The Latest: Jul 18, 2020

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Peek Inside the Iconic ‘Golden Girls’ House

Tour the inside of Rose, Blanche, Dorothy, and Sophia's infamous abode.

Jessica Wang

Jul 18, 2020

This Textile Designer’s Home on a Busy Street Inspired Her to Start a Creative Business

The homeowner's creative solution for her ground-floor windows has become her main business.

Viv Yapp

Jul 17, 2020

Predatory Lending Is an Exploitative and Discriminatory Mortgage Practice

Here's what to know about it.

Terri Williams

Jul 18, 2020

Before and After: A $300 Redo Pulls This Dull Laundry Room Out of the '70s

The old laundry room was such an eyesore that it "quickly became the dumping ground for items we wanted to be hidden from our every day living space," the homeowner says.

Melissa Epifano

Jul 18, 2020

Allow Demi Moore to Explain Her Carpeted Bathroom

Moore appeared on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" and explained her viral bathroom photo.

Jessica Wang

Jul 18, 2020

A 500-Square Foot Apartment Shows How to Mix Dumpster Finds & Upcycled Treasured

The secret to creating a home you love is filling it with things you love--objects, people, pets, experiences... it’s as simple as that.

Apartment Therapy Submissions

Jul 18, 2020

This 10-Second Tip Will Tell You If Your Rug Needs a Deep Clean

Plus here's exactly what you need to know to make that deep clean happen.

Ashley Abramson

Jul 18, 2020

West Elm Has a Holiday Collection You’ll Want to Show Off All Year—and It’s All Included In Their Massive One-Day Sale

'Tis the season to start buying decorations.

Sarah Lyon

Jul 18, 2020

Tide Will Now Do Your Laundry For You

Whether it happens at the laundromat, the laundry room, or just a tiny corner of your apartment where you stash the washer/dryer, Tide wants to take laundry day off your plate. This week, the detergent giant launched Tide Cleaners, an on-demand laundry and dry cleaning service “aimed at giving people the option to spend more time on life and less time doing laundry.” Although cleaning the bathroom is America’s most hated chore, doing laundry isn’t exactly loved.

Megan Johnson

Jul 18, 2020

How To Install a Dimmer Switch

Dimmer switches are great, not only do they provide opportunity for mood lighting and ambiance, but also save money due to reduced power usage. Almost all the lights in my home are on a dimmer switch, except for the bedrooms, where we’d actually like to have them the most.

Rachel Wray Thompson

Jul 18, 2020

How to Buy a Plant That You Can Actually Keep Alive

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.

Molly Williams

Jul 18, 2020

The Unfortunate Truth About Your Favorite Trendy Houseplants

We’ve all seen those deceptively gorgeous houseplants on social media. You know the ones everyone drools over—the glamorous fiddle leaf fig, gem-like string of pearls, elegant maidenhair fern, and cascading rosary vine. They all look amazing in photographs, but there’s a lot more to caring for these plants than meets the eye. If you’ve fallen victim to Instagram plant envy, learn these tricks of the trade and keep your plants alive longer.

Molly Williams

Jul 18, 2020

5 Beautiful Houseplants That Are Actually Purple

As any regular reader of design blogs knows, accent colors never fail to add some pizzazz to your decor. In the world of houseplants, you’re pretty much stuck with green as your main color scheme, but you can still add a pop of color here and there. There are actually a fair number of plants whose leaves are all or primarily purple, and these can add some visual interest to an otherwise monotone grouping. Plus, they’re freaking purple! What’s not to love?

Rebecca Straus

Jul 18, 2020

5 of My Favorite Tropical Plants, Because Winter Is Dead to Me

Most of the plants we grow in our homes come from the tropics. That’s because, from a plant’s perspective, our climate-controlled houses more or less resemble the year-round warmth of a jungle habitat. However, there are some universal challenges to growing tropical plants indoors, namely, humidity and water. Jungle plants are used to high humidity, so they can have a hard time thriving in the dry indoor air of North American homes, particularly during the winter.

Rebecca Straus

Jul 18, 2020

6 Things You Didn’t Know About IKEA’s Plant Department

What can’t you do at IKEA? You can furnish a whole house in one trip. If you don’t find something you like, you can hack any number of IKEA offerings. You can get an entire meal or stock up on specialty groceries. Hey, I even know moms who spend rainy days at the superstore, because it keeps their kids entertained for hours at a time.

Brigitt Earley

Jul 18, 2020

17 of the Smallest, Yet Stylish, Outdoor Spaces

These small balconies, patios, and other exterior living spaces show how to make the most out of a little.

Adrienne Breaux

Jul 18, 2020

This Weekend: Remove One Of Your Home’s Biggest Eyesores

Do you have a love/hate thing with your window A/C unit? Love overfloweth when it’s hell hot in the summer, and then the hate kicks in during winter when it’s nothing but an ugly appliance that lets in cold air. Let yourself get excited when it’s finally time to either: a) remove it from the window entirely; or b) cover that baby and forget about it for awhile. Store or Insulate Your Window Unit: The gaps around air conditioner units cause major energy loss.

Dabney Frake

Jul 18, 2020

Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi List Their Santa Barbara Villa for $45 Million

Ellen is on the move. The comedian, TV host, and designer has listed the Santa Barbara villa that she and wife, actress Portia de Rossi, bought in 2013. Originally built in the 1930s by famed architect Wallace Frost for himself, it was inspired by his years living in Italy. Frost emulated the style of Old World villas with stone walls, a classic barrel-tiled roof, terra-cotta surfaces, wide wood flooring planks, rustic exposed ceiling beams, and 18th century Italian tile.

Tara Bellucci

Jul 18, 2020

Are You In? Get Ready for Season Two of Ellen’s Design Challenge With Our Casting Special Recap & Interviews

Ellen is back (and so are our recaps)! We’re super excited that the furniture design competition returns tonight (Monday, January 18), so here’s a look back at the New Year’s Day casting special. We get a taste of what’s to come on season 2 of Ellen’s Design Challenge, we meet the cast, and two people are gone before they got the chance to really compete. Too bad, so sad. Want to meet the cast?

Tara Bellucci

Jul 18, 2020

Art-Inspired Wedding Details That Creative Couples Will Love

If you’re an artsy couple, you’d probably be psyched to incorporate some of your love of painting and illustration into your big day. But even if you’re not, these creative details might be just the thing for you, too. After all, a little color and texture never hurt anybody. Make each piece a little work of art. If they’re particularly beautiful, it can double as a favor to take home. Art-inspired invites are everywhere these days.

Taryn Williford

Jul 18, 2020

You Can’t Go Wrong With This Classic Kitchen Color

Here at Apartment Therapy, we love a colorful kitchen. But we also recognize that painting your kitchen is a little different from say, painting your living room or bedroom. It feels a little more scary, a little more permanent. It can also affect your home’s resale value. If you love color, but these things have you feeling a little trepidatious, why not consider blue?

Nancy Mitchell

Jul 18, 2020

Hue Knew: Two Trending Colors That Are Even Better Together

I’ve always been a huge fan of pink and green together, and the current trend towards more somber, desaturated colors has put a fresh new spin on this classic combo. Hunter green and dusty pink are beautiful on their own, of course, but they’re even better together. This kitchen from Little Greene pairs a pink that’s just a wee bit bubble gummy with a dark green (and an oak worktop) that balances it out nicely.

Nancy Mitchell

Jul 18, 2020

Little Kids, Big Style: Our Favorite Kids Rooms & Nurseries of the Year

Be prepared, upon diving into this slideshow, to be uncomfortably jealous of babies, toddlers, and teenagers. These 15 rooms, home to kids of all ages, are utterly delightful: playful yet sophisticated, orderly yet inviting, and lovingly designed without being fussy. The thoughtfulness of the decor means that these nurseries and kids’ rooms will accommodate their young occupants as they grow—and that there are plenty of design ideas to steal for our own grown-up rooms.

Tess Wilson

Jul 18, 2020

Sorry, Parents: Nobody Wants the Family “Heirlooms”

In a modern world currently intrigued by minimalism, there’s something that all three adult generations can agree on: the problem of dealing with the collections curated (hoarded?) by our family members. From younger boomers and Gen X’ers sandwiched between their aging/dying parents and their own children to millennials trying to gently manage expectations (and their own limited budgets and storage space) without hurt feelings, the message is crystal clear.

Melissa Massello

Jul 18, 2020

Is “Goodbye, Things” the New “Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up”?

Marie Kondo is more than a household name. She’s crossed over to the next level and has become a verb for those of us who write, think and obsess about all things home. Yes, “KonMari-ing” and “Kondoizing” are things now. We need our socks to spark joy if we are going to keep them around; why should we settle for anything less?

Janel Laban

Jul 18, 2020

How They Do It: Secrets of People Who Are Always Full of Energy

You know who I'm talking about. The people who show up at the office bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, every day, like clockwork, eating the kind of food you made resolutions about.

Anne Momber

Jul 18, 2020

Matteo: The Most Luxurious Bedding I’ve Found

So, I’ve got this client. He’s a single guy in finance with a BIG budget, and he really needs to upgrade his large SoHo apartment so that it doesn’t look like a dorm room anymore. We stain the floors, repaint and buy beautiful, sophisticated furniture that he will be able to keep with him for years. But when it comes to the bedding, I don’t want to present him with overpriced Italian sheets or anything feminine. I want masculine. I want modern. I want luxury.

Maxwell Ryan

Jul 18, 2020

9 Makeshift Desks that’ll Turn Your Living Room, Bedroom, or Any Room into a Home Office

WFH made better.

Kelsie Schrader

Jul 18, 2020

Decluttering Idea to Consider: Letting Go of Leftover Furniture

Dragging furniture from one home to the next is pretty standard practice. And as your most-used furniture finds its new home in your living room, dining room and bedroom, have you ever noticed there’s sometimes perfectly-good-so-why-get-rid-of-it “leftover” furniture that you always struggle to find a place for? For me it’s a handful of chairs.

Adrienne Breaux

Jul 18, 2020

A Really Slow, Hard Week For Rebekah & Graeme’s Kitchen Project

Name: Graeme & Rebekah Molloy Type of Project: Kitchen Remodel Location: Chautauqua Park, Des Moines, Iowa Type of building: 1920 Tudor The Renovation Diaries are a collaboration with our community in which we feature your step by step renovation progress and provide monetary support towards getting it done in style. See all of our Reno Diaries here. Rebekah and Graeme are now totally in the thick of their kitchen reno.

Renovation Diary

Jul 18, 2020

5 Ideas for Sliding Mirror Closet Doors

Not all sliding mirror closet doors are created equal. For example, our new home is equipped with mirrored sliding doors, and while they’re not awful, we definitely want to revamp them (or take them out altogether). Our 5 ideas for dealing with sliding mirror closet doors (and don’t forget to weigh in with your suggestions). Apply vinyl decals like these or these to distract from the look of mirrored closet doors.

Beth Zeigler

Jul 18, 2020

7 Things New Homeowners Should Never, Ever Apologize For

In your first year of owning your own home, every new day brings on a new challenge. And thanks to that fresh and dewy homeowner glow, you’re poised to tackle them all. Who cares if the wall is crooked and the kitchen is in disarray—they’re yours. Owning a home isn’t all good feelings, though. And people don’t seem to want to discuss all the bad vibes that can frequently come along with buying your own first place… What if the neighbors are horrible?

Taryn Williford

Jul 18, 2020

5 Simple, Safe & Surprising Metal Cleaners

Inspired by the folks who described their own homemade cleansers in our green cleaner comment thread yesterday, we remembered this list of simple and safe homemade metal cleaners in Real Simple Cleaning, and pulled it off the shelf this morning to take a look. Perfect for keeping your kitchen or bath faucets shining bright without chemicals!1. Ketchup brightens copper. According to Real Simple Cleaning, the acetic acid in ketchup dissolves the oxide tarnish that makes copper look cloudy.2.

Janel Laban

Jul 18, 2020

Here’s How Much Extra You Need to Save to Keep Up with Rising Home Prices

Saving up to buy a home next year? You might need to put aside a little extra to keep up with rising home costs. According to a recent report from Zillow, the national median home will be worth $6,275 more a year from now—meaning that, on average, U.S. homebuyers will need to save an extra $105 a month (a total of $1,260 for 12 months) to keep up with the cost of a 20 percent down payment.

Brittney Morgan

Jul 18, 2020

Succulent School: 10 Hardy & Stylish Succulents For Home

It’s no secret that we’re into succulents. They’re easy to take care of, cheap, easily propagate, don’t need much water and come in tons of beautiful colors and textures. Looking for some fresh succulent inspiration? Want to expand your succulent knowledge and find a new love? Discover our favorite succulents for ground and container planting after the jump. The beauty of succulents is that they can take full sun and can live in a container or in the ground.

Laure Joliet

Jul 18, 2020

Getting Rid of the Fugitive Filth I Was Harboring in my Kitchen

Kate’s West Village Charm This weekend, in a search of a lost item, I ventured into the no-man’s land of one particular area of my kitchen and was aghast at what I found there. Even though it’s a little-seen area, that doesn’t make it any better in terms of the dust accumulation and the total ick-factor I experienced when I realized what kind of filth I had been harboring. So where was all the grossness hiding?

Carolyn Purnell

Jul 18, 2020