When you’re pregnant you hear a lot of old wives’ tales, maternity myths and “what to expect while expectings”. My first pregnancy was relatively easy and uneventful and the first trimester I spent, like most women, sleepy and tired. So I was really looking forward to the “nesting stage” which is supposed to kick in during the second trimester and peak in the third.
I am quite envious of skilled thrifters; I’m unable to see the potential in a yard sale find or figure out what’s quality and just needs a little repair or TLC. That’s why I love seeing yard sale transformations. I have some hope that if I look at enough, the skills will magically transfer to me. So I’ve been staring at this beautiful kids’ table and chair makeover for a few days. Check out what Lolly Jane did with this well-loved table and chairs.Amazing, right?
Your home tech uses electricity. And where there’s electricity, there’s a fire hazard—especially if you’re the type to hold on to tried, true and worn out devices. Speaking of—have you checked your fire extinguisher lately? It might be worn out. Here’s four things to check to know when it’s time to replace it.Now that we’ve taught you how to buy the right fire extinguisher, it’s important to keep it in working order.
Some IKEA hacks go so far above and beyond the standard “coat of paint and new handles” that they somehow become whole new pieces of furniture. This one, for example, started out as the ubiquitous Rast dresser and a salad bowl, and was transformed into an elegant, modern bathroom vanity with plumbing and everything. I for one am impressed.
Name: Mike and Sandie Type of Project: Foyer renovation Location: Saskatoon; Saskatchewan, Canada Type of building: 2 1/2 story single-family home, built in 1919 The Renovation Diaries are a collaboration with our community in which we feature your step by step renovation progress and provide monetary support towards getting it done in style. See all of our Reno Diaries here.
You have to love a project that not only makes over a sad old chair but also reuses old coffee sacks. This creative re-use project not only features repurposed fabric but also looks great too! Check out the fantastic results after the jump.Many of you have seen similar chairs using grain sacks selling for a pretty penny, this step by step tutorial by Doesn’t Cost the Earth shows you how you can get the look for much less using organic coffee sacks.
Sometimes there is just not enough space – or money! With an upcoming wedding and two blending households of avid readers into a one bedroom condo (plus one curious object collector – me), we’ve got books and baubles coming out of our ears. This office area is one of my least favorite places in our home due its lack of light and wall space restrictions, so it was time for a cheap and quick fixer-upper!
Here at Apartment Therapy, we can’t get enough of Before & Afters… it’s always exciting to see something salvaged from the garbage become something lovely and shiny and useful. We salute all you DIYers out there, but we have to say we’re especially impressed with the people who are able to see special potential in a piece — and turn it into something totally different and totally useful.
Do you have goals for your home? I think it’s really effective–in all areas of life–to write down your goals and share them with others. And your home should be no exception. Whether you rent or own, whether you plan to be there for seven more months or seven more years (or forever!), you should keep a list of things you’d like to get done for a happy life at home. To get the most out of your list, make it a good mix of goals.
Just because I’ve come to terms with my home’s imperfections doesn’t mean I don’t obsess over my inspiration boards. The latest addition is this incredible makeover of an Austin bungalow. The owners, Britt and Dan, waited five years to tackle their remodel, and the result is a beautifully modern and calm home awash in white. And yes, I’m jealous much.
I get asked about how to make small spaces feel bigger all the time and have done numerous interviews going over these points, BUT I’ve never written them down for myself or for you readers here, so here we go. These are my totally evergreen, classic tips, which come from years of practice. Please add your own!
It can be a challenge to host more people than your guest room can handle. Instead of turning on your No Vacancy light, consider some creative options to offer your friends and family when your guest room is full to capacity. During our first month in Denver, my husband and I hosted 13 people (singles and families) in our 700 square-foot 1 bedroom shotgun. We were always happy to take in our friends but made sure to let them know about the size of our accommodations ahead of time.
Here at Apartment Therapy, we love a good IKEA hack as much as you do. It’s a comforting reminder that there are still places where ingenuity plus elbow grease with a side of using-what-you-got to #makeitwork equals a recipe for success over and over. Check out some of our favorite IKEA hacks and get inspired to find your own new possibilities… 1. Above, Before & After: Molly’s IKEA Rast Turned Campaign Chest 2. Before & After: IKEA Granas Table Gets a Rustic Makeover 3.
We can’t resist a good IKEA hack. Of course these pieces are lovely on their own, but this year a few intrepid DIYers managed to take a few basics to the next level. Swedish ingenuity + your ingenuity = some really inspired pieces of furniture. Click the links to see the ‘afters’. (Hint: clicking the links with your mouse wheel will open each link in a new window.) TOP ROW: 1. The IKEA VITTSJÖ: 5 Colorful Hacks 2. Before & After: From IKEA Dining Table to Chic Desk 3.
We’ve all heard the phrase “they don’t make ’em like they used to,” which in my experience, cannot be more true when it comes to quality-made furniture. Dovetailed drawers or burled wood veneer seems to have been replaced by the convenience of assemble-yourself, particle-board furniture. Although these pieces are affordable, the poor construction quality makes them practically disposable.
We’re always on the lookout for smart, renter-friendly products that won’t risk your security deposit, and make your space better than the day you moved in. Slatted window blinds are one particular sore spot for a lot of folks: They look generic, have constant problems, and landlords don’t always let you remove them. Well, tenants rejoice, because we found a way to work around those ugly window coverings, and dramatically change the look of your whole room.
Bigger, bolder, faster, brighter. December’s cosmic climate sends us speeding into Sagittarius energies, and the zodiac’s megawatt My-Little-Pony invites us to embrace the wild, wide open roads before us. Think voyages of all flavors, dancing ’til the break of dawn, and reinvesting in the radical, luck-be-a-lady faith that life is absolutely on your side. So roll the dice and pack up your rollerboards for flights far beyond the known.
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.
Has your bedroom been feeling flat and lifeless? Uninteresting? Too…boring? It might need an infusion of texture — a basic design element every room needs to make it feel rich and like a place worth spending time in. We’ve got nine different and easy ways you can add the feeling of texture to your bedroom. 1. (Pictured above) Plants are a fast and easy way to add mother nature’s texture to your bedroom (plus some lovely and life-affirming green color).
Last week, you got to see the updates and tiling work we did in our kitchen. However, we also had a very fun time doing some updates to our bathroom. This before photo (taken quite a bit before we started the project) doesn’t show the vertical angle, but allows you to see the most important elements: the old, dingy, salmon-colored tile, and original toilet and vanity. Fast forward three days (we were on a tight schedule) to our brand new bathroom!
It’s funny to remember how large, bulky, yet sometimes stylish televisions were before the era of HDTVs took displays from the floor onto our walls. We still remember our childhood 80’s RCA floor console TV taking up about the same amount of room as 40″ HDTV flat panels all lined up. Sometimes you’ll still find one of these wonderful relics of TV’s past in basements, garages or thrift stores, many not in working order.
Atmosphere is the je ne sais quoi ingredient to interiors. You can’t really put your finger on it and it’s not really something you can buy in a box to add to your home. But it’s the thing that differentiates a great home from just a good one, and it’s the thing that makes guests want to stay and linger in your home as long as possible. How do you get it (or make your existing atmosphere even better)? Well the answer to that isn’t easy.
Now that winter’s here, my reluctance to get out of bed in the morning has mounted exponentially. It’s much easier to snuggle deep into the covers when my alarm goes off, and I’m constantly oversleeping when I know that I should get up. In an attempt to curb this bad habit, I’ve compiled some tips for making waking up a bit more manageable. Drinking water as soon as you wake up will help stimulate the body and help you stay awake.
Name: Meg and Josh Type of Project: Mudroom/Breakfast Nook remodel Location: Chinook, Washington Type of building: Single-Family Home, 1,000 square feet For all of you good people who have been following along with Meg and Josh’s mudroom renovation, the big moment has finally come: all the work is complete, and it’s time to take a look at the finished space! From Meg: Any renovation project is special, but there’s something extra special about a DIY renovation project.
Let’s face it—kids don’t really take up too much space. It’s all of the junk we buy for them that gets in the way! In an effort to downsize and share space, some savvy folks turn to shared offices and nurseries! Mom or Dad can work while the little one snoozes. We’ve scouted out some favorite office and nursery combos to inspire you. Take a look! 1. Teressa and Ryan’s Fresh & Friendly Home 2.
For this very last roundup, we’ve combed through all of this year’s Before & After projects (and trust us, there were a lot of good ones) and rounded up the very best ones. The dramatic, inspiring, shocking transformations. The ones where you couldn’t possibly like the before better. Prepare to be amazed — here are 2014’s most dramatic transformations. Click on the slideshow to see the projects.
I’ll admit, when I think of courtyard gardens, I naturally think of sprawling estates with hidden outdoor rooms, bordered by perfectly manicured boxwood hedges boasting a grand urn water fountain. Perhaps I’ve been watching too much Downton Abbey, but courtyards aren’t just unattainable outdoor spaces limited to the wealthy.
“Decorative art isn’t necessarily created just by bona fide artists. Everyday folks can get in on the action too, and make custom work for their walls. We asked our house tour residents to tell us about their DIY art projects, and the results are endlessly impressive. 1. Above, a Southwestern rug-inspired painted canvas from Kathryn & Perry’s “Have Less Do More” Apartment: My proudest DIY has got to be our little dining nook/statement art wall!
We all know the role that clutter plays in our households. To varying degrees, it’s a nuisance, or it distracts us, and —in the worst cases — totally overtakes our lives. Here are some of the underlying reasons why you’re reluctant to let go of physical objects, and some steps to take towards living a life less burdened by stuff. What if you threw it out and missed it later?
Name: Lulu (2)Location: Santa Monica, CA (Ocean Park)Room Size: 11′ x 11′ Souris Hong-Porretta’s home is infused with personality, art and a sense of time and place. Her daughter Lulu’s room is no different. It’s charmingly hip and playful and mature enough to last for years (take out the crib and this room can take Lulu through her teen years).
At this budget range, kitchen renovations mean less actual physical labor for the homeowners, who are able to leave most of that work to the professionals. That doesn’t mean a total hands off approach however. The owners of these kitchens either acted as their own general contractor, designed the space themselves, and shopped vigilantly for the best deals out there.
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.
We aren’t all lucky to get an amazing view from our home’s windows. Sometimes instead of gorgeous urban skyline or serene forest to gaze out onto, you’re stuck with an unwanted sneak peek of someone’s apartment through their window, a bland and boring brown plain fence or visions of neighborhood cats using your side yard as a litter box. Instead of keeping the blinds down and the curtains drawn, let the light in and take control over your perspective.
What inspires you to get organized? Maybe it’s a trip to the Container Store, or a favorite magazine or blog, or a visit to a friend’s house. For me, the fire was lit at a tender age by that childhood classic, The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room.So I decided to go back through this beloved book, as an adult, and see if there were any gems of organizing wisdom that would be applicable to us grown-up, non-bear types. Here’s what I found.1.
For the most part, I think we can all agree that cut flowers are beautiful and liven up most any space. That said, many of us are convinced that they aren’t worth our time because we’ll just kill them within the day. Here are 5 tips to keep them lasting longer and looking better, even when you swear your thumb isn’t green.1.
Callusing cactus? No, that’s not a description of how your feet look after being in flip-flops all summer but a technique for sprouting cacti and succulents from plant pieces that have fallen or broken off, with minimal effort which we, novice gardeners that we are, had first heard about Sunday night from Ryann Davis of Succulent. She assures us that it’s so easy that even the darkest of thumbs should be able to do it and, from one plant, create many offspring.
This year, we’re on a mission to help you tackle spring cleaning on your time. Each weekday until April 13, we’ll guide you through a plan to clean and organize different areas of your home, but you’ll have the flexibility to choose exactly what to work on and how long you have to dedicate to the job. Five days down, and five days to go. We’re at the halfway point of our spring clean and I hope you’re feeling reset for the home stretch.
This is a “get off my lawn” type of post, when I curmudgeonly grouse about how much things cost, and how we’re being swindled by young punks who don’t know how easy they’ve got it in today’s world. My pet peeve of the day is products that are very inexpensive (or in some cases free) at the outset, but require expensive refills or supplies to keep them item working. Don’t get me wrong: I love some of these things.
Do you fret over certain aspects of your home? Do they keep you up at night? Do you spend hours Googling (or Apartment Therapy-ing) for the answer that will fix your problem and tone down your home-related stress? There are plenty of things to worry about when it comes to home, but these seven things aren’t them. Take the worries after the jump off your plate and spend your mental energy on enjoying your space and your life! Don’t worry… 1.
The office chair above is unfortunately more common than we’d hope. It’s the home office equivalent of the big, dumpy (yet comfortable) big leather couches that weigh down a space. Does form have to be sacrificed for function? “No!” says designer and upcycling blogger, Joy of How Joyful…check out how she gave this chair a whole new personality… Last Christmas my in Laws gave Ken and I matching Desk chairs. We only had one and it was pretty broken.
Name: Jennifer Pade Type of Project: Kitchen remodel Location: West Village, New York, New York Type of building: 300 square foot apartment in a co-op building For those of you who have been following along with Jennifer’s NYC kitchen remodel, and who saw the truly dire state of her original kitchen, this reveal will be especially satisfying. The work is done, the dust has cleared, and now it’s time to take a look at the finished product.
Plants are well known as great way to add some color, texture and life to a space, and when they also happen to be beautifully oversized hanging plants, they also bring the drama. We’ve rounded up some examples from our archives and around the web. 1. An oversized Boston Fern adds texture and brings character to the room. Gregory and Jenny’s Relaxed Hippie Bungalow Tour from Apartment Therapy. 2. Following curve of a staircase these Bears-Paw Ferns have a cascading effect.
Have you ever looked at a room in your home and thought “it needs a little something else” — but not quite been able to put your finger on what? If so, then this post is for you. In the same way that the right accessories make any outfit better, these five things will take any room in your home from good to great. There’s nothing like a rug to really tie a room together.
Victoria shared her kitchen renovation with readers at last Wednesday’s Apartment Therapy Design Evening. In case you missed out, here’s a little more about the project. Victoria had bought a beautiful Victorian home, circa 1906, with great bones. Most of the house was in good condition, but it was clear that the old kitchen had to go.
Shortly after moving into their Chinook, Washington home, Meg and Josh decided to tackle a big project: transforming their existing laundry room and breakfast room into a single, open mudroom/breakfast nook combo. Before the project began, the breakfast room and laundry room were separated by a wall, making the small house seemed more cramped. Meg and Josh envisioned a single, open space the would serve as breakfast nook, laundry room, and mudroom all in one, with lots of built-in storage.
This plain kitchen was sort of… fine? We’ve seen gross kitchens and this one was far from it. If anything, it was a little sterile, with various off-white shades paired with some unflattering lighting. Here’s another view, where you can see that there weren’t any accent colors, textures, metal-mixing, or any of the other design elements that give a space interest.
Time is short, and cleaning isn’t fun. After a long week of work, and busy days with family, isn’t cleaning one of the last ways you want to spend your free time? If keeping a tidier home is one of your new year’s resolutions, consider hiring a professional cleaner. If you have the means to hire a professional, I definitely recommend it. My household started hiring out this service a few years ago.
Being an adult isn’t easy. The demands of balancing bills, budgets, and a busy schedule can often be downright exhausting and trying at times, to say the least. That’s why like all things related to personal growth, acting like a grownup requires a lot of patience and practice. Needless to say, the art of maturity is a difficult one to master. To help, we’re taking a closer look at the seven basic skillsets of adulting and providing some useful resources along the way.
I’ve been having a bear of a time finding a set of side tables that fit next to my couch and don’t look terrible. I also love a good DIY project — especially one that can be finished over a weekend — so I was pretty excited to see this cool set of DIY side tables made from IKEA cutting boards and plumbing pipes.
Dealing with this closet and salmon painted floor was high on the priority list of things to do to begin turning this basement into the modern family room it was destined to be. It had been on my mind since the moment we got the keys to the house. It took a few months to get around to it but we finally did. Follow me after the jump to see the result…We didn’t have much use for the closet but we did have hundreds of books that needed to find a home.
A couple of weeks ago I helped my brother pick out an apartment in Northern Virginia. We found a great one-bedroom in an older apartment complex, recently remodeled, it has ample storage, a large patio, and it’s close to his work. One little problem: we started to move him in and found a roach hanging out in the kitchen cabinet. Then we found another by the sink. And a tiny one was running across the pantry door. Uh-oh, there’s a bug problem.
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!
If you’re not over the revamped bar cart trend yet (we’re definitely not), you’ll love this simple but sweet clean-up of a bar cart with a great shape but an older finish that needed freshening. From Alexandra: While on a weekend run to (finally) drop off some bags of clothes at the thrift store I came across this old metal kitchen cart, it was a little dingy and rusty — but I had been looking for a bar cart for some time, and at $12.50 I could not pass it up!
Let’s set something straight before we begin: espresso machines—good espresso machines—are expensive. Like, really expensive (think comparable in price to an entire living room’s worth of furniture.) So when we were rounding up our list of top-notch espresso makers, we had to cut ourselves off at $1,000 before things got astronomical. With that budget in mind, here are the best 13 machines on the market.
I’m one of those visitors that cat owners probably dread: I can smell a litter box a block away, and I’m not charmed by a cat doing its business in plain sight of the dinner table. Any of these attempts at making the litter box more discreet will go a long way towards endearing your darling cat to guests like me… TOP ROW: 1. Here’s the first of my three favorite IKEA hacks, this time from Bella Pop. IKEA should really get into the litter box game. 2.
These days I live in mild San Francisco, but I spent the first 23 years of my life in Chicago, a city where a windchill of -20ºF (that’s -29ºC) turns waiting for the bus into an extreme sport. I’ve learned a few things over the years… I like to keep my apartment as cold as possible while I’m sleeping, but even if you don’t, the transition from under-the-covers to real world can be a brutal one.
If there’s a leading trend, it’s embracing color, and that’s exactly what the talented crew at DC design firm Residents: Understood did with their clients Danielle and Peter. Using the young couple’s wanderlust as inspiration, R:U set about transforming sterile gloomy to bold global.Given that Danielle and Peter met while studying in Europe, got engaged in Iceland, and will be married in Italy this fall, they wanted to make a home that suited their vibrant life together.
When I hear the phrase “writing hut” or “backyard shed” my imagination practically squeals with delight. A small, intimate space furnished with the essentials. Low impact, high inspiration. This is probably why I love going to North Dakota and why I want to pull a Pollan and build my own little house.
If you’ve ever watched an episode of Fixer Upper and wondered, “Huh, I guess they don’t have lead paint in Texas?,” you’re not alone. One such viewer happened to be an EPA employee—and now the Gaineses are on the hook for $40,000 in lead paint violation penalties. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it had settled with Chip and Joanna Gaines’s company, Magnolia Homes, for violating rules related to lead-based paint.
We often share ideas about how to make sure your art complements your decor. Or talk about where to find affordable art to fill up your walls. Or post about DIY art projects you can do quickly, easily and within your budget. Though these are all valid ways to add a little color to your rooms, there’s another aspect to consider when on the hunt for art.
Since moving back to our rented home we’ve been slowly rebuilding the gardens around the house. Working with what we have and focusing on the growing-not-mowing philosophy, we turned the space near our front door in to a useable garden space for less than $20.Until recently the space was only used to access the hot water system.
Since I was a child, I’ve loved Sesame Street; my parents even credit it with teaching me to read before I reached kindergarten. And I even had a similarly plain, white dresser in my room. Imagine my delight had my parents turned it into this beauty that features some favorite Sesame Street muppets!I would’ve flipped for this Sesame dresser (although back in the day, Elmo probably would’ve been Kermit), and when my kids were preschoolers, they would’ve loved it, too.
When that luxurious velvet sofa catches your gaze for the first time, it’s easy to think, “I can totally do this, Fido will learn that he is not allowed up. Simple as that.” We’ve all been there, but let’s get real. Even if you become the dog whisperer and are indeed successful in keeping him off the sofa, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will stay clean.
Name: Daphne (1 month)Location: Charleston, SC Size: 10′ x 13′ Many nurseries start off as home offices that are then bequeathed to the newest family member upon their arrival. This was the case with Deirdre’s office which she used for three years before finding out she was expecting. Luckily, the paint color worked well for the nursery she had in mind.How did your office become Daphne’s nursery?
Pallet projects, in every possible form, were early guests to the DIY party and have stayed around ever since. Using them for the reclaimed wood certainly has its risks (more on that later), but you can’t beat the price (which is usually free). Here’s a guide to everything you need to know: finding, choosing, cleaning, and breaking down one for use. Once you know the what’s what, you can decide for yourself if they are worth the effort.
Tired of pulling my shirts, all wrinkled and creased, out of my over-stuffed closet, I decided to come out of the closet completely and create a hanging clothes bar in the corner of my bedroom. Say goodbye to these colorful (but useless) drawers-turned-shelves and hello to my new rope wrapped hanging clothes bar…This is actually a project I’ve had in mind for a couple of months.
Despite being small, bathrooms can be the trickiest to decorate. We find ourselves thinking wisely about every decision, since this room holds a captive audience. If you’re looking for a little country or vintage charm in your bathroom, try recycling or repurposing something you may already have.
Since starting Apartment Therapy, I’ve always felt it’s good to do everything you can to make your home comfortable and clean (in as little time as possible), and that air and water quality were fundamental. Living in New York City, I’ve never had a problem with the water, but when I started to drink cold filtered water I loved the difference. Particularly when making coffee or tea, filtered water really seemed to improve the taste. Years later, this is what I’ve learned.
Like many other small space dwellers, we have almost no closet or storage space in my home. The tenants before us took the first step to maximize the dead space under the stairs by removing a partition wall to open up the area, and installed a drop down hatch under the stair. Unfortunately they didn’t install a railing and instead only those awkward, sharp rectangular boxes — after several falls down the stairs it was painfully obvious something needed to change!
