If the idea of constantly heating your water in a big tank sitting in your basement sounds mighty inefficient and wasteful to you, then a tankless water heater may be the right option for you. I’ve researched some of the advantages of a tankless water heater system, alongside some of the compromises that come with the compact, more energy efficient option. There are many advantages to going with a tankless water heater.
Invest in a simple mat cutter and the world of framing is at your fingertips. Cutting mats is easy, inexpensive, and takes your artwork to a new level. It looks custom, even if you buy a readymade frame from a store.What You Need:Materials:Mat boardArtwork Tools:Sharp straight blade, such a X-Acto knife or box cutterMat cutter, like this Logan 4000 Pull-Style CutterStraight edge rulerPencilProtective cutting surfaceStore bought frame Instructions:1. Make sure your cutting surface is clean.
As a former Waldorf class teacher, I’ve seen firsthand how unchecked screentime from films, tv and computer games can adversely affect young children as they grow, but I also believe in doing what I can as a parent to educate and turn a potential problem into an opportunity – and to meet the modern world carefully and at our own speed. I started this project four years ago, it’s been going really well. Here’s the latest update.
Niamh of Seek Design had a client with a wish to revamp her entire apartment on a budget. Follow me after the jump to see what she was able to whip up in her outdated kitchen…To cut costs, Niamh painted the kitchen backsplash and cabinets and just replaced handles and knobs. An upper cabinet was removed to give a small open shelving area. The biggest cost was new appliances (isn’t that always the case?) and the new tiled floor.
Name: Olivia Ellen (3)Location: Copenhagen, DenmarkRoom Size: 107 sq ft When your mother is a professional stylist you know you’re going to end up with an amazing room. Rikke Graff Juel designed this space for her daughter, Olivia Ellen, in much the same Scandinavian style as the rest of her home – white walls, plenty of vintage wood pieces combined with fresh modern colors and accessories.
Have you ever driven by a run-down, abandoned house and thought what a shame it is that such a lovely home is going to waste? This is the story of how one couple purchased an abandoned home and, with a lot of help from generous friends and neighbors, gave it a completely new lease on life. The couple in question are the parents of our lovely and talented video director, Rebecca Blumhagen.
You’ve no doubt heard Auto-Tune — it’s implemented in just about every pop song to both obvious and not-so-obvious effect. You may even be familiar with the term, thanks to performers like T-Pain who’ve made a career and an app out of it. But did you know that Auto-Tune was created by a research scientist who worked in the oil industry? We look at a brief history and also show you where you can download Auto-tune software to use on your home computer.
It’s 2012 and we’ve been around long enough to witness several stumps turned side tables, but you know what? We’re still not over it. This tutorial will leave you feeling confident in making your own stump side table while keeping the bark on, the shine high and the wood fully sealed.In many previous stump to side table tutorials I’ve seen, I’ve always been wondering about the presence of bugs, or bark falling off.
Mindfulness is being embraced everywhere these days, from the Kindergarten classroom to company retreats. What is mindfulness, exactly? Susan Smalley, Ph.D., and Diana Winston, co-authors of Fully Present, say that mindfulness is “an accepting and kind attitude toward yourself and your present moment experience.” One that will change your relationship to life. Sounds enticing, huh? Here are a few tips on how to integrate the practice of mindfulness into your home. 1.
Removing wallpaper is a massive job —many how-tos begin with “you can do this” and other encouraging words— but with the following steps, you really can do the job and do it well. Patience, persistence, time, and upper body strength are the major requirements, and a bucket, sponge, and scraper are really the only tools you really need. I’ll say it again: you can do this.
I know some of us at Apartment Therapy have strong views on painting wooden furniture, particularly (gasp!) painting it white, but sometimes it’s gotta be done. This bedside table belongs to my flatmate/landlord, left behind by some long-ago tenant. We both agreed that the knotty pine was an eyesore, and that for the benefit of future tenants, giving it a makeover with a lick of white paint was the best thing we could do.
Michele’s son had outgrown his room’s decor, and everyone was sick of the orange, purple and red color scheme. It took a couple of weeks to re-do it completely, using a lot of what they already owned, plus adding a few new things to the mix. The goal was to keep it affordable and simple.This room might win the award for the most handmade things in one space.
This couple wanted to create a space in their Upper West Side apartment dedicated to displaying and enjoying wines. While they didn’t have a lot of kitchen space, they did have this under-the-stairs closet, ripe for transformation.The homeowners were connected with Ecostruct, a Brooklyn-based design/build firm, through TheSweeten, a service that aims to connect New Yorkers with design professionals for renovations of all kinds.
Benita Larsson has done it again. Her simple yet brilliant projects never cease to amaze the craft-loving community. This time, her gorgeous update to a set of clear, glass plates she picked up at a thrift store is the perfect inspiration for decking out your holiday party on a budget.Some basic craft paint and a few minutes (plus drying time) is all she needed to transform these mundane dishes into beautiful dessert plates.
Mekenzie was dreaming of the Restoration Hardware Versailles chair for her basement but at almost $2400 it was out of her price range. Like a true DIYer, Mekenzie decided to mock up her own version of the chair using this tiki chair as a base…The first step in Mekenzie’s makeover was applying a custom blended gray paint over the chair’s original finish.
One rainy weekend Lora Neveu decided to build a charming little dream escape in a window nook in her daughter’s room that had remained empty and unused. Follow me after the jump to see what she came up with.Two days and $165 later, Lora had created a wonderful and cozy space that doubles as a play/nap and storage area. She built a simple box and divider out of plywood and brackets, painted, added cushions, lanterns, and drapes, and then she was done.
The IKEA MALM is amongst the most popular of the Swedish retailer’s line of home furnishings, ubiquitous for the series’ simple lines and wallet-friendly price. In other words, perfect for anyone with a little ingenuity, wood-working tools, and plans for a DIY transformation. Can you guess what this common IKEA chest of drawers was converted into?
What do you do when you’re living in a small studio apartment, but don’t want people to be able to see your bed immediately upon walking in the door? Apartment Therapy reader Christina was faced with this particular dilemma when designing her friend Ann’s apartment and decided to get creative.
With entertaining season upon us, what’s a more fitting project than a versatile little bar cart? A sturdy — but rather ugly — thrift store find, this little microwave cart gets to live on with an (arguably more fun) second life.The writer at She’s No Martha had a hankering for a sleek little cocktail station, and she dressed up her $20 find with some white paint and some handles on the sides.
Jennifer picked up these chairs last year when she began planning for a dining room makeover. She knew she wanted two armchairs to anchor her dining room set, but wasn’t 100% certain how to finish them. As her vision for the space evolved, so too did her vision for these wonderful chairs.Jennifer stripped the chairs down to the wood frames then spray painted them with Rustoleum Metallic Gold with a top coat of spray poly.
Name (Age): Hayden (12 weeks)Location: Seal Beach, CaliforniaRoom Size: 15′ x 11′ One wouldn’t generally think a room with white walls, furniture, and bedding could ever be called colorful, but add a few pops of neon here and there and what was once a monochromatic space suddenly leaves a very colorful impression. That’s exactly what Andrea decided to do in her littlest one’s nursery.
This NYC apartment kitchen got the job done. But there were a few things about it that irked — the L-shaped layout blocked part of the window, and there wasn’t a lot of storage space. The appliances were outdated, and the laminate cabinets had seen better days. Plus, the whole room just felt, well… little. What to do?Can you believe it’s the same room? Architect Nalina Moses removed the sink cabinet that was blocking access to the lower part of the window.
The makeover of this Brooklyn living room wasn’t just for aesthetic reasons; the homeowners needed more organized, out-of-sight storage, and a space that was kid and cat friendly. They also wanted to incorporate a small piano, and be able to watch TV without the television being the focal point of the room. To do this, they turned to New York design firm Mercer Interior. Check out the results after the jump.
Child: Malcolm (4)Location: Oakville, OntarioRoom size: 10′ x 12′ Canadian designer, painter, and blogger Christine Dovey is constantly on a quest for the perfect score for her nearly perfect home. Yet she keeps perfection just out of reach, because what will she do when she’s done? Oh, perhaps she will take care of her three (soon to be four!) children. There’s that, too.
In a small space, just a few changes can make a big difference. The owner of this Brooklyn Heights studio knew she wanted to update her kitchen (and add a dishwasher!), so she turned to designer Sarah Zames, owner of Brooklyn design firm General Assembly. Under Sarah’s guidance, a few small updates came together to make a big impact. Check out the finished product…Ta-da!
Handmade holiday gifts are almost always more meaningful, and the best part is that you can tailor your gifts perfectly to the recipient. Rebecca from Simple as That created a special Christmas gift for her two girls by turning this plain bookcase into a dollhouse.Rebecca notes: We took an ordinary bookshelf and converted it into a dollhouse which can just as easily be used as a bookshelf for an older child.
You may have seen the kitchen in this West Village apartment, which got a modern update courtesy of designer Carly Yates. One of the apartment’s bathrooms also got a much-needed facelift. Check out the transformation after the jump.This bathroom renovation is all about the details. Lots of clever choices keep the room spacious, modern, and very functional. From Carly: The large and light feeling of the bathroom was achieved by wall mounted fixtures that allow the tile to flow underneath.
The day before Thanksgiving I slipped on my front steps and broke my foot. Suddenly, life became a lot more challenging. Hopefully you’ll never break anything, but if you happen to come home from that holiday skiing trip with a souvenir, here are some of the things I’ve learned that will make your life a lot easier.Roll Up The Rugs: Rugs, especially those without a rug pad under them, can slow down a wheelchair or slip under a crutch. Roll them up or remove them.
When Sarah and her husband first spotted this cabin it was in need of a major facelift. They fell in love with the structure and the land and only saw the potential this little beach gem had to offer. Follow me after the jump to see their vision come to life…Living full-time in a very colorful LA home, Sarah wanted their cabin getaway to be bright, white and fairly spartan. She and her hubs gutted the entire cabin and did all the work themselves.
Paint color is all about creating an ambience for your home. That’s why it’s important to select paint colors based on how you want a room to feel instead of mindlessly adhering to trends. To prove our point, we called on color expert extraordinaire Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of Colors For Your Every Mood, to help us break down the best paint colors for every room of your home.
When it comes to making a closet as efficient as possible, the right shelving can make all the difference. The Container Store’s Elfa Shelving is a well-known system but Home Depot, Lowe’s and IKEA all offer similar options. On a recent Sunday afternoon I visited all four stores to shop for closet systems so I could compare the shopping experiences. THE CONTAINER STORE Overall Shopping Experience: I’ll admit from the start that I’m a bit crowd averse.
When we first moved into our 1919 Craftsman one of the first things I had my mind set on fixing was the kitchen. I decided to begin with the outdated breakfast nook (oh and btw, the ‘before’ image is the styling from the realtor at the open house). Follow me after the jump to see where it ended up…First things first — the red paint was actually lead paint from way back when painted over layers and layers of warped wallpaper.
I was at Target the other day, and standing in front of me in line was a gentleman buying a plunger. That’s it. A plunger. While I really should have been feeling bad for him, because after all, the poor guy was out on a plunger run, I found myself staring at him in wonder, dazzled by his ability to get out of Target with only one darn thing.
In spring of 2013, I decided to bust out and build a tree house for my daughter Ursula, which I’d never done before. I remember having one as a kid and loving it. I wanted one that I could build in a day, wouldn’t be too high up so as to worry me or other parents, and which was SIMPLE in design to maximize playtime and allow for adding on later. It’s light, open and can go up and down easily.
Uh-oh. Has that baby of mine really worked out how to get in the refrigerator? Already? And the cabinets? Time to baby proof our rental. But how, when there is so little we can change? Here are a few of the challenges we renters face when baby-proofing, and the simple steps we can take to overcome them. If you can, start at the very beginning. When looking at a property, speak to the landlord about any safety concerns you have about the space.
A sad, old crib sat at a thrift store — not useful as a baby bed for safety reasons, this piece seemed destined for the scrap pile! Until Cristin came along, that is… she saw some untapped potential in its pretty spindles and simple shape, and came up with a clever way to breathe new life into an old piece.She found some cabinet doors in a garbage pile that were the perfect size for shelves, and removed a few brackets and braces from the crib to help reinforce the new legs.
Name: DylanLocation: Greenbrae, CARoom Size: 10′ x 12′ What to do when the baby you expect to be a girl turns out to be a bouncing baby boy? Call an expert to help you rethink your nursery plans. That’s exactly what happened to this family when they were expecting baby Dylan. The couple had already started decorating the nursery with a backdrop of delicate dragonflies when they found out that the baby they were eagerly anticipating was actually a little boy.
Rachel of VanHook & Co. is sharing a project that features paint in an unexpected way: refinishing a worn out wooden floor in her kids’ room.A painted floor may not be a DIY for the faint of heart, but the floor in Rachel’s kids’ room turned out beautifully. After experimenting with paint on their hallway floors, Rachel and her husband decided to apply a distressed version to their children’s room.
If you live in an older home, you’re familiar with Adrienne’s struggle with storage — namely, that there isn’t any! Her 1930’s home is lacking in the closet department, so it was up to her to come up with some creative storage solutions for her four-year-old’s room.She found this old slightly warped and musty armoire at an antique store, and for less than $100 (including the armoire!) she created this fun, playful piece.
This chair has been in Stephanie’s family for generations — she was rocked to sleep in it as a baby, and so was her granddad! She wanted to keep it around as a treasured piece of family history, but she also wanted to give it a little update — the result? A lovely chair with a fabulous new look, ready to rock the next generation… Stephanie’s new baby!
When Jane and her husband bought their new house, they were less than thrilled with the outdated and sad bedroom that would be their son’s nursery. The wallpaper was old, the walls were in bad shape and, to cap it off, there was a very, very skeevy bed that lived in there. Eight months pregnant, Jane got to the tedious work of stripping the wallpaper, repairing walls and then building the room back up from scratch.Today, the nursery is a far cry from its humble beginnings.
This relatively plain bathroom got a major face lift with something that looks as good as wallpaper, but is actually impeccably painted, DIYed stencil handiwork. While that has a huge impact on the space, there are a few other east improvements that A Pumpkin and a Princess implemented that helped transform the room — can you spot them?Crystal from A Pumpkin and a Priness set out to makeover her guest bathroom, all on her own.
This little Ikea bed frame is cute and very economical, but it lacked a certain joie de vivre. With some MDF, batting, stylish fabric, and lots of clever planning, this little frame went from dull to delightful!Lisa from All Things Campbell had a design in mind when it was time to move her daughter to a toddler bed… she carefully sketched out her idea, and was able to complete the project in under two days.
Charlotte Turtle and her husband didn’t have a master bath in their home and wanted to find a way to remedy the situation. They did, however, have a large laundry room attached to their bedroom that they thought just might do the trick. Follow me after the jump to see what they came up with…They began this renovation with planking the walls, leaving one wall with exposed brick. For Charlotte, the design element key to making this rustic bathroom a success was the sink basins.
Cybele and her husband transformed their very old, gross garden shed into a playhouse that their daughter uses every day. The inside is about 8′ x 10′, and the exterior wrap-around porch adds even more room for tea parties during warmer months. I mean, how many kids have their own wrap-around porch? The answer is not many.The adults did the fix-up work while their daughter napped.
In late 2011, I looked at my living room wall and decided I need to refresh it. So I decided to do a small project by taking photos of the flora that surrounds my home since I am living near one of Singapore’s best Nature Reserves, The Bukit Timah Hill. I have been running on the forest trail for quite a while, enjoying the peace in contrast to the hectic city life. With inspiration of 18th century botanical illustration, I decided to do a modern interpretation.
By the time we were completing construction on our kitchen, I was nine months pregnant. Nothing will motivate a contractor to wrap things up faster than his client going into labor before his eyes. I waved away an offer to be driven to the hospital and said between deep breathes, “I just need it done!
From Lilly: When we were shopping for our home and walked through what is now our kitchen, I was really taken aback by the dark and cheap looking laminate counters and back splash. However, I thought the ceramic tile floors and off-white cabinets could be a great base for an update.
Jolene kept some old nail boxes in her garage for some time, waiting for a way to repurpose them into something useful. Can you guess what she made for her kids? Click to see what she and her husband did with one crate in an hour’s time, with a few tools and additional supplies. I’ll give you a hint: it involves eyebolts.Jolene cut some holes for legs and her husband secured the rope before hanging it from a tree in their front yard.
It’s easy to walk into a rental and see only the bad parts — poor lighting, bad flooring, old paint, etc. Forced to move, Victoria of SF Girl by Bay has made the best out of what initially seemed like a less than ideal new home.
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) (Image credit: Anna Robinson) (Image credit: Apartment Therapy) (Image credit: Apartment Therapy) (Image credit: Apartment Therapy) (Image credit: Apartment Therapy) (Image credit: Apartment Therapy) (Image credit: Apartment Therapy) (Image credit: Apartment Therapy) (Image credit: Apartment Therapy)We love the cool loft space and the laidback vibe of the renovation, plus those antler sconces are so chic.
This was a transformation from a minimally heated, dark, unlivable attic-like space to a bright, modern master suite. The main features include the headboard wall with wall hung sinks on the back side, gas stove, library, skylight, built in bench seat, walk-in closet, and the spacious bathroom. One of the primary design goals was to keep the space wide open while still offering subtle boundaries and separations between functions.
From Megan: Our whole house was a mess when we bought it. Nothing had ever been updated properly. The bathroom was our first major interior project and not being very handy, we hired someone to do it for us. It was completely gutted because there were rotten joists in the floor and there wasn’t anything salvageable in the room. It also had a very cramped feeling, so we changed the layout at the suggestion of our contractor.
The ubiquitous pallet — just when you think you’ve seen every pallet project under the sun, one comes along and surprises you! This clever little toddler sofa is the perfect height for playing, reading, or resting — and it’s super cute, to boot!Griffin Carrick says this about her pallet sofa project: I stumbled upon some abandoned wood pallets (once used to transport sod) in my neighborhood and jumped on the pallet bandwagon.
How do you add some personality to a plain Jane chair? If you’re like Ainhoa and can’t sew, try painting a pattern on it! The after has us practically buzzing:From Ainhoa: My aunt gave us an old accent chair she no longer had room for. My initial idea was to make a new cover out of a fun patterned fabric. The problem? I don’t really know how to sew, so I’d either have to learn, or ask someone for help. My next idea was to dye it.
This bathroom isn’t terribly awful — but it isn’t terribly interesting, either. Come see what some new lighting, a framed-out mirror, and some board and batten walls can do for a rather ho-hum bathroom.Jenny from Project Maddox was determined to tackle her kids’ bathroom and make it just a little less “just moved in” and give it a more custom look.
Brooke, from the home décor blog Inside-Out Design, started with this run-of-the-mill old coffee table, and with some ingenuity and a lot of handiwork, she and her husband transformed it into a one-of-a-kind hand-tufted ottoman.Brooke used West Elm’s Ikat Print by the Yard fabric as inspiration for completely transforming the coffee table.
There are so many good IKEA Rast hacks out there that it can be hard to finally choose one. I’ve spent five years with a plain, unpainted set as a pair of bedside tables because I just couldn’t make up my mind about what to do with them. Should I age them? Add campaign hardware? Paint them to look like Transformers (my husband’s suggestion)? I never did make up my mind.
Collecting chairs is a little bit of a guilty pleasure for me. I could spend whole weekends searching for them in flea markets and antique stores, or trolling the internet for rare ones. I’m that girl who will get giddy more giddy over a chair in someone’s home than over their shoe collection, and I have the Pinterest board to prove it! Thanks to a lucky Craigslist find, I scored this antique armless chair that was made in Italy over 60 years ago.
Steve Martino is arguably one of the most exciting (IMO) landscape designers currently working. Even though he works in a climate that’s nearly the polar opposite of mine (Arizona — and I am in New England), he is on my shortlist of colleagues that I study for inspiration and ideas. This project makes me want to pick up and move southwest — to a deserted grocery store.
When expecting her first child, Susannah did what many folks do in preparation: convert the extra guest room to a nursery. She clearly enjoyed the process, gathering everything she’d need for her first born from sources from Target to Etsy to Craigslist. You want to see how it turned out? You know what to do…Susannah did a great job mixing fun and colorful patterns. The spot above the changing table is ready and waiting for a photo of her soon-to-be-born baby boy.
After scoring these sweet cane back chairs from a Craigslist seller, Maria wondered what to do with them. Well, inspiration struck, and she shared her chic transformation with us.I’m a sucker for a DwellStudio fabric, so I must applaud Maria’s good taste (and cute styling)!From Maria: Way back in June, I found two great cane back chairs on Craigslist for a great price. The seller was so anxious to get them out of his basement that he even delivered them right to my door.
This tutorial is inexpensive, easy, and best of all: low-risk. I was in need of some art for our bathroom, and it needed to be rather large and until I can afford what I’ve really got my heart set on — rather cheap.I decided to take a poster that I liked (picked up at a craft store for around $10) and skip the large expensive frame. Instead, I made it look like a wrapped canvas, using a cheap old thrift store canvas I had lying around.
I love it when kids’ rooms look like, well… a room fit for a kid! This is a great example of a clean, organized, yet creative space for a little one to flourish.Kara Rosenlund designed this room to be a cheerful, relaxed space perfect for a growing little boy. From the dramatic floor-to-ceiling chalkboard walls, to the sunny ceiling fan, to the “grass” rug on the floor, there’s no risk of mistaking this room for a serious grownup space.
Planting season is upon us, so let me tell you a little story of how this garden came to be. When we bought a house last year, I failed to inquire about the summer weather, thinking it would be just as warm and clear as it was on our open house day. NOPE. Instead, I encountered summers full of chilly fog and harsh winds, much to the dismay of my aspiring green thumb.
Not only does this IKEA Hacker project by Huib von Essen reuse and refresh three discontinued IKEA BOALT CD racks, but the solution even incorporates 15 clear empty CD cases as transparent shelves for displaying small items (on a related note, CD racks installed horizontally also work great as toy shelving/display) …and you know you’ve got at least a few of those empty cases laying around somewhere.
With the season of flea markets and antique fairs now upon us, I’m prepping for the summer influx of secondhand furniture finds and putting together the ultimate used furniture cleaning kit. With most of these household items already in your kitchen, you’ll be ready to get any grimy piece sparkling in no time. Baking soda. Mixed with water, baking soda forms a paste that polishes silver, lifts coffee and tea stains from ceramic and porcelain, and removes mildew and grime.
For her twin girls, Abbie created a nursery that had — wait for it — not a lick of pink, and an amazing focal point. Take a look at how how she anchored the room, after the jump! See lots of other photos of the finished room, along with all her projects, on Abby’s blog, Five Days Five Ways Thanks for sharing Abbie!
I have been eating my way through crates of winter citrus, and recently decided to use some of the peels to make a homemade cleaner. I added orange peels to vinegar, and let them sit in an airtight container for a couple of weeks. The result: a powerful, inexpensive, natural cleaner.
I recently came across this design project that Michelle Morelan, designer and renderer extraordinaire, did for a couple in Toronto.The clients had some general ideas of what they wanted to accomplish with the project, and Michelle created a plan to help them achieve their goals. The major objectives were to expand the space, replace all of the finishes, and to update the corner fireplace.
When Kyle moved into her San Francisco home two years ago, she knew that remodeling her kitchen was a priority. She loves to host dinner parties and the layout of her kitchen was not conducive to entertaining. Opening the room to create a welcoming space for friends to eat, drink and interact was a must.Kyle turned to pinterest for design inspiration. Ready to ditch the yellow and blue color combo of her old space, she fell in love with the fresh, clean aesthetic found in shades of whites.
