News

There’s one particular feature of Girolamo & Alex’s San Francisco house tour that demands your attention and piques your curiosity: The black bookcase that stretches all the way from the floor to the loft’s enviably tall ceiling. Look a little closer, and you’ll see that this grand bookcase is actually three $149 KALLAX shelving units stacked together (if they look familiar, the KALLAX is IKEA’s latest model to replace the popular EXPEDIT shelves).

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the tornado of craft supplies that has taken over a room (or perhaps your whole home), you might need to employ smarter storage tools to keep your supplies in check. This craft room features several clever ideas that could be used in your home—no matter if you have an entire room or just a small area.

In a small home, every inch counts. If you’re looking for ways to find more space in your home, peruse this list of furniture switcheroo suggestions. They are smart and suitable substitutes for bulkier furniture, and making these switches could give you more space. A small wooden shelf, a repurposed desk drawer or a cube shelf (like above) can drastically reduce the space a nightstand might take up without eliminating a handy bedside surface.

It’s hard out here for a renter. Something that’s really simple for homeowners–like running your TV cords down behind the wall–is physically impossible for renters, lest we think it’s worth sacrificing our security deposits. Good news: All hope is not lost if you’re stuck with cords that droop and dangle across your beautiful vignettes. The solution? A stack of books.

Sarah of Salt House somehow manages to live and work and host cooking classes, workshops, and other food-centered events in her modestly-sized apartment—and do it all with enviable style. Want to make her fabulous and flexible dining room your own? Here’s (approximately!) how much it would cost… Extendable dining table: Z Gallerie via Salt House $1,500 Chairs: Overstock.com via Salt House $143 x 10 = $1,430 Custom neon sign: Lite Brite Neon $?

Design writer Cate St. Hill lives in a London flat that boasts a beautiful aesthetic she describes as “a light and relaxed style that’s one part Scandi and one part French, with a blend of old and new.” Let’s explore how much (approximately!) it would cost to recreate her lovely living room in our very own homes. Stool: Alvar Aalto Stool 60 from artek $285.00 Vintage armchair: eBay $? Linen curtains: IKEA Aina $59.99 Light: Eileen Gray Tube Light from Aram $588.

Name: Isabelle E. Location: West Hollywood; Los Angeles, CA Size: 375 square feet Years lived in: 10 months; Rented Until late 2014, Isabelle and her roommate had lived two buildings up from me for years. While I was disappointed to learn that they planned to move into their own places, that sentiment didn’t last long—Isabelle soon found an apartment only a block further up our street.

Name: Brandon Kleinman Location: West Hollywood; Los Angeles, CA Years lived in: 4 years; Rented Bachelors may have a reputation for maintaining less-than-desirable living quarters, but as the founder and CMO of online interior design firm Laurel & Wolf, Brandon Kleinman refused to fall victim to such stereotypes.

Name: Heather Lipner / Clashist Location: Downtown Fashion District; Los Angeles, CA Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: Less than a year; Rented Clashist is a fun fashion line that emblazons everyday wear with sentimental pop culture throwbacks. Their t-shirts, leggings, and accessories honor icons like Joan Rivers, Beavis & Butt-head, Bill Murray and so on. Welcome to their new digs in Downtown LA!

Name: Kirsten Thoft and Ted Nadeau Location: Princeton, NJ Size: 3200 square feet (including lower level apartment / family room) Years lived in: 2 years; owned So many words are needed to describe Kirsten and Ted’s multi-faceted home: beautiful, sustainable, functional, light, airy, warm, homey, and even industrial! Kirsten, an architect, purchased the site and originally planned to build a spec home.

Name: National Forest // Co-Founded by Seven Harrington and Justin Krietemeyer Location: Atwater Village; Los Angeles, California Size: 2,400 square feet Years lived in: We’ve been in this building for seven years. We were down the road before that and a home-loft in the very beginning. National Forest is a design firm and creative consultancy located in Atwater Village.

Name: Jaime Kowal, The Amado Location: Palm Springs, California Size: 3,200 square feet interior space, 11,200 square feet exterior space Years lived in: Purchased and renovated in 2013; opened as a desert chic boutique hotel in 2014. I was heading out to Palm Springs for the weekend with friends; we were nine adults and a half dozen children all in. We wanted some of the amenities of a hotel with the isolation and privacy of a house. The answer to where to stay?

Name: Janice Erlacher & Jacob Riesenburger of Bermuda Dream and Flea Market Safari + cats, Vinny & Kitty Location: Historic Howell Station in West Midtown; Atlanta, Georgia Size: 1,500 square feet Years lived in: 5 months; Renting A friend of mine in New York heard I had been doing home tours in Atlanta, and immediately said I needed to check out Janice and Jacob’s place.

Name: Honeywood Boutique and Workspace Location: Highland Park; Los Angeles, California Size: 900 square feet Years worked in: 1 year You may recall your heart skipping a beat when you perused Vanessa’s breathtaking Eagle Rock home last year. Well, prepare the defibrillator because Vanessa and her boyfriend Charlie have outdone themselves once again with their Highland Park shop and workspace, Honeywood.

Name: Chad James and Josie the Greyhound
 Location: Downtown Nashville, Tennessee Size: 1,200 square feet
 Years lived in: 2 years; Owned Chad James is a Nashville architectural consultant & interior designer with a bit of a reputation. Not the kind of reputation your mother warned you about acquiring, but the kind that lands you some of the most exciting design projects this side of the Mississippi. As the principle of Chad James Group, he’s designed spaces all over the world.