This 1981 kitchen had some plumbing and cleanliness issues, in addition to the overall ’80s vibe that needed updating. Enjoy those turquoise countertops while you can because they are not long for this world. Reader Mike Groner shares some insight into the project: When I purchased the condo in December 2015 not much had been touched since the building was originally built in 1981. The cabinets were all contractor grade from that period.
My two biggest passions in life are probably design and word play, so give me something that combines the two and I’m practically in heaven—like with greige, that aptly named neutral color that’s the perfect combination of gray and beige. But in all seriousness, greige really has become so popular in recent years that it’s now on the unofficial list of colors you need to know.
When it comes to Color of the Year announcements, this isn’t our first rodeo; we’ve already written about a handful of 2019 COTYs and we still have some months left of 2018. But, we don’t often see too many WOTYs—Wallpaper of the Years, that is. With the decorative trend making a bold return in recent years, it’s only fitting to celebrate it, courtesy of British brand Graham & Brown.
Perfect Night In is a series where we ask actors, artists, entrepreneurs, and beyond how they’d spend the ultimate luxury—a blissful evening at home. If you’re a longtime fan of Grace Bonney’s lifestyle blog, Design*Sponge, you’re in good company. In fact, the author recently launched a print magazine and a podcast called just that: Good Company.
We’ve seen this kitchen a million times before: aggressively honey paneled cabinetry, dark mottled stone countertops, beige floor, and an above-window wooden flourish—plus a bonus ruffly ceiling fan. Will the cupboards be painted white?
This kitchen had a sweet little eat-in area, but its owners were less-than-thrilled with its aesthetic, so they replaced this intensely brown and beige dining spot with a jazzy breakfast nook. First, a little insight about the kitchen as a whole: My husband and I were excited about the size and footprint of our kitchen in our first home, but were less thrilled about the orange oak-y style. Orangey-oak is my style nemesis, so I can’t wait to see its opposite . . .
We’re finally in the last quarter of the year, which means the 2019 Color of the year announcements are streaming in more steadily than ever. The latest contender? Benjamin Moore. On October 10, the paint brand gathered design editors, interior designers and other industry folk at The Grill & The Pool at the Seagram Building in New York City (a bastion of mid-century modern design). After a few minutes of socializing and a welcome glass of champagne, it was time for the big announcement.
Take a look at any new bathroom, and you’ll notice some commonalities: sleek frameless doors rather than curtains or bulky sliding ones, bold statement mirrors in place of traditional medicine cabinets, and even a resurgence of cool colored tiles (think bright blue and emerald green!). But you know what they say: in with the new, out with the old. Just as these design elements fall into favor, others fall out of favor. So what will we see fade into distant memory?
“Bad Times at the El Royale” offers a good time for anyone who appreciates period design. The gripping mystery thriller, which Fox releases in theaters on Oct. 12, sees Jon Hamm, Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo and Dakota Johnson checking into the titular resort, a once-glorious has-been hotel that captures the glamour of the 1960s with the conceptual aesthetics of the American West. Such a combination is an optical indulgence for both the viewer and production designer Martin Whist.
When the new owner of this loft realized that completely renovating the kitchen would be quite expensive and not all that exciting, a “refresh” was undertaken instead—and three big changes made an enormous impact. First things first: The tiled countertops have been replaced. The new quartz countertops are a major upgrade, and I enjoy the fact that both horizontal surfaces are organic, forming a counterpoint to the sleek black cabinetry.
I just upgraded to a king-size bed, and sadly, I think my nightstands are going to have to go. This is New York City after all. It’s all about compromising. There just isn’t enough room for everything you want. All is good on the lighting front—I have a floor lamp that’ll suffice for reading in bed. But what about all the stuff I jam into that tiny nightstand drawer?
The hype is the well-deserved; Netflix’s summer smash rom-com ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ is sticky sweet, like cotton candy, perfect for when you’re in the mood for a burst of flavor—or color, as is the case for the design. Much like Lara Jean’s love life, her room is whimsical…and messy. A true romantic’s safe haven.
If you’re building or remodeling a home, or even just thinking about it, you’ve probably come across this particular conundrum: Do you pick laminate flooring, or go for real wood? Laminate, which consists of a layer of fiberboard with a photorealistic image of wood (or sometimes stone) applied on top, sometimes gets a bad rap for looking cheap or fake. But many modern laminates are actually quite realistic, and almost indistinguishable from wood.
Most people say the kitchen is the most important room in the home, but I would argue it’s the bathroom. Let’s be honest, some pretty important… business… goes on in there, and most people start and end their day in the shower or at the sink. When I started looking to buy an apartment last year, I couldn’t help but pay attention to the bathroom first.
It’s no secret that the Queen is a worldwide traveler. Ever since taking her rightful place on the throne, she has been jetting off to countries left and right to maintain good relations with the U.K. While the 92-year-old royal might not be crossing country lines as often as she used to, the years of experience have surely helped her gain a plethora of travel hacks and knowledge.
Spoilers ahead for season four and the season five premiere of “Black-ish.” With the Fall 2018 season underway, we are returning to some our favorite TV abodes, and getting invited inside a few new ones. Join us this month as we explore the best homes on the small screen. Show: “Black-ish”—ABC Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. Style: Set in the suburbs of Los Angeles, the Johnson home serves a heavy dose of contemporary finesse while playing it California cool.
As the weather starts getting brisker, there are few things better than getting home and jumping into your coziest night-in uniform—especially when it happens to be Harry Potter-inspired. Sure, it’s thoughtful to get the entire family in on the wicked apparel, but there’s something about treating yourself to a unique set (and perhaps a plush wrap) that sounds much more…relaxing.
No matter how large the structure, there’s something powerful about the architecture of a building that was once a church. And I think there’s nothing quite as lovely as saving an old building from being demolished by repurposing it as something else. And that’s just what these six structures have in common. Once houses of worship, they’re now homes. The home was originally an Anglican church.
Whether you’re a pet owner looking for some inspiration, a design enthusiast who loves a good transformation, someone stressed out by this photo who needs to know that this closet is nice and neat now, or simply a human who could really use some photos of two darling dogs, this is for you. I so appreciate the realness of this photo, as well as that of this paragraph: With five children we found our entryway coat closet in constant disarray.
A couple bought this house on the condition that they’d renovate the kitchen right away, but seven years later, the room was still mocking them, unrenovated. But now they finally have the kitchen they’ve been dreaming of all this time. This amazing renovation is intriguing: The new kitchen isn’t dramatically different from before, and yet it’s so different. Annie Meisel made smart, stylish changes that made a world of difference.
When bullet journaling blasted onto my radar a few years ago, it was because of all the Instagram-perfect Pinterest fodder from folks who were creating stunning works of art masquerading as calendars and trackers in their impeccable dot grid notebooks.
I’ve been living in small spaces for almost a decade so I have my fair share of tricks for dealing with the lack of room. And lately, I’ve been writing about small spaces a lot too, which requires asking different decorators for their ideas. I usually get annoyed when the pros all say the same thing.
Some of you are going to mourn the loss of these pink ’60s tiles, but after 18 years of living with multiple similarly-hued bathrooms, the owners of this home were ready for anything but pink. Reader Jennifer Anderson has kindly submitted this project—here’s some insight into what led to it: Our 1961 ranch only has two bathrooms, one of which was this sad pink nightmare.
Last month, I found myself yell-whispering at my iPad. I had flipped on HGTV and stumbled upon an episode of House Hunters during a flight to Ohio. The house hunting couple decided to move to Costa Rica because the husband saw a YouTube video about sloths. So naturally, he wanted to have a sloth as a neighbor along with an ocean view as they searched the market for their budget-friendly dream home.
This darling little houseboat brings to mind the Gorton’s fisherman, and perhaps the Belafonte from The Life Aquatic, but none of those associations will prepare one for the elegance—and shocking spaciousness—that lies within. How in the world does this much fabulousness fit into that little boat? If there’s one thing not generally associated with houseboats, it’s luxuriously open spaces.
Full bathroom remodels can run you tens of thousands of dollars. If that amount of money isn’t in your budget right now (or it makes you cringe to spend that much at any stage of the game), take inspiration from these light remodels, all of which cost under $3,000. These reasonable and affordable redos show it’s possible to get a brand-new-to-you bathroom without taking out a huge loan.
For its 40th birthday, this home received the ultimate gift: a completely new kitchen. With the renovation supervised by a toddler, this overhaul was completed in just a month and a half. Here’s a little backstory about the process: We bought this house six weeks before giving birth to our baby. We had really hoped to find a house before he was due and after searching for literally a year, we found this one.
Perfect Night In is a series where we ask actors, artists, entrepreneurs, and beyond how they’d spend the ultimate luxury—a blissful evening at home. What comes to mind when you think of Olivia Wilde? It might be her role as Dr. Remy “Thirteen” Hadley on the well-known series “House,” or her job as chief brand activist for natural skin care brand True Botanicals.
Multipurpose seems to be in IKEA’s DNA—the Swedish brand is always churning out collapsible, mobile, and transformable products with handy features. Design chameleons, as I like to call them. You think something’s a table, then all of a sudden, pull the pieces apart and you’ve got a storage basket and a tray. IKEA also seems to understand that small space living is on the rise, and this trend calls for items with dual functionality.
Spoilers ahead for season one of “Forever.” With the Fall 2018 season underway, we are returning to some our favorite TV abodes, and getting invited inside a few new ones. Join us this month as we explore the best homes on the small screen. Show: “Forever”—Season one streaming on Amazon Prime.
The influx of guests this time of year always kickstarts my home to-do list. Install curtain rods, update the showerhead, and oh yeah, finally dress that naked wall. Instead of spending time searching for that perfect piece of artwork, make one instead. Painting your own art not only saves money, but lets you coordinate colors throughout your home and truly make the space unique and yours. Plus, it’s a lot easier to hang one to three statement pieces versus a full-blown gallery wall.
It’s hard to imagine how we did things before Amazon, which brings us anything we need in a very short timeframe. But there’s more to the site than super speedy delivery. For several years now, I’ve been indulging in my champagne taste on a beer budget, thanks to Amazon Warehouse and third-party sellers. See that price right next to the item you must have? That doesn’t have to be the price you pay.
After Millie Donahue’s husband died from Alzheimer’s disease, her health began to decline. She was 80 years old and had congestive heart failure combined with failing kidneys. The doctors told family there was nothing more that could be done. They recommended Millie enter hospice care. Instead, her family took her in. “I brought her into my house for what I thought was the last three months of her life,” says daughter Meg Donahue, founder of MamaSezz.com.
Etsy is a fantastic resource for unique artwork, one-of-a-kind vintage pieces, and cross-stitch patterns. And tiny homes. You may be surprised, but the website for makers also hosts a small cottage industry of teeny micro homes and structures eager to support your next adventure. As with all tiny homes, know what you’re getting (and not getting) before you buy. Some of these are kits, which require assembly, and the purchase of additional finishes, to be livable.
This living room project ends in a fresh start—something we could all use at some point in our life. Here is a little backstory on this project from the designer who helped a man in mourning start anew: During our first consultation, the house was in extreme disrepair. My client, a recent widower, was left to clean up the pieces of his wife who was an extreme “collector.
In a studio apartment, every single inch is precious. And while having an upstairs bedroom in a studio is a luxurious division of living area, a stairway seems like a massive waste of space. But fortunately, the designer of this tiny but totally enviable home saw so much more. Maggie Crowley of Maggie Davis Style is responsible for this glorious studio, and everyone who lives or has lived in a studio apartment is probably currently wishing Maggie could have worked this magic on those too.
No matter how much one might love wood paneling and/or brown, this kitchen featured a little too much of both. Between the orangey brown, the above-sink scallop, and the avocado stove, this kitchen was a ’70s triple threat—but not for long. According to the owner, the kitchen was pretty indicative of the house as a whole: [The entire house] had boxed-in living spaces, dark paneled walls, and carpet or linoleum covering up gorgeous original hardwoods.
Books aren’t just the best things to have in your house—your collection can be as cool as you are. And with National Book Lovers Day (Nov 3) today, why not relook at these tomes as decor items, too? Not only does this make your apartment to look great, but it also gives you ample permission to buy as many books as you want!
If you’re thinking about throwing out those old Beanie Babies stuffed in the back of your childhood closet, stop right there. Turns out those plush toys might be your ticket to making an online fortune (if they’re in good condition, of course!). Despite the growing popularity of other e-commerce sites (read: Amazon), eBay has remained the go-to place to buy and sell rare goods, including Beanie Babies.
Perfect Night In is a series where we ask actors, artists, entrepreneurs, and beyond how they’d spend the ultimate luxury—a blissful evening at home. Since the “Sister, Sister” days, actress Tia Mowry has kept busy in both her professional and personal life. For one, Mowry has starred on her own TV series “Tia Mowry at Home” that has aired on the Cooking Channel since 2015.
What is it about succulents that makes them so addictive? Every time we go to Home Goods or Whole Foods, we wind up buying a new succulent, without having anywhere to put it. Our windowsills are lined with them, the coffee table has at least three, so does the dining room table, and don’t get us started on our dressers. Succulents are one of the cutest home trends out there. Did you know that besides coming in different shaped pots, there are actually different types of succulents?
“If you want to try something like painting your walls a zesty color—just go for it—it’s only paint,” advises blogger and DIY master Pati Robins. She’s been living in this rental home for 13 years, and as seen with these before photos, it’s had quite the transformation. “If you don’t like it you can always repaint it—and if you don’t try it, you will always wonder ‘what if?
This Paris pied-à-terre had been sitting unused for years. It was owned by Laurence Moinet-Saussereau’s father, who bought it in the 1980s for work and kept it even after he moved away from Paris. A few years ago, he donated it to Laurence and her sister, who had been dreaming of remodeling it and renting it out. Though we often focus on full-time homes to tour at Apartment Therapy, every now and then a rental space comes along that’s so delightful it deserves a deep look.
I’m constantly trying to predict what’s going to be the new “For Like Ever” poster. I’ve written about a potential typographic contender before, which I loved for its simplicity and reference to a Talking Heads song. And now I think I’ve figured out another heir apparent: Block Shop and their woodblock paper prints. This L.A.- and Jaipur-based studio’s stuff is everywhere, from house tours on AT to Instagram and Pinterest.
Want to hang out with Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman? Of course you do. But if you also have some serious crafting cred, you can hang with them and possibly win a big wooden check for $100,000 while you’re at it. Yes, NBC is officially casting “Making It” season 2, and here’s how you can apply. “Do you thrive on creating? Armed with a hot glue gun or a hammer, can you make just about anything?” the casting website reads.
There’s no knocking the convenience and cost effectiveness of the bed-in-a-box phenomenon—no days off from work for fussy white glove delivery (or tipping!), an Instagrammable unboxing experience and a price point that’s generally under a thousand dollars for a queen. They’re a great solution for tons of folks and probably have made the entire mattress market better by introducing more competition.
This was a pretty standard bathroom—nothing notably terrible, but definitely not to its new owners’ tastes. After just six weeks, there is an unrecognizably fabulous bathroom and a newly minted DIY renovation expert. Let’s here a bit about what this bathroom was really like: When we purchased our home last year, our master bathroom was one of the most unsightly rooms in the house.
A reader felt that this “dark, old, manly faux leather ottoman” didn’t suit their apartment’s bright, new, laid-back vibe. So all it took was a staple gun and a colorful blanket to give it a fun, sunny new look.
I’m not saying wall art is done with, or one-color painted walls are outdated. But from a spate of stunning recent house tours, it’s clear murals are a wall trend that deserves attention. The homes in this post are utterly one-of-a-kind, due in no small part to the fantastic wall murals seen within. And the best part: Painting a wall mural is affordable and totally DIY-able.
Quitting the nine-to-five grind, selling your belongings and hitting the dusty trail—we’ve all dreamt of it. One family of four took the leap and made their dream a reality, and they’re doing it in only 86 square feet. The Rosene family—husband and wife Travis and Lexi, along with their kids Finley and Zealand—are living full-time in a 2017 Mercedes Sprinter 3500 that they transformed into a home on wheels.
The Trader Joe’s hits just keep coming. I’ve written a lot about their fantastic seasonal pop-up items—most recently wheat stalks—which are my go-to favorite for lazy decorating on the fly, and on the cheap. Their latest offering is dried lavender, which you can find in bundles right inside the front door, and throw in your cart while you do the regular weekly grocery shopping. Buy these while they last at the store, because they’ll last forever at home.
Perfect Night In is a series where we ask actors, artists, entrepreneurs, and beyond how they’d spend the ultimate luxury—a blissful evening at home. If you were a fan of the original “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” then you should immediately recognize these two members of the OG Fab Five, Carson Kressley and Thom Filicia.
When Oriane and Chris Williams walked into this house they knew it was the house. But then Oriane made a list of everything they would want to update to make sure the 115-year-old house was really in the cards—and budget—for them. She budgeted everything from moving walls to door knobs on a spreadsheet and gave both a low- and high-end estimate of what she thought it would cost.
Recently we’ve been following the adventures of the Rosenes as the family of four hits the open road in their 2017 Mercedes Sprinter 3500. Husband and wife Travis and Lexi gave us the nitty gritty details on what it took to convert their van into a comfortable, livable 86-square-foot home for their brood.
We didn’t have any particular license to do a retrospective on 2018’s most joyful moments. But at the end of a pretty grim year, we felt like it. So we gave ourselves an excuse and decorated a whole bunch of miniature holiday trees in honor of them. Here are eight of the moments that made us pause, laugh, and connect. The result is a little weird, a little funny, and a little beautiful. Let us know what you think (and what you think we missed) in the comments below.
Lighting can totally make or break a room, and it can be easier to change out than you think, even in a rental. Take it from me—I’ve swapped out three fixtures in my space and brought in my own special bulbs for the recessed cans in my living room and the strip above my medicine cabinet. Don’t be that person that lets a crappy builder’s grade fixture bring down your otherwise awesome room. You can find something cool without spending a fortune, I promise.
The only thing better than a well-designed tiny home is one that’s dressed up in holiday decor. And thanks to the #tinyhousemovement—which advocates pared down living in small homes such as campers, Airstreams, and of course, tiny houses—sweeping social media, there’s no shortage of festively decorated mini-abodes to drool over on IG. Read ahead for seven tiny homes decked out in holiday decor we spotted on Instagram.
This blank empty space was the first thing this family saw when they walked in their home’s entryway, and not only was it underperforming in the looks department, it also just wasn’t as useful as it could be. Over the course of just one week, this space was transformed from a dead zone into a new household favorite. Before we get to the big reveal, here’s a look at the corner again, from head to toe. Not much to see here, other than some beige walls and a dog crate.
Maybe this little bathroom didn’t have spectacular style, but its real issue was a maddening one that many can relate to: “No matter how much I cleaned it was still dirty.” The window is so lovely, but all that daylight probably just helped to highlight the issues reader Amanda Walker was dealing with: When we bought the house the bathroom was dirty and dingy, no matter how hard I scrubbed it never looked clean.
There’s clutter that’s obviously clutter: junk mail in stacks on the counter, toys with missing or broken parts, duplicate kitchen tools that never get used. And then there are the things that seem important or that aren’t as easy to get rid of as, say, tossing in the recycling bin or loading in the car for a drop off at the donation center. These things sit in our homes and take up valuable space in our drawers and in our minds when we encounter them.
This kitchen had everything: tile countertops, plywood cabinetry, a built-in oven and microwave, square recessed lighting, and so much beige. In six short weeks, it went from dated to wonderfully now. After living with the original kitchen for two years, Studio Plumb was able to do a major upgrade, replacing the floors and countertops, painting the plywood cabinetry, replacing the appliances, painting the walls, and restructuring the fridge/microwave cubby and the island.
With just six weeks of work and $500, this bathroom was transformed from ’80s wonderland—complete with peach tiles, wallpapered outlet cover, tiny triangle sink, stained glass medicine cupboard, and robot curtains—into a bright, modern sanctuary. Thanks to The Handyman’s Daughter, this is like an entirely new bathroom, but in a fun twist, the blue from the old bathroom made it into the new.
Like most laundry/mudrooms in existence, this one was overwhelmed. Serving as a catchall space, it held “swim gear, laundry, and other junk… tons of shoes, the vacuum cleaner, and extra pantry items (since we don’t have a pantry).” That’s enough to overwhelm any space, but one intrepid DIYer spent six weeks turning this one into a lovely, multi-purpose room. While a cheerful pup improves any room by 1200 percent, some other major upgrades are at play as well.
What do you call a plant that’s low-maintenance, affordable, and available in a stunning array of sculptural shapes and showstopping colors? The perfect gift. Our houseplant policy is simple—greenery on every available surface, please—and air plants oblige beautifully. These airborne beauties (Tillandsia, technically) thrive in hanging terrariums, atop windowsills, on slabs of driftwood, and most anywhere in between.
This bedroom was described as “so sad… but there is so much potential,” and one intrepid DIYer brought out all that and so much more. The stars of the new bedroom are a stunning accent wall made from ordinary board and batten, and some seriously cool rustic wood sliding closet doors. This makeover was completed by Angela of Angela Rose Home, and though Angela refers to it as The Boy’s Room (it belongs to a son), it’s beautifully gender neutral.
‘Tis the season for holiday decorating! Year after year, I find myself wanting to spend a small fortune on mini trees, lights, and all things festive. But after the first year of going all out in my apartment, I had to pull back. Because there are only so many places you can add cheer to in 600-square-foot apartment, that is, without stumbling over faux reindeer or worse, blowing a fuse.
In just 56 square feet, one experienced DIYer needed to fit a shower, toilet, sink—and, ideally, some beauty. After just six weeks of hard after-work work, this little bathroom has reached its full potential. It’s difficult to take great establishing shots of small spaces, but luckily the owner of this petite bathroom is here to describe its issues in detail: Our bathroom wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good.
When Oriane and her husband Christopher moved into their large Chicago home, a lot of things needed updating (as these before photos prove). On a pretty tight budget, they ended up tackling many of the DIY projects of the remodel themselves. Everything from fresh paint to a new kitchen makes their condo beautiful. Though every room is lovely today, the formal dining room is one of the most impressive spaces.
