6 Affordable Ways to Update Your Kitchen Cabinets

We’ve all been there: The first summer heat wave comes to town and your air conditioner stops cooling, leaving you stranded in the heat. Air conditioners work hard year after year, but they do require a little upkeep and maintenance to run their best. If your air conditioner’s not cooling properly, there are a number of potential reasons. Some are simple, while others may require a service call from a certified HVAC technician. Here, we’ve outlined 7 potential reasons for your conditioner not cooling—and how to remedy them.

Epsom salt is extremely beneficial when it comes time to tackle your household chores, so you're going to want to start keeping it on hand if you're not already.

If you love coastal style, there's no reason not to incorporate actual seashells into your home as decor—and it doesn't matter whether you actually live by the water or just wish that you did. Interior designers love how shells can add charm and character to any space.

Planning some house parties this summer? As you compile your guest list, give some thought to those who will not be welcome—notably mosquitos, ants, wasps, and other nasty pests. 

My sister recently purchased a condo with a shockingly expansive wraparound balcony. The only problem? She has no clue how to fill the space. How much furniture is too much furniture? Should it match the black and white decor she’s collecting for her interiors? Is the comfy lounge chair she’s been eyeing really worth the investment? In an effort to answer these questions and more, I reached out to several California-based designers for their insights. 

Heads up: It’s probably time to revisit your junk drawer. Not to grab your go-to tube of lip balm or a piece of gum, but to finally organize it. 

When it came to the kitchen in their three-bedroom, two-bathroom 1930s San Francisco home, the owners wanted keep the current square footage and layout, but adjust the space to make it work harder for their family’s needs (they have two daughters). So they brought in Allie Allen and Sasha White of Shiny Shed Collective to oversee the renovation of the 144-square-foot L-shaped room.

Oliver Furth, a fourth-generation Los Angeles native, A-List interior designer, and AD100 winner, is best known for his irreverent ability to blend different styles and eras seamlessly. He is a firm believer that making a home for oneself is in itself an act of optimism and the most important ingredient when designing any space is joy. 

Ceiling fans can make a stuffy room feel pleasantly cool, but unlike air conditioners, they don’t actually lower the temperature of a room. Instead, fans generate a breeze, creating a wind-chill-like effect as the moving air helps you eliminate body heat. But if your ceiling fan only pushes around hot air, this phenomenon won’t be nearly as effective. To keep your home cool (and comfortably warm in the winter), learn how to change your ceiling fan direction for summer and winter.

Perfecting your garden is a process of trial and error. And sometimes, when you’re in the thick of it, it’s nice to call in an expert for some sage advice or words of encouragement.

We're sharing handy cleaning and organizing tips to help you prep your place for guests in a flash when you don’t have time (or willpower) to do a deep clean. From easy-to-execute tasks to tools that make the job infinitely easier, use these tips to whip your place into shape when you’re looking for big results in next to no time.

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