Ideas for a Beautiful & Smart Home
Author: Lily
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32 Whimsy Christmas Decor Ideas for a Playful Home
Last December I hung a single oversized ornament in my hallway, the kind that’s roughly the size of a beach ball, and my neighbor stopped mid-sentence when she walked in. Nothing else in the hallway changed. That one silly, slightly impractical object made the whole space feel like someone was having fun in there, and…
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30 Cozy Christmas Bedroom Decor Ideas
For about six years I decorated every room in my apartment for Christmas except the bedroom. The living room got the tree, the kitchen got a wreath, and the bedroom got nothing, because I figured nobody sees it and I am only in there to sleep. Then one December I had a cold, spent four…
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29 Christmas Table Decor Ideas for a Festive Feast
The first Christmas dinner I hosted, I owned four matching chairs, a borrowed folding table, and a centerpiece made of exactly one candle. My cousin Priya walked in, looked at the table, and said, “Is the candle… the whole plan?” It was. Dinner was good, but the table looked like a waiting room. Since then…
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25 Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas for Busy December Nights
It was 11:40 p.m. on December 9th when I sat straight up in bed and whispered a word I will not repeat here. I had forgotten to move the elf. My daughter, who was six at the time and sharper than most detectives, would be awake in about seven hours, and the elf was exactly…
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21 Beaded Tinsel Christmas Decor Ideas That Sparkle
Three Decembers ago I bought a box of silver tinsel garland for $6, draped it over my tree in about four minutes, and stood back feeling like I was decorating a school gymnasium. It was shiny. It was also flat, a little cheap-looking, and by day nine it was shedding on my rug like a…
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How to Decorate a Small Space for Christmas (Without Losing Your Walkways or Your Sanity)
The December I lived in my 410-square-foot studio, I decided I could have it all: a full tree, a garland on every surface, a village on the bookshelf, and a wreath on the door. By the second weekend of December, I had to turn sideways to get from the bed to the bathroom, the tree…
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12 DIY Home Decor Trends to Try Right Now (Easy Projects, Real Costs, No Designer Budget)
Last spring I spent an afternoon making a lumpy clay bowl for my entryway. It’s uneven, one side is slightly taller than the other, and the glaze pooled in a way I did not plan. It’s also the single most complimented object in my apartment. People pick it up, turn it over, and ask where…
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31 Rustic DIY Home Decor Ideas for Cozy Spaces (Warm, Textured, and Mostly Under $25)
The first rustic project I ever attempted was a wood shelf made from a board I found behind a hardware store. I sanded it for about four minutes, stained it far too dark, and hung it with brackets that were not remotely strong enough. It held a candle and one small plant, and slowly tilted…
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33 DIY Christmas Decor Crafts That Look Store-Bought (Most Cost Under $15)
The first Christmas in my own apartment, I walked into a home goods store with a budget of $60 and walked out with a bag that contained exactly four things: a single garland, a box of ornaments in a color I never ended up using, a candle that smelled like a pine-scented cleaning product, and…
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34 Upcycled Furniture Ideas Before and After That Look Way More Expensive Than They Are
The first piece of furniture I ever flipped was a $25 dresser I found at a church rummage sale, and one of its drawers stuck so badly I had to kick it shut every night for about a month before I finally did something about it. I sanded the whole thing in my parking spot,…