Design Your Perfect Room

Your bedroom should be the oasis in your apartment, so you want that space to feel as large as possible, whether it is actually large or not. You can use the decor and furniture pieces in your bedroom to manipulate the size of the space. So how do you make a room feel larger than it is? Try these tricks from Apartment Therapy:





1. Bed drawers and multi-tier nightstands
It's not within every budget to buy a bed that has built-in storage, but in this small and closet-less space, it appears to have been a vital element to ensure this small space actually functioned the way they needed it. Another fun storage feature? Not just one nightstand, but three, on each side! Floating nightstands have long been a smart choice for small spaces, but here, the addition of even more wall-mounted (or in this case, headboard-mounted) ledges means more room for both needed and decorative objects.


2. A large, horizontal wall-mounted mirror
We all know that wall-mounted reflective surfaces like mirrors work magic in small spaces, and in here it's no different. They chose to add the mirror to the wall opposite the door, which is a smart move since it'll reflect an image of the other room, making it feel a little more open than it actually is.


3. A sliding door
For privacy, you can't beat a door. For saving space and adding privacy, you can't beat a sliding door, which they made here themselves using mostly items found at Home Depot.
DIY Home Decor: How To Make a Sliding Door for Under $40


4. Light-colored black-out drapes that blend
For those who need a lot of darkness to sleep peacefully, black-out drapes (lined with dark, light-blocking fabric) are a must. But keep the side of the drapes that face the bedroom a light color, preferably a similar color to the wall. This will help them blend in and expand the look of the space visually.


5. A minimal style
It just makes sense — small spaces need less stuff, and keeping the decorative elements to a minimum will help keep a small space from feeling cluttered. But, that doesn't mean you have to keep everything out. As this small bedroom proves, you can find a good balance between art, decorative elements and more and still have a room that feels spacious for its size.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We hope everyone has a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

We all love a good night of Netflix and Pizza. However, instead of calling your favorite pizza place, you should try this easy recipe. This BBQ Chicken Pizza will quickly become your favorite. You can learn more at The Kitchn.

Colors In Your Room

As we’ve discussed before, the color of a room can greatly affect the energy and the mood of the room. The energy from red walls can make it difficult to fall asleep in your bedroom, while a calm blue color could make you sleepy in your home office. With all these Do’s and Don’ts it may seem like there are certain decorating risks that are just too high to take - and this can leave your creativity dwindling.

You don’t have to feel like these “mood colors” dictate your decorating choices - instead learn how to offset the mood certain colors inspire with a few decorating tricks. These tips courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com will walk you through how to decorate with any color combo that you want without the worry of throwing off your feung shui. Keep reading to learn more!

1. Black can make a room feel smaller, but black can also be cheerful and airy.
The rules for black:
Ease in with shades of gray.
Show a lot of floor.
Keep other elements cheerful, feminine and bright.
Balance black with white.

2. Red adds a lot of energy and passion, but red can be calming in the right space.
The rules for red:
Use small doses.
Try less saturated shades.
Keep everything else white.

3. Blue makes a room more calming, but blue can also be energetic and lively.
The rules for blue:
Go electric with accents.
Choose a bright blue or turquoise.
Keep everything else white.

4. Brown is a cozy and dull color, but brown can be bright and open.
The rules for brown:
Use brightly colored accents.
Let in tons of natural light.
Keep the ceiling and trim white

Make Room In Your Freezer

Your freezer contains valuable space to save leftovers, frozen meals, and ice cream. However, a small freezer can become crowded very quickly. There are ways to get the most out of your small freezer. These tips will always help you be prepared, and it will give you more room for your favorite snacks. You can learn more at The Kitchn.

Here are some of the most effective ways to put prime freezer real estate to good use.

1. Dump boxes as soon as you can.
If you've ever purchased prepared foods from the frozen goods sections, you'll notice quite a bit of rattle coming from inside the box. That's because a typical packaged product is full of air, plastic wrap, and food. Why not ditch the waste early on and house just the edible portion of that box of puffed pastry bites?
Everything from ice cream bars to pizza pockets can be stored inside a gallon-sized plastic freezer bag with far less space. Use a permanent marker to mark the bag with what's inside, and cut out any needed cooking directions and tape them to the outside of the bag for later reference.

2. Nix the ice.
Small freezers usually indicate an "economy" situation, which also means there is no ice machine included. Instead of wasting freezer space on frozen cubes of water, invest in a nice countertop ice machine. They produce enough cubes in the size of your choosing to please even the largest crowds, and you won't be tempted to drop off at the convenience store for a bag of what you don't have room for. Ice cube trays are a pain to deal with, anyway.

3. Use peas for injuries.
Ice packs are one of those freezer staples that, unless you have a house full of rowdy boys or consider yourself a pro athlete, you probably won't be reaching for any time in the next three months. Instead of stashing a forgotten ice pack or two, keep two or three bags of frozen peas on hand instead. Easier to use in case of emergency, they work well wrapped up in a tea towel. Plus, you can actually eat the peas.

4. Avoid plastic containers and stack flat.
Plastic containers designed for leftovers may keep food fresh in the freezer, but they are bulky and difficult to wedge into cramped freezer spaces. The typical gallon plastic freezer bag is sufficient for storing anything from potatoes to soups, and you can always double-bag if you're concerned about leakage.

→ To get the best use of freezer bags with soupy contents, lay the filled, sealed bag (with excess air squeezed out), on a cookie sheet inside the freezer, until the insides are frozen solid. Use this method to tightly stack 3x the amount of foods you could with a lidded plastic container.

5. Keep things flexible.
I adore so many of the food storage "systems" I've been seeing on Pinterest lately, and — for the most part — they are an excellent way to keep a pretty freezer. But unless you have a standard shopping list that you never deviate from, chances are good that next month's freezer contents will in no way resemble this month's.

Stick with a more DIY style of storage by using the flat stack method combined with a few extra freezer bags and the occasional plastic shoebox to keep everything in its place. Color-coded systems with pre-designed products are difficult to implement in real life.

Living with a tiny freezer used to mean passing up that great deal on a tub of ice cream or eating the pizza before you're really ready so that all your frozen assets have a home. With a few tweaks and lots of attention to the contents inside, however, it's possible to make that small storage space work for all your future meal plans!

Learn From The Yoga Studio

We love Yoga and how it helps us relax. However, did you know that Yoga can help you relax in other parts of your life. Take these elements from your yoga studio and incorporate them into your home. Keep reading and check out Apartment Therapy for more ideas.

Whenever I enter my go-to yoga studio, I am at once calm in body and quiet in mind. So I began to take notice: What elements are there in the studio that I can implement at home? The studio is in a pretty ordinary building, so these tips are take-homes for anyone, anywhere:

1. Shoes off at the door.

Once inside, this keeps things clean and make your footfall oh-so-quiet. I've even noticed that we use louder voices when shoes are still on, softer voices when shoes come off.

2. Consider the view.

There are actually two studios where I've practiced. One has only a clearstory because the studio faces a parking lot. But the clearstory provides a view of green treetops and blue skies. The other studio faces onto a small field where we've even spotted deer in the early morning sessions. Whatever your view, consider it and frame the best of it.

3. Hide the tech.

When music is played, we never see the source. A small audio device is hidden behind a shoji screen. Speakers are built into the walls. This keeps our focus on the practice and not distracted by the tech.

4. Outside in.

A green plant or two keeps things feeling fresh and promotes relaxation.

5. Au naturel.

Floors are unstained wood. Walls are white plaster. Furnishings are wood. Fabrics are unbleached, undyed.

Ten Easy Meals

Are you in a time crunch between all of your priorities? Check out these ten great meals that you can make in under ten minutes. You can learn more about quick easy meals at The Kitchn.





1. Quick and Easy Fried Rice: Fried rice can come together even faster than 10 minutes if you happen to have a good selection of leftovers floating around. It's the end-all recipe to using up leftover rice and is tasty enough to eat for any meal of the day — yes even breakfast.

2. Apple-Arugula Salad Wraps: Although wraps seem more like a lunch food, for a quick dinner they can contain actual food groups and even do away with dishes if needs be. Perfect, no clean up!

3. Thai Crab Salad with Chili, Ginger, and Coconut: Since this meal merely needs to be chopped and tossed, it's quick to throw together and has big bold flavors that will satisfy without a laundry list of ingredients.

4. Miso Soup: Miso soup is perfect for those worried about over cooking tofu as it simply warms in this rich broth and suddenly, dinner is served! Check out this version with a poached egg — extra tasty!

5.The BEST Pancakes Ever: Pancakes might traditionally be breakfast food, but they're perfect for any meal in fact... we want some right now!

6. Egyptian Tomato Soup: This recipe just barely passes the 10 minute mark, but it can be made entirely from your pantry so there's minimal chopping or prep — making it a winner in our book!

7. Friday Night Slow-Cooked Brisket and Onions: So technically speaking this meal takes 5-8 hours to make, but there's really only 10 minutes of prep work involved. Make it before you head out the door to work and when you return dinner is already done for you!

8. Spicy Grilled Shrimp: These shrimp get a quick brine before hitting the grill, but since they cook up so quick, we're willing to overlook the extra brining time (only 30 minutes). Just make sure to drop them in the brine the second you come home from work or possibly lessen the salt and brine them while you're away (so they don't get too salty) to make things extra easy.

9. Thai-Style Omelet (Kai Jeow): This recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes which might even leave you time to walk the dog or check your email before dinner!

10. Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Corn, Goat Cheese, and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes: This meal is labeled as a 10 minute dish and mixes up with many things that you probably already have on hand.

What are your favorite no-time, extra-quick weeknight meals?