Family Homes

House hunting is already stressful enough, but with kids? Whole other ball game. Here's how to make the process smoother, especially with little ones in tow.

Jenny and Cory have rented this small one-bedroom apartment in New York's Upper East Side for 14 years... and it's had to change and adapt with the addition of a 4-year son and 1-year-old twins. 

Mother knows best!

To travel the U.S., spend more time together, and pay down debt, Karen and Sylvester sold their family’s home and bought an RV off Facebook Marketplace to opt for a life on the road.

Achieve not the perfectly styled pantry of your Instagram feed, but a realistic one that serves you well, no matter its size, shape, or the kinds of containers you use.

If you're looking for a steal — plus, early shipping — check out these awesome Amazon deals for families.

It didn't take much to turn this dump spot into a more practical, usable space.

It takes ten minutes (or less!) to create this meaningful gift that brings the hugest smiles to their faces.

And it’s not too late to try them out in your home, as they’ll likely carry over into 2022!

Don't let the idea scare you.

Surprise! You won’t find the best kitchen organizing items in the kitchen section!

Animals and color and polka dots, oh my!

We love them, but we don't love what they do to our furniture.

There’s certainly nothing childish about Win’s nursery.

The never-ending cleaning cycle just got a little easier with these game-changing tips!

This week I’m trying something new — a childhood story about Halloween — because remembering what it’s like to be a child is always useful. Maxwell1976 was a big year. That year I turned 10, my brother was 8, our parents split up, and my father moved out. It was as if he went somewhere for a long weekend.  He moved to a magical apartment a few blocks away that had a bar in the living room with a stuffed monkey hanging off of fake palm trees.

While there’s no way to make washing a mountain of baby laundry fun, there are little tricks that will make it bearable. And luckily, new parents like nothing more than sharing their hard-earned words of wisdom. 

Any guesses?

Costco hot dogs not included.

This tiled solution is customizable and versatile — plus, my kids really get a kick out of arranging them.

Every detail looks straight out of the ride itself.

There's some cool features for the adults, too.

Smart customizable options to solve a range of organization conundrums.

You likely have all these things lying around — or can get them on the cheap — for a fun Halloween display that will delight the kids.

204 square feet for three.

In honor of baby Cubby's first year, we gathered our favorite stories for you!

Designer Jackie Streusand has created a vintage, earthy, warm, and eclectic home in this rental house.

The coziness is unreal.

This family downsized to an apartment — here are their biggest design takeaways for small-space living.

"Go for it! Have fun! It’s just paint" is officially our motto.

It's a quick afternoon project that the kids can even get in on!

The first step in this process, according to my grandmother, isn’t doing anything to the bathroom itself, it’s all about preparing your person.

Window treatments can make or break a space — especially in kids' rooms. Here's what to look for.

It'll be easy! Promise!

We sourced our pool of experienced parents for the buys that saved them over the years.

My daughter just started school in person for the first time in over a year and I’m feeling like time is flying. I miss her already. What are three things you’re glad you did with yours to make the time count? DelanoDear Delano, My daughter just started school again (didn’t they all?!?!), but she just started high school and now isn’t coming home til after seven at night. On weekends she wants to get out and hang with her friends. She doesn’t need me anymore!

We all need this important life skill, especially with loads of playground time at school!

And why one real estate agent prefers to call it "right-sizing."

They're insanely easy to clean AND they look great. It's a parent's dream!

There's a recently renovated attic bedroom suite, a vintage library card catalog-turned-bathroom vanity, and a basement transformed into a speakeasy/brewery space.

This old-school (literally) find looks cool and vintage in its new space.

My son is super active, which I love, and I was the same way as a boy. I didn’t grow up in a family that read to their kids and I had a hard time reading myself. What’s your recommendation for my 5-year-old? John C.Dear John C., I think I went on too long last week, so I’m not going to do that this week and overload your patience. Let’s great straight to it! I’ve got four books for you and they’re just GREAT and will interest a boy or a girl (I think).

Huge bookcases, candy-colored walls, and a playroom bursting with great storage solutions — we're moving in.

A DIY redo gives this bathroom some much-needed personality.

Unlike other repellers and traps, it won’t put a damper on your dinner.

I saw another kid telling my child that she didn’t want to play with her anymore, and it was really hard to hear. My daughter was devastated. How would you approach this topic with a child?Jo AnnaDear Jo Anna,This is a tough one and I’m just going to fall back on what I learned as a teacher and not try to be a smart parent on this one. I’m rarely a smart parent, but I was a pretty good teacher.

Fall is nearly here, and we have got some brilliant, stylish ideas to upgrade your front porch!

Last year, back-to-school felt more like back-to-schoolish. My younger son was fully remote (so, fully in his pajamas), while the older one started with a hybrid schedule so complicated I needed a whiteboard to attempt to keep track. In survival mode, we missed out on the rituals: the in-person backpack shopping, the running to Staples for one more yellow folder or glue stick.

Bright colors, cute art, fun wallpapers, and whimsical accessories... Lucy Hamilton's home is incredibly happy, colorful, and pretty!

Co-Founder of Wolf + Friends Carissa Tozzi shares this home with husband Dino, their six-year-old son Wolf, and their rescue pup, Pepito.

Amazing what a coat of paint and some fresh drawer knobs can do.

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. Join us over on Instagram for more! It certainly seems there may be some kind of new normal for the upcoming school year.

My philosophy: get your system together, and let it work for you. Here's how we did it.

It’s safe to say 2020 (and 2021!) is a year we learned a lot more than we ever thought we’d know (or want to know) about disinfecting. From how to do laundry in a pandemic to how to effectively eliminate viruses from household surfaces, we all gained a lot of new wisdom about how to take care of our homes and how to take care of ourselves. And yet, chances are you’re probably still making some mistakes.

If you’ve ever wanted your home to look like a wizard’s common room meets an apothecary meets a Wes Anderson film set, there’s a name for that: It’s called dark academia, and it encompasses incredibly moody, whimsical interiors. (Think: wall-to-wall bookcases, sculptural fireplaces, tufted sofas, collections on display, and dark, dreamy wallpaper.

I always angst over kids using public restrooms while on the road! Do you have any tips? LizzieDear Lizzie,When I saw your question come in I felt really unprepared to deal with it. But since then I’ve had to stop a number of times and take a three year old to the bathroom, and YES it gave me angst at first.

We did a complete transformation ourselves, and our daughter loves it as much as we do!

It’s nearly impossible to renovate every room of your home at once, so some spaces have to wait a little longer than others for a transformation. At Michela Andrioletti’s (@casa_in_newyork) home that she shares with her husband, that space was the entryway. “We put in the first things we could find at the most affordable budget when we moved here five years ago and then we just didn’t have time to fix it,” Michela says.

Name: Geraldine, Trevor, Jojo, and MichaelLocation: North London, UKSize: 2700 square feetType of Home: Victorian terrace houseYears Lived In: 15 years, owned If you’ve been on Instagram for awhile, you’ve probably heard of Little Big Bell. The face behind those pastel-colored squares? That’s Dr. Geraldine Tan, a medical doctor by day and an interior and lifestyle blogger by night.

Mud room organization, but make it really, really stylish. And there's even a ... dog bath?!

Okay, I never thought I would say this, but some 2-in-1 cordless stick vacuums actually make cleaning fun! As a general rule, I used to hate all household chores equally. But there’s something about using these cool devices that doesn’t feel like I’m completing a tedious task. Here’s the best analogy I can think of: If a regular vacuum cleaner is a minivan, the right 2-in-1 cordless stick vac is a sports car.

It’s one thing to renovate a home — which is a lot of work in itself — but revitalizing an entire town? That’s what you call next-level. Ben and Erin Napier, who host HGTV’s “Home Town,” took the task on in their new show “Home Town Takeover,” where they’ve chosen the lucky town of Wetumpka, Alabama, to be the star of the series.

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. Join us over on Instagram for more! I was caught off guard the first time I was struck with re-emergence anxiety. My oldest and I were about to step into Target for a quick milk-and-eggs pick up when I realized I had forgotten to grab his mask from home. My usually-stocked emergency mask stash was nowhere to be found either.

Now that you’re vaccinated, you might be wondering if you can go back to your old hand sanitizer-free days. Do you still need to wash your hands every time you return home? Do you need to be wiping down surfaces? What, exactly, do we need to keep disinfecting … if anything? This is all further complicated by back-to-school season, where exposure levels are increased all around.We asked a few infectious disease experts — Dr.

It’s not hard to understand the appeal of machine-washable rugs, especially for families. Rather than panicking when you knock over your glass of wine, your kid leaves muddy footprints, or your furry friend has an accident, you can simply throw the rug in your washing machine on the cold setting and go back to enjoying your life. So, the case for buying a washable rug is obvious, but what’s not so obvious is where to buy one.

Out with the green laminate countertops, in with a bright, modern look.

My son is starting school this year — hurrah! He’s a little nervous, so I’m hopeful you have some suggestions on fun back-to-school rituals to get him excited again?AndreaDear Andrea,Nervousness around big changes like this is totally natural and it also means that your son has a healthy regard for what is about to happen.

How busy households set up their entryways!

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. Join us over on Instagram for more! Last summer, when my daughter learned to read, I wrestled with a laughable yet persistent worry: If left to her own devices, would my then 6-year-old ever venture outside again, comfortable as she was paging through one book after another?

I’ve been finding that I use television as a rescue tool too often for my 5-year-old daughter. Do you have any easy alternatives to cure boredom and/or exhaustion that don’t involve screens?Jo AnnaDear Jo Anna,This is probably the TOUGHEST problem vexing us parents in this day and age.

Name: The Three Amigos (3 year old, and twin 5 year olds) Location: Vancouver, Canada After Melissa snatched up a pretty cute playhouse from Costco, she started dreaming up an adorable upgrade. Life got in the way, as it so often does, so it took awhile for the playhouse to get an upgrade. Combine one weekend, a super creative mom, white paint and elbow grease and you get the kind of playhouse that childhood dreams are made of.

This piece was created for Cubby, our weekly newsletter for families at home. Want more? Sign up here for a weekly splash of fun and good ideas for families with kids. Join us over on Instagram for more! My wife and I live with our three young daughters in a 700-square-foot railroad style apartment in New York City. We enjoy the simplicity of living in a small space and creatively thinking about how to make the most of it.