Black Friday is ostensibly a time to get started on holiday shopping, but the deep discounts also make it a great time to get big investment pieces for yourself. And if that big investment piece you’ve been looking for is a mattress, this time of the year is an excellent time to get one. Some of our favorite bed-in-a-box retailers are currently running deals for $100, $200, or $500 off regular prices. We will also be updating this post as more deals become available.
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Name: Kim Mahair
Location: West Hollywood, California
Size: 500 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years, renting
Kim Mahair is a food photographer and stylist who was given “first dibs” on her West Hollywood studio apartment after her friend, the home’s previous tenant, moved out. Years of actively coveting the petite studio’s dreamy french windows and charming details paid off. All of the furniture in Kim’s small studio is a vintage find, or was inherited when she moved in, giving her the perfect Parisian-style perch, overlooking the enchanting West Hollywood sites below.
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‘Tis the season for brewing your favorite tea and cozying up with something warm and fuzzy. It’s cold outside and these bones ain’t gonna warm themselves, ya know? The minds behind the eco-friendly weighted blanket Reviv clearly understand the importance of reducing stress and getting a good night’s sleep.
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A relatively new invention that has profoundly improved the ability to host guests around the world, the humble air mattress has been nearly perfected and prices have certainly come way down. After a week in our lab, we gave the top pick to Intex Comfort Plush for its equal comfort, advantageous size and remarkable price.
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We’re big fans of board games here at Apartment Therapy—what better way to spend a night in than with a competitive board game and wine? With the weather getting closer to winter every day and the holidays coming up (hello family time), it might be time to bulk up your board game staples and find some new ones to add to your arsenal. We rounded up our very favorites, from the seriously strategic to the more passive and casual, so you can have another excuse to skip the bars and stay indoors this winter.
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If you’ve already started your holiday shopping list, but the thought of braving mall traffic, or spending hours online shopping, looms like the Grinch ready to steal Whoville’s joy, don’t worry. Making your own gifts to give can be beautiful and thoughtful—and a meditative way for you yourself to make it through the season. We’ve got a few ideas your giftees will actually be excited to unwrap.
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Name: Thomas Finney
Location: Fort Greene — Brooklyn, NY
Size: 400 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years, renting
When Thomas moved into his studio three years ago, functionality and style were his primary concerns. “This is the first place I’ve actually invested in. Before, I just had IKEA everything.” Despite its proximity to a grade school playground (literally across the street) and shop-lined Brooklyn streets, thanks to Thomas’ signature style, the space captures the coziness of a log cabin.
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Are you kind of over mid-century modern design? Do you roll your eyes whenever you spot a knock-off Eames dining chair or faux Saarinen tulip table? Do you look at your MCM couch with a tinge of disdain, wishing you could redesign your space?
It’s okay, you’re not alone.
If I’m being totally honest, I too am tired of the MCM madness. Don’t get me wrong, I love the aesthetic; however, the style is becoming too ubiquitous that it no longer feels special. For a while, I thought the best solution to MCM-induced fatigue was maximalist everything: Curvy furniture, bright hues, funky patterns. Turns out, hitting the refresh button on your space doesn’t have to be that extreme.
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Everyone knows that housing affordability has been negatively impacted by rising prices and increasing mortgage rates, but there is another piece to the affordability equation – wages.
How much a family earns obviously impacts how easy or difficult it is for them to afford to own a home. Because of an improving economy, wages are finally beginning to increase – and that dramatically affects home affordability.
According to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) September 2018 Housing Affordability Index, wages have increased in every region of the country:
After applying current salaries, home prices, and mortgage rates to their Home Affordability Index equation, the index, though still lower than this time last year (160.1 to 146.7), increased over the last month (141.2 to 146.7). For the complete methodology used by NAR, click here.
The percentage of income needed to own a home has also decreased each of the last three months. It currently sits at 17% which is substantially lower than historic numbers.
If you are a first-time buyer or a move-up buyer who believes that purchasing a home is not within your budget, let’s get together to determine if that is still true.
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