Entertainment & Fun

We talked to the inventor of the “spark joy” translation to get to the bottom of it.

We call it the year of Kondomania.

Ugly sweaters and Christmas dinner included.

Free books, classes, and more.

Name: Ira Rakatansky & Lenore GrayLocation: East Side — Providence, Rhode IslandSize: 4 bedroomsYears lived in: 52 — owned This tour is a rare treat — a peek into the home of modernist architect Ira Rakatanksy, who designed and built the house in 1958 and still lives there, more than half a century later. Incredibly, the space seems almost as modern now, both in structure and décor, as it must have over 50 years ago.

Corgis not included.

House scarves and sweaters are just the beginning.

Do you wear gym shoes and shop at garage sales?

If you stored away vintage Nintendo games and video game consoles, you could be laughing your way all the way to the bank.

This Elf-themed suite is bound to be attractive to those who find Buddy to be a kindred spirit (and also like a lot of sugar).

Looking for something to help you relax before bed that doesn’t involve popping a pill? You might want to load up your iPod with a song by Manchester band Marconi Union.

To celebrating “The Crown” coming back, rent this elegant townhouse in London featured in season 2.

Your get-togethers don't have to be capital-p Parties. Sometimes it's enough to start with one silly/fun/creative idea.

The people you’re hosting aren’t coming over to be wowed by extra counter space or a second bathroom; they’re coming over to spend time with you.

Ahead of the bustling holiday season and the self-reflective start of another year, we wanted to give you some truths and tools to help you host at home and see your friends more.

Not ready to open up your doors? Here are a few simple suggestions for prepping your home for a gathering, without stressing too much about the nooks and crannies.

First: You definitely don’t need tons of cash to have fun. Second: You’re not alone in feeling discouraged about your money situation.

If you happen to have a new, in-box Barbie from the early years or one of the rare special editions that’s never been played with, you could be in for a mega payday.

Fool your friends into thinking you spent a billion dollars with these ritzy-looking buys from Dollar Tree, Target, Trader Joe's, and Flying Tiger.

Don't toss away these classic dolls just yet.

In honor of Halloween, we’ve dissected the classics to reveal 8 common horror movie home tropes to make you start sleeping with the night light on.

Our favorite home renovating power couple continues to expand their empire, and to the delight of their fandom, Chip and Joanna Gaines’ latest venture will take place on screen.

With October being risk month, I decided to challenge myself to step out of my oh-so-cozy comfort zone and do one thing that scares me every day for a week.

Why not get even more creative and find a costume that aligns with the traits of your zodiac sign?

The Enneagram is helpful in understanding strengths and growth opportunities—and, apparently, how to outfit your home.

Lady Gaga recently posted a photo of her standing in front of a shelf that fans claimed were IKEA. After doing a little digging, we found out the harder-than-hardcore truth.

While there's no such thing as the perfect guest, doing some combination of these 53 things—or at least being mindful of them—will go a long way in making you a really good, grateful, and appreciated guest.

Borrowing inspiration from the city’s Nordic and Viking heritage, interior designer, Bryan Patrick Flynn opted for a Scandanavian Farmhouse theme.

We reached out to designers, writers, and influencers to let us know what they’re watching and to award some TV Superlatives to the best and most memorable spaces they’ve seen on current television shows.

To help take your streaming game to the next level, we did our research and rounded up some of the smartest hacks that Hulu has to offer.

While millennial pink mania has died down in some respects, we're all a bit more open to exploring our softer sides.

The beloved streaming service provides a slew of tricks, shortcuts, and add-ons to improve your viewing experience.

How did the home renovation shows we all know and love (and binge-watch) today become so popular? We did a deep dive into the history and found out some interesting factors.

We asked a cybersecurity expert—and people like you—to outline the practical rules and legalities of password-sharing in the age of streaming ubiquity.

Here at Apartment Therapy, we’re big fans of Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” show and the mid-century style seen throughout its late 1950’s-inspired design set.

Discover how actress Anna Faris practices self-care and wellness at home. Spoiler: a lot of chicken is involved

Brilliant.

The minifigs are the cutest!

Forget playing ding dong ditch. In this Virginia community, someone is leaving vintage TV sets on doorsteps.

New episodes of Netflix's "GLOW" premiere on Aug. 9, so we decided to sit down with Alison Brie first and ask how she likes to spend her nights in at home.

There is a lot to stress about in this world, so let me help you with this one little task.

The One with the Pop-Up.

From Harry’s living room to Luna’s bedroom to yes, even an office for Lord Voldemort, let's see what the design wizards at Modsy conjured up for this modern day reimagining.

When I first heard the news that the fourth season of Netflix’s "Queer Eye" would feature a hero (what the show calls the featured subjects) with a disability, I was instantly excited and nervous.

We have a special behind-the-scenes bonus from our favorite Fab Five design guru, Bobby Berk.

You need to visit ASAP.

Twitter is making the Fab Five proud.

We call it the “Dinner Party” setting, but this trick could come in handy anytime you want alerts without potentially disruptive sound or vibrating, or if you're in a loud place.

They said they wanted color, but it looks like the Geoghegans didn’t quite know what they were getting into.

Just last month, we received the glorious news that season 4 of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” will be airing on July 19. And now, we have visual evidence of the emotional roller coaster coming for us, as seen in the season’s first trailer that dropped today.

If being on HGTV is your ultimate goal, it’s time to make that dream a reality.

Even though our family of seven rarely eats out without a Kids Eat Free promo, eating meals out at restaurants is expensive.

All things just keep getting better, because our favorite Fab Five are returning to Netflix with an all new season of “Queer Eye.” Fresh off a cameo in Taylor Swift’s new music video for You Need to Calm Down, Bobby Berk, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Karamo Brown, and Antoni Porowski will be making a return to your TVs sooner than you might think.

They weren't realistic, but they were cool.

Last summer, MTV hinted that they were interested in more stories from the Daria universe, and now we know what’s finally coming: A spin-off about Jodie Landon, Daria’s best friend, who will be voiced by “Black-ish’s” Tracee Ellis Ross. “Jodie” will take place years after high school and will follow the title character’s career at a start-up.

Whether being projected onto a big wall during a cocktail party, or played quietly in the living room during game night, a background movie can act as a conversation starter, art, music, and entertainment all in one. Plus it’s easy to pop a disc in the DVD player or call up a title from Netflix. The only hard part, of course, is finding just the right background film.

If you’ve ever felt like you just couldn’t with houseguests, I get it. Although I do like having people over, one of my chief reasons for liking it is pretty selfish: I like having a regular excuse to clean and at least pretend to look like I maybe have my life halfway together. But sometimes I just don’t feel up for it. It’s not an option. Neighbor kids will want to come play inside and I’ll flat-out deflect to the hose in the backyard.

While some decor catalogs might seem like mail clutter, truth be told, many are still a ripe source of inspiration—if you know which ones to look for. Filled with beautifully styled rooms and up-and-coming design trends, these catalogs are actually worth a look, unlike much of what hits our mailboxes. To prove our point, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite store catalogs for your consideration.

Amazing news for those who can’t get enough Harry Potter (is there such a thing?): four new Harry Potter reads will be coming to an online store near you this summer. But before you get too excited that we’re getting a new look at Hermione and Ron’s adult life together and the houseplants they do (or don’t) successfully keep alive (surely they’d get Neville’s help with that, though, right?

I live in an apartment in New York City, where—quite honestly—no one really cares to get to know their neighbors. While I’ve morphed into a New Yorker in some ways since moving from my small town in Connecticut (less small talk, more yelling at cars), this is one trait I have not inherited. The core reason: I think having neighbors is wonderful.To prove my point, I turn to some of the most popular shows in the history of television.

At the onset of the final season of “Game of Thrones,” Joybird created a quiz so that you could finally figure out which of the nine main family houses—Stark, Targaryen, Lannister, Tully, Tyrell, Baratheon, Greyjoy, Arryn, and Martell—you belonged to. Are you a ruler who craves power or the love of your people? Would you be loyal to your friend no matter what, or ask questions before sticking your neck out for them?

While moms deserve kudos every day all year round for the hard work they do, Mother’s Day gives us the opportunity to go all out in their honor. It’s also a good excuse to reminisce about our favorite on-screen mothers and daughters. Sometimes, they make us laugh and other times, they make us cry. The best mother-daughter duos make us appreciate and love our own mothers that much more.No matter what they’ve endured separately or together, these duos prove that love prevails.

If you’ve ever been asked by mall security to put your point-and-shoot camera away, you’ve probably questioned what US law governs photographers and taking pictures. The truth is, there is no single rule to live by as a photographer at any level. Whether you’re a family-historian amateur or a journalistic pro, the question of when you can and cannot take pics is a slippery slope.

As a former Waldorf class teacher, I’ve seen firsthand how unchecked screentime from films, tv and computer games can adversely affect young children as they grow, but I also believe in doing what I can as a parent to educate and turn a potential problem into an opportunity – and to meet the modern world carefully and at our own speed. I started this project four years ago, it’s been going really well. Here’s the latest update.

With entertaining season upon us, what’s a more fitting project than a versatile little bar cart? A sturdy — but rather ugly — thrift store find, this little microwave cart gets to live on with an (arguably more fun) second life.The writer at She’s No Martha had a hankering for a sleek little cocktail station, and she dressed up her $20 find with some white paint and some handles on the sides.

I’m a voracious reader, and have been since I was a child, so I naturally wanted to pass this love on to my children. With two boys, though, I soon discovered that there aren’t as many obvious book choices for boys, especially in the early and middle elementary school years. We’ve spent a lot of time trial and erroring books for my sons, so I thought I’d round up their favorites.

When is a book not a book? When it’s actually a tiny little bound packet of posters. Since we’re all about pieces that pull double-duty, I thought I’d share a few ready-to-frame poster books: titles you can grab at the bookstore to keep on the coffee table, and then tear pages from as needed to fill up the walls. I was recently gifted the book Swissted, a collection of vintage rock posters re-designed by digital artist Mike Joyce.

Halloween for the three- to five-year-old set is obviously an exciting time, but not without a few pitfalls. One of them is finding appropriate books to share. The stories need to be savvy enough to respect their intelligence but not so spooky that you will find a trembling child in your bed at two in the morning.

There’s no getting around it—tiny things are adorable. And I’m not just talking about tiny newborn kittens that can fit into the palm of your hand. (Though OMG, are those cute, too.) I’m talking about our collective fascination with miniaturized things, which has become something of an Instagram craze in recent years. If you don’t believe me, just check out @dailymini, an Instagram account run by Kate Esme Unver, who calls herself a “miniac.

Have you heard of Eurogames before? It’s a subgenre of board games classified by two major features: their attention to design and theme, and focus on serious strategy. Competetive folks, take note: Put away the Scrabble set and try on one of these board games for size. Besides the great artwork and complex mechanics, another defining feature of Eurogames is that nobody is ever knocked out of the game (looking at you, Monopoly).