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When Zooey Deschanel and Jonathan Scott were discussing their dream home, they found a mutual love for old houses. They closed on a “magical” Georgian-style home in Los Angeles in June 2020, and moved in during February 2022 after almost two years of pandemic delays (celebrities, they’re just like us.)
One of the things that drew them to the home, Scott revealed, was the extensive green spaces. As they pulled up, everyone including the kids, — Deschanel is a mom to two kids, Elsie Otter and Charlie Wolf, from her previous relationship with Jacob Pechenik — fell in love with the property.
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“It sat on a little over an acre, and with its lush lawn and massive California sycamores, it looked like a park. Which is why when we first brought the kids by the property, they dubbed it the Park House,” Scott explained in the summer 2022 issue of Drew & Jonathan Reveal. And you know what happens when you name something, whether it’s a mangy stray dog or a beautiful home of your dreams? You keep it.”
Deschanel and Scott have spent a lot of time renovating their forever home, which needed quite a bit of work. After finally completing the project, they revealed the stunning design to fans.
Outdoors, the couple and their friends can enjoy an outdoor kitchen with a large grill, bar, and seating. Decorated with stunning blue, white and yellow Alesso Deco Marla Matte Porcelain Tiles, the space is fit for many a celebration. A large crystal clear pool completes the patio area, which is the perfect way for all of the family to cool off throughout the long Californian summers.
To help the home live up to its nickname of Park House, the outdoor space also features a giant playground that certainly gives actual parks a run for their money.
Posting a humorous Reel to Instagram, “New Girl” star Deschanel gives a nod to her love for ballet flats — her shoe of choice, certainly in her Jess Day era.
However, it wasn’t the actress’ shoe dilemma that gained viewer’s attention. The playground behind her is the envy of many, with fans commenting on how it is the perfect playground that’s sure to entice kids to spend a bunch of time outside. From the clip, it looks as though there’s several slides, climbing frames, and a tree house area that will let the youngers’ imaginations run wild.
“I’m not even worried about my shoe collection…I need to know about the fort in your back yard and how do I get one,” wrote one follower.
“Dude, your playground in the backyard is totally 🔥” commented another.
A third said: “Ima [sic] need a walk through of the playground 😂”
Although the exact playground they have is unknown until Deschanel gives fans a much-anticipated walk-through, there are several just-as-fun play forts you can call your own. They are an investment, but should give your kids a good few years of play.
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I dream of the day when my home is big enough that I can have a floor lamp that is just a lamp. However, until I find a place with significantly more square footage, I can’t rationally give up floor space to something that only serves one function. I need my lamps to multitask — as shelves, storage, electrical outlets, and, of course, light sources — and I need them to do all of this without costing me a fortune. (Kind of demanding, I know, but that’s the truth.)
Thankfully, I found an all-in-one lamp from Brightech (an AT-favorite brand) that can do all of these things (really!), and you can grab one now at 20 to 30 percent off. This hardworking device is not exactly cheap (it’s about $65), but it is well worth every penny and it won’t fall apart on you. Over time, I bet you’ll discover more ways to use it and won’t want to let it go. I found it to be so useful that after getting one for my living room, I got one for the bedroom, too.
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Starting with the aesthetics, I like the wooden look of this lamp and was glad to see that it produces nice soft, yellow light. The fabric lampshade has four walls to completely cover the bulb, which prevents it from ever giving off too much direct light and makes the lamp excellent for reading in bed at night or winding down in the living room after dinner. While the frame is definitely not made from natural hardwood (it’s some kind of “engineered wood product”), it looks enough like wood to not feel cheap or distracting. I have a light gray one and a light brown one, and it comes in two other colors to easily match your decor scheme.
When it comes to functionality, that’s where this lamp really shines. It has three levels of shelves that you can use for storage (like I do) or for displaying decorative vases, picture frames, or any of your favorite knickknacks. In my living room, the lamp has become my secondary entertainment center: it’s filled with board games, playing cards, and all my word games. In the bedroom, the shelves hold books and a small pile of folded clothes; it’s not perfect, but it’s definitely better than draping them on my desk chair.
The top shelf has two USB charging ports and a regular power outlet, which both come in handy on a daily basis. My bedroom lamp is my charging station for my phone, watch, and headphones. I make good use of its built-in dividers, which let me prop up my electronics to free up shelf space for other bedside essentials. My living room lamp is where I plug in decorative string lights (that otherwise couldn’t reach the wall outlet near the floor). And because the entire shelf-lamp-combo only takes up one wall outlet, no matter where it’s plugged in, I always have an extra outlet free for anything else. Being able to power a lamp and charge three devices on a single outlet seems like a pretty good deal to me.
I’ve had my lamps for nearly two years, and aside from the fact that my cats occasionally try to climb the shelves, I have had zero issues. Despite my cats’ best efforts, they’ve never even come close to knocking the lamps over, which is surprising considering how lightweight each lamp is. I initially got one lamp to serve as a nightstand and the other to provide accent light in my otherwise dimly lit living room, but this would also be perfect for home offices that are in need of softer lighting and a few extra charging ports.
When you need a small-space-friendly lamp that does it all — lighting, storage, charging, and shelving — this one has you covered. It’s on sale, so now is a smart time to buy!
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Acrylic items, also known by the brand name “Lucite,” first emerged in the early 20th century, rising to popularity in the ’60s and ’70s. The see-through material comes in a range of hues and was a hit because it’s sturdier than glass. That meant it could (and still can!) be reliably used in a variety of applications, from waterfall tables and floating shelves to makeup organizers, trays, and beyond. Over the past decade or so, acrylic has again gained traction as a go-to material for furnishings and decor, this time more for its versatility and design chameleon-like aspects versus its novelty. Since it’s translucent, acrylic doesn’t take up a lot of visual space, allowing it to blend into the background of a room that might already be home to visually-heavy items like upholstered chairs, bookshelves, and wooden tables. Decorating pros say the material works well with almost any style of home or design, too, by adding a bit of a futuristic, modern touch to even the most traditional rooms.
For all of these reasons, acrylic tops the list of pretty meets practical choices for a coffee table in particular (I mean, how many CB2 peekaboos have you seen in your lifetime?). The one thing no one ever really tells you about acrylic, though? It’s sometimes hard to see if you’re buzzing around your apartment or room, which means you might literally bump into (or stumble over) pieces from time to time. That’s why I was so excited to see a stylish solution to this very problem pop up in a recent house tour.
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Lucy Goldberg, who is an art director, visual stylist, and set decorator, knows this almost non-issue issue all too well. Her own Manhattan home features an acrylic waterfall coffee table in the living room, which she says was actually left over from a shoot she worked on. “It’s truly a micro size and perfect as a coffee table,” she says. “but since it was clear I kept tripping over it.” Instead of swapping out the bright and airy table for something else, she decided to DIY the table into something that worked better for her. “I had some paint markers laying around and one day just started writing some lyrics that were stuck in my head on the table,” she shares, “I kept going until the table was covered, and now it’s a fun (and visible) art piece.”
The best part about this DIY, aside from the fact that Goldberg no longer trips over her coffee table, is that this design idea can be totally customized to whatever you choose. You can opt to scribble words or lyrics over a table like Goldberg did, repeat a motif like hearts, carefully draw out some stripes, or doodle a little bit here and there (and let your guests or company partake!) until the project is complete. You an also pick whatever colors work with your room, too. Now that’s true a design win-win from my perspective.
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If there’s one type of garment every person seems to have in abundance, it’s the hoodie. Looking back to almost three years ago when the duration of lockdown was uncertain, this incredibly comfy piece of apparel made lots of people realize that there’s no sense in feeling stiff and ill at ease in your own space. And now, with so many hoodie options available in terms of brand, color, and material, it’s so easy to want to wear one for every non-formal occasion. But as great as they are, these bulky clothes can take up a lot of space in the closet, and if you’re already dealing with a small space to begin with, finding space on the rack is no easy feat. Even if you opt to fold your sweatshirts and store them on shelves, you can only stack three or four of them at a time before the pile gets too high. But the good news is that there’s an inexpensive solution on Etsy that lets you save closet space and maintain your hoodie collection without all that unnecessary anxiety.
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Meet the Venalli hoodie hangers, which you can purchase in a pack of five for just $19. (They’re also available in a pack of 10 for $28.) Unlike regular-sized hangers, each of these clever gadgets measures just 6 inches in height and almost 5 inches in width. It sports an S-shape, with the top curve hooking onto your closet rod and the bottom curve serving as the actual hook for the hood of your garment. Each hanger also comes with a small clip that you can attach to the top portion to help keep it in place on thinner rods. As a result, you can use these devices on different-sized hanging rods without worrying about them slipping off. But the best part is that because your sweatshirts only hang by their hoods, they won’t take up nearly as much space in your closet. What’s more, their necklines won’t become stretched, so you’ll be able to wear your favorite garments over and over again without their shape becoming distorted.
By and large, the Venalli Etsy store has plenty of good reviews, especially on this particular product, so you can rest assured you’re getting a great deal. “These are so awesome!” one shopper wrote. “My teenager has a habit of break regular hangers when getting their hoodies off of them, so I wanted to try these out. Only bought a set of five, but I will definitely be buying more…” Other customers also noted the hangers’ sturdiness and ability to hold heavy apparel without bending or snapping. It’s safe to say that if you have even a small hoodie collection, this genius Etsy product is a must-have for the closet.
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 know me, you know that I absolutely lovecoffee, from carefully extracted espresso and frothy cappuccinos to tall glasses of cold brew, regular ol’ drip from Dunkin’, and more. However, at home, I always find myself gravitating back to pour over. For a single serving, I don’t think there’s a better tool out there than a Hario V60, but it’s a pain — and a waste — to make two cups, with two filters, with two mounds of coffee grinds each morning. I was looking into snagging a fancy Chemex or something like it, but I didn’t want to shell out for even more coffee gear, because I already have so much that my girlfriend would probably leave me if I got another piece of bean machinery to clutter our already-stacked countertops. So, when I saw the Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker on Amazon for just 20 bones, I jumped on it.
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This super affordable machine is basically a less-expensive Chemex, but with one feature that I absolutely love — the reusable basket. It’s got tiny metal holes that actually keep your coffee grinds inside the basket, and not in your cup, as long as you have coarsely ground beans. The drawback there is that I’m not super confident using pre-ground beans would be the move here, but any good coffee shop will be able to grind your beans to a level suitable for a reusable basket if you ask. (Plus, if you’re interested in pour over coffee, you probably already have a coffee grinder of some sort at home.) And, if you’re a diehard pre-ground coffee fan, the basket fits a regular pour over filter too, which works just as well.
This bad boy has been a huge help in my morning routine, because it’s super straightforward to use, and makes a liter of coffee at a time, which is perfect for my girlfriend and I, who drink about a pint of coffee (each) every morning. For normal coffee drinkers, you can easily get four cups out of a single brew. And, it’s clear that I’m not the only one who loves this thing, since it has more than a whopping 29,000 (and counting) five-star reviews on Amazon. “This system is so simple and it produces an excellent cup of coffee,” one reviewer writes. “The filter is completely made of metal, no plastic. All you get is the pure coffee flavor.”
So, if you’re in the market for an easy-to-use, affordable alternative to more expensive, large-format pour overs, the Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker is definitely the move. You’ll waste less, drink more, and enjoy better quality cups.
