Painted accent pieces can add charming touches for your home but can be less than charming if painted incorrectly. The process might not seem difficult at all- apply paint, dry, repeat- but if you want a clean, professional finish, there are a few more considerations and steps involved. When painting a really nice piece, you need to put in just as much effort in the prep and sanding stages as you do in the painting stages.
It’s an age old question: “do I keep it or toss it?” This is of course pertaining to food in the fridge that’s been sitting there for a questionable period of time after a power outage. We refer you to our U.S. government guidelines on food safety, recommending just how long our refrigerators and freezers will hold their temperatures, as well as whether to keep or discard food kept inside during a power outage.
After struggling to find an apartment when they first moved to D.C., Abigail and Mark sold all their belongings and jumped into boat ownership headfirst.
We’re still in love with our Eames chairs and recently inherited a couple more that are covered in naugahyde. They’ve been sitting in storage for about 20 years and they’re dull and sad. We want them to look shiny and new like the picture above. Jump below for hot to restore them to their original lustre.Here’s our baby, a dull pink with water stains and sadness.
We’re defining “minimal” a little literal in this post — we’re talking about bedrooms lovely because they only have the minimal amount of elements in them. A bed. Maybe a nightstand. A rug for softness underfoot. Maybe a light. They’re not wall-to-wall stuff — and that avoidance of clutter and more things than actually needed can have quite a few benefits, both health and design wise.
Winter is rough on our floors from wet snow, mud and more, especially on our carpets and rugs. This Weekend Project is about giving one carpeted room or rug a deep, thorough clean that will make your whole space feel invigorated and refreshed. Experts suggest that you deep-clean rugs and carpet at least once a year. This weekend, knock out one spot in your home really well.
When you have a small kitchen (I do), creative problem solving stops becoming a resume catchphrase and starts becoming a way of life. Configuring cookware and food and utensils—while trying to keep it all from looking like a mad scientist’s lab—isn’t easy. Here are 10 great posts in one place to offer some tips, tricks and inspiration for all of us fighting the good I-dream-of-kitchen-storage fight. Don’t neglect the space above your cabinets.
Keeping your upholstery in tip-top shape should definitely be on your spring cleaning list. With some help from American Signature Furniture, we’ve put together a simple refresher on how to clean different upholstery types, from leather to microfiber. Caring for Upholstery: What to Use When Finer than silk, microfiber strands create a velvety yet durable fabric that’s ideal for upholstery that gets a lot of traffic and sees lots of stains.
A lot of the kitchens we feature on this site are dramatic and beautiful and… well, huge. So today we’ve rounded up a selection of kitchens that are on the smaller side (some on the really small side) to inspire those of you who want a beautiful room for cooking, but don’t have infinite space. Above: this Parisian kitchen could not be any cuter, and is a great reminder that having a small space doesn’t have to mean skimping on style.
Name: Emily and Alex Champagne Location: Hamilton; Baltimore, Maryland Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 15 months; Owned This young newlywed couple’s craftsman home radiates with endearing energy, even before stepping through the front door. Emily, an artist and educator, and Alex, a musician and co-founder of Scenic Route Records, have painted their home with small bits of themselves.
Almost everything in this townhome's remodel was replaced except kitchen cabinets, which were totally transformed thanks to sage green paint and a new tile backsplash.
I thought it would be fun to poll a few designers and study a few lookbooks to see what vintage trends might make their way to the forefront again in 2019.
Cast iron skillets get better with age- as long as you’re consistently cooking with them, and as long as you don’t clean them with soap. If it’s been ages since you’ve actually used your skillet, chances are it’s in need of some TLC. Covered in rust, you say? No problem! Reach for these three simple kitchen staples to help you return your pan to its former glory. Coarse saltOil (vegetable, olive- even Crisco works!
It’s expected that Google would come to our rescue with sorting our e-mail and organizing our calendar. So where does all of this “Google Will Take Over the World” talk come in? Maybe it’s things like this: Next time you get an undecipherable birthday card from Aunt Linda, just head over to Google—it knows enough to help you translate her chicken scratch.Ever accidentally misspelled your search terms in Google? Notice how it offers up a “Did you mean…?
If you’ve got a cat and a laptop, you’ve probably found your kitty lounging about near or on your laptop (or just on computers in general). While we understand that cats enjoy sitting on something warm, it’s kind of funny and annoying at the same time. I can’t remember the number of times that I’ve shushed my own cat Yoda off my laptop. What can you do to stop this behavior?Sure, finding your cat on your laptop is funny.
Good news: It’s now OK to start putting up your holiday decorations. Both etiquette experts and your neighbors agree that the day after Thanksgiving (also known as Black Friday and “Blow Your Paycheck Day”) is the first day that the sight of holiday lights doesn’t throw them into an “OMG-it’s-not-Christmas-yet” tizzy. But do you know when to take them down? We’ve got the answer, plus a few other holiday light etiquette tips, when you read more.
Last year Danielle picked up a vintage settee for $50 and, with her mom as co-pilot, wanted to take it on as her first foray into upholstery. She was conflicted about the fabric to use: something modern and bold or something more traditional? Readers chimed in, many urging her to have it professionally recovered instead of trying it herself and the majority of readers advised going with a classic print and color for the fabric. Did she take either piece of advice?… No and yes!
Californians and Floridians are blessed with fragrant citrus trees in their backyards that bloom all spring and seem to be in season all year. For the rest of the country, where climates aren’t conducive to growing citrus outdoors through all four seasons, you have to get a little crafty if you want homegrown Key limes for your cervezas. The trick is to grow citrus in a container that you can keep outside from spring to fall, but move inside before the first freeze arrives.
In lesson seven I reviewed the pros and cons of starting your garden from seeds or starts. If you’re feeling ambitious and want to start all (or at least a few) of your plants from seed, the question is: should you start them indoors or outdoors? Well, that depends on when you’re getting started and how long your growing season is.
When you have a small garden, it can seem like your plants all compete for premium space come springtime. How do you decide what to plant and what to pass on? Do you grow staples you’ll use all year long in the kitchen, or unusual varieties you can’t find in the market? With intercropping, you can take advantage of the limited space you have — while growing all the vegetables you want — by analyzing the needs of your vegetables and timing your plantings strategically.
Have you ever planted squash in your vegetable garden and wondered why the flowers with what appear to be baby squash on the ends suddenly wilt? The short answer is: They were never pollinated by bees. The long answer is: Squash are monoecious plants (containing both male and female parts) and rely on bees and other pollinators to fertilize their flowers. Female flowers bear the ovaries (essentially immature squash) and need the pollen from male flowers to produce fruit.
One of the most common reasons people throw up their hands — and throw in the trowel — is the discouragement they feel when their plants die. But guess what: it happens to even the most experienced gardener. Don’t despair! Whether it’s your first time or fiftieth time planting a garden, these easy-grow, easy-care plants will make plant shopping a little less intimidating and a lot more successful.
Maybe you’re convinced you’ll never move beyond that notorious black thumb, or maybe you’ve tended a few herbs on your windowsill but feel too intimidated to try more. Whatever the case may be, let this year be the year you start your very own garden! From container gardening in a courtyard to vegetable gardening in a backyard, we’ve got you covered at Apartment Therapy with our step-by-step Gardening School.
Gardens can take many forms, but today we’ll tackle the three main types of gardens you can start with a basic supply list: container gardens, raised bed gardens, and in-ground gardens. You might already know what type you’ll be growing, since it’s usually determined by your space and your lifestyle. Each garden has its pros and cons, but in many instances, you can mix and match the type of garden to your needs.
Gardens and gardeners come in all sizes, shapes, and needs. We may be short or tall, left-handed or right-handed. We may be starting a few planter boxes on the deck or growing entire rows of vegetables in the backyard. Thus, the tools that work for one person may not work for another. Complicating (or perhaps simplifying?) matters even more are tools that can serve multiple purposes.
Though we often think of spring as a good time to prep and plant a garden, you can actually start planning well before the snow melts and continue planting all the way until the first freeze in fall. If you live in a frost-free region, lucky you — you can garden year-round! How do you determine the best time to prep or plant? The most reliable source is your local independent garden center, which can offer general growing guidelines for your particular climate.
The best-laid plans for a garden come after living in your home for a year, watching how the sun moves throughout the day in all the seasons, how much moisture you get and where it goes, and whether one area of your yard is more prone to wind than another. But if you want to get started right away, keep these things in mind as they’ll help you plot out a successful garden. Amount of sunlight and access to water are two major factors that go into selecting a good site for your garden.
Congratulations on making it this far and having a beautiful garden to show for it! But while the initial grunt work is done, your plants still need a little TLC to keep them looking and performing their best. Strive to spend at least one afternoon a week (or a few minutes a day) to walk among your beds, pick a few flowers, or simply sit in your garden and take it all in.
You’ve got the site and the soil dialed in, and now comes the fun part: the plants! Part of making your garden plan is deciding what types of plants you want to grow and how they’ll coexist in your space. All of the
previous lessons — knowing how much sun your yard receives each day, what climate zone you’re in, and when you’re ready to plant — will aid a great deal in this process, so be sure you read them before you move on.
Prize: $500 American Express Gift Card Value: $500 From: Miracle-Gro Have you been following Apartment Therapy’s Gardening School? It’s designed to help even the blackest thumbs build up the confidence to get out in the garden…and it’s working! It’s inspiring to see all your amazing pics in the #showusyourseedlings feed. So inspiring that we want to help your dream gardens get growing with a $500 AMEX Gift Card to spend on supplies!
In this day and age, we often post photos to Facebook or Instagram and then forget all about them. But with so many clever ways to display printed pictures around the house, why not round up your favorite photos and start decorating?
Name: Elijah & Tuli DastrupAge: 5 & 3Location: Kansas City, Missouri A few months ago we had a chance to tour the home of Crissy and Justin Dastrup. They have an old Four-Square style home that’s quite full of personality and fun design choices. It’s a 3 story home and the children have bedrooms on the second and third floors. There might be only 2 kids, but there’s five beds and although you’ve seen bits and pieces, we’d like to show you the whole thing!
Have you ever left the house with a load of dishes soaping up in the dishwasher? Yeah, us too. We never though much of it until we read this news story today: A local Fire and Rescue Investigator is blaming a dishwasher as the cause of a majorly destructive house fire in Oregon.The Oregon homeowner whose kitchen was destroyed in the fire told investigators that he left the house with the dishwasher running.
