Decorating

Name: Kathryn Bentley & David ScheidLocation: Echo Park – Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: 800 square feetYears lived in: 2 years Craftsman love! Every time Kathryn and David start the search for a new apartment with more space, they are reminded how lucky they are to live in a space with the original architectural details beautifully restored.

Name: Kyle J. Avarell, Erin Berteaux, and Buddha the catLocation: U Street Corridor, Washington DCSize: 594 square feetYears lived in:1 ½ years, rented Down to their beautifully blue-eyed cat’s food dish, Kyle and Erin have brought style and personality to every aspect of their penthouse home. In turn, the modern apartment makes a great backdrop for their collection of locally sourced vintage furniture, strategic Ikea buys, and handmade projects.

It’s not always easy to create a multi-monitor setup with 3 or more screens, but Mitch Haile’s updated attic home office sees your three monitors and raises you two more. Not many people use 5 monitors all at once, but the overall look and feel of his home office accommodates for the wraparound display with some thoughtful planning (if not a little obsessive).

Name: Ryan ZagoneLocation: Georgetown — Washington, DCSize: 330 square feetYears lived in: 1.5 — Rented In a leafy corner of Georgetown that is also a quick walk to Dupont Circle, Ryan has made a studio apartment into an efficient home. He has drawn on some of the District’s best resources for vintage and antiques while adding contemporary pieces and travel finds. The result is distinctly masculine and simultaneously rustic and refined.

The 1940s were a tumultuous time. It is impossible to understand those years outside of the context of WWII. The war not only defined the decade but from a design perspective, split it virtually in half. During the first half of the decade, new design was halted, as supply shortages and rationing demanded that all available resources — material and otherwise — be directed towards the war effort…Socially, the decade featured a similar split.

Baby’s Name: Vivien Charles Lay (7 months)Location: Atlanta, GeorgiaRoom Size: 12′ x 14′ “It makes me happy to know Vivi sleeps and plays in a space I poured a lot of love into. I have spent countless hours in that room over the past seven months, so having a space I love makes me happy to be in there as well!” What is your favorite element in the room?The collection of photos framed over the changing table.

It is easy to dismiss the 1970s as “the decade that taste forgot”. But to do so would be to overlook the decade’s contributions in architecture, furniture design and interior decorating. After all, with the Bad and the Ugly there is usually some Good.

Bigfoot. The Loch Ness Monster. Chupacabra. While these creatures have long been rumored to exist, we don’t have any hard evidence that they are actually out there. Another elusive near-mythical entity is a sleeper sofa bed that is actually comfortable to sleep on. Amazingly, in this case, our readers have reported not only having seen them but capturing them and living with them in their very own homes!

Name: Christina and CoreyLocation: Santa Monica, California Size: 580 square feet (1 bedroom + 1 bath)Years lived in: 9 months — rent Christina and her boyfriend Corey live in a modern updated retro building within a classic Southern California courtyard setting. Together they have created a crafty modern home and a double office in the wide space of their living room. While their decor is contemporary, the charm lies in the vintage touches of the original design.

After years of perusing FLOR’s catalog and website, I finally bit the bullet and ordered the carpet tiles for my entryway and kitchen. The Problem: I have gone through about five different rugs in my entryway. With one pitiful rug pad and two overly-welcoming dogs that rush the front door every time they hear a noise — I was forever straightening, fixing and flattening the front rug.

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.

Name: GusAge: Still cookin’, expected July 2011Location: Minneapolis, MNRoom Size: 110 sq. feet After seeing Alison and Jeff’s house tour and the playroom they created for their son, Finn, we were thrilled to finally see the big reveal for the nursery Alison created for their new baby (due in July!).

Name: Ave RoseAge: 5 monthsLocation: Santa Monica, CARoom Size: 12′ x 9 1/2′ Leah took a different approach when designing her daughter Ave’s nursery. She designed the space to easily transition into Ave’s toddler years. Leah also wanted to create a nursery that was minimalist and very organized. It is a small space, so it can easily get cluttered.Working on a tight budget, Leah had to make compromises and get creative to make the most out of the design.

Names & Ages: Simon (4) Levi (3) and Josie (7 months) Location: Seattle, WA Room size: 95 square feet This month has been all about Small Spaces at Ohdeedoh and this Room Tour is the perfect example of not letting small spaces deter you from creative possibility. Rebekah and her husband knew they needed to fit their three children into one space (with little sister on the way!) so they made it work.

Name: Sarah, Craig, and son, Maceo Location: Jamaica Plain — Boston, MASize: 1099 square feetYears lived in: 8 — own It’s fun enough to be around one homeowner who beams with delight and pride for her home. But when it’s a couple and it’s apparent that they equally love their home and they genuinely share an aesthetic without much need for compromise, it’s even sweeter. Such is the case at Sarah and Craig’s delightful treetop home.

Name: OliverAge: 9 monthsLocation: Brooklyn, NYRoom Size: 11′ x 14′ Can you imagine what the nursery of the first born son of Parents Magazine Lifestyle Director Amanda Kingloff would look like? Well, it’s even better. Modern and vintage, fresh and playful, colorful and light, this room exudes happiness. And even though it was featured in the June issue of the magazine, there’s nothing staged, stiff, or pretentious about it. It’s a real space for a real baby.

Name: AvaAge: 6 yearsLocation: New JerseyRoom size: 14′ x 13′ Recently, we featured a fabulous white nursery designed for Sebastian, the young son of one of the founders of Sissy + Marley, a boutique baby planner and design service firm. And now, they’re back with a fantastic tour of a bedroom that they designed for their little six-year-old client, Ava. The room mixes bohemian chic with girly pink for startlingly beautiful results.

When tiling a kitchen or bathroom floor many people spend days agonizing over the choice of tiles: What kind of tile (e.g., ceramic or glass); what shape (e.g., hex or penny round); and what color (neutral or colorful). Selecting the grout that will divide and frame the tiles is often a mere afterthought. But grout deserves more attention and respect… … says David Goodman, a tile contractor for This Old House.

Name: Anna Bautista & AJ CalomayLocation: West LA/T-Lofts &mdash Los Angeles,CASize: 1,000 square feetYears lived in: 1 year — Own Anna and AJ have are the first residents in this brand new loft apartment. They have taken on the task of giving it a full makeover with new decor and furnishings, and the brains behind the operation is the interior design duo of Natalie Younger and Sayre Ziskin.

The other day we looked at a bunch of rooms that went unexpectedly without rugs or carpets, embracing a relaxed bare-floor look. Today let’s go in the opposite direction: what does it look like when one rug just isn’t enough. The most common look for layering rugs seems to be an animal hide (faux or no) over a sisal — this is probably the most neutral option. Other examples mix patterns and colors, sometimes creating a bohemian wonderland of textiles.

When people step foot into my funky home, one of the first things they ask is, “Where do you find all of this stuff?” After I tell them that most of what we own has been found at thrift stores, they then beg me to take them with me next time I go. But I assure the visitors in my home — just as I assure you now — that successful thrifting doesn’t involve any black magic or top secret tricks. Just a few practices that when used consistently, pay off over time.

The elegant lines of George Nelson’s Case Study bed have ensured its place as a modern classic, with many clean-lined successors also on the market. One big plus of these beds is their versatility — they look sculptural when adorned only with minimal bedding, but are also a good canvas for artsy, bright bedding. As these bedrooms show, as long as you don’t cover up their shape, Case Study beds look good in almost any bedroom.

Oh, to have a guest room! Instead, many of us have an office, a studio, a nursery or another dedicated space in our homes (if we’re lucky enough to have the extra square footage, that is). Unless you’re blessed with huge rooms, chances are a full-size bed or even a standard sleeper sofa wouldn’t fit in an already defined space like an office. That’s where the daybed comes in!

Did you know that whenever you rearrange a room to eliminate clutter and make yourself feel better that you’re essentially practicing Feng Shui? Yep, it’s true; Feng Shui has a rep as one of those woo-woo things that you can either buy into or not, but it’s actually just the practice of making positive changes to your environment to produce positive changes in your life.

There are many reasons to buy faux leather furniture. It’s cheaper and animal friendly. And, there are many reason not to buy faux leather furniture. Real leather ages well and looks more expensive (because it is). If you’re thinking about buying new furniture and you’re torn between faux and real leather, here are a list of some of the pros and cons. Faux leather comes in many forms and some are better than others.

Name: SebastianAge: 19 monthsLocation: Brooklyn, NYRoom size: approximately 150 sq. ft. With a boutique baby planner and concierge service behind its conception, this minimalist, white nursery was born out of a love for great design and a desire to blend seamlessly kids’ and adult decor.

With so many foreign brand names, designers, and terms, the world of interior design and home decor can be a linguistic and phonetic minefield. How do you pronounce the German appliance company Miele, for example? What about famed furniture maker Michael Thonet? Up until this week I said MEE-lee and Tho-NAY — not any more!Identifying the authentic pronunciation is only half the battle, of course.

Name: Savannah Farris-GilbertLocation:West Hollywood — Los Angeles, CaliforniaSize: Studio apartment Years lived in: 1 — rent Savannah, a Graduate student in the Architecture-Interior Design program at UCLA is perfecting her love of Interior Decorating. I think it must be a craft she honed in on very early — as she told me her mother often helps her hunt for new pieces for her apartment.

That’s me. And that’s my credenza. which probably weighs in somewhere around 300 pounds, maybe more. I’m not kidding — it’s a monster. And I weigh about 105 wet. But I was able to move it from one end of the room to the other without breaking much of a sweat and without ending up in the hospital or with residual back pain. How’d I do it? I have a few tricks up my skinny arms.

Whether you dislike using the dryer for environmental reasons or simply have a wardrobe full of “lay flat to dry” labels, finding easy ways to dry clothes in a small apartment can be extremely challenging. Though draping clothes over every available surface is a tried and true solution for some, there are better alternatives to help you air dry your laundry.The Leifheit Tower 190 is designed with 62 feet of drying space, enough for 2 machine loads of clothes.

Names: Jeremiah, Samuel, and Augustine Ages: 6, 4, 2 Location: Texas Awhile back we featured a room that took all of us here at Ohdeedoh by surprise. Jaws were dropping, we were forwarding the link as fast as we could to friends and family — we were flat out amazed. We’ve since gone behind the scenes and today you can see more of this room filled with color, hanging bunk beds and the opportunity for extreme fun!

Black and white checkerboard floors first appear in European paintings in the 15th century, but the pattern’s origins lie long before that, in ancient artifacts from Iranian ceramic vessels to Roman paved floors. Here is a quick look at the history of checkerboard floors.

Name: Hali & Philip DurhamProfession: Architect – www.studiodurham.comLocation: Soulard — St. Louis, MOSize: overall building 9,600 square feet, Residence 5,400 square feetYears lived in: 7 — owned It never hurts to be an award-winning architect. Most people in Saint Louis pass decrepit warehouses for years, writing them off as mere evidence of urban blight.

Jason and J.R.’s Well-Connected Home Many people associate posters with bachelor pads, dorm rooms, or childhood bedrooms. But posters can also be collectible, artistic, or meaningful additions to a space. Here are a few thoughts on hanging a poster in your home as a grownup: Vanessa’s New Oakland DigsFrame it. That is, treat it with the level of care you wish for it to project in your home. That might mean framing it behind glass.

It’s a proven fact that our home plays a significant part in how we feel emotionally. Although if not kept up it can make us physically sick, it can also make you a little down in the dumps. Having a healthy space is key and aside from participating in the Apartment Therapy Home Cure, you can check out these ideas on lightening the mood at home!

Today is December first! For many people, the end of this past weekend also marked the day when they put up their holiday decor. The other night, I stopped by the home of a friend who’d proudly put up her tree. Despite the small footprint of her living room, the addition felt homey rather than crowded. If you’re determined to put up a full-sized tree, here’s a few ideas to make sure that you and your decor can coexist in peace!

Although we haven’t conduced an official study of how many folks have a fireplace and how many don’t, we’re going to guess that more people are looking for creative ways to hang their stocking during the holidays than not. We happen to be part of that crowd, so without further ado, here’s 7 festive ways to display your stockings!1. Ladders: Vintage, worn or broken ladders are easy to come by at estate sales, auctions, antique stores and Craigslist.

Green and blue is an all-time favorite combo of ours. It can go very springy, but darken it up a bit and tame it down with dark olive greens and dusty blues:The kitchen up top exemplifies this color combo, with muddy green cabinetry and crisp blue walls.

A long and narrow bedroom can be a nightmare for furniture arrangement. A great way to utilize the space is by placing the bed on a shorter wall, leaving room for furniture at the foot of the bed. Maybe even a sofa!I’ve always wanted a bench at the foot of my bed, but haven’t found the right one for the right price yet. I do, however, have a spare sofa that is small enough to fit perfectly at the foot of the bed.

The saying “opposites attract” goes well beyond human relationships — and the affair between orange and gray mingling to create a stunning balance is a perfect example. Depending on the tones, the duo can be youthful and whimsical, eclectic and bold, moody and sophisticated, or masculine and sleek, and any combo in between!

A girlfriend of mine recently referred to her “fat mirror” (one that made her look wider and shorter) and her “skinny mirror” (one that elongated her frame). Is this a red flag for some major body image dysmorphia or is she on to something? For me, buying a mirror has always been about its frame and its shape. It never occurred to me that some mirrored reflections could be more accurate than others. And, really, who cares? What matters is what is on the inside, right?

Name: Darian DarlingLocation: Queens, New YorkSize: 800 square feetYears lived in: 2½ — rented Taking a break from her busy and glamourous entourage duties on Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball tour, lifestyle blogger, makeup artist and nightlife hostess, Darian Darling, graciously gave us a peek into her glittering abode. A direct reflection of her glitzy and engaging personality, Darian’s unique and inspirational home is full of eye-candy in every corner.

Name: JaimeLocation: Wicker Park — Chicago, ILSize: 1400 square feetYears lived in: 3.5 — Owned Jaime, an esthetician at the much-lauded Maxine Salon, is the enviable type of person who’s innately stylish and who seems to get along with just about everyone. Her casually glamorous, jewel-hued Wicker Park home reflects both these aspects of her personality.

Name: Mike of Unplggd & Other Communications and Sadie the cat.Location: Rittenhouse Square — Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaSize: 360 square feetYears lived in: 1.75 years Studio apartments are common in a city like Philadelphia. The thing that sets them apart are the fantastic bare bones of the spaces that studio dwellers are given to work with. Original architectural details are a gem, but when you’ve got a knack for design like Mike does — they hold their weight in gold.

Name: Annie and PaulLocation: Upper West Side — New York, New YorkSize: 390 square feet — 1 bedroom Years lived in: 2½ — rented “We both roll with the same taste,” explain Annie and Paul when I ask if it was hard to design their first home together. Architects who met while learning their trade, Annie and Paul had each lived, previously, with roommates whose priorities diverged from home making.

Although dry erase boards are rather handy tools, we have one problem — the markers. They’re smelly, expensive and easily get lost in sofa cushions. Well good news, you can ditch them all together and use crayons instead. No really!There are a few companies that have caught onto this idea and have started marketing specific products to those parents who would like to give the idea a go.

We spent a fair chunk of Labor Day weekend lazily stretched out on picnic blankets, engaged in imaginative cloud gazing with our son. There’s a hedgehog, a Lego guy, a banana. But yesterday we were in the mood for some more, and not a single patch of condensed water vapor to be seen. So we did the next best thing – we fashioned our own to hang indoors. They took literally minutes to put together, and the effect was surprisingly transporting.

Repairs are expensive. New microwaves are cheap. But you don’t have to spend a dime on either. If your microwave turntable stopped spinning, here’s an easy way to try and fix it. And all you need is some warm, soapy water and your own two hands.You don’t have to be an appliance expert to troubleshoot a seemingly broken microwave turntable. You might find that all your little Zappy needs is a checkup and a good, thorough cleaning.

In all of our travels across the country and all of our rental apartments and homes I’ve only had the chance to paint in a few spaces. The problem is, by the time you’ve spent enough time in your space to get the feel for light and how it effects color — it’s time to move! We’ve lived with some of the uuuugliest walls ever for most of our lives and we’ve learned a few tricks to work around them.

Name: Graham Age: 7 weeks Location: Michigan Room size: 10’x10′ At first glance you might not guess that this creative, colorful space is primarily a mix of Ikea and diy projects, but it’s true. Amy and her husband Andy transformed a guest bedroom into a bright, perky, modern space for their newborn son, Graham, and we’re entranced by the results.

Metal framed beds often get a bad wrap, and not without due cause. Pillows are always slouching through the headboard bars, and metal is certainly no match in comfort with its plush upholstered counterparts. Thankfully there are a few easy ways to work around their flaws or change their look without breaking the bank.

So we’re just going to get right to the point with this post, because no graceful intro or set up can counterbalance the idea behind this new product. It’s called the “Better Marriage Blanket” and that’s only because calling it “The Fart Trapping Blanket” seems well… too obvious.The Better Marriage Blanket retails between $29.99 and $59.99 (Twin-King) and is available in white and beige shades.

Name: HarperAge: 18 monthsLocation: Gig Harbor, Wa. “Choose things that you love, and it will come together,” says Harper’s mom. And this room certainly has come together- not in a forced, overly planned way, but in an organic way with lots of special touches from mom and dad.

If you are lucky enough to have a dishwasher, well, aren’t you spiffy. I, on the other hand, can’t remember the last time a machine did my dishes for me. I guess living in an old San Francisco apartment has its sacrifices. Since some of you undoubtedly share this plight, here’s a roundup of dish racks that should meet a wide ranging set of needs.System Dishrack by simplehuman.

Many of us are all for composting, even if we don’t have a lick of outdoor space to call our own. Some have the luxury of slightly larger kitchens of cabinet space, but others are doing good if they can open their oven and refrigerator doors at the same time. If your kitchen feels a little small, here’s 5 places to place a compost bin and a few of our favorite resources for making it happen!1.

Normally we offer a variety of options or techniques to hide the eyesore of cable/wire clutter. But what if you’ve got an awkwardly positioned outlet and a cable or wire is just something you have to live with? Instead of hiding it, why not make it something more visually amusing/pleasant, as shown here with this adornment by PA-Design.The design also reminds us of Shunsuke Umiyama’s vine inspired Midori AC Adaptor.

If you are taking on some small projects around the house but don’t necessarily have a shop full of tools, it might come in handy to have a few alternatives if you find yourself in need of clamps.Clamps can be useful for holding things in place while your hands are busy with other parts of a project. They’re also handy when you’re gluing something that needs to be held together for an extended period while the glue sets up.

With the city festooned in red and green for the holiday season, it seemed like an appropriate time to wonder how these colors came to be associated with Christmas, how blue and white became the official colors of Hanukkah, and what symbolism black, green, and red have during Kwanzaa. The Christmastime significance of the color green is partly related to the evergreen tree, seen as a symbol of Christ’s resurrection and eternal life.

The monthly club is an old-school approach to gift giving that’s usually associated with fruit baskets or popcorn tins, but the Internet has advanced beyond the Harry and David catalog and into the 21st century. Subscription gifts are available now for everything from artwork to movies and, if it’s what you want, you can still sign up for the scented candle of the month club, too. 1) 25 Colored Pencils for 25 Months. That’s 500 pencils! In 500 different colors!

Name: Andrew FlynnLocation: Chandler, ArizonaType: Home office When we saw Andrew Flynn’s amazing home office, we knew that we had to do a tech tour of his place. The great DIY features really set this home office apart from all of the rest. A faux-wall to hide cables and wires, a Mission Control center console to hide and store peripherals, and three floating monitors are what makes this home office quite ingenious.

We recently gathered some ideas for 5 Small Nightstands Under $5. The solutions were for small budgets. But what about small spaces? We’re now gathering four more nightstand ideas that will fit into a 12″ wide space next to the bed… Many of us with small bedrooms have just enough space at the bedside to squeeze in and make the bed. What are some nightstand ideas for those slender spaces?

Name: Chris NguyenLocation: Houston, TexasSize: 500 square feetYears lived in: 2 months There’s big and then there’s Houston BIG. In a city known for embodying the idea of gigantic Texan proportions, Chris Nguyen’s extremely modest sized 500 square foot apartment is an anomaly.

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.

Name: Adam SelwoodLocation: Melbourne, Australia Now here’s inspiration to clean out that basement or attic and make better use of the space. Adam was kind enough to share his work-in-progress renovation, a DIY conversions of a basement once stuffed to the brim with typical “stuff” into a sleek and multi-use home office for both him and his wife.

This past weekend, we hosted a barbecue/ping pong tournament at our home to celebrate a birthday in addition to Memorial Day. None of our guests showed up empty-handed either–we have enough beer, booze, and chips for the next barbecue! However, one couple brought over a gift bag full of fun and functional things that we could definitely use over and over again for future summer parties which inspired us to create our own shortlist of barbecue-themed gifts…1.

This entry comes to you courtesy of the fact that I’ve heard this maybe-myth told to me more than once in the past few weeks my friends and complete strangers alike. My car’s keyless entry remote, for lack of a better word, sucks. I practically have to be next to the car to get it to work. Alas, plenty of the aforementioned people have given me the tip to hold the remote to my chin with my mouth slightly open to increase the range of the remote signal.

My husband and I decided we’d allow ourselves one splurge purchase for our baby. We had admired the Stokke Sleepi crib, but decided it was just too expensive – not just for our budget, but in principle. But when we started trying to figure out how to incorporate a crib into our home office space, the smaller Stokke started looking better and better.

click for more picsCrafty IntentionsShe painted the space from a harsh purple to Jamaican Sea from Behr, then installed Ikea Lack shelves to hold all her crafty goods including, rhinestones, sequins, little fabric trim, beads, metal and wood accessories, etc. pom poms, tools and glitter.The bottom shelf includes stair-like levels Megan got at Lowes. These allow her to store more small jars in the space.

Look at this simply lovely farmhouse kitchen from Lori in Long Island. She just finished renovating this old farmhouse kitchen on a budget, using a mixture of modern, serene colors and old-fashioned industrial fittings. • Click here for full post: Kitchen Spotlight: Lori’s Serene Farmhouse

We were having girls night at our friend Alexis’ house last week when we spotted her DIY version of a spice rack. Her kitchen occupies quite a small space, not to mention her husband is a chef (meaning they have every spice and cooking utensil known to man). Since they were out of space but needed a handy spice rack, Alexis to matters into her own hands.Picking up a handful of drawer dividers from The Container Store, Alexis went to town.

During our apartment search last spring, we were surprised by the number of small spaces with a major (and easily avoidable) flaw: in almost every tiny bedroom, the door opened into the small room rather than swinging out into the larger space. The area required for the door to swing in significantly reduced the bedroom’s footprint and in many cases made it tough to fit a full-sized bed inside.

Dwell magazine recently released a slideshow of their favorite barstools. The list has some beauties in it, most of which were over $500 a pop. We decided to focus in on their picks for under $500…Clockwise from top: Onda Barstool by Jesus Casca – $358 – Design Within Reach Sebastian Bar Stool – $49.99 – IKEA Real Good stool – $199 – Blu Dot Viona Barstool – $169.