Retail Therapy

Some things are just better as a pair, an infamous duo of sorts, whether it be person or thing: Tom and Jerry, peanut butter and jelly, door and knob, and to drive this article’s point home, end table and sofa. The yin to each other’s yangs, the end table and sofa are a complementary furnishing that go hand and hand in any home. Lucky for you, if you’re in search of the perfect mate to your sofa (or bed!

Halloween is just three weeks away ::insert excited cheers here::, which means it’s time to string up your zombie-eyed crow garland, scatter those pumpkins and get your spook on. If you need a little guidance on where to turn to buy some really great decor (because who doesn’t need a crow-footed candy bowl?), we rounded up five of our favorite shops for All Hallows’ Eve here.

Target’s latest collaboration looks like it’s straight from a magazine—because it is. Modern by Dwell Magazine is a 120-piece collection, launching late December. This collection is more minimal and modern than Target’s usual partnerships; they conducted a survey where more than half of respondents expressed a strong interest in integrating modern design into their homes, according to Co.Design.

A few twists of the wrist, and these gorgeous finials will be adorning curtain rods, lamps, bed posts and furniture. Adding a decorative finial is the quickest fix we know for rooms that lack character—and the chic, totally un-fussy options on the market today mean they amp up any decor style. Consider this the cherry on top of a well-designed room.

Mirrors do so much with so little: a flat plane of glass increases light, adds the illusion of more space, and provides intriguing reflections and perspectives. And that’s just a plain mirror—add flowers, wires, starbursts, and lights, and you’ve got something really special. The only problem is, these room heavy hitters can pack both a decorative and budget punch, so to ease the search for a wallet-friendly find, we picked our 10 favorites under $100.

Not everything in Jessica and Ryan’s home is from a thrift store, but a large bulk of the furniture and decor is. Their style looks anything but second-hand, however. Not surprising considering Jessica Cook is a vintage seller with her Etsy shop Houseworking. I asked her to share her best thrifting tips, second-hand secrets and hand-me-down hints. You’ll be a thrifting expert in no time! Thrift stores are where I do the bulk of my vintage hunting.

Nothing beats the real deal, but when your wallet hasn’t quite caught up to your great taste, there are ways to get the look without going ridiculously over budget. Lookalikes abound, but not everyone is in the “ok with it” camp. For those who are, we offer up the following scenario: The second you win the lotto, you’ll be on board to pony up for the originals, but until that day comes, we might find you lounging on these knock-offs of classic beauties.

There are lots of reasons why you might have a too-big or too-bulky piece of furniture in your home. Perhaps it’s an inherited piece you can’t part with. Maybe you need a large piece of furniture for storage. Whatever the case, you don’t have to live with a heavy piece of furniture visually weighing down a room.

The living room of an eclectic collector is like a treasure trove. Quirky accents mingle with modern seating and a classic Warren Platner coffee table, while throw pillows of all prints and textures play nice on a vintage sofa. The telltale sign of this look is that you can’t quite put your finger on the style of the room, and that’s what makes it so special. 1. Indigo 3 Light Drum Chandelier, $318.64 from Wayfair 2. Infant Ikat Robe VI from Uzbekistan in Lucite Frame, $895 from St.

Looking to save some dollars? It’s currently West Elm’s Friends + Family event and everything is 20% off, including markdowns. We scoured the site and here’s what we’re loving, especially at a serious discount. The Esme sofa is a new addition, and we’re loving its rounded, tailored look to add style to a small space. The diamond rug is one of our favorites from the Commune collaboration.

Coco Chanel famously said that “a girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” The classic glam bedroom is both and since your sleeping quarters should be your palace, it only seems fit that you appoint it like it is. To fashion a fashionista-approved boudoir, don’t be afraid to mix metals (yes, brass and chrome can play nice together) get wild with prints and invite in some moody art. 1. Trophy by Ashley Woodson Bailey, priced from $123.58 from Citizen Atelier 2.

Nobody likes a sad, empty sofa. A cushion or two (or five!) is always welcome for snuggling into, and the aesthetic boost your room gets from the extra textures and patterns is the icing on the cake. While there are many different ways to create an eye-pleasing cushion arrangement (and with practice, you can knock ’em all out of the park), here are a few simple tips that I use regularly when styling my clients’ homes.

It may be hard to switch gears from summer while your tan is still fierce, but there’s a good chance that fall is actually right around the corner (after all, first comes back-to-school commercials, then comes sweaters). It’s totally ok, because autumn is that sweet spot between summer and winter where the sun still shines, yet it’s chilly enough for plenty of sweat-free cuddling.

With an emphasis on neutral colors and natural materials, the warm industrial bathroom feels sophisticated. To make sure the space is more cozy than cold, choose warm gray tones, add some rough-hewn wood accents, and mix in personal touches, such as art. Finish the room with one—or all 12!—of the hand-picked accessories that follow. 1. Pipework Toilet Paper Holder, $78 from Anthropologie 2. Gray Cement Bath Set, priced from $15 from Zara Home 3.

Part of the undeniable charm of warm industrial style is that it seamlessly blends modern and vintage finds—and pieces that are both shiny and a little rough around the edges can feel equally at home. To get the look in your living room, play around with a range of textures, but unify the space with a mostly neutral color palette. We’ve already done the hard part for you and scoured the web for the best industrial-inspired finds—all you need to do is click “Shop.

Antique and vintage rugs were once reserved just for your grandmother’s house, but the look is one that has gained tremendous steam in the design world. Floorcoverings from past decades (or centuries) really add character and warmth to even the starkest of modern rooms, though it’s not uncommon for it to be the most expensive item in a space.

I don’t know about you, but when I try to incorporate multiple motifs into a room willy-nilly, things can quickly get a little out of control and the space ultimately lacks cohesion. When it comes to the delicate dance of mixing and matching (or deliberately mismatching) patterns, it’s best to take cues from the pros. As your print-mixing guides, we’ve put together four high and lows inspired by rooms with perfectly blended patterns. First up: the living room.

Did you know that sectionals are the most popular shape of sofa purchased in the USA? Why? Because it’s the ultimate one piece problem solver for any size room, little to big. We made the snappy super cute video above to show you exactly how to do it in a room from 100 to 200 to 300 square feet… starring my new Maxwell Sectional (kudos to Arlyn for helping to script this so beautifully).

A new sofa is a major investment, often involving months of IRL and virtual window shopping, mulling, second guessing, and more mulling. I checked in with a few interior designers (i.e. professional sofa buyers) to ask for their expert advice on what you should consider before starting the sofa-buying process and how to make the task more straightforward. Consider this your ask-yourself-this-first checklist.

Looking to up the drama in your interiors? A go-to for daring designers and decorators, black paint provides an instant jolt and dose of some serious sophistication. And even if you’re not ready to go full-volume with ebony walls, architectural accents like window sills and moldings (and don’t forget furnishings!) can benefit from the deep hue to add intrigue to just about any room.

Blame it on the Scandinavian fascination in the design world, maybe, but white walls have never been more in demand. Peruse your Pinterest boards, and chances are, a great majority of the rooms you’ve pinned have white walls. With so many slight variations in the delicate color, it can be nearly impossible to settle on the right shade, but fear not; we’ve taken the guess work out of the whole process for you. Here are 12 designer-favorite, no-fail white paint colors.

Talk about texture! What the black, white and shades-of-gray SVARTAN collection—coming to IKEA stores this September—lacks in color, it more than makes up for in pattern and texture. Though masterful designer Martin Bergström calls Sweden home, the SVARTAN collection has roots in India (a trip to the South Asian subcontinent spurred inspiration for the line) and was dreamed up in collaboration with 25 students from the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi.

Black-and-white floors, whether kitchen linoleum or handmade bathroom tiles, are totally timeless, classic yet bold, and completely irresistible to me. But if you don’t have the time, money, or authority to redo all your floors, you can get the look with any one of these affordable and completely fantastic black-and-white rugs under $200. I’ve seen this rug—or one of a similar pattern—in so many House Tours, and it always looks fabulous.

This week, Best Buy turns 50 (and gives you the presents), Soma launches a water bottle, Casper goes to the dogs, and more. On Sunday August 22, Best Buy celebrates their 50th anniversary, and they’re having a sale to celebrate. The 50-hour event started Thursday night at 10 pm CT and continues until Saturday August 21 at 11:59 pm CT. Here are our picks for the best deals: Beats studio wireless headphones, $180 off: $199.

In the typical dorm room, space is pretty tight, and it can be tricky to find places to stash all your stuff. Here are 10 products that are great for squeezing a little extra storage out of a small space — perfect for the dorm or for anywhere you need just a little more storage. Above: The IKEA Raskog rolling cart ($29.99) makes a great nightstand, or you can just use it for storage anywhere you have a few extra square feet.

We have officially crossed the threshold into the dog days of summer (which actually has nothing to do with canines, but rather the dog star Sirius…who knew?). To commemorate the stretch of heat (and lethargy) associated with this period, we scoured Etsy and rounded up 9 super cool, modern pet houses—from cat friendly cardboard to designer edifices—for your furry friends to ride out the season.

This week, we’re obsessed with the latest West Elm collaboration, an e-commerce favorite goes brick-and-mortar, get ready for some Havana nights, and more. We are big fans of LA-based Commune Design, and we couldn’t be more excited about their new collaboration with West Elm. The collection captures Commune’s cool West Coast-meets-mid-century vibe.

For the most part, gone are the days of blue-light specials, “Attention Kmart Shoppers” as an oft-repeated catch phrase, and stylish partnerships with the likes of Martha Stewart. It’s been bad news after bad news for years now, and stores are closing left and right. So when I saw a recent catalog for Kmart Australia, I did a double take and was surprised by what I saw.

What do you think? Can the SUNNERSTA cart usurp the seemingly unstoppable and ever-popular RASKOG ? Will it capture the hearts of organizing decorators everywhere? It’s pretty darn cute and seems to tick many of the same boxes, including the price point. Designed by Henrik Preutz. IKEA says: Sometimes installing a large kitchen isn’t necessary, or too expensive and time-consuming. That’s why SUNNERSTA mini-kitchen was developed.

When designer Synnöve Mork got to work on the blue and green color block pattern of ROSKILDE rug she was inspired by modern art, architecture and furniture from the 1950s and ’60s. The design process itself was an interesting one: “To create ROSKILDE rug, I started out by painting with colors and patterns from that era. Then I cut everything into smaller pieces, placed them in different directions and put them back together again.

In the hunt for the perfect apartment—one that’s located where you want and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg—you sometimes have to make sacrifices. For Kimberly’s search in Philadelphia, she was willing to settle for a small “kitchen” since she doesn’t cook often. But she wasn’t going to settle on it being boring and beige.

Of course you need sheets and towels and a mini fridge and maybe one of those little shower caddies, but one of the most important things you will buy for your dorm room is lighting. Trust me: when you’re awake and frantically studying at 3AM, your roommate will be glad that you bought a lamp. So without further ado, here are 12 of our favorite picks, all under $50. Above: Penn task lamp, $29 – 39 from PBteen. FORSÅ work lamp, $19.99 from IKEA ÅRSTID table lamp, $24.

Dressing a shabby-looking sofa in a slipcover is undoubtedly one of the quickest and cheapest ways to refresh a tired piece of furniture, but drapey, sheet-like versions have given the slipcover a bad rap. Fortunately, there are some options out there working to reverse the slipcover’s reputation and show how sleek, fitted, patterned, and colorful it can be.

The idea of 3D-printed products for the home is admittedly a little out there, even Jetsons-esque. The gadgets and gizmos a plenty on sale throughout the internet may run the gamut from completely bizarre to actually interesting (and normal), but no matter where they fall on the spectrum, something that came from a printer (that’s not a sheet of paper with words on it) is certainly a conversation starter. We rounded up a handful of things you might actually want to buy for your own home.

The biggest shopping event since Black Friday/Cyber Monday is here. Amazon’s 2nd annual Prime Day event is already underway. There’s an overwhelming amount of stuff on sale, so we’ll be updating this post all day with the best deals for your home, so you don’t have to look far to snag a steal. 3-tier stainless steel food container, 24% off: $16.70 Secura Electric Coffee Grinder & Spice Grinder, 51% off: $22.39 Yoga swing inversion sling, 34% off: $39.

A. Two sofas facing each other OR B. A sofa and love seat arranged in the traditional L-shaped arrangement?

There’s no denying that it’s the time of the maker. Small-batch, hand-made, one-off: all hyphenated descriptors of today’s decor holy grails, but it’s about so much more than just the admirable adjective. Today’s design enthusiast desires what their neighbor doesn’t have. After all, we want our homes to tell a story—our story—to have a soul, and to be a true reflection of who we are as individuals.

My legs are a serious contradiction. I wear pants and jeans all summer because my stems are significantly whiter than the rest of my body, but they’re significantly whiter than the rest of my body because I wear long pants and jeans all summer. For those of you out there like me, filled with dreams of tan legs and varied length bottoms, here is your shopping list. As a quick recap, 9 bottoms are the prescribed limit.

What’s better than a coloring book? How about an entire wall that you can color in? These coloring book wallpapers will make your home into a beautiful, ever-evolving project that you’re sure to enjoy just as much while you’re creating it as you will when it’s done. You may never leave the house again.

Gridded designs have been making a comeback for a while now—showing up on pillows, chairs, wrapping paper, and everything in between. But the latest versions play with the traditionally rigid pattern, revealing its fun side. Look for fresh colors and wonky, waving lines that are drawn or hand-painted. These new loosened-up takes on the grid might just make you reconsider the pattern’s potential.

Last week, I shared with you the sad story about my recent lighting mishap (moral: always double-check the voltage on those bulbs!) and how it left my bedroom light-less. I found some good replacement options which ranged from mere pennies (ok, pounds) to spend-ier, and photoshopped them into my space. Now it’s time to see what I went with… Somewhat surprisingly, it’s IKEA for the win!

We’re officially launched! For all of you who are in the market for a sofa and want something fabulously classic, comfortable and well priced, here’s The Maxwell (with special discount just for readers), the first in a whole collection designed in collaboration with Interior Define. Designing this perfect sofa was a process that took nearly a year, but it was worth it.

Most sofas are well-behaved. They have a back and a seat and legs and maybe arms, and they look, well, like a sofa. These are not those sofas. These sofas (if you can even call a giant cat a sofa) dare to reimagine the very idea of the sofa, pushing ordinary furniture to weird and wild and even wonderful extremes. Above: It’s always nice to have a cat sit on your lap, but what if the tables were turned and you could curl up in your cat’s lap?

First furniture child is bigger than me. Last week I flew to Chicago to see, for the first time in person, the new Maxwell sofa, which I designed in collaboration with Rob Royer and Marta Calle of Interior Define, a brand new furniture company out of Chicago. It’s only the first of a five part collection that’s going to unroll over the next six months.

Last week I shared one of my favorite tips for saving money on decor: shopping in the kids’ section. As proof, I created a roundup of ten items from kids’ stores that are perfect for your grown-up home, all for less than $50. I found so many good things that I couldn’t resist creating a second roundup, this one at a slightly higher price point. Here are twelve kids’ store finds that adults will covet too, all for less than $100.

Lots of people aspire to make their home decor modern, but if you’re not careful, modern can become cold, stale and uninteresting. The cure for a mod overdose? Something natural. Like a touch of authentic, organic, real wood. Here are eight rooms to show you how it’s done. This raw wood bar top is the perfect addition to Corianne Burton‘s kitchen, as seen on her Instagram.

A few years ago the only kind of gold flatware you could find was the fussy, old-fashioned kind you associate with expensive wedding rentals. But since then gold has made a comeback in a big way, and suddenly it’s possible to find beautiful, modern gold flatware in a huge variety of styles and price ranges. For those inclined to be adventurous, there are copper and rose gold options, too. We’ve rounded up some of the best.

What I love most about home decor is seeing the different ways that people express their style. Like fashion, there are so many ways to wear one piece of clothing and each look is totally different depending on what you pair it with. I thought it would be fun to do the same thing and pick one rug and use it in two very different looks. See how I took this extremely bold and colorful rug and used it in both a bohemian and glam look.

I’m such a big fan of eclectic style—which is really just a nicer way of saying mixing things up. I mean, who can just pick one style anyway? Pulling together an eclectic look comes naturally to some but can be tricky for others. The dining room is a great space to start mixing things up because there are so many different elements layered in one look, and you can really have some fun with the dynamic between the table and the chairs.

Recently I wrote about a big, beautiful new trend for the home: blooms and branches displayed in big, oversized vases. Many of you loved the look, but wanted to know: where does one find a vase this big? So I’ve rounded up a few options. A few things I was looking for: vases made of clear glass (minimal, works with any decor, shows off flowers well), and that measured 12 inches or more in at least one dimension.

The Togo sofa (a creation of Ligne Roset) is a design that’s always fascinated me. It is by far the most attractive piece of furniture I’ve ever seen that kind of looks like a larvae. Despite (or perhaps because of?) its insectoid qualities, it has a weird versatility and constantly crops up in a huge a variety of rooms. It works for slouchy Bohemian interiors or minimal, arty-rich ones: it’s equally at home with traditional pieces or equally modern ones.

I don’t know about your home, but at my place, even with an open concept kitchen and a dining table, we always seem to end up in the living room with all the snacks and drinks squeezed on the coffee table. Let’s face it: it’s more casual and comfortable than standing around a kitchen or sitting on a stiff dining chair. These days it’s rare to have both a family and living room, so it’s nice to really put a lot of thought and style into the one you have.

If you have the luxury of being able to drive a nail into the wall above your sofa, you’d never call such an open, blank canvas “awkward.” But for many renters, the over-the-sofa space can be a source of frustration. What exactly can I do there? The answer? One of these three creative ideas: Technically, the installation above from Hello Lidy‘s family room is a beside-the-sofa solution, but I don’t know why it wouldn’t work anywhere else.

Think about it: when you go to a new friend’s house for the first time, what’s the first thing you look at? The numbers, of course. House numbers may seem like a small thing, but they’re so crucial to first impressions. These days there are a myriad of interesting, modern numbers that will identify your house to the world — and show off your style, too. Above: Neutra house numbers, $27 each from DWR. Modern Avalon collection brushed nickel house numbers, $15.

We’re moving into a new house, and I’ve become infatuated with the idea of a green sofa in our new living room. However, the only green sofas I’ve come across have been green velvet sofas, which don’t exactly suit our style or lifestyle. I was starting to wonder if non-velvet green couches even existed. Of course they do, and here are the 10 best options I could find. And if you are in the market for a green velvet, there are 10 of those, too!

Clean lines keep it chic, and deep seats and comfy cushions make it a really livable sofa for real people’s real homes. Oh, and the affordable price tag is a pretty great feature, too. The IKEA SÖDERHAMN sofa line has been on the market for a couple years now, and that means designers and dwellers have had ample time to take the piece home and show us myriad ways to style it.

Q: We are currently proud pawrents to a 9-month-old Highland Lynx cat. Her boisterous personality has brought us much joy, but has also presented us with numerous home decorating dilemmas, chief of which is window dressing. We currently live in a rental apartment in New York City that came with aluminum blinds reminiscent of 1980s corporate America.