The Sensational Six

I’m almost finished decorating my apartment! Truth be told, I’m sorry to see the project end (although my wallet is VERY relieved). It has been incredibly fun, and I’ve learned a lot. There were days that didn’t go as planned, like the time I was frustrated that a container garden was going to be impossible on our teeny-tiny balcony, or the time I was bummed that I couldn’t afford to buy a gorgeous mirrored side table (even though it was on sale!), and more than one time when I literally had to drag the boyfriend to The Container Store so we could figure out storage solutions…. but all in all, it was an awesome learning experience that (in my humble opinion) resulted in a very comfortable, stylish home.

I’m gearing up to post pictures of the “final” product (I still need to hang some art and figure out what I’m going to do about the gaping wall space by the front door), but in the meantime I thought I’d share some of the places I found inspiration. I often picked up decor magazines (like Better Homes and Gardens or HGTV’s magazine) or read books (like Sabrina Soto’s book, entitled Sabrina Soto Home Design, in which she provides a “layer-by-layer approach” to decorating your home), but there are tons of online resources that are absolutely free.

In no particular order, I give you… The Sensational Six!

1. Design*Sponge is a blog run by Grace Bonney. According to their website, the site “updates between 6-8 times per day and was declared a ‘Martha Stewart Living for the Millennials’ by the New York Times.” Oo La La.

Divided into categories such as Spaces, Places, Before+After, DIY, Entertaining, and Biz Ladies, Design*Sponge allows you to virtually sneak around apartments and houses. Like most of the sites on this list, the main attraction for me are all of the photos. You can read a million how-to guides on decorating a space, but sometimes a simple photograph of a beautiful living room will give you more ideas that a hundred guides.

One of the recent posts on Design*Sponge featured the home of designer/author Abigail Ahern. Check out that fantastic oversized chandelier. Sometimes you just gotta go big.

 2. apartment therapy is another blog with some awesome pictures. Like Design*Sponge, apartment therapy has DIY, Before and Afters, and tours of real homes. In addition, they answer real design questions sent in by readers.

What sets apartment therapy apart, however, is their attention to OTHER aspects of modern living. Categories like Green Living, Budget Living, and How To are great resources if you’re wondering how the hell to cut a mat to frame a picture. Sometimes they even do tech reviews (the iPhone 5 got a fair amount on attention).

Finally, if you need some dinner suggestions, look no further: The Kitchn is a related site with a bunch of recipes. Fried Apple Rings with Cinnamon Dip?

Yes, please.

3. HGTV.com has provided me with hours of entertainment. Seriously, I cannot tell you how many times I have utilized this site. You can use through their many categories (Decorating, Outdoors, Rooms), but I find their search bar to be the most helpful. Try looking up “small apartment,” and voilà! You now have access to 120 articles, 75 SETS of photos, 19 videos, and a special feature that are all either dedicated to or include advice about small apartments. You can also search “dark paint,” or “small chair”…whatever! Poke around for a while…it’s a goldmine.

Here’s a particularly cute bathroom that I found a few months ago. Those shelves are Ikea, my friends.

4. Pinterest may not be new to you, but there was no way I could forsake it.
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Here’s how it works: people “pin” their favorite images, often from other people’s Pinterest accounts, but many times the images originate from other websites (Pinterest is how I found out about West Elm…but more on that another time).There are tons of categories, and you can search for your own keywords as well.

Although you don’t need an account to browse through the thousands of images, I recommend setting one up (it’s free). Once you have one, you can save (‘pin’) your favorite images, and return to them later. It’s like having a design board at home, but without the hassle of saving scraps and cutting out pictures.

Here’s a random sample of images I found under the category “Home Decor.”

Pinterest is by no means a design-only site. There are tons of categories, from Humor to Travel to Tattoos, and you can search for your own keywords as well.  I recommend “funny dog.”

5. The Fancy was introduced to me by the lovely Susan Truong, event planner extraordinaire. It’s is very similar to Pinterest, but with one HUGE AND AWESOME distinction: you can actually BUY the stuff you see! You obviously need an account if you want to purchase anything, but you can also just browse through the many images.

Susan recently found an awesome tub caddy that she wanted me to buy. Too bad im afraid of sitting in rental bathtubs.

6. The Everygirl is last, but definitely not least. This site was created by Alaina Kaczarski and Danielle Moss, but they have over 15 contributors. The Everygirl is aimed at women in their 20s and 30s, and so it includes categories such as Career, Fashion, and Finance. They even have a Job Board.

But I digress. From an interior design perspective, the aspect of The Everygirl that I enjoy most is the Living section. There are lots of pictures (of course), but they also provide some practical advice on throwing parties, organizing your kitchen, or decorating an apartment on the cheap (check out their Ten Favorite 10 Ikea Finds),

Here’s a picture from a current post dedicated to throwing an end of summer party. I don’t think you need to be throwing a party to appreciate the time and detail that went in to setting this table. Check out those flowers!

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Well, that about covers it! If you have any sites you’d like to add to my list, please let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading.

Lauren