Everyone has their must have list for their dream home — a built-in banquette is definitely on mine. Theyre cozy, space-efficient, great for weird nooks or bays, and get everyone situated right at center of the action in the kitchen. They can be round, square, large, small, high or low, custom made and built-in, or even freestanding to define a room. Here are a few where wed love to sip a cup of coffee. More

Im going to be moving into a house with black and white checkered kitchen floor tiles and have been getting inspiration from around the web. Check out what Ive found after the jump... More

• Hungry? Eat an Orange!
  The Kitchn

Part street art and part upcycling project, designer Garth Britzman of Lincoln, Nebraska has created a stunning parking canopy using discarded plastic bottles filled with colored water. I think parking just entered the realm of magical realism. More

David Edrington, from Eugene, Oregon, needed a solution to the growing pile of yard and gardening tools amassing in his garage; over time, the idea of a simple gardening shed evolved into a structure with lots of uses — and lots of character. Using plenty of recycled and vintage building materials, the Edringtons created a small haven in their yard that has become a delight for the whole family. More

Name: Sara Alba
Location: San Rafael, California

Im a field editor and stylist. I look at homes to place in pages of magazines. I drew my inspiration by piecing together things I liked from the homes I scouted in order to create my perfect family abode. More

The other day I was reminded of something I thought was so cool as a kid that I first saw at a friends house: an ice dispenser in their fridge door. Wow, I thought, these folks have made it. Another friend had swinging saloon doors in the laundry room that we loved to kick open and work into our imaginary play. Finally, the envy of every kid I knew - the pinball machine in Jenny Donlons basement. More

Here at Apartment Therapy, we try to keep our posts timely and topical, coordinating them with book releases and museum openings and such … but sometimes impatience rules the day. I realize it is only May and that summer blockbuster season wont start for a couple of months, but I am ready for a new Batman movie NOW. Havent we waited long enough? More

There are plenty of times when you could probably use a heads up as to what is going on inside your home, like when the basement floods (again), or when the back door gets left ajar, and there are a slew of home automation solutions that can help with that - but none of them as simple as Twine. More

Inject a little warmth and comfort into your kitchen with a vintage grocery store poster, or an antique cabinet. You cant find this stuff in most stores, especially at these prices. Take a look at this little collection, or find your own discoveries!

• Denver, CO: Still Life Painting - $65
• Brooklyn, NY: Vintage Kitchen Island - $150
• Cincinnati, OH: Danish Red Mixing Bowl - $22
• Brooklyn, NY: French Reproduction Dining Table - $450
• Los Angeles, CA: Vintage Grocery Store Poster - $200
More

Todays How-To is the Extended Version of Wednesdays post (How to Make a Hammered Light with John Gleeson Connolly) and we hope it will ignite your weekend craving to get back to your garage and rewire those old extension cords into inventive little lights. More

New patio furniture can be prohibitively expensive, but the good news is that if youre on a budget, its easy to find old stuff at thrift stores and flea markets. Although it may have seen better days, dont write it off. You may be able to rescue it using one or more of these techniques. More

Perhaps its the spring weather, but Ive been feeling the cloud aesthetic lately. A pillow is the perfect medium for a cloud motif, too, since the two are so often connected in our imaginations. What kid, flying on a plane for the first time, hasnt wondered what it would be like to sleep in the clouds? Hence, the cloud pillow roundup. More

The other night I found a Land of Nod catalog in my mailbox, and the cover art intrigued me. Although I am childless, I started to look through and realized just how much of that stuff Id like for my 20-something self. More

Name: Suzann & Poya Bozorgi
Location: Balham, London, United Kingdom
Size: 900 square feet
Years lived in: 4 years, owned

Suzann is an interior designer whose work mainly includes restaurants and bars; in fact, shes behind some of the most unique and celebrated drinking holes in London. So when she contacted me a couple weeks ago about photographing her South London home, I was intrigued.

More

Ah, the dream kitchen... Im definitely guilty of indulging in that daydream occasionally. While the contents of this fantasy room are ever-changing, I know it would have a vintage-industrial vibe, a few modern pieces, pops of colour and a touch of glam. Most of all, it would feel warm and inviting, a place where all my friends would want to hang out. More

I recently purchased one of these RE dressers on sale at Target, and after 2 days of putting it together, it was crying out to me for some kind of bold hardware. Not wanting to spend a lot on 6 knobs but still wanting something with some mid-century flare, I came up with an idea: mason jar lids. More

Name: Cameron (2)
Location: Washington, DC

Our daughter Cameron LOVES monkeys and has an impressive collection of sock monkeys, but her favorites are pink and red. So we decided for her second birthday party to do a modern, funky sock monkey brunch focusing on those two colors. More

More news and headlines after the jump. More