The Latest: 2019

If you got a sweet deal on a fixer-upper that was built before 1978, chances are you’re going come across lead paint somewhere in the house. Beautifully painted window trim that tests positive for lead paint isn’t necessarily the end of the world — but it quickly becomes a problem when the paint starts to deteriorate and chips or flakes away. So if you happen to have a flaky window sill you’re suspicious of, give it a quick test and don’t fear the results.

When Alex moved into his cozy and bright uptown New Orleans rental apartment, he was faced with great architectural bones—beautiful wood floors, big windows, two fireplaces and more. What wasn’t so hot? The builder beige colored walls mixed with other colors that did really work together and made the place seem darker than it needed to be.

It’s hard not to romanticize the meet-cute between Sofia and her now stunning bar. Just an average, overlooked workbench is collecting dust all on its lonesome, until it finally found that special someone who came along and claimed it. From Sofia: I found this workbench under mounds of dusty boxes in the cellar at my mum’s house.

College living is chock full of design challenges (small spaces, random roommates, a general sense of impermanence) so I’m always impressed when people commit to living their best dorm lives. Roxanne came up with a pretty ingenious way to carve out a workstation for her daughter, seemingly out of nowhere. From Roxanne: My daughter needed a study area in her tiny dorm room. With no floor space available I had to get creative. Working with only 2 feet of wall space, I added a fold down desk.

Cabinet hardware is a little detail that can have a big impact on the look of your kitchen or bathroom. The good news is that these days there are quite a few retailers offering modern, minimally styled pieces in a variety of budgets. Here are seven of our favorites. Superfront makes a line of pulls and knobs designed for IKEA cabinets, but they would be equally nice on other cabinets as well. (Blogger Maiju Saw used them in her kitchen.

I thought I’d already found the best example of a BILLY hack already —these built-ins from Gwen of Makerista, which we posted early last year. Then this project came to my attention, and I’ve made room in my heart for two loves instead of just one. Kristina of Ich Designer created a series of these sliding doors for her BILLY bookcases. They move on casters with the help of a u-shaped channel she affixed to the front of the shelves. IKEA bar pulls complete the job.

This is an ugly kitchen. But its ugliness might seem a bit innocuous to you, if you didn’t know the extent of the fire damage hiding behind its walls. The unit’s owners, Colin and Orli, originally intended a fairly simple renovation, before they realized the extent of the unseen damage their kitchen was hiding. Their renovation was more involved than they originally planned.

We tend to think of tiled countertops as a cheap and imperfect solution, when marble or quartz just isn’t in your remodeling budget. Instead of approaching the update with mixed feelings, look to these surfaces as reassurance that your kitchen or bath will still fresh and clean — they just won’t break the bank. Using longer rectangular shapes automatically makes this surface seem more special and unlike most square tile countertops.

When it comes to any job that involves drilling holes, you want to get it right the first time. Just as you do when hanging art, you have to figure out the sweet spot when hanging light fixtures. Today’s Frequently Asked Home question: What’s the right height for hanging a light above a table? For fixtures hanging over a kitchen island or a dining room table: Hang it low enough so that it brings light to the surface (but not so low that it obscures eyelines).

For some people, a totally blank slate of a room is just plain intimidating. For Jolie, it’s a joy. See how she built a lovely little nursery in a room that was in need of some serious charm. From Jolie: When my sister-in-law and I first started off on this renovation journey, I don’t think we realized what we were getting ourselves into!

If you want to know about glitter and fitness, ask Richard Simmons. For answers about small spaces and storage, go straight to the owners of trailers, RVs, and campers. They wrote — and regularly revise — the book on compact living, and we reap the benefits of their knowledge, ideas and inspiration. Take a look at these, and learn… Like the idea of this post?

In their Clinton Hill co-op, Mario and Joe were struggling with a problem common to many apartment dwellers — a cramped, tiny bathroom with hardly any storage space. So they decided it was time for a renovation and, working completely within the room’s existing footprint, made a few changes that completely transformed this cramped space. The biggest change: converting the old tub into a walk-in shower with a frameless glass door, which opens up the room considerably.

What’s the perfect place for microwaves in the kitchen? They are must-have appliances for many, but they sure do have large, ugly footprints. So, do you prioritize saving space over aesthetics? Put them where you can easily reach? Or, is there that one sweet spot that let’s you have it all? Installing the microwave above your cooktop is a classic space saver, freeing up your countertops to use as workspace — especially when microwave and hood-fan combos do double duty.

When Cara and Jared moved into their Chelsea apartment, they weren’t too excited about the kitchen’s inefficient layout and dated finishes. But the last straw was when the mosaic tiles (the result of a former homeowner’s DIY project) started falling off the wall.

Here’s something to add to the list of awesome things you can build for your cat: a catio. It’s a portmanteau of cat + patio, and it’s an enclosed outdoor space that lets your cat enjoy the great outdoors, without the attendant risks. If you’ve got the DIY itch, here a few inspiring projects to get you started. Your neighbors may look askance at your new outdoor room, but your cats will be happy, and that’s what matters.