apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Some of you may remember Elyse Sewell as the second runner up on the first season of America's Next Top Model. She currently writes an engrossing blog about her experiences as a working model in Asia, and in a recent post about her tiny quarters in Hong Kong, we saw this innovation she uses to cope with the lack of space — a laundry bag that hangs from a hanger in the closet.

This elegant tool would quickly find a use in our home, for applications like framing and sketching out floor plans. Because, sad to say, our ruler and pencil often become separated right when we need them together.

Low-maintenance gardens don't just save time and energy, but precious water resources as well. When Lisa Russo and Jason Collins undertook renovating their 1926 craftsman bungalow, they made a low-maintenance garden a priority — over the bathroom and kitchen.

In a fitting segue from garden month to green home month, we spotted this eco gardening kit from Biome Lifestyle. Practical and very beautiful, this would make a great gift for a stylish and green-leaning gardener.

We love white patterns against white walls, and this shelf lends that modern-but-soft look, in addition to providing some very creative shelving.

With the season's emphasis on recreating whole indoor spaces outdoors — not just living rooms anymore, but bedrooms, kitchens and even bathrooms — there is one thing we see braving the elements considerably less often: hanging art.

We hope that it's not just the novelty of having a gong on one's premises that makes this infinitely appealing to us. Scratch that, it is. But what a dramatic alternative to wind chimes, indeed.

We're in the market for a new coffee table, and spotted these on Etsy. While we need one with the surface completely open and intact, we thought we'd share these finds with those of you who can afford the space to make a statement.

So maybe we'd get a wee bit in tons of trouble if we tried this on the shingles of our rental, but Paul Paquette has made an artform of the wood cuttings in the town of Seward, Alaska.

As renters, it's easy to get wistful about great building salvage — replacing sinks and molding can be out of the question in a lot of rentals. But this is a great way to showcase and repurpose really cool old fixtures, or even just plain ones.

This Saturday, the Association of Northwest Landscape Designers is sponsoring a behind-the-scenes tour of gardens throughout Oregon that have been designed by members of the association.

While it may be obvious to us when it has been raining, a rain gauge might be handy to back up our tales of woe to our out-of-town friends. But more seriously, the device would help us balance the watering schedule of our outdoor plants with the natural bounty of H2O.

There's something about finding a shiny object in an unexpected place, and a mirrored sphere strategically nestled in flower beds and landscaping can add geometric interest while making the garden look more lush. They're also purported to ward off evil spirits in old folklore.

We're used to having to eke out a modern vibe for our houseplants and patio using pots and plants from more traditional and country-style garden stores. It's not that it's terribly difficult to accomplish — multiples and succulents go a long way — but it is such a breath of fresh air to visit Urbanweeds, where modern indoor and small-space gardening is the central concept.

A couple of weeks ago we posted a question from Portia, a reader who was looking for lounge chairs akin to those in Hyde Park, London. Since then we've had our radar up, and spotted this version, at REI of all places.

It's kind of the silver lining on a wet grey cloud: a lot of summer furnishings are going on sale right as our summer gets started. Like these bird-and-bee themed light strings from Smith & Hawken (more styles after the jump).

Succulents are gorgeous in their dusty, washed-out colors and squat, full shapes. The driftwood basket containing this succulent garden beautifully complements these qualities.