Maureen & Lui’s “Moved Down the Street” Massachusetts Home
Name: Maureen Location: Jamaica Plain (Boston), Massachusetts If Maureen’s expert and liberal use of bold wall colors and sophisticated look seem familiar, it may be because we featured her style in a home tour a few years ago: Maureen & Lui’s Pondside Lily Pad. Well there’s a new addition to the family — and they also moved down the street to a new house! Enjoy this sneak peek of their new house’s style. We have recently moved down the street to a new home.
Apr 19, 2015
Mike’s Creative 1932 Craftsman Bungalow
Name: Mike Location: San Antonio, Texas The house was only the second one I ever looked at and though it needed a lot of work, it spoke to me right away. My dad and I did all the renovation — a complete gut — over the next year and a half. When we weren’t actually working on the house itself I was designing and building furniture for it.
Apr 18, 2015
4 Signs You’re the Noisy Neighbor (& What You Can Do About It)
Unless you’ve been lucky enough to live in a modern wood cabin in the woods somewhere, you’ve probably had experience with noisy neighbors before in your life. Some inconsiderate intentionally, others just oblivious, it can be a bummer when your peace is interrupted by someone else’s noise pollution. Of course you can’t expect everyone to be perfectly silent all the time (and those in cities can expect a certain level of sounds all the time).
Apr 15, 2015
Kay’s 400 Square Foot DIY Studio
Name: Kay Rozynski Location: Lower East Side New York, NY I am a design student/amateur designer and this is my studio apartment on the Lower East Side of New York. Just under 400 square feet, I tried to define a clear living, sleeping and dining space without the use of any dividers so I can keep an open and airy flow. I did everything with a very small budget and the bulk of my money was spent on my mattress and down topper.
Apr 12, 2015
Michelle’s Frankfurt Kitchen-Inspired NYC Kitchenette
Name: Michelle Location: Upper East Side New York City, New York The Frankfurt Kitchen of 1926 was the forerunner of modern fitted kitchens and had a unified concept to enable efficient work, consolidating a person’s efforts and allowing them more time to spend elsewhere.
Apr 11, 2015
Molly’s 520 Square Foot Soothing Manhattan Studio
Name: Molly Torres Location: New York, New York (Midtown) Before I started school, my boyfriend and I found the perfect (and affordable) 520 square foot studio apartment in midtown last summer — centrally located to school, for me, and work, for him. Though I only had a minimal budget to work off of, I was extremely excited for the decorating challenge. Within the small space, I wanted to create a functional entryway and a “separate” living area, dining area and bedroom area.
Apr 5, 2015
Hannah & Kristie’s Cozy Living Room
Name: Hannah Wareham Location: Northampton, Massachusetts After four years of living in our current duplex apartment, my wife Kristie and I finally got our living room decor right for us. It’s a mixture of vintage finds (like using an old magazine rack to store yarn for ongoing knitting projects) and newer bargains (thanks Craigslist!). Our living room is the first thing you see when you enter our home, and because of that, it was tough to make storage options both easy and stylish.
Apr 4, 2015
Windowless Bathrooms: 9 That Aren’t Bad at All (And Why!)
Windowless bathrooms have the potential to be very dark and dreary places. Without natural light pouring in, they can turn into caves you don’t want to spend a lot of time in. But they don’t have to be unpleasant. There are some things you can do — design-wise — to make your bathroom lovely despite the lack of a view. Here are nine windowless bathrooms doing it right — inspiration for your own home!
Mar 30, 2015
The Most Effective Tricks for Making Your Ceilings Feel & Look Higher
If you’re stuck with lower-than-you’d-like ceilings and can’t renovate, you’re not necessarily stuck with the look or feel of low ceilings; there are some ideas you can try. We’ve gathered the most effective tricks for making your ceilings feel higher than they are. Creating a faux crown molding area that matches the color of your ceiling will make it feel like your ceiling is taller than it actually is.
Mar 29, 2015
Tina’s 1920s Spanish Craftsman Bungalow
Name: Tina Scherzinger Location: San Diego, California I bought my 1920s spanish craftsman bungalow (1100 sq ft) last year and then spent six months renovating it completely and even changing the floorplan from a three (small) bedroom, one bath home into a spacious two bedroom, two bath home. I transformed the dirt front lawn and backyard into a beautiful succulent and desert garden.
Mar 22, 2015
Maggie’s 1930s Raleigh Home
Name: Maggie Dillon Location: Raleigh, North Carolina My boyfriend and I just moved in together in this wonderful 1930s house that he has lived in for the past three years as he went through Law School. To say it has changed a little since I have moved in might be a understatement. Although we have a pretty tight budget, I think we’ve been able to create a welcoming home that reflects who we are. It also helps that the house has killer bones (like 10 foot ceilings!
Mar 21, 2015
Judith & Benjamin’s Warm and Cozy Loft
Name: Judith Cossette and Benjamin Dupont Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada I’m a photographer from Montreal. My boyfriend Benjamin is an industrial designer. We’ve had this amazing 1100 square feet loft in Montreal for the past three years. We love the warm and cozy feel that the place offers. We wanted the first feeling that you have when you first walk in to be the feeling of comfort.
Mar 15, 2015
Krista’s 100-Year-Old Charming, Thrifty Rental
Name: Krista Byers Location: Saint Charles, Illinois Our home is a house we rent and it is nearly 100 years old in one of Chicago’s most charming suburbs. Everything in our home is done on an extreme budget. Nearly everything in the home was found thrifting, at a yard sale or on Craigslist!
Mar 14, 2015
How To Find Lost Stuff: Our Best Step-by-Step Sanity Saving Tips
You can be someone who is constantly saying “Where are my keys” or you can be the kind of person who only loses something every now and then (but loses it really, really well) — the result is always the same. Time lost, frustration and, if you’re me, a slight panic that slowly grips you as you wonder, “where the heck is my _______?!” You might be compelled to search for something in the last place you remember leaving it.
Mar 12, 2015
Lauren’s Chicago Mix of Finds
Name: Lauren Baker Location: Chicago, Illinois I am the Marketing Events Manager for The Land of Nod based in Chicago. (I plan all the events for our stores around the country, and plan all our bus tours for our #nodtourbus. Dream job!) I purchased my two bedroom/one bath condo seven months ago in the Ravenswood neighborhood in Chicago. Although it had a traditional builder 2007 look, I totally had a vision, and was obsessed with the large window and light when you walked in!
Mar 8, 2015
Kendra’s Character-filled Cambridge Townhouse
Name: Kendra O’Neill Location: Boston, Masschusetts My gorgeous townhouse apartment is located in Cambridge, Masschusetts just a few blocks from Harvard Yard. What really sold me on this place was the exposed brick. I’m a sucker for character and three large walls gave me just that. It’s a fairly large apartment as it has a full living room, eat in kitchen, small laundry room, 2 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Plus when the snow melts, I have great outdoor space.
Mar 7, 2015
Happy Evenings at Home: 5 Things to Do the Moment Work’s Over
How you spend your days, as the saying goes, is how you spend your life. And because work takes up such a huge chunk of many of our lives, it’s worth examining the other chunks — the small moments in the evenings after work — to see how one might improve that time so you’re not just living for the weekends.
Mar 4, 2015
Wendy’s Cozy & Historic Indiana Home
Name: Wendy Location: Wabash, Indiana My home is an apartment in a 1902 duplex in Wabash, Indiana. At 2,000 square feet it is more than roomy enough for myself, four children and our little dog and big cat. I grew up in this small Midwestern town and after being away for several years I decided to move back after some major life changes. It was a huge adjustment for us for several reasons: We had lived in our prior home for 12 years. It was situated back a long lane, nestled deep in the woods.
Mar 1, 2015
Julie’s 700 Square Foot Art Deco Minneapolis Apartment
Name: Julie Carroll Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota I live in a classic 700 square foot Art Deco apartment in Minneapolis. The building was constructed in the early 1930s and maintains much of the original charm (cast iron radiators, porcelain farm sink, crystal door knobs, and the ornate brass light fixtures.) I was drawn to the beauty and opulent architecture of this otherwise modest space. My interior styling is inspired by my Minnesota/Scandinavian heritage.
Feb 28, 2015
Before & After: How to Turn a Dining Room (Or Any Room!) Into a Guest Room Someone Would Actually Want to Stay In
Writer and editor Melanie Warner Spencer’s apartment in Uptown New Orleans is filled with charm, but no guest bedroom. So she’s come up with a way to transform her dining area into an inviting space a guest would actually want to stay in — and has tips and ideas you could steal for your own home.
Feb 28, 2015
Cate’s Cozy San Francisco Nest
Name: Cate Grosch Location: San Francisco, California My husband, two young children and our dog just moved to a new place in the Marina. We love the light, the high ceilings and the little nook off the kitchen. We painted the dining room black and added a dramatic fixture from Jonathan Adler. The house has the old charm of a San Francisco flat with an updated kitchen and a pretty open floor plan. Thanks, Cate! • Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy?
Feb 8, 2015
Nina’s Simple & Sweet 475 Square Foot Studio
Name: Nina Location: Rancho Cucamonga, California I moved into this studio a little less than six months ago to attend graduate school at the Claremont Colleges. This transition marked a huge change for me, not just physically but emotionally as well.
Feb 7, 2015
Anne-Claire’s Internationally Inspired Mix
Name: Anne-Claire Location: Rockville, Maryland We are an international family : my husband is South African, I am French and our 3 year old daughter was born in Dallas, Texas, where we lived before moving to the suburbs of DC. We would have loved to find a Victorian house, or a cool mid-century modern, but we ended up buying a split-level from the 60s. It is not our dream home — it lacks a bit of character, but we love the layout and the location is ideal for us.
Feb 1, 2015
Amy’s 900 Square Foot Cottage Packed With Character
Name: Amy Location: Atlantic Beach, Florida This mid-fifties, concrete-block cottage is located in a walkable, beachside neighborhood of eclectic homes in Northeast Florida. Its 900-square feet pack in lots of character: beamed ceilings, a painted brick fireplace, and plenty of built-in shelving.
Jan 31, 2015
7 Helpful Tips for Moving Everything You Own Without Losing Your Mind
Moving is maddening. Not only is it painful physically, it’s a mental exercise in mindfulness trying to keep everything organized as you completely uproot your whole life. If home is the peaceful place you can retreat to when the world gets hard, having to dismantle it can leave you free-floating in a sea of stress. There’s really only one way through a move (do it) but these eight tips might help you from losing your mind in the process. Like, seriously write it down.
Jan 27, 2015
10 Things to Look For On Your Next Apartment Hunt (That You Haven’t Thought Of Yet)
Of the many things you might be on the lookout for when searching for your next apartment to live in — hardwood floors, big windows, a lot of space — don’t neglect the odd but useful items on this list. They might save you a lot of future pain and make sure you enjoy your next home! We spotted these ideas from a thread on Reddit asking for what to look out for and what to asking when looking for an apartment.
Jan 20, 2015
First Time Homebuyer? 6 Essentials to Take With You On a House Hunt
Whether you’re looking for a home right now or plan to be on the hunt some time next year, don’t just stumble into a house hunt unprepared. While the process is exciting, there might be a few things you want to make sure you have on hand during the search so you can hunt for the home of your dreams smarter.
Jan 6, 2015
Jeremy and Douglas’ 750 Square Feet Modern Minneapolis Home
Name: Jeremy Stadelman Gauthier and Douglas Gauthier Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota I take up residence in the Soo Line Building in Downtown Minneapolis with my husband, Douglas, and our chorgi, Ms. Nola. We arrived here in August from Northern California and, well, we haven’t looked back. Along with everything else Minneapolis has to offer, we’re learning to navigate an eight mile skyway system downtown, connected to our building.
Dec 20, 2014
Before & After: A Former Dumping Ground Turned Inviting Guest Room
Amanda had a tiny extra room that wasn’t much more than a dumping ground for “old clothes, holiday decorations, paperwork, and hockey gear,” becoming pretty unusable. But with a guest visit on the horizon, she gave herself the challenge of transforming it into a room a guest could enjoy staying in! From Amanda: To brighten the room and add some life, I brought in color with the pillows and ottomans from Target.
Dec 20, 2014
Alex’s Uptown New Orleans Nest
Name: Alex Geriner of Doorman Designs Location: New Orleans, Louisiana I’m a furniture designer, craftsman, and entrepreneur who lives in the quaint bustling neighborhood of Uptown New Orleans. My one bedroom apartment is an 1,100 square foot “shotgun” style layout nestled on the second floor of a bright and sunny Victorian home. The place was a diamond in the rough that needed some work when I moved in two years ago but it was love at first site!
Dec 14, 2014
The 6 Elements to an Irresistibly Inviting Seating Arrangement
Want your guests sinking into your living room furniture cushions to soak up each other’s delightful conversation instead of crowding in your kitchen or awkwardly standing around? Focus on your seating arrangements and add these six elements to make future entertaining in your home smooth, cozy and natural. Guests don’t want to shimmy through tight squeezes or step over stools to get to seating. They want it to feel like getting cozy is natural and easy to find.
Dec 14, 2014
Valerie & Andrew’s Airy Living in 840 Square Feet
Name: Valerie & Andew Location: Marina Del Rey, California My husband and I rent a 840 square foot loft in the Arts District, of Marina Del Rey, California. We surprisingly found our home on Craigslist and moved in right before we got married. We both love the space because it is clean, bright, and airy, with wooden beams and hardwood floors, which add the right amount of warmth.
Dec 6, 2014
Before & After: A Painted Credenza Gets Some Drawer Drama
If you’ve ever come across a painted wood storage piece and wondered how you could restore it to the naturally beautiful look of wood and do something fresh and unique to it, you’ll find inspiration in this credenza Martha got creative with. From Martha: The original finish on this piece was a fading white with many scratches all over it.
Dec 6, 2014
Before & After: Ideas for Turning an Unused Room into an Inspiring DIY Craft Room
Have a spare room that you want to turn into a creativity-inducing craft room the likes of which have never been seen? You just might find some inspiration and ideas in Tasha’s DIY craft room that features bold colors and patterns as well as stylish supply storage solutions. From Tasha: We transformed the remnants of our twin girls’ nursery to my craft room/home office. I selected a neutral gray for the walls and a black and white color palette.
Nov 30, 2014
The 7 Most Successful Ways to Make a Small Space Seem Less Claustrophobic
Let’s face it, as cozy and sweet as a small space can feel, it can also sometimes feel like the walls are closing in. With winter on the way, you’ll be spending a lot more time indoors, so you might consider investing in proven ways you can make your small space feel less claustrophobic. We’ve got seven ideas! In a small space, sometimes sacrifices have to be made to make a space feel more airy.
Nov 30, 2014
6 Ways to Create a Home That Shows Off Your Personality
When the budget is tight and you don’t have tons of time to spend shopping, sometimes purchasing a lot of your home’s design elements from the same few places is just the easy thing to do. So then what can you do to make sure your living room doesn’t look like a catalog spread and that your home feels like “you?” Find the answer in a few simple steps.
Nov 30, 2014
James & Shanna’s Comfortable and Cozy North Carolina Home
Name: James and Shanna Location: Northgate Park, Durham, North Carolina When I moved from Los Angeles to Durham, North Carolina for a job at Merge Records, I was excited to be able to have an entire place of my own. I rented this two-story bungalow near downtown and a block from a park, and started outfitting it with mid-century finds from Craigslist and thrift stores.
Nov 29, 2014
Dominic’s Cozy 560 Square Foot West Hollywood Studio
Name: Dominic Location: West Hollywood, California I always wanted to have my own place and after having the roommate experience, I’ve decided to get a place of my own. I wanted to be close to work and also in the neighborhood with interior design resources so I chose West Hollywood, California. After seeing many one bedrooms and studios, I found a decent size, large studio apartment. I wanted to showcase my design eye and express my creative insights.
Nov 22, 2014
Before & After: A Thrift Store Media Cabinet Gets a Makeover
What do you do with a perfectly good, sturdy piece of furniture that has potential but is a bit heavy visually on the eyes? If you’re Kim, you give it a fresh paint job and add some design details that make this piece one-of-a-kind! From Kim: I’ve long since coveted a sleek mid-century modern media credenza.
Nov 22, 2014
Balki’s Sleek 400 Square Foot Downtown Toronto Studio
Name: Balki B. Location: Toronto, Canada This is my 400 square foot apartment in downtown Toronto and I love small space living! My space is practical and functional for my needs. The mirrored closet has more than sufficient storage space for me. In addition to clothes, it houses an extra folding chair, my laser printer, some documents, and much more! I would say that my most prized item is my beautiful fiddle leaf fig. (I’ve named her Carla!
Nov 16, 2014
Chris & Roger’s Bold Blue Bathroom Makeover
Project by: Roger + Chris Location: Sharon Springs, New York The drab downstairs bathroom in our 160-old Italianate Victorian was in desperate need of a style infusion. Likely installed in the 1940s or 50s, the bath hadn’t received much attention in the ensuing years. A cute but well-used pedestal sink with separate taps, a tiled (and tiny) shower, fairly gross floor, and square tile running halfway up the walls. On the plus side, the large window brought plenty of sunlight into the space.
Nov 16, 2014
Before & After: A Simple (& Temporary!) Modern Mantel Update to a Stone Fireplace
Renters and those not willing to make permanent changes to their stone fireplaces, rejoice! There is a way to meld your modern sensibilities with an outdated fireplace that might feature a material that overwhelms. Lidy came up with a simple and chic DIY way to add a modern feel to her stone fireplace. From Lidy: Our fireplace was a little outdated and it had no mantel. Although I was perfectly content with that, I debated how we could modernize it just a bit.
Nov 16, 2014
Lacy & Ed’s Modern, Whimsical 700 Square Foot Austin Apartment
Name: Lacy Reed-Cox and Ed Reed Location: Austin, Texas We (me, my husband, and our loud cat Simone) live in a one-bedroom, 700 square foot apartment in Austin, Texas. We like the cleanness of modern and mid-century modern lines, so the furniture we own is almost all modern, but to make it homier, we’ve layered on whimsical/bohemian stuff using textiles, rugs, and art. So 80% modern, 20% quirky, maybe, is the best way to describe it?
Nov 15, 2014
Before & After: A Drab Wallpapered Bedroom Gets a Dark Paint Makeover
Wendy fell so in love with the character and charm of this rental apartment she was a bit blind to the stained, outdated wallpaper in the bedroom. But after moving in, she realized an update was needed, and she went with a dark and dramatic color palette. From Wendy: When my children and I moved into our rental apartment last winter, I was so wowed by the charm and character of our new space that I scarcely noticed the dingy, stained wallpaper covering every room in the house.
Nov 15, 2014
Bryant’s Modest Mid-Century Baton Rouge Abode
Name: Bryant Smith Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana I live in a 1955 Atomic ranch house, located beneath stately live oaks in balmy Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I bought this 1,160 square foot home just over two and a half years ago and was delighted to see that most of its original character had been left intact: blonde brick, oak tile floors, wall of windows, sliding glass kitchen cabinets, phone recess, attic fan, car port, metal-rimmed laminate counters, etc.
Nov 9, 2014
8 Bathroom Bettering Ideas You Can Do (When You Can’t Renovate Your Rental)
Staring all day at photos of enviable bathrooms full of bold tile floors, brand new fixtures, dreamy cabinets and claw foot tubs made for soaking in, it can be easy to get discouraged and focus on what you can’t do when you rent (or if you own but don’t have a huge budget for renovations). But just because you can’t tear everything out and start over doesn’t mean you can’t make your bathroom more beautiful.
Nov 9, 2014
Before & After: An Easy & Bold Bathroom Refresh for Only $65
When the budget is tight and you can’t tear apart your entire bathroom to turn it into something you’d prefer, you’ve got to get creative. Jenna did just that with her bathroom, and it went from kind of sad to cheery! There are some simple but bold ideas in this makeover for both renters and homeowners.
Nov 9, 2014
Allison & Tom’s Unusual, Vintage & Salvaged Home
Name: Allison Schmidt Location: Culver City, California Tom and I met in art school, fell in love, bought our home and have been remodeling it ever since. We decided to add a second story and turn a basic 1952 bungalow into our version of a craftsman home. And we decided we could do it ourselves. We wanted to try to use as many recycled and vintage pieces as possible so we began seeking out swap meets and salvage yards.
Nov 8, 2014