apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

For bedroom month, we thought we'd highlight some good deals on bedding. For starters, Martha Stewart sheet and quilt sets are up to 75 percent off right now at Macy's. (Just over a year ago, many of these linens were hot items.) Most are available in white and pastels, with a few prints in the mix...

One of the best ways to improve your indoor air quality is the simplest: open the windows. But what if it's 2 degrees outside? National Geographic's Green Guide has some tips for getting rid of the pollutants that pile up indoors during the winter (without catching a cold in the process)...

Why do consumers pay higher prices for designer goods? How do we effectively critique utilitarian objects like chairs and cell phones? What makes IKEA so popular? These are the kinds of questions Gary Hustwit explores in his upcoming documentary, Objectified. Click below to view the trailer...

A converted attic or upper story can make a beautiful bedroom with the right layout and natural light. If you need convincing, check out the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam. Filled with bedrooms perched up high, the Lloyd's top floor features skylights, angled walls, and open floor plans that make us dream of our own renovated attic room...

This Georgian Home in the London neighborhood of Camden is filled with open shelving, from the kitchen to the bathroom. We spotted some unconventional ideas that look great in context, including the open shelving underneath the kitchen counters. We often see open wall shelving in kitchens, but it's more rare to find open cabinets on the floor. Click below for more...

A while ago, we wrote about the popularity of white kitchens in an economic climate that favors the basics and eschews expensive trends. If you like the simplicity that white affords, but you feel like it's a little too sterile, accessories are an affordable way to add color without overhauling your space...

One of the joys of having time off is the ability to let yourself "waste" time doing whatever you want. Over our holiday break, we spent an entire afternoon looking at amateur and professional stop-motion animation videos online. Many of the people that make these time-intensive videos use their apartments as the set, and their daily activities as the storyline. The stop-motion stories we're most drawn to elevate the mundane details of apartment living and give a glimpse into the day to day lives of ordinary people. Click below for a few of our favorites...

Although we love seeing artwork in other people's bedrooms, we're always a little uncertain about hanging it in our own. If it's going to enter our dreams, it better be something we really like. Browsing through the online catalog of German furniture manufacturer Hülsta, we found a lot of ideas for hanging artwork in the bedroom, from oversized paintings above the bed to asymmetrical arrangements...

Last night at a family dinner party, we heard a lot of praise for a chemical-free drain cleaner that costs around $2.50, is made from a piece of thin plastic, and is said to work better than toxic chemical cleaners...

Found through Japanese retailer Hiromatsu, but unfortunately not yet available in the U.S., these Sono chests of drawers seem like the perfect prototype for an adventurous DIYer. The striped pattern conceals varying depths of drawers and, in some cases, hides a flat cabinet door. If you're looking for ways to update an old dresser, this pattern of narrow stripes is more flexible that it seems...

Time and again, our house tour participants have taught us that big spending isn't the key to a healthy home; it's the small things like regular decluttering, taking care of repairs, and adding personal touches that make a great home. As we enter the new year, we've compiled a list of things anyone can do to make their home better if they take the time. To ensure that a resolution is kept, we recommend starting small and choosing just one or two tasks. If you've got your own ideas, add them to the list in the comments below...

We look for design ideas everywhere, and we've been known to sit through some bad movies just for the good decor. This year, couch potatoes and movie buffs who love design had a lot of options: 1950s executive style from Mad Men, luxury New York apartments from Sex and the City, and alternative ways of living from independent films like Surfwise. For the best big screen and small screen design of 2008, along with some classic sets that continue to inspire, jump below...

For 5 years, Sherri Gregorcyk has been helping us find gifts for our loved ones, often at the last minute (we're procrastinators). We first met Sherri when she worked at RR#1, a beautiful Chicago apothecary-turned-giftshop. Now she owns Komoda, a refurbished hardware store filled with gifts for design lovers. We talked with Sherri and snooped around the shop to find some suggestions for those of you still looking for holiday gifts...

Every once in a while, we receive questions about how to decorate if you rent an apartment with wall-to-wall carpet. We fully believe that carpeted homes can be just as stylish as ones with hardwood floors. Some of our favorite apartment tours feature wall-to-wall carpet: Dominic's Vintage Gold Coast Gem and Stephanie's Life of Pie are good places to start looking for inspiration. In case you've got a carpeted apartment and you're searching for ideas, we've rounded up a few more images to get you going...