Decorating

Taking inspiration from the IKEA summer catalog and Designers Guild, I decided to dip dye paper lanterns to replace the grubby, aging ones currently hanging from my balcony. The 4th of July holiday gave me a good deadline to finally get this DIY project off the back burner. This is one of the cheapest and easiest DIY projects that I have done.

Name: Rafael Location: Amsterdam Room Size: 36 square feet Take a peek into Rafael’s darling little sanctuary where he spends countless winks! Sofia, his mother, did an excellent job using muted and natural colors with a pop of blue and delicate touches around the room. She took time choosing items that were personal (including vintage pieces that her husband used growing up) and practical.

Name: Jack (3) Location: Dallas, TX Room Size: 11′ x 12′ How do you blend a modern aesthetic with the wild spirit of a romping, play-in-the-dirt three-year-old boy? Just ask Ginny Chase of Chasing Sunshine. She artfully created a clean, modern black and white bedroom for her son Jack without losing any of the playfulness or fun that comes along with being three – no small feat as a renter.

Name: Eden Location: Richmond, Virginia Room Size: 7′ x 9′ The moment I walked into this nursery, I wanted to plop down on the rocking chair and hang out in there all afternoon! Laura did a great job making a small space feel both cozy and bright, and attributes a lot of that coziness to the fact that most of the items in the nursery are gifted from friends and family who wanted to be a part of baby Eden’s life.

Recently I came across the image above of small bunk beds in the shared bedroom of 4-year-old twins and realized I’d never seen mini bunks like this. They are the same size as a toddler bed (i.e. the size of a crib mattress) and offer a stop-gap solution for parents looking to eke out another year or two in their current space. First, a word about safety: Although these beds are sized for toddlers—i.e.

Name: Judah (4) & Layla (3) Location: Senoia, Georgia Room Size: 110 sq ft Judah and Layla’s shared space is about the same size as my daughter’s small nursery (albeit a bit taller), so I was amazed with how their mother Keight was able to make the space serve so many different functions. It’s a bedroom, a playroom, an arts and crafts space, and a general hangout.

Name: Ruby Location: Valley Village, CA Room Size: 12′ x 12′ Ruby’s nursery had me at hello. From the glamorous chandelier to the pattern play throughout the space, it isn’t your typical baby room by any stretch of the imagination. Even though the space looks very high-end, I love that Ruby’s mom Rachelle was able to save some money by searching sites like Craigslist and Etsy for budget-friendly versions of the pricier pieces that she loved.

Name: Wyatt (6 Months) Location: Tustin, California Room Size: 10×12 ft While I’m not usually a fan of primary-colored nurseries, I was absolutely smitten from the moment I stumbled across this happy space that Whitney Johnson created for her baby boy, Wyatt. By starting with a black and white base and adding small pops of primary colors throughout the space, she kept the room feeling colorful and happy without making it feel too saturated or busy.

Name: Johnny (3.5) and Freddie (7) Location: Mt Eliza, Victoria, Australia Room Size: 12′ x 10′ I tend to think of myself as an “eclectic” person when it comes to decor – mainly meaning that I can’t settle on a particular style. I love the clean lines and fresh colors of modern spaces but at the same time am drawn to the warmth and coziness of a more rustic design.

Even though most agree that IKEA designs are already pretty great (for the price especially), that doesn’t stop creative people from putting their own spin on the products. Lighting in particular is fun to tweak, and a good way to add extra personality to your child’s room. Here are ten really great projects to inspire you… TOP ROW 1. A Mr. Moon lamp hacked from a FADO, inspired by a print by Martin Krusche, from Mommo Designs. Nieves de TokyoMASKROS IKEA Hackers 4.

Wouldn’t you have loved to create little worlds on the walls with magnets, or draw tiny characters all over your bedroom when you were a kid? If you have a creative child that leaves you scrubbing walls with a bucket and sponge—let the creativity fly! These five interactive wallpapers for kids let parents breathe easier and get kids’ creative juices flowing. 1. My personal favorite: Sian Zeng Interactive Magnetic Wallpaper for kids from Just Kids Wallpaper, $540 AUD.

Name: Oscar (5) Location: Den Bosch, the Netherlands Room Size: 3.5 x 3.5 meters I’m not sure if it was the bright yellow bed, the wall of beautiful books, or the fabulous wallpaper, but it was love at first sight when I laid eyes on Oscar’s room. I’ve always been drawn to spaces that combine both vintage and modern pieces, and I absolutely adore both bright white spaces and those filled with bold colors. This room is the perfect union of all of those elements.

I know exactly how many stairs there are to our apartment. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve counted—through tantrums, while carrying strollers or sleds in the dead of winter. We’ve lived here four years now, they were babies, they were just-learning to walk, I even had one C-section. Friends who live large on the ground floor tell me they’d never go back. So…how do we do it? How do we make life work with kids in a walk up? 1.

Is there anything more enviable about a Scandinavian kids room than their amazing mix of bright and bold textiles? Of course there isn’t, just look at those quilts! Ready for some new bedding? Here are some Scandi-style sources to brighten up your little one’s room: 1. For Scandi-style on a budget, look no further than IKEA. Remember their cheaper pieces can always be paired with more expensive Scandinavian linens. This duvet cover and pillowcase is just $29.99. 2.

Adding a graphic element to is a good way to customize a party and make it your own. For Maxwell and Lulu’s Halloween party, we created these easy cupcake plates using ceramics from the thrift store and some clip art. Inkjet Lazertran Image Transfer Paper Blank Ceramic Plate Clear Acrylic Spray Chosen Image Alcohol (optional) Bowl of Warm Water Paper Towel I love this method because it can be temporary if you want to reclaim your plate after the party.

Reversible and versatile, the IKEA Kura bed is shaping up to be a firm favorite of Scandi-style and budget-loving parents the world over. Its low profile means its perfect for small spaces and younger kids. But…is it possible you could make the Kura sleep two? Here are examples of some families who have done exactly that.

At first glance, the bedroom seems the least important room in the home, in terms of lighting. After all, we’re not really working in there much (unless it doubles as an office), and the primary goal of the space is to support sleep— which requires an intentional lack of light.

As with the kitchen, the bathroom is a “work room,” and therefore one of the most important spaces in the home to get lighting right. They also tend to be smaller than all the other rooms in our home, and don’t have as many (or as large) windows. Careful consideration of the General, Task and Accent lighting we add to this room will pay dividends in how the area functions and feels.

The bedroom is a great place to make an impact…with oversize art. Fewer windows and, often, a tendency to leave the walls blank is an opportunity to add a focal point with one big, grand piece of art. Top Row 1. A colorful, abstract painting brings focus to the center of this vibrant bedroom. Real Living magazine featuring Andrew O’Brien artwork (available here) 2. A monochromatic room is punctuated with an ironic canvas. Tamara Magel Home on Houzz 3.

Paint color and light go hand in hand, and are a complex couple. Your paint color will look different depending on the light that it’s exposed to. The tricky part is this: light is never consistent and how it shines depends entirely on time and context. Learn the different light variables, and how color responds, and you are well on your way to becoming a paint master of the universe.

In this post on easy-to-live-with paint colors, a number of you asked for a post on paint colors that go with wood trim. Ask, and you will receive! Here’s a roundup of some successful colors from our House Tours that allow wood trim to shine. When it comes to wood trim, neutrals are an easy choice, but as some of these rooms from our house tours show, having wood trim doesn’t mean that you have to be a shrinking violet. Bold colors can work just as well! TOP ROW: 1.

Sconces are the chameleons of small space lighting — they blend in anywhere, whether a bathroom, hallway, or bedroom. Here are 10 particularly compact and useful designs, from high-end Italian pieces to budget utility lighting. West Elm Their Flat Stock Single Sconce has a mirrored backing that reflects light, and it’s affordably priced at $59. There are double and triple versions as well. If you’re a renter, check out their non-hardwired Industrial Sconce, $79.

So, you’re shopping for a sofa that won’t overwhelm your tiny studio apartment or you’re looking for seating to fit inside an alcove. The problem is, you keep coming up short (bad pun intended — sorry). Most furniture stores tend to favor large sizes, especially when it comes to anchor pieces like sofas and beds. But if you know where to look, you can find moderately sized sleepers, settees, and loveseats that will work in a small home.

Indigo might be the dark blue of the moment. However, it is nothing new to home interiors; it’s a stylistic reincarnation of navy blue. Indigo and navy are both a dark blue bordering on black, but one color name is associated with an eclectic style, while the other expresses a traditional style. We love it, whichever name it goes by. Indigo is a natural dye extracted from plants and has been around the world for centuries.

Recovering an old lampshade with new fabric is one of the easiest ways to make a large impact on a room — without largely impacting your budget. No sewing machine? No problem! Lamp shade 1 yard of fabric (if you are working with a very large shade you may need more) Sharp scissors Large sheet of blank paper (tracing paper or wrapping paper work great!) Spray adhesive Lots of clothespins Pen or marker 1.

Name: Nina James Location: Johannesburg, South Africa When I first came across this South African nursery, I was dying to know who made the adorable little house bed. I was certainly very surprised to learn that the bed is actually going to become a crib and is a DIY project created by Nina James’ talented parents! It’s definitely the focal point of this unique, modern nursery, but the rest of the space is full of wonderful little surprises as well.

When I started Apartment Therapy as a design service in NYC in 2001, I quickly noticed that if I helped someone to improve their home, but their refrigerator was empty, progress halted. In other words, no matter how lovely I was able to get a home to look, if my clients didn’t come home to cook and eat, everything got cold and dusty.

One of the many things you can do to transform your kitchen is to change your countertops. If completely replacing them isn’t an option for you right now, updating your existing laminate with countertop coating is a great way to achieve a new, fresh look without breaking the bank. Countertop paint is great for homeowners and renters alike.

Name: George (1) Location: Los Angeles, California Room Size: 11′ x 12′ There’s really nothing more magical than childhood, so it seems quite fitting when I come across a child’s room that feels more like a wonderland than a simple spot to sleep. Maybe it’s the twinkle lights or perhaps it’s the unicorn, but there’s something about this sweet nursery that is just so dreamy. How would you describe the look and feel of this room?

Have you ever considered bringing your favorite natural scene into your own space to enjoy all year round? Wall murals and huge scale nature art can be a bit tricky, since there’s a wide selection of options of varying quality. If you’re inspired to create a beautiful indoor retreat, check out these examples of the look done right. These examples include art, murals and tapestries — and some are even from hotels (so you can book now and see how you like living with it first).

I’m always interested in what the kids these days are doing in their dorm rooms. Yes, I realize that statement makes me sound like a geriatric. But seriously, were there ever so many dorm-dedicated brands and options ten—even five—years ago? I look at Instagram, lookbooks and big box circulars longingly. But you know what? There are some great storage ideas and products for the rest of us disguised in all that college ‘ish. Ya feel?

If you clicked on this story, there’s a good chance that, like us, you love astrology. Sure, some people think astrology is a little hokey, but we always feel like or horoscopes just get us. As a result, we turn to the stars for everything—and we mean everything. Which houseplants we should buy, what colors to paint our space, and which room to set up first when we move somewhere new. Now, it’s time to see what type of rule breaker you really are.

Name: Jasper (7) Location: Sydney, Australia Room Size: 3m x 3.2m I always admire when a kid’s room is reflective of his interests, but still manages to be stylish. That’s one thing I’ve always struggled with reconciling — throwing Elsa and Anna all over the place and painting the room Barney purple just isn’t my idea of fun. Luckily I think my daughter and I have struck a good balance, and I bet the same can be said of Jasper and his mom, Simone.

Name: Finn (12) Location: Sydney, Australia Room Size: 4m x 3m I’ve been talking a lot lately about creating kids’ spaces that make both the grown ups and the kids happy, and Finn’s room may be the perfect example of just such space. Mom Simone worked together with her twelve-year-old son to create a space that is reflective of his personality and interests.

For a long time now, white-painted woodwork has been de rigeur in the domestic interior, so much so that it’s almost a foregone conclusion. But this is slowly changing: we’ve seen black woodwork popping up lately, and now grays and bold hues are making their voices heard as well. If you fancy this change but aren’t sure what to go for, let this trim-spiration sourced from around the web be your guide.

I always find that painting is (relatively) easy and affordable, once you’ve selected your colors, but the process of getting your choices narrowed down is the lion’s share of the work (and for those of us prone to fretting over design decisions, the potential stress, as well).

Are you thinking about remodeling your kitchen? Here are 15 clever details you might want to consider adding. They’re all elegant solutions that make life in the kitchen just a little bit easier, and we wouldn’t blame you one bit if you want them all. Built-in, pull out cutting boards. From Residence Magazine via Nordicspace. Even better, a pull-out cutting board right about the trash bin, to make sweeping away scraps super-easy. By Gary Wafford.

Name: Archer Location: Los Angeles, California We bought our house when I was 8 weeks pregnant with Archer. Since then, we’ve completed a full gut renovation on the house, including new flooring and walling off a second doorway in Archer’s room. While those renovations were being completed, I had lots of time to come up with a plan for this room!

Dear Alice, My boyfriend and I have been living together for a couple of years now. Whenever I try to decorate or improve our space, he complains and puts his foot down saying that we don’t need anything. Yet at the same time, he also complains that our place is a mess and that he wishes it looked better. Anytime I try to offer an idea for improvement, I get shot down, which wouldn’t be so bad if he offered an alternative idea, but he doesn’t.

Name: Victor ( 3) Location: Norfolk, Virginia Not too long ago I was planning a nursery. But as every parent knows, time flies by and soon enough you find yourself planning the kids college education instead. Sigh… When we moved to our current house I was about 5 months pregnant. It was such a special time with the expectation of the new addition to our family of four plus our new house.

Name: Pie (10 months) Location: South Park — Charlotte, North Carolina Our juxtaposition of a room happens to be the most valuable square footage in our home: the playroom/office combo. It seems nonsensical, but for us, it’s perfect. Pie’s playroom is where we spend the biggest chunk of our days. I am a blogger, so I “work” from home. In reality blogging is more fun than work—my blog is a place where I go to feel creative and inspired.

If your furniture is leggy — the great weight of it lifted high off the floor — you may have found yourself wondering if maybe you should put something under it? Like a basket? Or maybe books? Should you put anything? Can you put anything? The answers to your stuff-under-your-furniture questions can be found in this post.

There’s something really decadent about a pretty chandelier in a small powder room. It makes the bathroom look less like a bathroom, somehow, and a little more like a place where you’d want to spend a bunch of time reading and drinking and soaking away the day. Your tub might just become your favorite place in the house.

What’s even better than going to the library? Having your very own library at home. Here are nine beautiful at-home library spaces, to haunt your Pinterest board and your wildest dreams. Above: a gorgeous library space in a Spanish home from Architectural Digest. Here’s a slightly more modest but no less inspiring space from Domino. A book-lined living room from Casa Vogue. A cozy reading space from Planete Deco.

Name: G and J ( 4 & 2) Location: Toronto, Canada After living in our home for the last two years, we’ve slowly started renovating each space to suit our needs. For our two boys, however, I couldn’t figure out what to do with their space. So it remained with builder grade paint and a few train posters on the wall. As it was time for my youngest to transition out of his crib and into a bed, I knew it was time to finally give their room the makeover that it deserved.

Windows — and their coverings — are a big part of your home’s design. Are you getting yours right? There are a lot of ways you can go wrong with window treatments in your home. Here are seven to look out for. Like the look of sheers but can’t sleep because they let too much street light in? Love the look of big, thick drapes but wish you had more of a breeze in your home?

When you’re living in a small space there’s always that difficulty of where to put all the stuff. Especially if you don’t have a broom closet, finding a place to store all your cleaning supplies and tools can be a real issue. One of my favorite solutions to this problem is a fairly simple one: just buy cleaning tools you won’t mind leaving out. Perhaps you never thought that a dustpan could be beautiful, but that’s because you haven’t seen these dustpans.

Most of us know by now that you don’t have to match all the wood finishes in your home exactly, but many of us are still a bit nervous when it comes to mixing lots of wood finishes in the same room. I spotted four wood finishes in the dining room of Jen and Kirstie’s home; here’s a closer look at how they pull the look off so successfully.

If you’ve dipped a toe into wedding planning, you know that the wedding industry likes to talk about deciding on a “theme” for your big day. But before you start having flashbacks to your Under-the-Sea high school prom, you should know that wedding themes are a bit more sophisticated. It’s about leaning on a few details from a style or era that can set the tone for the entire bash.

Name: Opal ( 4 years old) Location: Anchorage, Alaska Despite being one of the nicest rooms in our house, for years this space was our dysfunctional office and dumping ground. We really wanted a play space on the ground floor so that our daughter could still be close to us while we’re cooking or folding laundry, and also to prevent the creep of toys into the main living areas.

At face value, a wedding is about a couple who’ve decided to spend their lives together. But anyone who’s on the other side of wedding planning will tell you that a wedding is actually all about your guests. It’s about creating a special day to share your love with the friends and family you care about the most. Or a whole weekend, if you have a destination wedding or most of your guest list coming in from out of town.

One of the things that Farrow & Ball is known for is its very carefully edited, strict palette of 132 paint colors, which, in a show of true British prudence, care and custom, is added to quite infrequently. Well, color lovers can rejoice, because today is one of the rare occasions where their colour card is updated. Nine new colors are being released in celebration of the brands 70th anniversary year and we’ve got them to share.

There's no such thing as an awkward space in the post-gallery wall world, because you can arrange a collage of frames to skillfully attack the proportions of any sized wall.

Open kitchen shelving is a charming little minx. She’ll talk you into bringing her home, swaying you with the promise of beautiful displays of glassware and ceramics. “It’s bohemian and cool,” she’ll say. But after too long, she gets comfortable and starts to look, well, messy. The secret to keeping the spark alive in your open-shelf romance? Working hard every day to make sure that your shelves and the things on them are well-styled.

Do you have a basement? Is it being enjoyed? Does it look blah? (Are you perhaps afraid to go down there?) Whether you own or rent, you’ll find inspiration in the end results of these two basements designed by creative couples (one in a rental home, one in an owned home). Each couple approached design in different ways, but the outcomes are the same: A previously unused basement ends up a beautiful bonus space for the home.

In a recent Apartment Therapy ‘Favorite Rooms’ post, someone described their bedroom as “Dark and Stormy.” Perusing through the photos, I agreed with the adjectives; the wall paint color was reminiscent of the greenish blue color of a stormy sea. I realized I had seen several wall paint colors recently that also fit the dark and stormy style. I spot a trend – one that could lead to dramatic and bold spaces.

It’s a wall painting trend that comes and goes: The half-painted wall. (Or, like the famous “Is the glass half full or half empty?” question, you could also consider these half unpainted walls). Whichever way you look at it, only painting half of a wall isn’t putting in half the design effort; it’s creating bold style with well-placed color. These rooms showcase just how beautiful and sophisticated this painting idea can be.

If you ask me, the café of the home shouldn’t have the monopoly on cafe curtains. Those short-tier curtains that cover the bottom half of windows are perfect for more than just the kitchen. Cafe curtains perfectly balance privacy and luminosity, letting plenty of light in while keeping inquisitive eyes out. And the best part? You can get them up quickly (without holes in the walls) with nothing more than a tension rod, curtain clips and a light piece of fabric.

You see it more often with artwork that’s leaning – either on the floor or on a picture ledge. But this post serves as permission to get a little crazy with the frames you hang on the wall, too. Let your artwork overlap to create a dense, rich and laid-back gallery wall.

Creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. In this case, you’re turning to our smart and stylish house tour homes for guidance on how to style a chic and serene bedroom. Take these tips home to create a space you’re proud to show off (and if you want to tell your friends where you got the idea, that’s fine too). Above: A great way to style a bed in front of a window is to create a visual arc from the floor all the way up to the end of the curtain rod.

The floor usually isn’t the design element that first grabs your attention in a kitchen, but these rooms are the exception. Bold, busy patterned floors mix with a variety of decor styles in these examples. What they all have in common? They totally steal the show! Shown above: Bold blue and white floors grab your attention the moment you walk into the kitchen of Anne & Steve’s Relaxed, Eclectic & Casual Home in Cape Town.

Once considered an ultra-modern decor choice, waterfall counters are popping up in a variety of kitchen styles these days. They add a sleek, minimal look to any kitchen design while helping to hide appliances and protect wood cabinets. They’re often easier to clean. And’ if you really love your counter material, you can you can show it off more of it when you pick waterfall style.

Above: A bland, unused corner of a living room. Below: A colorful, dreamy reading nook you could get cozy in for hours reading your favorite novel. Yes —this mini-makeover of a living room’s unused corner turned reading nook is totally intended for kids. But that’s not stopping me from getting inspiration for my own dreamy book nook.

If your home goal for 2017 is to go green(er), here are 10 remarkably easy changes that require the most minimal amount of effort. Switches as simple as changing a lightbulb (seriously) or buying a dish towel don’t call for much work on your part, but together they’ll add up to a total eco-friendly home makeover. When buying new wood furniture, look for certified sustainably harvested options.

Got writer’s block (or painter’s block, or are just in a general creative funk?) The color of your walls might be one of your culprits. It’s no secret that color can seriously affect your mood (we’ve previously explored how it can make you happier in your home, and highlighted the psychological merits of ROYGBV), but there are two colors in particular that can stimulate your creativity and productivity.

“Frameless frames” are hitting it big right now, showing off how beautiful art looks without the distraction of a border. This trendy framing method is remarkably versatile and adapts to almost any decor style, because the clear sheets blend into any background. All you need to get the look is two transparent sheets of acrylic or lucite (you can get them cut to size at Lowe’s or ask a local glass cutting company) and a handful of standoff bolts.

Extremely tiny bedrooms—like, not much bigger than the bed small—can be a challenge to decorate and arrange when you want to have a room that functions well and looks good. But Lisa Tilse of the blog We Are Scout made some smart and stylish decisions in her teenage daughter Roxy’s tiny bedroom. From Lisa of We Are Scout: The room is TINY! It measures 6.5 x 8.75 feet—which is just enough space for a double bed to fit across.

If you fantasize about trading in your cubicle for a former-warehouse artist’s studio flooded with light, filled with plants, where snacks flow freely—then you’ll probably think Brooklyn-based ceramicist Helen Levi‘s life is pretty dreamy. We asked Helen to walk us through her daily routine and tell us about her beautiful studio. It didn’t disappoint. Don’t think you’ll get to live that artist life?

Plantation shutters are a hallmark of Southern style that are also a great choice for window coverings in homes of almost any style. The deep-louvered, swinging wooden shutters provide a sophisticated alternative to blinds and will give any home a little touch of the genteel.

If you’ve ever seen photos of the houses in New Orleans, you know a wide-ranging, daring mix of colors adorns this city’s architecture. Any time I stroll the streets, I’m inspired to get bold in my own home. Even those these color combinations are on the outside of these homes, consider these pre-made palettes direction for the inside of yours.

Like color, pattern can be one of those anxiety-provoking design elements for the novice decorator. You think: “How can I tell if these prints go together?” “What if I’m using too many patterns?” “What if I get sick of them a month from now?

The new fall Anthropologie home collection is here and it’s beautiful. As a young urban woman who enjoys traveling and scentscapes, Anthropologie is 100% my jam.