Cubby Archive: 2022

If you love the color green, you will love this charming Scottish home.

My son and I used to talk all the time, but now that he’s a teenager he just clams up. What’s a healthy way to keep channels open with him and stay in touch with what he’s going through? ElaineDear Elaine,This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot and this past week I had a small breakthrough (aided by my therapist, who is love). Staying in touch with your children as they go through the teenage years is INCREDIBLY HARD, but IMPORTANT.

The after is an explosion of color, pattern, and imagination.

Name: Janelle Williams, husband Darrell Williams, and three children ages 19, 16, and 11 Location: Annapolis, MarylandSize: 2600 square feet Type of Home: Single Family HouseYears lived in: 5 years, ownedStarting the year off by touring the homes (and drawers, pantries, closets, and more behind-the-scenes spots) of professional organizers, small space dwellers, and other design experts has become a tradition on Apartment Therapy.

Homeowner Sandy Jandu describes her home's style as "Escaping the '90s." She explains: "It's a three-bedroom builder-grade from the 1990s, chock-full of 45-degree angled halls and nooks to nowhere. We have worked our tails off to bring it to life, and while our home has a ways to go, it feels like OURS."

The bold library wall is a bookworm's fantasy.

This homeowner and organizing enthusiast has tons of tips for getting the most out of your garage storage.

One or more of these tips is bound to work for your kid, too.

NOTE: These short memory stories, dropped in as they are to my Ask Maxwell column, do serve a purpose. While definitely different, my aim is to provide context for what we were thinking when we were children, which will help us to understand our own children. I find that in going back into my own childhood and sharing stories of my own struggles and what I was thinking at the time has been very helpful in connecting with my own daughter as she has grown.

From a new parent self-care move to a trick borrowed from puppies.

Steffy Degreff is a lifestyle and fashion content creator and shares things like style hacks and home DIYs on her website, Instagram, and TikTok. She and her family have been renovating this 1974 A-frame cabin in the woods of Upstate New York.

Before, it was barely able to fit one person. Now, it can seat plenty of guests.

It's the perfect happy medium for a young family.

It also has near-perfect reviews on Amazon.

The whole family helped with this renovation!

Yes, it's possible.

You don't have to change every single thing in a space to totally transform the feel of it, and this redo is proof.

You do NOT need to decant things into cute jars! Promise.

Could you recommend some chapter books to read to very young children at bedtime. I have grandchildren who are 5, 4 and 2 years old?ShereenDear Shereen, I’ve absolutely got some books for you, though I will say that is a big stretch in ages. The five and the four year old will be great with one kind of book, and the two year old with another. That said, older children love to revisit younger books, so you may be able to get them all together at bedtime eventually.

It's amazing what a little trim can do.

Jennifer is a part-time nursing professor and the full-time CEO/lead professional organizer for organizing company, Organized by Jen D. She shares this San Diego home with her husband, Tony, sons Alton, Aiden, and Sean, and pets.

The once childish space is now unrecognizable — and very, very cool.

This in-between space is now reaching its full potential.

Misella and Angga run Lumalamp, a handmade origami lampshade business, out of their home, this 700-square-foot apartment they renovated themselves and share with their three young kids.

Emily Auffrey describes the rental apartment she shares with her family as a NYC dream space. “We truly feel like we moved into our dream NYC apartment. In addition to being the dream home; the area is just absolutely ideal for a family," she writes.

It took less than 15 minutes!

If you need inspiration for an easy, done-in-a-day furniture refresh, read on.

A new, more functional layout helped, too!