Decorating Your Apartment on a Budget

Summary

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Podcast Summary: All Of It — "Decorating Your Apartment on a Budget"

Date: September 4, 2024
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Lauren Phillips (Associate Editorial Director, Better Homes and Gardens)

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Overview

This episode of "All Of It" explores practical, creative, and affordable strategies for decorating apartments—especially pertinent during New York’s peak moving season. Host Alison Stewart and guest Lauren Phillips discuss how to develop an aesthetic vision without overspending, where to find budget-friendly décor in NYC and online, and share listener tips and stories about decorating in small spaces, with roommates, or as renters.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Where to Begin: Essentials First

• Lauren Phillips (02:26):
  • Start with the bedroom: "You want a place you can sleep, of course, and the things that really contribute to sleeping. Think about like that bed, that mattress and curtains."
  • Build in layers: Begin with essentials, then add key furniture (like rugs and sofas) before accent pieces.
• Developing Your Aesthetic:
  • Try things out: “It's all about trying. Trying things, right?...Building on top of what you establish in your previous apartment.” (03:05)
  • Find inspiration: Use magazines and online platforms to pinpoint what you like.

2. Living with Roommates and Shared Spaces

• Adaptability is key (04:14):
  • Communication avoids duplicate items in shared spaces (e.g., two couches).
  • Choose furniture (like neutral couches) that can move with you or adapt to changing roommates.

3. Trends in Design (05:17)

• Personalization rules:
  • "People are really dialing into what speaks to them. Dopamine decor is huge right now...just styling their homes with what makes them happy." (05:17)
  • Organic, natural palettes and textures (mossy greens, creamy whites) are trending, alongside personal, joyful décor choices.

What is Dopamine Decor?

• Lauren Phillips (06:07):
  • "Dopamine decor is really decorating in a way that gives you that little bit of rush when you look at your space...there's no one size fits all when it comes to dopamine decor. It's whatever makes you happy."

4. Color Trends for 2025

• Varied Choices (06:49):
  • Muted colors, timeless blues, and unique shades like Behr’s “Rumors” (a red with brown undertones) are hot—but there is no single dominant color family for 2025.
  • The takeaway: Pick the color that you love.

5. Resourceful Shopping & Sourcing Decor

• Stooping, Facebook Marketplace, Buy Nothing Groups (07:35):

  • Lauren Phillips (08:43):
    • "Stooping...is such a special element of shopping for furniture in New York…You can find incredible gems. But...check for bugs, check for damage."
  • Cautions: Be vigilant about checking for bedbugs or major flaws when picking up furniture from the curb.

• Consistently Cheap Items that Elevate Spaces (09:34):

  • Rugs: Inexpensive rugs make a huge difference—bonus: many leases require rug coverage.
  • Mirrors: Add light, create the illusion of space, and double as wall art.
    • “Mirrors really help to lighten and brighten a space as well.” (09:34)

6. Making the Most of Walls & Small Spaces

• Vertical space = storage and style:

  • “We love to talk about vertical space...hanging shelves or hang a lot of things on the wall.” (11:19)

• Removable wallpaper (11:50):

  • “It absolutely does [work]. I just moved and...stripping the wallpaper off...was actually really fun…no sticky residue.” (11:50)
  • Peel-and-stick wallpapers, backsplashes, and even countertop covers: High impact, low commitment—perfect for renters.

7. Listener Insights and Calls

Mike from Brooklyn – Indoor Gardening (12:48):

• Affordable local gardeners can transform your indoor plant setup and teach ongoing maintenance.
• Cool resources: Jungle Love NYC, Gnome Network for plant advice.
  • “They even gave us an application that we could follow to help take care of our plants.” (13:28)

Robin from Melville – Measuring is Everything (14:09):

• "The most, most, most important thing ever is to measure—measure your windows, measure your space so that you know what size bed you can fit." (14:15)
• Peel-and-stick solutions work for backsplashes and countertops too.

Tony from Pennsylvania – Personal Photos as Art (15:30):

• “Instead of buying $150 photos, I looked through my own pictures...you go to Staples, it cost you $35 to blow them up to poster size.”
• DIY framing: Use one-by-one wood and canvas wraps for professional-looking, personalized artwork that connects to your own life.
  • “Everybody's got a phone in their pockets and they take great pictures.” (16:52)

Nasozi from Bed Stuy – The Joy of ‘Stooping’ (19:14):

• Found a Hans Wegner replica chair on the street with a friend, which inspired a love of Danish modern furniture.
  • “You never know what you can find on the streets of Brooklyn in New York City.” (20:51)
• Marble contact paper for kitchen upgrades—sometimes, even landlords will keep a renter's improvements!

8. Hacks for Decorating Small or Rental Spaces

• Lauren Phillips (17:46 & 21:27):
  • Prioritize what you actually use (e.g., skip a big dining table if you eat on the sofa).
  • Be practical about size—large art can overwhelm a small wall.
  • Creative hacks: Paint an accent sliver, use prints instead of original art.
  • Renter-friendly upgrades:
    • Removable wallpaper and contact paper
    • Rugs and curtains (tension rods for non-damaging installation)
    • “Curtains and window treatments...bring so much color to your space and enhance the comfort of your home.” (21:27)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Lauren Phillips, on stooping safety:
  “Check for bugs, check for damage. Honestly, a nightmare scenario for me is you find the perfect, you know, side chair and it has bed bugs.” (08:43)

• On dopamine decor:
  “Dopamine decor is really decorating in a way that gives you that little bit of rush when you look at your space.” (06:07)

• Robin (retired interior designer):
  “The most, most most important thing ever is to measure, measure your windows, measure your space...then anything can be changed as far as design.” (14:15)

• Tony (DIY art):
  “Everybody’s got a phone in their pockets and they take great pictures.” (16:52)

• Lauren Phillips, on removable wallpaper:
  “The science of it has come so far. There's even no sticky residue. I love those.” (21:27)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Framework for Decorating on a Budget: 00:49–02:26
• Finding Your Aesthetic: 03:01–03:55
• Roommates, Communication, and Adaptable Decor: 03:55–05:08
• Latest Trends & Dopamine Decor: 05:17–06:37
• Color Trends: 06:37–07:35
• Shopping Resourcefully (Stooping, Online Groups): 07:35–09:34
• High-Impact, Low-Cost Decor Staples: 09:34–10:27
• Mirrors & Wall Strategies: 10:27–11:41
• Removable Wallpaper, Hands-On Tips: 11:41–12:42
• Listener Calls – Gardening, Measuring, DIY Art, Stooping Finds: 12:48–21:00
• Renter-Friendly Upgrades: 21:00–22:07

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Conclusion

This episode celebrates creativity and resourcefulness—making it clear that you don’t need a large budget to create a personal, joyful, and functional home. Success comes from prioritizing essentials, embracing your unique style (and letting it evolve!), and taking advantage of the abundance of resources—from NYC stoops to online groups, DIY tricks, and renter-friendly upgrades.

Host Alison Stewart and guest Lauren Phillips encourage listeners to experiment, make smart, practical choices, and enjoy the adventure of making a space truly their own—even on a budget.

Transcript

[Multicare Representative]

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[WNYC Studios Announcer]

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. According to Architectural Digest, we are coming to the end of peak moving season when leases are being signed and homes are being sold. Once you land on a place, it might not seem like you have any cash to make it your own, but designing your home in a way that will make you feel comfortable and enjoy it. It doesn't have to cost much. Let's talk decorating on a budget and how to develop an aesthetic vision for your home. Plus, we'll get into where in the city or online to shop resourcefully. My guest is Lauren Phillips, associate editorial director for Better Homes and Garden. The September issue of Better Homes and Garden is on sale now and [e-mail] hi Lauren.

[Lauren Phillips]

Hi. Thank you so much for having me.

[Alison Stewart]

Listeners, we want to hear your ideas, too. How do you like to decorate your apartment or home on a budget? Call us and text us now, 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692. Any budget friendly places in the city you'd like to check out to find? Neat stuff, any online resources you like. If you live in a smaller apartment, what are some ways you've used to decorate your place while also being practical about using space efficiently? Our number is 212-433-WNYC-212-433-9692. This is News that you can use. All right, let's start to think about decorating when you're starting broadly, Lauren, when you move into a new place, it's likely that it's empty or visiting an apartment and you're considering moving in. How should you begin the process about thinking about decorating? What are your first steps?

[Lauren Phillips]

I think it's really important to always start with the essentials. You know, we have to remember as much as we love decor, you have to live in this apartment. So always start with the bedroom. You want a place you can sleep, of course, and the things that really contribute to sleeping. So think about like that bed, that mattress and curtains. Like you really want to start with those bare essentials and then from there you can kind of think of it as building blocks. So, you know, maybe start with rugs and those larger furniture pieces, and then you can fill in around those.

[Alison Stewart]

You can put any old thing on a wall, but it's actually. It takes time to figure out what's you. What really feels like you.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

How do you suggest people develop their own aesthetic when it comes to developing.

[Lauren Phillips]

Excuse me, decorating an apartment, it's all about trying. Trying things, right? I mean, one of the beauties of living in New York and switching apartments, maybe more than you'd like, but switching apartments nonetheless, is that you get to try different things in different apartments. And it's maybe not starting from scratch each time, but building on top of what. What aest you establish in your previous apartment. So maybe you pick up three paintings in your first apartment in the city, and then in your next apartment you pick up three more that look similar to the first ones you had. It's really about trying to kind of pinpoint what about something you like, and then looking for more things like it. And even if things are totally different, it comes down to what you like. So figuring out what you like, whether it's looking at inspiration like magazines or online, just finding the elements that speak to you and bringing those into your home however you can, is really a great place to start.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

It's one thing to design a place for yourself. It's another to try to do so when you're, you know, the interest of roommates. New Yorkers have roommates, or maybe they have a partner. Maybe they're living with family. You know, how can folks living together who may or may not have a similar vision for a space still make it work?

[Lauren Phillips]

That is so tricky. I think ultimately it comes down to communication. You need to talk to people so you don't end up with two couches or, you know, two. Two of anything, really. You don't have space for that here. But I think it also, you know, if. If you roommate switch a lot, which some people do, it's. It's a reality of. Of the city. Um, it's really figuring out what pieces kind of work in any space. So let's say you get a sofa that you love, and it's, you know, white is tricky here, but it's a solid gray or something adaptable, and you can bring that with you and it'll suit. It'll fit into what other roommates are bringing into the apartment. So kind of, especially if you're sharing your space, especially if you're moving a lot, thinking about that adaptability is Huge. Because you. The worst thing you can do, honestly, is get something you love, and then it just doesn't fit into your next apartment because the roommate already has a sofa, and they were there first, you know? So really figuring out what is adaptable that can move with you is so helpful, especially when you're sharing those spaces.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

Before we get into details, part of your job is to keep up with design trends. What are you observing about the latest trends in interior design?

[Lauren Phillips]

I just love that people are really dialing into what speaks to them. Dopamine decor is huge right now with people just. Just styling their homes with what makes them happy. At the same time, people are really leaning into more serene spaces. So organic natural palettes are huge. You know, a lot of really nice, kind of mossy greens, creamy whites, whether that's on the walls or in your decor, I love seeing that. But. But I think what's great is that there are so many different styles right now. People are leaning into whatever speaks to them. The styles are changing quickly, but people are really calling out the elements that they love and repeating that over and over depend, you know, based on what's trending, but they're able to reuse elements. So there's really an element of sustainability to that as well that I love.

[Alison Stewart]

My producer just said dopamine decor. That's a term. Explain that.

[Lauren Phillips]

Yes, it's huge. So you know that dopamine rush, when you see something you like or you get that rush of joy when something good happens. Dopamine decor is really decorating in a way that gives you that little bit of rush when you look at your space. You know, you wake up in the morning and the walls are painted your favorite color, and it gives you that little burst of happiness. Dopamine decor is really decorating with that in mind, and I just love that it really speaks to people's individual personalities. You know, there's no one size fits all when it comes to dopamine decor. It's whatever makes you happy.

[Alison Stewart]

You mentioned color. You wrote a story earlier this month for Better Homes and Gardens about color trends, specifically the color of the year. Looking ahead to 2025, what are you seeing?

[Lauren Phillips]

Yes, we're seeing a lot of kind of more muted colors.

[Robin (Caller, Retired Interior Designer)]

The.

[Lauren Phillips]

The recent bear color of the year is rumors, which is this really nice red with brown underton toned. But we're also seeing some timeless blues from other brands. It's funny. In years past, we've seen a lot of white or a lot of blues in one year or greens in one year with a lot of different predictors of that color of the year going in similar directions. This year. So far, it's a little all over the place, which again, speaks to me of how important it is that people design for what works for them and what makes them happy, not necessarily what the key trends are. You know, it's really about what speaks to you, and things are going in a lot of different directions, but it boils down to you use the color in your space that you love.

[Alison Stewart]

Got a text that says baked oranges and corn on a string. Cheap, cute, festive, and it makes your house smell good. That sounds like a good plan. Also, another text. Also, never buy new furniture stooping. Facebook Marketplace Buy nothing groups are so helpful and so cheap. That gets us up to our next category. By the way, we're speaking on ways to decorate your apartment or your home on a budget. We're taking your calls. Our guest is Lauren Phillips, associate editorial director for Better Homes and Garden. If you have any place that you like to find stuff online, any online resources in real life, give us a call. 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC what is one item you bought to decorate your home you really enjoy? Where did you find it? Do you have roommates or family members you have to compromise with? We want to hear your stories of decorating your home. 212-433-WNYC 212-433-WNYC all right, let's talk about shopping on a budget. What are your most important pieces of advice for us to shop resourcefully?

[Lauren Phillips]

Yes, I love that the text you got mentioned stooping. I think that is such a special element of shopping for furniture in New York. Shopping obviously is relative, where hopefully you're not paying for things, but you know, walking the streets, you can find incredible gems. I just, my one note is take things home carefully. Check for bugs, check for damage. Honestly, a nightmare scenario for me is you find the perfect, you know, side chair and it has bed bugs and you bring it into your home. Like, absolutely not. You don't want to mess around with that. So definitely, you know, search the stoops, walk around your neighborhood on trash day and see what's out there because there's incredible hidden gems. But just, just be careful. Check items before you bring them home.

[Alison Stewart]

When it comes to decor, which items do you think are consistently inexpensive but can elevate a space?

[Lauren Phillips]

I think rugs are great and I say rugs carefully. There are really expensive rugs out there and There also are really inexpensive rugs out there. So, you know, if you are looking for affordability, there are some incredible high quality, affordable rugs out there that make such a difference in your space. And it's kind of overlooked, but many leases actually require that a certain portion of your floor is covered in carpet. I feel no one follows this rule. I don't even think it's. It's enforced. I've seen it on my own leases. But rugs make such a difference for your enjoyment of the space. You don't have to have your feet on those cold floors all the time. Rugs are huge. I will also say, you know, kind of more accent pieces. Mirrors are incredible for really bringing your space to life. If you are limited in the amount of windows you have, the natural light is a little low. Mirrors really help to lighten and brighten a space as well.

[Alison Stewart]

Do you mean just like a mirror up against a wall or what do you mean when you say mirrors?

[Lauren Phillips]

Really? Whatever speaks to you. I love a floor mirror. That said, floor space is really rare sometimes. I myself only recently had room for a floor mirror in my apartment. So wall mirrors are also great. You can get like a nice round mirror to hang right by your door on, so you can like check your reflection on the way out the door. You can also get really decorative mirrors. I personally love like the squiggle decor trend that's really big right now. And you can get really nicely interestingly shaped mirror that you can just hang on the wall as general decor. But they beyond just what wall art does, they really kind of enhance the light in your space.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

When we're talking about walls, you've got a blank canvas there. What are some ways someone can match wall design to make the space have feel like you have more space?

[Lauren Phillips]

Like, like I think you can really make the most of that vertical space. We love to talk about vertical space where you can put hanging shelves or hang a lot of things on the wall that also add same time. I personally love wall mounted shelves. I love features that enhance that organizational element.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

I want for my personal self. I want to know the wallpaper that you can remove, does that work?

[Lauren Phillips]

It absolutely does. I can say firsthand it does. I just moved and I had wallpapered one of the walls in my bedroom and it was actually really fun stripping the wallpaper off. We made sure that we got the, the temporary removable wallpaper. That's key. But it works incredibly well. I will say like a tiny bit of the paint got chipped off, but it definitely qualified for standard wear and tear. We got our security deposit back and everything. So if you really get a trusted brand, absolutely, it works. And I cannot say enough good things about how much it brings your room to life. Painting, I get nervous about, you might have to paint it back. Your landlord might not, might not sign off on you painting. But that removable wallpaper, there's so much variety and it really does wonders to add that color to your walls. Especially if, like me, you feel like you live in a white box apartment. That that removable wallpaper is just incredible and it really, truly does work.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

Let's take some calls. Let's talk to Mike from Brooklyn. Hi, Mike, thanks for calling.

[Tony (Caller)]

Hi. Wow.

[Mike (Caller)]

Yeah, I just wanted to shout out some affordable gardeners in the area. Most of them do some indoor work, some of them also do outdoor, but for a relatively low price, you know, considering about, you know, how much things cost in the home. You're able to hire like some indoor gardening help and help them, you know, they'll help you sort of set up an environment that your plants will thrive in and also sort of help you like, create a maintenance schedule for yourself. Like for us, they even gave us an application that we could follow to like, help take care of our plants. And I thought that that was by far the best investment that we've made in our apartment.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

Oh, what kind of plants do you have?

[Mike (Caller)]

Right now I'm really into this Cebu Blue Pothos, which is like, I don't know, sort of like a, got like a blue tinge to it. And I'm really into it and it sort of does well in a lot of like different desert and tropical environments. So shout out to Jungle Love NYC for hooking, hooking us up. They were really great to work with. And also there's this thing called the Gnome Network, like G N O M E network that's kind of starting down in Park Slope where you can like put your gardening project on it and then other gardeners will answer it.

[Tony (Caller)]

So I thought that was cool.

[Lauren Phillips]

Pretty cool.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

Thanks so much for your help. Let's talk to Robin from Melville. Hi Robin, thanks for calling, all of it.

[Lauren Phillips]

Hi, how are you doing?

[Producer/Host Assistant]

Great. I love your recommendation.

[Robin (Caller, Retired Interior Designer)]

So, yeah, I'm a retired interior designer. I have done my daughter's apartment in Manhattan twice and my son is now moving in. And the most, most most important thing ever is to measure, measure your windows, measure your space so that you know what size bed you can fit. There are very few apartments that can fit a king size bed in Manhattan. Even sometimes just Between a few faux and a queen. Like sometimes you don't even have the space, like a couple of six inches. So measure everything. Measure the size for a sofa, and then anything can be changed as far as design, you know, mid century, modern, traditional, glam. Once you have the space down, you can do anything. And also, I definitely agree with the kind of peelable wallpaper. Yeah, I've used that. I've also used peel and stick backsplash tiles. And I did my daughter's countertops that look like marble. Also peel and stick. It was great.

[Alison Stewart]

Thanks for all of the tips. Let's talk to Tony calling from Pennsylvania. Hi, Tony, you're on with Lauren Phillips, associate editorial director of Better Homes and Gardens. Hi.

[Tony (Caller)]

Nice. Thanks for having me. Yeah. When we, we moved from Staten island two years ago, my wife and I both retired nurses and the house was 50 shades of beige. You know, they painted everything different kinds of beige, so we wanted to bring some color in. So we went to the online great campuses or something like that and picked pictures from Aruba from places we'd been. And then, then I thought, you know, why am I paying $150 for a picture? I looked through my own pictures and something like a covered bridge in Bucks County. I'm in the antique car club. I had a picture of that, had a picture of a cranberry bog in Tannersville and the Poconos, you go to Staples, it cost you $35 to blow them up to poster size. So I took some one by one, wood and made a square and wrapped them around the square. So I have these beautiful pictures that really, now they're tying us to our area and they blow up nice. And it's cheap and it's customizable and adds beauty to your home. You know something, you could be sitting on a bench and look at a butterfly land on a leaf two feet away from you. Everybody's got a phone in their pockets and they take great pictures.

[Alison Stewart]

Tony, great advice.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

Thank you so much for calling us.

[Alison Stewart]

We are discussing how to a budget, how to decor, how.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

Excuse me, how to decorate your home on a budget. My guest is Lauren Phillips, associate editorial director of Better Homes and Gardens.

[Alison Stewart]

That was a great tip, wasn't it, Lauren?

[Lauren Phillips]

It was incredible. And I, I was picturing my own home where I, I've done much of the same thing. I, it's incredible the quality of photo you can get from your phone. And then there are so many places online, so many stores that you can get really great, high quality prints to hang in your Home. Some places will even do canvas wraps for you if you want more of that canvas look instead of a just a print. I think that is such a smart tip.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

We're talking about city living. We have to talk about smaller spaces. And when it comes to decorating on the small side, how should you think about decorating? Any design hacks that are best suited for small spaces?

[Lauren Phillips]

Yes, I think it's definitely about starting with your lifestyle and your preferences. It's a little bit of prioritization where, you know, I know a lot of people love to decorate with big, large art, but if, if your wall is not that wide and you put a large piece of art up there, it's. It's gonna over. It's gonna overpower the whole wall. So I think prioritizing, you know, what elements do you love the most? What is going to fit in your space and going from there is really helpful. You know, bringing in a dining dining table if you prefer to eat dinner on the sofa. We all do it. You know, it's really just thinking about what suits your lifestyle, suits your taste, suits your space.

[Alison Stewart]

So it sounds like you should be practical versus the very beautiful thing that you could bring into your house.

[Lauren Phillips]

Yes, and it's hard to say I love the beautiful thing, but it's that practicality is so important, especially in a small space, especially if you move pretty frequently. It's really about matching your tastes to your space. But then there's room for creativity still. You know, I loved again that idea to get prints of your favorite photos. That's a great idea. Even painting just like one sliver of a wall if that's the only space you have or, you know, you don't want to invest too much because you're going to have to paint it back. There's so much room for creativity in small spaces. When you kind of let yourself consider what do I love? And can I recreate it in a smaller way?

[Alison Stewart]

Let's take another call. Nasozi, who is originally from Bed Stuy. Hi, thanks for calling all of it.

[Nasozi (Caller)]

Hi, Alison. Hi, Lauren. First time, long time. Also long time for the ht. I love the magazine and, and the ideas that you are sharing here today. First, definitely co signing on the removable wallpaper. Unfortunately, that wasn't around when I lived in bedside but this. But I was able to use a marble contact paper in my kitchen, which I later found out that after living in the apartment for eight years and once my landlord rented it out, once I moved out, he actually kept it. So I think he appreciated that investment. But I have a fun story about a soup find that happened about, about 10 years ago in 2013. Lived in bed Spy off of Nostrand. And one day my friend Misha and I wanted to go to lunch in Prospect Heights off of Vanderbilt. And somewhere along the way on St. Mark's we found this beautiful chair. And I'd never seen it before. And like, we picked it up and literally, like, she carried one side, I carried the other side. We took it with us to lunch on Vanderbilt, put it right in the window to make sure nobody else grabbed it. And then I went down the rabbit hole trying to figure out, like, what the origin of this fantastic chair was, and found out that it was or is a Hans, Hans Wegner replica. And I have it to this day. And it sparked this whole obsession of mine with Danish modern furniture and, you know, studying that and incorporating that into my own practice as a product designer and interior designer. So you never know what you can find on the streets of Brooklyn in New York City. But it was a very seminal moment for me.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

That's so exciting. Hey, post a picture on Instagram and tag us. We want to see that chair.

[Nasozi (Caller)]

Oh, absolutely. I will. I will do that.

[Lauren Phillips]

Great.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

Small apart deco tip hooks. Magnets get everything on your walls, especially in the kitchen where you have many magnet friendly surfaces. That's a good one. Shout out to Housing Works in New York City. Always an amazing place to find secondhand furniture and an amazing place to donate in our final moments. A lot of people are renters at this point. Most people are renters at this point, actually. What are some renter friendly upgrades?

[Lauren Phillips]

Yeah, I think, I think that removable wallpaper. Someone mentioned contact paper, those peel and stick things, the science of it has come so far. There's even no sticky residue. I love those. Painting your is. Is your friend. As long as you're prepared to paint it back if you need to. Rugs are fantastic. And then I think curtains are underrated. Curtains and window treatments, you know, you can really, you can get a tension rod so there's no drilling, not even sticking something to the wa. And they bring so much color to your space. And it's really just a wonderful way to both enhance the comfort of your home because you can block the light, you can sleep better. But also colorful window treatments are just, I think, beautiful.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

Lauren Phillips is associate editorial director at Better Homes and Garden. Lauren, thank you so much for all your tips.

[Lauren Phillips]

Thank you.

[Producer/Host Assistant]

And thanks so much to everybody who called in. I'm Alison Stewart. I appreciate you listening and I appreciate you. I will meet you back here next time. Arsheel Gorky was a seminal artist in the abstract expressionist movement. Now a new exhibit features paintings and drawings that have never been seen before. We'll talk about it tomorrow. I'll see you then.

[Multicare Representative]

Our state has changed a lot in the last 140 years. We know because MultiCare has been here guided by a single making our communities healthier. That comes from making courageous decisions, partnering with local communities to grow programs and services, and expanding healthcare access to those who need it most. Together, we're building a healthier future. Learn [e-mail].

[WNYC Studios Announcer]

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[Lauren Phillips]

I need a coffee.

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