Design Reviews from the Floor Up: Apartment Therapy

An entire month has passed since I posted the first Design Review from the Floor Up, and I'm still just as obsessed with interior design as I was then. Lucky for you, this means that I have plenty of design Web sites to share with you. Unlucky for me, my checkbook can only handle so many fabulous area rugs, pieces of art and decorative pillows. (Oh, Target! Why must you be so darn design-oriented and affordable?)

This month, I'd like to tell you about a little treat called Apartment Therapy. Much like aroma therapy or message therapy, this delicious site offers a relaxing, calming view of the world. It's proof that everyone, even the most design challenged, can have an attractive room of her own in which to write, read, relax or be.

Apartment Therapy is a blog written by a number of people in six major U.S. cities: New York, D.C., L.A., Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. Its mission: "Helping people make their homes more beautiful, organized and healthy by connecting them to a wealth of resources, ideas and community online." Who can argue with that? Regardless of your income or position in life, if you enjoy good design, you're welcome at Apartment Therapy. Creating the aforementioned healthy home "doesn’t require large amounts of money or space. It requires inspiration, connection to resources and motivation to do something about it."

At Apartment Therapy, the editors post numerous times each day from locations all over the world. On any one day, you can tour luxurious homes, read about styles like Hollywood Regency (as we discussed in Hollywood's Impact on Design), or check out great shops or products - all from the convenience of your home computer.

Apartment Therapy has even gotten so popular that they've broken out into four additional Web sites: Ohdeedoh (design for kids), TheKitchn (focusing solely that one important room), Unplggd (all about home tech) and Re-Nest (for environmentally friendly design).

We especially enjoy posts about carpet, like this one from Apartment Therapy Australia titled Rugs on Carpet. [Photo at left courtesy of Apartment Therapy. A Chihuahua with a "rug"-amazing, right?]

A word of caution, however. Apartment Therapy does have some addictive powers. You may get sucked in. You may even find yourself entering the fourth annual Fall Colors Contest 2008. But keep in mind, you have been warned.

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