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35 Patio Layout Ideas That Actually Work (Even If Your Space Is Weird)

I have a confession: I spent the first two summers in my last apartment staring at a 9-by-12-foot concrete slab and doing the exact wrong thing. I pushed a bulky hand-me-down loveseat… Read More

34 Moroccan Style Bedroom Ideas That Go Beyond One Throw Pillow

I used to think “Moroccan style” meant buying one patterned pillow and calling it a theme, until I actually stayed at a… Read More
31 DIY Wall Art Ideas That Don’t Look Like a First Attempt

My first DIY wall art project was a canvas I “abstract painted” during a rough breakup, and I loved it for about… Read More
32 Patio String Light Ideas That Don’t Look Like a Half-Finished Project

I put up my first string of patio lights with exactly two zip ties and a prayer, and within a month they’d… Read More
31 Luxury Hotel Bed Ideas That Make Your Bedroom Feel Like a Five-Star Suite (Without the Five-Star Bill)

For about two years I stayed in a bedroom that I kept calling “fine.” The bed was fine, the sheets were fine,… Read More
36 Men’s Bedroom Ideas That Look Pulled-Together, Not Like a College Dorm Upgrade

My husband’s bedroom before we moved in together was, generously, a mattress on a frame, one lamp, and a TV mounted slightly… Read More
34 Little Girl Bedroom Ideas That Grow Up Better Than You’d Think

My friend Nora redid her daughter’s room three times in four years before she figured out the actual problem: she kept designing… Read More
29 IKEA-Inspired Bedroom Ideas That Don’t Look Like Everyone Else’s IKEA Bedroom

I furnished my first apartment almost entirely from one IKEA trip, and for about a year my bedroom looked exactly like a… Read More
25 Teen Bedroom Ideas That Work for Any Kid, Not Just One Aesthetic

My neighbor redid her son’s room three times in two years chasing whatever he said he wanted that month — gaming setup,… Read More
28 Teen Girl Bedroom Ideas That Won’t Look Dated in Two Years

My niece redid her room right before she turned 14, all in one very specific shade of millennial pink with gold flamingo… Read More
42 Masculine Bedroom Ideas That Go Beyond “Just Paint It Gray”

My friend Nora’s husband spent years with a bedroom that was basically just her design preferences plus his side of the closet,… Read More
25 Montessori Bedroom Ideas That Actually Work in a Normal-Sized House

When my friend Nora first mentioned she was redoing her daughter’s room Montessori-style, I pictured something minimalist to the point of bare… Read More
28 Garden Trellis Ideas for Every Yard, Balcony, and Budget

I didn’t think much about trellises until my friend Nora’s tomato plants basically collapsed under their own weight two summers ago because… Read More
29 Teen Boy Bedroom Ideas That Don’t Look Like a Dorm Room Three Years Early

My friend Nora’s son turned 14 last spring and informed her, very seriously, that his “little kid room” had to go —… Read More
24 Christmas Table Setting Ideas That Don’t Look Like a Rental Showroom

I hosted my first “real” Christmas dinner three years ago and spent two hours the night before arranging a table that still… Read More
25 Christmas Mantle Decor Ideas That Don’t Look Like Everyone Else’s Pinterest Board

I set my mantle up four times last December. Four. The first version was fine — garland, some ornaments, a few candles… Read More
26 December Women Outfit Ideas That Actually Work in Real Life (and the Ones I’d Skip)

I have a very specific memory of standing in my closet last December 15th, staring at a sequin skirt I’d bought for… Read More
27 Short Summer Nails That Actually Survive Real Life (I Tested the Trends)

I keep my nails short. Not “short by choice because I’m trying to be low-maintenance” short — actually short. Like, I can… Read More
25 Summer Nail Designs I’d Actually Wear (and the 4 I’d Skip)

I have a complicated relationship with summer nail designs. On one hand, I love the idea of sitting in a salon chair… Read More
24 Summer Nail Ideas That Are Worth the Salon Appointment (and the 3 I’d Skip)

I spent the first week of June last year with a peeling gel manicure because I booked a last-minute appointment at a… Read More
26 Spring Nail Designs I’d Actually Wear (and the One Trend I’m Skipping)

My spring nail routine used to be a disaster. Every March I’d walk into the salon with a blurry screenshot and walk… Read More
24 Galentine’s Day Party Ideas I’ve Actually Hosted — and the 3 I’d Skip

I once hosted a Galentine’s party where three people showed up in the exact same shade of fuchsia, and my friend Dana… Read More
26 Dorm Room Ideas That Actually Work (From Someone Who’s Survived Move-In Day Twice)

The summer before my first year of college, I bought a matching comforter-and-sheet set, a plastic shower caddy, and exactly one poster.… Read More
My First Apartment Grocery List Cost $214 and Half of It Rotting by Day Nine — Here Are the 22 Things I Actually Buy Now

The first grocery run in my first apartment was $214, and I remember standing in my 410-square-foot kitchen with two bags of… Read More
25 Barbie Nails That Look Expensive in Real Life (Not Just in Photos)

I painted my nails what the bottle called “Barbie Pink” before a friend’s birthday dinner last spring, and I spent the entire… Read More
26 Comic Book Nails That Look Like Tiny, Wearable Graphic Novels

I still have a photo of my first attempt at comic book nails. It was 2019, I had one black striper brush… Read More
21 Dorm Room Essentials I’d Buy Again (and 4 I’d Leave at Home)

I moved in with a printer, a lamp my mom insisted on, and no mattress topper. I slept on a brick for… Read More
27 College Dorm Room Ideas That Actually Survived Move-Out Day

I moved into my freshman dorm with a laundry basket of clothes, a shower caddy my mom bought at Target, and a… Read More
25 Neon Nail Designs I’d Actually Wear to Work (And 3 I’d Skip)

The first time I asked for neon nails, I picked a bottle called “Hot Mess” off the salon wall and my nail… Read More
27 Dorm Room Ideas for Girls That Actually Work in a 120-Square-Foot Box

My first dorm room had cinderblock walls the color of skim milk, a fluorescent light that made everyone look vaguely ill, and… Read More
26 Short Nail Designs That Are Actually Chic (I Tried Most of These on My Tiny Nail Beds)

I used to think short nails were a consolation prize. You know the drill — you break a nail, you file them… Read More
25 Dorm Room Color Schemes That Actually Work in a 150-Square-Foot Box

My freshman-year dorm had beige cinderblock walls, a fluorescent overhead light that made everyone look slightly ill, and a floor tile pattern… Read More
26 College Graduation Party Ideas That Don’t Look Like the Same Party Everyone Else Is Throwing

The first graduation party I ever hosted was in a 480-square-foot apartment with one window, a futon, and a kitchen counter that… Read More
25 Flower Nail Designs I’d Actually Wear (and the Ones I’d Skip After Trying Them)

I once spent $68 on a gel manicure with hand-painted daisies, only to chip the index finger on day three while opening… Read More
23 Graduation Party Backdrop Ideas That Actually Photograph Well (And What I’d Skip)

The first graduation backdrop I ever built was a disaster. I was helping my friend Renee with her daughter’s party, and we… Read More
24 Gift Ideas for College Girls That Won’t End Up in a Drawer by October

I have a rule when I buy gifts for college girls: if it can’t live on a shelf, in a drawer, or… Read More
27 Graduation Party Ideas That Actually Work (From Someone Who’s Hosted Way Too Many)

I’ve hosted four graduation parties in the last six years. Two for my own kids, one for my niece, and one for… Read More
I Made 25 Graduation Centerpieces and Only 5 Weren’t a Total Waste of Money

I have a confession: my first attempt at a DIY graduation centerpiece was a disaster. It was for my cousin’s party in… Read More
26 High School Graduation Party Ideas That Don’t Look Like Every Other Grad Party

I spent $340 on my oldest daughter’s graduation party in 2023. The thing people talked about the most — and the thing… Read More
24 Graduation Outfit Ideas That Won’t Have You Sweating Through Your Gown (Or Dressed Like You’re Going to a Wedding)

I still have a photo from my college graduation where I’m standing next to my mom, and you can visibly see the… Read More
25 Best 18th Birthday Ideas That Actually Feel Grown-Up (I Planned Three of These Last Year)

I threw my sister’s 18th birthday party in my 620-square-foot apartment. Twenty people. One bathroom. A cake I dropped on the kitchen… Read More