Decor & Accessories Decorating

If you are always on the hunt for bold decor ideas or elements that aren’t yet a trend, then you’ll appreciate this list of eye-popping and heart-stopping design details for any room in your home. Matte black in the kitchen is always sexy. Adding metallic finishes like silver can add sophistication to any space.

Sometimes you fall in love with a piece of art, envision it in a certain perfect spot in your home…and are totally disappointed when it turns out to be too small. Don’t find another place for it just yet! There are four easy ways you can make a too-small piece of art seems bigger and bolder. Like the example above, using items like thick, textured rope or ribbon to “hang” the art can make it feel a lot more substantial than the actual pieces are.

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.

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.

I loved a lot about Alex’s Uptown New Orleans apartment. The natural light, the layers of textures and colors, the amazing shoulder-balancing cat. But the thing I loved most of all was his art collection. Deeply personal, each with its own story, there was a smart mix of investment pieces and (literally) trash finds. I asked him to share some of his art collecting advice. Words to design by: “I love each piece of art in my home.

We’ve featured quite a few places by A+B Kasha before: this Paris-based real estate and design firm excels at creating meticulously detailed apartments where just the walls and floors themselves are a work of art. My current favorite project of theirs is a little jewel of a one-bedroom, 270 square feet of perfection tucked away on the top floor of a 19th-century building in Paris’ 6th arrondissement.

Cooler months mean more entertaining indoors, and nights out become nights in with cocktails. There’s something about a bar cart that makes a space feel grown-up, don’t you think? You don’t have to have a bar cart to be a great host, but it sure is convenient, and, let’s be honest, it’s so much fun to style! There are as many bar cart styling options as there are cocktails, and there’s no shortage of inspiration, including this past roundup we pulled for you.

What we have here is a dozen unabashed, Warhol- and Lichtenstein-inspired rooms that would look right at home in a pop art museum as they do inside these homes. If you love bright colors and retro styling, get thee to Pinterest and save these shots for later. It’s part aspiration and part inspiration. As big and bold as these rooms are, there are some pretty do-able ideas in here. Do you have any pop art-inspired pieces at home?

Why settle for an oversized piece of art when you could have a piece of art that covers the whole wall? These 11 murals will have a big, big impact—hang one on the wall and your decorating job is pretty much done. A quick note to start: a wall mural differentiates from wallpaper in that it does not repeat. It’s an entire scene stretch across a determined width, while wallpaper matches up and repeats indefinitely.

How much joy does your home bring you? Do you have a lot of design moments that make you smile? Do the rooms in your home showcase things that make you happy? Filling your home with visual joy doesn’t need to be a complicated task; we spotted seven easy (and affordable) ways to celebrate happiness using your home in one of our recent tours. (Pictured above) Pick a corner, any corner! Can be a guest room that you don’t go into every day. Can be a cramped bathroom. The laundry room.

Today we’re taking a look at six contemporary artists you may not have heard of, artists whose work pushes the boundaries of their media and looks not quite like anything you’ve seen before. Katharine Morling creates these incredibly detailed sculptures of everyday items from clay, each detail more breathtaking than the last. in her distinct style, these quotidian objects seem simultaneously more and less real, drawing you into a strange and fascinating alternate world.

It’s Valentine’s Day, which means that the two-lobed shape that we somehow recognize as representing a human heart is suddenly everywhere. There are heart-shaped candies, cards, chocolates, even heart-shaped pizzas. And many years ago, one man had the idea of building a heart-shaped hot tub… and a movement was born.

I’ve recently been given the enviable task of picking out a chandelier, and I have to say—chandelier shopping is the next best thing to tiara shopping. Here are my top 10 finds, each of them sparkly, fun, pretty, and far more affordable than most respectable tiaras… I’m not sure why I love chandeliers with adjustable arms so much, but I do.

Those surviving successfully in a small space have lessons they can share with the rest of us. Five smart ideas are in this New York City home — and they all fit in just 300 square feet. All your furniture being at the same height can make a small room feel even smaller, fast.

Whether moving into a new place, rearranging your furniture or just on the hunt for a new look, you might occasionally find yourself in front of a blank wall, wondering if it should stay blank or be adorned with art. Before you start drilling any holes, answer these three questions. It’ll help you make the decision to keep a wall blank or fill it with decor. Perhaps you have a fabulous fireplace. Rad rafters. Gorgeous window trim. Wood floors that could make you cry tears of aesthetic joy.

Though there are some downsides to living in a studio apartment — not having as much space for your stuff, feeling like you’re living in your bedroom — it can be a cozy and fun living experience, too. Stick to these design tricks when decorating a studio apartment and you’ll love studio living. Don’t have a bedroom but do have a closet you can fit a bed into? Or is there a way to drape curtains around your bed to create a private bed nook?

The LACK wall shelf is a much more versatile piece than you might think. By twisting and turning and stacking it, you can put this $49 shelf to work in your home in myriad ways.

It’s always fun flipping through an IKEA catalog, looking at all the new stuff, and imagining how it might look in our own home. Their winter holiday collection is an extra bonus this time of year, filled with festive decorations and — most importantly — fresh decorating and styling ideas. Above, garland hung from the ceiling above, and around doorways, is perfect when space is at a premium. Create a unique decorative element on the wall using leftover ornaments.

Jenn & Hunter’s Historic Landmark Apartment Traditional rugs are traditional for a reason. Even though they are densely patterned and filled with a multitude of colors, they somehow still manage to go with everything. I’ve rounded up a bunch of rooms from our House Tours that feature these gorgeous rugs—pale, bright, deep, rich, red, blue, yellow: you name it, they’re all here.

Now that the kids are back in school and life is slowly getting back into a regular routine, it’s time to think about getting your own work and routine back in order. For some (like me!) the excitement of getting new school supplies never really fades and this time of year is a great time to rethink, reorganize, refresh your home office or perhaps create one from scratch.

We’ve had a series of pretty wicked storms lately in Atlanta. With the kind of thunder and lightning that shock you out of whatever you were doing and make you double-check your battery supply and if you even actually own a fully-functioning flashlight. Which, it turns out you don’t, if you’re me. That moment was a bit of a realization – after 22 years of living in Florida, I got accustomed to prepping for hurricane season with the rest of the community every summer.

Furniture shopping is about more than just style; there are so many elements that go into getting the right fit for you and your home. These five are the essentials. Don’t leave the store without doing this stuff. Duh. But sit on it mindfully! You’re looking for not only comfort, but also how this piece fits your body. Does the seat accommodate the length of your thighs? Do your feet rest comfortably on the floor? Is the arm rest at the right height for your own arm?

So often studios are difficult to deal with because there’s no separation of the types of spaces you need: living area, bedroom, kitchen and entry. Well, I recently revisited Natasha’s Brooklyn studio tour and was wowed at all the smart things she did to carve out definition in her 500 square foot space. She’s moved all over the world (and has the decor to prove it) so it’s no wonder she’s great setting up a home. Here’s what she did that you can do, too.

The moving process is only as difficult as you make it out to be. If you’re hangry and disorganized the whole time, you’ll come away from the move having lost some really important things like your mind, your time and your grandmother’s china. Thankfully, it turns out being one of those hyper-organized people who have it all together is really, really simple. An organized move comes down to having organized moving boxes.

Name: Thomas & Erin Galvin, with Olive the cat Location: Echo Park; Los Angeles, CA Size: 530 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented As a new House Tour contributor, I thought the best way for us to get to know each other would be to take you on an extra special house tour of my own apartment. My husband Thomas and I moved in on the heels of a very stressful living situation, determined to make our new apartment into a space that energizes us and helps us recharge.

Name: Grayson Smith Location: Baxter Neighborhood; Grand Rapids, MI Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented I park on the street and walk up the front steps of the duplex where Grayson lives. The porch on the left side of the duplex has a stereotypical college appearance: it’s covered with empty beer cans and a few plastic lawn chairs. Luckily I’m knocking on the duplex’s right side door. Grayson opens the door as I’m looking to the left.

There are plenty of reasons to decorate your house key. Like if you need to tell it apart from other keys. Or maybe it’s just because you just love a little something extra. Either way, I wouldn’t say these DIY projects are for everyone, but if you’re so inclined, here are 10 easy ways you can jazz up a boring house key. Grab some nail polish and lets get started.

Name: Echo Kao Location: Toy District; Los Angeles, CA Size: 870 square feet Years lived in: 1 years; Owned I knew that Echo was a talented industrial designer, but I was still surprised to learn that every night when she went home she was carefully crafting her own furniture. Her life and her work go hand-in-hand, which is reflected perfectly in the fact that her home has three(!) work spaces for her to spread out in.

Name: Timothy Location: Bed-Stuy; Brooklyn, NY Size: 1,680 square feet Years lived in: 3 years; Owned A home with global flair doesn’t necessarily have to mean a visually noisy space or an overwhelming, over-the-top collection of knick-knacks. Nomad-inspired homes can be tidy and effortless, and I can tell you that after this house tour you’ll want to book an around-the-world ticket to source beautiful material and wander in some faraway markets.

Name: Ricky & McCary Location: Carroll Gardens/Gowanus; Brooklyn, New York Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Rented What do you get when two people with great taste move in together? A beautiful apartment like this one, where two design sensibilities (she loves prints and patterns, while he’s a bit more minimal) merge seamlessly to create a new, completely unique style. Ricky and McCary are also the stars of the sixth episode of Apartment Therapy’s A Line video series.

Name: Amanda Holstein and her dog, Auggie Location: Greenwich Village; New York, NY Size: 400-450 square feet Years lived in: 1 year; Rented Amanda lives on a great street in Manhattan, full of life and energy. When you walk into her apartment, you are immediately transported from the iconic Greenwich Village neighborhood to somewhere calm and relaxing. She has fit her colorful, laid-back style into a classic New York apartment beautifully.

Name: Max Shay and Emily Billings Location: Western Massachusetts Size: 3,200 square feet Years lived in: 9 months; Rented Max and I moved to Western Massachusetts on a whim after deciding to close the book on our city-dwelling life in Boston. We stumbled upon the 1930s stone farmhouse set up on a steep hill through Craigslist. After hearing about the history of the property through the homeowners, we were sold.

Big or small. Traditional or modern. All homes have different styles, but they all have similarities at the heart of them, too. And these four pieces of universal advice can be applied to just about any home you’ve lived in or will live in. So print them out and keep them around. This works for just about any decision you’ve got to make. From which home to choose when you’re on the search, to which sofa to buy, to what color to paint the walls and more. Decisions are tough.

You sure didn’t want to stay in your starter apartment forever, but your early days of living lean did have some great lessons. Don’t forget about these ideas once you can afford to move on up. Sure, now you can afford to buy what you like in the art department, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still mix it up on your walls. We always love an unconventional showpiece! It shows you have more than cash, you have style!

Name: Kaelie, Andrew, and Zootie the cat Location: Top of the Tower, Heritage Hill; Grand Rapids, MI Size: 1,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Tyler from the Musical Chairs House Tour texts me on a random Saturday: “I have a referral for you!” His friend Kaelie and her husband live in a “sweet Heritage Hill apartment.” I email Kaelie and once we determine a day, she suggests I photograph their home in the early evening to capture the best light.

Name: Lindsey Grissom Location: Andersonville; Chicago, IL Size: 1,400 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Rented Lindsey has lived in her 3rd floor apartment for 5 years, but she’s lived in this same building, in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood for a good chunk of her life. She grew up in the 1st floor apartment where her parents still live, and now shares the 3rd floor with her two tortoises, Yurtle and Olive.

Location: Los Angeles, CA Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 7 months; Owned Nestled in the winding hills of Hollywood, this mid-century modern post and beam home was recently snatched up by two art-lovers and transformed into a striking minimalist masterpiece. Natural sunlight flooding in through large, unobstructed windows and skylights reflects brilliantly off the white walls, white cement flooring, and blonde wood furniture inside. Needless to say, this place is seriously dreamy.

Name: Sanja Kerr Location: East Lakeview, Chicago, Illinois Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Size: 550 square feet Clean lines and a feast for the eyes are what you get when you combine cool mid-century simplicity and an eclectic art collection. Sanja Kerr’s charming one bedroom Chicago apartment in the Lakeview neighborhood is full of striking, well-executed design decisions that took careful planning and multiple attempts to get perfect- you can’t use black paint on just any wall!

Q: Hi, I have lived in my mid-century apartment in LA for over ten years now. I have a very basic 1-page lease that doesn’t go into great detail about long-term maintenance of the apartment.

Living in a 300 square foot studio apartment might seem like a bit of a challenge. But when it’s an apartment as beautiful as this one, and that apartment is in Paris — then 300 square feet seems less like a challenge and more like a dream come true. The apartment’s detailing helps to give it an open, airy feel — but it’s also deceptively simple.

Who likes getting their security deposit back? We do! If you’ve gone crazy with color or went ahead with a full-blown gallery wall (and have the holes to prove it), then you’ll need to take a few steps to make sure you save your security. After all the boxes are packed, don’t forget to address this stuff. So you went nuts with the shelving or you got fanatic about frames. No biggie. It’s time to patch away.

In most of the glamorous homes you see on decorating websites, the living room, dining room, kitchen, and bedroom are all separate spaces. So what are you to do when you’ve living in an apartment that is really just a single room with a stove and a sink on one end? Take inspiration from this collection of super stylish studio apartments. As these spaces prove, living in one room doesn’t have to mean sacrificing style.

Remember Paula and Paul’s fantastic house tour from a few weeks ago which showed off their enviable art and collectables in various areas of the house? We’re focusing on the crowning glory of that amazing gallery wall to give the rest of us some pointers on how to keep a staid feature alive with new possibilities. 1.

When it comes to decorating your home, you have to trust your gut— even if it whispers nonsense in your ear, telling you something nuts, and leading some people to think that you are certifiably fit for the loony bin. Sometimes you have to take risks, try something new, even if it is ostensibly weird or strange. It’s like the first person who saw a lobster and said “I bet there is succulent and tasty food to be found inside that hard shell with beady eyes and antennae.

Name: Jason & John of Madcap Cottage Location: Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn Size: 2,800 square feet, Tudor-style single family home Years lived in: 4 years “Green is our neutral,” explains Jason, as my jaw drops. Everything in Jason and John’s house that can have color does. And every color is saturated. I can’t stop smiling and sometimes I have to laugh out loud for the sheer joy of it. John and Jason have a long history and familiarity with design.

It’s that time of year when a lot of people are graduating, and striking out on their own, and moving into their first real ‘adult’ home or apartment. It’s an exciting, and maybe also a little intimidating, time, full of possibilities and pitfalls. Here are a few of the things that I wish I had known when I was a fledgling decorator, all those years ago. 1. Don’t buy everything all at once.

Name: Kerry Maloney Location: French Quarter — New Orleans, Louisiana Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Rented Six rows of neatly displayed wigs decorate a brick wall in Kerry Maloney’s French Quarter apartment. They’ve been collected from Mardi Gras costumes throughout the years. They’re decked out with stars and plumes, birds and elaborate handmade crowns. There’s the French aristocrat, the drum major, the conehead, and the wizard.

Now we know you all hate it when we say you SHOULD follow this or that rule, so call this post the Guideline of Threes in your mind if you must. Because there’s a good reason that sitcom wasn’t called Four’s Company, or there weren’t six blind mice. And that same reason can help you create an interesting home that’s not just functional, but also has visual depth and satisfaction.

Name: Mark, Levi, + Theo Location: Upper East Side; New York City Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented Mark and Levi both share a love for beautiful things. With Mark working for Artsy, an online destination for the art world, and Levi for the luxury American jewelry brand David Webb, they both spend their days surrounded by beauty. Stepping into their Upper East Side home, their creative perspective is evident as is the harmony with which they decorate their space.

Name: Candace Soriano and Jason Rein Location: Hancock Park, Los Angeles, California Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 7 months; Rented Candace is an interior designer by trade and when you walk into her home in the heart of Los Angeles, it exudes a beautiful, relaxed, grown up feel. She lives here with her boyfriend, Jason, and they chose this part of town because of its historical charm.

You go there every week to fill your fridge, but just how much attention have you paid to the decor at your favorite grocery store? Not enough! From smart space planning to draw-your-eye blue light specials, your mega mart has plenty of stellar ideas you can steal for your own space. Let’s take a look. You know we constantly extole the virtues of great lighting in your space and the grocery store really gets it done.

Name: Lisa Price Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan Size: 936 square feet Years lived in: 10 years; owned Imagine a house where the best of the best vintage and thrift store finds are arranged by color. Imagine really cool vintage furniture in really good condition. Imagine that almost every accessory and piece of furniture comes with a story (from a family member, a stranger at a flea market or a previous owner at a yard sale).

There are a few things that are transformative—things that go beyond decorating and get to the very core of what makes you happy at home.

Name: Chris Tuttle Location: Boystown; Chicago, Illinois Size: Studio Years lived in: 1 year; rented From the moment I walked into Chris Tuttle’s space, I felt like I had escaped city life. Dark walls and rich décor set the warm mood. The snug studio is peppered with charming and colorful vintage finds. And when I say snug I mean snug – you can practically see the entire thing from the front door.

It’s always interesting when homeowners make an unexpected choice in their spaces. In these nine rooms, one might expect to see a rug, yet these decorators have chosen to forgo one. It’s a slightly more subtle, sparse look that really lets the rest of the room shine. Take a look. So, tell us. What do you think about this look? Would you (do you) sport a bare floor?

Today, we continue our collaborative series curated by Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason of Aphrochic for Apartment Therapy. They handpick homes from around the world to share that capture the culture and style that they celebrate in their book, Remix: Decorating with Culture, Objects, and Soul.

I’ve been living in London for nearly a decade now, having moved here from Canada as a bright-eyed university graduate, in search of tea and adventure. Through my friendships and work as an interior designer (not to mention my work for Apartment Therapy— I love a good House Tour snoop), I’ve been lucky enough to have been invited into countless English homes over the years, from Cornwall to Yorkshire and nearly every county in between.

Name: Jennifer Laskey + Hunter Hall (and Kitty Capone + Niblet) Jennifer is the Creator/ Owner of RedLight Special Events, Weddings by Jennifer Laskey & Salvage Beauty Design Co. and Hunter is the Creator/Managing Partner of Archetype Hospitality & Development, LLC. Location: Los Feliz; Los Angeles, California Size: 1,300 square feet Years lived in: 6.

I never fail to be impressed by the ingenuity of city dwellers living in itty bitty teeny tiny spaces. Especially now that I’m shopping for apartments in New York, and all I can think is… where do you put the furniture? Here are five apartments belonging to real New Yorkers who have solved that problem in creative ways, and managed to squeeze a lot of living out of a little space. I really like what Linsey’s done with a fairly typical New York studio layout.

Of the many things you might be on the lookout for when searching for your next apartment to live in — hardwood floors, big windows, a lot of space — don’t neglect the odd but useful items on this list. They might save you a lot of future pain and make sure you enjoy your next home! We spotted these ideas from a thread on Reddit asking for what to look out for and what to asking when looking for an apartment.

Name: Alana Biagioli & Taylor Gulbins Location: Hoboken, New Jersey Size: 900 square feet Years lived in: 6 months; Rented You may recall Taylor’s house call post a couple months ago, and the apartment in Hoboken that lured him and his girlfriend, Alana, out of Manhattan. The square footage and daylight in their home definitely seems worth the move. They have created a fresh and modern space that has plenty of character and craft. Decorating this apartment was clearly a labor of love.

When you live in the close quarters of an apartment or condo, a little bit of consideration can go a long way towards happy neighbors. Sharing a wall can get awkward, so think about these tips before problems arise. If you can prevent or nip little squabbles in the bud, you can potentially save yourself massive amounts of misery and stress for years to come. Consider these keep-the-peace ideas: Think about your shared wall when planning the layout of your room.

When the budget is tight and you don’t have tons of time to spend shopping, sometimes purchasing a lot of your home’s design elements from the same few places is just the easy thing to do. So then what can you do to make sure your living room doesn’t look like a catalog spread and that your home feels like “you?” Find the answer in a few simple steps.

What you choose to decorate your walls with is one of the things that makes your style truly yours and all that matters is that you love it! Whether it’s high or low, rare or mass produced, permanently placed and lit or a constantly changing casual display, taking the time to hang artwork with care will make the most of it. Today’s the day to get the job done right! OR, if you are all set with artwork, spend a little time dressing up your space for the holiday season ahead.

Hustlers know: there’s the hard way to do something and then there’s the smart way. Your home is no different. Look to the shrewd, the savvy and the street smart and learn a thing or two about how to beat that long con that is your decor. All hustlers have a grand vision and you should too. Whatever you need to do to get there — goal setting, vision boards or a step-by-step strategy — a solid plan means you’ll be one happy hustler in the long run.

It’s funny how sometimes a phrase can change its meaning as you change your mindset. That is, its definition and significance remain the same and suddenly you realize that you’re the one who has come to better understand it. Such was the case recently when I was reminded of a French term I learned and thought I understood long ago: jolie laide.

Today’s tour is the newest in a collaborative series curated by Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason of Aphrochic for Apartment Therapy. They handpicked homes from around the world to share that capture the culture and style that they celebrate in their book, Remix: Decorating with Culture, Objects, and Soul.

Blogger and DIY crafter Jennifer Perkins is no stranger to styling her home with a collection of unique tchotchkes and vintage finds; her first house tour showed off her love of mid-century modern kitsch and DIY style. She’s back with a new house, this time showing off a home full of fun Halloween decor ideas.

Name: Stephanie A. Meyer Location: Lowry Hill; Minneapolis, Minnesota Size: 1800 square feet Years lived in: Just over a year; Rented As a food writer/blogger, photographer, and newly-minted cookbook author (coming this fall!), cooking and sharing food is at the heart of Stephanie A. Meyer’s home.

Name: Brice & Ilene Bloom-Ellis Location: Lincoln Square, Chicago, IL Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; owned Brice and Ilene are two social workers from St. Louis, where they have a home filled with memories of raising a family, many of their favorite objects, and plenty of space. But, finding themselves in Chicago hotels way too often (Brice travels to Chicago regularly for work), these mid-century lovers began exploring real estate on a small scale.

Name: Justin Bauer Location: Boyle Heights; Los Angeles, California Size: 3,500 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Artist and Creative Director Justin Bauer‘s industrial live/work space is located on the outskirts of Downtown Los Angeles and is an open-concept lover’s dream.

Location: Brooklyn, New York Size: Approximately 750 square feet Years lived in: 5.5 years; Rented Upon entering my pre-war Brooklyn apartment, the first things you see are the dreamy period archways and the three large black and white photographs of my daughter as a newborn, framed against grey walls. My love of photographing interiors has influenced the style of my home just as my love of decorating influences my photography of beautiful spaces.