Apartment Therapy Cure Stories

The first two steps in our series working toward color confidence involved zeroing in on the colors you love. If your results from those exercises pointed toward a more neutral palette, you probably already know that what sounds simple (neutrals!) when it comes to color isn’t always that straightforward in practice. As much as we sometimes aspire to simplify our spaces, sometimes minimalism seems out of reach; restraint is hard to pull off.

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to, one step at a time, raise up our collective color confidence. Color is many things; an interesting amalgam of science, culture, design, self expression and emotion. It’s also very powerful. So, it’s worth spending a little time to really examine color, get to know about it and about ourselves and then, apply that knowledge, skillfully, to our decorating projects for amazing results.

You made it! (Or, at least, are hopefully on your way – that’s ok too!) Three cheers to you for putting time, effort and creativity into your home – it’s absolutely always worth it. Design and decor are meant to be evolving, so there will inevitably be changes to make and more to do, but it’s important to appreciate the things you accomplished this month, regardless of what other plans you have on the horizon.

There is a concept in fashion that suggests that, when getting dressed, you accessorize and then remove one thing for a more streamlined, sophisticated look.

A big round of applause to everyone on making it to the last leg of the Style Cure, with an shout of “congrats!” if you tackled the big paint job this past weekend. I know its tempting to zoom to the finish line and completely set your room up at this point, but if you can keep your foot on the brakes for just a bit, today can be an interesting day – let’s focus on getting the furniture placement done right.

You’ve been focusing on your project and the overall visuals of your room: the colors, textures and patterns. Today is a chance to take a bit of a breather and think about the physical space and your layout. A little work goes a long way here and you may be able to improve the flow of your room with just a few small shifts. Let’s dig in on one of Maxwell’s lessons… Maxwell writes, “Energy can flow in one of three ways: quickly, slowly or not at all.

So we’re all-in with the kitchen update, and I’m excited to say that I think we’re almost there! I didn’t know if it was going to be doable with two little ones underfoot, but thanks to a lot of help from both sets of grandparents in both the babysitting and manpower departments, I think we may just finish on time.

After what I hope was a successful shopping weekend, I’m guessing you may have already dug in on your projects. If so, think of today as a chance to make a little more headway. If not, GET STARTED! With supplies and info in hand, today is the time to really dig in and start making some progress toward your goals. While spending a longer stretch of time is always preferable, even if you can only spare 30 minutes today, do it. Putting your mind to it is half the battle!

Today is an important day for the rest of your Cure. It’s time to sit down and make note of what you need to get the job done, which means that those of you who put some time in on the research assignment yesterday should be able to conquer this step handily. If you still need to research your project or product, no worries, just roll that into today’s “homework”.

Welcome back to our kitchen update, phase ten gazillion. My husband is currently en route to pick up our butcher block counters, while I’m at home trying to decide on paint color choices for our lower cabinets. We love the two-tone look, so we’re not going with the same color (white) as the upper cabinets. Even though our appliances are white, we’re hoping a slightly deeper tone will add more visual interest and character to the space.

Alright, this is it: your room transformation is about to REALLY begin. The time has come for the weekend cleanup and clearout. (I know, sorry! But, just as I’m sure you knew it was coming up, you also know you’ll feel GREAT when it’s off your list.) Taking some time this weekend to do a really good, thorough decluttering and cleaning of whichever room your are curing can be a big job, but it’s absolutely a key moment in the Cure journey. You can do this!

There won’t be much moving or rearranging happening in our kitchen this year. We’re updating on a tight budget, so we’re not replacing the cabinets or splurging on new appliances. We’ll be painting the lower cabinets (we painted the uppers white during last year’s Style Cure), switching out the dated laminate countertops for butcher block, adding a wood plank backsplash, and installing an inexpensive apron-front farmhouse style sink from good ol’ IKEA.

Today’s assignment is a quick one. Five minutes of reading and you’re done, but the color concepts you’ll learn will start you thinking in the right direction when it comes to color for your room. It’s time to gain some confidence for your upcoming design choices – you can do this AND you’ll do it well – but it’s important to feel prepared.

We’ve spend the first two assignments of the Style Cure thinking about, discovering and gathering images of things we like in general, but today, we’re about to get much more specific. It’s time to commit! Go for it and decide exactly which room you are going to “cure” this month and start the makeover…in your mind.

Ok, so now that you’ve got a clean room (good job!) and a stack of paint chips, today’s assignment should be a breeze. (And if you didn’t clean yet, don’t worry or get discouraged – just set a timer for an hour and get some done today – you’ll catch up!) The time has come to think about what will help make your room look and feel more complete and comfortable.

The concept of creating a “landing strip” in my apartment to sort through the clutter of the day and attempt to filter through things as they come in is one that appeals to me. However, my petite abode lacks any sort of entryway, with the door instead opening straight into the main living area.