Life

A lot goes into planning a vacation. Where should you go? When can you take time off? What gets you the most bang for your buck? Should you do a lot of long weekends or a few big trips? At times all of the run around and crazy planning can seem like it just isn’t worth it, how can you enjoy your vacation when you’re not doing it right. Luckily, science is here to remove some of the guess work.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From Kitchn → 7 Brilliant Kitchen Storage Ideas to Steal from Real-Life Tiny Houses null

(Image credit: Elissa Crowe) From Kitchn → 10 Ways to Get Rid of That Awful Smell in Your Kitchen Sink null

Of course everyone’s favorite young adult thriller writer would share his office with a skeleton, a giant cockroach, and a real-life version of his famously homicidal ventriloquist dummy, Slappy. This week on the New York Times‘ video tour series The Daily 360, we get a peek inside R.L.

(Image credit: Eco Mama Hotel) From Kitchn → I Only Ever Stay in Hostels. Here’s Why. null

(Image credit: Emma Christensen) From Kitchn → Food Gifts to Start Preparing Now for the Holidays null

Minimalism, in modern culture, is a word infused with so much meaning that it doesn’t seem to mean anything any more. “Minimalism” is thrown around carelessly, and often offered (in the case of a book or an article, including many you might see on this site) without enough context to understand if we’re all on the same page. And often, we aren’t. It turns out there are many different ways to practice the same underlying, abstract foundation.

They may be HGTV tycoons these days, but that wasn’t always the case for Chip and Joanna Gaines. The duo, who recently announced that they’re ending their beloved home renovation show Fixer Upper, say they learned their best lesson about money over a decade ago, when Chip was tossed in the county jail after he was busted for having $2,500 racked up in tickets.

The Minimalists didn’t invent decluttering, but they sure are spreading the message. The popular duo are currently on a nationwide tour to help people purge themselves of stuff and the emotional baggage that goes along with it. Today, The Cut has an in depth feature on the Ohio bloggers, as well as the stories of people whom they have helped.

(Image credit: Hayley Kessner) From Kitchn → This $35 Swedish Hand Soap Is Totally Worth It null

Your emoji keyboard is about to get an update. Apple announced this week that iOS 11.1 will include 56 new emojis based on the most recent Unicode update. Unicode 10.0 was announced back in July, but now we know exactly what Apple will be including, and what they’ll look like.

(Image credit: Alicia Macias) From Kitchn → 10 Ways to Master Your Monday null

(Image credit: Jesse Morrow / Stocksy) From Kitchn → 10 European Etiquette Rules You Should Know null

(Image credit: Emma Fiala) From Kitchn → 5 Things to Leave Until Monday So You Can Enjoy the Weekend null

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From Kitchn → 10 of the Smartest Small Kitchens We’ve Ever Seen null

In case you missed it: Last year, everyone’s favorite Swedish flat pack palace IKEA purchased TaskRabbit—a major player in the “gig economy” that connects people who are willing to exchange money for small tasks. You know, things like cleaning around the house, filling test tube shots with vodka (that’s a real task) or, you know… assembling IKEA furniture.

(Image credit: Federico Paul) From Kitchn → 8 Smart Ways to Create a Pantry in Even the Tiniest Kitchen null

(Image credit: Pexels) From Kitchn → When Our “Normal” Is Way Too Much null

(Image credit: Cambria Bold) From Kitchn → How I Organized My Kitchen Without a Single Drawer null

Decreasing the amount of energy you expend at home isn’t just good for the environment—it can be good for your bank account, too. According to a study from SaveOnEnergy, the average American spends a whopping $1,460 a year on electricity and $421 on natural gas; numbers that are expected to rise by 2 percent in 2018. Luckily, there are plenty of simple ways to reduce your daily energy use.

(Image credit: Jennifer Hughes for Elizabeth Lawson Design) From Kitchn → The Best Cabinet Paint Colors for a Happier Kitchen, According to Interior Designers null

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to traipse New York City and see its streets through the eyes — and stiletto-clad heels — of Carrie Bradshaw, then now is your chance. Sarah Jessica Parker has partnered up with Airbnb Experiences to offer four lucky fans the chance to shop and tour Manhattan for a day — not just alongside a legendary New Yorker, but with the actual actress who played Carrie Bradshaw (for six seasons and two movies) as your tour guide.

(Image credit: Image: Brother/ Design: Susanna Hopler) From Kitchn → 6 Things Professional Organizers Can’t Live Without null

(Image credit: Aldi) From Kitchn → Aldi’s Wine Advent Calendar Is Everything You Need This Holiday Season null

(Image credit: Maria Jordan) From Kitchn → This Incredibly Easy Kitchen Transformation Involved Some Paint, Sticky Tiles, and Little Else null

(Image credit: Janel Laban) From Kitchn → The Best Kitchen Shelves from IKEA null

(Image credit: Erika Tracy) From Kitchn → How To Remove Grease Stains null

(Image credit: Lauren Volo) From Kitchn → The 12 Slow Cooker Classics Every Cook Should Know null

If you had told me a year ago that, today, I’d be smack dab in the middle of selling my home, I would never have believed you. If you’d told me I was selling my home to uproot my family, buy an RV, and roam the country for an indefinite amount of time, I may very well have asked you if you’d recently suffered a hard knock to the head. And yet, here I am.

(Image credit: Rachel Jacks) From Kitchn → The One Time Open Shelving Is a Terrible Idea null

If your bargain loving self thrives in the face of disorganization and feeds off the thrill of the hunt, then we have a website redesign that you’re going to love. This week, The Onion nails perfectly what it would be like to shop your favorite discount retailers—if their websites were just like their stores. Like the digital equivalent of throwing spaghetti against the wall, The Onion’s fake T.J.

Pagans of the good times will love this design award-winning church conversion loft in London, which is now available for rent for approximately $1,000 per week. Hallelujah, travel gods. In the North East London borough of Waltham Forest, just about 10 miles by Tube to downtown London via Charing Cross station, the Chingford chapel loft on Buxton Road features two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, dining for 12, and enough designer appeal to bring one to their knees.

(Image credit: Jessica Isaac) From Kitchn → 6 More Ways to Use a Magnetic Knife Strip Around the Kitchen null

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From Kitchn → Why It’s Totally Worth It to Have a Weekly House Cleaner null

(Image credit: Shannon Wolf Photography) puji@colorhousepaint.com From Kitchn → These Are the Most Annoying Things Your Family Members and Roommates Do in the Kitchen null

(Image credit: Christine Han) From Kitchn → This Is What College Food Looks Like in Sweden null

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From Kitchn → I Bought a Tiny “Parisian” Fridge and I Totally Regret It null

Emergency situations can really throw you—and your wallet—for a loop. Whether you’re hurt, you’ve lost your job or your car goes kaput, having a stash of do-not-touch money can keep a bad situation from getting worse. Here are some of the immeasurable benefits of keeping an emergency fund. They all add up to one thing: Irreplaceable peace of mind. As of July 2015, eight of every 10 Americans were in debt.

(Image credit: Le Creuset) From Kitchn → Le Creuset Just Launched a New Line of Millennial Pink Cookware null

(Image credit: Emma Fiala) From Kitchn → Why Didn’t We Think of That? 18 Ingenious Kitchen Organizing Tips from Our Readers null

(Image credit: Lauren Kolyn) From Kitchn → 12 of the Most Brilliant Storage Ideas for Small Kitchens null

As anyone who loves someone who snores can attest, getting a good night’s sleep is one of the hardest things to come by in your day-to-day life. But it’s pretty important for a happy relationship, according to a new study featured in the New York Times yesterday.

(Image credit: Diana Paulson) From Kitchn → Here’s What It Costs to Paint Kitchen Cabinets (and to Have Them Painted by Someone Else) null

This week on Millennials Kill Things, we present the generation’s latest victim: the doorbell. On Monday, the Wall Street Journal wrote a piece about how young people are no longer using the humble buzzer to announce their presence, and are instead texting, DMing, Snapping, or whatever to alert their friends that they’re downstairs. My Millennial might be showing, but honestly, same.

(Image credit: Diana Paulson) From Kitchn → 10 Tiny Kitchen Organizing Tasks You Can Do in 10 Minutes null

The news swept the internet last week that due to their acquisition by Amazon, Whole Foods was going to start dropping prices on a variety of items as of today. Several news outlets have visited different locations of the organic grocer and are reporting on just how much savings there is to be had.

(Image credit: Hrynevich Yury) shutterstock From Kitchn → This Is the Magic Number When It Comes to Cleaning null

(Image credit: Voyagerix) shutterstock From Kitchn → The Most Satisfying Cleaning Video You’ll Ever See null

(Image credit: Susanna Hopler) From Kitchn → The Best Ways to Save Money on Groceries at Costco null

(Image credit: Ghazalle Badiozamani) From Kitchn → 5 Surprising Things I Learned from Washing Dishes with Gloves for a Week null

Summer might be coming to a close, but at least a new month means new stuff on Netflix. Make sure to get all that adulting done so you can soak up a few episodes of a new show, guilt free. There’s a ton we’re excited about that’s coming up in September, so check out our picks (and the full list) below: Everything leaving Netflix in September Already missing Shark Week?

(Image credit: Chakrit Yenti) shutterstock From Kitchn → Here’s Why You Should Never, Ever Leave a Plastic Water Bottle in Your Car null

(Image credit: barefoot contessa) From Kitchn → Ina Garten Shares the One Ingredient You’ll Never Find in Her Cookbooks null

(Image credit: Kaat Zoetekouw/Stocksy) From Kitchn → How Traveling Through Scandinavia Changed the Way I Eat Breakfast null

Thrifty IKEA shoppers know the key to a good deal is to always check the As-Is section, where you can find items that have been returned or assembled and used for display for a discounted price. Even savvier shoppers know that you can negotiate prices for As-Is items, and that you can score better deals there at certain times of the year. But, the As-Is section, as glorious as it can be, isn’t the only way to save money at IKEA.

(Image credit: Ghazalle Badiozamani) From Kitchn → How To Clean Your Kitchen Sink null

(Image credit: Lauren Volo) From Kitchn → This Is Why Aluminum Foil Is Shiny on One Side null

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman) From Kitchn → 5 Ways to Use Aluminum Foil to Clean null

(Image credit: Sean Wandzilak) shutterstock From Kitchn → The Best Ways to Save Money on Groceries at Target null

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From Kitchn → 10 Brilliant Ways to Squeeze Extra Storage Space Out of a Small Kitchen null

(Image credit: Susanna Hopler) From Kitchn → 5 Wines You Should Be Buying on Amazon This Summer null

(Image credit: Anna Spaller) From Kitchn → 5 Things Vacation Rental Guests Should Always Do (and 3 They Don’t Have To) null

(Image credit: Minette Hand) From Kitchn → One Thing You Need to Clean More Often than You Think null

(Image credit: Ekaterina Pokrovsky) shutterstock From Kitchn → The Surprising Thing You Can Bring Through Airport Security null

(Image credit: Nancy Mitchell) From Kitchn → Why I’m Totally Obsessed with My Expensive Trash Can null

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From Kitchn → 10 Things You Should Never Say to Someone Who Doesn’t Drink null

(Image credit: llaszlo) shutterstock From Kitchn → The Grocery-Store Tea That Changed My Life null

(Image credit: Cambria Bold) From Kitchn → Before & After: How I Transformed My Junk Drawer Without Buying a Single Organizer null

(Image credit: Reid Rolls) linda@lindacava.com From Kitchn → 6 Things That Make Your Kitchen Look Messier than It Is null

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.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) From Kitchn → The Totally Free Super Cleaner You’re Not Using null

(Image credit: Quentin Bacon) From Kitchn → The Super-Strong Vinegar German Moms Use to Clean null