Home

This post won't be as sassy as most, but it will show you my inner housewife. Few things make me more happy than when someone walks into my apartment and tells me that it feels like a home. Making it that way has been an odd combination of exhausting effort and the easiest of finds. Maybe because my mother's pretty much a hoarder, which makes me half hoarder, which means that my house never has a shortage of little somethings.

I get asked often how one might make one's own shabby 20-something city apartment into a home.

Here's my advice: Fill your living space with things that make you happy. For me, that's colors, pictures, shoes, and books. Totally normal, right? Rather than tuck my shoes away in a closet or under my bed, I've got them on bookshelves in my living room. Right next to shelves of books organized by color (a tip I picked up from the nice people at Real Simple that makes my shelves look less cluttered while still making me look smart). And photos are everywhere, photos of wonderful people and wonderful moments.

Nothing is better than color. I know I sort of covered that above, but I really stand by it. There's no real need to limit yourself to a two-color pallet. For example, I went with jewel tones in my living room; there's green, purple, teal, pink, and blue. And I love it. Sure, it doesn't work for everyone, but it's awesome for me. The trick is to have a balance of each color such that it looks intentional as opposed to hand-me-down. But there's a particular charm in hand-me-down, so don't weed it all out.

Nothing beats a good tv. I don't care what those hipsters say. Invest in quality entertainment.

And for the love of God, take out the trash and keep your kitchen counters and eating surfaces clean. I'm shocked at how many people let their disdain for trash removal take over their home. You go outside every fucking day, take a bag of trash with you. I mean it. When people come over, you want it to be easy and effortless to pull up a chair, pour a few glasses of vino, and let the conversation flow. You don't want to have to brush aside a big ol' mess that includes dishes from a week ago. It's just plain gross.