apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

At first glance, we gave this sleek dark-gray dresser full design points for its contemporary lines. When we learned that the dresser is actually a repainted hand-me-down, we awarded bonus points. But when we saw a close-up shot of the drawer pulls, we dug deep for super-bonus points...

If you're already harboring guilt over the volume of plastic baggies your kids will be toting off to school in the year to come, harbor no more. Instead, whip up a set of re-usable fabric bags in four different sizes, complete with velcro closures...

When it comes to treehouse design, anything goes, which means endless creative opportunities, especially if you've made it a side project to collect nifty salvaged materials for years, like designers Joyce Hesselberth (of Kid Baltimore) and David Plunkert. They recently completed this amazing treehouse, complete right down to the must-have bucket on a pulley, for their children. Total cost: $300...

Oh, how we wish we'd known about Snappis years ago when we first started cloth diapering. We opted for flat diapers because they're much less expensive than those with fancy built-in fasteners, but the pins drove us to distraction and back again. Enter the Snappi... cheap, easy to use, and kinda cute, to boot...

We still regret getting rid of our university-era milk crate bookshelves in a delusional fit of thinking we had outgrown them. This upcycled take on milk crate cabinetry is calling our name. Available in several colors and sizes, these shelves are fun enough for a kid's room and snappy enough to migrate into the rest of your home...

We may not always have the time to make the crafts that Amanda Blake Soule (aka Soule Mama) documented in her first book, The Creative Family, but perusing its pages always soothes our spirit. Amanda, a self-taught artist and artisan, has an amazing knack for making us see how creativity and connectedness intersect. No surprise, then, that we've been eagerly awaiting her next book ever since she announced it earlier this year. Handmade Home is a collection of 33 projects made using repurposed materials, from vintage feedsacks to old sheets and towels. Like The Creative Family, it seems as much about connecting with our loved ones as it is about crafting...

As any Maya*Made fan knows, Maya's gorgeous burlap baskets are hot-ticket items, usually disappearing from her Etsy shop within hours of being listed. For all you DIY types, Maya is now making available her custom pattern for these sought-after carryalls. Best of all? She says that this project is suitable for beginner sewers...

For a long time, we kept a stack of old baby washcloths (of which we seemed to have a million) in the kitchen to use in lieu of paper towels for cleaning up spills and squeegee-ing sticky kids. But when the washcloths became too worn and threadbare, we started looking around for a substitute. Etsy, as always, delivered with these fabulous unPaper Towels, which we found at the shop Athena Creates...

Here's an idea that's green in more ways than one. Apartment Therapy reader Amida wrote in to show us how her family re-uses an amazing variety of containers to house seedlings for their kitchen garden. If you're short on outdoor garden space, it's inspiring to be reminded of how much you can grow using any old container, some dirt, seeds, and a sunny window ledge. As an added bonus, these repurposed vessels look pretty cute, too...

We're long-time fans of Plan Toys and their extensive line of environmentally friendly, ethically manufactured toys. The new Eco Home, in addition to being an awesome little play house, also models earth-friendly living with solar panels, a living roof, and the cutest little wind turbines you've ever seen. There's even a grey water tank, which, well, is a little weird, but hey, that's verisimilitude for you...

We can't imagine ever abandoning our beloved childhood teddy, but apparently some heartless folks do. This is where "textile taxidermist" Tara Logsdon comes in. Tara saves unloved teddies from their facedown state in thrift stores, then lovingly handsews each bear, embellishing each with materials salvaged from worn-out designer gear...

Bees have made headlines a lot in the past year. (In a nutshell, bee populations are down between 30 and 50 percent worldwide. Kind of a big deal, considering one-third of our food supply comes from plants that depend on bees for pollination.) Without necessarily getting into the gloom-and-doom aspect of the situation with your kids, building a bee house is a great way to teach the lesson that even insects sometimes need protected urban habitats...

It's not necessary to have harbored a childhood obsession with The Borrowers series of books to appreciate the awesomeness of these olive-oil-tins-turned-kitchen-appliances. It's not necessary, but it definitely helps. It also helps to note that these toys are built on a smaller scale than most play kitchens, making them ideal for smaller spaces...

This is one of those great kill-two-birds-with-one-stone projects. Got lots of old towels kicking around that are too ratty to donate but you don't want to dump them in the landfill? Got a child (or better yet, children) with busy little fingers? Have we got the perfect rainy day activity for you.