Decorating

I love a roll of cheap-and-chic craft paper as much as the next budget-conscious gift giver, but sometimes, you just have to pull out the good stuff. When you’re in the market for paper so pretty (or punny) it risks out-shining the gift (or out-laughing the gag gift), these seven sources have you covered. This family-run print shop in Wyckoff, New Jersey, has been producing beautifully patterned gift wrap and stationery since 1974.

If you live in New York, you don’t need another reminder of how outrageously expensive this city is. But while rent, down payments on a house and living costs are undeniably high, Manhattan and its boroughs attempt to make it up to us by being rich in plenty of 100% free-to-enjoy art, culture and design. From art museums, to craft fairs, to gallery openings, this is how starving artists (and designers!) save in the city.

Tavia’s inviting home doesn’t sport any one specific style, and yet it perfectly shows off her personality. It’s full of well-made furniture and quirky accessories. It’s the kind of space you’d instantly be comfortable in. Her home is impressive for all the reasons listed above, but it’s also admirable because Tavia didn’t spend a ton of money. She crafted this warm, lived-in home thanks to the frugal powers of thrifting.

It’s indisputably the best time of the year—the season for spending time with loved ones, giving to those who are in need, and, of course, festive decorating and fêting. The latter part, well, it can sometimes creep up on you and throw some unwanted stress your way, particularly if you want everything to be just right.

If you’re jonesing for a beach day, look no further than than sculptor Calvin Seibert’s flickr account. His collection of impressive sandcastles will wow anyone, whether you’re a fan of Brutalism or not. Far from your typical turreted castle, the modern geometric structures take on shapes you don’t often see made out of sand. Check out what Seibert has to say about his creations: Nature will always be against you and time is always running out.

Sometimes, more is more. For many, one of those times is Christmas, and all the decorating opportunities the holiday brings with it. If you’re more of a maximalist than a minimalist when it comes to decking your halls, feast your eyes on the following ideas— they’re a little OTT, but in the best way possible. Above: Why decorate one tree when you can trim six trees?

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.

As part of our quest to bring you the most interesting, unusual, and inspiring small spaces, allow us to present this incredibly stylish, high-ceilinged Italian apartment—that also happens to be a studio. It’s outfitted in that funky, eclectic-yet-streamlined European way that I’m convinced is the Next Big Thing— proof that sleeping in the living room doesn’t have to mean sacrificing style. The studio, located in Milan, is the former home of designer Pietro Russo.

Now that the holiday season is upon us, we’re making our shopping lists. Some of us even have an idea of what we want to get our loved ones (or ourselves), and here’s one way we save: by adding items to our shopping carts now, and then checking the prices on Black Friday. It doesn’t always result in a lower price, but sometimes it does.

I saw this ladder for the second time when I was at IDS West in Vancouver back in September and it just had such a great look to it — I knew it would be the perfect fit for my Daily Find. We reached out to Hasegawa Ladders to see a sample, and they sent us two of their Lucano 3-step Ladders to test out. Watch the video above and read on to see why these ladders are a must-have for your home!

It’s a specific list of product types that rule Black Friday: TVs and computers (basically, consumer electronics in general), toys and clothing. Though we cannot deny there are really great deals to be had at the expected big box stores, there are plenty of other unexpected shopping categories that are often overlooked. Here are five you should consider scooping up! According to Dealnews.

Have you ever looked back through your purchase history on Amazon? While mine is a mix of household necessities and the Ghosts of Christmas and Birthdays Past, there are some real head scratchers in there, too. I knew I couldn’t be the only one, so I asked some brave coworkers to dig through their Amazon account and share one of their weirder buys.

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.

Project by: Karlien Heremans of Studio K Project location: Leuven, Belgium Gilt and glam can be fun to look at, but there’s something very soothing about a home outfitted with simple and sleek materials, like this Belgian residence by Studio K. What once was a smaller semi-detached house near the city center was extended into a bright, sunny home for a sport-, travel- and book-loving couple.

This morning, I woke up to the charming banging and burbling of my radiator coming back to life. Cold weather is here! Or, as I like to think about it, inglenook season. This is not because anyone I know actually has an inglenook, or I have ever experienced one in real life. Inglenooks, like unicorns, are a beautiful thing that I have only ever seen in pictures and in my dreams. But that’s no reason to limit myself from sharing these photos with you.

Open shelving in kitchens has been an ever-growing trend for the last decade. Especially as homes moved toward open concept layouts, kitchens opened up and got a bit lighter. Walls of closed in cabinetry gave way to sleek shelving. But, with any big switch comes concerns and in the case of open kitchen storage the primary one is “won’t it look too chaotic and messy?”.

It’s holiday party season, which means ample opportunities for awkward exchanges with your office crush, your neighbor crush, or your longtime friend crush (huzzah?). Ok, more like blergh. So just for fun, since we’re all design fans, let’s imagine a world where, instead of stilted small talk about craft beers or Netflix shows, we exchanged design-related pick up lines…a world like this: *Okay, no one said these were any good, but please do report back if you try one!

In the early 2000s, Pier One Imports was the epitome of worldly sophistication for me, what with its exotic wood furniture, beaded throw pillows and Buddha statues galore. When I redecorated my post-collegiate bedroom, I hit up the store for unique international treasures. “Why yes, these ruffled dupioni silk throw pillows are from the foreign land of Kissimmee, Florida.” Fast forward a decade, and I’ve discovered a new local mecca for global goods: World Market.

I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly committing to hosting the holidays or big events, while completely ignoring the fact that, when it comes to dinnerware, I’m extremely underprepared. Something just happens to me in that moment where I get swept away with the anticipation of a great evening surrounded by family and friends and I subconsciously fail to recognize that in no way, shape or form do I have twenty-plus matching settings of any kind of dinner, stem or flatware.

In case you missed it, Benjamin Moore announced its Color of the Year for 2017. Shadow 2117-30, a deep purple that can lean more toward a smokey charcoal or a lighter violet depending on the light, came out on top for the paint brand. In honor of the celebrated hue, we’ve put together four different palettes that work with a deep, rich purple so that, no matter your taste, you’ll be tempted to incorporate the in-style shade somewhere in your home.

Are you smitten with the hardworking look of industrial kitchens? If you’re planning to re-create the look in your own home, here are a few details that are worth stealing. Scott and Kristan built the beautiful copper pipe shelves (shown above and in the lead image of this post) in their Los Angeles home.Rustic wood and brackets make for beautiful open shelving in this kitchen from House Beautiful.

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.

Sure, we think “less is more” can be incredibly lovely, but it has its place. Sometimes, a table calls for more and more…and more. We are always in awe of those that can pull off that ultra-layered look with effortless grace and sophistication. Here, we’ve pulled together inspirations from tastemakers who have created tables that embrace a maximalist aesthetic. These collected beauties prove the possibilities to be endless when it comes to what you can put on the table.

Project by: Carrie McCall of CKM Home Design Location: New York, New York Springtime in Central Park year-round? Yes, please! Good thing Carrie McCall of CKM Home Design figured out how to give one homeowner just that with a large-scale cherry blossom mural right next to a floor-to-ceiling window.

Emily Schildt, co-founder of Thing of Wonder, lives in 400 square feet in Brooklyn. But beyond the challenge of living in a small space, she also has to tackle the challenge of living in just one room. Not only is her Fort Greene studio apartment lovely, it’s also highly functional…for her! As an avid entertainer, she’s chosen a furniture layout that works for how she lives — which in her case means the unusual choice of placing her bed right near the front door.

If you’ve always wished your apartment had a charming exposed brick wall, or a luxe slab of marble, or an entire kitchen of patterned Moroccan tile—your dream just came true. Recently, more and more wallpaper companies are producing designs that imitate these highly-coveted materials, so you can get the look without remodeling. At first glance, no one will guess these aren’t the real deal.

Beauty fans, it’s the most wonderful time of the year—Sephora’s VIB sale. If you’re a VIB or VIB Rouge member of the retailer’s Beauty Insider rewards program, you get 20% off your entire purchase for a few days this month. Here’s what we’re adding to our shopping carts. Through today, November 7, VIB Rouge members can save using code 20ROUGE, while VIB sale dates are November 11-14 with code 20VIB.

Project by: Sasha Bikoff of Sasha Bikoff Interior Design Location: New York, New York Few homes can perfectly pull off the coolest oversized pop art painting of ice cream next to lavish baroque furnishings, but interior designer Sasha Bikoff did just that. For the New York-born and based designer, this Upper East Side stunner provided ample opportunity to put her background in fine arts and art history to the test and boy did she not disappoint.

Who says colors for fall decorating can’t be dreamy and soft? We’re not suggesting you trade in your pumpkin lattes for milky matchas or spiced gingerbread for lavender macaroons, but these landscape-inspired color palettes may influence your Thanksgiving tabletop to embrace the hazy hues that are often overlooked in the transition from summer to autumn.

Project by: David Katz of Katz Architecture Location: New York, New York Blessed with beautiful 1920s bones, this gorgeous kitchen just needed to blossom from its cramped IKEA cocoon into a gorgeous custom butterfly. The owner, an architect themselves, turned to David Katz to help this kitchen reach its full potential.

Whether you self-identify as a “miniac” or not, there is something so impressive about the work of Jon Almeda of Almeda Pottery. Not only are his pieces gorgeous, but they’re also not much larger than pocket change. A photo posted by JON ALMEDA (@almedapottery) on Oct 31, 2016 at 5:20pm PDT src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.

I’m a self-professed candle connoisseur: At any given hour, I could have three or four going in my living room. I wholeheartedly believe they can set the tone for the season and make any space feel instantly homey. I may live in South Florida, far, far away from changing leaves and apple picking, but gosh darnit, if I have anything to do with it, my apartment is going to smell like a cinnamon-spiced pumpkin apple pie baking in a orchard once autumn rolls in.

Your windowsills are just the beginning.

Direct to consumer goods has been the trending model for everything from sweaters to mattresses to luggage, eliminating the middleman and saving the customer money. Morgans debuted last year offering a subscription box for high quality toiletries that did just that. And while $8 for natural shampoo is a good deal, the price could be lower—like $1.96, the actual cost to make the product.

HOLY COW! The Cubs broke a 108-year curse and won the World Series and the city of Chicago is reeling. Be you a die-hard supporter, bandwagon fan or Bill Murray, you’re probably still celebrating this momentous occasion. Or perhaps you’re a Chicago native who doesn’t really care about sports, but is breathing a sigh of relief at how easy your holiday shopping just got (hi mom). Turns out there’s a Cubs logo on just about anything, and here are some choice selects.

Let’s leave aside, for a minute, all discussions of how “color of the year” became a thing that I spend my time thinking about, and focus instead on the wonders of what I’ve come to embrace as Color Season. Benjamin Moore announced recently that Shadow, a deep, rich amethyst, is their color of 2017. Sherwin-Williams went with Poised Taupe, a neutral which perfectly straddles the warm/cool divide.

How does a home’s style evolve throughout the years? It varies, of course, because some of us enjoy constantly changing our decor, while others like to get it to one look and keep it there. Because I asked Hope, of Hope and Pete’s Bohemian Modern Abode, to share what it’s like to live in one of the famed “Eichler Houses,” I had to ask her to send some updated photos of how their home has changed since we last toured it.

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.

Project by: Courtney Springer Interiors Location: San Francisco, California Renters can sometimes get boxed into the prefabricated design of their temporary dwelling. White walls, cheap commercial-grade flooring and a set floorplan leaves little to the imagination for curating a home that is respectively you, even if it just for the time-being. That’s the dilemma a growing young family faced as they viewed their bland San Francisco abode.

While we’re most certainly living in The Future, we still don’t have that one Jetsons-like marker: flying cars. Will Uber be the company to finally make it happen? On Friday, the ride sharing service announced Uber Elevate, an on-demand service for “urban air transportation” that they plan to have up and running within the next ten years.

When I could not find jewelry I wanted to wear, I started a company called Naughty Secretary Club and made my own. When the art I envisioned hanging on my walls was not available to purchase anywhere, I picked up a paint brush and got busy creating. I may not be crafty enough to build furniture or sew a pillow, but I know just where to go home decor hunting: I have to get dirt under my nails at a flea market, spend time sifting through the thrift store bins and cruise Craigslist religiously.

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.

Inside an old box factory in Baltimore, in a loft apartment with minimalist decor and structured industrial features, lies a studio bursting with color, erratic splatters of paint, and a kaleidoscope of paper scraps. This is artist Nicole Mueller‘s think space, a celebration of paradox. After an inspiring house tour with Nicole and Dave, I wanted to learn more about Nicole’s artwork and her relationship with the apartment as a living space, a working space, and a revolving gallery.

In search of the secrets behind the je ne sais quoi of all things French, we turned to Céline of Frenchy Fancy, a blog whose beautiful images often land on our inspiration posts. After chatting with her about her home decor style, favorite shops, and morning routine, we’re feeling tempted to buy a one-way ticket to the City of Light.

I love the look of fall—the pumpkins and the fallen leaves, sure, but also the particular quality the light takes on when the sun sinks low in the sky. It’s a sad, melancholy quality, but also moody and dramatic and interesting, and in some way these living rooms just seem made for that kind of light—a place to sip tea and curl up with an obscure tome and mull over the ashes of the year.

I have been following Zaria Forman’s work for over a year now, and when I found out she had a studio in Brooklyn I knew I simply had to try to get the chance to meet her — and in July a relationship between Zaria and Apartment Therapy was born! Over the past few months our video team and myself were given the chance to watch and record this immense canvas from its installation to its completion, and it has been a truly incredible experience.

Furniture is heavy, not to mention a big investment. Don’t you wish you could virtually move things around to see what a new arrangement would look like, or maybe even try something on before purchasing it and bringing it into your home? Save yourself the hassle and headaches of home decor that doesn’t work (after it’s too late), and try one of these five decorating apps to get it right the first time.

How often do you spend time thinking about everyday items like dishes and coffee mugs? Probably not that often (probably not even when you’re actually using them). Well, Amy Hamley is out to change all that with Redraven Studios, her brand of handmade porcelain pieces, from dinnerware to home decor.

It can be easy to get caught up in the thrill of thrifting. Finding items that make you laugh. That you can’t believe are so cheap! There have been more than a few time that while at the cash register I have looked down at arms full of objects I absolutely do not need. If you’d like to avoid buyer’s remorse the next time you survey your second-hand haul, try out some of these tips, shared by someone who knows a thing or two about thrifting.

Harry Potter mania seems to come out of hibernation right around fall, doesn’t it? If you’ve been waiting for your Hogwarts letter to no avail, it’s time you take matters into your own hands and bring the Hogwarts to you. Whether you’re after the wizarding look just for, say, regular life, or for a more specific occasion like Halloween, here are some ideas to accio into your home.

Working within a budget and trying to find affordable wall art? Don't overlook this one common thrift store bargain.

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.

First off, let me preface this post by saying I think mid-century modern is a classic and versatile style that will be relevant in home design for many decades to come. Unfortunately for me, when a style becomes increasingly popular, I immediately start panicking about how soon it will lose its luster.

If you’ve ever wanted to try out a new fancy beauty product but paying full price makes you cringe, Amazon’s got you covered. The retailer is offering 20% off one luxury beauty buy, today only. Brands include Blinc, Stila, Lorac, Jouer, Elizabeth Arden, Cargo, Jane Iredale, Essie, Butter London, OPI, Korres, theBalm, and more.

Behold: one home shopping guide to rule them all.

Popular design trends are hard to pinpoint when you’re in the midst of them, but painfully easy to spot once you’re a decade or two removed (the groovy pad of Megan Draper on AMC’s Mad Men screams of the swinging ’70s). Post WWII, decor trends seem to have had about a 10-year lifespan, and we’ve chronicled the nostalgic bullet points for each period.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time the last two years shopping for affordable, attractive ceiling lights for two successive houses…and it’s rough out there. However, these 10 pendants, many of them available for well under $100, prove that it’s actually possible to shed light without shedding too many dollars. The marble trend is still going strong, right? I love that this light plays with that classic material, folding it upon itself and making it sheer and lighter than air.

Convertible tables have been a small space staple for decades, but what they offer in functionality, they often lack in style. Paris-based Boulon Blanc wants to change that with their new transformable table. While traditional convertible tables use an X-shaped mechanism that’s reminiscent of an ironing board, Boulon Blanc has a patented rotating hinge instead. The result is an organic-inspired, transformative shape whether it’s used as a coffee table or a dining table.

The world of paint can feel endless. So many blues, grays, whites…how do you settle on one for your wall? I’m a firm believer that nothing will ever replace buying samples and testing a paint color out before diving into gallons of a certain shade, but to get a rough idea of a paint color family or hue without having to head to the hardware store, give one of these six apps a try!

Do you remember shabby chic? I do. I don’t think I ever got fully into the craze, but there was definitely a time when tousled lacy curtains, distressed painted wood and tiny floral prints were positively everywhere.

Confession time: Jack-o-lanterns aside, I’ve never really loved Halloween decor. Just looking at those fake spiderwebs that people stretch across their yards makes me feel itchy. And a lot of the Halloween decor that you see at the store just seems well, cheap. Lately, though, I’ve been spotting some decor ideas that are starting to redeem Halloween for me: dark, moody, stylish looks that capture the spooky spirit of the holiday without even a hint of the dollar store.

The banana leaves are gently fluttering, as if a light breeze just picked up. It’s rather soothing, especially considering that I’m inside at Apartment Therapy HQ, and the plant is digital art. Today, Electric Objects launches EO2, their second generation digital frame, as well as Art Club, a service that brings museum-curated and original commissioned pieces into your home, so you can change art as easily as you change a song.

Taking a peek behind the scenes into how some of your favorite products come to life can be truly enlightening, and often leads to a deeper appreciation of the product itself (and the maker behind it). Here, we’re tagging along with bedding and soft goods purveyor and artist Shay Spaniola of Bunglo as she shares with us her work space and a glimpse into her creative mind.

I recently faced the dilemma of finding a pretty rug for my living room that didn’t cost a fortune. As I scoured the web, I found many had way too many shades of brown to count or resembled something thrown over a fence at a roadside sale. But I persevered and have handpicked a selection of pretty and affordable area rugs (all around 5′ x 8′) that won’t break the bank.

From stamped leather totes to engraved copper desk sets, the old-fashioned monogram is finally going modern. Put a personal spin on it by designing your own (don’t worry, our definitive monogram guide If you’re looking for a keep-forever bedding set, this is it. New Orleans-based Leontine Linens lets you customize every aspect of their linens, from the fabric, to the color of the thread, to the design of each hand-sewn monogram.

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.

Growing up, the walls of my parents’ living room den were narrow, dark wood panels. No matter the time of day, the place felt like a cave. But though I finally persuaded them to paint them to match the rest of the house a few years ago (and it really did brighten the place up), after seeing these stylish spaces, I’m starting to rethink the wood paneling look. It’s definitely distinctive. It adds texture to a space and it certainly ups the warmth factor.

One of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to customize a rental kitchen (and, of course, any piece of furniture) is to change the cabinet handles. Choose a pull that reflects your home decor style (not sure what yours is? Take the quiz to find out), then swap them in for the dingy/generic knobs that came with your apartment. As long as you change them back before move-out day, this mini makeover is 100% landlord-approved. Lusso Knob at Anthropologie, $12.

This week, H&M debuted the lookbook for their next big fashion collab—this time, with KENZO. The French fashion house is known for their flashy and splashy use of pattern, and their looks for H&M are no different. Here are five outfits that go from quiet riot to loud and proud on the pattern meter. The collection doesn’t launch until November, but if it’s anything like 2015’s Balmain collab, we can expect these pieces to sell out quickly. 1.

Some things are just better as a pair, an infamous duo of sorts, whether it be person or thing: Tom and Jerry, peanut butter and jelly, door and knob, and to drive this article’s point home, end table and sofa. The yin to each other’s yangs, the end table and sofa are a complementary furnishing that go hand and hand in any home. Lucky for you, if you’re in search of the perfect mate to your sofa (or bed!

Pillows, aka those comfy things on your bed that you spend eight hours a night drooling onto, were first used around 7,000 BC in Mesopotamia. Originally only owned by the rich or upper echelons, with multiple pillows meaning that the owner was wealthy, important, and probably well-rested.

Interior design trends often get started in the trenches of flea markets by tastemakers and sometimes take months or even years to catch on and go viral. Justina Blakeney was into plants and scooping up macrame at flea markets long before her brand name, Jungalow, became a household word and everyone was using the #ihavethisthingwithtextiles hashtag. The world is just now starting to embrace this bohemian look, when many of us have already been there, done that and let our ferns die.