Who knew that four letters could bring so much clarity to your life? It’s like the Myers-Briggs personality test looks deep into your soul to see the most genuine parts of you–the way you make decisions, the way you look at the world. And once you get in tune with those aspects of yourself, you gain a whole new perspective on everything in life, including how you decorate your own home.
After countless commutes, you might wonder: Do I need to clean something that sits so close to my ear drum? The short answer is yes. The long answer is yeeesssssssssss.
This 1950s Ranch-style house in Lafayette, Louisiana now feels like a cozy French farmhouse thanks to exposed wood walls, moody colors, and lots of antiques.
This interior designer didn't have as big of a budget as her clients, so she had to get creative to decorate her home! She used a lot of paint to give it a fresh look (like a DIY striped bathroom or painting the kitchen cabinets).
Prize: (1) $2,000 credit to Zappos Value: Up to $2,000 From: Zappos.com It’s the most wonderful – and anxious – time of the year! Wonderful because presents! Anxious because you have no idea what to get for everyone. And because what are you wearing to the office party? We’ve gone to Zappos and pulled together gift ideas for everyone on your list – including yourself.
Name: Ella Grace Location: Westlake Village, CA Room Size: 120 square feet Ella Grace’s room is a very special haven for a very special little girl. Creamy walls and neutral rugs are a soothing platform for the myriad of soft pastel fabrics and accessories. Gently old-fashioned but enlivened with on-trend touches, this room glows with handmade goodness. How would you describe the look and feel of this room? My goal was to create a playful room without it being overwhelming.
I don’t know about you, but my daughter and I start to go a little stir crazy at this time of year. We try to get out as much as possible, but sometimes with these short, cold days we can’t be out for long. I’ve been keeping my eye out for inexpensive do-it-yourself ways to have a little fun indoors. Here are some fun and budget-friendly cardboard creations that are sure to keep your little ones entertained during those final weeks of Winter: Row One: 1.
Name: Katrina & Draz, their son, Eddie, and Yoshi the dog Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Size: 120 square metres (1,292 square feet) Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Katrina and Draz are absolute fans the 1950s, rock-n-roll and vintage Americana, so it’s no surprise that their home reflects all of these things.
Hex tile, clawfoot tubs, porcelain pedestal sinks. These are few of the elements that make up our idea of a “classic” bathroom—the kind you might find in a pre-war apartment or a New England farmhouse.The nice thing about a classic bathroom is that it’s not going to go out of style anytime soon. Materials like subway tile and marble counters are long-lasting and tend to survive the cycle of trends.
If you’ve managed to get through the winter so far (partially) unscathed, congrats! It takes a lot of will power to prep your home for the cold weather, maintain your mental health (winter blues are the worst), and play holiday host while holding it all together. Obviously, self-care is super important during this time of year, but the plants in your life also require additional, seasonal-specific TLC to survive the winter fully intact.
The 10th Annual Small Cool contest has entered the free-for-all voting stage – every single one of our 189 entries are live and accepting thumbs up votes. Here’s a look at 10 fun-to-see homes from the past week to get you started but be sure to check out all the wonderful homes on our “All Entries” page to help send ALL of your favorites on to the next round!
Here we are, rounding the corner just before the home stretch. We’ve shared over 130 small cool homes with you so far and still have a few more days of new entries to come. Here are 10 entries that caught the eye of voters this past week; check them (and ALL of the competitors who are looking for votes) out and enjoy the supersized dose of small space inspiration and ideas.
Twelve years after our very first Small Cool contest and readers are still impressing us with sumptuous style, creative solutions and sage wisdom for living life to the fullest in a small home. Every year we are wowed with the display of small coolness and we are excited to host all this small space inspiration. Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest by sharing your home with our community, by commenting and voting for your favorites. And now, to congratulate our winners!
We’ve seen 25 homes so far in our 11th Annual (!) Small Cool contest and it’s already a memorable year. These homes all have square footage under 1000 square feet but miles of style to spare. Today, we’ve got a look back at some standouts from Week One, along with a link to ALL the entries so far. Dive in, peek inside these stylish small, cool homes and give all your favorites a vote to help them move on to the next round. (And if you haven’t entered yet, do that too!).
Washing and drying clothes uses a lot of energy and water in a typical house. Here are 10 ways you can reduce your consumption of water and energy while doing laundry.Move the dryer closer to an outside wall The farther exhaust air has to travel from your dryer to get outside, the more energy your dryer will use on every cycle. If you can, move the dryer as close to its exhaust port as possible. Can you reduce the number of elbow bends in the exhaust pipe?
