Name: Elizabeth & KevinLocation: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — Graduate Hospital neighborhoodSize: 1,600 square feet, 3 BR Years lived in: 1+ years Philadelphia is an area that is becoming more and more known for its young, hip and eclectic design scene. Elizabeth & Kevin’s Eclectic & Very Narrow Rowhome is a shining example of the fun and youthful direction that traditional row homes are heading!
Name: Alvar Aalto Location: Helsinki, Finland After Alvar Aalto’s firm had outgrown the small studio space in his family’s home the Atelier was built in 1955 in a residential neighborhood just a short walk away from Riihitie 20, west of the Helsinki city center. Like his home, the Atelier facade is nearly windowless and quite plain. The majority of windows are on the rear and sides of the building where they can take full advantage of the limited (in winter) Finnish sunlight.
Name: Dan DeveningLocation: ChicagoSize/Type: Owned 1,400 sq. ft. two-bedroom condo in newly constructed three-flatYears lived in: 4 With a home steeped in self-described “MMC (mostly mid-century)” visual stunners, Dan Devening lives the way he works: with and surrounded by art.
Name: Katin & BrandonLocation: Marblehead, MASize: Just under 2000 sq/ft (includes full unfinished basement)Years lived in: Owned since October 2008 Last week you saw the kitchen, then the bathroom, and now it’s time for the whole house. Katin & Brandon made a big move about 5 months ago: from a 600 sq/ft apartment in Cambridge to this roomy cape in Marblehead.
Name: Marco Fiorilo and Shanna Eldridge, their 5-year-old son, 4 chickens, 2 dogs and sea monkeysLocation: South — Austin, TexasSize: 1186 square feet Years lived in: Owned 2 and a half yearsIt’s not a requirement that you own a hip furniture store to have a stylish house, but chances are if you do helm one of the hottest and trendiest furniture stores in Austin, you’re probably going to have a cool house to match.
Name: Polly & Ben (son, Cyrus is 4)Location: Sherman Oaks, CASize: 1,100 Square Feet Years lived in: 4 already, wow! About a year ago, I purchased a modern minimal bench via Craigslist from a seller who lived in Sherman Oaks. Upon arriving to their apartment to pay and arrange for pickup (they were so kind, they even delivered the bench to our place), I noted their home was a marvelous gem of MidCentury and DIY decor.
Name: Kaja Bergerud Location: Grünerløkka — Oslo, Norway Size: 75 square meters (800 square feet) Years lived in: 1 year, owned Welcome to Scandi Week—Apartment Therapy’s seven-day focus on all-things Scandinavia (often defined as the countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway). Sometimes it seems like the whole world is obsessed with trying to copy this corner of the globe, from its timeless style aesthetic to its now-famous coziness rituals.
Name: Lesley Pennington and her family (husband, a teenager and a dog) Location: Viggbyholm, Sweden (Just outside of Stockholm) Size: 240 square meters Years lived in: 3 years Before the Pennington family acquired this property three years ago, this was the home of a famous Swedish textile designer.
Name: Kassandra Jensen with roommate Ashley Location: Berlin, Germany Size: 72 square meters (775 square feet) Years lived in: 4 months Kassandra’s life is full of travel for work and a constantly changing schedule. So being able to choose her Berlin apartment’s permanent materials—flooring, bathroom subway tiles, custom kitchen countertops, cabinetry and more—has given her something to come home to that is grounded.
Name: Daisy and Matthias Location: Budapest, Hungary Size: 1700 square feet Years lived in: Owned 5 months Four years ago, Daisy and Matthias got the opportunity to move to Budapest. After falling in love with the city, they decided to find a property they could invest in, and fell in love at first sight with this apartment—despite the fact that each room had been painted a different bold color and that there was pink marble in the bathroom!
Name: Julianne Rydberg Location: Buskerud, Norway Size: 99 square meters Years lived in: 1 year Welcome to Scandi Week—Apartment Therapy’s seven-day focus on all-things Scandinavia (often defined as the countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway). Sometimes it seems like the whole world is obsessed with trying to copy this corner of the globe, from its timeless style aesthetic to its now-famous coziness rituals.
Name: Jar and Kay (and their 5-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter) Location: Quezon City, Philippines Size: 375 square meters Years lived in: Owned 3 months Jar writes: “This is my wife and I’s first house together. We worked closely with our architect [Denise De Castro of DDC-Vida] to achieve a sustainable structure that would cater to a growing family. We were able to incorporate a lot of natural light and ventilation with a pocket garden in the middle of the home.
Name: Antje Weber Location: Alfama — Lisbon, Portugal Size: 700 square feet Years lived in: 3 years This two-bedroom apartment occupies the top two floors of a four-story building in the heart of Lisbon’s historic Alfama district. With views to the Pantheon and — from the bedrooms — across to the river Tejo, the apartment is filled with the beautiful light that Lisbon is so famous for.
Name: Szilvia Farkas Location: Budapest, Hungary Size: 990 square feet Years lived in: Owned just finished renovation Szilvia, a Hungarian lawyer, designed every single inch of this Budapest flat without any professional assistance. Not bad for a first home project, huh?
Name: Mairi and Richard Location: Edinburgh Years Lived In: 1 year, owned The colors and textures of the Scottish landscape are Mairi’s biggest inspiration. “Often I am found escaping to the outdoors and photographing the enlivening flora and fauna that surrounds us,” she says. Mairi transforms this natural inspiration into dynamic abstract patterns for Mairi Helena, a textile and wallpaper company she runs from this colorful Edinburgh house.
Name: Nana Sjöblom and Pat Vermeulen Location: Vevey, Switzerland Size: 170 square meters (1,830 square feet) Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Nana and Pat are inspiring artists living with their two sons, Aïto and Oïva, in a beautiful century-old house in Switzerland. Avid collectors and art lovers, curious about everything from design, illustration and photography to snowboard culture, they needed a big house to shelter their huge collection of treasures.
Name: Jean and Tennessee Macdougall Location: Lausanne, Switzerland Size: 80 square meters (861 square feet) Years lived in: 16 years; Rented Jean is a single mom living with her daughter Tennessee in an amazing apartment overlooking the beautiful Lake Léman in Lausanne, Switzerland. Upon entering their home, you are immediately struck by the different collections and interesting finds they have accumulated over the years.
Name: Isabelle Richard Location: Peseux — Neuchâtel, Switzerland Size: 1,291 square feet Years lived in: 8 years, rented Isabelle welcomed us into her beautiful home perched on a hill above the Lake of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It is a delicately decorated apartment—a lovely reflection of her poetic inner world.
Name: Victoria Jacquemoud Location: Geneva, Switzerland Size: 180 square meters (1,938 square feet) Years lived in: 2 years Victoria is a Brazilian interior designer living in Geneva, Switzerland with her husband Philippe, a lawyer, and their two young children. Their fantastic home is an expression of Victoria’s unique personality and natural innate style.
Name: Pedro De Matos Location: Geneva, Switzerland Size: 140 square meters (1,507 square feet) Years lived in: 3 years; Rented Walking into Pedro’s Geneva home feels like entering an airy sanctuary, floating in a symphony of calming grey tones and stunning, century-old architectural details, where textured walls and polished hardwood floors steal the show. In Pedro’s work as an interior decorator, consultant and contractor, he creates simple, beautiful and functional spaces.
Name: Mahi Durel Location: Geneva, Switzerland Size: 70 square meters Years lived in: 13 years Welcome to the home of Mahi, her boyfriend Tristan, Lou and Nino in Geneva, Switzerland. This simple, lovely home is nestled in a typical century-old apartment located in a lively neighborhood right by the lake. Mahi’s style is a beautiful mix of her French Iranian and American heritage and is reflected in her taste and influences.
Name: Monika Pietrusewicz, Nicolas Bouriette and Lila Location: Ipanema — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Size: 484 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, rented Besides the Pilates equipment, almost nothing in this small home is “new.” Monika and Nicolas buy decor in flea markets, antique stores and second-hand markets. Or they find stuff in the streets.
Name: Simone Raitzik and Ruben Zonenschein, and their sons Paulo and Tom Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Size: 2,368 square feet Years lived in: 21 years, owned After a four-year stay in Europe, Simone and her husband Ruben returned to Brazil and began their search for a spacious house with natural light, hardwood floors, and potential to remodel. When they found their current home in Rio de Janeiro, it was love at first sight, but it was in terrible shape.
Name: Muriel and Jean-Marc Liévin Location: Bordeaux, France Size: 3,013 square feet Years lived in: 17 years, owned Muriel and Jean-Marc’s home studio is nestled in an antique industrial building in the charming city of Bordeaux, France. Their house remodel project started 17 years ago when they moved into the bare and industrial two-story building with their two small children. The street level was a plumbing workshop with a living area on the first floor.
Name: Dean Sameshima Location: Berlin, Germany Size: 1,044 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, renting When Dean Sameshima came to Berlin in 2007 to put on an art show with Peres Project, he didn’t expect to stay put for so long. What started out as a one-month stay quickly became three months, and luckily, he found this gem of an apartment at the end of his trip.
Name: Majken Thrane, husband Andreas, and Hans (4 years old) and Soren (1½ years old) Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Size: 1,658 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, owned Welcome to Scandi Week—Apartment Therapy’s seven-day focus on all-things Scandinavia (often defined as the countries of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway).
Name: Ulrika and family Location: Norrköping, Sweden Size: 1,507 square feet Years lived in: 10 years, owned Apartment Therapy’s first Scandi Week might be officially over this year, but that doesn’t mean our love of Scandinavian design has ended. And this lovely, light-filled Swedish home of fashion and interior influencer Ulrika (who Instagrams under the handle, @colorelles) is a beautiful look at colorful, organic modern Scandinavian-inspired design.
Name: Charlotte Rozenberg and Marvin Fockens Location: Center — Amsterdam, The Netherlands Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: Less than 1 year, renting Originally from a small town in the north of the Netherlands, Charlotte and her boyfriend Marvin moved onto this small but cozy houseboat in Amsterdam last spring. Charlotte works at a local bar and is considering a career as a sex therapist, while Marvin is a musician.
Name: Stine Marie Rosenborg and Peter Location: Vesterbro, Copenhagen, Denmark Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Architect Stine Marie Rosenborg and her partner Peter live in this simply decorated apartment in Copenhagen, where restrained Danish style emanates from every vignette. Stine has perfected minimal design that still feels warm and cozy, and the soft Nordic light that pours in helps a lot.
Just last month, we received the glorious news that season 4 of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” will be airing on July 19. And now, we have visual evidence of the emotional roller coaster coming for us, as seen in the season’s first trailer that dropped today.
We’ve all been there: pressed for time (pun intended), forced to use our iron with a dirty plate, nervous that the precious few minutes we are taking to actually iron out the wrinkles might set us even further behind by the transferring of gunk to the garment, forcing you to choose a completely new outfit altogether. Maybe you haven’t been there, but I’m speaking from experience. Good news: If you’ve got 10 minutes, you’ve got a clean iron!
After yesterday’s tale of an oven-baked laptop, where a paranoid apartment dweller thought to stash his Mac in the oven to evade a potential burglar’s loot radar, we now know where not to hide our valuables. But the basic idea behind the plan is still smart: If you’re going to be away from home for a while, leave your expensive tech in unexpected places that burglars wouldn’t think to raid. Here are a few better ideas.Headed away for the holidays?
Apartment Therapy readers are an amazingly helpful and knowledgeable group – over the years, they have stepped up and provided answers to all sorts of questions about how to do things around the house better, where the best sources are and, of course, what color to paint the walls of your (fill in the blank).
Time: 2 WeekendsCost: $120 This is one project that most (including ourselves) consider TOO HARD. Recovering a reading chair? Forget it. But NicoleMari’s patient, smart, inspiring instructions will soothe your nerves and give you confidence. NicoleMari submitted this project to our January Jumpstart Contest and tied for second place in her category (Thanks, Nicolemari!)… AFTERTell us the tools and resources you used for the project: I bought all my materials and notions at fabric.
They don't make it exactly obvious or easy, but Amazon does let you review your spending totals. Just in case you're not into combing through credit card statements or digging through email receipts.
After a year of researching, we felt prepared to purge our stuff and find a tiny house for our family, but there was a lot that we had to get used to that we didn't expect.
Originally from Hong Kong, Sheyee has owned this 575 square foot flat for three years. Far from family, she's filled her home with sentimental pieces and good memories.
Name: Sofia Berger Location: Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York Size: 480 square feet + garden Years lived in: 3 years; rented Sofia is a banker by day and an aspiring interior designer in the rest of her time. She frequents the hardware stores so often that the employees know her by name. Her bookcases are stocked with shelter magazines and her furniture has been decoupaged, reconstructed, upholstered, hacked or built from scratch.
Name: Monica SchaferLocation: The Plaza — Kansas City, MissouriSize: 650 square feetYears lived in: 3.5 — ownedTucked out of the way amidst some serious hustle and bustle resides this lovely and luxurious apartment in Kansas City. Located in the neighborhood called The Plaza, it boasts some serious Art Deco era design, complete with extra skinny hallways and round windows.
Underneath the stairs lies a great abyss known as unused space in most homes. Check out this list of 13 inspirational ideas to kick-start how to use your stairs, steps, and angles to your best small space advantage!In no particular order, here are our favorite 13 ways to efficiently use your staircase space: Stair Drawers: When you think about it, directly underneath your steps are layers of unused space. So why not add functionality to those common rectangles by transforming them into drawers?
Name: Joey Grana and Gerard Dislaire Location: Mount Washington, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years Lived In: 2 years; Owned A trip to Joey and Gerard’s serene hillside home will take your breath away and may leave you wondering: am I in California, or have I been transported to the French Alps?
Name: Joan Hiller Location: North East, Portland, Oregon Size: 432 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; rented Joan is a music publicist, painter and all–around creative, energetic lady. Her apartment functions as her office and her painting studio; she shares the space with her companion of almost thirty years, her turtle Sheldon. Spending time in Joan’s apartment was like watching her consciousness explode into a living space.
Name: Sarah Schmitz and Fred Gray Location: Berkeley, California Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; OwnedPlants make a house feel fresh. Just take a look at Sarah and Fred’s leafy Berkeley abode. The beautiful one-bedroom house came with the Christmasy poinsettia out front, but the rows of potted succulents and happy houseplants are the result of Sarah’s own green thumb.
Everyone has a bit of a different take on small space living: it’s all about purging your stuff. No, it’s all about organizing your stuff. Wait, it’s all about storing your stuff! But one thing is for sure: you know an amazing small space when you see it. Small spaces are king on Re-Nest. Yes, we love them for their lower energy and heating bills, and yes, we love them because they force us to edit, organize, and reduce our accumulation of stuff.
Name: Kyle Ewing Location: San Francisco, California Size: 1,330 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Owned We caught a sneak peak of Kyle’s apartment in her Before and After Kitchen Remodel, and now we’re back for the full tour! Entering this light-filled oasis in the middle of San Francisco, you’re transported from bustling city life to a soothing environment that’s warm, welcoming and feels more like a quaint country cottage than a city apartment.
Name: Kathryn Elkins and Anthony dal Forno Location: Brunswick, Melbourne, Australia Size: 1800 square feet Years lived in: 15+ years; owned Kathryn and Anthony find themselves in Brunswick, the heart of one of Melbourne’s most eclectic spots, spoilt for choice with delicious food, some of the world’s best coffee, and boutique shops. Fierce supporters of Australian artists and crafters, they’ve have amassed an enviable collection of art and design objects made locally.
Many times, if you petition to your landlord that these changes will allow them to lease out the apartment at a higher cost after you leave, they'll usually let you do it.
Name: Kristen Coates and Chris WyllieLocation: Newport, Rhode IslandSize: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; rentedKristen Coates loves to have a home full of guests. She and partner Chris Wyllie, both artists who divide their time between New York and Rhode Island, had entertaining in mind when they moved into their spacious third-floor apartment in the heart of Newport above their gallery Egg + Dart.
Name: Ashley Location: West Town; Chicago, IllinoisSize: 1,800 square feetYears lived in: 2 years; RentedAshley had quite a project on her hands. She had just finished her residency, and moved out of a three-bedroom apartment that was shared by a total of four roommates. With only a handful of furniture pieces in tow, she went searching for more space, and found a former embroidery factory that had been recently renovated in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood.
The holidays are over and 2018 is upon us, which means the nonstop parade of food, drinks, days off, and parties is in the past. You’re likely back home and back to work, but something isn’t right. You feel sad, tired, and uninspired—and you don’t know why. This experience is known as the post-holiday blues, and it’s a feeling that often crops up during the month of January. “Post-holiday blues is usually a malaise,” says Elaine Rodino, Ph.
You’re mid-dream when the alarm starts blaring on your bedside table. You slowly open your eyes and see two options: stop or snooze. A few stolen minutes in your warm bed sounds heavenly—and hitting snooze couldn’t hurt, right? But then the alarm goes off again—and again—and you realize you’re running late before the day has even officially started. Sound familiar? If it does, you’re not alone.
Even if you can cram 100 people into your tiny apartment for a party, it doesn’t mean you have room for 10 to sit down to dinner together. If you’re lacking seating, here’s a few ways to help your guests find a place to land!1. Folding Chairs: When extra seating is needed, folding chairs always seem to come to the rescue. They can be plain or they can be elaborate in design, but one thing is for sure, we appreciate their ability to tuck out of sight when not in use!
Tim Sheehan knew he was in for many years of hard work when he bought an abandoned New Orleans property six years ago. The grounds included a two-story 5,500 square-foot Greek Revival home and a ramshackle guest house, both in need of major renovations. The outdoor space started taking shape to become what it is today, a communal quad where Tim gathers regularly with friends, when he started using the yard as a staging ground for his many projects in 2012.
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. Each year, the breezy spring weather is a great reminder that home doesn’t have to end at your entryway.
Name: Rachel Andersen Type of Project: Backyard Patio Renovation Location: Tulsa, OK Type of building: Single-family Ranch 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. Rachel worked 3+ jobs all throughout high school and college, because she had a big dream: to buy a little place and make it into a home.
