Courtney Balestier

When winter comes, some of us embrace the cold, and some of us cuddle up inside. Whether the first snowfall inspires you to read the biggest novel on your shelf, throw a decadent dinner party, or start waxing your skis, getting your home ready for the cold weather will help you enjoy the season your way. As the temps fall, QVC has what you need to set the scene in style.

Have big holiday decor dreams but not a lot of space to bring them to life? Don’t let that keep you from leaning into your seasonal spirit! With a little creativity, you can find plenty of pockets for adding festive joy to your space: the walls, halls, and everything in between!This wall bow tree can be as large or small as you like: Either way, it makes a big style statement. And all you need is ribbon and Command™ Products to keep it looking sharp all season long.

It doesn’t take much to shift the vibe of your space. The easiest way to do it without taking up any footprint? Finding a signature scent. The right fragrance can be your home’s invisible finishing touch, setting the scene and the mood for a room.A foolproof way to make guests ask, “What is that lovely scent?” is by using Aera home diffusers. We love them so much that we collaborated on a signature Aera x Apartment Therapy Collection!

Hands down, our favorite holiday decor is twinkly lights. Whether gracing a festive mantle, peeking out from icicles on the eaves, or sparkling in store windows, string lights are the warmest, brightest sign of the season. This easy wall light tree is a fun, unexpected way to incorporate more string lights into your holiday style — plus it’s ideal for folks who don’t have space for a huge live tree.

You might look at a blank wall and see a problem in need of a solution. But sometimes — especially if you live in a small space — a blank wall is the solution.Small-space design presents a conundrum: A bit of empty wall offers a nice visual “pause,” but every inch counts! From furniture and decor to tech, everything must work hard, look good, and not overwhelm the room.

The first rule of Halloween decorating: Have as much fun as possible. The season of candy and costumes is a time for going big. All that stuff in your craft closet? Now is its time to shine. This statement-making spiderweb is a fun and easy way to welcome all your favorite ghouls and goblins. The yarn web comes together quickly and stays in place all season long no matter where you decide to put it, all thanks to Command™ Brand Products.

Half the fun of interior design is experimenting with different styles to see what suits your space best — and changing your mind later! If you choose timeless designs for your space’s anchor pieces — think dining tables, sofas, and beds — then you can use smaller items later to play around with different looks without a huge investment of time or money.

Money is always a complicated subject, but perhaps most of all when you’re buying a house. A home is likely the most expensive purchase you’ll ever make, and behind that big list price is a whole micro-economy of fees, calculations, and costs that can sound downright mystifying from the outside — and inside, too! So we asked 676 Apartment Therapy readers just like you to break down the financial aspects of their home-buying process.

House-hunting is stressful at the most normal times — but is there ever a “normal” time? From crowded markets to an ever-shifting landscape of prices and interest rates, it can get hairy out there. Staying informed helps. In that spirit, we surveyed more than 600 Apartment Therapy readers who either just bought a home or are currently in the market for one. We asked how long their search took, the challenges they encountered, and the surprises they discovered.

Anyone who’s recently bought a house is now an expert, whether they want to be or not. They’ve just come up a steep learning curve about local markets, financing negotiations, renovations, and so much more. Ask them about sewers! No really, ask them: If this is your first time buying, or just your first time in today’s market, it can help to learn first-hand from folks who’ve just been through it.

It’s easy to think about neutrals as soft, unobtrusive colors whose job is to let the rest of your decor shine. And they’re great at that! But, depending on how you use them, those same colors can be bold enough to make a big statement all on their own.That’s what Apartment Therapy Creative Director Melissa Polhamus loves about her 2024 Color Crush: Tricorn Black SW 6258 by Sherwin-Williams.

Discover what makes each of The Vibiest Towns in America so special, and take our quiz to find out which town’s vibe is a perfect fit for you. This content is presented in partnership with the All-New Toyota Camry.Los Angeles isn’t just one city: It’s a sprawling collection of neighborhoods and towns that have distinct personalities and lifestyles all their own.

Discover what makes each of The Vibiest Towns in America so special, and take our quiz to find out which town’s vibe is a perfect fit for you. This content is presented in partnership with the All-New Toyota Camry.The Inland Empire region of Southern California — also known as the IE — is full of small planned communities that sit just outside the hustle and bustle of busy urban centers.

After nine long months of renovations, Kirsten and her husband couldn’t wait to get started turning their open-concept kitchen/dining area into the entertaining epicenter they’d been dreaming of.“The kitchen and dining area felt like it could be the heart of the home and the center of fun when friends came over,” Kirsten says. “The new open plan felt warm and welcoming — a perfect place for guests to relax.

Open kitchens are — and this is a technical design term — so much fun. Abundant natural light, beautiful open shelving, and unobstructed access to the party you’re hosting, even while you prep dinner. What’s not to love?After a nine-month renovation that delivered the kitchen/dining area of their dreams, Kirsten and her husband were excited to bring it to life with their clean, modern style.

Part of designing a stylish and comfortable room is thinking about how you want it to feel. Whether you’re talking about furniture, paint colors, scents, or textiles, mood is what brings all those elements together into a look — and a vibe — that you love. And when it comes to decorating the bedroom, that vibe is a no-brainer: cozy cozy cozy! DIYer and design lover Elisa Mastrocolla wanted to give her bedroom an extra dose of snuggly energy without doing much work.

Sometimes your space doesn’t need a stuff refresh as much as it needs a mood refresh. Sure, you might want to add a new element or two, but the goal is more about cultivating a new vibe than creating a new visual effect. This feeling often hits in the summertime, with its effervescent energy that has us wanting to do all the things. For Emily Paloma Sanchez, that means more get-togethers with friends in her chic SoCal home.

Sometimes when a room needs a little reboot, the possibilities (and the square footage) can make change seem a little overwhelming. But we know a shortcut to refreshing any room’s vibe in an afternoon: Find your focal point.That’s what Apartment Therapy’s Executive Home Director Danielle Blundell did when her living room felt a bit uninspired.

You know that one accessory, maybe it’s a statement necklace or a cool pair of sneakers, that instantly makes any outfit 10 percent more stylish? There are spots in our homes like that too. They don’t take much work to shine (that’s the whole point!), yet they look amazing. And they make the rest of your home look amazing too.

Every once in a while, you come across a chameleon color. This kind of hue manages to be many things at once: bold yet grounding, dramatic yet natural, trendy yet timeless. Whatever mood you’re looking to create, it’s somehow just right. That’s how Apartment Therapy’s editor-in-chief, Kylie McConville, feels about her 2024 Color Crush: Jasper SW 6216 by Sherwin-Williams. It’s a lush and earthy green that can bring the drama or quiet the mind.

Your mattress is one of the most important purchases you’ll make for your home. Not only does it need to be high-quality enough to stand up to constant use, but it also has to be designed to deliver exceptional sleep. You know, that thing that plays a central role in our physical, emotional, and mental health. That’s no small mission, but Avocado Green Mattress is committed to succeeding at it — all while helping the planet.

Discover what makes each of The Vibiest Towns in America so special, and take our quiz to find out which town’s vibe is a perfect fit for you. This content is presented in partnership with the All-New Toyota Camry.A lot has changed about Orange, New Jersey, over the years, but its vibrant spirit has been a constant. Orange once boomed as a manufacturing hub, with beer, boots, and staplers dispersing from its factories up and down the Northeast Corridor.

Bedrooms are our spots for destressing and getting cozy — but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. A couple of well-placed “wow” moments can help this room of respite feel stylistically interesting without being overwhelming. For Madeline, that meant turning up the style in a bedroom she already loved.

We all know that small design changes can make a big impact. And if you’re making those small changes to a small kitchen, then that impact is doubled. (It’s real math, don’t question it.) The cozy kitchen in Allie’s Denver apartment was off to a good start, with bright natural light and pretty off-white cabinetry. But she knew some simple tweaks could transform it into a warm and cozy, vintage-inspired space — all while keeping her security deposit intact.

Half the fun of thrifting home decor is imagining the new life it could have in your space. And it doesn’t take much to make a piece feel totally transformed!Whether she’s flipping furniture or adding architectural details to her New Jersey home, Elisa Mastrocolla is always on the lookout for potential. So when she thrifted a set of iconic Adirondack chairs, she knew a little TLC could turn them into a dreamy addition for her outdoor space.

Square foot for square foot, a dorm works way harder than your average room. It’s the place where you study for tests, unwind after a long day of classes, and hang out with friends — all while showing off your distinct style.Luckily, there’s a place where you can set yourself up for scholastic (and social) success, all while creating a living space that suits your unique aesthetic: Walmart.

Late summer is right about when we start looking forward to cooler temps (and fewer mosquito bites). We begin to ponder how we’ll adjust our styles — and our spaces — for the autumn days ahead.Whether you’re looking forward to curling up with a good book, doing a midyear reset, or embracing pumpkin spice everything, you can find exactly what you need at QVC. The iconic shopping destination has high-quality deals for your home, your wardrobe, and your favorite hobbies.

Some of the most impactful DIYs can also be some of the simplest. And who doesn’t love the instant gratification of a quick project?As real estate agents, interior designers, and all-around creative folks, Ashley and Jamin Mills see the potential in just about any space — and just about anything in it! So when they spotted an online listing for a secondhand antique wine bar, they knew it could become stylish poolside storage for their Nashville home.

An easy DIY that you can start on Friday and enjoy just a few days later? That’s our idea of a great weekend.Ace carpenter and DIYer Ashley Quintero has been steadily transforming her family’s 1950s Texas house into their dream home. When she turned her attention to the backyard, she realized their outdoor oasis-in-progress was just the place for a furniture upcycle.“I loved my farmhouse dining chairs when I bought them seven years ago.

With the right prompting, we can see something we’ve looked at a million times in a brand new way. That’s the spirit behind Megan’s Mystery Makeover: Megan Baker Detloff, Apartment Therapy’s Home Projects Director, mails a surprise to one of her favorite DIYers and challenges them to create a project with it.

Sometimes our favorite projects come from surprising places. That’s the spirit behind Megan’s Mystery Makeover: Megan Baker Detloff, Apartment Therapy’s Home Projects Director, mails a surprise to one of her favorite DIYers and challenges them to create a project with it. This time, Megan is encouraging makers to dial up their style using a makeover essential — Stops Rust with Custom Spray 5-in-1 by Rust-Oleum — in a color of her choosing.

From the scent of freshly picked flowers to the colors of a landscape in bloom, outdoor-inspired style touches are both energizing and grounding — reinvigorating our spaces and senses along the way.This unique effect is exactly what inspired Apartment Therapy’s home director Danielle Blundell’s 2024 Color Crush: Halcyon Green SW 6213 by Sherwin-Williams. It’s a peaceful, pleasing green that calls to mind herb gardens and quiet walks in the woods.

Creativity is endless, but sometimes constraints make for extra exciting results. That’s the spirit behind Megan’s Mystery Makeover: Megan Baker Detloff, Apartment Therapy’s Home Projects Director, mails a surprise to one of her favorite DIYers and challenges them to create a project with it. This time, Megan is encouraging makers to dial up their style using a makeover essential — Stops Rust with Custom Spray 5-in-1 by Rust-Oleum — in a color of her choosing.

The details are what make your style come to life. They’re also the easiest way to change things up! Use your larger pieces — like sofas, beds, and dining furniture — to make a more subtle style statement with neutral colors and classic silhouettes. These are items you’ll want to keep over the years, even as your style evolves. Then, you can layer on different looks as the mood strikes.

Outdoor space adds a whole host of possibilities to your home — and sometimes, those possibilities can be a little overwhelming! When Deena, her husband, and their two children relocated from New York City to New Jersey, they got more space inside and out. The new backyard was a big style question mark for Deena, so she decided to start small by focusing on a small and manageable section of it: the patio.

City living has so much to offer — convenience! amenities! walkability! But outdoor space is often not on the list. So Victoria was determined to make the most of what she had: a small private terrace off her Jersey City one-bedroom apartment.This little nook was a dreamy oasis waiting to happen. It just needed some creative thinking, especially when it came to a rather bulky design challenge: three unsightly HVAC units around the perimeter.