Rise And Shine

(Image courtesy of Phil and Pam Gradwell)

Waking up in the morning is no one’s favorite task - especially now that it’s getting cooler outside and the days are shorter. If you find yourself dragging in the morning, you’re not alone - one survey found that more than one third of Americans hit the snooze button before getting out of bed!

Jump starting your morning and creating a few extra minutes before you leave for work doesn’t have to be difficult. If you want to put a spring into your step in the morning, simply follow a few of these tips courtesy of writer, Carolyn Purnell, atApartment Therapy.

• Have a drink.

Drinking water as soon as you wake up will help stimulate the body and help you stay awake. I always keep a glass of water on the nightstand, ready for that morning sip.

• Program the coffee maker.

Relatedly, programming the coffee maker to go off so that coffee is ready for me in the morning is a big help. The sound of the grinding and the scent of the coffee are big pick-me-ups. If it's still too tough to rouse yourself for a cup, put the pot near your bed. There's nothing wrong with having a bit coffee in bed as long as you actually wake up to drink it and refuse the impulse to linger there for hours.

• Drink something before you sleep.

By the time your alarm goes off, you will probably have to use the bathroom and won't be able to go back to sleep comfortably.

• Don't allow yourself to reason with yourself.

This is probably my biggest wake-up mistake. I resolve the night before to wake up early, but of course, my groggy 6 a.m. brain tells me that it's better for me to get enough sleep or that the world will wait if I rest for five more minutes (which inevitably turns into forty-five). You can convince yourself of a hundred different reasons to stay in bed when you're still tired, even if it's not really the best course of action. Try to shut off all that "logic" and force yourself to make getting out of bed a physical, automatic routine. Train yourself to respond immediately to the alarm without relying on conscious willpower. This article suggests using daytime exercises to instill the habit of getting up right away.

• Have something to look forward to.

It's much easier to get out of bed when you focus on something you actually want to do instead of on the drudgery of what you must do. Try setting aside a few minutes in the morning for a ritual that will help you look forward to waking up. Maybe it's coffee in bed, the time to flip through a design magazine, or a shower with a special soap. Or, if there's nothing ritualistic that strikes your fancy, try to think of a getting-up reward the night before. Maybe you want to read another chapter in that book you can't put down, or perhaps you want to treat yourself to a fancier-than-usual breakfast. Whatever it may be, try to give yourself something that will help you start the day right.

• If you wake up before your alarm goes off, get out of bed.

If you go back to sleep or wait for the alarm, chances are, you'll feel drowsier. Follow your natural sleep cycles, seize the day, and embrace those extra minutes if your body tells you it's time to get up.

• Do something active.

You may not have the time or energy for a full-blown exercise routine every morning, but get your body moving somehow. Bop around a bit more than usual while you get ready in the morning or add a few minutes of jogging in place to the routine. I take three minutes to dance to whatever pop tune is striking my fancy. (Today's was particularly good.) If you can't even muster the energy to get out of bed, just force yourself to wiggle around under the covers or tense and un-tense your muscles several times to get your body in gear.

• Take a shower as soon as you get out of bed.

The water and change in temperature will get your circulation going. I also recommend a shower gel with mint or some other invigorating scent to help make you more alert. I've also heard of keeping a peppermint or lemon by your bedside to help facilitate the wake-up process through aromatherapy.

• Remind yourself of what you have to do.

Fixing these things in your mind at night might make it harder to relax and get to sleep, so it can be helpful, both as nighttime catharsis and morning wake-up, to note your to-do list on a small whiteboard or a piece of paper kept on the nightstand. It will help you feel at night like you have those things handled, or at least noted, for the following day, and it will give you more reason to get up in the morning.

• If none of this works, there's the obvious tip of setting the alarm clock across the room.

Get Happy At Home Next Year

(Image courtesy of Pink Sherbert Photography)

The New Year is just around the corner and with it comes the perfect time to make a few small changes for a happier and healthier 2015. This year, don’t forget to remember your unique San Francisco apartment when it comes to making your 2015 resolutions.

Though we’re sure you love spending time in your beautiful apartment, there is always room for improvement. If you’re looking for ways to enjoy living in your apartment more, or to just feel more comfortable at home, we can help. These nine ideas from writer, Adrienne Breaux, at Apartment Therapy will have you shrugging off your at home stress in no time! Don’t believe us? Keep reading to see for yourself.

1. The idea that your home has to be perfect all the time

Sticking to a cleaning schedule, having everything in its place in your entryway's landing strip, folding the laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer and never having even one dirty dish stacked in the sink are all great things to aspire to (as well as whatever else might be on your "perfect" home list), but cut yourself some slack. Life gets in the way. Sometimes you need to take care of you before you take care of the laundry. Striving for your own personal ideals is fine as long as you leave room to be human every now and then — and remember to not beat yourself up or point out the negatives when guests come over.

2. Feeling like you need to be more cheerful or seasonal than you are

We advocate decorating your home for the seasons — we think it makes the year going by much more noticeable and enjoyable. But hey, if you've never been a Halloween kind of person, don't stress yourself out wrapping your front yard bushes with fake spider webs just to keep up with the neighbors. Enjoy the seasons in your own way — as small as simple as it means to you.

3. Thinking your home has to be finished to truly enjoy it

Spoiler alert: Your home's probably never going to feel "finished." Never completely, anyway, as homes tend to always be in a state of evolution. So waiting until it's finished to enjoy it? Futile. Learn to strike that balance of aspiring to a better a home for yourself (plan ahead for projects efficiently) and meditating on being grateful for the home you've got right now. And learn to ignore those things you don't love that can't be changed in order to focus in on the things you do love and make your home enjoyable.

4. Feeling like you have to DIY

We think tackling home improvement projects by yourself is a great idea! It's a fun way to save money, customize something in your home exactly how you want it and get that feeling of accomplishment when you're done. But it's not for everyone. Don't feel bad one bit if you just don't have the skills or desire to DIY something. If you want to learn, make time. If you don't have time, don't feel bad about calling in reinforcements.

5. Feeling guilty that you don't entertain more

Yep, we do think you should be sharing your home more. If it's a place you love to be in and that inspires you, filling it with your friends is another way to add richness and beauty to a home you've worked so hard creating. But work sometimes takes over your life. Or family drama just takes up a lot of your energy. If you want to entertain more but never do because of fear, then yes, get rid of those self-imposed limitations and get to entertaining! But if you're not entertaining more because you don't want to, don't worry! For some people being a great guest is just as rewarding as being a great host.

6. Feeling insecure about other people's homes because you compare your style

Ahh Instagram. The greatest app for simultaneously being inspired and insecure at the same time. But it's not just your friends' houses that might be inspiring jealousy; soaking up ideas from designer or professional homes with budgets four times more than yours can go from inspiring to dejecting pretty quickly. So get grateful for what you have more often. Aspire to more, but don't worry about what you can't have. Remind yourself over and over that you're only ever seeing the best angles of other homes — not the corners full of kid's toys and clutter. Know that no one will ever have the exact home that you've created — because you've infused it with your own personality and there's no one else like you!

7. Avoiding problems around the house and making them worse

In home and in life, avoiding problems won't make them go away. Nine times out of ten, they'll make things much, much worse the longer you put off dealing with them. So whether it's talking about a conflict with your roommate or getting that garbage disposal fixed, take a deep breath, dive in, ask for help if you need it and get that uncomfortable task over and done with as quickly as possible.

8. Feeling like you need to define yourself by your possessions

This is pretty tough, actually, because people who like the look of design usually like stuff. And loving everything you've collected over the years is not wrong. But defining yourself by what you own — that can be a bummer. Because then people putting down your style will hurt a lot more. Losing any of those things (or needing to declutter them every now and then) will be painful and sometimes impossible. Cultivate a practice of loving everything you own — but not needing things. Declutter regularly. Be intentional with purchases. Get out of the house every now and then.

9. Putting everyone and everything's needs before your own

It's getting cliche to hear at this point, but it seems we all need reminding of it pretty often: Put your own oxygen mask on first, then everyone else's. Next year, get into the habit of putting yourself first — before cleaning your house, getting the kids to school, before work. This is a hard-to-hear task, and parents will often just not be able to accomplish it. But it's worth putting energy in. And one way you can work on this is by simply filling your daily schedule with you-things first, then filling around it. See the first idea above about perfect homes.

Creating A Realistic Resolution

(Image courtesy of Carol VanHook)

The New Year is just around the corner and now is the perfect time to begin looking back on the previous year and taking stock of all your successes - and failures - of the previous year and decide what you'd like to accomplish in the coming year.

If you're dreading the idea of writing lists and strategizing for the coming year, there's no need to worry. These three strategies from writer, Eleanor Busing, from Apartment Therapy will walk you through setting realistic and achievable goals. 

1. Think about what worked this year. That is, what you enjoyed, what enriched your life, what you want more of in 2015. Goal-setting doesn't have to be about creating a New You every 12 months, and in fact it works better when it's cumulative. Take some time to revisit your goals for past years, examine the successful (even semi-successful!) ones and think about how you can continue to build on them. For me, I plan to carry over (ideally improve on) my thrice-weekly yoga practice and my Thursday evening French class, as well as my hard-won savings habits.

2. Limit your goals. I've mentioned my fondness for a "top five" around here before. If you think about it, it's the perfect number for anything: enough so that you're challenging yourself, not so many that you're overwhelmed. You may prefer two goals, or ten, but the important thing is to have a reasonable, achievable number.

Another way to focus your goals is to divide your life into categories, and think of a single intention for each area. For instance, you might consider categories like home (goal: finally find some art for the landing wall), relationships (goal: get off Tinder and practice striking up random conversations, old-school style) and career (goal: try not to write my weekly Apartment Therapy article during my lunch hour moments before it's due). I mean, those are just examples.

3. Ask yourself "Why?" So maybe you want to run a marathon next year. Or buy your first home. Great goals! But why do you want to do those things? What feeling will they help you achieve, or value that you hold dear do they support? Being honest on why we want things helps us clarify if in fact we do want them, or if something else will help us achieve the desired outcome (maybe a half-marathon will give you the same sense of fulfillment, or a lease with a landlord who's okay with some DIY?) It's also good to know that we're focusing on targets that will truly make us happier.

Bonus tip: Practice gratitude. Speaking of happy, it seems easy to avoid these days, especially in the arena of goal-setting. As soon as we've achieved something, we're after bigger and better ambitions. Taking time to appreciate what we do have and have achieved makes future goal-reaching all the sweeter.

Makeover Your Bedroom

(Image courtesy of Emily May)

If you're like us, your bedroom is the one place in your home where you feel like you can be completely unique with your design. Unlike the living room, bathroom and kitchen there's not nearly as much traffic that comes through - leaving the space almost completely to you.

If you're getting bored with your personal space, don't panic. There are plenty of ways to update your look without completely overhauling your decor. Just follow a few of these simple tips courtesy of Apartment Therapy and you'll be on your way to a revamped bedroom.

1. Paint the walls — or just one wall — in a really bold (but still soothing) color.

2. Add a colorful coverlet to your bed.

3. Layer rugs on rugs for an eclectic look.

4. DIY a big, puffy headboard for a super cozy look.

5. Hang an oversized piece of art above your bed.

6. Or hang a small piece off center, for a touch of the unexpected.

7. Or go one further and add a gallery wall behind the bed.

8. Choose traditional nightstands to add a little texture to a modern space.

9. Add an oversized plant.

10. If your bedroom is big enough, pull your bed away from the wall and let it be the center of attention.

11. Paint a smaller piece (like your nightstand) in an eye-popping color.

12. Hang a mobile above your bed, because why should babies have all the fun?

13. Pair two mismatched nightstands for a little contrast.\

14. Hang a rug (or a funky textile) over the head of your bed.

15. Use one or more low tables as a nightstand...

16. And lean art on top of them.

17. A simple bulb, with the cord looped a few times around a hook hanging from the wall, makes for a funky bedside light.

18. Hang a picture ledge over the top of your bed and use it to display a rotating selection of artwork.

19. Create an accent wall behind the bed with some funky wallpaper. (This one is 'Genuine Fake Books' by Deborah Bowness.)

20. Take the 'rug as headboard' look to a whole new level with an oversized sisal rug. (This one is from Eco Chic.)

21. Lean an antique ladder against the wall and cover it with string lights for some unusual atmospheric lighting.

22. Hang a metal wall sculpture above the bed. (Find one at an antique shop or on Ebay.)

23. Wrap a gallery wall around a corner.

24. Hang a curtain behind the head of the bed — it's easier than a canopy, but still gives a soft, classic feel.

25. Hang a mirror on the curtain for a little sparkle.

26. An Otomi quilt will bright up your room on even the darkest of days.

Light It Up

(Image courtesy of joan!ta)

The amount of light in your home can have a dramatic effect on how you feel while you're there. Though your unit may have amazing large windows that let in tons of natural light and afford you a great view of San Francisco, as the days get shorter you may find your sunlight lacking.

Though it may seem impossible, brightening up your home on these shorter days doesn't need to be a chore. Just follow a few of these tips courtesy of Apartment Guide to get feeling good about your space.

Whether you add a few additional lamps or get creative with hanging lights, plenty of ways exist to keep your rental bright throughout the winter. We’ve gathered a few of the best tips for brightening your rental space through the use of lighting.

Keep Shades Light

Since you probably want to avoid drilling into the ceiling of your rental, much of your lighting is bound to be in the form of floor lamps or end table lamps. The good news is that lamp shades offer an opportunity to really show off your style, so you can handle the whole daylight savings time issue with grandeur.

Floor Lamps

To keep your apartment as bright as possible, stick to light-colored lamps shades. Think white, cream, light gray, or similar hues when selecting a lamp shade. Darker lamp shades will filter out a considerable amount of light and may leave you sitting in the dark.

String Additional Lighting

If you still need more light once you have lamps set up, consider buying string lights, also known as fairy lights. While you may associate this type of lighting with the twinkle lights around a Christmas tree, there are other options available.

Designers now offer string lights with large bulbs, black or silver string, and a sleek modern look. Buy a decorative wooden ladder and string lights around it; set up your pyramid shelves in the corner and adorn the piece with string lights; or simply string them around a window.

Accessorize with Wireless Lights

Some rentals have a limited number of electrical outlets, and rewiring your home is not an option as a renter. Turn to wireless lighting that operates on battery power and is extremely mobile. Wireless LED candles, for instance, offer ambiance and go on with the flip of a switch.

Best of all, faux candles don’t pose the same fire hazard as an actual candle. Tap lights are also wireless and a good way to illuminate shelves or other small spaces. These lights are typically small and round, activated when you apply a small amount of pressure to the top of the light.

Use Mirrors to Maximize Lighting

Add a few mirrors to your rental space if you don’t have a lot of room or money for new lighting. Mirrors propped up against your walls won’t damage the drywall, and can reflect light from your lamps and other home lighting.

Mirrors create the illusion of more lighting sources, and doubles the amount of light that bounces around your apartment. Place larger mirrors next to a floor lamp and small wall mirrors adjacent to end tables with a lighting fixture.

Space Out Your Lighting

Now that your space is outfitted with several floor lamps, a few strands of string lights, and a handful of large mirrors–take a moment to consider the placement of each piece. Don’t put all the lighting in your living room, for instance, while neglecting to consider your dining nook.

Instead, space out your lighting fixtures. Put at least one light source near each corner of larger rooms. Place your mirrors within a few feet of a lighting fixture; this allows them to better reflect the light out into the rest of your space.

Lighting your new apartment should be at the top of your daylight savings to-do list. If you neglect to properly light your apartment, you will soon realize that it’s not possible to enjoy all of your lovely decor in the dark.