Our TeamMaxwell Ryan

Maxwell Ryan

CEO

New York, NYKeep up with me on Apartment Therapy

    About Me

    Maxwell left teaching in 2001 to start Apartment Therapy as a design business helping people to make their homes more beautiful, organized AND healthy. The website started up in 2004 with the help of his brother, Oliver. Since then he has grown ApartmentTherapy.com, added TheKitchn.com, our home cooking site, and has authored four books on design. He now lives with his daughter in a lovely apartment in Brooklyn.

    Latest Stories

    How I Styled an Awkward Open-Concept Living Room Two Ways
    See how I styled this living room for both warmer weather and cozy moments.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jul 23, 2025
    I Transformed My Walls in an Hour with Easy Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper
    You can do it, too!
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jun 25, 2025
    I Tried an Air Purifying Headboard — Here’s What It Was Like
    Spoiler: It’s quieter than I thought it'd be!
    Maxwell Ryan
    Apr 29, 2025
    3 Different Ways to Catch a Mouse in Your House
    Learn how to trap them!
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jan 15, 2025
    I Can’t Imagine Winter Gatherings Without These Cozy Outdoor Throws (I Gift Them to Everyone!) 
    Just pure, snuggly joy.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Dec 20, 2024
    A Note from Maxwell, Our Founder
    Welcome to the new Apartment Therapy.
    Maxwell Ryan
    May 1, 2024
    How to Insulate Hot Pipes with Rope
    They don't have to be such an eyesore.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jan 11, 2024
    The 11 Best Sleeper Sofas and Sofa Beds Your Guests Will Love Crashing On
    We'll help you find one that's comfortable, attractive, and fits your budget.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Dec 26, 2023
    You Can Shop Apartment Therapy's New Cammie Collection Now!
    For your brightest, boldest sleep yet.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Oct 6, 2023
    Party Architecture: #1 – Density
    Ever been to this type of party?You’re invited for 9.You walk in at 10:30.But you’re still early.A few people are sitting around the living room. Others are leaning against the wall. You find the host in the kitchen pouring a drink for someone under the bright, fluorescent light. A plate of crudites sits on top of a stereo playing a blah rock mix. Someone is already saying their goodbyes…Don’t let this happen to you!
    Maxwell Ryan
    Oct 4, 2023
    I Tried This Under-the-Radar Brand’s Customizable Organic Cotton Percale Bedding — Here’s Why It’s a Game Changer
    Mix and match from more than 40 colors to create your dream bedding set.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Sep 14, 2023
    Our Favorite Drinking Glasses to Use Every Single Day
    Good design isn’t just for wine glasses and fancy occasions. We like to incorporate it into everything we use on a daily basis, from the rugs under our feet to the lighting above. And that includes our regular tableware. So if you’re looking for beautiful drinking glasses that you can use every day, look no further than these 11 picks.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Aug 1, 2023
    Get Amazing One-Time Deals on Furniture and Art in NYC, LA & Atlanta
    Bridge Props doesn't usually sell outside of the trade, but right now, it's offering local NYC, Los Angeles, and Atlanta communities the option to buy these pieces for their spaces at steep discounts and deals.
    Maxwell Ryan
    May 24, 2023
    Introducing Max Plexibox: The Framing Gamechanger
    A new way to frame.
    Maxwell Ryan
    May 17, 2023
    Apartment Therapy’s New (Online) Frame Shop Will Help You Frame Your Art Easily and Beautifully
    NEWS
    I’ve always wanted to offer a really simple, really reliable online framing solution. Now, by teaming up with Simply Framed, we’ve gone and done it.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Apr 3, 2023
    Use the 57″ Rule To Hang Pictures at the Perfect Height
    You only need to remember one number to get it right, every time.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Mar 30, 2023
    A Simple, Sweet Way to Celebrate Yourself This Month
    You deserve it.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jan 27, 2023
    13 Tips for The Sexiest Bedroom … Like Ever
    Mae West was famous for saying, “The best way to get over a guy is to get under a new guy.” Despite its many implications, it was a good reminder to me that amidst all the politics of dating, as an Apartment Therapist, underneath it ALL is a bed and the BEST way to catch the new person you want is to have a fantastic bedroom. Your bedroom is the clearest expression of how you are feeling about yourself right now and is bathed in your pheromones.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jan 25, 2023
    Best Small Toilets: Toto, Kohler, Duravit & 3 More
    Bring on the small, yet powerful, toilets that allow you to save space and still sit down in style. Oh, and yes, you will also save lots of water as well! When I started doing this list nearly ten years ago, this was a novel category. It is no longer. Our reader favorites continue to be these brands: Toto, Duravit and Kohler, and while there’s still debate about the higher prices for these toilets and problems with “streaking” they seem to be generally winning people over.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Oct 15, 2022
    Small Cool 2007: The Winners!
    We’re all winners. Congratulations to all the winners! We’d like to thank everyone who entered for sharing their homes with all of us and proving that SMALL is COOL. Thanks as well to our four fabulous judges, Kara, Michael, Jamie and Brad for choosing these winners.* And a big thank you to DWR for sponsoring the whole shebang.1st PlaceQuotes from the Judges on London Urchin’s entry:Kara:“I love this apartment because of its simple elegance.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Oct 13, 2022
    Great DIY Desks with IKEA Countertops and Legs
    This is a pearl of wisdom that I received years ago and wanted to bring back right now. When in need of a really simple, nice, natural material desk, use IKEA butcherblock countertop (which is cuttable, sandable, stainable and paintable) and some cool legs (like the Vika Inge style seen here, which has been replaced with Vika Runtorp).
    Maxwell Ryan
    Oct 12, 2022
    Eames Knock Offs, Fakes & Copies
    This is the real thing and I love it – an Eames LCW from Herman MillerLately, I’ve been seeing more not-so-bad knock offs of some classic designs.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Oct 12, 2022
    Warm vs Cool Colors: What Are They and What’s the Best Way to Use Them?
    The interior palette is roughly divided into two groups of color: warm and cool colors. Reds, yellows, oranges and beige are warm. Blues, greens and grays are cool. If you look at the color wheel, warm colors are on one side of the wheel, and the cools reside on the other. Where they meet, they mix, forming some hybrids, like green and purple. Those colors can be warmer or cooler depending on their mix.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Aug 10, 2022
    Upgrade Your IKEA Sofa with Our New, Affordable Slipcover Collection from Bemz
    A while back, I worked with the BEMZ team to design a special corduroy collection that was chic, cozy, and perennially in style. Now, I’m excited to finally reveal the brand new colors that build on the success of that project.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Mar 10, 2022
    One Good Thing – Out & About: Hand’s Lovely, Compact, IKEA Hanging Dish Rack
    Welcome back to our tour of the city… looking for good ideas that are RIGHT under our noses. This week I got to visit Hands at home. Yes, that’s right, Hands has a lovely small apartment in the West Village where all the magic happens. In this visit Hands shows me great, space saving dish rack that has made her space work so well in the sink department. Originally a great IKEA design, I’ve now been able to find a few spin-off since the Swedish Giant discontinued the design.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Nov 4, 2021
    One Good Thing: My Big JosephJoseph Home Composting Tip!
    Welcome back to One Good Thing back in my kitchen! This week I want to share a little change I made in my composting ritual that has made my life better – I’ve traded in my stainless steel composting bucket that sat on the floor for a neat and tidy countertop composter from JosephJoseph.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Sep 30, 2021
    One Good Thing: The Tension Rod Shower Solution
    Welcome back to One Good Thing!!! I’m excited as ever this week because it’s FALL (and I love fall), and we’re rolling into our new season of OGTs, AND this one was so successful that my daughter stole all the props to build this into her own bathroom. It’s the best vote I could get.What is it that I’m talking about? I’m talking about taking tension rod hacks to the next level with a BIG DADDY TENSION ROD with which to make your shower storage even better.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Sep 23, 2021
    One Good Thing: The Simple Effective Hand Powered Breathing Mobile Clothes Washer
    Welcome back to One Good Thing! This week I got a tip from a friend that there was a new trend around washing your clothes at home with this thing called the Breathing Mobile Washer. At first, I was skeptical and I also thought it looked like a plunger, but then I tested it and found it to be a surprisingly smart new tool for the home. Why?
    Maxwell Ryan
    Sep 17, 2021
    One Good Thing – TikTok Edition! Great Vanilla Life Hack to Make Your Home Smell Wonderful
    Welcome back to One Good Thing again on TikTok! Why? Because it was a fun challenge and we’re playing around with everything.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Aug 12, 2021
    One Good Thing: How To Make Two Natural DIY Air Fresheners
    Welcome back to One Good Thing @ Home! This week I take a little detour back into my kitchen to cook up some all natural ingredients that will make you house smell lovely and get rid of old, musty smells from cooking, kids, dirty clothes, you name it. It’s getting REALLY SIMPLE this week, which I love, but I hope there’s enough “meat on the bone” for you rabid DIYers who like to fill the comments with all sorts of good old fashioned feedback. Bring it on.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jul 29, 2021
    One Good Thing: How To Remove Odors from Clothes with Vodka (of all things!)
    Welcome back to One Good Thing, where we keep rolling! You know why? Because we’re having fun and you all seem to keep clicking on us, so that’s as good a reason as I’ve had since Covid began to keep doing anything. AND we love to be helpful.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jul 22, 2021
    One Good Thing: How To Clean your Dishwasher EASILY!
    Welcome back to One Good Thing! This week Hands is back and we’re on The Case of the Dirty Dishwasher. I recently found out that they needed to be periodically cleaned, which I had NEVER done, and which also explained why the cleaning wasn’t going so well lately (where were loose food particles and a spotting).
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jul 15, 2021
    One Good Thing: My Best & Easiest Way to Clean a Gas or Charcoal Grill
    Welcome back to One Good Thing! We’re outdoors again, soaking up the summer and prepping for a big GRILL SEASON (we actually grilled all last weekend over the 4th. We had 12 people for the weekend – kids and laundry everywhere – but grilling outside got everyone out of the house, got the guys cooking and the food was delicious).
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jul 8, 2021
    One Good Thing: My Best Homemade DIY Fruit Fly Trap
    Welcome back to One Good Thing! We’re outdoors again this week with my final insect repellent DIY and this one might just be my very best. We will see. It’s how to get rid of fruit flies, and after years of mucking about and trying a number of different solutions I finally buckled down, did much more research and got it right.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jul 1, 2021
    One Good Thing: Madison James Flyaway Sticks are Awesome Outdoors at Home
    Welcome back to One Good Thing STILL AT HOME!!! And also this week outside. Okay, full disclosure, Hands and I are playing around with our format and having fun. I’ve also chosen to go deep on insect repellants, because it’s a personal passion and I’ve been finding a bunch of really interesting new solutions.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jun 24, 2021
    One Good Thing @ Small/Cool: The Amazing Novo Horizontal Murphy Bed
    Welcome back to One Good Thing, but this week NOT AT HOME! This week I ventured into the city to our remarkable, amazing Small Cool Experience where we’re OPENING UP NYC again and sharing ten rooms where we challenged ten awesome designers with ten themes to see what they would do. Each got 120 square feet and an endless array of sources to choose from – furniture, art, paint, rugs, lighting – you name it; they had the works.
    Maxwell Ryan
    Jun 11, 2021