Katie Holdefehr

They're game-changers in small apartments.

These spaces might be tight, but they can also be stylish and efficient.

Drinking glasses may be a standard item in any kitchen, but add some color and personality, and you'll make something so commonplace a true household treat.

At the edge of the charming Dutch town of Utrecht, nestled between traditional 20th-century homes and a highway overpass, lies a house that’s all planes, lines and pops of primary color. Built in the 1920s by architect Gerrit Rietveld in collaboration with his partner (in both love and design) Truus Schröder-Schräder, the building does for architecture what Mondrian did for art: It pares it down to form and color.

The kitchen is often the hub of a home, but it can also tend to feel like a stark, cold space (tile floors and an abundance of stainless steel appliances will do that). Luckily, there are some design tricks to warm up the room, while still keeping this area devoted to cooking and eating clean and healthy. With a few design details and accents that add personality, you can inject the entire room with warmth.

Warning/workspace/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/atmedia-cloudinary-image-block/atmedia-cloudinary-image-block.php82 While we may love our kitchens 364 days out of the year (and we don’t mean to sound un-thankful), there’s nothing like the biggest feast of 2016 to suddenly make them seem utterly inadequate.

As Nancy pointed out recently, there are some kitchen design choices that never go out of style — retro SMEG fridges and farmhouse sinks fall firmly in this category. If they’ve been considered stylish and practical for decades, chances are they’ll still be popular a couple decades from now.

Full disclosure: I’ve never been skiing, or snowboarding, or so much as stepped foot on a snow-covered mountain range. But I’ve seen “Force Majeure” and have taken a virtual tour of Aerin Lauder’s Aspen home, which basically qualifies me as a pseudo expert on the après-ski aesthetic. To get the look (without actually hitting the slopes), here are some cozy ways to work ski style into your apartment that won’t look totally out of place.

So, your rental apartment or newly-built home didn’t come with coffered ceilings or pressed tin tiles? Set your sights above that unsightly popcorn or drop ceilings you’ve been dealt. All eight of these ceiling hacks will lend architectural interest to a boring room—whether you channel intricate European plasterwork or rustic exposed wood beams is entirely up to you. Warning/workspace/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/atmedia-cloudinary-image-block/atmedia-cloudinary-image-block.

During the warm days of summer that always seem to creep into September, no material is more refreshing than naturally crisp linen. To cool you down as this glorious season lingers on, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite sources for high-quality linen everything—duvet covers, towels, and notebooks included. Save this list of go-to shops in your design file—these are 8 sources you’re going to want to keep shopping all year long. Why linen, you ask?

There are plenty of home goods that are fine to buy cheap (I put shower curtains and bathmats in that category), and then there are those worth shelling out some cash for. These are investment pieces that will travel with you from home to home, and that could one day be given to a loved one. Here are our picks for 5 items you’ll love using every single day, and that you’ll look forward to owning for years to come.

When you’re busy working, it can be easy to let your workspace fall into a rut—I mean, who has time to redecorate their desk when they’re preparing for next week’s presentation? But because your work environment affects how energized you feel, taking a few minutes right now to optimize your workspace may just make your whole week more productive. Want to try it? Read through these five ways to improve and organize your desk according to feng shui—then get to work!

...and their fast fixes.

Studio apartments are efficient, cost-effective options for living in the city of your dreams, whether it’s New York or L.A., but they don’t exactly offer much privacy. However, you can still create a soothing sanctuary that feels separate from the rest of your open-floor plan home without bringing in a contractor or spending a lot of money.

It may seem counterintuitive, but it works!

If your home goal for 2017 is to go green(er), here are 10 remarkably easy changes that require the most minimal amount of effort. Switches as simple as changing a lightbulb (seriously) or buying a dish towel don’t call for much work on your part, but together they’ll add up to a total eco-friendly home makeover. When buying new wood furniture, look for certified sustainably harvested options.