For some of us, the kitchen is a frightening place filled with sharp objects, alien ingredients, and hot surfaces. But for cats, it's a jungle gym of exploration. There are things to play with, sit on, hide in, nibble on, and nap in. If you have a surface, appliance, utensil, or container, then your cat will find a novel use for it. Take a look at some of our favorite cats getting comfy in the kitchen.
Whether you're planning a major renovation or just want to introduce a bit of luxury to your kitchen and bathroom design, we can help. After checking out the latest at the 2013 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in New Orleans, it seems the hottest doodads are a hybrid of futuristic technology, smart sustainability, and gallery-worthy design. Keep reading to see the seven new items for kitchens and bathrooms we want now!
Have a few hours to spare? Consider a simple bedroom DIY. Without spending a lot of money, you can revamp your space on the fly with a homemade project that is anything but kitschy. Roll up your sleeves with DIYs like tufted headboards and graphic art — it's time to satisfy your craft fix!
Have you been throwing around pillows lately? Styling out bookcases? Generally decorating like it's your job? Well, sharing is caring, so come on and show us what you're working with!
Show us all the home-design mischief you've been up to via Instagram by tagging your images #casasnap. If we see a photo we like, we'll feature it on POPSUGAR Home! Pretty sweet, right? What are you waiting for? Start #casasnap-ping right now!
If you're ever in Los Angeles, make it a point to visit La Brea Avenue's design district. This small, walkable stretch of inspiration (located between Melrose Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard) is densely packed with everything from quirky antiques to urban fashion. Start the day at Nick Metropolis, a warehouse filled with old movie props (and therefore the best photo props) we have ever seen. From there, we strolled and browsed everything from custom furniture to foreign finds. Between the fashion, food, and interiors, we left with loads of inspiration and new LA favorites. Click through to see our pics!
This weekend, take your DIY skills beyond the craft room into your living room! Always on the lookout for new ways to spruce up our space, we found homemade projects that will freshen up your digs in no time. Whether you're looking to fill your walls with art or add a few custom pillows, let your creativity roll with it. Even if your living room isn't due for a little something new, these projects can be easily adapted to any space. So what are you waiting for? Check out the 24 options that leave those daunting DIY rumors behind.
I am always drawn to the boxes of old photos at my local flea market, but after stockpiling them over the years, I have to admit that I have no idea of what to do with them. Luckily, a company called Project B does, and the results are fantastic.
The team behind Project B seeks out anonymous vintage photos and makes them available in museum-quality, limited-edition prints — essentially rescuing bits of history and bringing them back to life.
The photos are strong on their own, but since they are already curated in albums such as Inside Hollywood and Americana, it's easy to buy prints that work well together. With prices starting at $95, you are going to be tempted to stock up on a little bit of history.
We'd all love to invest in quality furniture, but sitting down at that sleek new dining table can present some financial hurdles. Luckily, a contemporary Canadian furniture brand is setting out to change that — and at no expense to your aesthetic. By cutting out the middlemen in the industry, Bryght allows people to essentially shop directly from the factories, shedding mark-ups associated with importers, distributors, and sales people — and effectively saving them an estimated 50 percent in the process. Better yet, the brand offers a free 30-day home trial period with free shipping and returns in North America: commitment-phobes, the line starts here!
High-design and high-quality, Bryght's contemporary and transitional collection comes from top international designers who've cut their teeth at companies like Established & Sons, Habitat, and Stella McCartney. In our opinion, it competes with the Crate and Barrels and Room & Boards of the world, but see for yourself. Here are a few of our top picks from the collection.
If your bare walls are giving you the blues, Instagram is here to help! We've sifted through the well of hashtags to bring you the best wall decor ideas to get inspired by. Keep reading for fresh ideas and don't forget to hashtag your own home decor-related pics with #casasnap!
The intersection between healthy eating and good design has traditionally been a pretty lonely place. Tatyana Daniels Beldock, a former health care venture capitalist, set out to change that when she launched a line of plates under the name Slim & Sage. The concept is simple: since research suggests that 90 percent of weight loss is achieved simply by eating less, Tatyana worked with experts at Stanford and Harvard to come up with a plate that takes the guesswork out of portion control. Even if these plates didn't help reduce caloric intake by 59 percent(!), we would still love them — we don't think it's a coincidence that they resemble Hermès's famous Balcon du Guadalquivir pattern.
The bold geometric patterns on the plate hide the built-in grid for recommended portions: one quarter is for protein, one quarter is for whole grains, and one half is for vegetables. Made from porcelain, the plates are nice enough for company but discreet enough that guests will never guess the motive behind the pattern. We stole a minute of Tatyana's time to find out more.
POPSUGAR: What did you find when you researched why America has such a tendency to overeat?
Tatyana Daniels Beldock: Our plates have gotten out of hand. Plate sizes have been rising in the US over the last 50 years: the average plate in the 1960s was nine inches. Today it is 12! (Slim & Sage plates are 9 inches.) France, ever the throwback, measures in at just 10 inches. You may think all this expanding china has had little effect on your eating habits, but think again: a study in the journal Appetite found that people clean their plates an astonishing 91 percent of the time, no matter how much food is offered, even if they are no longer hungry. Also portions are larger in restaurants, fast-food joints, and prepackaged foods in grocery stories.
PS: That's an alarming statistic — 91 percent of the time, even if they are no longer hungry? Why do you think that it is? Some sort of primal throwback? Habit left over from our parents telling us to clean our plates?
TDB: Yes! Can you believe it? People clean their plates an astonishing 91 percent of the time, no matter how much food is offered and even if they are no longer hungry. I believe it's because we have been conditioned since childhood to clean our plates. The National Institutes of Health recommend replacing larger plates with smaller plates as a good way to combat this and trick people into eating less. "People eat what's put in front of them," they say.
PS: I think that we are all guilty of that! Why isn't this science more widely used and applied? It seems like a very straightforward, smart concept.
TDB: Often some of the best ideas make you think, "Wow — why haven't I seen this before?" I am not sure why it hasn't been done before, though. There was a study done at Google where they introduced smaller plates at their cafeterias and their employees lost an average of 10-15 pounds without even really trying.
PS: That makes it sound painless. I know that takeout is a great excuse for people to abandon portion control. When you order takeout, do you make a point to eat it on Slim & Sage plates?
TDB: Yes, absolutely.
PS: Right now the price point is about $25 per plate — do you have plans for rolling out a lower price point option? How about bowls?
TDB: Custom plates for spas and resorts are in the pipeline, and we are considering a lower price and children's line in the future.
PS: Great, we will keep on the lookout! Meanwhile, we just learned that Slim & Sage was picked up by Neiman Marcus. Congratulations!
