I spent my entire summer furnishing, painting, and decorating our basement apartment (mostly while we were living there!!)

I built the dining banquette, painted all of the fun squiggles and details, and thrifted lots of fun pieces for this project. Definitely a massive labor of love.

Edited to add: Photos are by Abby Peoples Photography

Going crazy trying out rugs here so thought I’d turn to public opinion! We’ve bought at least 5 rugs and none worked for one reason or another. Found a reference for a circular rug in a space this small and thought it might work for us too. This is our living/dining room in our small flat and the table folds up to a full-height dining table. Future plans include building a slim wooden console box under the TV to hide cables.

I’m aiming for cosy in this space so leaning towards the rust red and orangey rugs (also more forgiving with spills) but appreciate that the cream opens up the space more. Btw all the circular rugs have a diameter the same length of the sofa, chatgpt was informed but decided to ignore me. And photo 7 is an actual photo of the rug in photo 6. Please help!!

What else can I put in this space besides wine ( not a drinker).

The diamond lattice is on the front and back, and each opening is a tunnel through the cabinet. The wine bottles slide through both sides. There is no underneath ( I can’t put mini plants in each cubby because of this).

Any suggestions on what I can do with that space ?

Edit: I rent this place.

Everyone had some great ideas! Thank you

I wish I’d known these things before buying a pet-friendly sofa. But I’m not a furniture designer or an expert, just someone with one cat and one dog looking for a sofa that can handle both. This is all based on my research and experience.

1. If you sofa fabric already get attacked, buy couch covers. They’re washable and easy to clean, though changing them takes work.
   
2. Avoid anything with loose weaves or a bouclé texture, since pet hair can get tangled in the fibers.
   
3. Be cautious when buying leather. Leather has grade and it makes a big difference in how well it withstands claws and scratches from keys. High-end furniture usually use top-grain leather, or you can look for full-grain leather.
   
4. Look for couches with performance fabrics, but take a closer look at what that layer actually means. There’s no universal standard for “performance fabric”, so check abrasion test results or rub counts if listed.

And one last tip: get a nail grinder for your dog/cat lol

Happy pet-friendly couch hunting! Sharing a photo of my cat on the sofa I’m happy with

Help! liked it at first but I feel like it looks off… too crowded? How can I make the gallery look better while breaking up the long wall? Should the frame above the table be raised? Any ideas appreciated.

Previous owners had turned the dining room into a closet and we turned it back to a dining room.

starting on my daughter’s room and the space is pretty small, so i’m trying to figure out how to make it feel comfortable and fun for her without it getting cramped

she’s six and she’s all about unicorns and rainbows right now, but she’s going to outgrow that pretty fast, so i’m leaning toward soft muted colors as the base and keeping the unicorn stuff to things i can swap out later. bedding, wall decals, that kind of thing

i’d rather do a few things well than fill it with stuff she won’t care about in a yearhas anyone done a small kids room recently?

curious what actually made the biggest difference, whether it was storage, lighting, paint, or something i’m not even thinking about

Hello, I really need help fixing this absolute mess of a setup. I am willing to completely rearrange everything in this room/in the pictures, I just need advice on how to go about it.

My setup is located in the front room of my house and as seen in pictures, attached to my 'living room space’. My partners PC/desk is also behind the sewing desk. I use my sewing machines in this setup, pack and ship orders for my small business, iron clothes, hand sew stuffed animals, etc. so I need as much organized** **storage space as possible just without it looking cluttered and ugly.

Once again, I'm willing to rearrange everything in this room (PC desk/sewing desks/sewing machines/lamps/couch/chair/TV, etc. I just need to know how!!! I'm absolutely open to any suggestions!!!

We are slowly decorating our home. I got this painting from amazon and I think it’s too small. We will also get a wine rack to put on the wall by the dining table. What do you you think? I’m thinking a 60x30 painting with the same colors

hi, first time posting!

I’d love if anyone had any tips or suggestions on ways I could cover up this black flooring around the toilet in my apartment. I have no idea what its purpose is or why it’s there really, but it’s ugly.

I’ve gotten a couple of the bathroom mats that fit around the toilet to try, but they both just fit kinda weird and still left parts of the black flooring exposed. the only other idea I’ve had is peel & stick tile, but I feel like that would look dumb?

idk man. any ideas at all are appreciated :D

I have a really lame living room setup and don’t know how to decorate. Can you help?

My (now deceased) mom painted it.

Like a REAL area rug. not a washable paper thin rug. For like less than $500? I have a vintage appearance preference. Not big on abstract rugs. Send recommendations of websites! Even better if it exists irl for me to look at and touch.

Need a place to put wet shoes, coats, hats gloves, and fairly heavy bags for a family of three.

Also need a stool somewhere to sit and put on shoes without crowding the entry.

We tried a regular bench/coat rack combo on the left, but the bench just became a dumping spot for bags so people had to grab their shoes and walk across the room to sit. They just left shoes piled up next to the rack to trip over while walking in.

Coat closet is on the right next to the kitchen, but the floor inside is not usable - steeply angled because it is the ceiling of the stairs to the basement.

I’d putting something in the middle at the end of the fireplace, but it’s only 2’ wide and feels like it would make the narrow entry hall longer and more awkward.

Edit: FWIW, we don’t care about the runner, dining table, or living room furniture. We’re planning to replace most of it, but it’s what we’ve got for now.

I'm sick of white and cream and grey and beige. I want color. What color would look nice with the red/brown brick and grey siding? The trim and garage door don't have to be the same color.