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The Latest: Jul 2020

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Three white pillows stacked on a neatly made bed with minimalistic wall decor.
The 10 Best Natural Pillow Alternatives
Picking out a pillow must be one of the most subjective and personal choices one can make for their personal well-being. It’s just a pillow, but it makes a huge difference between having a good night’s rest and one tossing and turning. Another consideration for many is allergies. Although goose down is considered the premium choice, there are many out there who’d suffer dearly sleeping on the soft filling.
Gregory Han
Jul 17, 2020
Before and After: This Wagon Wheel Project Could Have Gone Horribly Wrong
I was warming up to make a bunch of wagon wheel coffee table jokes — most referencing When Harry Met Sally — when I realized this is actually a mill wheel. We’ll just have to appreciate this project for what it is: an approachable, unique upcycle of a neglected old piece of equipment. Here’s how this project came to be, according to Roxanne of The Honeycomb Home: While at a flea market, an old wooden wheel caught my eye. The seller said it may have been from a grist mill.
Tess Wilson
Jul 17, 2020
How To Build A Raised Bed in a Metal Trough
Whether you call it a stock tank, a galvanized metal container, or a cattle trough (being from Texas, I prefer the latter), one thing’s for sure: these metal bins make for perfect and visually interesting raised garden beds. They’re cheap and come in a variety of sizes, so surely you’ll find one for your space. Then, follow these steps to create your own raised bed.
Amber Byfield
Jul 17, 2020
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian Houses
When Frank Lloyd Wright began practicing architecture at the turn of the 20th century, American suburbs were a pastiche of borrowed European architectural styles. But Wright had a vision; he wanted to create a style that was uniquely American, inspired by the landscape and free of associations with the old world. He called this unique style “Usonian”, a play on “USA.
Nancy Mitchell
Jul 17, 2020
The Ultimate (Probably Practically Free) Dress Up Box Checklist!
Ssh! We’re putting together a dress up box for my kids this year for Christmas! To aid in my quest for putting together the best dress up box ever, I have made this handy “Ultimate Dress Up Box Checklist”. How many of these do you have in yours? Or, even better, waiting to add to yours, currently lying around your house? Used adult clothes: short dresses (they will become full length on a child) bridesmaid dresses (possibly cut short?
Alison Gerber
Jul 17, 2020
Buy Frank Lloyd Wright’s Mayan-Style Temple in LA for $23M (Yes, the Westworld One)
Spoiler alert: The real-life version of Bernard/Arnold’s home in Westworld is for sale, and it happens to be one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most hallowed and historic works of Southern California architecture. The Mayan-style temple built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1924 almost entirely out of interlocking concrete blocks—also known as The Ennis House—sits on a hillside in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, and just hit the market after a $17 million renovation.
Melissa Massello
Jul 17, 2020
Before & After: A Revived Wooden Mirror
After spending four muddy days under flood water this mirror was on top of a pile of trash, destined for the tip. Then I got sentimental and retrieved it. It was too wet and filthy to bring inside so it spent the next 6 months outside before I finally decided it was time to make it work or let it go. I toyed with the idea of painting it bright yellow but in the end I couldn’t do it, so I kept it simple and tried to return it to its former glory.
Sarah Starkey
Jul 17, 2020
10 Alternatives to Popular Kids IKEA Products
An amazing thing happened in June 2008 — an IKEA opened two miles from my home. Oh, and my son was born. Before this a trip to IKEA meant descending into the bowels of Port Authority in Manhattan, boarding a standing room only shuttle bus to a New Jersey IKEA and then deciding whether to spend more money than you spent on purchases to arrange home delivery of your items or to limit yourself to what you could wrangle home on the bus and subway. It was a dark time.
Carrie McBride
Jul 17, 2020
Before & After: A Year of IKEA Hacks
TOP ROW:1. Before & After: Molly’s IKEA Rast Turned Campaign Chest2. Before & After: IKEA Changing Table into Home Office Desk3. Before & After: The DIY IKEA Office Organizer4. Before & After: Bet You Can’t Guess What This IKEA Malm was Converted Into5. Before & After: IKEA Malm Gets an Upholstered Ombre Makeover BOTTOM ROW:6. Before & After: Anna’s Take on the IKEA Rast7. Lizzie’s Wallpapered IKEA Lack Table8. Before & After: IKEA Granas Table Gets a Rustic Makeover9.
Nancy Mitchell
Jul 17, 2020
Secret Spaces: Hidden Doors in Paneled Walls
As children, many of us are drawn into architecture by the idea of secret passageways and hidden spaces. In the real world, ‘secret’ passageways can easily be incorporated and actually help streamline a the design of a room. Hidden doors can be a big draw for grown ups too! Through the use of cleverly designed wall paneling, doors can be seamlessly integrated without anyone being the wiser.
Rachel Wray Thompson
Jul 17, 2020
Before &amp After: Painted Upholstery Chair Makeover
We’ve seen the topic of painting upholstery come up from time to time to time, but this Before & After made my jaw drop. While I may have been on the fence before — one look at the After photo and I’m a believer.the After!Given the option of spending hundreds of dollars to reupholster her Craigslist chair or experimenting with painting the fabric, Kristy Swain of Hyphen Interiors broke out the brushes.
Katie Steuernagle
Jul 17, 2020
4 Sources for Architectural Salvage in Chicago
Architectural salvage shops are increasingly popular destinations for designers, collectors, and remodelers, and for the home decorator looking for unique furnishings, there’s no better place to start a search. In part, salvage stores hold such wide appeal because the items there carry the forgotten tales of the past, and invite collectors to imagine creative reuse ideas.
Carolyn Purnell
Jul 17, 2020
Have Your Couch’s Back: Sofa & Console Tables Under $250
Don't leave your floating sofa in a lurch.
Arlyn Hernandez
Jul 17, 2020
The Easiest Way to Do Fewer Dishes
Who wants to spend less time doing the dishes? We do! There’s no need to overthink it. Sometimes the answer is simply to create fewer dishes in the first place. Try this simple tip. One person = one drinking vessel. Period.
Jennifer Hunter
Jul 17, 2020
Oversize Art: 5 Ways to Pull It Off
Isn’t a huge piece of art such a daring focal point for a space? Not only does it highlight a favorite piece of art you might have, but it really shows you’re not afraid of being bold in your home. But when not incorporated well, an oversized piece of art can overwhelm, snatch up all of the attention and ruin an otherwise perfectly lovely room. So how do you play around with the scale of a canvas or framed art piece without things getting visually out of control?
Adrienne Breaux
Jul 17, 2020
One Reason to Renew: Staying Put Can Save Renters Thousands of Dollars a Year, New Study Says
Your landlord just sent a lease renewal form, but you’re not sure you want to sign it again this year. The rent is going up, the parking situation sucks, and the upstairs neighbors always seem to drag furniture across the floor in those fleeting seconds between consciousness and sleep. The average rent nationwide has been rising, but market rate rents — those advertised to new renters — are climbing even faster, according to new research by Zillow.
Jon Gorey
Jul 17, 2020
This Gold Leaf Artist's Home Is Full of Inventive and Colorful DIY Ideas
There's a reason Lara Bezzina is called the "Gold Leaf Queen." Along with creative uses of gold leaf, her home also has lots of DIY and budget decor ideas!
Apartment Therapy Submissions
Jul 17, 2020
The Impossible Has Happened: 25 Examples of Wood Paneling Done FABULOUSLY
Can’t get away to a cabin in the woods this summer?
Tess Wilson
Jul 17, 2020
The World’s Ugliest Condo: The Bathroom
I had no idea that my little kitchen overhaul would yield such a response, ranging from “awful” to “amazeballs.” Thanks for all the great comments, both good and bad. By the way, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Dr. Kevorkian, and stem cell research combined have nothing on the “brass knobs with stainless appliances” debate. I’m not sure which issue will take longer to resolve. And that brings us to the bathroom.
Dabney Frake
Jul 17, 2020
Before & After: A Raised Garden Bed
During the last year, we focused mainly on fixing up the inside of our house. But 2011 is all about the outside, and we got to work before the holidays so we could eat out of our first food-producing garden come early spring. So far, so good. Take a look!We’re grateful that we have a lot of real estate to work with. Our first raised bed (the one pictured here) is four feet wide, eight feet long, and a foot and a half deep. It needed a cubic yard of dirt to fill it up!
Amber Byfield
Jul 17, 2020
There’s a Genius Way to Binge Watch Netflix with Your Friends While Social Distancing
You can binge that show with friends, while still social distancing.
Arielle Tschinkel
Jul 17, 2020
If You Love to Hate Goop, We Found Your Next Book
If you love to hate goop, then we’ve got a perfect summer read for you: Gabrielle Moss’ “Glop,” a hilarious, satirical take on Paltrow’s wellness dynasty.Moss, who’s also an editor at Bustle, said the idea for the book was born in 2015, after Paltrow posted on goop about vaginal steaming. “I decided I would also steam my vagina and report it to see how closely my experience mirrored Gwyneth’s,” she says.
Ashley Abramson
Jul 17, 2020
5 High-Impact Home Projects to Do This Weekend—for Just $15 Each
Small changes can make a big difference in your space.
Brigitt Earley
Jul 17, 2020
Here Are the Worst Times for Thanksgiving Traffic, According to Google Maps
Using data from Google Maps, Google News Lab has figured out where we’re going, what we’re looking for and when we’re getting there around Thanksgiving. So, if you’re trying to eat Chinese food on the way to the plant nursery on Black Friday, you’re not alone—but you should probably avoid driving at 9am. So how’d they figure out that folks in Texas are particularly interested in bicycle sharing locations?
Nora Taylor
Jul 17, 2020
Drywall TikTok Exists, And It’s So Relaxing
They’re basically everything I love about HGTV renovation shows, condensed into short videos.
Lydia Mack
Jul 17, 2020
The Best Sources for Linen Everything (Napkins, Bedding, and Notebooks, Too!)
During the warm days of summer that always seem to creep into September, no material is more refreshing than naturally crisp linen. To cool you down as this glorious season lingers on, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite sources for high-quality linen everything—duvet covers, towels, and notebooks included. Save this list of go-to shops in your design file—these are 8 sources you’re going to want to keep shopping all year long. Why linen, you ask?
Katie Holdefehr
Jul 17, 2020
8 Surefire Ways To Save Money On Laundry
Every kid with a piggybank knows that careful saving can add up. If you could find a way to save just $4 a week at the laundromat or in your own laundry room, you’d have over $200 at the end of the year to use however you like! Here are 8 simple steps I feel confident will put those extra dollars in the bank. 1. Wait until you can wash full loads.
Alison Gerber
Jul 17, 2020
Test Yourself: Try to Guess Popular Cleaners Without the Logos
There are many reasons to let your neat freak flag fly. For one, your home is probably the most spotless of your friends. And you can likely clean house in record time, too. But your knowledge and enthusiasm for cleaning might also pay off for you in bragging rights, today. (And, even if you aren’t in the sweeping and scrubbing fan club, read on, because we have a really fun quiz for you…) On a scale from Danny Tanner to Homer Simpson, how much do you know about cleaning products?
Taryn Williford
Jul 17, 2020
Apartment Therapy on Copying to Learn
My kitchen Before.. just two-three months ago. Name:Type of Project:Location:Type of building:Whenever I am asked how you learn to make good interior design decisions, how to trust yourself or how to just plain have style, I say the same thing. Start by copying. I don’t mean the type of copying where you cheated in high school by looking at someone else’s answers.
Maxwell Ryan
Jul 17, 2020
Ursula’s Window Seat Room
Name: Ursula (7 years) Location: Soho, NY Making a room for Ursula in our new home together took awhile but it was a joy. For her first room to herself in our new life (we were sharing a one bedroom for a year), I was able to take a white sheetrock box with a high ceiling and make it airy but cozy and have plenty of storage for her growing lifestyle of clothes, dolls, costumes and toys. Before! During!
Maxwell Ryan
Jul 17, 2020
How to Nail the Pristine Pantry Kitchen Trend in Your Own Home
Move over, shelfies; there’s a new trend in town. At Apartment Therapy, we spend a lot of our time talking about how to make your kitchen a more beautiful place. How to make a statement with your backsplash. How to spruce up your kitchen floors with a runner. But how to beautify your pantry? Not so much. When it comes to design, the pantry is really a forgotten spot. Sure, there are plenty of pantries organized to perfection, but a beautiful design has never been a huge priority.
Kelsey Mulvey
Jul 17, 2020
15 Removable Kitchen Backsplashes
The Kitchn Editors
Jul 17, 2020
What Does it Mean When Your Plant Is Leggy?
Healthy houseplants are generally described as full and bushy. They’ll have lots of dense, sturdy growth and the leaves will be crisp and green rather than limp and yellowing. If your houseplant is “leggy,” it simply means it has gotten a bit unkempt and scraggly, like a formerly stylish haircut that’s grown out unevenly and is riddled with split ends. Leggy houseplants are marked by flopping stems, uneven and sparse growth, and a general look of untidiness.
Rebecca Straus
Jul 17, 2020
5 Big (Yet Common) Plant Mistakes You’re Currently Making
Indoor plants are a vibrant source of beauty in your home’s otherwise inanimate landscape. And keeping them healthy and happy is a quiet source of joy for many people. But the opposite is also true: Struggling houseplants not only drag down your space’s appearance, but they also bring us down too.
Shifrah Combiths
Jul 17, 2020
5 Common Kitchen Space-Wasting Mistakes and How To Quickly Fix Them
Your kitchen is only so big, so if you’ve run out of storage room, it’s time to make the space work harder and be more efficient. It’s easy to miss potential, but look closely and you’ll find lots more opportunities to store essentials and clutter. Here are five ways we often get it wrong, and how you can quickly remedy your kitchen mistakes.
Dabney Frake
Jul 17, 2020
Stylish Solutions for Awkward Spaces You’re Not Sure How to Tackle
Tight corners, the space under your stairs, the tops of cabinets—these awkward spaces are the great equalizers of design. We all deal with some or all of these things in our homes no matter what our budgets look like. Money may certainly give you more decorating options, but sometimes ingenuity is really all it takes to conquer these tricky areas. Here are some ideas to help you tackle your “dead zones”.
Danielle Blundell
Jul 17, 2020
9 Ways To Make Existing Storage Cabinets More Space Efficient
If you can’t add more actual storage cabinets to your living space, you can always increase the capacity of what’s already there. This includes kitchen cupboards, free-standing wardrobes, media centers, and medicine cabinets — all of which are silently pleading “make me better, make me better!” Fulfill their organizational destinies, with these nine tips… 1. Go for store-bought inserts that increase the amount of stuff that cabinets hold.
Dabney Frake
Jul 17, 2020
Smart Savings: Could You Benefit from A Cash Envelope System?
In our largely cashless society, it’s easy to go days without touching an actual dollar bill. While there’s tons of convenience that comes with credit and debit cards, the downside is that money seems less real and it’s easier to overspend when payments appear in the distant future. The cash envelope system is one way to counter that. 1. Create Your Household Budget: Sit down and figure out your income and expenses each month.
Dabney Frake
Jul 17, 2020
The Gilded Mirror Trend That's Taking Over Interiors
Style
It's the comeback kid of 2020.
Arlyn Hernandez
Jul 17, 2020
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Quartz Countertops
Read and learn.
Dabney Frake
Jul 17, 2020
Butcher Block Countertops Have One Major Drawback
Butcher countertops are still having their moment. They can add warmth and character to an otherwise sterile kitchen, and the natural and classic look of wood can simultaneously upgrade a kitchen and give it a timeless feel. But as with any trend, you should be wary of adopting it unless it’s a style that truly and personally brings you joy. When it comes to butcher block countertops, which require extra maintenance and can pose unique challenges, this is especially true.
Shifrah Combiths
Jul 17, 2020
8 Ways to Design a Happier Home
Your home is your haven, and you deserve to be happy in it, no matter how much money you make, how big your space is, or how much you know or don’t know about decorating. The good news is there are tiny tweaks you can make to boost your mood in your house, and none of them cost a fortune. Some of them are scientific, so you might not even understand how or why the happy hits you. Just go with it—and the rest of these strategies for feeling your best in your nest.
Danielle Blundell
Jul 17, 2020
These $13 Colorful Amazon Throw Pillowcases Trick People Into Thinking I’m Fancy
They're a dupe for West Elm at a fraction of the cost.
Alyse Whitney 수지
Jul 17, 2020
A Dark Blue NYC Rental Apartment Makes a Case for Maximalism
David, a NYC theater set designer, has lived in this rental apartment for 10 years.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
Jul 17, 2020
Italy Is Giving Away Hundreds of Historic Buildings For Free
If you’ve ever lusted over Italy’s gorgeous architecture (who hasn’t?), we’ve got some news for you. The government is accepting proposals for 103 historic sites, and in exchange, they’re yours, rent free. Most of the historic buildings are old homes, inns, and monasteries, but some of the properties up for grabs are literal castles.
Tara Bellucci
Jul 17, 2020
Beautiful Backsplashes Made from Sheet Materials
The Kitchn Editors
Jul 17, 2020
How To: Soundproof Your Home
Of all the problems associated with urban living, noise is the one that drives people the most nuts (For an example, watch this Italian clip). From the knocking pipe in the bedroom, to the upstairs neighbor’s rock’n’roll medley, to the bridge and tunnel traffic outside the window, noise can disrupt sleep, distract you when concentrating and stress you out after work when you need to unwind.
Maxwell Ryan
Jul 17, 2020
A Warm and Welcoming Home in a Dream Neighborhood
Name: Anissa Location: Meridian Hills — Indianapolis, Indiana Anissa’s home is a lovely mix of warm woods, bright whites and pops of greenery. Renovating a home is never easy, especially a unique and older one, where striking a balance between maintaining the character of the home and keeping it fresh is key. After dreaming of living in this neighborhood for about a decade, Anissa and her family made their dream come true.
Apartment Therapy Submissions
Jul 17, 2020