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Small-Space Hosts Swear By This Stylish Sofa Bed — And It’s 30% Off For Cyber Monday
Apartment Therapy received compensation for this post, which was written and edited independently by our editorial team.
If you’re hosting during the holidays in a small space, now is the perfect time to upgrade your setup — especially if your guest plan involves a too-soft futon or an air mattress that never stays fully inflated. Koala, the brand known for its super-comfy sofa beds, just kicked off its Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale, offering up to 30% off sitewide through December 3.
The brand’s lineup is packed with smart, stylish pieces made for compact homes. From space-saving sofa beds with built-in storage to modular sofas that can shift to fit your layout, every option is designed to make last-minute hosting easier, cozier, and a whole lot more comfortable for overnight guests. Shop the sale now and be ready for when those December holidays strike.
A “Bare Box” Space Becomes a Mid-Century Dining Room for Under $500
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Whether your home was built in the 1950s or ’60s or not, mid-century modern design style is incredibly popular. (In fact, Apartment Therapy’s Executive Home Director, Danielle Blundell, writes that it has homeowners and renters in a chokehold.)
DIYer and renter Juliene Winborne (@athomewithjuju) is a fan of the look. “My dream homes are mid-century modern, with wood walls and ceilings,” she says, and her goal was to “create that same look in [her] rental apartment.”
The problem? Her apartment, especially the dining room, looked far from Eames-esque. It was “a bare box,” she says. “The walls were all white, and the room felt very small and bland.” She decided to challenge herself to give the dining room more mid-century modern flair for under $500.
“The dining room felt like the perfect place to experiment, play with design, and really have fun creatively, so I leaned fully into that opportunity,” Juliene says.
The peel-and-stick statement wall was the big difference-maker.
Juliene’s mom, Yvonne; aunt, Linette; and boyfriend, Joseph, helped her create a faux wood statement wall in the dining room. “I also didn’t have anything that I’d consider my ‘wow moment’ that would make the space really pop. So, first, I decided to … create a statement wall,” Juliene says.
The DIYers used $20 rolls of peel-and-stick from Amazon, and the only setback they encountered was running out of rolls before they were done and having to order extra — and the elbow grease of applying peel-and-stick was worth it.
“The faux wood wall is my fave,” Juliene says! “The room now feels like a warm hug when I walk in. The space overall feels elevated, and I love that.”
The furniture was budget-friendly with lots of secondhand finds.
Another aspect Juliene is proud of is that she took her time to find bargain furniture that fit her style. “About 60% of this project was secondhand,” she estimates. She bought the table and chairs on Facebook Marketplace, the wall sconces are secondhand, and the sideboard was discounted from the Crate & Barrel Outlet.
“Also, I saved a lot with the rug because I bought it on sale,” she says. “The art was a bargain as well.” Juliene’s advice for DIYers is to take your time to find the right furniture. Don’t feel pressured, rush, or settle.
“I’m most proud of how I used my creativity to create the space under tight budget constraints,” she adds. “I wanted to bring some style and personality into the dining room — something that felt welcoming [and] exciting,” she says. And it is for both her and her guests.
This Versatile Ice Cream Maker Might Be the Coolest Black Friday Deal You’ll See
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
My first real job was at Carvel, not far from where the original location opened in 1936. The crown jewel of our menu was the soft-serve ice cream, which was produced by a machine so massive, I stood up on my tiptoes while on a stepladder to pour in the chocolate and vanilla mixtures at the start of most shifts. If it hadn’t been used in a little bit, the machine roared to life when I pulled a lever, and I’d need to wait for just the right consistency before I could create an ice cream cone swirl worthy of Instagram (even though Instagram was still a few years away).
In the time since I was last behind the ice cream shop counter, the market has exploded with petite at-home ice cream machines that promise to produce the perfect soft-serve with little effort. One of the newer appliances I’ve seen, the Greenpan Frost can make soft-serve ice cream from room-temperature ingredients in as little as 15 minutes, while other popular machines require ingredients to be frozen 24 hours ahead of time. And if you’re curious to try, you can currently save $100 on the Greenpan Frost ice cream maker and slushie machine in all four colors during Amazon’s Black Friday Week, including the Amazon-exclusive Strawberry Pink. This Black Friday deal puts the machine at its lowest price ever for the next few days.
What Is the Greenpan Frost Ice Cream Maker & Slushie Machine?
The Greenpan Frost is a machine that creates frozen drinks and treats right in front of your eyes — and you don’t have to pre-freeze your ingredients. It can produce soft-serve ice cream and frozen yogurt, sherbet and sorbet, slushies and smoothies, and frosé and frozen cocktails, among other concoctions in case that isn’t enough for you. The relatively compact machine, slightly bigger than a KitchenAid stand mixer but about the same weight, is equipped with a powerful compressor that rapidly chills its contents, a 4-pint mixing bowl, and a texture dial to control the consistency.
It comes with a recipe pamphlet to get you started, but the real fun comes when you start creating your own treats that are exactly to your liking. Other useful things to know? It operates quietly, it has a self-cleaning mode and dishwasher-safe parts, and its dispensing handle allows you to create that perfect soft-serve swirl. It’s a great gift for families and party hosts, not to mention anyone who can’t resist a trendy kitchen appliance.
What Customers Are Saying
Thinking about grabbing this Amazon deal? Don’t wait: This Greenpan Frost discount is set to expire when Cyber Monday does, but it’s not guaranteed to stay in stock until then.
Buy: Greenpan Frost Ice Cream Maker & Slushie Machine, $299.99 (normally $399.99)