Guest Bedroom Essentials For The Holidays

The holidays certainly aren't the only time of year that any of us may have overnight guests, but during the holiday season — the season of merriment & counting one's blessings — we all want to go the extra mile for our guests.

I've put together a list of essentials that every guest bedroom/suite should have, but this isn't any ol' essentials list — no ma'am (or sir). Each of these items was hand-picked by yours truly to make the holiday guest experience comforting, special, and memorable. But before we start shopping, let's talk about some practical steps to pulling your guests' home away from home together.

A Guest Bedroom... Without Guests

DesignAlbie KnowsApril 14, 2021the hygge ranch, guest bedroom, the inside, ruggable, decorview, sherwin williams, bedroom, popcorn ceiling

Achieving Simple Feng Shui For Happy Living

The words "Feng" and "Shui" have very simple meanings -- "wind" and "water" -- that represent the presence of balance & harmony. The overarching principle behind the art of Feng Shui is about creating harmony in your everyday life through the flow of energy. This is why so often, although sometimes misused, we'll hear people talk about Feng Shui when referring to their furniture layout -- how is the energy moving throughout this space? That flow of energy is your "chi" and at the center of really establishing good Feng Shui and ultimately setting the tone for your space.

DesignAlbie KnowsApril 5, 2020bathroom, living room, dining room, feng shui, design therapy, kitchen, bedroom, small spaces, covid19

How To...Lazy Bed Making

It’s no secret that I love making my bed. It’s actually a rare occurrence for my bed to be unmade — and it’s usually because I wasn’t the last person in it. I’ve always found that making the bed, no matter how disheveled the rest of the space looked, instantly made the whole bedroom look put together.

But I’m not a complete maniac — there are days I am too tired, busy, or just plain ol’ lazy to make the bed. Does this mean I completely abandon the habit? Nope! It just means I had to find lazy ways to get it done.

Lifestyle, VideoAlbie KnowsAugust 27, 2019bedroom, nest bedding, brooklinen, dhp, how toComment

What To Do With That Spare Room

One of the best design problems I have the pleasure of solving for clients isn’t helping them style accessories or choose paint colors or organize odd space…it’s been helping them decide what to do with their “extra” room. Talk about a good problem to have. There are so many options that we don’t think of because it’s not what’s expected but really, when you have a spare room in your home, there are a myriad of ways that you can ensure that room serves you. Here are 10 different rooms you can put that spare room to use in ways you’ll actually use.

LifestyleAlbie KnowsMay 19, 2019guest bedroom, gym, bedroom, bathroom, design therapyComment

One Room Challenge Week 6: Brooklyn Studio Apartment Before & After

A few months back, I started an e-design shopping consultation for a studio apartment makeover in Brooklyn, New York. I was charged with helping her transform her small, cluttered apartment into a functional and stylish space that matched her Brooklyn swag. As the months turned to weeks, it hit me that the One Room Challenge was around the corner and she was gracious enough to let me submit her apartment as part of the bi-annual event.

One Room Challenge Week 5: When E-Design Meets Full-Service Interior Design & Organization

Holy Moly Canoli…One week to go!!! And OMG!!! What a couple of days it was! It was a perfect reminder that some progress is better than no progress — the magic is in the editing, not in the perfection. The beauty of e-design is that it doesn’t have to stop here — I can consult with her on the next phase of what she’s ready to tackle, whenever she’s ready, with a quick video conference. But with the bulk of the transformation completed by yours truly, the space already feels less overwhelming and daunting. She can now start to feel confident in her home and be at peace knowing that her stuff isn’t working against — it’s working for her. It’s Design Therapy!

One Room Challenge Week 4: Design. Store. Install.

In real time I’m heading to NYC to install the transformation but it took quite a few steps to get here, especially working remotely on the design up to this point. All the white glove service that I shared with you last week completely changed things, making this a seamless process. And now she can come home to a studio apartment that’s super cute, organized, and functional because it’s no longer inundated with stuff. how freeing is that?!

One Room Challenge Week 3: White Glove Delivery & Storage

It feels like this round of the One Room Challenge is flying by because it doesn’t feel like 3 weeks but it also feels weirdly slow because it’s not my home. Like with any design project, I’m on the client’s timeline more than I am on my own, but for this we did have a schedule we needed to stick to. This week’s agenda — get delivery ready! At the start of the One Room Challenge, we scheduled our white glove delivery with Apt2B and with that date in mind, she knew that things would need to be purged & disposed of before then to make the delivery process even easier. With delivery scheduled, this meant she knew exactly how much time she had to get rid of things! Time for the purge! I partnered with Simplify Storage in NYC to give her the peace of mind of keeping the things that needed keeping without having to see them al the time. No more shoving things under the bed or into corners. Especially with winter finally gone, she could pack away all those coats & boats, and not think about or see em for months!

One Room Challenge Week 2: Studio Makeover Design Plan

We’re a week into this 6 week studio apartment transformation and man oh man, am I excited for what’s to come! As is the case with most apartments, the small footprint results in a lack of storage, and so that will be the biggest challenge that I am designing around here. She is a super stylish, super chic NYC gal on the go, and her apartment is just on the go. Lol. I can’t do anything about the existing footprint but by using soft tones, acrylic finishes, and stylish storage, I can definitely optimize the space for sleep, work, and play.

Design, Lifestyle, VideoAlbie KnowsApril 11, 2019one room challenge, hygge, bedroom, high point market, reversible design

One Room Challenge Week 1: Big Style In A Small Brooklyn Studio Apartment

I can’t believe that I will be participating in the One Room Challenge for the 3rd season in a row! But there is one MAJOR key difference this third go round that I’ll be participating in the One Room Challenge — I’m not doing my own home! I’ll be tackling a studio apartment in my hometown of Brooklyn, New York. Naturally I’m excited, as this’ll be my first time doing someone else’s home for the One Room Challenge. This’ll be just like any of my other online interior design (aka e-design) projects, where I’ll be working virtually with one of my favorite people in the world to transform her studio into a functional & stylish space that matches her fly. But this is with a twist because I will actually be flying out to New York to install the project.

Cost Breakdown: How Much It Cost To Refresh My Bedroom

As you may already know, for the Fall One Room Challenge, I refreshed our master bedroom — a few major upgrades & some minor decor updates, but all renter-friendly. The transformation made a huge difference in the function & aesthetic of our bedroom, and when I shared it on Instagram, I got quite a few questions surrounding the cost of doing something like this. So I said to myself, “why not breakdown the cost of everything — past, present, and sponsored, that went into creating my Hygge bedroom?”

One Room Challenge Week 6: Master Bedroom Hygge Refresh Reveal & Tour

It’s crazy to think that a simple bedroom refresh, redesign if you will, turned out to be this laborious undertaking, but man oh man, was it worth it. Overall the plan was to use the space better, and in turn it would feel better…all while keeping in mind that we rent. While I wasn’t able to get everything done, because life and all that, what ended up being left over isn’t anything that can’t be tackled in our free time.

Design, Lifestyle, VideoAlbie KnowsNovember 8, 2018one room challenge, hygge, bedroom, nest bedding, wallplanks, lumens, reversible design

One Room Challenge Week 5: Master Bedroom Storage & Mattress Update

One of the biggest components of making this new transformation work is storage — no sense in having everything nice & pretty if it can’t stay that way because there’s no where to put anything. And I am so glad we upgraded our mattress before kicking off this madness & mayhem, because while it may just be a redesign — no reno or major cosmetic upgrades — it’s still somehow managed to turn our bedroom upside down; so imagine having the bedroom in shambles AND an uncomfortable mattress!

Design, LifestyleAlbie KnowsNovember 1, 2018bedroom, storage solutions, decor styling, one room challenge, sponsored post

One Room Challenge Week 4: Master Bedroom Refresh With George Nelson Bubble Sconces

As a renter, the common theory is that we deal with whatever the existing ceiling lighting is are and then maybe get some table and/or floor lamps, but that’s not what I wanted.

I wanted sconces specifically to make the best use of the space — table & floor lamps take up space that I wasn’t willing to spare. After having a table lamp on our nightstand for nearly a year I knew I wanted that surface area back.

Even as a renter, with a very focused search, I quickly found that I was not limited in my stylish lighting solutions.

Design, LifestyleAlbie KnowsOctober 25, 2018one room challenge, bedroom, lighting, lumens, sponsored post

One Room Challenge Week 3: Master Bedroom Refresh With Peel & Stick Wood Panels

One of the first things that stood out to me when we moved in was the paint color because it wasn’t my personal cup of tea. Getting a chance to team up with Wallplanks to do an accent wall was like a DREAM!

One Room Challenge Week 2: Master Bedroom Refresh Design Plan

Having already most of the marquee pieces — bed, rug, seating, window treatments, and nightstand, I wanted to be sure to work with them. I partnered with the amazing team over at From the Forest, the parent company of Wallplanks, chose my planks and knew this was exactly what the room needed to feel cozier, brighter, and more like us.

Design, LifestyleAlbie KnowsOctober 11, 2018one room challenge, wallplanks, bedroom, sponsored post, reversible design

One Room Challenge Week 1: Master Bedroom Hygge Refresh

This past May, I participated in the One Room Challenge for the first time & it was a great opportunity to show our condo balcony some love — transforming it from an unused storage overflow area to a Hygge inspired outdoor space where we enjoyed the entire spring & summer season! Now it’s time for another One Room Challenge & I’m excited to be participating again, this time with our master bedroom.

Design, LifestyleAlbie KnowsOctober 3, 2018one room challenge, bedroom, nest bedding