apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

One of the more bogus things that can happen when you're out of the house is your phone dies -- more so if it's a smartphone. Not only do you no longer have a phone line at your disposal, you don't have email, text messages, maps, the web! Totally uncalled for.

A few weeks ago we asked where your small appliances live -- the counter or the cabinet. One of those small appliances is the microwave, which many think can only live on a counter, but that's not the case. The microwave has plenty of placement options.

No one likes to talk about what goes on in the privacy of our bathrooms, but how we discard of our own waste is just as important to this whole green movement we all keep talking about. Turns out, if we could separate number one from number two before it reached the sewage treatment plant we'd be in much better shape.

The kitchen is one of those frustrating places. Unlike other rooms, where you decide what to add, the kitchen decides for you. To be considered, well, a kitchen, a few large appliances are required that end up hogging valuable space. In the past, the appliance market didn't accommodate those of us with smaller kitchens than say, a two family townhouse, but these days you can find a compact, just about everything, that sometimes can even handle more than one job.

Windows are any home's best friend. Natural light not only makes interiors look better, but it's easy on the eyes as well. Problem is, windows aren't the best at regulating a home's temperature. What if your windows could multitask by letting light in and storing solar energy?

While many have touted the Magic Mouse for its intuitive, multi-touch face, many more have complained about it's not so ergo design. So what's a Mac diehard to do when their hand gets too cramped atop Apple's sexy stiletto?

Ok, not really, but if that tubby Italian and his lanky brother lived in the real world, we think their home would look a little like this. The Mario-themed décor includes shelves, an end table shaped like a warp pipe, and a clock, all built by a couple of apartment dwellers.

We all know how thirsty dogs can get running around and exploring the yard. Sure a big bowl of water will probably keep your pup quenched, but that water can get pretty gnarly by the end of the day with dirt, leaves, and bugs. While it may not be warm enough in some parts of the country for this doodad, for those of you with pups, this may be a good thing to put on your list of summer yard upgrades.

There are very few people who have room on their desk to hold all their peripherals. From external hard drives to printers, you need a lot of real estate to build a proper home office. We modded a rolling tea cart a few years ago (republished as a Home Hack) to hold and hide our modem, router, and printer. Jared did the same to a metal cart for his gaming systems. Looks like good ol' Martha took our cues and made it a good thing.

You've gotta love a dad who understands that his kids are into gaming and therefore need to be able to be connected at all times. Gaming isn't the only reason Jari Arkko fully networked his home near Helsinki, Finland, though. Being able to monitor everything in the home makes him feel like he has more freedom.

Upright workstations have become a popular topic of late as the blogosphere discusses the ergonomic benefits of standing at your computer as opposed to sitting. We'll ignore that Donald Rumsfeld famously worked at his desk standing up and, instead, choose to remember that Ernest Hemingway wrote all his novels standing at his writing table. With that inspiration, we give you nine standing desks that may convince you to ditch the task chair and opt to stand tall.

There's nothing better than relaxing in a warm sauna. Like a nice glass a wine, you can just feel stresses of the day fall away with each bead of sweat. For now we'll to have to make do with the sauna at the gym, but while we sweat it out at the Y we'll be daydreaming about this hot space.

Last week we posted about Smart Home's 2010 opening, featuring a whole slew of new technology. Janel Laban of Apartment Therapy Chicago posted a house tour of the original interior and has now gone back to check out the changes. She's posted a sweet house tour of the updated house, including some of the tech we mentioned in our previous post. Here's a visual breakdown of what was added.

Telecommuting is one of the nicest ways to work. Not only do you get to work from the comfort of your own home, but the environment digs it as it doesn't require that you actually commute. The drawback, you have to carve out one more space in your house to fit your home office.