Name: Holly ConradLocation: SeattleSize: 1,150 square feetYears Lived In: 1Here at Apartment Therapy, we know how important it is to have a place where you feel at home. But for Holly Conrad, buying a new house wasn’t just about an investment or a change of location; it also meant a fresh start. Holly is an artist who sells her pieces through her Etsy store, Trash Witch Coven.
The home Diana shares with her husband and daughter in Chattanooga, TN, is casual and welcoming, with modern touches and boho flair against a calming neutral palette. But when it came to the home’s entrance, the effect was too neutral: The dark wood door and stair rail and white walls were a bland greeting to an otherwise personality-filled space.
Darina had plans to create a farmhouse aesthetic in her family’s home in Murrieta, CA, but after moving in, she realized her space would be better suited by natural accents and earthy tones. Those improv skills made us think that she’d be open to an experimental makeover we envisioned in her master bedroom: a bold paint canopy. A paint canopy isn’t your ordinary accent wall. Sure, conventional wisdom advises painting an entire room, or at least an entire wall, but guess what?
With its soft accents and minimalist furniture, Cara’s home in Asbury Park, NJ, exudes a soft, airy style. But the sun-drenched bedroom she shares with her husband Mike needed a special touch to make it stand out. Never one to shy away from experimenting with style, Cara was game when we found inspiration in an unlikely place: the ceiling. They say that ceilings must be white—but we don’t know who “they” are anyway, and we say white is just the beginning!
It’s no secret that we’re really into cane furniture. Nothing else makes a space seem chic and unpretentious at the same time. A mid-century classic, the effortlessly relaxed material has the power to immediately warm up a room with its clean and textured look.Which makes us excited that Industry West is into cane, too.
When native Californians Erica and Mark moved back to the Golden State after a stint in New York City, they fell in love with Pasadena. We did too: It was recently named one of Apartment Therapy’s Coolest Suburbs in America. Though Erica and Mark work in Los Angeles, the nearby ‘burb won them over with its strong sense of community—not to mention its dreamy Craftsman bungalows.
Marichelle loves living in Maplewood, NJ, one of Apartment Therapy’s Coolest Suburbs in America. She runs a chic boutique, Meus, and is mom to an adorable trio of kiddos. While her home is as eclectically stylish as you’d imagine a boutique owner’s to be, the living room wasn’t quite working the way she wanted it to.“You know how sometimes you go into a house and there’s this cold living room and no one ever goes in there?
Name: Kevin Foley Location: Gold Coast, ChicagoSize: 1,000 square feetYears lived in: 3 yearsA few years after the Great Chicago Fire, millionaire businessman Potter Palmer filled in a swampy area on the shore of Lake Michigan and built his family a 42-room mansion. More Gilded Age families followed, and the Gold Coast was born. More than a century later, it’s still a ritzy ZIP code, but every now and then one renter stumbles on a miraculous deal. Kevin Foley is one of those renters.
We’ve all put off fixing a broken doorknob or restitching a seam for longer than we’d care to admit, despite the deep satisfaction that arrives when we finally get around to it. Why does it take so long to make small repairs when we know how much they matter to our daily lives? Even the little things can feel overwhelming when we’re not organized, which is why a dedicated fix-it station makes all the difference.
It’s summer, and you want nothing more than to be outside. If there’s a beach within reachable distance, you are dying to be there. If you have a bit of outdoor space to call your own, you may be thinking about sprucing it up. So it feels like a good time to announce that Society6, one of our favorite retailers, has just introduced an outdoor collection.Why do we like Society6? (1.) The things they sell are beautiful and unique. And sometimes they’re even lovably weird!
Life can get hectic and, unfortunately, you can’t jaunt off to a luxury spa whenever the going gets tough. So how do you find your bliss at home? By turning your bathroom into a self-care spa retreat. And since no trip to the spa should cause more stress, consider financing your DIY with the Synchrony HOME™ credit card. It was designed with nesting in mind, offering 2% cash back everywhere plus promotional financing at more than a million home retailers nationwide.
When I lived in a walk-up in Greenwich Village, the building staircase was so narrow that even a neighbor carrying groceries home could completely block traffic. Obviously, this made moving in a challenge. My roommate went so far as hiring someone to cut his bed in half, move it up the tiny staircase, and reassemble it upstairs. I elected to sleep on an air mattress. Needless to say, we both could have used The Bed, by Thuma. As its name implies, The Bed is not a regular bed.
If your garden to-do list is overgrown, you’re not alone — but you needn’t worry. There’s an easy way to get yourself ready to tackle all your yard projects without spending too much time or money. A gardening station will organize your outdoor storage, contain muddy messes, and save your back and knees from squatting and kneeling. And it’s affordable to stock up on all the supplies you’ll need for it when you know exactly which Walmart basics to buy.
Marichelle runs an eclectic lifestyle shop, Meus, in Maplewood, NJ—recently named one of Apartment Therapy’s Coolest Suburbs in America—so, yeah, her home is stylish. But Marichelle is also a mom of three, which means she’s concerned with much more than aesthetics: Everything in her home is chic and sturdy, as ready for neighborhood happy hours as after-school art projects. That goes double for the dining room.
The first step toward living your perfect summer is knowing who you are and what makes you happiest—and the first stop is Target, where fun is always easy to find.
Bravo if you’ve already started using paper straws in your cold brew. More kudos if you’re sure to slather on reef-safe sunscreen. But there’s another place in your life where it’s easy to go green: your bed! Back in the dark ages, eco-friendly bedding wasn’t much of a thing…and when you did find it, it wasn’t what we’d call “eye candy.” But now it’s really simple to make the switch to organic, sustainable bedding.
Name: Dana and Matthew, daughter Pia and pup MacLocation: Port Saint Lucie, FloridaSize: 2,000 square feetYears Lived In: 2 yearsBuying a house, getting a puppy, having a baby, and doing a major kitchen renovation is a lot to take on in one year. A whole lot. Dana and Matthew did it, though, and now they can say that they’ve created their dream home. But as happy as they are to have it—and as quickly as it happened—this wasn’t the original plan.
This year’s Room for Color contest, sponsored by Chip It!™by Sherwin-Williams, is notable for the boundless array of different palettes. So much variety! We love seeing readers’ personal styles shine through their use of colors in so many creative ways. And though each entry is unique, some trends are becoming apparent. Here are some trends we’ve spotted—let us know what we missed in the comments!
Name: Andi Eaton & Ben Alleman Location: Gallatin, TNSize: 1,336 square feetYears lived in: 2.5 yearsAndi Eaton and partner Ben Alleman love their lives on the road—she’s a travel writer and founder of Oui We; he’s a musician—but they craved a permanent home base where they could reconnect and recharge. They’d been splitting time between their native New Orleans and a Nashville rental, but time on the road—and time apart—got to be too much.
Maxwell, Apartment Therapy’s founder, needed some occasional tables for his living room, so he took to the internet, checking the Classifieds for good options. He found two stools, versatile enough to be tables or extra seating. But while they were similar, they definitely didn’t match. Want to see how he spent a couple hours on a Saturday using Glidden paint to make them a matched set? Watch our quick video and see the How-To below!
All leathers are not created equal. Learning a few key facts about how it’s made will tell you a lot about the quality of leather upholstery and how it will wear over time. We took a look at the Grayson and Burnham Artisan Leather Collections, both collaborations between American Signature Furniture and Italian designer Modesto Scugliusi, to learn more about what to look for in quality leather upholstery. Top-grain or full-grain: which is the better leather?
As the design nerds we most unabashedly are, we get pretty excited for the big day each October when Benjamin Moore reveals their Color of the Year. This year, we admit, we were momentarily thrown by the reveal – it was not at all what we’d expected. But after a hot second of surprise and debate in the office, we’ve all gotten on board with this trendy non-trend. Do you agree? The Benjamin Moore Color of the Year for 2016 is….. The Color of the Year? Simply White OC-177.
White is sometimes underplayed as the default choice of colorphobes, but some of the boldest and most sophisticated rooms in the world have white walls. Maxwell loves decorating with white walls – as long as it’s the right kind of white. According to Maxwell, the best whites aren’t just a “blank canvas.” He says, “I like the ones with a bit of depth and color.” A good white wall never looks unfinished, “it looks intentional.
We may not always want our houseguests to stay super-long, but we do want them to be comfortable (and think we’re amazing hosts) while they’re here. The best way to ensure your guests are rested and happy? Getting a mattress good enough to accommodate all kinds of sleepers. We teamed up with Value City Furniture and the sleep experts from The Cleveland Clinic to bring you these #flawless tips for choosing the right mattress for your guests.
Have you ever bought a sofa, accent chair or table that looked wonderful in the store (or on Pinterest) but lost its charm once you brought it home? If the color and style were right, the problem may have been that the piece of furniture simply wasn’t the right scale for the room.
With so many weddings designed to reflect a couple’s personal style, why is there still this outdated expectation that a registry needs to include formal china? Many couples today live in small spaces where they can’t host huge parties or store a giant tureen. And people who are marrying later or for the second time are concerned with blending their stuff, not getting more.
With so many couples cohabiting, marrying later and merging their stuff, it’s only natural that modern registries should expand beyond your kitchen cabinets into every room. Who says you have to limit your wedding gifts to tabletop and kitchen tools? Maybe what you really need is a new table, some throw pillows or gallery frames. It’s time to think outside the salad spinner.
Thinking leather might be better? Keep in mind it’s not all created equal. The difference in quality between genuine, bonded, and flat-out fake leather is huge, and there are some easy tricks to spotting the good stuff. We looked at American Signature Furniture’s new line of genuine leather furniture to learn what to look for. OK, duh. But the label is going to say more than just “real” or “fake!
Hello, Apartment Therapy readers! I am beyond excited to share the results of our newly painted bedroom! First, I want to thank everyone who voted and commented on my before post. All of your ideas & help in deciding the perfect colour for our room were so inspiring. It was a close race, but in the end, Farrow & Ball’s Peignoir No. 286 won! See How It Looks Peignoir, the beautiful, muted pinkish hue, has turned out to be the perfect choice for this room!
Bethany, a family photographer in Los Angeles, is at the phase of parenting where she’s having to let go. She’s watched her two kids grow and learn, and she’s already nostalgic for their first, early days together. Childhood is marked by memories, and Bethany wanted to savor each one. And as a family photographer, she’s especially in touch with how a family’s home becomes the backdrop for these moments.
I’m on what I call a “fewer better” mission: an effort to say “no, thank you” to all the cheap goods of dubious origins that fill store shelves and “yes, please” to unique, quality items that reflect ethical practices and high standards. So if you’re getting a gift from me this holiday season, it’s coming from a brand that shares my mission and my aesthetic — like The Citizenry.
We’re not finger waggers here, so we will not start off by telling you you should be getting seven to eight hours of sleep most nights. We will, however, tell you that you need to be getting quality sleep, especially if it’s a little harder to get the right quantity. A simple sleep-quality test is if you’re getting close to the famous seven to eight hours but you’re still tired during the day, then you’re likely not getting a good night’s sleep.
We’re not finger waggers here, so we will not start off by telling you you should be getting seven to eight hours of sleep most nights. We will, however, tell you that you need to be getting quality sleep, especially if it’s a little harder to get the right quantity. A simple sleep-quality test is if you’re getting close to the famous seven to eight hours but you’re still tired during the day, then you’re likely not getting a good night’s sleep.
Imagine a Tetris game where every single shape was exactly the one you needed in that moment. In the game of living room layouts, that scenario exists, and we call it a sectional. This versatile superhero sets up a space for big parties and cozy Netflix binges alike. Add in a choice of fabrics and colors and you’ve got thousands of configurations to set up whatever living room you want to live in. So, where to begin?
Imagine a Tetris game where every single shape was exactly the one you needed in that moment. In the game of living room layouts, that scenario exists, and we call it a sectional. This versatile superhero sets up a space for big parties and cozy Netflix binges alike. Add in a choice of fabrics and colors and you’ve got thousands of configurations to set up whatever living room you want to live in. So, where to begin?
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.
What if we said you could increase the size of your living space instantly? What would you do with your extra room? You can, but the trick isn’t to add more space to your home; it’s to subtract stuff.But not permanently! With MakeSpace, your stuff doesn’t disappear. It just relocates to a place where you won’t trip over it every time you walk into the living room…or bedroom, or garage.
It takes a real Apartment Therapy fan to appreciate the Starz hit series Outlander. We’ve been hooked on this series since Claire went shopping for a blue vase at the start of the first season. Now we’re counting down the days for the best eye-candy to come back to Starz on April 9th. Ready to throw your own Outlander-inspired dinner party?
Your home isn’t the same as everyone else’s, so why would you clean it as if it were? That’s the idea behind Miele’s HomeCare Collection. These aren’t just top-of-the-line vacuums; they’re top-of-the-line vacuums with features customized to fit your particular cleaning needs.
It’s true that not all of us are lucky enough to live in a place with beautiful hardwood floors and high ceilings and hundred-year-old moldings. The good news is that there are ways to add a little personality to your space, even if you’re renting — and even if you’re on a tight budget. When it comes to finding things that will make your apartment really shine, we’ve got a great source.Allow us to introduce you to Amazon Handmade.
Dyeing Easter eggs is a fun and easy craft – and it’s also a great way to decorate your home for the season. Piled on a platter or in a basket, dyed eggs make for an easy and festive centerpiece, or you can write guests’ names on them and use them as placecards (place eggs?) at an Easter brunch.
Even those of us who live lightly have storage issues now and then. Moving, downsizing, and just getting organized can bring our closeted collections out into the open. But don’t stress! It’s only clutter if you let it stick around too long. The key is finding realistic storage solutions that you’ll find easy to sustain. For us, that means outsourcing the hardest parts of storage, like the wrapping and the hauling back and forth (ugh).
Considering that most of us at Apartment Therapy consider spring cleaning our favorite national holiday, this may come as a surprise: Even we have some spots in our homes that we regularly miss, overlook, or just plain ignore. But this is the year we break the cycle! We’re keeping these seven little trouble spots on our mind as we set off on spring deep clean—which, fortunately, are all laughably easy tasks.
Prize: OXO Spring Cleaning Tool KitTotal Approximate Value: $1,000From: OXO It may sound odd to hear someone say they’re excited to do chores, but every year we truly look forward to our spring cleaning. We see it as a big welcome sign for the new season and a way to reenergize our homes — and we’re guessing you do, too.
Let’s talk about a secret cleaning weapon — one you’re probably already very familiar with and are probably underusing. If you’re only using your vacuum cleaner to clean your floors, you’re missing out on all the great things it can do for you. Here are seven hard-to-clean spots that the right vacuum (and the right attachments!) can make short work of. How do you clean a mattress, anyway? You can’t exactly pop it in the washing machine.
With a bustling lifestyle business—including a mega-popular Instagram account and a curated shop of vintage finds, Harper & Arrow—plus two little ones to chase after, Cynthia Harper knows that relaxation usually comes in small doses. Her trick is to create a home that’s immediately immersive so that when she does find a couple of minutes to herself she’s instantly at ease. Her trick for that? Think of more sense experiences than what you can see.
Whenever we talk about creating a sense of space, it seems like we’re always talking about its look. Yet, your home’s scent is such an important part of its DNA. (Perhaps the most important part! Smells go straight to the same part of the brain that processes memory, which is why certain scents can immediately conjure up specific places.
Buying new furniture is a big part of the fun of moving into a new place or redecorating the place you already have. But furniture (particularly living room furniture) is a significant purchase, and you want to get it right. The first step, before you get down to styles and fabrics and colors, is deciding what furniture you need. How do you get the right combination to make the most of your space?
Life is messy. Instead of trying to keep things clean and pristine, why not indulge in a little colorful, creative play? Invite the kids to use their hands and make something. (Don’t have kids? These projects are totally adult-approved.) You can always tidy up when you’re done — just keep some stain remover on hand in case of emergencies. This classic kid’s activity is so simple yet satisfying.
Summer’s over (boo!). But there’s so much to look forward to in the fall and winter. Namely, one of our favorite pastimes: doing nothing. Human “hibernation” is totally a thing, and it may actually help us recover and recuperate. This is the time to start building your den of coziness, where your main activity will be telling Netflix you’re still watching from time to time.
Even if it feels like winter will never end, 2019 is already barreling along, and several of the year’s trends are beginning to crystallize. We’re seeing people work new texture, line, and scale into their spaces in ways that emphasize comfort just as much as style. In short, comfy is in. These three mood boards show some of the themes of what’s trending, and they’re shoppable so you can get the look.
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Amazon has evolved a lot since its inception. Once they sold only books, but their inventory has since expanded to include anything from potting soil to a pillowcase with Nicholas Cage’s face. And now, with the introduction of Amazon Handmade, you can buy things on Amazon that you can’t buy anywhere else.
Name: Rebecca Rosenfelt & Michael Yamartino Location: Bernal Heights, San Francisco, CA Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; rented Years hosting on Airbnb: 6 years When Rebecca and Michael were apartment hunting, they never saw themselves in a big modern lofty space. So when they first saw this light-flooded Bernal Heights home, they couldn’t picture themselves living there.
Name: Nathan Michael Location: Chicago, Wicker Park, IL Size: 2,250 square feet Years lived in: 1 years; Rented Years hosting on Airbnb: Going on 1 year Situated on a quiet, tree-lined street in Chicago’s historic Ukrainian Village is Nathan’s bright and beautiful three-story home. On first entering his home, I was struck by the bold architectural elements (check out that staircase!) and gorgeous interior.
You don’t have to describe yourself as an artist in your Instagram bio to feel stifled and suffocated by “the rules” for decorating your own place. It’s past time to stop listening to designers and catalogs and retail chains that tell us what we should do, and start doing what we want to do.
Despite any residual chill, it is finally spring! Which means that now is the time to prep your garden. In warmer climates, you can start planting right away. In colder zones, start your plants indoors and transplant them outside when the weather warms up. And regardless of where you live, this is a great weekend to get started on some easy DIYs to pot your plants.
If you feel like you’ve been slogging through cold, rain, and slush for too long, we’ve got good news. Spring (officially) starts March 20, and the shift is in the air. Every week for the lead-up, we’re working with Lowe’s to share quick updates you can do in a weekend, including step-by-step instructions and a list of supplies. This week we’re at the gateway to your home, the front door.
Spring cleaning: It’s a big annual ritual that we actually kind of love, but it doesn’t have to become an overwhelming task that eats up an entire weekend. With little more than an all-purpose cleaner, a good spray mop, and 10 minutes a day, you can keep a mostly clean house year-round so that when the big weekend does come around…it won’t be so big.Making the bed is one of the most powerful things you can do first thing in the morning.
Good sleep is hard to come by. Most of us don’t get enough of it, and even when we do it’s not always high-quality, be it because of environmental factors (sound, light, temperature) or our temperamental body clocks. The first step to better sleep is understanding what kind of sleeper you are—and if you’re reading this at 3 a.m., you’re a Night Owl.
Most of us spend about a third of our lives in bed. But that doesn’t mean we’re really getting good sleep for those 8ish hours a day. That’s especially true for Slumber Partiers: those of us who have bedmates who stir, kids who seek refuge from scary monsters in the middle of the night, or pets who weirdly migrate from the foot of the bed to the top of our heads overnight. But no one wants to bust up a good party!
