Lydia Mack
Apartment Therapy
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Contact Lydia
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Past articles by Lydia:
Before and After: A Dirty, Stained Bathroom Gets a Colorful $78 Revamp
Even the nicest rental homes sometimes come with icky bathrooms. Gross grout, peeling paint, dingy bathtubs — sometimes these are the sacrifices renters must make for an otherwise-great place.Architect and interior designer Valentina Stincone had to deal with a particularly disappointing bathroom when she moved into her apartment. “The bathroom looked old and dirty,” she says. “Some students… → Read More
Before and After: A Historic Home’s Run-Down Kitchen Gets Its Vintage Charm Back
Falling in love with a historic home is easy, but keeping its charm, character, and history intact after a renovation can be a little tricky. That was the challenge for Leslie James, the creator of Denver Squared, when it came time to restore her gorgeous 1898 house. → Read More
Before and After: A Mismatched Kitchen Gets a Chic, All-White Revamp for $25,000
Designing a kitchen can be a daunting task. How do you make the most of a small kitchen? To wallpaper or not to wallpaper? And what about colors — should you go with stylish black cabinets or opt for a classic all-white kitchen?When blogger Ela Bobak bought her home in 2019, she had her heart set on that classic all-white look — which meant she’d need to do a major renovation. → Read More
Before and After: A Dingy, Dysfunctional Bathroom Becomes a Serene Mini Spa for $1,000
Unfortunately, even the nicest apartments sometimes come with ugly bathrooms. So when you find a great rental in a competitive market like San Francisco, you can’t let an icky bathroom stand in the way — no matter how cramped and dark it is. That was the case for DIYer Polina Melamed and her husband when they found an otherwise perfect apartment. “When we decided to rent this place, we knew the… → Read More
Before and After: Floating Shelves Transform a Plain Kitchen in a Sophisticated $5,000 Revamp
There are plenty of perks to buying a house that’s already been flipped. All of the hard work has been done for you, and as new homeowners, you get to move right into a turnkey house. Even if the finishings aren’t exactly to your liking, a flipped home can serve as a launchpad for your own customizations down the road.That’s just what blogger Jessica Bui did two years after moving into her terra… → Read More
Before and After: Sage Green Cabinets and a Clever Accent Wall Transform a Blah Bathroom for $265
All too often, bathrooms are designed purely for function, with minimal or no attention paid to the aesthetic. Gross bathtubs, poor lighting, worn-out floors — the list of problems that can make a bathroom icky goes on and on. A drab bathroom can be particularly disappointing when it’s the one the whole family is using every day. That was the case for DIYer Raj Thandhi and her home’s main… → Read More
Before and After: A Dark, Dated Living Room Is Transformed, Thanks to the Perfect Shade of White Paint
When it comes to reviving a dark room, it can be easy to feel discouraged. It’s not exactly simple to just install brand-new windows. Sometimes, though, all it takes is a fresh coat of the perfect white paint. That was the case for blogger Liz Dineen when it came time to redo her living room. After purchasing her dream home in 2019, she began renovating it to make it more of her own. “The house… → Read More
Before and After: Cool Blue Hues and Beloved Family Photos Transform a Drab Bedroom into a Sanctuary
Buying a fixer-upper home is quite an undertaking, but with the right amount of patience and dedication, the finished result can be totally worth it.DIYer William Brown had always envisioned creating a serene master bedroom in his fixer-upper, 1950s Cape Cod-style home. After two years, he finally brought his vision to life by revamping one of the smaller bedrooms. → Read More
Before and After: A $300, One-Afternoon Redo Peps up This Boring 1982 Bathroom
A bathroom redo for $300 featuring a green painted vanity. → Read More
H&M Home’s New Spring Collection Is Full of Natural Textures and Casual Vibes
H&M wants to bring the countryside to you with its new spring home collection. The Swedish retailer’s H&M Home Spring 2021 line launches today, and it’s all about fresh-yet-casual vibes. → Read More
Before and After: A $2,000 Redo Turned a Dated Camper into a Mobile Dream Home
Some campers and RVs look like they’re stuck in time—and not a good place in time. That was the case with the Keystone Outback camper that realtor and home renovator Jenn Hines bought to temporarily downsize while her family of five’s new home is being built.“My husband and I have been wanting to move out of town and closer to family so we sold while the market is hot,” she says. → Read More
Why You Need This Ceiling Fan Pull String That Has Over 8,000 Reviews and a Five-Star Rating
Every time I visit my parents in their new house, I spend about five minutes getting unpacked and settled in the guest room, but like 10 minutes trying to figure out which pull string is for the ceiling fan and which one is for the light. At some point, I just give up and my parents come in to help, but instead the three of us end up standing there with our necks craned up toward the ceiling… → Read More
This Prefab Cabin Is Like Three Houses In One
The ANNA cabin combines everything you love about camping under the stars, and the ability to enjoy the peace and quiet of the wilderness from your own cozy cabin. It consists of an outer shell made of wood and an inner shell made of glass that slide apart, depending on your mood. The unique design of this cabin gives you three different configurations to choose from for ultimate flexibility.… → Read More
This Artist’s “Great Wave Off Kanagawa” Recreation is Made of 50,000 Lego Pieces
It takes a lot of skill and patience to turn a centuries-old classic work of art into a LEGO masterpiece. But that’s just what Jumpei Mitsui did when he recreated Katsushika Hokusai’s famous “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” in 3-D using only LEGO bricks. Even for Mitsui, who is one of 21 LEGO Certified Professionals around the world, it was quite a feat. → Read More
Before and After: An “Unusable” Backyard Turned Year-Round Outdoor Sanctuary
A cozy backyard redo creates an inviting outdoor hangout. → Read More
Cat Trees, But Make It Fashion
Yes, cat parents, you love your cat, but don’t you also love not having the eyesore of a cat tree in the middle of your beautifully decorated living room? So did Lora Lombardi of @cathaus_usa, who now makes and sells fashion-forward cat furniture from repurposed materials out of her studio in Portland, Oregon. → Read More
This Vertical Tiny House Has a Bathtub with a View of the Treetops
What tiny homes lack in square footage, they certainly make up for in creative design. Tiny home dwellers have shown that you can make a home out of just about anything, from a renovated school bus to a tiny house perched on the treetops.And now there’s a vertical tiny house, which sits on a small plot of land in a prime part of Seoul, South Korea. → Read More
Mornings Are Gonna Be a Thousand Times Better with the New SMEG x Lavazza Coffee Maker
There are few things we love more than a well-designed kitchen. Kitchens are often referred to as the heart of the home, and can often make or break a deal for homebuyers and renters alike. In addition to countertops, cabinets, and finishes, kitchen appliances play a big role in completing the look, and perhaps no other brand does that better than Instagram-favorite, Smeg. → Read More
This $10 Snowflake Multi Tool Is Like Having a Full Toolkit Whenever You Need It
When you’re a DIYer, you’re only as good as the tools you have access to. Whether it’s tightening screws, loosening bolts, or cutting twine, having the right tool available when you need it means moving that home project to the finish line faster, which then means more time to marvel at your amazing handiwork. → Read More
IKEA Is Hiring for Your Dream Job–But There’s a Catch
Remember when you were little and all you ever wanted was to forego your homework and play with your toys all day? Well, now that dream is actually a reality for one lucky kid in the UK and Ireland, thanks to IKEA. The Swedish retailer is hiring for the very important position of Chief Play Officer (CPO).The CPO’s primary duty will be to test out newly launched toys. The role is for one year,… → Read More