The Latest: May 3, 2019

It is a truth universally acknowledged that we all need to brush our teeth. What you use to carry out the chore is up to you, but if you’re looking for some natural toothpaste alternatives with minimal chemicals (more on that later), we rounded up 7 willing mouths at Apartment Therapy HQ to test out 9 top-rated natural pastes. Did they stand a chance against the raw garlic test? Read on to find out!

When Maxine of We Love Home moved into her home she inherited a less than ideal kitchen. Not only was it pretty blah aesthetics wise, it was basically falling apart. Not one to be deterred, she saw this as a golden opportunity to design her dream kitchen. From Maxine: In my old flat, I inherited an almost-new kitchen so could never justify changing it. I hated it though. As it is had been designed by for someone else, by someone else – it never suited my needs.

When I stumbled across Molly’s cabinet project on her blog Almost Makes Perfect, I was smitten. This is the sort of random, kind of odd design feature that I would complain about but probably just live with, so I was totally inspired by Molly’s gumption in tackling this project. From Molly: For some reason the owner before us had installed this big built in cabinet right in the entryway of the house.

“Wait…that looks familiar.” Is what you may be thinking at this exact moment and hey, you’re right! This cute lil’ cabinet was the after photo in Molly’s cabinet upgrade. She DIYd her way to a subtle, yet impactful aesthetic upgrade to give her cabinets a cohesive look. From Molly: While I love the storage the multiple built-in cabinets our house came with, I hated the cathedral cabinet doors.

We love the idea of keeping the tile in a vintage bathroom, but unfortunately, sometimes that’s just not possible. The lavender tile in the bathroom of Laura and Matthew’s Brooklyn co-op was cracking in several places and needed to be replaced, and storage in the small, cramped room was almost non-existent. They envisioned a new bathroom that would be clean, modern and bright — while still maintaining a bit of the quirky character of the original.

Last April, Emily Henderson needed a privacy solution for her rental studio space and wound up covering individual panes with a variety of window films — which not only added fun pattern and color to the space — but also added a helpful and modern-looking window treatment. We followed up with her to hear how it’s doing months later, and whether she thought it was worth doing in the first place.

Sam hated her kitchen, but she and her husband couldn’t afford to make real changes to it. Being on a budget meant they had to prioritize and focus on the floor — her least favorite part of the room. From Sam: I really really hated our kitchen, but we basically couldn’t afford to make real changes to it because each change begets another change and the whole thing really needs more work than were personally willing/able to put into this house and at this time.

Wood paneling and tile and fluorescent lights, oh my! Heather’s basement was lacking a cozy charm and full of standard issue basement problems (we’re talking about you, mold) so she flexed some serious DIY muscle and turned the space into a warm, family friendly hang out. From Heather: This basement remodel was a heavy lift. We started out with a linoleum and wood paneled jungle, complete with mold, mice, mildew, and hardly a beam of natural light as far as the eye could see.

Some rooms are blessed with really great bones. Things like original wood cabinets, brass hardware, and hexagonal tiles to name a few. But even when these features are in great shape, it can be hard to incorporate them into a modern remodel — especially when your contractor, your mother, and your neighbor are all telling you to gut the space. So how do you decide what to keep and what to toss? Well, if you’re like me, you default to saving every original feature you lay eyes on.

Sometimes the “before” photo is more jaw-dropping than the finished project, and this is one of those times. Round of applause for Lotta, who was able to see the clean, modern potential in this living room —especially given what she had to work with. From Lotta: This beautiful modern home, designed and built in 1987 by architect Jon Condoret, needed to be brought back to modern again.

Purchasing an apartment in New York is no small feat (financially or otherwise). Rima knew she wanted to renovate as soon as she bought her Brooklyn co-op, but was a bit hesitant about pulling the trigger. After four years of dreaming of a new kitchen, she finally worked up the guts (and the money!) to make a big change. Her previous kitchen had a problem common to a lot of NYC kitchens: lack of space.

It took Rima five years of living in her Brooklyn apartment to finally embark on the renovation of her cramped kitchen — but when she did, this first-time remodeler decided to really take the plunge and upgrade her bathroom, too. A complete overhaul transformed this dated space, unfortunately lacking in storage, into a sleek, streamlined small bathroom with a classic look that’s sure to please for years to come. In the newly rehauled bathroom, subway tile covers the walls.

Chokers, Tommy Hilfiger, Wynona Rider. The ’90s may be back but Kirsten really wanted them to get out – and stay out – of her kitchen. With a little help from her husband, she was able to create a classically cool galley kitchen that won’t be going out of style anytime soon. From Kirsten: When we first looked at this home to buy, I remember thinking that the biggest transformation needed to be the kitchen. It was dark, too enclosed and feeling very 1990s.

Erin and Tobin had been living with a bathroom that was fairly functional, but cramped — and in desperate need of a modern update. The two creatives decided to tackle the project themselves, but as anyone who has ever taken on a remodel knows, projects can take longer than expected. This “weekend endeavor” turned into a six-week transformation, but the result was well worth the wait!

Tara Bellucci, our News & Culture Editor, just moved into a new apartment in Boston’s South End this fall. The space definitely needed updating but, since Tara’s renting, a full on, rip-it-all-out reno just isn’t in the cards. She got permission from her landlord to make a few changes — simple inexpensive updates to make it more livable and inviting. And yes, a whole lot less ugly.

The new year is finally here and so are the latest trends. And while it’s fun to embrace all of the new cold-weather clothes, it can still be tough to set yourself apart from the rest of the fashion-savvy pack. That’s why it pays to find ways to personalize your wardrobe without sacrificing your style (or budget). With a little time and creativity, you can turn your basic apparel into an exclusive wardrobe that’s unique to you.

Many of us love watching television but hate seeing that giant black rectangle become the visual centerpiece of a room. Creative couple Nicole and Dave put a lot of thought and effort into their beautiful, industrial live/work loft in South Baltimore, so naturally they didn’t want a big, ugly TV getting in the way of their style. So they came up with a pretty fantastic, artful solution for hiding their TV, and they’ve shared with us how they did it!

New co-op owner Kate Moskowitz recently acquired a New York rarity: an apartment with stairs. Her triplex space has great bones but needs an update to become the simple and contemporary space she wants. Kate has $12,000 to bring the space — particularly the kitchen — up to grade. In this series, expert Alex Bandon answers your specific renovation questions.

This dark half-bath off the kitchen of Sarah & Keith’s home needed a major refresh. It had a good layout in place, but the brown walls made it feel much smaller than its actual size. Sarah and Keith kept the existing configuration and plumbing, and focused on new fixtures and and fresh design plan to give it a brand new look. By brightening up the walls, and sticking with a classic color palette, the bathroom now feels much more spacious.

Sarah and Keith knew it was about time to leave their cramped ’90s kitchen behind. While functional, the space was outdated and closed off. They wanted a space that flowed seamlessly with the rest of the vibrant, contemporary house. They opened up the floor plan, and chose design elements like a neutral wall color and tile, white cabinets and light marble countertops.

Sophia’s 400-square-foot apartment on New York’s Upper West Side was the perfect size for one person. After her husband Leon moved in, the apartment seemed a bit cozy, but they made it work. Then came baby. Three people (and all that baby stuff) in 400 square feet was just too much, so they started looking for a place to buy. They looked, and looked, and looked, but none of the two-bedrooms in their price range were even remotely livable.

In the 50s, General Electric made the fabulous Wonder Kitchen—an entire wall unit with all the appliances built right in. The units came in amazing colors: Canary Yellow, Turquoise Green, Petal Pink, Cadet Blue and Woodbine Brown, all under one stainless steel counter surface. Letitia acquired one of these units, along with other matching cabinets, which were salvaged from another kitchen, and she renovated her dark and gloomy kitchen around this gleaming, wondrous wall unit.

Sarah and Keith had just begun a transformation on the basement space in their house prior to this “before” photo being taken. While previously a functional space, they wanted a basement the whole family could really enjoy together. They wanted a space that was as inspiring to be in as it was lovely to look at. IKEA shelving and some new chalkboard walls were the first step, but something was going to have to be done with the dingy wall-to-wall carpeting.

This “office” space that was shared by Sarah and Keith in their dark, uninspiring basement in their New England Craftsman Colonial didn’t seem to have a clear design or purpose — or you know, much style. But they lightened, brightened and turned this space around! When they removed the carpet and added new hardwoods, a neutral area rug and drapes, the space felt more open and each side had a clear purpose.

I love both blue and black kitchens and all their loveliness and drama, but after seeing 50 million of them over the past couple of years, I start itching for something new to make my eyes happy. So it’s refreshing to see another shade emerge lately as contender for the role of hottest kitchen color. We’re calling it “bruised” green —anything from olive to army to deep forest.

On a peaceful, sidewalk-free street, lined with trees and near a lake, is Matt and Amanda’s 1947 bungalow in the San Rafael hills of Pasadena. It’s not hard to see what attracted the couple to this house, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t need a lot of work. The house had a lot of potential (and light), but not a lot of personality. Matt and Amanda wanted to create a rich, unique Craftsman feel.

With low ceilings, white walls and track lighting, Matt and Amanda’s post-war den in their California Craftsman didn’t exactly inspire the soul. As two people working in a hectic and creative field (they’re both actors), they wanted to add loads of personality to their small den, while also creating a retreat. In short, they wanted to banish the boring. Their plan? Transform the blank canvas above into a room with English pub vibes.

When Matt and Amanda first looked at this house, they were able to instantly imagine fixing up all of the rooms — except for the kitchen. It was a dark, dated galley kitchen with a wall smack dab in the middle. Matt writes: “We went back to look at it one last time and I just sat there trying to visualize what the solution could be. When I realized it could be done, I did my best to explain the mess in my head to Amanda and we went for it!