apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

While photographing local store Collectic Home for last week's store post, we came across a product we had never heard of before. We think this locally-made and eco-friendly product could be the answer to how to bring in flexible and affordable color to your home.

One of our favorite things about reading the house tours that are featured here on Apartment Therapy are finding those simple, clever and ingenious ideas that homeowners come up with to improve their lives.

We've found a company giving old furniture new eco-friendly and gorgeous life (the above being before photos, of course) as well as helping homeowners navigate the confusing waters of green design. Weigh in on whether you feel like there are enough chemical and toxic free interior furnishing options out there!

We brought you some great small kitchen advice from local architect Cindy Black on Wednesday, and were a little surprised by the passionate outcries against removing your dishwasher to reclaim space in a small kitchen. We’d love to hear more about what things you can and can’t live without, but we're also curious about your luxury philosophies. Or perhaps we should call them essentials, since it feels like what is a luxury for one is an absolute necessity for another...

Last week we mentioned local Austin furniture company Ryan Anderson Design in the post about Aviary's new in-store wine bar. Sleek and with a sense of humor, RAD's furniture pieces are a statement in cool modern design. Combining aesthetics with eco-friendliness, RAD also takes a thoughtful approach with their designs, using recyclable and reusable materials like welded steel, wood, and concrete...

We’re big fans of modern designers who work on affordable and sustainable projects, so when we came across Mark Odom Studio’s work we had to share. Full of suggestions for homes of all sizes, we asked Mark Odom about his firm, his favorite small space design solutions and his favorite design tips…

We just love the gorgeous fabrics from Austin company Mod Green Pod. Made with fun colors, pretty patterns and 100% certified organic cotton, we can't wait to see projects made with their new line of solid colors...

Because we just can’t get enough of inspiring, modern homes and can’t help bragging about all the awesome architectural projects going on around Austin, we must mention that Austin has three stories in Dwell’s October issue…

We're smitten with these locally produced ottomans from Iron Thread Design. Fun shapes, adorable fabrics and fresh designs abound in these multi-use furniture pieces...

If you’re into the latest innovations in green building design, you must check out this local non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging more sustainable design and building practices…

We placed the word "nursery" in this post's title so as to not confuse it with the phrase "the great outdoors," but this South Austin business is so much more than just a nursery. While we can't wait to see all the inspiring posts to come out of June's "My Great Outdoors" month, we wanted to highlight this one-of-a-kind Austin outdoor space. More after the jump!

Last month we brought you an event taking place in Austin that combined both helping the community and recycling. Called the Fence Me In Project, the aim of the project was to gather the community to help build a fence around the local Windsor Park Community Garden, but in a totally unique and creative way. Read more after the jump...

We confess, Austin normally has gorgeous weather — the kind of weather perfect for relaxing on porches and decks. We found ourselves on a friend's beautiful screened-in porch this weekend, only we experienced some uncharacteristic rain! Though some of our friend's furniture was shielded by the rain, many cushions, pillows and electronics had to be taken in. It got us to wondering...