Maxwell Ryan - Apartment Therapy Complete and Happy Home

To our loyal readers and the lovely, talented, and hardworking staff at Apartment Therapy

Having a warm home that looks good and works well, and that you and your family and friends enjoy, must be one of the most worthwhile things in life

TERENCE CONRAN, The House Book , 1974

Decorating is something lovely that you see, but it is something you should feel too. A complete and happy home is so much more than a series of pretty rooms.

At Apartment Therapy, weve spent more than ten years visiting remarkable homes around the world. In that time, weve managed to document the uniqueness, authenticity, and aspirations of a whole new generation. Thousands of homes have been photographed, their great ideas and ingenious resources recorded in detail, so that we could share it all with you on a daily basis.

Now we want to put everything weve learned about decorating, organizing, cleaning, and repairs between two covers you can hold in your hands. Call us old-fashioned, but we do believe that books capture experiences in a completely different way than what we do each day on the web. So we embarked on this journey, photographing beautiful and unique places from coast to coast, to make sure you have everything you need to make and maintain a fabulous home.

This book is divided into three sections, starting with Setting Up Your Home, which walks you through the early stages of getting settled: how to move in, choose your style, plan a room, and figure out all the final finishesfrom wall paint to curtains to flooring and more. The Living in Your Home section will inspire you with photographs of some of the most amazing rooms weve found from New York to Texas, Chicago to LA. They are all different, personal, and packed with ideas to share. We end with Maintaining Your Home, a hardworking section filled with tips, sources, and guidelines on how to clean, organize, and repair just about anything.

Here is our biggest book to date. We hope it will inspire you to create a beautiful, organized space that you can enjoy with family and friends.

Welcome to your happy home.

PART ONE

setting up your home

LOS ANGELES

Ruthie Sommers + Luke McDonough

Interior Designer + CEO, Air Media

daughters Eloise, Bailey, Posey

Go find your home in a place you love

We like to believe we can make a home anywhere. Typically, the farther you are from a city the more space youll get. Never forget, though, that even more than square footage, the three things that matter most when finding a home are location, location, location.

How far you are from friends and family will influence how at home you feel. Take this to heart, and choose a place as close as you can to the neighborhood and people you want to be near. Also, keep in mind that the spaces outside your door are an extension of your home. Youll live in these areas as much as you will inside your house. So no matter how perfect a home might appear, if the land it sits on is problematic, it wont be perfect in the long run.

What should you spend? Unlike in many other areas of life, its always a good idea to stretch when buying a home. How far should you stretch? Thats a very personal decision, but spending a little more (between 10 and 20 percent) can often make a big difference. Be aspirational. Remember, you want room to grow, so aim for a space thats a little bigger, a little nicer, and a little better located than you may have originally intended. It will pay off in the end, because it inspires you to work harder for a home youre excited to live in.

If you have it in you to take on a fixer-upper, theres no better way to save money. Regular people can be lazy, but Apartment Therapy people take on challengesand theres great value in that. With a little style and elbow grease, any home can be transformed for far less than if you bought it done. The DIY route allows you to add your own character from the get-go.

common house styles

Youve settled on your dream locationand now youre ready to start the home hunt. Our quick guide to housing styles breaks down the pros and cons of some of the most popular types on the market.