In much the same way that properly fitting underwear is the foundation of any good outfit, a happy, organized closet is the foundation of a happy, organized home. Of course, this can be a bit of a challenge in a small space with correspondingly small closets. If you’re struggling with fitting everything into a tiny closet, or even just looking to streamline your storage so that finding your clothes is a more pleasant experience, we’ve got a few tips for you.
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.
Part bargain seeking and part treasure hunting, shopping at your local thrift store is a great way to save money and find unique items that are otherwise unavailable in the current retail market. I’ve rounded up some tips for navigating the realm of thrifting and please leave your favorite tips in the comments!
There are lots of little ways you can be more environmentally friendly around the house; from weatherstripping to chemical free cleaning, little changes can make a big impact. One start up has harnessed the goodwill of individual households to make a large impact on the environment. OhmConnect organizes “events” to make sure that people’s efforts to save energy are put to the best use possible, by powering everyone down at the same time.
When I started reading Apartment Therapy years ago, the hook for me was the house tours. Seeing “real” spaces that felt creative, personal, and above all, attainable taught me that a beautiful home means much more than high-end furniture. As a way of revisiting those roots, here are ten house tours from the AT vaults. 2005, coming right up!
Name: Athena Location: Fairfield, Connecticut The basics: 6 months, owned | 1,201 square feet Athena’s home was the ugliest on the block (her words!) but after a thoughtful renovation it is a total suburban stunner. With a kitchen that’s to die for and rustic touches throughout, you can tell that it was a labor of love.
www.apartmenttherapy.com chicago how-to how-to-make-an-ottoman-slipcover--085993> click thumbnails for larger picsProject: Ottoman SlipcoverTime: 2 1/2 hoursCost: $20.00 excluding extra set of legs No question about it, the little straw ottoman is already as cute as can be. It can however, go to work for you doing double, or even triple duty with help from a slipcover and a change of legs.
One of our favorite ways to add a little excitement to an interior is by mixing old and new pieces. Nowhere is this more true than in the dining room, where an old-fashioned table and modern chairs make an especially attractive pair. Here are eight of our favorite examples. Above: An antique table and modern shell chairs mix in the dining room of a Madrid home spotted on Planete Deco.
Certain colors get a bad rap for being blah, harsh, and hard to work with, especially in small interiors where natural light is hard to come by. But I, and a handful of designers polled here, would argue that it’s about the mix, and “ugly” colors too can sing in the right surroundings. So if you’ve written off one or more of the shades that made this list, you might want to reconsider.
Although apparently your kitchen sink is dirtier than your toilet, nothing feels like a dirtier job than cleaning the bathroom. All the more reason to clean it as thoroughly as you can. Taking a look at these often overlooked ways to tidy the bathroom could very well make your bathroom cleaner than it’s ever been. Next time “bathroom cleaning” shows up on your chore checklist, consider adding one or more of these tasks that might be missing from your routine.
Sometimes I wonder if I was adopted. All the ladies in my family are hardcore bakers and make goodies that could put Chef Duff to shame. That’s why I’ve decided to fine tune my baking skills and start (trying to) make gorgeous cupcakes for this year’s summer birthdays. I know I need a stand mixer—but with limited space to store the big, heavy kitchen appliance, I hit the Web for inspiration.
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. There’s not nearly enough counter space, our tiny sinks fit approximately two dishes, and we consider ourselves lucky if our minuscule ovens have enough room to roast a turkey.
Painting is one of our favorite quick decor fixes. It’s such a reliable way to personalize a home, to add character, sophistication and depth to a space. But easy as it is to buy paint and rollers and get color up on the walls, painting is not without its challenges, especially for renters who are often faced with reluctant landlords or stuck with previous tenants’ color choices.
If you’ve ever wondered if The Clapper works as great as the commercial is or if the ShamWow! really can clean up all of that water then consider hosting a White Elephant gift exchange holiday party this year with a fun twist – As Seen On TV products. Check out party details after the jump.RULES FOR THE WHITE ELEPHANT GIFT EXCHANGE:1) Ask your guests to bring a wrapped and unlabeled As Seen on TV gift.
Landlords always have to balance the need to raise rent (to keep up with the rising costs of owning a building), with the need to keep apartments rented and vacancy rates down. This usually means that, whenever possible, they love keeping good tenants from year to year, and avoiding the time, hassle, uncertainty, and expense of finding new ones. Here’s what you can do to tip the scales in your favor, avoid a rental increase, and happily sign your lease for another year. 1.
Long time readers may remember father and small space problem solver Jason who built his daughter Annabelle a stylish crib (above) to fit into a nook that was a few inches too small for a traditional crib. He took charge of his home and made it work for his family. As they all do, Annabelle grew up and was ready for a big girl bed. Here’s how Jason converted the crib into a toddler bed…and then back again when brother William joined the family!
Kelly’s Cozy Chic Studio It can be hard to put a label on your home’s style – sometimes categories like “modern” “vintage” or even “eclectic” fall far short of conveying your home’s essence and personality. But that shouldn’t keep you from trying. Here’s how 20 house tour participants self-described, with humor and flair, their home’s style in unique and often very specific terms.
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.
When it comes to setting up a home, we never forget our first spaces. From our first apartments in college, to our first solo space, to our first time moving in with a significant other, we set out excited, inexperienced and ready to take on each empty space and make it our own. Here are a few first homes from our house tours. TOP ROW: 1. Mara Alex’s First Home as a Married Couple: Mara purchased her first house solo, and it became her first home as a newlywed as well. 2.
Envious of folks who seem to instantly know what they love? Who never question whether a new furniture piece is their style because they know so confidently what their style is? We’ve got seven ways you can learn how to pinpoint your style quicker and more easily. Whether you’re facing a new blank home that needs filling or you look around your current one and just aren’t sure if looks like you, there might be some ways you can pinpoint the look.
No rental home is perfect. Perhaps your landlord prohibits you from putting holes in the walls or altering the space in any way, so you feel like all your #housegoals are impossible to achieve. At Apartment Therapy, nothing is impossible! We gathered the best posts of 2017 highlighting how simple changes here and there can really make your home shine, and perhaps make you fall in love again.
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.
Get ready to gawk at these stunning spaces. We love browsing pretty pictures and getting inspired to try something new and these homes do it really, really right. Prepare to mop up your drool while you click through this list of our best eye candy.
Living well in close quarters requires, among other things, efficient furniture placement. These studios, one-bedroom apartments, and one house show how you can make your home’s spatial quirks and shortcomings work in your favor.Studio apartments offer the obvious challenge of making one space function as several. In slightly larger apartments, the living room often works overtime as an office area, dining room, and entryway.
My name is Jessica and I’m a serial renter. I first dipped my toe in the proverbial musky beige carpet in 2007, signing the lease on an affordable two-bedroom unit in Riverside, California.
Apple green plush or tweed linen? Each one gives a different lookIt’s true that even a simple change of fabric can change the look of a piece. Take this sofa, the Chet from CB2, which we’ve blogged before. In apple green velvet, the sofa reads nouveau 80s, modern and sleek. In linen, the look is softer and would easily fit in amongst the simple wood pieces we’ve been seeing a lot of.A good upholsterer can: change a straight arm to a rounded or flared arm.
London is a city with so many vibrant neighborhoods that there is one for every type of personality. I moved to London four years ago with no clue as to where I would end up. But with a little exploring, I found my fit, and you can too! Here is an American ex-pat’s perspective on London neighborhoods. Neighborhoods Notting Hill, Kensington, & Chelsea Types of Rentals: Lots of houses that have been broken up into flats and large family homes.
Making a big commitment like colorful walls can be a bit daunting, so spend some time getting cozy with these stunning examples of paint jobs in every color of the rainbow. As you can see, some of these spaces choose to use major color only as an accent; others go whole hog. Many offset their swath of color choice with white trim to really show off the punchy hue while a few brave souls combine their color with…gasp…more color!
Black and white and gold is a striking color combination, and nowhere is that more true than in the bathroom. Gold fixtures in the bathroom is a look we’re seeing more and more of, and paired with a black and white color scheme, they add a pleasing bit of drama to a humble space. Above: A black ceiling, black door, and encaustic tile floor add delicious drama to a bathroom spotted on Desire to Inspire. A black bathroom with white and gold accents from Godrich Interiors.
If you’re looking for an easy and rewarding “in” to buying and selling online, there is no better option than Craigslist. Far easier than eBay, Craigslist offers more regionally relevant listings for the sharp-eyed shopper, and as a student with an uncompromising taste in good (and often expensive) design, Craigslist was one of the few venues available to me for furnishing my apartment.
Once upon a time you were madly in love with your home. Then you found out that your home sometimes forgets to brush his teeth and leaves socks all over the floor. You don’t need therapy to get the magic back, you just need this stuff to rekindle your relationship. Your first and easiest way to regain some home bliss is to get your whole space spick and span.
Our reader-submitted House Calls offer just a taste of their homes and style. Though only some go on to become full House Tours, we love these little glimpses into spaces all over the globe.
Simple silhouettes, minimal hardware, and pared-down color palettes. Let’s face it, most design enthusiasts can spot a modern piece from a mile away. (Psst… we broke down the difference between minimalist, modern, and contemporary, if you’re not up to date!) In 2018, almost every store has a slew of furniture and accessories that are inspired by mid-century modern classics—and for good reason. The style is contemporary, timeless, and looks good in virtually any space.
Welcome to “The A Line”! In every episode of this new video series, we visit two homes that have an identical floorplan – and see how its inhabitants use the same space in different ways. Today we travel to Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, where two growing families struggle to adapt their space and make room for their changing lifestyles. Ana and her husband have two kids and have chosen to live in their space for a while before they decide what renovations to make.
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.
What you do to your walls can have a HUGE impact on the look, feel and mood of your home. So start with how you’d like the room to feel — what kind of vibe you’d like it to rock — and use this guide to give you ideas for the kind of treatment that would work for your walls. Go for polka dots! Paint the on or use vinyl wall decal stickers to get the look. Go for a medium-hue gray. Amherst Grey by Benjamin Moore really sets just the right tone in the room below.
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).
Perhaps you’ve been playing it safe, decor-wise, your whole life, and are ready to do something wild. Or perhaps you have a room that you feel is finished, but you’re still just a little bit bored with it. Either way, here are five different pieces that will take your space to the next level, that will have your friends (and yourself) convinced that you are a person of taste, refinement and aesthetic derring-do.
I’m risk-averse. Quite a homebody. Somebody who likes a routine and finds comfort in being surrounded by her collections of things day in and day out. I’m exactly the type of person who you’d never expect to turn it all in for life on the road in an Airstream trailer. And yet, that’s all I can think about sometimes.
Gardens are destined to be charming little spaces, the type where you’re surrounded by life and charm as you sit down to sip tea and read a weathered paperback book. If you’re reading this thinking, “That doesn’t sound like my garden,” you might just need a little touch of antiquity. Make it your mission this weekend to scout out thrift stores, flea markets and antique shops for something old and quaint that you can repurpose for your outdoor space.
Name: Gregory Han Location: Silver Lake, California Size: Home office measuring 60″ width x 106″ length Years lived in: 4+It’s been awhile since we last had a tech tour, so I thought I’d offer my own newly updated home office today. Let me begin describing what my home office first looked like before the redo: the small narrow sun room was filled with a hodge podge of vintage, IKEA, and miscellaneous items.
It’s easy enough to get Art Nouveau and Art Deco confused, probably owing to the fact that they both start with ‘art’. But Art Nouveau and Art Deco are actually two very distinct design movements, with very distinct looks, that appeared around the turn of the 20th century. After perusing this brief disambiguation, you may not be an expert on design history — but you can casually drop these two descriptors into conversations, and your friends are sure to be impressed.
The Parsons table is one where the square legs have the same width as the tabletop, regardless of its other dimensions. Its history is characterized by contradiction: created to be a simple canvas for exceptional materials, its design is simultaneously credited to the famous designer Jean-Michel Frank and to anonymous design students. But is the real story even more muddled?
Are you looking for ways to trim a little furniture weight around the house? Get rid of a few pieces that you thought you might need but could totally live without to have more room (and less stuff to haul around next moving day?) Examine the five furniture types we mention in this post to see if you and your home could live without them!
It’s a common misconception that small spaces can’t handle large furnishings. One large piece can do a lot to make a small room inviting, anchored, and even feel bigger! Take the sofa, for instance. Arranging a small sofa in a tight space with a couple of other chairs can make a space feel over-full, with little spots of furniture all over the place (not to mention all of those legs!).
Inspiration comes in all shapes in sizes, but at Apartment Therapy we have a special place in our hearts for the smallest of spaces and an extra special place for the impressive small spaces where all the living happens in one room! This year our community offered no shortage of inspiration in the form of creative studio apartments.
Nature can be one of the best places to find color inspiration, and fall is is a great time to look for it. Rich reds, golden yellows, and deep greens are everywhere. Valspar Paint is ready to help you turn those inspirations into reality with five palettes for fall.A bright orange, used sparingly, brings just enough pop to enliven this mostly-neutral living room. The long, horizontal stripe on the wall keeps it looking clean.
Does your bathroom have a pedestal sink? I definitely feel your short-on-storage pain. Here’s how to make the most of your small bathroom, with examples from our House Tours: 1. Add furniture. If your bathroom has a layout that allows for a freestanding piece of furniture, count your lucky stars and get to shopping. 2. Utilize the top of your toilet. If your tank has a flat top, use it for some practical and pretty open storage. 3. Any flat surface is fair game.
Think you have what it takes to create a comfortable living space in a re-purposed structure? It requires vision for what’s possible, and custom solutions for carving out space. If weird is in the eye of the beholder, these eight tours have us seeing beautiful, interesting homes in strange places. Chris and Kristen live afloat on a boat, and appear to love it. Can you guess what Dan & Sarah’s house used to be? I think you can.
Hope you’re reading this one at home because it’s about to get a little risqué up in here. But for good reason. Lately, designers have been featuring the body—female breasts and butts to be specific—on housewares, art prints, embroidery, and clothing, and it’s not simply in appreciation of those killer curves. But we’ll get to that later.
When Laura Wilson of Velvet Sweatpants Interior Design and her fiancé purchased their 1959 home from the original owner, they knew the home needed a lot of love. They also knew they had their work cut out for them.
During Meredith Svoboda's final walk-through of her Nashville home, she photographed the dining room, "dreaming of the life I could bring to this room," she writes.
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.
Smart decorators know that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a home that looks great. You just need a few tricks up your sleeve. 1. Spray paint. Spray paint is a design workhorse, and a great way to give something a new look without actually buying anything new. Use it to rescue finds from the thrift store, to customize IKEA pieces, or just to give something you already own a bit of an update.
We’re powering along during our celebration of small spaces this month. For those of us who can’t get enough of the topic, here’s a group of posts from our archives presenting a nice round number (100!) of ideas and inspirations. These are time-tested, proven-popular posts that are sure to have something for everyone… dig in, dive deep and bookmark for the best results!
The popularity of cocktails is on the rise, and the home bar is making a comeback in the American home. But even if you’re not lucky enough to have a wet bar, you can still set up a dedicated space for mixing drinks, no matter the size of your home. Read on for plenty of ideas from our tours. Above: Marina has a fairly impressive collection of liquor that lives on the kitchen countertop in her New York apartment.
Love the Apartment Therapy Tours? Want to join our team and share stylish spaces from your part of the world? Apartment Therapy is putting out a special call for Tour Contributors! If you’ve got strong photography skills, an excellent eye for style and are inspired by wonderfully designed homes and the people who live in them, read on. This is a paid, freelance position (minimum 2 tour posts per month to start, more openings possible).
After you’ve picked out the architecture (or are working with what you’ve been stuck with) and after you’ve chosen the major furnishings and the paint colors, there’s the other thing that can make a room sing: skillful styling. This year, make each room pop like never before with these potent styling tricks for stand-out spaces! Add visual height to your spaces — all of them.
The British Colonial look is always especially appealing during these tropical New York City summers, when creamy neutral spaces provide a cool haven from sizzling concrete. Caned furniture is classic in a colonial interior. Lightweight and airy, it seems at home in a palm house or on a veranda (image 1).
Verner Panton is known as the ‘enfant terrible’ of Danish design. Breaking away from the airy neutrals of typical Scandinavian design, Panton worked in Pop colors, simple geometries, and trippy organic shapes. His work is perfectly of its time — sexy, informal, tongue-in-cheek, space-age, and bold — while still feeling totally current today. Let’s step into his environment and feel our way around his oeuvre.
Those tropes about walking into Target or Home Goods for one thing and walking out with armfuls? That’s the IKEA Marketplace for me. Everything’s so affordable, and I can’t escape the feeling that I’ll have my whole life together if I can just organize my kitchen like this perfect little endcap vignette. While I’ve made my share of questionable choices from the downstairs marketplace, there are three super-affordable home staples that stand out as major winners.
America is a diverse nation and the design scene here is absolutely reflective of that. Different cultural influences aesthetics have prevailed over the years, so it’s tough to say what’s characteristically American.
Exceptionally charming are the first two words that come to mind after catching a glimpse of this tiny New England cottage. Located in the sparsely populated town of Monroe, Maine, the 424-square-foot dollhouse lookalike is now on the market for $125,000. The two-story, Victorian-style, single-family home was built in 1986 and sits on four acres. The home’s exterior is a muted combination of light blue siding accentuated by white trim. A stone walkway leads to the cottage entryway.
Breakups are hard. It doesn’t matter if you were the dumper or the dumpee, if you hyperventilate at the thought of your ex, or if you are firmly resigned. Either way, if you once lived as a couple, you now need to dismantle the evidence of the home you worked to create together. At times the process might be soul-crushing. Other times there are practical considerations. And ultimately, there’s a new glorious opportunity. Here are five steps to regroup at home: 1.
