Blair is Apartment Therapy’s Style Shopping Editor, where she covers the latest brand launches, need-to-buys, and anything related to her two unofficial beats — cane and rattan. Whenever she’s not perusing for the latest home finds (a rarity), you’ll probably find her reading, watching a horror film, or on the hunt for the best tacos in New York (recs are encouraged).
Despite the convenience of a digital calendar, there’s nothing quite like flipping through a fresh new wall calendar or cracking open a brand new planner for the year. Plus, a wall calendar isn’t just there for keeping your plans in order; they’re also pieces of art that stand on their own among the other imagery and artwork in your home. Part of the fun, too, is that each month brings a new scene, so you always have something different to look at.
Some months might end up being all-time faves for their imagery, and if you find yourself wanting to make a given page part of your every day decor, I’m here to tell you, well, of course, you can do that! This year, instead of leaving your 2022 calendar to languish in a drawer somewhere (because, let’s be real, you’re going to forget about it), why not frame some of your favorite months’ images so they’re with you year-round?
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That’s what Hill Stark did in her Denver, Colorado home. “For an instant gallery wall, repurpose a calendar you like,” she says. Here, you can see that Hill framed nine vegetable-themed calendar pages to hang as a grid in her kitchen, but you can customize this idea however you’d like, depending on your calendar from last year or whatever past-their-prime calendars you can find at thrift stores, vintage shops, or in the clearance section of your favorite bookstore. You can also seek out a new calendar for 2023 for the specific purpose of framing its images at the end of this year — there’s nothing stopping you! In fact, it’s actually a pretty budget-friendly way to curate a collection of wall art.
Hill herself suggests being mindful about your curation by choosing a calendar with images that are all the same size and within the same theme. That way, your gallery wall will have instant cohesion, and many calendars are formatted this way anyhow, so it shouldn’t be too tough to find something to your liking. “Carry a list of the dimensions of your rooms on your phone/ in your email for easy reference,” she offers as a tip. “You never know when you’ll find a steal of a deal and need to purchase something on the spot.” Now’s certainly the time for finding current calendar deals, so what are you waiting for?
Stylist and Instagrammer Carly Fuller had been craving a bit of a refresh in her NYC rental kitchen. For years, she had filled a corner nook with IKEA’s open-back VITTSJÖ shelf unit, an under $60 find that housed her various entertaining pieces and barware. This solution worked just fine, but at a certain point, she felt like this area could reflect her evolving aesthetic a little better — and have more of a bespoke, built-in look. “I had the idea of mounting shelves there for the last couple of years,” says Fuller. “I just needed the motivation to finally do it.”
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An avid DIYer, Fuller chose to make her own floating shelf setup, which set her back just $45 total. First, she measured the length and depth of the kitchen nook and then went to a lumber store to purchase wood. “I looked for a piece of scrap plywood since I didn’t need much wood at all, and I’d be painting it,” she says. “It didn’t need to be anything special.” An employee at the store made the cuts for her, so she left with her “shelves” in hand and ready for mounting. All she needed at this point was shelf brackets.
Luckily, Fuller also had some pieces of 3/4”x 1/4” wood on hand from a recent wall paneling project. She used these leftovers to fashion brackets, which she mounted to the wall. “I cut down these wood sticks to the length I wanted and then pre drilled two holes in each piece before screwing them to the wall so the wood didn’t split,” she explains. She then applied wood glue to the brackets and placed each shelf on top of bracket pairs.
Once the glue was dry, Fuller caulked all of the edges and then painted her shelves. “I used one coat of primer and two coats of paint in the same color as the walls, as I wanted the shelves to look built in,” she says. “It’s my style — I like simplicity — but it would be pretty to add wallpaper on the back wall or paint the shelves a different color.”
Fuller couldn’t be more pleased with the end result, especially considering the project’s low cost. “I feel like it’s such a game changer,” she says. “I honestly think it’s elevated the kitchen so much; they look like they were always supposed to be there, as if they came with the apartment.”
Fuller found the styling process extremely enjoyable, too. “I never had space for accessories before, and I love shelf styling,” she says. “I added greenery and gold to make this area pop. I played around a bit until I was happy, and I’m sure I’ll switch pieces around often, like I do in my entire apartment. Moving around accessories in my home helps it stay feeling fresh and new.”
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.
If you’ve traveled outside the United States, you probably know bath and shower situations in other countries vary widely depending on where you are. In Europe, for example, bathrooms often feature shower heads out in the open, with the entire room functioning as the shower enclosure. And the truth is, you’ll often find your fair share of bathroom quirks right here in the states. How many times have you tried turning on the tap at a friend’s house or a domestic hotel, only to be completely confused about how to get the water hot?
That’s the thing: Bathrooms (showers and tubs, in particular) are anything but standard. Clawfoot tubs, walk-in showers, jetted tubs, rain showers, — variety is the spice of life, at least when it comes to furnishing bathing areas.
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And that includes using a beaded curtain instead of a traditional shower curtain! Honestly, I absolutely love the light and airy look of the bamboo style curtain Lee Alford hung in the bathroom of her Melbourne, Australia home. The curtain itself is, of course, from the leading purveyor of all things boho, Urban Outfitters, and it leans a bit Scandi modern with its oversized white circle design (that also comes in a black colorway, too).
This setup is not particularly practical, especially because there’s no shower curtain liner, but adding a clear one is super easy and doesn’t take away from the airy feel. You’ll still get the unexpected, cool look of the bamboo curtain here without worrying about the perceived lack of protection its providing from water spills and splashes.
Alford has blended her vintage, warm style with the bones of her home, what she referred to as “an open-plan, featureless white box.” This bathroom stands as the perfect example of that design mashup. The natural brown hues from the curtain, plant hangers, and wooden accents — along with plenty of plants — balance out a room that, with its large drop-in tub and white on white vanity, might otherwise feel sterile. I’d argue a regular shower curtain wouldn’t set off the space in nearly the same stylish way.
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.
Anyone renting — or anyone who isn’t down for electrical work, for that matter — knows the struggle of properly lighting a home. While many designers sing the praises of direct and task lighting (table lamps, floor lamps, wall-mounted sconces), the fact remains that sometimes you need quality overhead lighting, especially for areas like kitchens and dining rooms, where you’d like to be able to properly see what you’re doing. If your home isn’t equipped with enough electrical boxes though, you’re forced into thinking of creative solutions.
That’s where plug-in lights come in. Since a home can only accommodate so many floor and table lamps, plug-in pendants and sconces are a great way to hack your way to better visibility indoors without doing serious electrical work. You can swag them from a ceiling with hooks or mount them to walls the same as you would hardwired sconces. Instead of the electrical cords being neatly tucked into a hidden box, though, you’ll need to run the cord to the nearest outlet. A few options exist for dealing with these pesky cords: You can cover them with plastic cord hiders aka cable raceways (which can then be painted to match your walls), leave them as-is and embrace the imperfection, or turn this visible electrical “work” into a deliberate design statement by pairing your chosen lamp with a brightly-colored cord.
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Kayla Shannon chose the bold route less traveled when it came to the dining area in her Brooklyn apartment, and it’s a genius move in my opinion. Since the entire apartment already features a bevy of punchy hues (hello, lime green dining chairs, terracotta walls, and vibrant blue velvet couch), what’s one more? A jaunty cord fits in even better than you might think.
In fact, the pendant over her dining table is just a simple IKEA shade paired with a bright red cord, but the statement it makes is one of intention. Instead of trying to hide the cord (which, to be fair, is usually pretty visible anyway), the loud color adds an industrial, unapologetic touch to an already unique space. Even better, colored cords don’t cost a ton, and they can really make a difference in the grand scheme of a space. The upshot? Why hide something utilitarian when you can turn it into a decorative moment instead? Well done, Kayla. Well done!