Our TeamTess Wilson

About Me

After many happy years living in tiny apartments in big cities, Tess has found herself in a little house on the prairie. For real.


Latest Stories

The Best Place to Buy KALLAX Storage Cubes Isn’t IKEA
Think outside the Swedish retailer to outfit your KALLAX (or old EXPEDIT!) with some fun storage options.
Jun 12, 2024
17 Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Gifts (That Totally Still Feel Like You Tried)
And they'll arrive just in time!
Feb 2, 2024
11 Best Bistro Tables for Chic Small-Space Dining
These tables bring big style to the tiniest of spaces.
Jan 24, 2024
12 Removable Wallpaper Companies to Know
Removable wallpapers are a godsend for commitment-phobes, renters, easily bored types, and anyone that lives in fear of a Lucy and Ethel paper hangers sort of disaster.
Oct 19, 2023
19 Apartment Patio Ideas for Making Small Space Outdoor Living Possible
Summer is right around the corner, and that means it’s time to fire up the grill and mix the mojitos! There’s no better way to spend time with friends and family than the great outdoors when the weather’s warm, so that means it’s time to spruce up your al fresco space! If you’re in need of apartment patio ideas, we’ve got you covered.
Apr 6, 2023
Why You Should Add Baking Soda to Latex Paint
A whole new world of paint will open up to you.
Oct 25, 2022
Lebowski Style: 10 Rugs That Really Tie The Room Together
We fill our rooms with furniture, throw pillows, blankets, books, art, light fixtures, hardware, and miscellaneous decorative objects. That’s a whole lot of look, but the perfect rug can bring it all together… TOP ROW: Natalie and Kevin’s Perfect Parkdale Perch: This poppy rug manages to unite not just the other bright colors (the pillows, the bottles) but the neutral elements (orange-y wood floors, cream walls, charcoal couch) as well.
Oct 14, 2022
Florist Secrets: 8 Great Alternatives to Traditional Vases
I’ve been working with flowers for a few years now, yet somehow I do not own a vase. Not a single one – and frankly, you don’t need one! When it’s time to display some flowers, I can always scrounge up plenty of teapots, teacups, bottles, bowls, and more. Here are some of my favorite flower-holding alternatives. Teapot: Above we have my grocery store flower arrangement, plonked in a teapot.
Oct 14, 2022
The Look For Less: Jonah & Jodie’s Enchanted Kitchen On A Budget
You might ooh and aah over Jonah & Jodie’s “Enchanted Cottage” In Laurel Canyon, but then despair at phrases like “custom leathered finish” and “hand-chiseled limestone floors”. While I can’t find you a cheap “poured concrete bathtub that opens out to the koi pond”, there are ways to get the look… Akurum Kitchen Cabinets in Lidi White, IKEA, $28-$391 Stockholm Candelabra, IKEA, $29.
Oct 13, 2022
Moving Questions: What Will You Miss/Look Forward To Most?
As our family has been preparing to move from a new-ish house in town to a crazy little farmhouse way out in the country, we’ve been discussing all the things we’re excited about, and all the things we have to admit we’ll miss… I think saying things like this out loud can be crucial, especially for kids.
Oct 12, 2022
Go Big! 15 Fabulously Tiled Bathrooms from Real-Life Homes
Does anyone else daydream about gorgeous tile? I do, and fortunately I have a partner who daydreams about someday installing gorgeous tile. Until that day, we’ll drool over these exquisite examples from Apartment Therapy House Tours, How-Tos, and Renovation Diaries… I’ve included tile information and/or sources whenever possible! TOP ROW: 1.
Oct 12, 2022
Want White Countertops? Here Are Your Best Bets
Pros and cons for these trendy surfaces.
Sep 14, 2022

Latest Stories

Durable Dekton Countertops Are Taking On Quartz
But which is better?
Sep 9, 2022
7 Simple Ways to Keep Cats Off Your Kitchen Counters
A few ways to set up the kitty equivalent of a "keep off" sign.
Aug 11, 2022
At-Home Adventures for When You’re Broke
We’ve just had 74 consecutive days of below-freezing weather. There have been 24 less-than-0ºF days so far this winter. Any funds left after the holidays have gone towards buying heat and gloves. I am broke and restless, but where there is popcorn, there is hope…. Here are three ideas for fun entertainments you can have in your own home… for the low low price of nothing at all.
May 5, 2022
Candles, Cake & Snow: How To Host A Sledding Birthday Party
If you were born in January in Chicago, there’s a fairly good chance you’ve had at least one sledding birthday party. (Chicago is not known for its hills, but we make do.) Now that I find myself back in arctic winter weather after many years away, a sledding party sounds like the perfect cabin fever-busting celebration.
May 4, 2022
DIY Ideas: 16 Fun DIY Ways To Use Leftover Tiles
Waste no more!
Oct 5, 2021
Before and After: An Ingenious Fix for Ugly Rental Bathroom Tiles
It looks great and costs very little.
Sep 30, 2021
11 Hanging Planters You Can Make Yourself
Because we know you want plants EVERYWHERE. (We do, too.)
Jun 15, 2021
Elevated Eating: 33 Kitchen Island Breakfast Bar Ideas
The breakfast bar may have started out as just a place to scarf your morning cereal, but as anyone who’s ever been in a home with one can attest, if there’s a kitchen island with seating, that’s where everyone will be hanging out, guaranteed. They’re great for people who love to cook too.
May 26, 2021
Gifts For the Person In Your Life Who’s Always Freezing
These will warm their hearts and their bodies.
Oct 28, 2020
Ready To Roll: DIY Ideas for Making Your Own Bike Stand
After a long summer day of biking to the farmer’s market, swimming pool, ice cream shop, and fireworks emporium, where will you put away your bike? Strewn about the entryway with your flip-flops? Tossed on its side in the yard, wheel sadly spinning and frame slowly rusting? Show your bike some damn respect with these nine bicycle stand and rack DIYs. Well, almost nine… 1.
Sep 5, 2020
What To Get Your Introvert Friend Who Never Leaves The House
Winter is the time to hibernate, but there are some people who make an absolute art form out of it. Give them another reason to do what they do best.
Sep 2, 2020
Before and After: A Massive Dirt Pile Becomes a Dreamy Outdoor Escape
There's a lot of potential in this pile of dirt.
Aug 24, 2020

Latest Stories

Little Kids, Big Style: Our Favorite Kids Rooms & Nurseries of the Year
Be prepared, upon diving into this slideshow, to be uncomfortably jealous of babies, toddlers, and teenagers. These 15 rooms, home to kids of all ages, are utterly delightful: playful yet sophisticated, orderly yet inviting, and lovingly designed without being fussy. The thoughtfulness of the decor means that these nurseries and kids’ rooms will accommodate their young occupants as they grow—and that there are plenty of design ideas to steal for our own grown-up rooms.
Jul 18, 2020
How To Decorate Everything: Our Best Home Styling Advice Of The Year
While a coffee table is by nature low—the right height to set your drink (and perhaps your feet) without blocking the television—an attractive coffee table display will have subtly varying heights (as well as properly organized zones for decor and useful items like remotes and coasters). → Make It Beautiful: How To Style the Perfect Coffee Table The key to handling disparate, not-particularly-attractive elements is corral, corral, corral.
Jul 17, 2020
Before and After: This Wagon Wheel Project Could Have Gone Horribly Wrong
I was warming up to make a bunch of wagon wheel coffee table jokes — most referencing When Harry Met Sally — when I realized this is actually a mill wheel. We’ll just have to appreciate this project for what it is: an approachable, unique upcycle of a neglected old piece of equipment. Here’s how this project came to be, according to Roxanne of The Honeycomb Home: While at a flea market, an old wooden wheel caught my eye. The seller said it may have been from a grist mill.
Jul 17, 2020
The Impossible Has Happened: 25 Examples of Wood Paneling Done FABULOUSLY
Can’t get away to a cabin in the woods this summer?
Jul 17, 2020
10 Stylish Ways to Patch Your Favorite Jeans
Cooler weather means wearing jeans frequently, and wearing jeans frequently means wearing jeans out more quickly than you ever thought possible. If your favorite pairs are ripping, fraying, or just showing more wear-and-tear than you’d like, these 10 DIYs will keep them functioning and looking fabulous all fall. If you want a basic fix without adding too many distracting elements (these are jeans after all), try this tutorial on how to add a denim patch inside your favorite pair.
Jul 17, 2020
DIY For Dad: 15 Father’s Day Gifts To Make
Sure, you could buy him a tie or golf ball cufflinks or whatever, but wouldn’t he rather receive something made with love by his talented offspring? Here are 10 Dad-worthy projects from our archives, plus 5 imminently edible and giftable recipes from The Kitchn… TOP ROW: How To Make a Mid-Century Style Dog Bed: Just face it, you’ve been replaced. Your inbox is full of dog updates and your dad’s wallet is full of puppy photos instead of your old school portraits.
Jul 17, 2020
Every Succulent Lover Should Own One of These Ceramic Egg Crates
If you aspire to a home that’s dripping in succulents, you’ll save a lot of money if you start raising baby succulents. And if you want to grow baby succulents, well, look no further than your kitchen, because you’re going to need an egg crate! Made of terra cotta, ceramic or concrete, and generally used to hold, um, eggs, these multipurpose trays are great for succulent starts.
Jul 16, 2020
The Best Paint Colors: 10 Valspar Bold Brights
Sometimes you want to paint your walls a nice color, but sometimes you’re looking for COLOR. These 10 hues from Valspar will kick things up a few dozen notches, even if they’re confined to one little wall. But why limit yourself? Be bold! I never knew until this moment that I needed a glamorously green dining room, preferably including mint green chairs, faux fur, and a pineapple (above). Valspar’s Luscious Green (6010-7) will take care of the walls, at least.
Jul 16, 2020
Backyard Built: 10 Outdoor Furniture DIYs
Many of us have spent the last six months daydreaming about warm weather, so let’s spend these last few cool, rainy—snowy?—weeks preparing for all the basking and lounging we’re sure to be doing soon. Here are 10 projects that will help you spruce up your outdoor space, whether you have a huge backyard and a fully stocked toolbox—or just a fire escape and a dream.
Jul 16, 2020
The Best Paint Colors: 10 Glidden Pearly Pales
Picking a paint color and not sure where to start? If you have a soothing, but not sleepy pale tone in mind, here are some terrific choices all pulled from the Glidden palette and, best of all, featured in real homes. Take a look… Glidden’s Misty Moonstone (#GLN34-01E), above, is as pale as blue can possibly be without just being white with blue undertones. Nearly every time I saw a room painted in a prettily pale Glidden paint, it turned out to be Smooth Stone (50YY 63/041).
Jul 16, 2020
How To Avoid “Painter’s Shoulder”
It came as a major blow to my ego that despite twice-weekly yoga sessions and thrice-weekly weightlifting, my left shoulder was defeated by my recent dabbling in wall painting. All this pain, just from painting! Granted, it was 8 solid hours of painting, a few days each week… Still, one doesn’t like to think that a low-impact activity can do such damage to one’s relatively young and decently strong body.
Jul 16, 2020
Does Turning Down the Heat Really Burn More Calories?
In response to my recent post, Trying To Cut Down On Heating Costs? Go Gradually, a commenter wrote, “If I feel a little cold, I just tell myself that I am burning more calories when I am chilly… because that’s true.
Jul 16, 2020