Decorating by Room

My little bathroom is one of the things I love most about my little New York apartment, but unfortunately, it does not have much in the way of storage. As someone very devoted to the idea of order, if not always the practice of it, this troubles me a great deal, and so I’ve come up with a few solutions that allow me to fit a whole bathroom’s worth of things into my small, storage-challenged space, all (mostly) out of sight.

The average person spends about a third of their life in bed, but in discussions of history we seldom ever mention sleeping (unless, perhaps, someone had the misfortune to be murdered while doing it) and even more infrequently mention the place where the sleeping happens.

Teeny tiny bedroom got you down? Fear not. We're here to help.

I’ve been on a quest for the perfect pillow for years. My mattress game is on point, but the same cannot be said about my pillows. I’ve tried memory foam, contoured memory foam, down varieties (not for me…too much fluffing), down-alternative, gel-fiber, polyester fluff—you name it, I’ve slept on it.

There’s a homelessness crisis in Los Angeles, with an estimated 50,000 people sleeping on the streets every night—a figure that’s jumped 35% in the last year alone. Architecture students at the University of Southern California have worked with city officials and nonprofits to come up with Homes for Hope, a single-occupancy pod that can be built quickly and cheaply, and can help provide safe spaces for homeless people while more permanent solutions are in the works.

If the long, dark winter days have got you down, it may be time to warm up your home’s lighting. While adjusting your lighting may not be something you think about on a daily basis, you’ll be surprised how much adding an extra table lamp or switching lightbulbs can alter the mood of a room. Don’t believe it? Take the challenge: Try one of these nine lighting tips, and we’re willing to bet you’ll find the results to be illuminating. Nothing screams “dorm!

Looking at pictures of vintage bathrooms and kitchens is one of my favorite hobbies, and lately, I’ve been noticing something very interesting: When it comes to style and over-the-top glamour, nothing beats ’20s bathrooms. Sure, the ’80s were wild, but bathrooms from 1920s are… something else. Let’s take a look at these Art Deco beauties. Above: This Art Deco style bath from 1929 is the perfect embodiment (in bathroom form) of the Roaring Twenties.

The Swedes certainly know how to do small spaces. Case in point: this small but stylish apartment, whose living room cupboard conceals a clever surprise. This little apartment has two cupboards in the living room, one of which opens up to reveal the world’s coziest little bedroom. It’s private, tucked away, and, I would imagine, very warm and snug on a Nordic winter night.

Like anything associated with bodily functions, the bathroom has garnered more than its fair share of nicknames, some euphemistic, some far more colorful. (The word ‘bathroom,’ when used to refer to the place where you use the toilet, is in itself a euphemism, implying that something far more delicate than eliminating is going on.) But not all of them are created equal.

Fall always has me turning toward dark, moody spaces, and this autumn I’m especially drawn to dark kitchens. While black (or dark gray or navy) might be an unusual color choice for the kitchen, it’s also, as you can see here, an incredibly stylish one. Maybe these eight spaces will be just the thing to bring you over to the dark side.

Project by: Julie China of Idea Space Architecture + Design Location: Maplewood, New Jersey The wood paneling, formica countertops and dated finishes of this New Jersey kitchen are nothing uncommon to older homes, but they were no longer working for a family of four. Designer Julie China of Idea Space Architecture + Design came on board to open up the space and give it a welcomed refresh.

Do you want to invite friends over — maybe even have a dinner party — but you’ve been hesitating because you live in a studio apartment and your living room is also your dining room, kitchen, office and bedroom? Though it might feel a bit strange to have guests (good friends or acquaintances) milling about in your sleep space, I don’t think having a small home should be a road block for entertaining.

Whether you rent and can’t make any changes or just don’t have the funds to remodel, moving into a home with a vintage bathroom can be a challenge. When that bathroom sports vintage tiles in intense colors, it can be especially puzzling to figure out how to decorate. If the tiles have to stay — and the color palette’s been forced on you, for better or worse — try a trick to making vintage bathrooms work.

When describing your rental bathroom, “spa-like” and “personal sanctuary” are likely not the first words that come to mind. The bathroom of your dreams may be a full remodel away, but by taking cues from spas and saunas, you can decorate your way to a more relaxing space. Grab a Turkish towel and some eucalyptus—it’s time to teach your bathroom how to chill out.

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 is no American city quite like New Orleans: it’s a little Spanish, a little French, but mostly uniquely the thing that it is. Call it a je ne sais quoi. I highly recommend a visit, but if a trip to the Big Easy isn’t in the cards for you right now, there is still a way you can enjoy its unique architecture and laid-back vibe—through these tours of five of NOLA’s most beautiful homes.

Charming in Charleston: Some of the Most Beautiful Homes

Though it may not be your dream material, black and white tiles can be a very affordable choice when you need new flooring in your kitchen. Need proof? These eight rooms look fantastic with black and white floors. From simple spaces to bold, accessorized rooms, let these kitchens and their checkered floors inspire your own home. As you look through these examples, pay attention to the tile size and layout orientation; you’ll see a surprising variety of looks in these rooms.

New does not always trump old. In fact, at Flea Style in Dallas, Texas, it never does. Come take a peek inside owner Brittany Cobb’s warm and inviting office full of well-loved treasures. Name: Brittany Cobb of Flea Style Location: Dallas, Texas Out with the new and in with the old! The transposed popular saying is the core of Brittany Cobb’s Flea Style. Brittany’s childhood was in many ways spent as a business tutorial and foreshadowing of what was to come.

Poufs, floor pillows, low ottomans and small stools—these are all great decor elements to add to a living room whenever you need extra seating or more softness. But it’s not always crystal clear exactly where your newly purchased or DIYed pouf or floor pillow should go. In the place of side chairs? As a coffee table? Kind of floating off to the side?

The vintage kitchen features that came with your house or rental—old appliances, dated fixtures, interesting floor materials—aren’t always the choices you would have made if you had designed from scratch. But if you don’t have the money to renovate (or you rent and can’t) or don’t want to renovate, choose to work with your vintage features, not fight against them! These sixteen kitchens get it right.

Rental bathrooms are notoriously plagued by ugly (or just plain dated) design decisions. The good news is, there are some simple, reversible ways to cover up what you hate most about this room and add your own style to the space. Introducing color and pattern where you can, and choosing attractive storage lets you put your own touch on a temporary home. It may sound obvious, but in a small rental bathroom, the shower curtain is the first thing you should switch out.

When it comes to kicking up your curb appeal, there’s one particular project that pays off: Painting the front door. It’s easy, it’s inexpensive, and it has a magical way of transforming the way your entire home looks. Red, white, black and navy are great choices if you’re after a classic look. But to really turn heads when people walk or drive by, try on one of these unusual shades.

Somewhere along the way, the trend of hanging, bare-bulb light fixtures went from being a new trend in the bedroom to a look that’s here to stay. Read the reasons why this look has gotten so popular, see inspiration from gorgeous bedsides and find ways you can buy or DIY this look. For one, the bare-bulb look is incredibly versatile; it’s a simple look that works with a lot of very different decor styles.

Sunrooms capture the best of the outdoors—being close to nature and soaking in sunlight—without the downsides (like bugs and extreme temperatures). Just looking at photos of them can take your stress level down a notch. But, these gorgeous spaces aren’t simply fun to look at, they can also offer inspiration and ideas for your home, even if you don’t have a sunroom of your own.

Can you spot the amazingly adorable, easily doable, room divider situation in this Oakland loft? It’s a simple idea, but also incredibly smart storage-wise. And the result isn’t just a fresh room divider idea for an open-space loft, it’s an idea that could help divide space or add additional storage in a studio apartment or bedroom.

Are you staring at the blank wall above your sofa with hammer in hand, afraid to punch the first hole to hang your art? Or maybe you’ve already hung art above your sofa, but every time you look at your handiwork, something feels “off.” Hanging art isn’t rocket science, but with so many different variables, it can sometimes be difficult to get just right.

Coat hooks. I mean… there’s not really much you can do there, right? (Wrong.) With one or two or 20 standard coat hooks and a little bit of ingenuity, you can create some pretty stellar little hallway hacks worthy of bearing an artsy label like “entryway installment” (rather than dull old coat rack).

Bathrooms have this bizarre disposition to be judged. Besides the whole peeking-in-the-medicine-cabinet trope, I guess we’re likely to evaluate people’s bathrooms because it’s the one place where we, as guests, get a chance to linger alone and really contemplate the personal style of the person who’s invited us over. For that reason, if you’re out to impress, the bathroom is one of the first rooms you need to work on.

Many a beautiful kitchen have been built on a foundation of pretty normal, neutral cabinetry. But if you ever have the opportunity to renovate a kitchen from scratch and add in something really spectacular in the realm of cabinetry, it’s like a shortcut to great style. Above: I’m sorry, but how cool is this oversized-pegboard-style upper cabinet area in this tall Amsterdam schoolhouse-turned apartment, from Dwell? We can see this evolving over time to be used exactly as you need.

Gisbert Pöppler via Dustjacket Attic Kitchen cabinets: they’re necessary, but let’s face it—they aren’t always the most interesting pieces of furniture. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case! Here are imaginative kitchens that make use of large, antique pieces of furniture in addition to regular kitchen cabinets. They’re drama-filled, glamorous, and practical. Read on to find out why you may want to give this trend a try.

In a bit of a rut in the bedroom? I mean, design-wise? (We can’t help with the other thing.) Good news: We’ve collected eight creative, unconventional ideas that will surely refresh your space and give you something to really get excited over when you pop into bed each night. Above: We see a lot of rug layering in living rooms, but it’s fresh for the boudoir.

Tired of looking at your bathroom’s blank or beige walls? You might need some art! And there have been some spectacular ideas to borrow for your own home from the homes we’ve toured here on Apartment Therapy. Above: A DIY mosaic mural on a wall adds whimsy, color and excitement to a bathroom. Art all over: Elizabeth’s bathroom features a black-and-white faux-finish on the floor, writing on the wall (literally) and cut-out, pasted-on clouds on the ceiling.

You don’t have to remodel to add a lot of extra counter space and storage space to your kitchen — all it takes is a kitchen cart. These little workhorses are a great way to make a small kitchen more workable, or just help you get the most of your space no matter what size it is. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite kitchen carts (and islands), in a range of prices to suit pretty much any budget. This hardworking IKEA cart is perfect for smaller kitchens.

Let’s face it: as much as we’d all like to think of ourselves as the sort of people who throw dinner parties all the time, the formal dining room is mostly obsolete. So what’s a modern family to do? You can set up a dining table and chairs in there and then let stuff collect on the table (I’m pretty sure this is the default), or you can take it one step further and transform your dining room into a multi-purpose space that you’ll use every day.

Are you looking to carve out a small little spot in a corner of your living room or dining room (or maybe even bedroom) for a work or hobby space? Just a little bit of room that’s all for you to flex your creative muscles? You might find inspiration for what should be in that corner from this beautifully appointed home office set-up.

Humans don’t hibernate, but we do an approximation of it. If you live in the northern climes, chances are there are a few months where you just barely leave the house. During these months your home becomes more important than ever before: you want it to be a place that’s cozy, that’s welcoming, a place where you would feel good being trapped in a blizzard.

Art — framed, sculptural or on canvas — makes a stylish statement to hang on the wall above your bed. Your bed is a natural focal point in your bedroom, so deciding what to do above it is an important task. Go beyond “art,” if you dare, with these eleven stylish ideas that will definitely wow in your bedroom. Create a pattern easier than painting by using vinyl wall stickers. In the bedroom above, a gold polka dot pattern makes for one serious above-the-bed look.

You might not think about coffee table heights as the sort of thing that fluctuates throughout the years, but like any design element, the ideal coffee table height not only changes from room style to room style, but also according to what’s in vogue in living rooms that are being lived in, in the current moment. Low coffee tables are just what they sound like: coffee tables with a top surface that sits a fair bit lower than your usual coffee table find.

Benches look great in hallways and under windows. They function perfectly in an entryway. They’re a surprising but useful addition to a dining room furniture set. But in living rooms they’re often to relegated to the sidelines — along the walls — and usually housing some decor vignette. There’s nothing wrong with benches in your living room looking pretty. But they can do so much more.

If you’re lucky enough to have a guest room, chances are good that you’ll be hosting someone there this holiday season. Of course you want your guests to be comfortable, but even the most dedicated hosts sometimes forget a few things. Before your guests arrive, take a look at this checklist of six guest room must-haves to make their stay as enjoyable as possible. Blankets. Probably the biggest potential source of discomfort for your guests is your home’s temperature.

You might think that entertaining — especially during the holidays — is out of the question in your small space. These dining areas can blow that myth out of the water. Look at how these folks make room for cozy and compact dining areas and see if any of these ideas can work for your home. Don’t be afraid to use your sofa on one side and a small table in the middle to carve out a dining space. Floor pillows and stools can always be pulled over for extra seating.

There’s no one-size fits all recipe for a room, of course. But if you’re stuck trying to get that luxe-y, lived-in look in your dining room on an affordable budget, can we suggest one of our favorite combinations? The dining room is the perfect place to play with furniture because there are no time constraints on getting it “finished.” Start with what you have (a table and 4-ish chairs, maybe?

Can you touch one of your bedroom walls…while you’re laying in your bed (and not even stretching out all that much)? You might have a teeny tiny bedroom, the kind of small space where there’s room for a bed…and not much else. If you do (or you just like smart small space living and decorating solutions), you might find some inspiration in these bedroom decorating ideas.

If you’re lucky enough to have an extra bedroom in your home, you might be getting some familial pressure to have a guest room always at the ready for out-of-towners. An extra bed is never a bad idea, but letting an empty room go to waste the other 51 weeks of the year seems like a shame. Maximize your space by turning that room into one of these things that you can appreciate all the time. Your guests will understand!

A few months ago I decided to paint my laminate countertops as a temporary solution to a very ugly, very burnt orange problem in my kitchen. I was a little hesitant to do so since our actual counter space is minimal and sees a fair amount of traffic, but forged ahead because the price and risk (those countertops are coming out this fall either way!) were low. Here’s how they’ve fared… They have unfortunately acquired quite a few battle wounds!

Living in a small living room, like living in a small home, is a delicate balance of aesthetics and sacrifice. Your living room is often the central hub of your home, and so should have special attention paid to it, particularly if it’s on the small side. Instead of (or in addition to) a wall collage of art, use mirrors to expand the space, reflect light and make the space feel livelier. → 10 Ways To Use Mirrors To Make Your Space Look Larger.

Q: My husband and I are planning our guest bathroom renovation and we are at an impasse as to what type of bathtub to choose. I’m all-in on a clawfoot tub. He is not. My argument is based mainly on aesthetics, his on functionality.

We talk a lot about streamlining. Minimizing. Cutting back. Paring down. And we really think that’s good. But it’s not always best (for you or your style). Sometimes “busy” decor, rooms bursting with things you love and that inspire you, is the right choice for your home. Take a page from these “busy” living rooms to learn lessons on how to make a full, exciting living room work for your style, without overwhelming everyone who spends time in it.

In the digital era, even with Pinterest and what have you, there’s still something so comforting about having images and ideas that you love on actual pieces of paper. Maybe this is why more and more people are creating inspiration boards — delightful little assemblages of art and ideas and whatever catches your eye. Here are ten of our favorites. Go ahead, grab some pushpins and dig in.

Living rooms are like living, breathing things that constantly evolve along with their inhabitants. We watch them change over time, as tastes and moods shift. Where are they today? If you’re thinking of redecorating or renovating, here are four of the top trends for modern living rooms. We’ve seen a lot of light wood and Scandinavian pastels in recent years, but lately there’s been a shift — perhaps ushered in by Abigail Ahern — towards dark walls and moody decor.

Either by choice or by the vagaries of fate, you have found yourself living in a studio apartment. That’s it. Just one room. And maybe you’re cool with that, but you don’t feel like looking at your bed all day long. Or you need a little privacy for when houseguests stay, or you just want to create a little separation between the parts of your apartment devoted to sleeping and waking. Apartment Therapy has a few ideas.

One sure-fire way to make your home memorable? Take advantage of every opportunity to layer in a little personal style to your space. Adding (or replacing) a door knocker is a great example of exactly this type of decor-enhancing opportunity; they set the tone for a personality-packed interior, are usually VERY affordable and the install process is a quick, easy DIY project for a half hour on the weekend. Why have a same-old, same-old conservative – or even worse!

Windowless bathrooms have the potential to be very dark and dreary places. Without natural light pouring in, they can turn into caves you don’t want to spend a lot of time in. But they don’t have to be unpleasant. There are some things you can do — design-wise — to make your bathroom lovely despite the lack of a view. Here are nine windowless bathrooms doing it right — inspiration for your own home!

Name: Marlowe Clementine Location: Echo Park; Los Angeles, California Room Size: 17.5 ft x 9 ft Last time we visited the home of Amy Pigliacampo and her husband Corey Szopinksi, they had been living there a mere 2 months. Now three years later, with their daughter on the way, Amy has completely redesigned their spare bedroom. Marlowe Clementine is due in March, soon to be welcomed home to one of the most creative and original nurseries I’ve ever seen.

Are you struggling with how to fit your furniture in the living room, and can’t for the life of you come up with a good layout? You might need to “float” your furniture — or pull everything out from the wall and create an island of sorts comprising your sofa, chairs and tables — and anchor it all with an area rug. What decorating magic is this do you ask? And how will you know if this is the answer?

IKEA’s new kitchen cabinet system hits the stores on February 2nd. To help you plan your dream kitchen, as promised in our earlier inside scoop post, we’ve got need-to-know details ahead of time. Here’s inside info on everything from price to measurements, features to finishes, along with plenty of photos. Let the new kitchen designing and dreaming begin!

Your shower may have been designed purely for washing your skin and hair — but that doesn’t mean that’s all that goes on there. For the sake of science, and for the sake of writing an Apartment Therapy post about weird things people do in the shower, I took an informal survey of co-workers and friends (and did some cursory internet searches), which turned up all kinds of showertime activities that have nothing to do with bathing. Here are seven of the most unusual. Do laundry.

Staring all day at photos of enviable bathrooms full of bold tile floors, brand new fixtures, dreamy cabinets and claw foot tubs made for soaking in, it can be easy to get discouraged and focus on what you can’t do when you rent (or if you own but don’t have a huge budget for renovations). But just because you can’t tear everything out and start over doesn’t mean you can’t make your bathroom more beautiful.

Welcome to my parent’s spare room, soon to be Man Cave for Snoring Father, or Respite for Tired Mother, depending on which way you look at it. Dad’s official take on the room’s “before” status? “Too much basket.” There’s not really that much “basket,” just a woven chair, laundry basket and tiny basket on the bedside. For a mother and daughter team who love all things woven, is that really too much?

Project by: Taiyo Location: Brooklyn, New York My roommate moved out of the larger room in my apartment so I took the opportunity and switched rooms. Playing with a blank canvas was both exciting and daunting, as I started accumulating furniture a few weeks before the switch hoping it would all work out in the end. I drew inspiration from Scandinavian design, Japan (where I’ve lived), and Brooklyn which resulted in a mix of natural wood and industrial-style elements.

At the top of my wish list for this fall is a giant chunky knit wool blanket. I keep seeing them on Scandinavian design blogs, and every time I do I take a minute and imagine how wonderful it would feel to be snuggled up underneath a blanket that feels like a giant wool sweater for your entire body. So I’ve hunted down a few sources for these enormous lovelies, and also a few DIYs for those of you brave (and talented!) enough to make your own.

It’s one thing to add in a lot of color into a living room. It’s another thing to mix a lot of bold colors expertly in one compact space. How do you do it so it’s exciting and not a messy jumble of hues? A favorite house tour with a particularly colorful living room holds six secrets worth stealing for your own colorful home.

Name: Avery Location: Seattle, Washington Room Size: 9.5 x 13 I have a special place in my heart for nurseries with dark walls. When I was designing my first-born’s space, I was terrified to go dark, but my husband was really into the idea. After we did it, the space immediately felt so cozy and restful. So when I came across Avery’s nursery, I was head over heels.

Important Update: We’ve got all the finalized details on the new IKEA kitchen! Click here for our new post filled with photos, prices and tons of info on sizes, finishes and features. I’m sure you’ve heard the not-so-secret rumor that IKEA is transitioning to a new line of kitchen cabinets in 2015 and it’s all true – it’s definitely happening and the new system, called SEKTION, is on its way and will be in US stores soon.

A lot of the open shelving we’ve seen falls into one of two categories: simple floating shelves, or cabinets sans cabinet doors. But that doesn’t mean yours has to. Take a look at these ten inspiring examples of unique open shelving… and then maybe get inspired to build your own. Above: how beautiful are is this brass and glass shelving unit? The whole kitchen is gorgeous, of course, but it’s really the shelves that steal the show.

Most good things in life do take time, but every now and then you can cut some corners, spend zero dollars and take a few minutes to improve a room in your home without a significant time (or money) investment. This weekend, make your bedroom a slightly better place with these nine easy changes you can tackle. 1. Move your phone charger across the room from your bed Actually, if you have a separate alarm clock then take your phone and charger out of your bedroom all together.

Name: Samantha Rose Location: Atlanta, Georgia Room Size: 13′ x 13′ I love when a nursery strikes that perfect balance between being sweet enough for a baby, but sophisticated enough for the grown ups in the family to feel right at home as well. Ryan and April managed to do just that when they created this lovely nursery for their baby girl, Samantha Rose.

Welcome to the most chaotic, most used, most loved room in my home, my kitchen! Now, this kitchen certainly isn’t the biggest I’ve lived with (That award goes to my first place in Houston. It only had one cabinet, but technically the kitchen was 12 by 15 feet!) or fanciest I’ve ever had (That would be my first kitchen in NYC.

Once upon a time, I was flat-hunting in London and found an adorable one. The location was convenient and the space bright and sunny. The problem? The bathroom was located off the bedroom, meaning that guests would have to go past my bed in order to use it. Here’s how to make the most of this sometimes awkward layout: Though I immediately discounted that flat, I’ve since discovered that this layout isn’t as ridiculous (or rare) as I once thought.

You don’t need a bold wall paint color to turn the tide on a bland bedroom. These six bedrooms — despite their white walls — are real-life examples from our house tours of rooms that wow. And they are full of bold ideas to borrow for your own bedroom (in case it’s feeling a little too white and boring). Pictured above: Can’t do color on the walls? Do texture instead! And then also put texture on the bed, too, just for good measure.

The mix and match dining set is a great look. It can be seen across many different interior styles — Scandinavian, modern, bohemian, eclectic, etc. It does, however, take a bit of thought and planning to pull it off, because you can’t just order one up from the store. In many cases it’s also a very budget friendly option, because you can use either dated, thrifted or random chairs you have around to create a look.