Even as a self-proclaimed “maximalist,” I still find myself drawn to the clean lines and effortless simplicity of Scandinavian style. The soft, neutral color palette is very versatile in a variety of spaces without adding too much visual weight. If you’re down with hygge (and willing to try your hand at some amateur carpentry), then these nightstands are definitely for you.
Do you love bread? Now you can—ahem—prove it, not just with a GIF of Oprah or by obsessively watching and rewatching every Bread Week episode of the Great British Bake Off, but with a lamp that’s actually made from baked goods. This glutinous carbo load of design decadence is the brainchild of Japanese artist Yukiko Morita, a former baker who has turned her love of yeasted dough into a design object.
Name: Joost Janszen and Martijn Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands Size: 861 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned When Joost and Martijn checked out this apartment three years ago, they fell for the bright living area with its lovely canal view. It’s the perfect backdrop for the colorful interior, filled with their own creations and beautiful vintage finds.
Lumbar pillows get a lot of love on Apartment Therapy, and for good reason. They’re the easiest way to pull together your bedroom. One long statement piece in front of your standard shams and bam! Instant style. But if you can’t find exactly what you want or just wish that one Anthropologie pillow was several shades turned down (and many dollars less), we have the DIY to make your own.
Name: John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon of Madcap Cottage Location: High Point, North Carolina Size: 5,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned If there are any two people most qualified to write the bible on print and pattern mixing, it’s John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon, the dynamic designers behind North Carolina- and New York-based interior design firm Madcap Cottage.
Name: Jack Schmitz, Christopher Thompson, and their Frenchie, Edie. Location: Hell’s Kitchen — New York, NY Size: 675 square feet, plus terrace Years lived in: Almost a year, renting For creative couple Jack Schmitz and Christopher Thompson, the search for their first apartment together ended up working out far beyond their expectations.
Name: Yoko Kloeden, her husband and their three kids Location: Richmond — London, UK Size: 1,560 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, owned Originally from Japan, Yoko founded London-based Yoko Kloeden Design in 2014 after a career in business and traveling all over the world. Her designs focus on complementing beautiful historical elements and architectural features. And decor is influenced by her Japanese background.
The auctioning of Camelot continues, this time with Jackie Kennedy’s childhood summer home in the Hamptons hitting the market with an asking price of $29.995 million — and it’s a gorgeous display of vintage New York society elegance and restraint, just like the icon herself. Originally offered for $38.
Name: Alea Lovely Location: Greenpoint — New York, NY Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 8 months, renting The apartment of Alea Lovely more than lives up to her name. A creative whose expressions vary from photography to painting and beyond, Alea infuses her space with a sense of what motivates and inspires her. This includes plenty of art, lush colors and textures, and details influenced by places, people, and things she adores.
What do you get when you mix Edgar Allen Poe and a bit of glam? A bewitching style that’s all about rich blacks, candles, and skulls. And if you’re into skulls, you’ll be into this quick and easy DIY. Using silicon skull molds and plaster, you can add the perfect garland accent to your Halloween spread, or leave it up and keep your glam goth game strong all year long. Plaster of Paris Silicon skull ice mold Eye hooks String Bucket Paint stirrer or similar 1.
Name: Manon Thibault and family Location: Brossard, Quebec Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 15 years, owned After earning a business degree and working as an Account Director at a large live-event company, Manon Thibault made a career switch. Clearly already imbued with a “designer’s eye,” she worked as an interior decorator at a Pottery Barn for awhile, before founding her own company called Manon Thibault Design.
Name: Nisha Mirani and Brendan Kramer Location: Upper West Side — New York, NY Size: 500 square feet Years Lived In: 9 months, renting We recently moved to New York from Los Angeles to be closer to family and to live a car-free lifestyle. I work full time on Sunday/Monday from home and Brendan helps on nights and weekends, so our apartment search was as much of a studio search as an apartment hunt.
Name: McKenzie Elizabeth Ditter and Matt Muirhead Location: Just outside Baltimore, Maryland Size: 1150 square feet Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting It’s clear what the focus is in this Maryland rental home: creativity. Here, two spaces downstairs that might typically be used as a living room and dining room have instead been transformed into two art studios. McKenzie is a painter and wedding photographer, and Matt is a painter and builds his own musical instruments.
Name: Leti, Julian and Helenita Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Size: 1,184 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned When it came to starting the project of renovating their apartment for their new family, Leti and Julian were all in. They worked with an architect to help with the layout of the space, but the couple was very hands on: “We chose every material in this apartment.
Name: Irma and Robert and three kids Location: Cerdanya, Spain Size: 2,691 square feet Years lived in: 9 years, owned With tall ceilings, incredible art pieces and sweeping views of the Pyrenees mountains, this house charms everyone that walks in. But it didn’t always look this way. It might be hard to imagine cows ever being in this living room, but while this is a modern architectural structure now, it used to be a barn! The beautiful original wooden ceiling beams give it away.
Name: Carles Ruiz Carrión Location: Barcelona, Spain Size: 1,184 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, renting While sharing the place you live with the place you work might sound exhausting, for interior designer Carles Ruiz Carrión, it’s a perfect match. When he was looking for a space to run his design business out of four years ago, he spent a year searching for just the right spot.
Name: Laura Lane, Nic Rad and Samo the dog Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn Size: 1972 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Laura’s a comedy writer, author and the co-creator of This Is Why You’re Single (a comedy sketch show, podcast and book). Nic is an artist and podcaster (Victori + Mo gallery represents his work). Are you thinking that the home of two incredible creatives must be an incredibly attractive, one-of-a-kind space? You’re right.
Name: Stella Rose Saint Clair and cats Inch, Filbert, and Beeboo Location: Bushwick — Brooklyn, New York Size: One bedroom Years lived in: 2 years, rented Pink covers nearly all the walls of this Brooklyn rental, the home and fashion studio of designer, stylist, model, and cat-mom Stella Rose Saint Clair (yes, that’s her real name).
Name: Rowena Donker, her husband, their two daughters and two sons Location: Breda, the Netherlands Size: 1,238 square feet Years lived in: 6 months, owned As the adage says: “If you love your job, you never have to work a day in your life.” This might sound trite, but Rowena feels very fortunate to be able to confirm this. She certainly has worked hard to transform her passion into a career.
Name: Andrew, Kelly, and Cecilia McMahon—and Doris, the family dog Location: South Orange County, California Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, owned Our historic California bungalow has been reborn and we love it! As a musician (Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness), I spend as much time on the road as I do at our home. My love of travel started early, growing up all over the U.S., however California has been home for most of my life.
Name: Rachel Hornaday Location: East Williamsburg — Brooklyn, NY Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 7 years, renting The colorful jungle space that is Rachel Hornaday‘s third-floor Brooklyn apartment is actually a museum filled up with all of her beloved collaborations, collections and curiosities. The photo stylist by day/artist all the time has decorated her three-bedroom home in a comfortable way that tells the story of a creative always willing to be inspired.
Name: Alex Panetta and Lia Parsley, daughter Lacey (2 years old), and Hank the Dog Location: Erin — Ontario, Canada Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Alex and Lia’s home is the kind of space that feels as good as it looks, with a kind of warmth that is reminiscent of an old family home. Unsurprising, considering it’s inspired by Lia’s childhood house.
Name: Trish Martin (And Harriet the Greyhound) Location: Preston — Melbourne, Australia Size: 645 square feet Years Lived In: 1 and a half a years, owned Trish Martin started her vintage journey during her early days as a blogger eight years ago. In this time she opened an online store, two brick-and-mortar vintage shops in Melbourne, an online magazine called The Vintage Post, and eventually sold them all to become a digital marketing specialist.
When I was little, I always imagined building forts out of sticks or rafts with ropes to float down the river like the Boxcar Children or Huck Finn – completely not realizing that probably wouldn’t happen in suburban Florida. But I was always drawn to how people could create things with minimal supplies and loads of inventiveness.
Name: Stephan Weishaupt, founder of AVENUE ROAD Location: Cabbagetown, Toronto Size: 2,000 square feet Years Lived In: 12 years, owned Weishaupt is the founder and curator of high-end furniture retailer, AVENUE ROAD. Working with Chapi Chapo Design, Weishaupt completely remodeled and reinvigorated a falling-down Edwardian house in Cabbagetown—one of his favorite neighborhoods in Toronto.
Name: Carlos J. De Jesus and Andrew W. Fallon Location: East Lakeview — Chicago, Illinois Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting How do two people with slightly different style backgrounds and interests come together and design a home for themselves that explodes with attitude and fun? That was the challenge that Carlos De Jesus and Andrew Fallon faced when moving to this East Lakeview, Chicago, apartment a couple years ago.
Name: Zane and Aldo Location: London, UK Size: 860 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned We lived together in Australia before moving to London in 2014 on a work transfer. We were only going to be here for two years, but we fell in love with the city and decided to stay. Aldo works as a Senior Designer in a prominent architectural firm, and Zane became COO of the tech consultancy 101 Ways. We were already living in Borough and knew we wanted to stay here.
Name: Jessica Pezalla and Hazel the dog Location: Alphabet District — Portland, Oregon Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting When Jessica Pezalla, an artist and designer who founded the creative studio Bramble Workshop, was looking for a new apartment last year, she wanted to live in an urban location and in a vintage building.
Name: Katherine Steinberg Location: Carroll Gardens — Brooklyn, NY Size: 825 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned “Sleep on any major changes before committing,” is Katherine Steinberg’s sage advice. And after taking on a full-blown renovation when she moved into her Brooklyn apartment over two years ago, she’s had a lot of experience with making big updates in her home, everything from moving the location of a staircase to picking out wallpaper.
In the world of IKEA tropes, “IKEA is a death trap to couples” reigns supreme. But coming in at a close second is “I (a non-Swedish speaking individual) am somewhat flummoxed by the name of this bowl.” IKEA product names have long since been a source of delight, confusion and humor for many IKEA fans. Lucky for us, a brave man has put together the ultimate IKEA dictionary.
Hat queen Diane Keaton recently released an interior decorating book, The House That Pinterest Built, after years of quietly flipping houses (and releasing her own wine). Keaton isn’t alone in her passion for design, and The Cut has rounded up quotes from 25 powerhouse women on their love for interior decorating. It wouldn’t be a female-centric story about design without an appearance from dream home enchantress Nancy Meyers.
Growing up in the South, I had never heard of such things like radiant flooring, heated towel racks, or steam rooms for bathrooms. But as a current resident of the North, I’ve learned that a life without warm towels and heat lamps is a life I don’t want to be a part of.
There are two house tours in which the renters decided their apartments’ plain, boring kitchen cabinets weren’t cutting it. Renovating wasn’t an option, but these clever renters found a way to add color and pattern anyway: with washi tape! Both examples are vibrant and unique, but how much does it cost to cover your kitchen cabinets in tape? And how long does it take to do it? We got the lowdown.
Soap is one of those DIYs I thought would be more complicated than it turned out to be. All the soaps on Pinterest are so beautiful — there was no way they could be easy as well! But with my rapidly growing essential oil collection, and need for some quick holiday gifts, I thought this would be a good way to use them. Before even preparing the soap base, mix your essential oils to preference in a non-reactive container (like glass).
Apartment Therapy house tours are FULL of gorgeous photos…and so is Pinterest, a source of tons of home ideas for millions of people. So, (not surprisingly) many of you enjoy pinning the inspiring photos from our tours to your boards! Curious to know which images were pinned the most this year?
Painter’s tape is a modern miracle isn’t it? I mean, sure, the Great Pyramids are cooler, but when it comes right down to it, there isn’t much the blue tape can’t do. We’ve used it to spruce up furniture, for child safety, and to pull off quick and easy design projects. But there’s another genius use for the stuff, and we wish we’d known about it sooner. There are a few things in life that make me cringe.
Many artists fantasize about taking a retreat to channel their creativity in the most peaceful way possible. We say if you’re aiming to summon your inner artistic genius, there’s a breathtaking artist-in-residence complex in Norway named “Fordypningsrommet Fleinvær” (Refugium at Fleinvær) that’s designed to be a haven for innovative minds to convene and create.
Name: Matthew Mirarchi and JoJo the pup Location: West Seattle — Seattle, Washington Size: 1,000 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years, renting “Gay Gardens is my plant-filled genie bottle,” confesses Matthew. “Tucked away along an arterial road snaking through West Seattle’s hillside, it’s one of those rental gems that only comes along once in a blue moon.
Looking for a small escape from winter? Luckily, there’s a charming resort in Sarasota, Florida that has a fleet of tiny houses just ready to be booked. Tiny House Siesta near Siesta Key Beach has eleven such homes for rent in all shapes, sizes, colors, and themes.
In the latest data-analytics news from Captain Obvious, one new report has quantifiably named New York City the dirtiest city in America — by far. Leading the top 40 cities in the U.S. on combined filth factors as collected by the EPA, the U.S. Census, and the American Housing Survey, the Big Apple was considered especially rotten for its above-and-beyond litter and rodent issues.
Name: Kaitlin Grunder and Dilbert the Dachshund Location: Lower Highlands — Denver, Colorado Size: 550 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years, renting Kaitlin is a graphic designer in Denver, Colorado; so it came as no surprise to discover her space to be so sufficiently streamlined, while also looking so good. Her studio is fun and functional, from her decorative use of her IKEA shelving to her DIY faux fireplace. Every inch of her 550-square-foot studio is thoughtfully utilized.
Name: Jennifer Biswas, husband, son (2 years), daughter (8 months), dog Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 3,600 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned When my now-husband, Rishi, and I got engaged we started looking for a home to purchase. Since he’s a California kid living in Minnesota, he was dead set on getting a new construction home so we didn’t have to deal with frozen pipes and all the joys of older homes.
Name: Alina Fassakhova, Artem Churikov and cat Usha Location: Upper West Side — New York City Size: About 400 square feet Years Lived In: 14 months, renting Working and living in a small space is already a challenge. Add to that a messy (artistic) profession requiring oil paints and large canvases, and it becomes truly challenging to balance work and personal life in one space.
Name: Cortney Moore and Tyler Moore Location: Studio City Neighborhood — Los Angeles, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Since getting married back in 2011, we’ve moved at least once a year. We hopped around Nashville for a few years before moving out to Los Angeles, and have moved twice since we’ve been here. We both love to go out and be social, but we cherish our time at home as well.
Name: Jess Cooney Location: Great Barrington, Massachusetts Size: 3,000 square feet Years Lived In: 7 years, renting New England-based interior designer Jess Cooney worked reno magic on an old carriage house a few years ago. Everything from an exterior paint job to a complete refresh of the interior transformed what was an outdated, dark space.
A free-spirit at heart, her adventurous background in backpacking and love for travel seems to have oozed from her soul and spilled out onto every surface of her vibrant home.
Name: Jeanne Marie and family Location: Holualoa on Hawai’i’s Big Island Size: 5,000 square feet across five structures on a one-acre lot Years Lived In: 30 years, owned Visiting Jeanne Marie’s Bali-style tropical compound in the jungle of Hawaii is an experience. There isn’t really anything like it. The space is private and magical with multiple structures, each inviting and bold.
Last month I published a fantastic set of house tours (mostly new, but also some always-great hits). I also shared some tantalizing peeks of homes through house calls, which are submitted by readers like you (and yes, you can submit, too!). I know it’s hard to pick a favorite photo from a recent house tour (they’re all pretty much spectacular), but if you did, I bet it might be one of these 10 stunning shots.
Name: Gregory Alan Isakov Location: Boulder County, Colorado Size: 2,250 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned On three and a half acres just outside of Boulder, Colorado sits a working farm where vegetables grow on their vines, flowers sway gently in the breeze, and sheep graze. And, depending on the day, music may float along the wind.
Name: Tes Hash Davison and Daniel Davison (And Lamb!) Location: Pilsen — Chicago, Illinois Size: 950 square feet Years Lived In: 4 years, owned On a recent work trip to Chicago, I stayed at my good friend’s house and was blown away by the style and design of the apartment. I got to sleep in the adorable attic guest room and am obsessed with the hot pink bathroom!
Want to live like Frodo, minus the hairy feet? You can have your own home worthy of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit if you have some extra time on your hands. Experience with construction is probably a plus, but hobbits don’t really need that much to live a happy life! Are you looking to move somewhere with a lot less space and inspiration from Middle Earth? Green Magic Homes created 400-square foot, energy efficient, and eco-friendly hobbit homes.
Name: Maude Jetté and Marc-André Côté (and three children) Location: Joliette, Quebec Size: 3,000 square feet Years lived in: 4 1/2 years While traveling in Sayulita and in California, Maude Jetté had the idea of opening an online shop for the well-traveled home. Inspired by the beautiful boho vibes and the craftsmanship of artisans, she realized that it was what she was meant to do… offer special findings from all around the world to her fellow folks in Canada.
Name: Dave and Vivian Kania Location: Lake Arrowhead, California Size: 632 square feet Years Lived In: 6 months, owned When it came time for Vivian and Dave Kania to buy a house, it’s no wonder the creative couple chose to retreat to the charming mountain town of Lake Arrowhead.
Name: Malik and Abbie Naber Location: Cardiff by the Sea, California Size: 1,800 square feet Rent or Own: Own When Abbie Naber and her husband Malik moved into their home just two short years ago, it was a forgotten stucco’d-over mid-century ranch home in need of some love.
Name: Kristyn Location: Pleasanton, California Size: 406 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting I love that my apartment has the unique charm of a Victorian home but has been renovated to be comfortable and modern. My landlord is a contractor and did a beautiful job keeping the Victorian characteristics as he updated it. Living across the hall from one of my lifelong friends, Melissa [whose home we toured before!
Name: Joy Lofton and her family (Earl, Eleanor, Lois, Peaches, and Nunzo) Location: Atwater Village — Los Angeles, California Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, owned Joy Lofton, an actress and wardrobe and interior stylist, enjoys living close to the L.A. River in Atwater Village with her family and pets. She’s inspired by Art Deco as well as early ’70s and ’80s style, as evidenced by her one-of-a-kind home.
Name: Rachel and Nick Kuchar Location: Ewa Beach, Hawaii Size: 2,040 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned We turned our cookie cutter suburban home into the vintage surf hideaway we had dreamed of. We were given a 1950s Gordon & Smith longboard from a relative and that began our love affair with the era. I asked my husband, a graphic designer, to make some art for the house since I couldn’t find anything that was just right.
Name: Wendy van Wilgenburg and two sons Willem (10), and Adam (12) Location: Zaandam, The Netherlands Size: 1700 square feet (the house), 4700 square feet (garden) Years lived in: 6.5 years, owned My name is Wendy van Wilgenburg, and I am a visual anthropologist and documentary filmmaker focusing on craftmanship. I have made films on master craftmanship for over twenty years and decided to found the Craft in Focus Festival to engage a large audience with the beauty of handmade objects.
Name: Kajon Cermak and Bob Muellner Location: Marina Del Rey, California Size: 40′ LOA, 13.5′ Beam Years lived in: 3 years, owned Kajon and Bob raised their family in Thousand Oaks, but as their kids got older and their schedules got busier, having to commute to west L.A. for work felt like more and more of a hassle. The couple’s creative solution was a fun one: They decided to simply go all in and live on a 40-foot house boat during the week! If you live in L.A.
Name: Shannon Buckley; husband, Nick Huertas; and 3 cats Location: Andersonville — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, rented Looking at their apartment, it’s hard to believe Shannon and Nick only moved to Chicago one year ago. Leaving Boston, the East Coast, and a number of dark, dreary apartments behind, they were determined to find a home with outdoor space and lots of natural light.
Here is an entirely true story about my first week in my NYC studio. I was cleaning the kitchen (because I am a certified grown-up), and I got out the vacuum to get the nooks and crannies beneath the dishwasher and cabinets. Before moving in, I had gone a full year without experiencing more than a spider in my living quarters and I was not going to entice any new friends with crumbs from my Cheerio-based dinner. As I moved the vacuum under the stove, it caught something.
Name: Michelle Morrison and her brother Michael Morrison, and two greyhound dogs, Fern and Pintxo Location: Oakland, California Size: 1,330 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned Design plays a central role in Michelle Morrison‘s life and career. Currently a Design Producer at Dropbox, she’s also worked for companies like Facebook, Square, IDEO, and more.
Name: Stacey Norkun and Chris Norkun Location: Salem, Massachusetts Size: 2,629 square feet Years Lived In: 3.5 years, owned We would visit Salem often in the early 2000s and loved the history, culture, and vibrancy of the city. It was a place that always held special meaning in our hearts. After some years living in the metro D.C. area, we decided to move back to New England, and Salem was the obvious choice—it had just the right amount of kitsch and character we were looking for.
Name: Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton and Adam Fulton and dog Rocky Location: West Village — New York, NY Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton knows about self-care and spaces where you can relax. She’s the founder and CEO of Chillhouse, a nail salon/spa/cafe that’s “a destination for modern self-care” on the Lower East Side.
Name: Savannah and Zach Kolodziejski Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania Size: 56.7 square feet / 259.68 cubic feet Years Lived In: Owned This rad retro 1976 Chevrolet van is more than just a home-away-from-home for Savannah and Zach. The couple was married this past summer in Palm Springs, California, and the van was both the groom’s method of getting to the wedding and their honeymoon suite on wheels after getting hitched!
