If you too find yourself perpetually on the hunt for ideas on how to decorate small spaces, today’s video is all about small apartment design and decor tips from my lovely cousin Paige’s Manhattan apartment.
This episode got me thinking - about fitting it all in - or not - at home and in life in general...
Read MoreLike cute photos of your dog, kitchen storage is pretty much one of those things you can never have enough of in my book. Kate here, and today I’m super excited to share these DIY floating shelves we just installed!
Floating kitchen shelves are a design element that have been on my pinterest boards ever since I can remember, and this new house had the perfect spot for a pair of them. I know open shelving in the kitchen is always a hotly debated item, but personally I think any opportunity to display another plant or some decanted dry goods is one we should all jump at.
Read MoreIs it just me, or is decorating with your husband or partner a seemingly impossible task? If you’ve ever felt discouraged or experienced the familiar, all-consuming urge to throw breakable things during a conversation with your partner about decorating your place, this post is for you.
I’m writing this post from the very same boat, because my husband Brett and I have spent the past 13 years building quite an extensive resume of decor-related arguments. It’s not so much that we don’t like the same things - what’s crazy is that we actually do for the most part. There’s just something about trying to decorate as a couple and put your house together with someone else that can, at times, get tense.
Today I’m sharing my 4 best tips for how to decorate as a couple without fighting!
Read MoreWhenever the seasons change, do you ever feel compelled to reevaluate your space? Whether I swap out a giant painting for a simple wall hanging or purge my under-the-bed clothing bins in efforts to “Mari Kondo” my life, it feels good to refresh and rearrange every once and awhile.
Courtney here — and today I’m talking about the tips and tricks I’ve learned to make a small space a little bit more livable.
Read Morecould probably write a novel-length love letter to gallery walls because let’s face it - they are kind of the blue jeans of home decor.
Kate here, and today I’m sharing my process of putting together a gallery wall that just works. You might remember from my post about decor dos and donts from all my old apartments that I’ve been a big fan of the gallery wall since day one, but admittedly I think I’ve gotten a lot better over the years at figuring out the formula that makes a great one.
Here are the main 4 rules I stick to:
Read MoreThe most fun part of the moving process for me is always designing all the rooms and making decor choices, and since we moved into our new place I’ve been super excited to figure out what I want to do with my new studio and home office! Kate here, and today I’m sharing all my inspiration and plans for this new space.
If you follow my personal iG you may have seen my stories last week all about picking the right wall color. I think I ended up bringing home a total of 14 paint samples (!), but I finally found the right one. Besides figuring out the wall color, I’ve been working on a lot of other ideas for the space- including a really fun built-in bookcase hack with IKEA Billy bookshelves! I can’t wait to share that DIY on here when it’s all done.
Read MoreWhile purging a bunch of stuff from my home office last week, I came across a bunch of old hard drives with all my photos from the past decade. After diving in and wasting an entire afternoon down memory lane, I thought it might be fun to compile all the photos from all my apartments over the past 10 years to see how my style has evolved.
Once I had a chance to look through all of the ways I’ve decorated my home over the years I wanted to share a post about all the design and decor dos and don’ts that these places have taught me! I’ve definitely learned a lot along the way, but going through all of these photos makes me excited to see how my style will continue to develop and change in the future.
Read MoreAlthough I work mostly from home under ‘normal’ circumstances, like a lot of us, the current climate of the times has me spending 100% of my working hours at home. Kate here, and today I’m excited to share another room tour wth you - my studio and home office!
As a multi-faceted creative, having my own space to work on the many different projects that come with my job is totally essential. I haven’t always had my own designated room for work and music recording, so it’s been a game changer in this house to have this space.
Read Morewhen my husband turned 30, my gift to him was a record player and a bunch of records i had collected over the course of a long US tour. it was one of those things he'd been wanting for awhile, but it was admittedly also one of those gifts that i was really excited to benefit from myself. even though we have all the music we could ever want in our pockets at all times now, i still think there is something so cool about coming home, pouring a glass of wine, and putting on a great record. i really miss album art too, and there's something about having those 12x12 sleeves on a shelf or ready to flip through in a crate by the fireplace that's so nostalgic and cool.
Read Morei got my first easel in high school when i was taking a bunch of painting and art classes, and over ten years later it's still a mainstay in my house. i have a bigger one that i use for actual painting now, but i kept my OG easel because a couple apartments ago i realized what a versatile decor piece it can be. It perfectly it fills out awkward corners, and when an area or vignette needs a little height it's the perfect addition!
Read Moreas an avid fan of any and all things related to a good gallery wall, i'm always on the lookout for cool new additions to my many vignettes of cool and collected wall art. lately i feel like i keep seeing a resurgence of felt pennant flags everywhere, and i'm COMPLETELY obsessed. one of the reasons i love these as wall art is that there's a certain nostalgia about them, and another reason is that they're incredibly easy to hang (hello renter friendly!). the triangular shapes are cool and help break up a wall full of rectangle frames, plus there are tons of awesome small designers out there making really beautiful and creative pennant designs with all kinds of fun phrases. i honestly cannot stop buying these.
Read Moresome girls grow up pinning pictures of their future wedding dresses, but if pinning was a thing when i was growing up i think i would have pinned coffee bar ideas. well...ok. to be fair, i didn't even drink coffee til i was a senior in high school, but i stand by the fact that i have always felt and still currently feel that the ultimate benchmark of having a truly legit adult household is not a king size bed, or a dining room table, or matching dishes, but a coffee bar. the only thing that could be better than coffee itself (ok nothing can be better, but these bars are on par) is a beautifully organized and incredibly cool designated spot for it.
Read Moretime for another decor files favorite: the four poster bed. i think a four poster bed is without a doubt one of the most glamorous and luxurious investments one could possibly make. maybe it stems back to when i was a little kid (as do most things i'm obsessed with) because i had one and it was the bomb. it didn't have the horizontal bars across the top, but it had these wooden pegs on the top of each of the four posts, and you could take them out, put a sheet over the top, and then shove the pegs back in so the sheet created a canopy type thing. not sure that made any sense whatsoever the way i just described it but trust me, it was awesome.
Read Morewith all the fresh start vibes the new year brings, i'm obsessing even more than usual over home renovation blogs and tv shows (which is a major statement because i'm typically obsessing over said blogs and shows 24/7/365 tbh). as i binge myself into oblivion watching episode after episode (not exactly new year new me behavior but what can i say) i keep noticing one of my favorite design elements popping up just about everywhere. patterned cement tiles are having a huge moment and i hope the moment never ends. there are so many gorgeous colors and patterns and they just make a space so unique and beautiful.
Read Morethese days, it seems like more and more girbosses are out there starting companies, freelancing, and working from home. i've been a work-from-homer for over ten years, and i can genuinely say that there are things i love and things i hate (like anything else). overall though, i'm really grateful to be able to make my own hours and work in my sweatpants if i want to. one of the things that is incredibly important to me as a gal who works from home is obviously my office, so i wanted to share four home office decor essentials that i've come to realize make all the difference. even if you work outside of your home during the week or part of it, having a space in your house or apartment that can serve as a #getshitdone room or station is totally necessary.
Read Moreit's time for some SERIOUS fireplace porn up in here. one of the things i love about the holiday season is that it's an awesome excuse to completely overhaul the decor in your house. during the other seasons, if i'm in the mood to majorly change things up, i usually have to come up with an elaborate reason that feels legitimate so my husband doesn't get overwhelmed. but during the holidays? ANYTHING GOES. don't let this opportunity pass you by. clear that existing shit off your mantel and let's go to work.
Read Moreas someone who just got done searching high and low for the right new living room couch, i feel like i've been combing the internet nonstop lately to make absolutely sure we picked the right one. i'll share more on the couch we did pick later (spoiler alert: it's a bright color), but for now let's all take a minute to bask in the glory of those who dare to go bold with their sofa color. i like to think of the bright sofa as the bright colored pair of jeans of the home decor world: at first, it's kinda scary and you're pretty sure it'll go with nothing, and then you get it home and it kind of goes with everything. score.
Read Morelately I feel like I've been seeing white EVERYWHERE in interiors- and not just on walls. every single time I find myself obsessing over a room it seems like they all have one thing in common- the wood floors are painted white. and I'm about one pin away from marching over to Home Depot and loading my car full of white paint buckets.
Read Moreit seems like nowadays it's pretty much impossible to scroll through insta, pinterest, or your fave design blog without seeing some sort of article promising pro tips on how to style the perfect Don Draper-approved bar cart. don't get me wrong- i'm not mad about it- i think bar carts are the JAM. i'm just kind of overwhelmed with all of the tips and i'm trying to figure out what to do with mine.
Read Moreone of the things i love so much about design is discovering those color, texture, and pattern combinations that just totally MAKE a space. for me, one of my current favorite pairings has got to be the houseplant craze teaming up with the copper craze. they were just made for each other. the soft, natural texture of the green leaves paired with shiny rose gold metal accents just works. every time.
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