High & Low: An Eclectic Mid-Century Meets Transitional Living Room
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.
Mar 29, 2016
No Nails Needed: Renter’s Tricks for Decorating that Awkward Space Above the Sofa
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.
Mar 9, 2016
The Hunt for a Non-Velvet Green Sofa
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!
Mar 8, 2016
The Most Design-Forward Sofa at IKEA (We’ve Been Spotting It Everywhere)
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.
Mar 2, 2016
Take a Peek Inside America’s Largest Closet
A few weeks ago we featured 12 super luxurious closets that are about the size of the typical Manhattan apartment. But these, it turns out, do not even come close to the size of the biggest closet in America, which covers three stories and measures a whopping 3,000 square feet. The closet, to no one’s surprise, is in Texas, where land is plentiful and everything is bigger.
Jan 25, 2016
3 Things You’re Buying That Are Too Small (And One That’s Too Big)
...and one that's too big.
Jan 19, 2016
What To Do With That Small, Awkward Gap Behind the Sofa
If you float your living room furniture (and you should consider it) then you might have one of those pesky spots that’s not quite big enough for traditional furniture, but it’s too big to completely ignore. What to do, what to do? Sometimes it’s 12 inches, and sometimes a few feet. Either way, it’s an opportunity. There’s usually always enough room for a leaning mirror against the wall.
Nov 4, 2015
A Shopping Guide to Bright Beautiful Seating
The colorful sofa trend is going strong and, as a color addict myself, I couldn’t be happier. It’s hard not to smile when you walk into a room that has a big and bold pop of color. Color may not be for everyone and the thought of such a large piece in a bright color may be intimating, but what’s great is that a colorful sofa can actually be versatile.
Oct 14, 2015
High & Low: One Fresh Home Office Look, Two Budgets
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.
Sep 22, 2015
Style Spotting: Statement Lighting From Our Tours (& Where to Buy It)
Do you often scroll through our house tours and think, “Where did they find that?” Me too. So I found out. Each one of these amazing photos has a chandelier that you could buy today. We’ll tell you where! Above: Grant and Gabriel in Chicago bought the Crown Major Suspension by Nemo Lighting. See the whole house here → Gabriel & Grant’s Warm Minimalism Jennifer picked out a chandelier from Anthem San Francisco.
Aug 9, 2015
9 Places to Find Inexpensive, Modern Furniture
If you've got champagne taste & a beer budget, take a look at this list of eight retailers where you can satisfy your design craving.
Feb 8, 2015
Style Forecast: Sofa Trends for 2014 & Beyond
I recently bought a new sofa and it felt like I was buying a car. It’s such a big decision; both in terms of cost and how long you’ll likely live with it. New sofa styles for 2014 are harkening back to classic themes – a Scandinavian take on mid-century, natural wood legs, colorful upholstery, tufted details and retro silhouettes.
Aug 7, 2014
Living Room Blueprints: 3 Versatile Sofa & Chair Layouts to Try
Just like the human body, most rooms share the same skeleton. No matter the size or style—from Eclectic to English Country—a well-designed living room starts with one of a few basic layouts. These are floor plans that have proven over time to be the best at defining the space and directing the flow in your home’s most livable room. Using the same three pieces—a sofa and two chairs—we sketched out three of the most popular living room blueprints.
Aug 7, 2014
Finishing Touches for an Unfinished Room: Tips from the Pros
I don’t remember where I read it or exactly when I read it, but it had to be well over five years ago. Nevertheless, that one little sentence of advice is still stuck in my head to this day. It went something like, “if your room doesn’t feel finished, add a touch of black”. It’s such a simple suggestion, easy for any novice to try out, and it got me thinking. What other tricks do the pros have up their sleeves?
Mar 27, 2014
The Togo Sofa and 3 Cheaper Alternatives
One of those designs that inspires true passion on both ends of the spectrum – it seems you either love it or really don’t – Ligne Roset’s Togo is a classic. These sofas, loveseats, chairs, and ottomans are unique with their low-to-the-ground, casual styling and almost anthropomorphic folds. The design has inspired a slew of knockoffs, too (perhaps a true testament to the Togo’s status as a classic).
Feb 6, 2014
The Best Sofa Frame Construction: Kiln Dried vs. Engineered Wood
Buying a new sofa can be intimidating. It seems there are endless questions about the finer details that will determine if your couch will stand the test of time. We’ve tried to shed a little bit of light on one of the most important questions: should you look for a kiln-dried hardwood or engineered wood frame?Kiln-dried hardwood is typically considered top-of-the-line, and has been a long-standing selection in durable sofas.
Jun 15, 2011
MANSTAD Sectional Sofa Bed & Storage from IKEA
MANSTAD packs a lot of punch — it’s a (1) small scale sectional sofa that’s also a (2) bed and (3) storage. While there are options for sectionals with built in beds, few are this small, this inexpensive and few are designed to take advantage of the full footprint.
Sep 2, 2009
5 Things to Put Behind a Sofa (Besides a Sofa Table)
In a small space, figuring out where to put the sofa is key, but figuring out what to put behind it is equally important. That space behind your couch can be used for shelving, storage, and more if you plan your layout well…Shelving, whether wall-mounted or freestanding, creates a dramatic backdrop behind the sofa. In the middle of a room, you can use open shelving to divide a space and anchor your couch. (This photo is from our old apartment.
Oct 20, 2008
Product Review: Bo Concept Spaze Sofa Bed
Bo Concept recently let us test drive one of their more popular sofa beds to see what we thought of it. After 2 weeks of giving it our all, we have our verdict:Bo Concept is a European Furniture maker that falls somewhere between West Elm and Design Within Reach. Marketed as affordable luxury, their furniture is modern, sleek and often perfect for small spaces.
Sep 8, 2008
8 Spots to Put a Dresser…
…besides the bedroom. Dressers are super-versatile pieces that provide a lot of storage, and they don’t have to be relegated to clothes-keeping. In the dining room they can store napkins and silverware, in the family room they can store DVDs, and in a hallway they can store linens. Click below for 8 spots to put a dresser.In a hallway, a dresser can store out-of-season clothes or extra linens.
Jan 30, 2008