Caroline Mullen – FoodWatcher

Wait, There’s Such a Thing as Anti-Bacterial Paint?

I spend a great deal of time thinking about interior paint—flat, eggshell, semi-gloss, high-gloss—and have amassed quite a collection of half-used cans myself. I also grew up in a house of cabinet-makers and DIYers, and have learned a heck of a lot of home finishing info along the way. So when a new paint invention comes along—or I’ve just heard of it—you best believe I’m listening up.

Below are some of the paint trends we’ve been hearing all about lately, from sanitizing to highly textured—and you’re going to want to add them to your arsenal.

14 DIY V-Day Decor Ideas You Didn’t Know You Needed

Valentine’s Day has never been the most exciting celebration, especially when compared to the holiday season just-passed (and after all, it often wavers year-to-year depending on romantic status), but it does bridge the gap between January blues and th…

Valentine’s Day has never been the most exciting celebration, especially when compared to the holiday season just-passed (and after all, it often wavers year-to-year depending on romantic status), but it does bridge the gap between January blues and the promise of Spring. As a kid, my mom made Valentine's Day baskets for us: mine with pink nailpolish and mini boxes of Nerds, my brother’s with red socks and heart-shaped Reese’s cups. As an adult, I usually have a glass of wine (or two) and screen Call Me By Your Name alone on my couch, but I feel like there must be a middle ground between the two..

So this year, I propose we all give Valentine’s Day its due. Whether you’re celebrating Gal-entine’s Day (my personal favorite iteration of the holiday), a long-term love, or a new flame—go all out with some DIY decor. Decor for Valentine’s Day, you ask? Why yes, because the only sure-fire way to get in the mood for a lovey-dovey day is to set the mood for a lovey-dovey day. Plus, we all need something to do and look forward to, right?

My New Favorite Hack to Get the Bathroom Sparkling Clean

I have been known to attack the bathtub with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser at a moment’s notice (and by “known,” I mean about five people in total). Still, it could be said that I have found my calling in an unplanned scrub session. This usually involves not putting my hair up first (“I’m just going to get this one smudge”), forgetting to change out of my ~good sweatpants~, and becoming entirely so sweaty during a commercial break that I end up missing the rest of The Bachelor because I now need to clean myself in the room I just cleaned. Phewf.

While I really love the effectiveness of a Magic Eraser on soap scum, I really don’t love the mostly single-use-ness of it (they disintegrate quite quickly while using), and I really, selfishly, don’t love how much physical labor is involved. I swapped the eraser out with baking soda and vinegar a while back (truly, just as effective), but I was still searching for the “lazy girl” way out of scrubbing.

How I Turned My Hallway Into a Dining Room

I am utterly devoted to taking dinner in the living room. I turn the TV on, let my meal grow cold by the time I find the perfect show, and hunch over the coffee table to spoon pasta in my mouth, eyes glazed over. It’s not the most refined picture, no, …

I am utterly devoted to taking dinner in the living room. I turn the TV on, let my meal grow cold by the time I find the perfect show, and hunch over the coffee table to spoon pasta in my mouth, eyes glazed over. It’s not the most refined picture, no, but it’s worked quite well for me so far. I think the main reason I’ve never liked sitting at the table to eat by myself is because I’ve never had a kitchen or dining room I loved.

My current “dining room” is really the size of a breakfast nook, and is directly off of my galley kitchen. It’s approximately 5x7’, and since it’s the only way to get from the living room to the bathroom, it functions more as a natural hallway. Being that I’ve never been one to eat at the table unless I really had to, I also never gave this space much thought. A year after moving into this apartment, though, it was ready for my attention.

How to DIY the Easiest Art From… Leftover Cardboard

The other day I finally mustered the energy to break down and tie up all the cardboard boxes I had acquired over the course of about two months (bear in mind this was also the holiday season!) and I kid you not, my back was aching by the end of it. I made several trips out to the recycling can, identity concealed by my hat, mask, and sunglasses—mortified by the consumption that clearly went on in my home. I scurried back and forth (probably making myself look more suspect) with my bundles of paper and twine, feeling guilty all the while.

Usually, I’ll reuse leftover boxes as floor or table protection while doing a DIY project, and that does help me sleep better at night. However, I recently came across an even better way to repurpose cardboard: art! Yes, art!

7 Expert-Predicted Home Trends We’ll See in 2021

2020 saw its fair share of home trends, thanks to a surplus of time spent pondering our interiors—quite literally stuck staring at the design choices we might not have thought fully through. The good news is that it compelled people to take creativity …

As a result, we’ve seen the resurgence of 80s silhouettes, an increase in accent walls, a focus on the “CottageCore” aesthetic, and more. What will 2021 bring, you ask? Well, we checked in with Pinterest, home improvement site Houzz, and interior design service Modsy to see what the top design trend predictions will be in the coming year.

7 of Our Favorite Ethical Brands to Keep in the Kitchen in 2021

We teamed up with A to Z Wineworks to highlight companies that not only do good, but also make great products. From our favorite baking staples to the bright and fruity Bubbles we’re toasting 2021 with, every product on this list comes from a certified…

We teamed up with A to Z Wineworks to highlight companies that not only do good, but also make great products. From our favorite baking staples to the bright and fruity Bubbles we're toasting 2021 with, every product on this list comes from a certified B Corp—aka companies that maintain the highest standards of economic, environmental, and social responsibility.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from working in media (and from being a consumer myself), it’s that there’s been a definitive shift in the way people make purchases and fill their homes with products. While ease and convenience were the driving forces of consumption for decades, the practices leading to such mass production left us feeling…a little guilty. Luckily, many companies now put transparency and ethics at the forefront of their missions, and one of the easiest identifiers for a brand you can trust is a B Corp certification.

The Home Trends That Got Us Through 2020

If you’ve been spending all this extra time in your house this year, and haven’t felt a startling urge to replace everything you own—I’m at once in awe and completely jealous of you. I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time painting, rehanging shelves, r…

If you’ve been spending all this extra time in your house this year, and haven’t felt a startling urge to replace everything you own—I’m at once in awe and completely jealous of you. I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time painting, rehanging shelves, replacing framed art, scouring Facebook marketplace for furniture to flip, and doing lots (and lots) of Tik Tok research.

One bright spot of pacing around our homes day in and day out? So many cool trends have bubbled to the surface this year, from the practical (regrowing veggies), to the superfluous (squiggly furniture), and more people than ever have taken an interest in making their homes feel… homey. Below, we’ve gathered some of our favorite decor and DIY trends from the past year, as well as some we’re still not sure about. Feel free to change our minds, though!

Why My Favorite NYE Tradition Revolves Around the Coffee Table

I absolutely adore getting to know other families’ quirky holiday traditions, how they came to be, and how they’ve clung to them throughout the years.

Some can be objectively inconsequential, but they stick, because of the little memories trapped insi…

I absolutely adore getting to know other families’ quirky holiday traditions, how they came to be, and how they’ve clung to them throughout the years.

Some can be objectively inconsequential, but they stick, because of the little memories trapped inside the motions. Even if the sequels lose the thrill of the original, we find ourselves in a cycle of repetition because we’re chasing that nostalgia high.

All the Ways You’re Not Using That Sheepskin Rug (But Should)

If you’re considering a sheepskin rug purchase… just go for it. Animal furs (real and faux) have been used to cozy up homes for as long as humans have roamed the planet—and are great for providing extra warmth on a bed, act as seating, and instantly convey an intimate vibe. Especially now when the weather is quickly cooling down, and we’re likely going to be spending a lot more time inside (again), making your home as inviting as possible will help assuage the winter blues.

About a year ago, I ordered a faux sheepskin rug for my living room, and absolutely loved it. It added whimsy to a space that otherwise felt somewhat traditional, and perfectly sectioned off a reading nook within a larger room. Sadly, the faux fur isn’t really able to be cleaned, and I’m left wishing I just invested in the real deal, since there are so many places in my apartment that would benefit from a little hygge.