Having fallen out of favor for decades, carpet is officially back! Not much beats the feeling of kicking off your shoes at the end of a long day or stepping out of bed in the morning onto a soft, cushioned cloud of carpet. It absorbs the noise of footsteps, paws, rolling chairs, and vacuums. And thanks to advancements in modern technology, many of the issues that once made homeowners shy away from carpeting — like maintenance, durability, and fading — have been rendered obsolete.

In the last several years, we’ve seen the open floor plan’s popularity wane. Once a standard of new builds, people are again seeing the value of having defined spaces for the home’s distinct activities. But all of those open-concept housing units are still there, and the people who live in them are finding creative ways to make “rooms” within their multipurpose spaces.

Paint is one of the most underrated tools in a DIY-er’s arsenal, and it offers a lot more room for creativity than most of us realize. You see your walls every day, so why not make them fun to look at? Even better, why not make them functional as well? DIY-er and mom-of-two Armelis Dorville set out to do both in her twins’ room.

A diffuser that's impactful without being overpowering...perfect for smaller spaces.

I consider myself somewhat of a sleep sommelier, a connoisseur of cozy. For me and my 14-year-old Calico Phoebe, cat naps are part of our daily routine, so we can never have too many blankets around. Between air-conditioned afternoons and chilly fall nights, I figured I’d pretty much seen (and enjoyed) it all when it came to blankets. Then I discovered Pretty Rugged.