Life

If you’re not already sold on the fact that this rental is shaped like a giant elephant (think of the post-trip Insta posts!), you’ll be pleased to learn that its charm goes far beyond that particularly striking detail. This 40-foot, two-story mammoth of a tiny house is located in the Southeastern Uva Province of Sri Lanka, near a river that borders Yala—Sri Lanka’s famous wildlife park.

Creativity starts at home. That’s why it’s important to know what kinds of things you can do around the house to get your creative juices flowing. We called on two of our favorite creative experts: Rahti Gorfien, Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and ACCG at Creative Calling Coaching and Danielle Raine, a U.K.-based creativity coach for advice on everyday habits that can help improve our creativity from the privacy of our own place, and they had lots to share.

If you’ve ever thrown any kind of party at your house you know that, regardless of your best laid plans to draw guests into other rooms, everyone is going to congregate in the kitchen. Kitchens have long been the number one return on investment for remodeling for that reason, and now they’ve also become the most splurge-y place in the house for furniture and decor, as well.

With midterm elections this week, you may have already figured out where you’ll be tuning in—but have you thought about what you’ll be eating? No matter who you’re voting for in November, one thing is universal: We’ll all need food to fuel us through the night as results roll in.

Budgeting is too often misunderstood. The problem: Many people look over their expenses after the money is gone. Then they get startled or—even less productively—embarrassed at how much money was spent on things like eating out or buying new clothing, and vow to cut back next month. It’s an endless cycle that does little to change your spending habits.

Having plenty of Halloween candy to pass out—and then some—is not optional. Which sparkly princess or toddling robot with an upturned, hopeful face and proffered bucket could you tell “Sorry, we ran out of treats”? Not happening. And then there’s the kids coming home with their hauls from which they’ll pick a designated ration of their favorites (plus your tithe) and all that leftover candy. Sometimes there’s way too much of a good thing.

For 10 days at the end of October, Apartment Therapy wants to help you get ahead on the holidays. Together, we’re checking off doable daily tasks to get one step closer to the effortless holiday season you deserve. Sign up now (it’s free!) so you don’t miss a thing. Culture has a way of evolving a vocabulary to embrace and explain humanity’s common eccentricities.

For 10 days at the end of October, Apartment Therapy wants to help you get ahead on the holidays. Together, we’re checking off doable daily tasks to get one step closer to the effortless holiday season you deserve. Sign up now (it’s free!) so you don’t miss a thing. Just because you need something doesn’t mean it needs to be purchased. There are a lot of reasons to try your hand at DIY: It can be cheaper, less wasteful, and it’s a heck of a lot more fun.

Have you ever gone shopping and forgotten the one real item you went to the store for in the first place? Obviously, it happens to all of us. Even when you write down a list of “must get” items, you always manage to forget one thing. Maybe you didn’t actually check the cabinets before leaving, or it just totally slipped your mind when you put your pen to paper. Whatever happened, we’ve been there, and it stinks.

For 10 days at the end of October, Apartment Therapy wants to help you get ahead on the holidays. Together, we’re checking off doable daily tasks to get one step closer to the effortless holiday season you deserve. Sign up now (it’s free!) so you don’t miss a thing. Contrary to what TV commercials might tell you, the holidays are not just about buying gifts and spending money. The reason we’re all enamored with this season is the spirit of it all.

If you’re anything like me, a.k.a. prone to compulsive late-night Amazon Prime purchases (especially after a couple glasses of wine), then boy do we have the solution for you. Amazon Allowance is a feature on Amazon that allows you to fund your shopping (or someone else’s) with gift card credits you set aside ahead of time—so you can shop to your heart’s content without ever sharing your credit card info.

If you didn’t already realize what our furry friends are capable of, here’s a new one for you—they can detect impoliteness. A new study from Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews has proven that dogs negatively evaluate people who refuse to help their owners or, in other words, express a rude behavior. After hearing about a study that proves one-year-olds can sense when someone is being rude, psychologist James Anderson got the idea of doing similar research on dogs.

There is no greater feeling than reader “your package will arrive in 3 to 5 business days.” It is like buying yourself presents, without needing a reason! Online shopping is pretty addictive, but it is convenient. Does anyone really have the time to go to the mall and look for a dress to wear to a wedding? There’s more of a selection online anyway, so why not cut out the middleman?

Halloween is just over a week away and everyone is getting into the holiday spirit. People are spending their free time at orchards to pick apples and pumpkins. The fall candles have officially been lit. “Monster Mash” and “This Is Halloween” have been played at least once on everyone’s playlist. People aren’t the only ones who can get festive for Halloween. Cats can enjoy the holiday too! Thanks to Target, you can now purchase a haunted house for your cat.

So you’re going to build a tiny house. It may be small, and it may be cute, but you’ll still need a plan to build from, just like with any other house. Even if your tiny budget doesn’t allow for an architect, there are plenty of free (or very inexpensive) tiny house plans available on the internet. Here are some of our favorites. This tiny home has a distinctly modern look, and the inside is filled with light.

Ever wonder what your furry friend really thinks of you? Well, you’re in luck: new study says that cats basically treat us like other cats. Before you curtly dismiss this information, this feline factoid comes straight from the mouth of cat behavior expert, John Bradshaw of the University of Bristol.

Though her pub-going “Madge” phase is long over, Madonna’s mark remains on the 2/2 South Kensington flat British filmmaker Guy Ritchie owned when the couple first started dating in the late ’90s—and now, as of this week, you can rent the London pad on HomeAway.

It is official, Amazon is the one-stop shop for literally all of our needs. You can buy clothing, books, accessories, toys, tiny houses, lifehacks, food, and wine on Amazon. Yup, you can order wine from Amazon and have it delivered to your house! Don’t you just hate when you run out of wine on a Friday, because you swore you had a full bottle, but it was really only an ⅛ full? Us too!

Halloween is upon us, and haunted houses are popping up everywhere to provide visitors with thrills, chills, and holiday entertainment. But those who prefer to get their kicks from a more realistic experience may want to visit a supposedly real haunted house instead, complete with dark backstories, dastardly characters, and more. Here are five haunted houses you can visit nationwide.

Honestly, who doesn’t love Chrissy Teigen? She is the honest Twitter queen that we all need in our lives. Not only is she funny, but she also keeps it very real and we all admire her for it. We’d all love to be her BFF, so she could make us laugh and feed us tasty food. Over the last few years, Chrissy has added a few more titles to her career, as a cook and an author. Now, she’s also on the retail market! She released two cookbooks, Cravings and Cravings: Hungry For More.

The strongest tropical cyclone to hit the US since Andrew in 1992, Hurricane Michael has already impacted coastal Florida and as far north as Virginia. According to CNN, the US death toll is already at 13—and it’s expected to get worse. While Michael has since been downgraded to a Tropical Storm, there’s no better time to help out—and we’ve compiled a list of organizations helping the victims of this brutal extreme weather event.

What good home finds are waiting for you at Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and HomeGoods? Um, to sum it up briefly, a lot! I have a fairly intense relationship with Marshalls. I grew up shopping their Bedford, MA, store and now I am lucky enough to live near a “really good one” outside Los Angeles. This is not just my personal opinion — I am quoting a very impressed gentleman I heard remark as he walked through it.

If you need an excuse to incorporate Harry Potter into your life, there’s always going to be one. Need something to do for Halloween? Go dine at Hogwarts for a spooktacular feast. Yearning to transform your space? Decorate with this magical home collection. Looking for your next novel? New books galore! And with the holidays fast approaching, your latest excuse might be needing a gift for your fellow wizard (or yourself).

While my showering habits have shifted since having kids (read: I shower less), I’ve always been a morning shower-er, purely for practical reasons. My fine hair styles better when I don’t sleep on it, and the ritual of a morning shower jolts me awake and helps me mentally prepare for the day ahead. Plus, I tend to get hot at night, and I feel fresher when I rinse it all off in the A.M. But fans of night showers defend their habits for similarly practical reasons.

When you look back on the holidays, you want to remember things like the raucous Christmas party or the morning you spent laughing with your family over latkes—not the times when you spent all day hunting for a parking spot or waited an hour in line at the department store checkout. To help you make more room for happy memories—and save you from holiday shopping stress—Apartment Therapy is launching a new program called Holiday Jumpstart.

Who hasn’t wished they could travel to the magical world of Harry Potter? Ever since the first book was released in the late ’90s, we’ve all wished we could eat in the Great Hall and explore all of the secret passages inside of Hogwarts. For many years, that was just a dream that all of us muggles and no-majs had, but thanks to Universal, we’ve been given a magical ticket.

Your to-do list is long and your bullet journal is bursting. It seems like there’s always something you could or should be doing—but maybe that’s exactly the problem. While the pressures to be (and stay!) productive have reached an all-time high, overscheduling your free time could actually do more harm than good. Enter “Should-Less Sundays”—your new favorite weekend tradition.

Let’s be real: We’ve all spent several hours inside an IKEA store, or on the IKEA website, or figuring out how to put a piece of its furniture together. But how much time have we devoted to learning the story behind our favorite affordable Swedish home goods brand? Chances are that you have purchased at least one item from IKEA, but do you even have the slightest clue what their name means? Don’t worry my Scandi-design loving friends, I didn’t know either.

I never used to spend much time thinking about aging. I’m 29 and hang out in a mostly 20- and 30- something bubble in Washington, DC. Getting older was a vague, abstract concept on a far off, distant horizon. But then I began seeking out conversations with ladies in their 50s and 60s. I had started a new job in innovation focused on women over 50, and embarked on a quest to uncover ideas by speaking with the target market.

We always knew cat lovers were a breed of their own, but a new survey has locked down the proof. Through a survey of 1,000 cat owners, it was determined that the average cat owner “likes” 398 cat-related posts and looks at 725 cat pictures and videos in a year. 47 percent of owners surveyed report taking photos of their cats often, and say it takes an average of three attempts to get the ideal photo.

It is just about every Harry Potter lovers dream to travel to the magical world. We all waited anxiously to get our Hogwarts letter in the mail, but sadly, it never came. For those of us who are the biggest Potterheads, we try to incorporate the wizarding world into our lives any way we can. We rewatch the movies, reread the books, share them with our loved ones, and find ways to celebrate Harry Potter all year long.

The hills are alive with this sustainable tiny house. While those might not be the lyrics to the iconic The Sound Of Music song, it doesn’t make it any less true when addressing this glamping haven. Perched on the mountainside in Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenia, this tiny accommodation is all about modern simplicity. The one-room vacation rental can comfortably fit two guests, complete with a queen-sized bed, table, drawers, and shelves for additional space.

Did everyone go through a goth phase? Or was it just us? You might have told your parents and friends at the time that it “wasn’t a phase” but for most of us, it was. However, even if you don’t wear all black and channel your inner ’80s Winona Ryder every day, you still can love and appreciate the goth subculture. If you ever were goth or still are, you’re going to need to see Crate & Barrel’s Halloween decor.

Do you ever get the urge to pack up your belongings, and escape the hustle and bustle of life for a while? This striking tree house with panoramic fjord views might be the place to do it. Located in Sandane, Norway, you can glamp in this tiny house that overlooks the country’s west coast. And “tree house” isn’t just a figure of speech: this structure is actually perched in the treetops, making guests fully immersed in the natural environment.

Germany-based company Caravanboat has the solution to the common vacation conundrum that plagues many trip planners: Whether to hit the high seas or remain on land. The Departure One, a 30-foot camper, is capable of being used on the water or on solid ground. Fashioned out of seawater-resistant aluminum, the multi-purpose dwelling is a crafty combination of a camper and a motorized houseboat. The air-conditioned space has a living room, a small shower, sink, and toilet.

Beer lovers have been able to enjoy “shower beers” for years, but trying to drink wine in the shower is such a hassle. The ledge in the shower is always too wet and you can never put the glass down. If you do, then your wine will spill everywhere. And god forbid the glass shatters while you’re trying to just take a shower and enjoy a glass of Chardonnay.

September 1st came and went without our Hogwarts letter arriving in the mail. That doesn’t mean we didn’t plan our trip to Hogwarts for this year. If you’re an avid Harry Potter fan, you can now show off your house pride in style whenever you travel. Recently, Pottery Barn released a Harry Potter home decor line full of incredible bedding sets and bedroom decor. But did you know that Pottery Barn’s sister site, PB Teen, sells Harry Potter luggage?

You know that saying, “Like mother, like daughter?” Well, there’s a reason it’s so widely used. Many of us recall thinking at a young age, I’m never going to be like my mother when I grow up. And yet, here we are, reflections of the very person we thought didn’t understand what we were going through—only to realize later on in life that they went through it, too.

Whether your day job involves sitting at a desk, driving to sales calls, or bent over your phone responding to emails and texts while you run around town, we all could use stretching breaks throughout the day. “Stretching is very important, but not in the way people think, says K. Aleisha Fetters, M.S., C.S.C.S. You’re not thinning out your muscles, she says.

Are you addicted to single-serve coffee? We can’t blame you. It’s fast, convenient, and of course, delicious, but unfortunately, also super wasteful. (Even the inventor of the Keurig K-Cup has expressed regret over inventing the technology in the first place.

What is it about the beginning of fall that always brings out the back-to-school spirit in us? It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since you graduated school, there’s something about September that makes us want to turn over a new leaf and be more productive. So, we get organized, set bigger goals for ourselves, and buy some super chic office supplies.

In grade school, everyone had a least favorite subject. Maybe you really didn’t like reading, so English was boring for you. Or maybe you struggled with math and science and felt left behind during those classes. Honestly, did anyone enjoy running the mile in gym class? Sure, sometimes gym gave us an excuse to stand around and talk to our friends, but more often than not, it was awful.

Grab some Eggo waffles, Christmas lights, and put on a “Ghostbusters” costume, it is time to head to the Upside Down. For Halloween this year, you can get the pants scared right off of you at a “Stranger Things” haunted house. You might want to be careful, not everyone is ready to face the Demogorgon alone. “Stranger Things” became one of the most popular TV shows shortly after it debuted on Netflix in 2016.

Minimalism is all the rage in decor. From Marie Kondo to the airy white images floating around Instagram, it’s hard to escape the burgeoning love for simple living. I used to joke with colleagues that soon, the new minimalist trend would be to toss out your furniture. Well friends, it’s finally happened. The furniture-free movement is the newest home decorating trend—and it’s all in the name of optimal health and minimalist living.

A morning gone wrong can make us feel like the rest of the day is doomed, a thought which might all too easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Of course, there are things like the proverbial (and actual!) spilled milk that we can’t control, but there are plenty of things we can. Setting ourselves up for success in the morning is one of them. And it starts with the last ten minutes of the night before.

You can buy clothing for your cat, fancy beds for your cat, and even a little gem to cover up their private bits. But did you know you can also buy a tent for your cat? Though, be advised, you should probably never take your cat camping with you. Australian company Cat Camp has created the first specialized cat tent. Because why should humans be the only ones who can have all the fun going camping?

Living with a cat can be very beneficial to your health. It has been proven that cats can reduce your stress and anxiety, lower your blood pressure, and decrease your risk of heart disease. But it isn’t always easy living with cats. We have to clean up after them, we find their toys all over, and often times their stuff takes up too much space in our homes. If you live in an apartment, you know that there is a limited amount of space you have for furniture.

Little money-saving habits don’t ever feel like they’re doing much in the moment, but in the long run they can add up to significant savings. And, no, we’re not talking about the same well-worn advice to brew your own coffee or bring your lunch to work. These are at-home habits, most of which involve a minor change in your routine and might only take a few seconds each.

Store-brand products aren’t usually something to get excited about. They’re cheap and … that’s about it. But Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand of products are a bargain-hunter’s dream because they are not only economical, but also often top-of-the-line.

Moving more often than most people has taught me to be smarter about the whole thing. And in honor of me moving—again—next week, I'd love to share my biggest moving secret.

Have you ever stumbled across an Instagram influencer who seems to constantly travel the world in luxury? Now, have ever dreamed about doing it? (We know the answer is yes.) Well, now might be your chance. Vidanta, a collection of luxury resorts across Mexico, just launched their “World’s Best Job” campaign—and the name says it all.

Turns out that red double decker buses aren’t all hop on, hop off. Located in the village of Hartland, Devon—about a four-hour drive from London—is the Bertram’s Hotel, a bright red converted bus that provides a one-of-a-kind overnight stay.

Yes, it might technically still be summer, but Starbuck’s PSL announcement does not lie: fall is upon us. With autumn comes the thought of foliage—the crisp, vibrant swirl of colors that are short but sweet. And while we have a while longer before the hues actually shift, Smoky Mountains National Park is giving leaf peepers a head start to plan their fall adventures accordingly. The team just released their annual interactive foliage map, updated for 2018.

Life can be taxing sometimes. With busy work schedules, family responsibilities, and financial obligations to worry about, staying optimistic throughout day-to-day life often feels all but impossible. But fret not my stressed out friends: There’s hope to be had. We called on life coach Annie Lin of New York Life Coaching for advice on how to keep positive in everyday life, and she had lots to share.

When it comes to styling your home, you want everything to be functional, yet also fit into your aesthetic, right? Obviously! For cat owners, this can often be a struggle. There’s one item that cats need to use every single day that will not fit any aesthetic there is out there. The litter box. We understand that our furry, four-legged friends can’t help that they need to use a litter box to go to the bathroom, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.

Many little girls grew up pretending to be a princess and dressing up in fancy little dresses. If you grew up watching The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, and more, chances are you wanted to be just like them. Maybe you pretended to be Belle because you’re a brunette. Or maybe you wanted to be Mulan, so you could prove to all the boys at school you could kick their butt.

The call of the open road and cross-country adventuring are more attractive when you have a place to sleep, a place to cook, a place for all your gear, even a place for your pups, right there in the back seat. And more attractive still when it’s in a vehicle that’s easy to drive and easy to park anywhere (even stealthily on city streets), that doesn’t require towing, and that doesn’t require a trip to the DMV for a special license.

There is not, at press time, an Oscar for best onscreen abode. But, with new the Best Popular Film category joining the Academy’s prestigious lineup, now could be the perfect time to add one. In the past few years, cinema has given us glimpses into some pretty cool houses. Some, like the ultra-modern robo-mansion from “Ex Machina,” may be easy frontrunners, while others have flown under the radar.

You know that feeling you get when you walk inside of Target? You are just going on a Target run to get toilet paper and milk. Yet, 45 minutes later you’re at the check out with items from the $1 section, a new shower curtain, rug, and a pair of workout pants from Champion. You never mean to spend $300 at Target… it just happens! Well, the feeling you get when you’re shopping there has a name – it is the “Target Effect.

Have you been collecting succulents or other small plants recently? If you don’t have a garden of your own, chances are you’ve got a plethora of plants adorning your apartment. There is actually a reason you might love to have green little plants around your place. Green space is good for your mental health. According to a recent study, symptoms of depression can be reduced when people in urban areas have access to green space.

Inflatable chairs did not die in the ’90s. Unless you count that one time your cat popped your chair with its nails. In 2018, inflatable chairs are back and even better than before. Sure, you might not be 10 anymore, but no one is ever too old for an inflatable chair. Picture, this, is it 1999, you’re watching Space Jam for the 30th time on VHS tape while you listen to your Spice Girls and *NSYNC CDs. All of your best friends are at your house for a sleepover for the weekend.

If you’ve ever done a home renovation you know what comes along with it. Gut-shredding, teeth-grinding, hair-pulling, night-terrors stress. It is an absolute wonder why any of us would ever do it again. But, maybe as is the case with other painful things like tattoos, or (I hear) childbirth, we seem to forget in our headlong rush to start that next project just how bad it can be.

We hate to ruin any holiday travel plans you might have, but the next time you sit in an airplane seat, you might want to think twice before leaning your head back. First, it was reported that bed bugs can be transported on their human hosts to airplanes. Now, it only makes sense that lice can be transported too. Who knew these infestations of bugs enjoyed traveling so much? A few weeks ago, it was reported that a case of bed bugs had been found on an Air India flight.

At first, the real estate agent page for ​Karen Rayment looks like your standard sales representative page, but scroll down and you'll find she has "Particular Taste" in music.

No matter the journey, in-flight service can vary wildly. In my experience alone, I’ve encountered flight attendants who are delighted to bend over backwards for their passengers and others who are more stern and tight-lipped. But apparently there is an insanely easy tip for getting on any cabin crew’s good side to receive first-class service at your economy seat — and you don’t even have to do any superficial schmoozing.

If you’re seeking serenity that only a waterside escape can provide, consider holing up in this charming submarine-inspired tiny home on the Scottish coast. Roderick James Architects applied their experience with building cabins, houseboats and treehouses when designing the stylish seaside pod known as Airship 002. Fashioned from weatherproof heavy duty aluminum and stainless steel components, the Airship 002 sits on a 4-acre plot of land in Drimnin. The 3.

Here we go again! Another celebrity has put one of their homes on the market and this time, it is the iconic Cher. The superstar singer/actress recently was promoting her role in the new film, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, but in classic Cher fashion, she’s been busy multitasking. She is now selling her Beverly Hills compound for a cool $2.499 million. Compared to some celebrities, this is a steal in terms of price. The 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom home is 3,089 square feet.

Everyone loves Disney, right? It’s been around since we were all kids and we grew up with the movies and TV shows. There’s no denying that The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King are more classic than the older films, like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. You might think you’re a big Disney fan because you love the movies, but anyone who has been to a Disney park knows that park goers are another level of fans.

Most of us take on a lot of different roles in life. You’ve got to be the housekeeper, bookkeeper, nutritionist, chef, personal shopper, stylist, events coordinator, therapist, bodyguard, CEO and assistant of You, Inc.—all the time, around the clock. Oh, and cheerleader too, if you hope to have the stamina and enthusiasm to do it all over again tomorrow.

Full disclosure: I’m the last person to give advice about not worrying. I was up half the night last night thinking about everything currently going wrong with my home renovation. Trust me, if it wasn’t that it would be something else. But look, there’s plenty of actual Bad Stuff happening out in the world—none of us need to add to that worry load. So take a look at a few things around the house that I believe we can just strike off the list.

Is there anything worse than feeling unproductive? We all need lazy days, but if you weren’t intending to be lazy and chill, and you actually needed to get stuff done, then being unproductive is pretty bad. For some reason, it feels like productivity justs plummets during the summer. There is a reason behind that and you shouldn’t feel bad if you finding yourself lacking productivity during June through August.

According to the Boston University sustainability department, an average shower uses about 5 gallons of water per minute. That means if you shorten your shower by just 2 minutes each day, you can cut your water use by 10 gallons at a time. It really adds up–with major impacts to your wallet and the environment. Whatever your goal–lowering your bill or just your water usage overall–it’s quite the challenge to try and shorten your time in the shower.