Beige bedroom with macramé wall hanging, cream pillows, and a gold wall lamp.
Teeny, Tiny (Room for a Bed But Not Much Else) Bedroom Decorating Tips
Can you touch one of your bedroom walls…while you’re laying in your bed (and not even stretching out all that much)? You might have a teeny tiny bedroom, the kind of small space where there’s room for a bed…and not much else. If you do (or you just like smart small space living and decorating solutions), you might find some inspiration in these bedroom decorating ideas.
Aug 28, 2015
5 Things People (Almost Always) Forget When Designing Their Living Room
There’s the picking out of the sofa. Choosing chairs. Deciding on a credenza. Arguing over where the television should go. There’s waffling over rug color and size. And there’s considering whether you should paint or wallpaper. But there are also a handful of things to think about that most people tend to forget when first setting up their living room. How does one come up with the optimum number of seats for a living room?
Aug 27, 2015
Let Your Bedroom Breathe: 5 Things to Consider Getting Rid Of
I had the most transforming (literally) moment not too long ago when I took a bench out of my bedroom. While I had styled it lovingly with a comforting and cozy vignette and it technically fit in the spot it was in, it made my room feel cramped. Or at least, I didn’t realize it felt cramped until I moved it to another room in my home and breathed in the fresh air of a roomier, more wonderful bedroom!
Aug 25, 2015
Leah & Mike’s 1940s Ocean Beach Beauty
Name: Leah and Mike Location: Ocean Beach/Outer Sunset neighborhood, San Francisco, California My husband and I just finished renovating our 1940s, 800 square foot home near Ocean Beach. We fell in love with the neighborhood, the east/west light in our house, and the huge backyard.
Aug 23, 2015
Ana and Fabiano’s Cozy Canadian Home
Name: Ana and Fabiano Location: Villeray Montreal, Canada Size: 950 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Owned It’s been a little more than 1 year since my husband and I moved to this 950 square foot 2-bedroom apartment in the cozy neighbourhood of Villeray in Montreal. We chose this area because it’s vibrant and multicultural. We spend a lot of time decorating the space and we’re really proud of our new home. I’m a Digital Marketer and my hubby is a graphic designer.
Aug 22, 2015
The Unusual Element That Might Be Missing From Your Rooms (And How to Add It)
There are a lot of design elements you can choose from when you’re trying to create a sophisticated, comfortable room for yourself to enjoy. From balance, to asymmetry to lighting, many of these elements are visual, but not always. Movement is an element that isn’t often considered when decorating a space, but its visual and ethereal qualities mean that the rooms where movement is found in are ones where a playfulness pervades and one where motivation and relaxation go hand-in-hand.
Aug 20, 2015
Andras’ Budapest Home Full of Amazing Possibilities
Name: Andras Location: Palace district, Budapest, Hungary When I tried to find a home three years ago I was looking for a place with amazing possibilities. As a designer I’m lucky to have the ability to see the best in every room. When I first saw this apartment it was damaged, the walls were painted odd colors and the previous owner built arches to weird places, but I instantly fell in love with the picture of what the place could become.
Aug 16, 2015
Your Best Decor Bets for Battling Beige Walls
Living in a home with beige walls that have to stay beige, for whatever reason? Beige walls do not have to mean boring. In fact, beige can look downright delightful when complemented by the right furnishings. If you’re struggling with a beige wall you don’t love, here are some decor ideas you can try to help make your space go from beige to bold. But before you start: know your beige. Really study your beige in many lights to determine what its undertone is.
Aug 10, 2015
How To Be Roommates With a Best Friend & Survive (With Friendship Intact)
Though it’s universally considered a bad idea from many who have tried it before, moving in with a best friend can sometimes seem like just the thing you need in your life. All the fun you have with your best friend could be 24/7, you think! You’ll be different, you tell yourself. If you’re bound and determined to dive into a living situation with a best friend, consider these tips before you sign the lease. Of course, living with a best friend CAN be a ton of fun.
Aug 5, 2015
Vin’s Very Hands-On Chicago Home
Name: Vin Location: Chicago, Illinois I have always thought of my home as my safe space, and so no matter what the physical space I hope to create something comfortable and something to love. When I bought this condo three years ago, it was nothing like it is now—it was mostly a boring box and the lower level felt outright dingy. With a lot of patience, thought and care it is now a place that is both mine to take care of and takes care of me.
Aug 2, 2015
Stephanie’s San Francisco Home That Hugs
Name: Stephanie Location: San Francisco, California Size: 850 square feet I once heard someone say your home should feel like a hug at the end of a long day. That simple statement has been the inspiration for my decorating style. It is not easy making a temporary place feel rooted, but I have found it to be the personal details that have turned this apartment into home. I have infused my personality into every nook and cranny.
Aug 1, 2015
The Pro Designer Trick That Makes Homes Feel Cozy & Cohesive
When you’re feeling like the rooms of your home are design islands — lovely spaces by themselves but not necessarily connected to the architecture of your home or the entire home itself — you might want to try out this trick in the designer’s toolbox. This idea of echoing elements is NOT putting two of the same pieces of something in two different rooms. It’s not having carbon copies of the same art adorning walls in all your rooms.
Jul 24, 2015
The “Just Moved In’ Checklist of New Neighborhood Places to Find Fast
After the moving trucks have left and you’ve located the closet grocery store, pharmacy and other essential locations, the reality of a new neighborhood can sink in. It’s exciting to have a new place to explore, sure, but it can also be a little confusing and disorienting. After you settle in a little at home, consider a trip around your new ‘hood to locate these places that will make your transition into a new area a lot more enjoyable.
Jul 22, 2015
Ashley’s Silverlake Craftsman Charmer
Name: Ashley Location: Silverlake, Los Angeles, California I bought my home in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles about two years ago after a really long and exhausting real estate search. I was just about to give up entirely and rent forever, and then by some fluke I landed this place. Some things are totally meant to be. It’s a three-bedroom, two-bath Craftsman house originally built in 1914.
Jul 19, 2015
4 Smart Pieces of Advice That Work for Any Type of Home You Live In
Big or small. Traditional or modern. All homes have different styles, but they all have similarities at the heart of them, too. And these four pieces of universal advice can be applied to just about any home you’ve lived in or will live in. So print them out and keep them around. This works for just about any decision you’ve got to make. From which home to choose when you’re on the search, to which sofa to buy, to what color to paint the walls and more. Decisions are tough.
Jul 18, 2015
6 Arguments You’ll Definitely Have When You Live Together (and How To Get Past Them)
Live with a mate? Thinking about moving in with your better half? Know that in life and in love, arguments are inevitable. In fact we’d bet that these six types of arguments will almost certainly take place with just about any couple sharing a space together.
Jul 17, 2015
6 Simple Secrets to Dealing With a Small Living Room
Living in a small living room, like living in a small home, is a delicate balance of aesthetics and sacrifice. Your living room is often the central hub of your home, and so should have special attention paid to it, particularly if it’s on the small side. Instead of (or in addition to) a wall collage of art, use mirrors to expand the space, reflect light and make the space feel livelier. → 10 Ways To Use Mirrors To Make Your Space Look Larger.
Jul 17, 2015
Josie’s 677 Square Foot South East London Edwardian Flat
Name: Josie Location: South East London Our Edwardian flat in South East London was the ground floor of a house that was sort of split into flats when we bought it. We converted it from a one bed to a two bed flat, which involved a lot of wallpaper stripping (like, from every room) and a few unexpected discoveries along the way.
Jul 12, 2015
Your Cleanest Home Yet: 4 Just Possibly Life-Changing Habits to Adopt Today
Want a cleaner home? One that gets cleaner easier, stays cleaner longer, and doesn’t feel like the act of cleaning dominates your life? There are four habits that can be life-changers; could they change yours? We have provided you with a lot of different cleaning schedules over the years. What they’ve all got in common is that at some point in time you’ve got to carve out time where you pull out cleaning supplies and do a little scrubbing.
Jul 10, 2015
Before & After: A Beige Bathroom Goes Bold for $100
Jenny is the owner and designer behind Penny Jark Interiors. The home that she shares with her husband has a small bathroom that as the “before” photo shows, wasn’t exactly bursting with boldness. Then Jenny brought her style to the space. From Jenny: When working with clients I often come to an understanding of what aesthetic they prefer. However when it comes to my own dwelling I go back on forth on style, colors and the overall feeling I’d like in the space.
Jul 10, 2015
5 Worth It Ways to Make Moving Out Hassle-Free
Well, less of a hassle, anyway. Moving into a place can be a lot of fun, but moving out, is nothing less than torture. Here are five laws, that, if you can stick to them, will make moving much less hellacious. What? Okay think about this way. You look around your current home and all the stuff that has to be hauled away and you might mentally decide how you’re going to organize it all in boxes. But back up.
Jul 9, 2015
Joyce’s Modern West Oakland Loft
Name: Joyce and her fiancé Location: West Oakland, California My fiancé and I share a loft space in West Oakland. The space used to be an old tile factory before it was converted to six apartment units. The foyer, kitchen and living room are downstairs and our bedroom is upstairs. When my fiancé first moved in the apartment was an empty concrete box — the challenge of decorating was to preserve the character of the space but also to make it feel warm and homey.
Jun 28, 2015
Féline and Ryan’s Upper East Side Surf Lodge Style
Name: Féline & Ryan Location: Upper East Side, New York As soon as we decided to move in together we had a very clear vision of what we wanted our home to look like. We are both insanely crazy about that big vast space which we call the Ocean, everything about it… the salty smell of the wind, the turquoise water, the seashells, the sand, the sound of the surf…It’s one of the very first thing that we bonded over (the second is whiskey).
Jun 27, 2015
Jennifer and Hans’ Bright Amsterdam Apartment
Name: Jennifer and Hans Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands My boyfriend, Hans and I, Jennifer have been living in this apartment together for two years now. After studying Fashion Design at ArtEZ in Arnhem and traveling through South America, I moved to Amsterdam in 2011. Here I founded Studio J|A|A|F, a design label that focuses on material and color combinations. Besides the design label, I am also an interior stylist. Hans has almost finished his PhD in chemistry.
Jun 21, 2015
Cat and Matt’s Lovely London Home
Name: Cat Location: London, UK My name is Cat and I live in London with my Texan partner, Matt, and our scrappy ginger kitten, Chutney. We are both terribly boring lawyers in our day jobs, but we are also the couple behind Take Courage Blog, a London-based lifestyle blog which we’ve been running for four years. Living in London isn’t cheap, and we have lived in some horrendous, tiny rentals over the years.
Jun 20, 2015
Turn Any Regular Weekend Into a Refreshing Mini Vacation: 5 Ideas
Bracing yourself against the waves of envious, exotic trips that will be flooding your Instagram feed now that summer’s almost here? Whether you’ve got your own exciting vacation coming up or you have to stay closer to home this summer, you don’t have to take off time from work to unwind. Use these quick tips to make any weekend feel like a mini vacation.
Jun 20, 2015
The Biggest Reason You’re Still Drowning in Clutter (And What to Do About It)
Do you regularly put in real, genuine effort to declutter your home, but still find yourself being overwhelmed by all the stuff? Do you ever wonder where it all comes from? There could be one thing that you’re doing that’s keeping the clutter levels high; see if it’s something you can eliminate from your life to help eliminate your clutter. In other words, you’re keeping things just in case.
Jun 16, 2015
Why ‘Busy’ Isn’t Always Bad: Living Room Lessons
We talk a lot about streamlining. Minimizing. Cutting back. Paring down. And we really think that’s good. But it’s not always best (for you or your style). Sometimes “busy” decor, rooms bursting with things you love and that inspire you, is the right choice for your home. Take a page from these “busy” living rooms to learn lessons on how to make a full, exciting living room work for your style, without overwhelming everyone who spends time in it.
Jun 15, 2015
Brigette’s Boldly Curated Mix of Nooks & Corners
Name: Brigette Location: Bellevue, Nebraska Built in 1941, our home is full of quirky charm! The unique floor plan lends itself to several nooks which have been really inspiring to decorate around. We’ve taken to curating little vignettes around our home, each corner telling a story about us and our past. Having lived in Hawaii and Germany prior to moving to Nebraska, much of our decor is eclectic.
Jun 14, 2015
Avery and Ryan’s Warm & Whimsical Austin Home
Name: Avery and Ryan Location: Bouldin Creek neighborhood, Austin, Texas We moved into our 2,200 square foot house in central Austin from a one-roomed, open floor plan condo with a three-week-old baby and fairly little furniture. With a newborn, we were just happy to have doors and didn’t really care that we couldn’t afford to completely furnish our space right away. We bought a nice couch and a new bed and added a few cheap pieces to fill out the space as best we could.
Jun 13, 2015
Abigail and Joe’s 560 Square Feet of Great Finds
Name: Abigail and Joe Location: Washington, DC I love that our landlord let us paint! The pink wall felt like a risk at the time, but now it seems demure. We love it! I have a love/hate relationship with the size, at only 560 square feet. Most days I can’t imagine ever wanting something bigger, but other days I can’t find any space for the books that somehow keep finding their way into our home.
Jun 7, 2015
Jen’s Bright and Happy Austin Abode
Name: Jen Location: Travis Heights neighborhood, Austin, Texas My best friend Marina moved to Tel Aviv to study abroad for a year, so I moved into her house. She moved out all of her stuff (except for a fabulous orange couch), and it’s been really fun to make the place feel like my home by putting my own personality and style into it. Because it is a temporary space, I put a lot of work into it at the beginning so I could get settled in quickly.
Jun 6, 2015
Cedrick and Sunny’s Dark & Dramatic 1938 Toronto Bungalow
Name: Cedrick and Sunny Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada We moved into this 1938 bungalow in mid-town Toronto’s East End in September and immediately tore up the old shag carpet to reveal original oak floors. The house has lots of original character, from the original wood burning fireplace to leaded windows to dark wood paneling throughout the dining room and we love the tension of vintage. Mid-century modern furnishings against traditional details.
May 31, 2015
Erin Personalizes Her Generic Apartment With Thrift Finds & Colorful Textiles
Name: Erin Location: Denver, Colorado My husband and I moved to Denver from Chicago almost 2 years ago. It was an adjustment going from big city life to a smaller town vibe with the necessity of a car. But, we love the sunshine, mountains and west/southwest decor style. I have quickly adopted a love for western textiles and ceramics. We have also been MCM fans for years and many of our pieces are from thrift shops, flea markets and estate sales.
May 30, 2015
Before & After: A Boring Bedroom Goes Bold
Project by: Lisa of Lisa Zager Interiors Location: Nashville, Tennessee The designer says: This bedroom was re-done for a 10-year-old boy, who loved bold patterns and colors. We wanted this space to be very graphic and modern for him, something he can grow up in, with a hint of sophisticated style. The juxtoposition of bold black and whites against his neon, bright colored toys and accents in the room is one of our favorite elements.
May 29, 2015
Before & After: A Bold His and Hers Office Compromise
From Veerta: I am an Interior Designer with my own company, Motiani Design, but this project is a little more special to me, because it’s actually my home. I moved in with my boyfriend about six months ago, and naturally of course, we immediately started having decor battles! We needed to convert a portion of HIS penthouse bachelor pad in Marina Del Rey to OUR “his and hers home office” ASAP.
May 24, 2015
Bola’s Bright and Airy San Francisco Home
Name: Bola Location: San Francisco, California Our home is a 1,250 sq ft flat in the heart of San Francisco. Just a stone’s throw from Golden Gate Park and up and coming Divisadero street, our lovely home was built in 1913 and with all the Edwardian charm you find in San Francisco. Narrow hallways lead to boxed rooms with heavy molding and thick hardwood floors. Bright airy rooms allow lots of greenery to thrive in every room.
May 24, 2015
Allison’s Architecturally Charming Row Home
Name: Allison Location: Upper Fells Point, Baltimore, Maryland I’m located in Baltimore, Maryland and my house is an old row home in Upper Fells Point that I bought in 2013. It is 1800 square feet. We named our house Wolfehaus after the street it’s on — South Wolfe. It’s a three bedroom that I share with a couple good friends, three great rescue pups, and one grumpy princess cat. I’ve lived in this home for two years now.
May 23, 2015
Amanda’s Merge of West and East Coast
Name: Amanda Location: West Village, Manhattan, New York City I live on an iconic street in an iconic neighborhood in New York City, in what I would call a classic New York apartment. It’s small. It’s technically a one bedroom, although the bedroom only fits a bed, the kitchen is part of the hallway, and I’ve definitely had to find ways to make do with the space. It also has so much New York character — an exposed brick wall, wood floors, and more.
May 17, 2015
Ryan and Erica’s Colorful and Ever-Changing Home
Name: Ryan and Erica Location: Petworth, Washington, DC We have lived in our 700 square feet Petworth apartment for two years. Our home is colorful and always changing. We regularly add, subtract, or rearrange our walls for the inspiration of new pieces. Most of our items are handmade by us or friends, found, and/or thrifted. We take great pride in that our dishes, cups, rugs, afghan, and almost all of the hanging art has been made by us or artist friends.
May 16, 2015
Brett and Rachel’s Creative & Colorful Lafayette Mid-Century Modern
Name: Brett and Rachel Location: Lafayette, Louisiana Our home was built in 1955 by David L. Perkins, an architecture professor who played a key role in starting the architecture school at what is now The University of Louisiana At Lafayette. It was one of the first of many modern homes and buildings he designed that shaped the contemporary landscape of Lafayette, Louisiana.
May 15, 2015
Whitney’s “More Is More” Style Studio
Name: Whitney Location: Gramercy Park, New York, New York There is a lot going on in my little studio, in line with my “more is more” style. I like large patterns and bright colors and didn’t want to shy away from them just because my space is so small (450 square feet). I went big on the walls, and the pièce de résistance is the hexagonal pattern that took me about a week to do between making the stencils, taping it all off, and actually painting.
May 9, 2015
Secrets of People Who Don’t Stress Out When They Travel
Have some trips coming up (for business or pleasure)? Want to know how to glide through the airport, not break a sweat on a road trip and in general, enjoy the act of traveling — the actual getting from one place to another — a bit more? Take a page out of the notebook of travelers who never seem mussed or frustrated with these stress-less secrets.
May 5, 2015
Andy and Sam’s Sunny & Light Tokyo Flat
Name: Andy & Sam Location: Tokyo, Japan After a whirlwind romance and a couple of countries, we decided to leave sunny England and fulfill our dream of living in Japan. It is truly a magical place and we feel so fortunate to call this our home for a while. We knew the minute we walked in, this was the flat for us. It’s so light and sunny, decently sized for Tokyo and has a view of Mt. Fuji. It’s our sanctuary from the craziness of packed trains and busy streets.
May 3, 2015
Tasha’s Darling St. Paul Story and a Half
Name: Tasha Location: St. Paul, Minnesota This is our darling little 1940 story and a half. It’s our first home and we purchased it a little over a year ago. While it is very much a work in progress (it’s pink and a bad pink) there are certain things I am quite proud of. The main thing, the fact that we furnished it with a very low budget. For instance take our living room… Many of the pieces are from thrift stores. One thing I am very good at is “treasure hunting”.
May 2, 2015
Natacha and Joshua’s Berkeley Home Full of DIY Furniture
Name: Natacha Location: Berkeley, California I am a part-time designer (furniture, ceramist and interior), and I just moved in with my long-time boyfriend Joshua, who is currently studying at UC Berkeley. We met in San Francisco, while I was in school in France and when I moved back to the Bay we decided to move to Berkeley. We found this lovely small apartment right by the campus. It’s a landmark building, built in 1902 (which means it lived through tough earthquakes!
Apr 26, 2015
6 Ways to Design a Home That Constantly Boosts Your Creativity
Want to be rolling around in creative inspiration on the regular at home? You need only put effort into cultivating creativity with your decor choices. Yes, a little thought into how you arrange your home and what you put in it can affect how creative you feel as you live in it — and we’ve got some tips that could help you design a space that boosts your creative levels high. Pick out furniture that can take a beating. That you can dance on. Put coffee cups on without a coaster.
Apr 26, 2015
Suna’s Dramatically Colored Santa Cruz Dream Home
Name: Suna Location: Santa Cruz, California I have lived here for eight years. When my realtor showed me the house my heart stopped. It had fallen out of escrow and was suddenly back on the market. Despite its quite grandiose exterior (Victorian Italianate style) it is actually a very comfortable family home. The rooms have wonderful proportions and 12-foot ceilings. Fortunately, the necessary modernizations have left the house reasonably intact.
Apr 25, 2015