News

Have you heard there’s a solar eclipse happening on Monday? The “path of totality” — where the moon will completely block the sun— is cutting right across the continental US, for what will be the first time in 38 years. But even if you’re not in total eclipse territory, chances are, you’ll still be able to see something. This tool will tell you the best time to get outside and check out the astronomical event, no matter where you are.

Welcome to the Love List, a new series where Apartment Therapy editors share what they’re crushing on this week, whether it’s an article, a product, or something else entirely! Ever wonder what our editors are obsessing over? This week, some of the folks behind Apartment Therapy share their favorite finds, including an eco friendly fashion brand, a colorful twist on a classic lamp, a Milan hotel, and more.

Oprah expands her empire by sharing her various loves: Reading, bread, the items on her actual annual list of Favorite Things. But did you know the media mogul has a deep love of bathtubs? She discusses her obsession in a recent interview for Vogue’s September issue. Vogue’s Jonathan Van Meter had interviewed Oprah before, in 1998, at her house in Telluride.

On August 21 a total solar eclipse will be visible within a band across the entire United States. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon crosses between Earth and the sun, blocking out the view of the sun. June 8, 1918 — nearly a century ago — was the last time the US was witness to such phenomena.

Thanks to a new exclusive partnership with virtual interior design service Laurel & Wolf, you can now DIY and decorate your home in one step through The Home Depot. Called the Home Depot Pro Referral Service, the program will integrate Home Depot’s existing Pro Referral service into Laurel & Wolf’s digital design platform, essentially referring its customers to Laurel & Wolf depending on their project needs, according to news from Architectural Digest.

Welcome to the Love List, a new series where Apartment Therapy editors share what they’re crushing on this week, whether it’s an article, a product, or something else entirely! Ever wonder what our editors are obsessing over? This week, some of the folks behind Apartment Therapy share their favorite finds, including some lovely lemon wallpaper, star patterned tile, a sports podcast, cheeky clutches, and more.

In what’s being dubbed the “country’s biggest job fair,” Amazon is looking to hire up to 50,000 people today. The e-commerce giant is opening the doors to applicants at several of its warehouse locations across the country. Between 8 am and noon local time on Wednesday, August 2, job seekers can apply, tour the facility, be interviewed, and potentially be hired on the spot.

Slate Vault has uncovered some drawings for an alternate vision of one of America’s greatest public spaces: New York City’s Central Park.

Time to cash in those vintage casseroles, Pyrex lovers: it turns out that the hoard of collectibles hiding in your hutch could actually be worth beaucoup bucks. As NPR reports this week, some pieces of vintage Pyrex glassware are now selling for as much as $3,000 per piece.

Imagine being able to order a new-to-you outfit to wear to that thing tonight — in your size, plus a backup size — the same way you’d order groceries for tonight’s dinner from Instacart. And from just $30. That’s the genius idea behind Rent the Runway’s new Same-Day Delivery Service, launching today in NYC.

Our editors share what they're obsessing over this week.

Did you miss Prime Day? Don’t fret, bargain shoppers: Amazon has been quietly rolling out other programs. Between the new #TreasureTruck rolling through cities, starting with Amazon’s hometown of Seattle, to (essentially) free sample boxes and a new shoppable feed of photo stories called Spark, the retail giant wants to surprise and delight you with savings throughout the year — maybe even help you score a bunch of free stuff.

You came, you saw, you voted. Today, Annie Selke revealed the winning designs of their first ever Rug Design Challenge. Let’s see who they are! Last month, we announced that we’re partnering with Annie Selke for their first ever Rug Design Challenge, tasking fourteen design bloggers to create their very own rug designs. To recap: Your favorite bloggers and digital influencers will take part in a year long project to design a custom rug for the brand.

Europeans have been doing the wine thing so well for so long that it’s no shocker they felt the need to take things up a notch. Dig deep and (literally) dive into these two wild new wine experiences.

Baby Boomers and Millennials are the two biggest cohorts of humans alive today, and at completely opposite ends of the age spectrum, but they have more in common and to offer each other than we think. And a new class of apps is setting out to enhance those connections — one by playing matchmaker with their living arrangements.

We already know that sleeping with your phone can negatively impact your health and relationship, but if that’s not enough to break your before bed screen habit, then perhaps the risk of fire will have you thinking twice before tucking in next to your electronics. A New Hampshire fire department recently posted a powerful message on Facebook about the dangers of sleeping with your charging electronics.

Last month, we announced that we’re partnering with Annie Selke for their first ever Rug Design Challenge, tasking fourteen design bloggers to create their very own rug designs. And here’s where you come in: Now is the time to vote for your favorites! To recap how it’s going to work: Your favorite bloggers and digital influencers will take part in a year long project to design a custom rug for the brand.

For a country that’s big on the siesta, you might be surprised to learn that Spain’s first nap bar opened just recently. Located in Madrid, Siesta & Go offers beds by the minute or hour, so you can get your midday snooze on. Inspired by similar concepts popping up around the globe in places like London and Dubai, Siesta & Go hopes that locals and travelers alike will find that a place for a quick nap or quiet work will prove worth paying for.

HGTV fans, rejoice! The home and garden network’s most popular shows are now streaming on Hulu, just six months after they left Netflix. This is big news, since Scripps (who owns HGTV, DIY Network, Travel Channel, Food Network, and Cooking Channel) cut ties with Netflix at the end of 2016, meaning all our fave home and garden shows started to disappear from the site. The two companies first inked a deal in 2014, when eleven shows began streaming on the platform.

McMansion Hell, a Tumblr blog that calls out bad architecture in the form of over the top suburban sprawl, has been sent a cease and desist letter from Zillow. The real estate aggregate says that the blog violates their terms of service by editing listing photos by adding commentary.

Have you ever shopped for clothes on Amazon? The retail giant wants to make it even easier with their new Prime Wardrobe, a service that lets you order apparel and try it on at home before you lay down that credit card. Prime Wardrobe includes men’s, women’s, and kid’s clothing, shoes, and accessories from both popular department store brands and Amazon’s in house fashion labels.

In Detroit, one woman is on a mission to use tiny homes as a gateway for upward mobility and wealth. For minimum wage workers and other Americans struggling to get by or living paycheck to paycheck, she created a rent-to-own program with rents as low as $250 a month.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve been advised against living my life in a bubble. But what about spending the night in one? At Iceland’s Buubble Hotel, guests can experience the upside of intentional isolated living. According to Dwell, the self-proclaimed “5-million star hotel” is situated in a forest a couple of hours outside of Reykjavik and consists of five transparent bubble units.

While useful when deciding between vacuums or whether that book is as good as everyone says it is, Amazon’s customer reviews can also be a true source of hilarity and joy. For the Tom Dixon candle in Water, the category is the latter, and they have us drowning in tears of laughter. As if to inspire satire, the product description reads: Water lends its understated blend of watermelon and amber musk to deliver the sharp clarity of maritime freshness in your home.

Amazon is going for grocery domination. The company announced Friday morning that they plan to buy Whole Foods in a deal worth $13.7 billion. The deal is expected to go through in the second half of 2017. The story is still developing but CNBC is reporting that according to a statement from Amazon, Whole Foods’ CEO John Mackey will remain on as the leader of the Austin, Texas based grocery chain, and that all of its locations will continue to operate under the Whole Foods name.

Many homeowners will tell you that securing their home is a top priority, however, that doesn’t mean home invasions aren’t a very real threat for Americans. According to a new survey by Eyewitness Surveillance—a commercial surveillance company based in Maryland—a burglary occurs every 13 seconds in the United States, resulting in a startling 2.5 million home intrusions reported every year.

The stats are in, and they confirm what we already knew: the rent is still too damn high, and people are working too damn hard to (ahem) “live the dream” — or just make ends meet. According to new research, there’s not a single state, county, or metro area in which a simple two-bedroom rental is affordable to a person working 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, at the local statutory minimum wage.

If you’re starting to think about fall travel, you’re in luck. Southwest Airlines is celebrating its 46th birthday, and you get the gift. But the sale ends soon, so snag your flights now. The sale is for destinations across the US, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and one way fares start at just $39. The prices are good on trips between August 22 and December 16, and yes, there are blackout dates that apply (sorry, Thanksgiving travelers).

That Amazon Prime membership may become even more valuable soon: IKEA just announced that it’s going to start selling its products on websites other than its own beginning in 2018.

Good news, tag-popping shoppers: the thrill of the bargain hunt has officially become a massive moneymaker in the post-post-recession era, with e-commerce websites, peer-to-peer apps, and for-profit brick and mortar retailers all competing with charity shops to innovate resale shopping.

After all the FRAKTA brouhaha, IKEA decided that the iconic bag needed its own tiny film. The company revealed a new cinematic ad for the under-a-dollar workhorse this week, and it’s definitely worth a watch. Can you believe it’s only been six weeks since Balenciaga started this whole FRAKTA thing with their $2K knockoff? Coincidentally, IKEA and their agency partner Acne have been working on this campaign since February. The ad is a result of that.

June 8 marks the 150th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birth. If you’re a fan of the starchitect, then there are plenty of ways to celebrate the momentous day. Here are a few of them. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is working with museums and sites across the country for the historic day, which means lots of fun stuff no matter where you happen to be. Excitingly, tour admission to several of the icon’s works will be just $1.

For many travelers, simply hearing the word airport induces instant anxiety. However, if you’re among the well-heeled making your way through LAX, there’s a new luxury terminal for VIP travelers that will definitely provide a welcome respite from the typical airport mayhem. Dubbed “The Private Suite,” the exclusive $22 million terminal opened on May 15. It offers the ultimate service for its posh passengers, who can afford to not be stressed out when they travel.

I’m going to get real right now: Golden Girls has probably saved my sanity. Since Hulu added all seven seasons of the late 80s sitcom earlier this year, sometimes the only thing that gets me through the endless news cycle is laughing along with my fave sexagenarians. Now, there’s going to be board game to love, too.

The Seattle-based artist responsible for creating some of the world’s most exceptional colored glass sculptures has bestowed his talents upon the New York Botanical Garden for the first time in over a decade. According to Architectural Digest, Dale Chihuly’s vivid display of artistry is helping the city come alive in spring time by way of his CHIHULY show, which showcases more than 20 of his signature captivating glass pieces.

As much as we love spending time on social media, some of the unexpected burdens it brings kind of make us want to log off permanently. Just kidding – that probably won’t ever happen, but while we’re sharing, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to become so blinded by the likes that we stop prioritizing the need to protect ourselves online.

It’s still April, but we’re already excited for what’s coming to Netflix in May. The streaming service has released its master list of what will be new next month, and there’s some old favorites and new series we can’t wait to check out. https://www.youtube.com/embed/WwiVPkwY2ZE Our favorite former cult member is off to college in the trailer for season 3, which Netflix released today.

Sanrio fans, now you don’t need to head to Asia to sip a latte featuring your favorite cartoon cat (or—sorry—girl). There’s now a Hello Kitty themed café in Southern California. With a lot of pink and even a neon sign of Hello Kitty’s face, the café is located in the Westfield Santa Anita mall in Arcadia, and had its grand opening this weekend. This permanent version comes after a pop up was a huge success in Irvine last summer.

Soon, we expect to see a drastic increase in the number of high-functioning jittery folks walking around because one company just seriously upped the ante on caffeine consumption. The creators of the South-African based Black Insomnia Coffee touts their product as the strongest coffee on the planet.

We’re often reminded to practice the utmost caution while driving, but changing the way you open a car door can save bikers’ lives.

Today is International Women’s Day as well as A Day Without A Woman. All over the country, women are striking to demonstrate what a crucial part of the workforce and economy they are. Here at Apartment Therapy, our staff is roughly 75% women-identified and our audience is majority women-identified, and we would be remiss not to acknowledge the impact or the importance of today.

If you’ve been known to indulge in the occasional (or perhaps daily) shower beer, we have a hotel for you. Scottish brewery BrewDog is crowdfunding a new hotel in Ohio that will be right up your alley. The new hotel, called the DogHouse, will be attached to the company’s just-opened Columbus brewery and is set to debut alongside their new sour beer program in Q3 2018.

Do you miss the days when phones were for calling people, batteries lasted more than four hours, and the only distraction available was playing Snake? Good news, luddites, because Nokia is bringing back their beloved 3310, the dumb phone to end all dumb phones. “Serial leaker” Evan Blass announced on Twitter that Nokia would be debuting the resurrected 3310 later this month at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, along with a few Android-based smartphones.

If conveying your innermost thoughts via the written word isn’t exactly in your wheelhouse, allow us to kindly encourage you to knock the dust off those essay-writing skills you acquired back in the day. Because the only thing that stands between you and some cushy lakeside digs are a mere 200 words. According to Curbed, the owners of this gorgeous Catskills cabin are holding an essay-writing contest with plans to give the Bethel, NY home to whoever comes up with the most convincing words.

Nobody likes the ongoing maintenance and household chores that accompany home ownership. But of all the tedious tasks on our to-do lists, a new survey finds there’s overwhelmingly one that we can’t wait to take off our plates. Can you guess what it is? Nearly half (47%) of American homeowners surveyed by contractor review site Angie’s List said they plan to pay someone to help with yard work or landscaping in 2017.

Big news from Pinterest today. The social network and image sharing platform debuted a suite of visual discovery tools today, one of which turns your camera into a search tool. “Humans are visual creatures. We use our eyes to decide if something looks good, or if it matches our style,” the company says in its announcement blog post. “Pinterest is built for open-minded discovery. Just like when you’re out window-shopping.

This week, Reddit was shook when one user shared a cautionary tale of accidental fire at their home. Not by an unattended candle, or a frayed wire, or even unventilated electronics—but by a doorknob.

After much contemplation, we are still having trouble thinking of a moment in which wine wasn’t winning, and this year has been no exception. The much talked about beverage is arguably the cool kid of boozy drinks. As if they’d been stored in a cellar until optimal maturation, the multitude of wine-inspired ideas that continually gushed forth in 2016 prove that nearly everyone and everything wants to be associated with wine.

We’ve dedicated quite a few posts over the years to making the bed, also declaring that it’s a habit you shouldn’t skip, even if you’re busy. But maybe you’re just never going to do it—for whatever reason—but you (or someone you live with) like the look of a put-together sleep space. Here’s a solution… other than someone else passive-aggressively tidying up after you.

Now you can get your Marjaiasana judged by an expert: An animal shelter in Georgia offers a yoga class with their adoptable cats. The class came about after Lisa Johns, a manager at the Good Mews cat shelter in Marietta, and Lisa Bass, a volunteer who happens to be a yoga instructor saw a video of people bringing cats to a yoga studio for a class. Bass thought that bringing people to the cats would be easier (and less cleanup), and so the shelter started hosting cat yoga.

You may have been reading the updates on the building of the Stacked Barn here, but in an effort to shamelessly support my daughter’s school I’m giving it away for one weekend after it’s finished. You too, could make history and sleep in the soon-to-be-iconic Stacked Barn. Or, should you prefer, you could have a guitar lesson from the iconic James Valentine of Maroon 5 fame.

Typically, saving money and lottery tickets don’t go hand in hand (unless you count the loss of savings due to lottery ticket purchases), but a new app called Long Game hopes to develop more of a positive association between the two.

Airbnb, once just a place to list your apartment or book a room, is becoming a full-circle travel platform. This week, the company announced Trips, an immersive way to plan and enjoy your travel experience. Announced at the opening keynote of their Airbnb Open festival in LA on Friday, Trips is now available as an update to your Airbnb app and is launching with three areas: Homes, Places, and Experiences.

Bed Bath & Beyond announced this week that they’re launching a new version of their loyalty program, and it just might mean the end of the ubiquitous 20% coupon the retailer is known for. Currently in beta, Beyond+ costs $29 a year and gives members 20% off every single purchase in store and online, plus free standard shipping. If the membership program takes off, it could be Bed Bath & Beyond’s way of ditching the coupon for good.

Moving into a gorgeous three-floor loft on Bleeker Street is, by many accounts, living the dream. But how about paying just a dollar a month to live there? Rupert Hunt, CEO of roommate search site SpareRoom, just moved to New York from London and is looking for a couple of flatmates to share his stunning space—for only $1.

Anyone who grew up in the ’80s remembers Teddy Ruxpin. The talking bear with the cassette tape in his back hit the market in 1985, scared us all with his uncanny valley face and low battery voice, and faded into oblivion for awhile. Until now. In case you need a refresher: MommyandGracieShow got a look at the new Teddy at the Dallas Toy Fair and he’s ripe to terrify a whole new generation. Produced by Wicked Cool Toys, the biggest visual difference is in the eyes.

Is there anyone alive who doesn’t have a fascination with tiny objects? They’re just so darn cute, and require so much patience and skill to create. That’s why we’re squeeing over this mini version of Mindy Lahiri’s office from The Mindy Project. Mindy Kaling is pretty excited about it, too. Mindy posted a photo to Instagram this week, comparing the real life set to its miniature—and it’s pretty hard to tell the difference! Okay, this is insanely cool.

5 things you need to know, now that it’s Monday. Dwell’s new site is Houzz meets Pinterest. Dwell released an iPhone app and a new site that “allows the design community to share, discover and collaborate like never before.” The site, built completely in-house, starts with their library of 300,000 images and encourages users to add and share their own.

Kanye West keeps fanning the flames of a potential IKEA collaboration. The rapper/clothing designer talked about it on BBC radio this week. But IKEA Australia was quick to overshadow the interview with a hilarious Facebook post. The rumors started in March when Kanye stopped by IKEA HQ in Älmhult. On Monday, Kanye was on Annie Mac’s BBC 1 radio show, and said this about the Swedish giant: “I have to work with Ikea – make furniture for interior design, for architecture.

Five things to know, now that it’s Monday. Lisa Frank continues to make Millennials’ dreams come true. First a coloring book, now an athleisure line. Yes, you can deck yourself out in rainbow unicorn leggings and dolphin crop tops to your heart’s content. Go forth like the ’90s never left. The internet got reaaaaalllly excited about a Harry Potter version of Pokémon Go. Unfortunately, it’s still just rumors.

Legendary New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham died on Saturday at the age of 87. He had been hospitalized recently after a stroke. Born in Boston in 1929, Cunningham moved to New York after dropping out of Harvard. He started out as a hat designer, and when the fashions became less formal in the 1960s, he picked up a camera instead.

Big news from IKEA: collaborations with British designer Tom Dixon and Danish brand HAY are in the works for 2017. Both collections were announced yesterday at IKEA’s annual Democratic Design Day, where the company also revealed its latest Life at Home report.

The sharing economy isn’t just for the young. The Freebird Club is an Airbnb-like service that connects traveling seniors with seniors who have spare rooms. There are a few notable differences between Airbnb and Ireland-based Freebird Club: mostly, that the host always stays (the idea is to foster connections); and it’s members-only, so the over-50 pay a fee to join and use the service. Freebird Club makes it easier for seniors to travel, knowing they won’t be in a place alone.

Dusen Dusen continues to snag our favorite funny ladies for their look books. The new home collection, available in June, features Daily Show senior correspondent Jessica Williams. Their first home collection last year caught our attention with SNL star Aidy Bryant, and Williams is making those graphic prints pop as well. The collection debuted during NYCxDESIGN where we snuck a peek of it at Sight Unseen OFFSITE.

Quite unassuming from the outside, you’d hardly guess this building was the creative refuge of The Purple One. But at Paisley Park in suburban Minnesota, Prince recorded nearly 30 albums. Take a look inside: 55,000 square feet on nine acres, Paisley Park was completed in 1988 and houses four recording studios, a video editing suite, and a 12,500 square foot soundstage.

Molly and Daniel are true blue partners in crime. They live together in a 1920’s-era Los Feliz apartment, work together as business partners, and support each other’s freelance work goals. They’re also great storytellers, fun to be around, and, as far as cute couples go, they’re like Olympic ice skating team cute. Here’s life with Molly and Daniel… The story of Molly and Daniel starts off with a simple twist of fate.

Most of us eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But this isn’t true all over the world, and it hasn’t always been the case even in America. Several historical references make mention of a mysterious fourth meal — a second or ‘reve’ supper. Although we may think of our standard of three meals as the norm, it’s not just hobbits who eat more than three meals a day.

I grew up in the South, and that means I had a grandma who was an excellent cook, but it also means that, throughout my childhood, I was exceedingly confused about what the word ‘dinner’ meant. Most people I knew used dinner to refer to the evening meal and lunch for the mid-day one, but at grandma’s dinner happened at noon and there was another meal, supper, in the evening. Were my relatives trying to confuse me? What, exactly, did it all mean?

I swear I’m not obsessed with bathrooms, but this discussion came up during one of our editorial meetings the other day. We obviously take our jobs VERY seriously and no topic is too detailed, or too inappropriate for us to write about. “Crumplers” (as demonstrated in the lead photo above) are devil-may-care types who want to get in and out of the bathroom fast, with the least amount of fuss.

Many of the terms you use around the house are actually trademarked. (“Grab me a kleenex, will you?”) Or at least they were at one point, before we all started using them as if they were just a regular part of the English language. And actually, a few of the brands on this list have lost the right to enforce their trademark because the term became so commonplace. So here they are in one tidy list (a little ammunition for your next trivia night).