The Latest: Sep 2026

Sometimes all a space needs is a few small tweaks to pull it out of a rut. Case in point? A beige (very beige) bathroom in Desola Balogun’s parents’ home, which was majorly transformed thanks to a few of his fresh new additions.Desola spent an extended stay and wanted to do something for them.

In today’s world of technology, it’s not uncommon to find your next living situation on social media. As a New York transplant, I’ve heard stories from friends who have found apartments on TikTok or who have stumbled upon a group needing another roommate on Instagram.

Even if you use every cleaning hack in the book, it’s hard to make laundry fun. That goes double when you’re surrounded by blah finishes. If you’re getting tired of staring at the walls of your own laundry room, take inspiration from Ela Bobak‘s gorgeous redo—pulled together from a space that was boring at best.After Ela and her husband purchased their home in 2019, they spent about five months renovating a bunch of rooms, including their laundry room.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: You don’t have to spend a fortune to make a huge impact. That’s especially true for bathrooms, which are easy spaces to transform on a budget (and on a deadline). Kelly von Weber had already given her guest bathroom a bit of color and charm a few years back, but as time went on, she realized her tastes had changed.

Bathrooms can sometimes be utilitarian, but they can also be welcoming and beautiful. The guest bathroom at Chelsea Scott’s home was anything but. “The ‘before’ of the bathroom was simply just plain,” Chelsea says. “The sink vanity was a dark brown, and the walls were painted with flat, darker beige paint that did not stand up to normal traffic in a bathroom.

A few things to love from the ’70s, design-wise? Macrame, rattan, funky patterns — even conversation pits. A few things that certainly aren’t missed from the decade? Orange-toned everything, fluorescent lighting, and bland laminate countertops.Unfortunately, Jenessa Weaver’s 1977 kitchen had several not-so-fun-or-funky ’70s details, and she was looking for a change. So she enlisted the help of her childhood best friend, Alysha, designer and owner of Camp Interiors.

A color-drenched paint effect (aka painting the walls, trim, and ceiling all the same color) is not always possible for a renter if there are lease stipulations about painting the ceiling, but Rosaline Elbay got pretty close in her Boerum Hill apartment’s bedroom. “If this weren’t a rental, I probably would have color drenched completely, but I settled for just drenching the closet doors,” Rosaline says.

If you work from home, you might want to create a workspace that inspires and motivates you — even if that means getting a little unconventional. For Sean Matthew Robinson, it made the most sense to turn what used to be the apartment’s living room into his bedroom… and a corner office.

Talk about small-but-mighty.