobby during the day? That’s a building I want to move into right now. To that end, meet Daisy the 12-year-old ‘House Dog’ at NEXT Apartments in Chicago’s River North neighborhood.

This garden-level space was the home’s entrance, office, guest room, and living room all in one, and though it was full of intriguing art, fantastic patterns, and great furniture, it needed a little something to make it as welcoming and cozy as possible. Removable wallpaper to the rescue!

When you're on the 'gram regularly, you start noticing certain items popping up time and time again.

Name: Sara Ruch, husband, and three cats Location: Jersey City, New Jersey Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, owned My husband and I bought this home in the fall of 2017, after searching for close to a year in the Jersey City area. We knew we wanted a single family home, and the process was so much longer and more competitive than we imagined. We were lucky to have our offer accepted on this home, which was previously owned by the same family for many years dating back to WWII.

It’s not getting warm anytime soon for most of the country, and while that forecast can feel a tad bleak, it also means that we’re not saying farewell to blanket season quite yet. From oversized thick knits to lightweight throws, blankets come in all shapes and sizes—and they can all be found on Etsy, the online marketplace for one-of-a-kind goods.

They call it the Swiss Army Knife of the kitchen for a reason: The ultra-functional, ultra-fast Instant Pot boasts seven functions, so you can saute your veggies, steam your rice, and pressure cook your protein in one, fell swoop. Sounds easy, right? For the most part, it is. While the Instant Pot is attractive in large part for its convenience, using it—and caring for it—comes with a bit of a learning curve.

When it comes to the care of plants, we’ve got you covered. But there’s one thing you can’t tell just from a quick Google search: how long your plant has been sitting around in the store. Ideally, of course, store staff have been taking good care of them, but there are lots of unknowns at the time of purchase. It might seem small, but it could make a huge difference in your plant’s longevity.

In the world of credit, establishing a credit score of 850 is like being granted a lifetime achievement award. Both FICO and Vantage—widely used credit-scoring models—consider 850 to be the highest possible credit score. The score is perfect. Exceptional. Untarnished. But… is it possible? The short answer, according to experts: Well, yes. But an 850 credit score takes time and strategy.

Winter, the season of cozy hygge, seems like it would be the best time of year to catch up on all those ZZZs we miss out on during the more active months. But it turns out that—whether or not you’re one of the 10 million Americans who suffer from seasonal affective disorder each year—the long and dark days actually wreak havoc on our sleep schedules, both in the quality of our sleep and the number of hours of rest we’re getting each night.

Japanese Leather Safari Chair – $695 – A classic safari chair design, easy to dismantle for portability, in raw Japanese leather with black trim. One available – NYC Wednesday, February 27 Dear Readers, What are you looking for? We’ve just cleaned out and relaunched our marketplace as Bazaar – the best place on the web for vintage designer furnishings and accessories directly from others in our community. These are my top picks for today.

When it comes to owning a home, it’s all about location, location, location. The city you choose to put down roots will affect so many aspects of your life, including the home you can afford. While certain urban hubs are notorious for being unaffordable, there are other markets that make buying a home just a little more achievable. Wondering where housing costs are lowest in your state? Yearly, the Census Bureau produces the American Community Survey (ACS), which asks U.S.

Living in New York City brings its fair share of rewards and challenges. For me, the biggest continuous struggle—even after almost a decade in NYC—was doing laundry (#blessed, I know). When I lived in Brooklyn, my building had a basement laundry room, but it was creepy down there and I learned the hard way that the super locked the room at 9 p.m.—with my wet clothes trapped overnight in a washing machine.

Designing a cozy home isn’t just about on-point aesthetics. Have you ever thought about how your home actually makes you feel? Interior designers and therapists alike believe home design influences your well-being and emotions, and can even exacerbate your anxiety and stress levels. Whether you are facing clinical anxiety or situational stress, creating a peaceful living space is a great first step toward preventing—and managing—stressful emotions.

One half of the actress-turned-fashion mogul twin duo Mary-Kate Olsen and her husband Olivier Sarkozy are looking to offload a pair of Manhattan townhouses. Located at 123 E. 10th St., and 125 E. 10th St., the posh residences recently hit the market for $7.69 million and $8.3 million, respectively. The former space is 4,200 square feet, five stories tall and has an eat-in kitchen along with a total of five bedrooms, one of which is a master suite that encompasses an entire level.

Name: Rachel Waters Location: Sunnyside — Queens, New York Size: 850 square feet, one bedroom Years Lived In: 1 year, renting Rachel has lived in NYC for seven years, previously in Kensington, Brooklyn.

Every year, I set home goals for things I want to accomplish—things like switching out light fixtures, or putting the final touches on half-finished rooms. Finding the right artwork is always on that list. At any given time, I usually have a few pieces that I like but don’t love, or one that’s the perfect size but not the right color palette for the room it’s in. And then there’s that final piece of my gallery wall that is still missing.

While this bathroom would have been the absolute height of luxury and style a few short years ago—and it’s still extremely nice—it was basically the opposite of its owner’s style. After a creative, approachable DIY, this went from earth-toned bath to brightly colored… ball pit? Roxanne of @daintylibrarian is a visionary who saw a spa tub and thought, probably, “This could be a lot more fun.

For as clean and unobtrusive as all-white bedding can be, it’s also a bit, well, boring. So we searched our home tours high and low for eye-catching bedding–that isn’t plain white—to show just what a little color and pattern can do in a bedroom. Here are eight bedrooms that might make you rethink your all-white bedding. A little color goes a long way in an all-white room.

Name: Erica Riha and fiancé Location: Upper East Side — New York, New York Size: Under 500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting My fiancé and I moved into our Upper East Side apartment a few years ago after living in a much larger Queens one bedroom. We both work on West 57th Street and moved to have a shorter commute, the trade-off being less space; I’m an interior designer so I knew I could handle the challenge.

This quick trick instantly delivers more space—just by raiding your utensil drawer.

In between juggling film and TV roles, being a wife, mother and getting her zen on with the help of organization photos, Kristen Bell somehow managed to find time to launch a line of baby products with her husband Dax Shepard. This week, the couple announced a collection of baby goods named Hello Bello, an adorable moniker that pairs well with Kristen and Dax’s reputation for being unbelievably cute at all times. There’s even a nod to K-Bell’s favorite animal—the sloth.

If you’ve ever missed out on a Vitamix sale and later regretted it, today you can redeem yourself. Amazon’s Deal of the Day features two full-sized Vitamix models, including one for nearly half off. Deal of the Day quantities are often limited, and come midnight PST, the sale will be over. So, really, what are you waiting for? We doubt you’ll ever see a Vitamix for $150 again.

Much of the items in this industrial Brooklyn loft were found on the side of the road, the Craiglist free section, or this building's "freeshelf."

This is the ultimate fixer upper.

Sure, regular showers are an accepted part of our morning (or evening) routines. However, since dragging yourself out of your cozy cocoon-like bed can sometimes feel like the ultimate chore, we’ve rounded up a handful of cheerful, mood-elevating shower curtains to help jumpstart your day. We guarantee the below options will put a smile on your face—at least until you realize there’s no hot water left.

If you’re a loyal fan of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, you’ve probably gotten into a duel or two over which novel is best in the series. While each individual has their opinion, we got an inside look at the most Googled Harry Potter book by state—and the results might make you Moody, pun intended. Furniture brand Joybird released a study that showed the highest searched Harry Potter title in each state throughout the U.S.

It doesn’t matter if you have a streaming service or cable box or if you binge-watch the latest shows the second they air or only tune in for big things like the Super Bowl, practically everyone has a television set somewhere in your home. And, more likely than not, your television is the focal point of whatever room it’s in. Do those lounge chairs in your living room face your television set instead of each other?

When it comes to sleep, there’s a reason technology gets a bad rap. Excessive screen time before bed can disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm by suppressing melatonin production—which means you might be better off delaying that late-night Insta-scroll until the daylight hours (or investing in a fancy pair of blue-light blockers). But there’s one tech trend that could have the opposite effect: Apps and products that use technology to help you sleep better.

This master bathroom was perfectly fine, but certainly not in keeping with the rest of Studio DIY’s vibrantly playful, creative, fun, and always-intriguing design sensibility. This one is definitely not a minimalist, monochromatic makeover. Studio DIY turned an ordinary bathroom into something undeniably fabulous. The green tile on its own is utterly glorious, a lush color that would be the statement in many bathrooms.

Make your whole project that much easier.

A stand mixer is a staple of many home cooks’ kitchens—and it can also be an amazing focal point. It’s sculptural! It’s industrial! It comes in so many different colors! On the flip side, a stand mixer can be big and bulky and presents a fair share of other problems you might not have anticipated before you decided to spring for one. But don’t fret—there’s probably a hack for whatever it is that’s ruining your stand mixer state of bliss.

The midcentury modern trend isn’t going anywhere–it’s so prevalent we’re just as likely to refer to it by its initials, MCM. The prevalence of the trend also means you can now spend as much–or as little–as you want on these vintage-inspired buys. But rather than compromise quality for price, we like to find reliably affordable sites like AllModern that still sell things that will last.

Photos courtesy Jennifer Procopio A historic home with all the modern updates. 2 Murray Street Located in Norwalk, Connecticut $619,000 5 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms This home makes a serious first impression—both inside and out. The punchy red exterior of this vintage colonial is offset by the modern entrance. Here, you open the front door to an entry with a raised panel staircase and spacious coat closet—all wrapped with statement-making geometric wallpaper.

For some people, a big backyard is a priority—as in a backyard that boasts hundreds of miles of trails perfect for weekends spent hiking and exploring. You know of the biggies like the Rim-to-Rim in the Grand Canyon and The Narrows in Zion National Park. But there are several, lesser-known destinations throughout the United States where hiking is spectacular, thanks in part to preservation efforts, volunteers who groom the trails, and good ole’ Mother Nature.

It’s about that time for your Netflix queue to come in like a lion and out like a lamb. This is what’s new on the streaming service for March, and what’s getting dropped. Catch Bradley Cooper in his most perfect role (outside of Jackson Maine), alongside other faves like Amy Poehler, Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, et. al. in this classic camp movie. Can you believe??

Life is stressful enough as it is—so make this the weekend you stop putting unnecessary pressure on yourself when it comes to hosting. Does your house need to be impeccably clean with a three-course dinner planned and a carefully crafted evite in order to have a good time? No. Is it easy to get swept up in appearances and pretend it does? Absolutely.