Add That Splash of Color

Are the rooms in your apartment feeling a little monotone.  You do not need to break rules or buy paint to add a splash of color into your home!  Apartment Therapy has gathered some great tips to help bring color into the rooms in your home.  This can be done through a clever tapestry, a painting, or even your furniture.  Keep reading and let us know how your new room turns out!


Are you a color-lover adrift on an ocean of white? Living in a rental where you're not allowed to paint doesn't mean you can't surround yourself with brilliant hues. Here are ten easy ways to add color without ever picking up a paintbrush.

1. Go for big, colorful art.
An oversized piece (like the one in the bedroom above, from Okologi, or the living room pictured up top, from Sköna Hem, via Design Milk) instantly brightens a room.

2. Hang a colorful tapestry on the wall.
Like this one from Beatrice & Ramsey's Cultured Echo Park Casa.

3. Use colorful pillows and throws.
As seen in Christina's Comfortable, Collected Austin Abode.

4. Eschew neutrals and go for curtains in a crazy color.
Or two crazy colors, like these from vintage Domino via the Paris Apartment.

Or shades in a crazy color, like these malachite ones in a Belgian home spotted on Elle Decor.

5. Invest in a colorful couch.
The red couch in Katie's Hillside Bungalow makes the room.

6. Or a colorful rug.
Like the Turkish kilim in Natalie and Kevin's Perfect Parkdale Perch.


→ Real Room Inspiration: Adding Color With Rugs

7. Upholster a set of dining chairs in a vibrant rainbow of colors.
Image from Nuevo Estilo, via Apartment Therapy.

Or just paint them, as in this interior by Ilse Crawford (via Lauren's Style Library).


→ Painted Furniture for When You Just Can't Paint Your Walls

8. Fill your home with plants.
Like Adam and Ashley did. Green is a color.

9. Cover the back of your bookcases with colorful paper.
Sure, this isn't a traditional bookcase (it's a stack of IKEA boxes), but you get the idea. Photo from Marie Mersier.

10. Combine any of the above strategies for maximum color.
Bonus points go to Alex and Alina for pairing a colorful rug and colorful art in different shades of blue.

Bonus points also go to the creators of this interior (photoraphed by Logan Photography for Period Living), who have combined colorful textiles and pillows and accessories and furniture into a room that, despite being white, is bursting with color.

Cut Down on Those Impulse Purchases

IKEA and Target should just steal our paychecks as soon as we get them. These two stores have this crazy power to make sure you buy more than one thing.  You can walk in looking for a spoon, and you come out with a couch, a movie, a card, and something you don't even know what it is.  However, cutting down on impulse buys can save you tons of money.

In the blog below, we will look at some great tips on how to cut down on your impulse shopping.  You will learn great ways to avoid buying that lamp with the cool shade, and stick to the three things on your grocery list.  You can learn more at Apartment Therapy.


I have a love-hate relationship with shopping. On one hand, plotting purchases can be fun, and it's nice to have new things. Then, on the other hand, there's the self-loathing you feel when you look at your bank account balance... or clean out your closet and realize how much money you spent on things you don't really use. So over the years, I've developed some tactics for shopping smart. This post isn't about not buying things at all: rather, it's about developing strategies to limit your purchases to things you really like, so that your bank account will be happier, AND you'll wind up with things you'll be satisfied with for years to come.

1. Unsubscribe from all those flash sale emails.
Shopping can be really fun, and flash sale sites add a certain element of urgency, making shopping seem almost like a competitive sport: gotta click this email NOW! Gotta shop this sale NOW before everyone else snaps up all the good stuff! The resulting adrenaline rush can override that little voice of reason that says things like "do you really need this?" To make things worse, many flash sale sites have restocking fees or store-credit-only return policies, which makes them terrible places for impulse buys. So unsubscribe from all those flash sale emails that give you the urge to shop, or at the least send them to your 'promotions' inbox in Gmail, to make them a little less in-your-face.

2. Make a 'wants' list.
One of the best ways I've found to combat impulse purchases is by maintaining a 'wants' list. I do a lot of shopping online, so my wants list is a notebook in Evernote where I save photos of and links to things I want. Whenever I run across something I decide I just have to have, I add it to the list. I try to let things sit on the list for at least a few weeks before I actually buy them: a lot of times, I'll end up deciding that I don't really need that thing, after all. (Another great thing about the 'wants' list is that when people ask you what you want for birthdays or holidays, you have a whole list of suggestions right at hand.)

3. If you can't decide between two items, consider that you may not need either one.
Can't decide which pair of sandals you like the best? Try on the idea of not buying anything at all. I've found that often, being completely unable to chose between two things means I don't really feel strongly about either of them.

4. Deny yourself right now and put the money towards something you really want.
Just not spending money at all doesn't feel very fun. But the idea of not spending money so you can get something you want even more later — now that's satisfying. Set a long-term goal for something pricey that you really want, and then when you're tempted to make an impulse purchase, ask yourself: what do I want more, these shoes or that amazing sofa (or light fixture, or vacation, or what have you)? It has a way of putting things into perspective and reminding you that self-denial now = way better things later. I'm currently coveting this amazing credenza from Organic Modernism. I may never actually get it, since it costs more than any piece of furniture I've ever owned, but for its sake many pairs of shoes have gone unboughten.

5. Find small ways to satisfy your craving for newness.
I've realized that a big part of my love for shopping is that it's fun to have new things. I get a little surge of pleasure seeing a shopping bag, tissue poking out the top, sitting on the floor, and having new things around the house gives a little extra spice to my daily routine. Fortunately for you (if you're anything like me), there are ways to scratch the itch without spending a ton of money. Allow yourself a little impulse buy every few weeks, or once a month — a magazine, a new candle or some kitchen towels. You'll get all the fun of a little indulgence, without the remorse of a big one.

An Easy Trick To Do Less Dishes

No one likes doing dishes.  It does not matter if you are hand washing them or running a dishwasher, it takes too much time out of your date.   However, there is a simple trick to simplifying the hour long process of washing dishes.  It is one that your parents probably used as a child, but you never thought to use as an adult.  Keep reading and check out Apartment Therapy for more great apartment tips.


Who wants to spend less time doing the dishes? We do! There's no need to overthink it, sometimes the answer is simply to create fewer dishes in the first place. Try this simple tip.

One person = one drinking vessel. Period.

My wise, working mother employed this strategy during my childhood and it was so gospel in my home that I didn't really think of it as a "trick," until we got to talking about things you can do without at home and I read this comment bypurpleshoes0:


As far as things I can do without, I'm a big fan of the one-bowl-and-mug-per-resident model - but it requires buy-in from all residents, or one person will wind up leaving them all some mysterious Somewhere in the house and no one else will have mugs. And for some reason, I can handwash the same coffee mug and oatmeal bowl every time I need it, but no matter what I try I go through five water glasses in a day.

The key here is to own lots of distinctive mugs so every family member (and guest) can easily id his or her own (it's also handy for figuring out who left rings on the coffee table).

Give it a try; the only thing you have to lose is time spent washing dishes.

Keep Your House Clean

How often do you clean your home?  We have some great tips on how to keep your home cleaner for longer.  This will save you from having to do a last minute clean if company comes over. It will also save you time on your weekly cleaning day.

These tips can be as easy as putting stuff away as soon as use it, or we have some great DIY tips that will also help you in the never ending quest for a clean home.  You can learn more at apartment therapy.


Put it back after you use it: This is the simplest tip and the one that, if it's the only tip you take away, will render your house clean enough. It's also the one I'm most guilty of not following. I realized that the number one reason I feel grumpy about putting stuff away is that most of the time, it's not easy to put it away — the shelf it goes on is too high, the closet it goes in is too crowded, the drawer is too full. Recognize yourself? Then it's time to rethink the homes of the things you hate putting away the most. For me, it was the vacuum cleaner. Once I moved it from the coat closet (seemingly convenient but I had to move a lot of stuff to get it out) to the scary closet (a few steps further away but all I have to do is shove it inside), not only did I vacuum more often but after I did, the vacuum didn't sit out for days while I got up the "courage" to put it away.

Keep it where you use it: A sharpie in the freezer to mark those bagged leftovers, pens by where I plug in my iPhone, laundry detergent with my clothes, dishes stashed near my sink, the extra set of sheets stored underneath the mattress. The less effort I need to make to put something away (or find it), the more often it will actually get put away (see above). Even if the place you put it seems crazy (jewelry in the kitchen, vitamins by the front door) if it works for you and it gets put back, work it. It's your house.

Chuck the stuff you don't use: As Laure pointed out in her post about decluttering, some stuff, as much as you love it and think it's ridiculously beautiful and useful (the usual criteria for keeping something), is just not working for your life. As hard as it is to admit that there isn't a place in my life for that fully-equipped wicker picnic hamper, that I will never be a person who wears Mary Jane flats and that teacups are made for people who actually drink tea from teacups not mugs, getting rid of these things can have an enormous affect on your cleaning routine. Donate them to someplace that gives a receipt so I can take them off my taxes or gift them to a friend that will love and use them. I can even photograph the things that are sentimental to me or that I find particularly beautiful. Now my home has more room to house the things I actually use and I feel a lot less guilty.

Have an outbox: I started using an outbox during my first Cure and I haven't looked back. Most of us have a problem detaching from our stuff even if it's stuff we don't use or want. Of course there's the junk. That's easy to get rid of but man do I feel guilty when I'm getting rid of something I paid good money for, that was gifted to me by a good friend or that I inherited. That's where the outbox comes in. I use a bag but you can use a box, a spot in the closet or a little-used corner of a room. I put stuff here while I live without it (and subconsciously work through the anxiety of getting rid of it). After about a month or so, it's easier to make a rational decision about what to do with it.

Quality over quantity: My life got a lot simpler when I started to cut down on how much of any one thing I bought. For example, I have two sets of sheets. One for the wash, one for the bed. It feels good knowing that I have less to store and I don't feel guilty about buying stuff that's a little better quality because I know I'm definitely going to using it.

Make one thing in every room a priority item: I learned this from Flylady whose famous directive is to keep your kitchen sink clean. There's a "sink" in every room. Concentrate on keeping that one thing clean and the rest of the room will feel clean and eventually the clean will spread to the surrounding areas. For me, that means keeping the bed made, the coffee table clear, my desk free of papers and the bathroom sink wiped.

Use a landing strip: It's not only a place to put down the mail and the keys, it's also a launch pad where I put stuff that I'm planning to take with me for the next day. While this may seem to be more of an organizing tip rather than a cleaning tip, once I started using it, I found that it was much less likely that I was going to rip apart the house looking for my dry cleaning receipt. I started out my day on the right foot, came home to a calm home and I felt relaxed. Home clean home is home sweet home.

Happy Fourth of July and Trivia Answer

We hope everyone at Potrero Launch has a happy Fourth of July!  Are you curious to see if you got the question right?  Your answer is below.

Answer: (Dave Righetti of the NY Yankees in 1983. But perhaps the wildest game ever played happened on July 4 between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets. It went 19 innings and ended close to 4 AM. Mets won 16-13.)

Did you get it right?

Household Myths: True or False

Today's blog is going to be like an episode of Mythbusters.  We are going to explore some household myths and see if they are true or false.  We are going to save you some time around your house.  The things that your mom and grandma told you do might not actually be doing anything.  You can learn more at Apartment Therapy.


Your grandma did it and your mom does it all the time, so should you continue the tradition? From salting boiling water to grinding ice, read on for the truth about four common household hints...

Myth: Adding salt to water makes it boil faster.

The Truth: Nope. Salted water actually takes a little bit longer to boil, since the salt raises the boiling point from 100°C to around 106°C. But salt water does boil hotter because when sodium chloride (salt) attaches to water molecules, it releases gas bubbles which increase movement in the water and therefore the temperature. So although you will wait a little longer for your salted water to boil, it will cook your pasta a little faster. Cool!

Myth: Store batteries in the refrigerator so they'll last longer.

The Truth: Short answer: not really. The chemical reaction within the battery (the one that creates an electrical charge to power your devices) is affected by temperature, and cold temps do slow that process; however, contrary to popular belief, batteries don't generate energy unless they're in use, so there's not much point in chilling a resting battery. In fact, until your refrigerated battery returns to room temperature, it won't be able to generate much electricity at all (just try starting your car on a freezing morning). The maximum recommended temperature for a battery is around 77°F, so drawer storage should be just fine for most people.

Myth: Microwaving a sponge kills bacteria.

The Truth: Yes! But it's a little more complicated than 10 seconds on high. Studies show it takes two full minutes for 99% of germs to bite the dust. Double that time to four for complete sterilization. Make sure your sponge is damp (microwaves work by heating water molecules) and, depending on how often you use it, nuke it every few days as a rule of thumb.

Myth: Grinding ice cubes will sharpen your disposal's blades.

The Truth: Sort of. There's no way to really sharpen the blades, but grinding up some ice cubes every now and then does clean them by knocking off built up residue, helping them to function more efficiently. Run some cold water, grind the ice for about a minute, and you should be in business.

The Perfect Picnic

The weather is beautiful, and everyone wants to be outside.  This is why it is the perfect time to get out and have a picnic with friends and family.  Do you have the essentials for the perfect picnic?  We have you covered.

Apartment Therapy has gathered some of the best picnic essentials for every person.  The list includes everything from a cooler for wine to the blankets that you will be sitting on.  Keep reading and go enjoy a great picnic with family and friends.

Summer in the city means finding green spaces that are forgotten about during the winter months and enjoying picnics in the park. And every summer it seems that I head out to the park for a picnic and arrive missing a crucial element for the perfect afternoon. Here is a list of picnic essentials to pack before heading out. And when summer is over, these essentials can carry over into tailgating season, too.

It is often easier to go for disposable tableware when dining on the go, but this is a more ec0-friendly approach to picnics. For a list of the most stylish disposable tableware around, check out the Kitchn.

1. Keep your rosé chilled all afternoon with Corksicle, $17.95

2. The picnic blankets from H&M Home are cheap and chic, with a plastic backing and a wraparound handle. $17.95

3. Paola Navone designed a range of picnic essentials for Crate and Barrel this spring, including this metal picnic box. Crate & Barrel, $39.95

4. Ice packs at an unbeatable price from IKEA, $0.99

5. A colorful beach mat from Oh Joy! for Target, $20

6. Keep clean with eco-friendly cloth napkins on a roll that are reusable up to six times. MyDrap, $28 a roll

7. A corkscrew and bottle opener are two items that are often forgotten. The Pultex Waiter's corkscrew combines both into a small and functional package.Sur La Table, $9.95

8. This cooler bag from is big enough to hold lunch and a couple of bottles of wine. IKEA, $5.99.

9. 18-piece wooden picnic flatware set from Crate & Barrel, $7.95

10. Enamel plates for a durable dish to eat on. Falson Enamelware plate set, £24.99

11. Serve up your salads in colorful take out cartons from the Container Store, $0.79 each

12. Taking a trash bag to the park is a easy way to keep green spaces clean and a great reason for these colorful Patterned Trash Bags from Oh Joy! for Target, $3

13. Knives can be a dangerous item to carry, but they are an essential part of a picnic cheese board. The Laguiole cheese knives come in a perfect wooden carry case for travel. Sur La Table, $69.95