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Eleanor Büsing

    About Me

    Interior designer, freelance writer, passionate foodie. Canadian by birth, Londoner by choice and Parisienne at heart.

    Latest Stories

    7 Genius Ways to Make a Long, Narrow Living Room Feel Way Less Awkward
    With some layout tweaks and a few visual tricks up your sleeve, you can learn to love your long room.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Jul 29, 2024
    Be Your Own Designer: 10 Flawless Ways to Lay Out a Living Room
    Our living rooms wear a lot of hats so it can be tricky to decide how best to arrange the space. Here are 10 furniture layout ideas to consider.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Apr 2, 2024
    8 Tips to Ensure You Can Actually Enjoy Your Own Holiday Party
    Throw a holiday bash to remember without all the stress by using these tips from a top party planner in Beverly Hills.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Dec 1, 2023
    You Can Totally Put Your Bed in Front of the Window. Here's How to Make it Work
    You can't always avoid putting a bed in front of a window, but you can avoid making your bedroom an eyesore.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Dec 1, 2023
    Design Lessons: How To Spot (& Fix!) an Off Balance Room
    Balance is a tricky beast when it comes to interior design. Some people love perfectly symmetrical spaces, and others are utterly bored by them. Wherever you fall, you’ve got to admit that a balanced space — in terms of color, visual weight, pattern and layout — is perfectly pleasing to the eye. But knowing how to get there takes trial and error. For some examples, I’ve rounded up a few spaces that with a tweak or two, could be perfectly in balance.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Oct 3, 2023
    How to Layout 4 Tricky Bedroom Floorplans with Two Twin Beds
    An interior designer sketches up four super smart solutions for fitting a pair of twin beds into room shapes that could prove difficult.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Jun 8, 2023
    The Dos & Don’ts of Hanging Art: An Illustrated Guide
    As a designer, poorly hung art is probably my number one design bugbear. Our pictorial guide to hanging art like a pro will help you avoid many all-too-common design pitfalls.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Mar 31, 2023
    How To: Create a Gallery Wall
    Ah, the gallery wall. So ubiquitous in shelter mags and on blogs, they’ve become a staple of modern home decor. I know several people who think the curated wall is on its way “out”, and feel that individual pieces of art never get to shine anymore. But for someone like me, who accumulates art like some people accumulate paperbacks, gallery walls aren’t just a necessity- they’re a way of life.This liking for art-stuffed walls seems to be a family trait.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Mar 30, 2023
    15 Ingenious IKEA BESTA Hacks To Try
    IKEA's BESTA range is so minimal and versatile, it's almost impossible not to put your own stylish spin on it. Check out how these homes did just that.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Feb 25, 2023
    Real Life in London: 7 Things You’ll Need to Be OK With To Love Living Here
    I canvassed my friends, from born-and-bred Londoners to long-term expats and recent arrivals, for thoughts on living here.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Nov 16, 2022
    The 10 Commandments of Furniture Placement
    Sometimes moving a chair, shifting a sofa, or re-orienting a bed is enough to give your home a whole new lease on life.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Oct 14, 2022
    5 Ways to Arrange Furniture in a Small Bedroom (& 4 Bonus Tips for Making the Most of It!)
    Plus four bonus tips for making the most of what you've got.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Oct 6, 2022

    Latest Stories

    It’s In The Mix: Kitchens with Different Cabinet Types
    The kitchen in the photo above is pretty much my dream kitchen: black and white color scheme, wood, a section of open shelving—just throw in a copper or matte black swan tap and I’m sold. But you know what really gets me about the space above? The mix of cabinet types. Perhaps I’m just being greedy, but I love seeing more than one cabinet style in a kitchen. It’s irreverent and cool and oozes personality.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Jul 17, 2020
    10 of the Best Things You Should Make Instead of Buy
    Over the years, we’ve shared a lot of money-saving projects, large and small. If you can make something at home easily and cheaply, why wouldn’t you? Save some cash and flex those DIY muscles with these ten ideas for things to make rather than buy, from the Apartment Therapy and Kitchn archives. Your wallet and your home will thank you. Household cleaners. Ban chemicals from your home once and for all, and save pennies too with these recipes for eco-friendly cleaning products.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Jul 17, 2020
    Modern Murals: The New Wallpaper?
    Perhaps it’s a continuation of the oversized art trend and a backlash against gallery walls, or perhaps it’s the natural next step for wallpaper to take. Either way, murals are hot. No longer relegated to children’s rooms and DIY efforts, the full-wall image has gone mainstream.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Jul 16, 2020
    My Life Without a Dishwasher
    My current flat has a dishwasher, which, after 5+ years of living in London without one, felt like a huge luxury when I moved in a year ago. In my naivety, I thought I’d become so used to and efficient at washing my own dishes that I’d barely use the thing. Yeah, you can guess how long that attitude lasted. The following statement pretty much sums up how my flatmate and I view doing the dishes: if something fits into the dishwasher, it’s going into the dishwasher.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Mar 11, 2020
    How To Properly Light a Kitchen
    The kitchen: it’s the laboratory of the home, where we “work” to create meals for ourselves and those we live with. Conversely, it’s also often the social hub of the home, where friends gather at parties or even where you might like to hang out solo, just reading a book or listening to the radio. With these dual purposes in mind, it’s often tricky to strike the right lighting balance.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Mar 11, 2020
    Brilliant Bike Storage
    You know how, when you have a new interest, it’s suddenly all you can see? Just as a newly-expecting couple might see babies everywhere they look, so it is with me and bikes. I’ve recently decided to buy one, and find myself checking out others’ wheels 24/7 these days.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Mar 11, 2020
    8 Bold Paint Colors You Have to Try in Your Small Bedroom
    It’s no secret that we at Apartment Therapy love color, even (er, make that especially) in small spaces. While the rest of the internet might still be spewing the “paint it white to make it seem larger” line, we know that a bold shade can bring energy and a sense of expansion to a modest room. Have a small bedroom and want some paint ideas beyond white and gray? We’ve got you—and your walls—covered.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Mar 11, 2020
    Living in a Small Space: Three Things that Make a Big Difference
    Do you live in a small space? Do people sometimes confuse your bedroom for a closet? Can you reach your kitchen sink from your couch? If you’re looking for ways to make your space more livable without spending a ton, you’ve come to the right place. Here are three classic ways to make living little work for you: 1. Lighting Small is one thing, but small and dark is quite another. Almost nothing has the power to transform the a room like good lighting.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Mar 11, 2020
    How To Properly Light a Living Room
    Here at Apartment Therapy we’re big fans of considered lighting, and the way doing it right can completely change the look and feel of a space. It’s particularly important in the living room, where we often spend quite a bit of time. However it’s a tricky space to strike the right lighting balance, thanks to the many different functions the living room serves. Read on for some tips: The first step when lighting any room is to ask yourself: what happens here?
    Eleanor Büsing
    Jan 17, 2020
    Sarah’s Contemporary Color in London
    Name: Sarah RedshawLocation: Wimbledon, London, United KingdomSize: 905 square feetYears lived in: 13 years; owned For most of its life, Sarah’s South London terraced home had a traditional two-up, two-down layout. But after 12 years of ownership, Sarah decided that the arrangement wasn’t working for her anymore. She craved more space, more light, and a more contemporary feel.
    Eleanor Büsing
    Dec 19, 2019
    Before, During, After: The Best Part of Any Project – Learning New Skills
    This isn’t your average DIY; I can’t give you simple step-by-step instructions or promise that you can get this done on a Saturday afternoon. After all, these chairs took me months to complete.A few years ago, I enrolled in a just-for-fun, one-morning-a-week course in Traditional Furniture Upholstery. The idea had been at the back of my mind for a while, as something which would combine my background in fashion textiles with my burgeoning interest in interiors.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 6, 2019
    How To Paint a Wooden Dresser
    I know some of us at Apartment Therapy have strong views on painting wooden furniture, particularly (gasp!) painting it white, but sometimes it’s gotta be done. This bedside table belongs to my flatmate/landlord, left behind by some long-ago tenant. We both agreed that the knotty pine was an eyesore, and that for the benefit of future tenants, giving it a makeover with a lick of white paint was the best thing we could do.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 5, 2019

    Latest Stories

    Budget DIY: Tips for Stretching Your Project Dollars
    We’re halfway through DIY and Project month, and right about now some of you may be considering taking on a household upgrade or two. You’re probably also hoping that these DIY endeavours will save some money, as well as give you bragging rights among your friends.But as any crafty enthusiast knows, DIY can end up being just as expensive (or sometimes more so) than going pro or store-bought.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 5, 2019
    Wedding Reception Games: Ice Breakers, Kiss-Makers and More
    Many people are divided on the idea of “games” at weddings. There are those who find them fun and harmless, and those who think that surely weddings are enjoyable enough as-is, and question the need to add opportunities for embarrassment to the day’s schedule. While I have sympathies with the latter group, my older sister, who married last summer, is firmly in the former camp.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 5, 2019
    How To Definitely Get Your Deposit Back: 10 Things To Do Before You Move Out
    Moving is the worst, I get it. But not getting your rental deposit back? That is the worst of the worst. Make sure it doesn’t happen to you with our ten-tip guide. Clean the kitchen appliances. This is often one of the places people will look at first to gauge a home’s cleanliness, so scrub out the oven, wipe down the inside of the fridge, and clear the dishwasher drain. Clean the windows.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 4, 2019
    How To Properly Light a Bedroom
    At first glance, the bedroom seems the least important room in the home, in terms of lighting. After all, we’re not really working in there much (unless it doubles as an office), and the primary goal of the space is to support sleep— which requires an intentional lack of light.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 4, 2019
    How to Properly Light a Bathroom
    As with the kitchen, the bathroom is a “work room,” and therefore one of the most important spaces in the home to get lighting right. They also tend to be smaller than all the other rooms in our home, and don’t have as many (or as large) windows. Careful consideration of the General, Task and Accent lighting we add to this room will pay dividends in how the area functions and feels.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 4, 2019
    DIY Fall Decor: All Gold Everything
    Fall is officially here, and everything is coming up gold. From garlands and wreaths to pumpkins and pears, read on for simple ways to DIY this metallic into your home for the season. TOP ROW: 1. Falling leaves garland from 6th Street Design School. 2. Gilded acorns available to buy from Light of Day Creations on Etsy, but an easy thing to DIY! 3. Gold-painted branches from Popsugar. 4. DIY no-sew burlap table runner from Inspired by Charm. 5. Gold-dipped log candleholder DIY on the Etsy blog.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 4, 2019
    How To Downsize a Kitchen: 8 Tips for Owning Less in the Most Space-Sucking Room in the House
    Lately it seems that I’m hearing the word “downsize” everywhere. From friends buying their first bijoux apartments after years in shared and spacious rented accommodation, to my parents’ generation selling multi-bedroom suburban houses and moving into city condos, to articles about living more minimally, owning less is trending. Obviously, downsizing is going to be different for everyone.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 4, 2019
    How To Establish a Home Filing System (& Stick To It!)
    It’s a new year, and around the globe people are making that age-old promise to themselves: this is the year I finally get organized. No more drowning in paperwork, no more dining table cluttered with bills and receipts—this year it all stops. Want to know something? It can be done. A simple, user-friendly filing system is something every home should have, and is easy to set up and maintain.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 4, 2019
    The New Look for Painted Trim? Anything But White
    For a long time now, white-painted woodwork has been de rigeur in the domestic interior, so much so that it’s almost a foregone conclusion. But this is slowly changing: we’ve seen black woodwork popping up lately, and now grays and bold hues are making their voices heard as well. If you fancy this change but aren’t sure what to go for, let this trim-spiration sourced from around the web be your guide.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 4, 2019
    Before & After: Organizing the Kitchen “Sad Drawer”
    Almost every kitchen’s got one. They go by different names: my old flatmate and I called ours the Drawer of Doom, and with my current one, The Sad Drawer. It’s that one place in a kitchen, be it drawer, pantry shelf, or simply an unfortunate corner, that attracts random debris like nobody’s business. From the actually useful (tupperware, kitchen foil) to the barely-used (madeleine pan, anyone?), the Sad Drawer is where things that don’t go anywhere else find themselves.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 4, 2019
    A Minimalist Manifesto: How To Simplify Your Style at Home
    Sometimes, our homes can overwhelm us. What should be a place of retreat and comfort becomes bloated with items not needed, styles experimented with and abandoned, and projects started but never completed. While a good Spring Clean (whenever it happens) is always welcome, sometimes you want to go even further than that and streamline your style, too. Read on for our Minimalist Manifesto, and for ideas on how to simplify your home.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 4, 2019
    Minimalist Mantras: 4 Things to Remember When Life is Getting a Little Too Complicated
    Life can be busy. It can also be fast, complicated, and stressful. With the current trend toward living minimally, many people are looking for ways to simplify and cope with this day-to-day noise. Next time it all threatens to overwhelm you, try reminding yourself of one of these four simple mantras. Cliché, but true. When we’re in the middle of a busy time or a stressful situation, it can be like having blinders on. We can’t see our way out of it and lose all perspective.
    Eleanor Büsing
    May 4, 2019