National Hot Tea Month May Be Over Yet It's Not Too Late To Have A More Tea-Filled Year
National Hot Tea Month May Be Over Yet It's Not Too Late To Have A More Tea-Filled Year

It shouldn't surprise you that I'm writing this post while also enjoying a homemade "medicine ball" - honey citrus mint tea - because nine times outta ten, I'm drinking tea. My love of tea grew exponentially in the last 4 years when a health concern required me needing to scale back my coffee consumption. I was distraught at first & then decided to make the most of it & explore tea varieties. Now, 4-ish years later, I'm plotting growing my own tea garden... that's how much I've come to love having tea as part of my days.

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LifestyleAlbie Knowstea, at home cafe, gardening, shopping, hygge
How To Make Your Apartment Smarter: Renter Friendly Smart Home Solutions
How To Make Your Apartment Smarter: Renter Friendly Smart Home Solutions

In this new digital age, just about everything is driven my technology — there isn’t anything you can’t do online nowadays! So it’s no surprise that there’s been a growing interest in smart homes — which, in lamens terms, is automation for different areas of your home for everything from lighting to climate control to your appliances. From voice activation to everyday appliances to cloud based integrations, here are 15 ways you can make your apartment smarter. 

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Design, ShoppingAlbie Knowssmart home, google home, shopping, reversible design, rentals, amazon, technology
The Benefits of Having An At Home Café: 4 Reasons You Need A Hot Beverage Bar
The Benefits of Having An At Home Café: 4 Reasons You Need A Hot Beverage Bar

It's no secret that I am a big coffee and tea drinker, so with every home I've ever had, I've always made sure to have a dedicated space in my kitchen for my daily coffee & tea routine. No matter the footprint of your home, if you are a tea and/or coffee lover, here are four reasons you need a coffee corner, tea cart, and/or hot beverage bar.

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LifestyleAlbie Knowsat home cafe, national coffee day
88 of Your Most Purchased Items Last Year In 2022
88 of Your Most Purchased Items Last Year In 2022

A few months ago, I began sharing weekly and/or monthly edits of what you've been clicking & shopping... similar to my monthly Amazon favs series from 2021. Now that we're in a new year, I decided to look back at the entire 2022 year of shopping. 

Wanna know what everyone's been buying?

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ShoppingAlbie Knowsyear in review, shopping, amazon
The Hygge Ranch: 2023 Home Goals & Projects
The Hygge Ranch: 2023 Home Goals & Projects

Year 3 of sharing annual goals for our home & this might be officially be my favorite annual exercise. Finding that sweet spot between what we want to do and what we have the bandwidth to do is paramount this year. All in all, I think this year we have a nice balance of projects - needs vs wants, what we'll do ourselves vs what we'll hire out, and what'll be low lift weekend projects vs what'll be long term projects. More importantly, because so many of these projects are intrinsically linked, I am optimistic that we'll actually be able to tackle all of them alongside our lives outside of home improvement projects.

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DesignAlbie Knowshome goals, the hygge ranch, home improvement
What I'm Loving: All Black Footwear + Shopping Links For Shoes, Boots, and Sneakers
What I'm Loving: All Black Footwear + Shopping Links For Shoes, Boots, and Sneakers

I recently purged my closet & it should come as no surprise that I have my fair share of black wardrobe pieces. When I turned my attention to shoes & sneakers, however, I realized I had a whole lotta color & very little black. With the exception of my Suede Nike Blazers (similar), stacked heel lace up bootie (similar), a pair of Mary Jane inspired pumps, and Crocs clogs, and Crocs sandals - so basically one of each shoe in each category lol - it's been a real long while since I've had an truly ALL black shoe... meaning no white sole or colored logo or some kind... just black on black on black. So, naturally, I began online window shopping for all black sneakers, shoes, and boots, in hopes that over the course of the year, I'll actually purchase a few.

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Lifestyle, ShoppingAlbie Knowscolor, fashion, black, shopping
Creating & Preserving Holiday Traditions + the Traditions We've Started & the Traditions We've Skipped
Creating & Preserving Holiday Traditions + the Traditions We've Started & the Traditions We've Skipped

After a year of unpacking a lot of emotional baggage in therapy, I began to realize that there are already enough “rules” around the holidays & all of my anxiety was self-imposed. The only traditions I needed to observe are the ones we created together as a family - what activities filled our cup and brought us the most joy versus the ones society and/or social media said we should be doing.

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Lifestyle, ShoppingAlbie Knowsholiday season, new year, shopping
How To Add Pantone's 2023 Color of the Year - Viva Magenta (18-1750) - To Your Home & Lifestyle
How To Add Pantone's 2023 Color of the Year - Viva Magenta (18-1750) - To Your Home & Lifestyle

Meet Viva Magenta.

Viva Magenta is described as a "hybrid" color - "a shade rooted in nature descending from the red family and expressive of a new signal of strength."

New signal of strength.

From this description, I can completely see how this would be apropos going into 2023. It continues...

an animated red that revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraint

When I think about this past year - past couple of years actually - I think we could all use bit more of all of the above. I know I could. Viva Magenta is a visually energetic color. It's bold color from a family of hues to play with, making it an exciting color to experiment with in home decor & fashion.

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Shopping, DesignAlbie Knowscoty, viva magenta, shopping, mood board
Mood Board Inspiration: December 2022
Mood Board Inspiration: December 2022

I've never been too much a fan of "traditional" holiday colors, especially when I think about this time of year & Christmas. The widely celebrated holiday has become synonymous with reds & greens, which is likely why I was [consciously or subconsciously] drawn to this palette to close out the year.

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ShoppingAlbie Knowsmood board, fall, shopping, holiday season, winter
Mood Board Inspiration: November 2022
Mood Board Inspiration: November 2022

To know me is to know I try to live a hygge inspired lifestyle - chasing creating moments of bliss as often & consistently as possible. With that, I've designed my home to be a very hygge inspired safe place for my family & I. One of the major tenets of hygge inspire design is color - and not a lack of... instead, it's about layering hues & textures to create movement in a space, even when the tones are all neutral. My home isn't all neutral. It's layered. This is why my November 2022 monthly moldboard inspiration may likely be my top favorite from the monthly moldboard series... not to mention being very on brand for the season.

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ShoppingAlbie Knowsmood board, fall, hygge, shopping
Autumn Tablescape Ideas: Three Ways
Autumn Tablescape Ideas: Three Ways

While I plan on shopping myself to do my tablescaping, I love to window shop some of my favorite tableware destinations for inspiration, especially when it comes to mixing & matching, and layering pieces. As I was clicking clacking around the interwebs, I came across a number of pieces that would be suitable for the season, depending on the meal & the company... because one thing about me is, I don't save my tablescaping just for company or just for dinner. If I did, I'd almost never have anything to tablescape lol.

Here are three ways to create a tablescape that reflects the season, while also being able transition between seasons and not having to do the most... which are two of my top tablescaping prerequisites.

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Shopping, LifestyleAlbie Knowstablescaping, fall, shopping
Behind The Design: The Hygge Ranch Washroom Renovation
Behind The Design: The Hygge Ranch Washroom Renovation

All of the juicy details of the design are over on the Emily Henderson Design reveal blog post. In case you're new here or new to my reveals, the behind the design is where we get into the numbers of it all. As a full time interiors content creator, y'all already know that means I get to work with brands I love to bring many of my home projects to life. I've said this before and I'll say it again - despite having access to trade only vendors for interior designers, in my own home I often prefer to design retail for the accessibility. This is also means I am able to share my sources & their retail costs with you, should you be planning a similar project of your own.

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Albie Knowswashroom, behind the design, renovation, the hygge ranch, bathroom, shopping, budget friendly, build with ferguson, rejuvenation, the tile shop, sherwin williams, amazon, Hudson valley lighting
Mood Board Inspiration: October 2022
Mood Board Inspiration: October 2022

When I see this inspiration board, I am reminded of what I want the coming weeks to feel like - I want them to be soft & kind, while also allowing for endurance & assertiveness. I want this new season to be like a warm embrace... and I dunno about you, but for me, the best hugs are both strong & delicate... like this palette.

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DesignAlbie Knowsmood board, color, hygge, cost plus world market, target, shopping, lulu & georgia, amazon, fall
4 Ways To Extend Your Outdoor Season This Fall
4 Ways To Extend Your Outdoor Season This Fall

As soon as Labor Day passes, most people take that as their cue to pack up their patios and backyards, marking that as the end of the outdoor season. By the time the calendar switches to Autumn, it's all about pumpkins and tablescaping... and while I will NEVER turn down the latter, I still have a lil more outdoor left here at the hygge ranch.

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ShoppingAlbie Knowsfall, backyard, shopping, outdoor, overstock
Shop With Me: Kitchen Cookware Basics
Shop With Me: Kitchen Cookware Basics

When it comes to shopping for cookware, what you prioritize is gonna have to be in alignment with your lifestyle - your needs, your budget, etc - however, having some fundamental knowledge in places will make the whole process easier, whether you're an expert or a novice. No matter your skill level, everyone deserves quality cookware pieces to make their time in the kitchen as stress free as possible.

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ShoppingAlbie Knowskitchen, shopping, cookware
Sherwin Williams 2023 Color of the Year: Redend Point (SW 9081)
Sherwin Williams 2023 Color of the Year: Redend Point (SW 9081)

While this is the Sherwin Williams COTY for 2023, the timing is also perfect inspiration for the upcoming Autumn season. With it's subtle warm undertone, in addition to toe hygge inspired, Redend Point very on brand for Autumn while still being a color that's an unexpected neutral.

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Design, ShoppingAlbie Knowssherwin williams, shopping, coty