Apartment Therapy Archive: Dec 2016

If your Instagram feed is anything like ours, it’s overflowing with grids of snaps from the past year as people share their “Best Nine,” the pics that got the most likes in 2016. We love this little way to recap the year, and thought it’d be fun to share here. So without further ado, here are the photos those of you on Instagram liked the most over the past twelve months.

狗:名称:艾米和杰德Rogers Prancy和猫:酒吧ney Location: Austin, Texas Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: Owned 2.5 years When my husband, Jed Rogers, and I started our house hunt four years ago we knew our list of “must haves” was going to be tough to find all in one home. What we ended up finding? A 1964 one-story home with good bones and lots of potential in a desirable neighborhood.

Clutter, probably more than cleanliness, affects our sense of well-being at home. And in a place where we should feel relaxed, refreshed, and most like ourselves, it’s imperative to shed anything that makes us feel otherwise. Here are our top tips for sorting through and shedding the clutter energy-zappers that drag us down. Cheers to a clutter-less fresh start! Decluttering begets decluttering.

When we moved to our Canadian home in the middle of the winter, furniture-less and looking for indoor weekend activities, we turned to Home Depot and online tutorials and decided to make some stuff. Here are three surprisingly easy and effective projects we think you should try at home in 2017 — you can see them in our recent house tour. This is by far the easiest DIY we tackled. It takes all of two steps: screwing a bracket to the wall and wrapping a pendant light around it.

Living small doesn’t have to be all about enduring sacrifice and developing coping mechanisms. There are plenty of upsides to downsized living that should be celebrated: less strain on your finances, fewer things to take care of, a chance to focus on the things that matter to you. But if you’re not living both small and smart, your sanity and well-being may take a hit. Here are our best posts from the year about making your small space work for you, take a look.

House tours — real and unstyled — are an Apartment Therapy staple and we relish the chance to document and share these homes from across the style spectrum and across the globe. Last week we asked readers to weigh in on your favorite rooms from the past year of house tours. They were each beautiful and memorable but, in the end, you did have your favorites. And here they are!

Maybe you feel like you’re not a creative person in general, or maybe you just need a little bit of a push to find the solution you’re seeking—either way, there are plenty of small things you can do to be more creative. It might not feel like it, but the brilliant thoughts and ideas you’re looking for are already in your head, waiting to be put down on paper, you just can’t see them yet.

From Apartment Therapy → Readers’ Choice: Tell Us Your Favorite Kitchen of the Year!

今年只剩下一天,我们可以说without a doubt that we’re more than eager for 2016 to quietly bow out and exit stage left. If we based our expectations for this year off of Pantone announcing Rose Quartz and Serenity as 2016’s colors of the year, we would’ve been wrong in anticipating 12 months of pastel-inspired peace.

We published over 6,000 posts this year! On the off chance you didn’t catch them all, perhaps you have time to read or revisit the ten posts that most captured readers’ attention this year. The list offers insight into what you are most interested in doing at home: spiffing up your rental, making the most of your small space, taking on diy projects to improve your home’s look and…well, I’ll let you find out what readers’ number one interest was this year.

This “office” space that was shared by Sarah and Keith in their dark, uninspiring basement in their New England Craftsman Colonial didn’t seem to have a clear design or purpose — or you know, much style. But they lightened, brightened and turned this space around! When they removed the carpet and added new hardwoods, a neutral area rug and drapes, the space felt more open and each side had a clear purpose.

Name: Jill and Mickey Location: Logan Square — Chicago, Illinois Size: 1,200 square feet Years lived in: Rented 4 months My partner Mickey and I have been renting our current apartment for about four months now. We often struggle to settle on just one design style, so our two-bedroom apartment is a mix of mid-century, Scandinavian, and urban-modern details.

IKEA is a perennial favorite topic among Apartment Therapy readers and we love to write about it, too. From the best products to customize, small space problem solvers, ingenious hacks and creative, I-never-would-have-thought-of-that uses of IKEA products, we’ve covered a lot of ground this year. Before you make your next trip to the blue and yellow wonderland, check out our 15 most popular IKEA posts of the year.

The honeymoon period of a new relationship is great—you’re getting to know your partner and getting closer with them, and every date gives you those same butterfly feelings. But in the “not so great” camp? Getting so caught up in spending time with your partner that you forget to spend time with your friends. It doesn’t always happen, and it’s usually not intentional, but when it does happen it can really negatively impact your friendships.

From Apartment Therapy → Budget Basics: 10 Beautiful Champagne Flutes Under $10

In terms of decor, 2016 had something for everyone. Artful bohemian? Global textiles and/or tropical prints were your heroes. Classic glam? There was so.much.glam to go around this year. I took stock of 10 of my favorite design trends from the past 12 months that I’m just not ready to see go just yet.

Throughout 2016, tons of creative minds managed to find inspiration amidst the ongoing chaos. While the world collectively went to hell in a horror-filled hand basket, innovators hunkered down and really brought it with a slew of delightfully quirky items.

We all have those friends in tip top health condition; they rarely get sick, tout glowing hair and skin, and can scale a flight of stairs without breaking a sweat. From the outside it may seem like they’re hiding superpowers— but the truth is, it’s simple, routine habits that can take us from feeling feeble to feeling fit. We’ll share a few everyday habits and explore easy healthy hacks to supercharge your day.

Name: Brett Foken and husband Brandon Foken Location: Oakland, California Size: 1150 square feet Years lived in: Owned less than a year Interior designer, stylist and blogger Brett and her husband Brandon moved into this Oakland, California charmer in August 2016, but actually bought the house in March. They had to renovate the entire house before they could actually live in it; this 1900 Craftsman was the absolute definition of “complete fixer-upper.

Sure, we might all want to freshen our living room or bedroom, but no room can get dated, dingy, and even dangerous as quickly as a kitchen can. These 10 amazing makeovers, ranging from $200 DIYs to splashy professional jobs, show the power of paint, paring down, and—for crying out loud—new cabinets.

From Apartment Therapy → How To (Steam!

It started, as things so often do, with a Comic Sans joke. From there, our team Slack chat was abuzz with fonts and furniture (and decor) comparisons. Below are a few highly scientific, internationally renowned design (graphic): design (furniture) analogies from the creative minds of Apartment Therapy Editorial. Poor, poor Comic Sans. It just can’t catch a break! It has become the internet’s favorite whipping boy, shorthand for outdated taste and mom vibes.

2016 had at least one redeeming quality: TV was great this year. Between fantastic first seasons of new shows and veteran series that really upped their game, there was a lot to watch in the past twelve months. Because the pool is vast, we decided to combine a selection of “best of” lists to truly see which shows were worth bingeing this year. We looked at twelve separate lists,* and while each had their own wild card picks, we saw some definite patterns.

This year we’ve covered a lot of ground on the rental front, from quick design solutions, to making the most of rental kitchens and bathrooms, to checking in on the durability of the oh-so popular temporary adhesive decor scene. Here are ten of our favorite posts of the year to help renters feel right at home.

I once bought a painting that seemed to be everything I had been looking for in a long search for art to hang above my sofa. I specifically wanted a blue-and-purple watercolor and was overjoyed when I found just the piece. But when I brought it home, in the different light of my living room, against the color of my walls, suddenly the blue and purple weren’t the right shade of blue and purple, and the large painting wasn’t as oversized as it should have been for the space.

Warning: If winter has you stuck inside, growing increasingly sick of your same four walls (while grateful to have walls, of course), these 10 incredible redesigns might push you into a repainting, redecorating, cabin-fevered frenzy. Whether you’re considering slapping on a coat of paint or are ready to gut the place, there’s at least one project here that’s sure to inspire.

Name: Katie Taylor Location: Austin, Texas Size: 1,400 square feet Years Lived In: Owned 7 years When you first walk into Katie’s home, you just can’t help but want to move right in. Each room is drenched in cheery, loud, earthy California-vibe colors, and decorated with hilariously sassy signs, brass pineapples of all sizes, and an abundance of sweet, little details. It’s the kind of place you want to skip work and stay in to host a girls-only hangout day.

From Apartment Therapy → Seven Habits To Learn From Ridiculously Creative Renters

I’ve been setting New Year’s goals and resolutions for like, forever. Every December 31, I sit down to craft a super long list of things I want to achieve in the New Year. Every year, I tick a few things off my list, which feels incredible, but the things I don’t accomplish make me feel like I didn’t do enough. (Sound familiar?) Instead, for 2017, I’m doing things a little differently—opting for New Year’s intentions instead.

From Apartment Therapy → Pop! Fizz! Clink!

If the prospect of a shiny new year has you wanting to jump back onboard the KonMari-method decluttering train (à la Emily Gilmore in the Netflix “Gilmore Girls” revival), you’re in good company. The start of 2017 has us reimagining our homes as minimalist sanctuaries, filled only with joy-sparking essentials.

Did you get to read everything you wanted to this year? If you’re like me, you’re not even close. I’ve got a towering stack of unread gems, and to top it off December is the month where everyone shares their top picks for best books, and our collective reading lists grow even longer. Thankfully, Quartz has tallied up 36 separate “Best of 2016” lists to give us the top picks for new titles across the (English-speaking) world.

Single-person households in the US are forecasted to continue their steady growth over the next decade, which means many of us are—to some degree—flying solo. Over the last year, we’ve covered a lot of ground (and had some lively comment-based discussions!), from meal planning for one, to solo travel and concert outings, to solo self-care ideas. Here are some of our favorites.

Laurel Kinney is a personal stylist, and we toured her beautiful Austin home a few years ago. She has five questions you should ask yourself before the year is up so you don’t end up filling your 2018 closet full of clothes you’ll never wear. Laurel writes: Have you ever peered into your closet and had the frustrating feeling that none of your clothes feel right anymore?

We loved every single one of our Small Cool contest submissions this year, and readers could surely find inspiration in every entry for living with limited square footage. These are some of our favorite rooms and spaces from the contest that made an impression, whether it was through playful, unique decor, beautiful storage solutions, or off-the-grid styles of living. If you’re a fan of smart, small space living, we invite you to catch up with all of the entries.

名称:维多利亚,尼古拉和玛雅位置:Amsterdam, The Netherlands Size: 1,230 square feet Years lived in: Owned for 1 year Nikolai and Victoria met during their last year in university and moved around Amsterdam quite a bit until they settled down in this lovely two-floor apartment. After renting five apartments over the last 10 years they felt ready to buy their own place.

From Apartment Therapy → How Much Did Your Marble Countertops Really Cost, and Was it Worth It?

赚更多的钱时,我们倾向于船us on working hard, landing that new job or getting that promotion—often overlooking how powerful our thoughts are at manifesting our reality. When you change your relationship with money, you might find that you’re able to hang on to more of it. Here, I’m sharing four of my favorite money habits that will help keep you in an abundant state of mind. Anytime money flows into your life, feel gratitude for it.

The fiddle fig has been dominating the corners of trendy, well-designed rooms for years, but all good things must come to an end. Awhile back, we proclaimed the pothos as the new fiddle fig, and more recently, gave you seven reasons why the rubber tree plant was “next”, but I’m not convinced. The monstera plant was everywhere this summer, and I think it might be primed to become the reigning flora du jour.

Who among us hasn’t dragged home a $5 garage sale chair or a battered bookshelf left on the curb, convinced that we could make something out of it? Whether by painstakingly restoring it to its former glory or by giving it a major makeover, we just know something special is lurking beneath the cobwebs, scratches, or worse.

Homebuying in New York is one of those things that doesn’t always turn out like you planned. Jamie and Chad had their hearts set on buying a brownstone in Brooklyn, but when it turned out that everyone else had their hearts set on this as well, they wound up with an apartment in Ridgewood, Queens with plenty of space, its own backyard, and a bathroom that was well, interesting.

When it comes to our finances, most of the big picture comes from an accumulation of tiny decisions. This goes both ways: money leaking out through inconsequential expenditures or money being squirreled away in small increments and multiplying for big dividends over the long run. Here are some ways to focus purposefully on not spending money unnecessarily, spending it wisely when it’s time to make purchases, and saving it wherever possible.

Name: Kyle and Alex Location: Tenderloin — San Francisco, California Size: 450 square feet Years lived in: 4 years rented After 20+ apartment viewings, Kyle and Alex settled on this 1920s apartment in the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco. They had some basic criteria for their would-be apartment.