Dabney Frake

Dabney is a Southern-born, New England-raised, current Midwesterner. Her dog Grim is part terrier, part basset hound, part dust mop.
Granite Is No Longer the Most Popular Kitchen Countertop — Here’s What Is
Any guesses as to what the new countertop du jour might be?
May 13, 2024
Move Over, White and Gray Kitchens — There’s a New Neutral in Town
It's warmer than white or gray, but not quite beige or taupe, or even greige.
Apr 19, 2024
5 Budget-Saving Secrets from Apartment Therapy’s $6,000 Kitchen Remodel
Our friends over at Apartment Therapy just revealed their most recent original makeover — this time a budget kitchen renovation in a small town in Illinois. If you missed the full kitchen reveal, head over to see all the before-and-after shots. They wound up spending less than $6,000 from head to toe, soup to nuts, which they felt pretty good about — especially given that the house sold less than a week (four days) after they shot the final kitchen.
Oct 3, 2023
This Rental Kitchen Got a $300 Makeover and Is No Longer Recognizable
With her landlord's approval, we did a light reno that didn't cost a lot, but made a major difference in both appearance and function.
Apr 16, 2023
13 Temporary Products All Renters Should Know About
From tile tattoos to removable wallpaper.
Jan 21, 2023
14 Simple and Brilliant Ways to Use Command Strips to Organize Your Kitchen
Solve a handful of little life hassles with this one simple buy.
Dec 8, 2022
4 Under-Cabinet Lighting Ideas to Brighten Up Your Kitchen in Minutes
By adding lighting to this one key spot, you'll be able to make cooking that much better, more enjoyable, and, well, just plain visible!
Oct 20, 2022
Move Over, Two-Color Tuxedo Kitchens: A Big New Trend Is Here
As we recently wrote, tuxedo kitchen cabinets (when the top and bottom cabinets are different hues) are the best way to add color into a kitchen without going too overbaord. But here’s a wonderful added twist on painted cabinets we’re seeing lately: two-color kitchens with a section (or three) of raw wood. This wood adds a wonderful warmth and lots of character.
Oct 12, 2022
Here’s the Name for Those Tiny Red Bugs That Pop Up Periodically
What exactly are these little guys?
Sep 6, 2022
How to Get Rid of Silverfish and Prevent an Infestation
If you've spotted one (or more) of these lurking in your house, read on to learn more about what they are and how to get rid of them.
Sep 5, 2022
This Rental Kitchen Got a $300 Makeover and Is No Longer Recognizable
This is what Tara’s kitchen looked like when she first moved in. Not too pretty, eh? With her landlord’s approval, our friends at Apartment Therapy did a light reno that didn’t cost a lot, but made a major difference in both appearance and function. Spending money on a rental isn’t for everyone — but for those of you who love to cook, have a horrible kitchen, and plan to stay put for a while, then a little investment may well be worth the time and expense.
Jul 16, 2020
32 Brilliant Ways to Use Common Kitchen Storage All Around the House
Tons of smart and creative ways to repurpose kitchen organizers into something useful in other rooms.
May 9, 2019
These Brilliant Paint Roller Hacks Will Save You Time, Money, and Mess
A fresh coat of paint changes the look and feel of an entire space, even in a weekend. If only paint would just get on the wall already, and brushes and rollers would clean themselves. Until there’s an app for that, make the whole project that much easier with these paint roller tips and hacks. Some paint rollers, by their very nature, are fuzzy.
May 1, 2019
How Getting Rid of Stuff Actually Saves You Money
Getting rid of things in order to save money certainly feels counterintuitive. But purging household items sets you up to waste less and spend less down the road. Here’s why. Go through your pantry, drawers, and cabinets and pull out all the things you just never use. Once the pile of discard stuff accumulates, add up how much you spent on all those items. It’s a harsh reminder when you see how much stuff you’ve bought that you didn’t really need.
May 1, 2019
A Perfectly Fine Kitchen Gets Unbelievably Better, Thanks to a Bit of Paint
As kitchens go, this one isn’t too shabby. There are really nice white countertops, classic subway tiles on the backsplash, and basic wood cabinets that look perfectly sound and in good condition. There’s no horribly dated light fixtures, no crappy peeling wallpaper, or any odd woodwork that needs to be ripped out. Even the walls are white and ready to go. Not much you can do to improve this space, right? So very, very wrong.
May 1, 2019
4 Ways to Add Lighting Under Your Cabinets for $35 or Less
Kitchen cabinets are just big boxes on your walls, which makes them great for storing dishes — and for casting harsh shadows on your counters.
May 1, 2019
Turn 1 Super-Cheap Costco Bouquet into 3 Cute Arrangements
Supermarket bouquets are notorious for being a hodgepodge of flowers that don’t necessarily look great together. But even if you’re not a pro, it’s actually super easy to turn one inexpensive bunch into a series of beautiful arrangements. So skip the extra trip to the florist shop, and instead grab some cheap blooms while you do the rest of your grocery shopping.
May 1, 2019
This Is the Most Overlooked, Yet Most Useful, Aisle in Target
I spend way too much time and money at Target. I don’t want to talk about how it feeds my unhealthy obsession with Key Lime LÄRABAR (I swear they go on sale every other week, just to tempt me), or mention all the other non-essentials I wind up buying before I leave. While wandering through the store the other day, I realized there’s one section that I always forget about, but it’s chock-full of handy, everyday items that are actually useful.
May 1, 2019
The $3 Trader Joe’s Item I Buy for Everyone I Know
The perfect go-to gift — one that’s sure to please just about anyone and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg — is pretty hard to find. But there’s one thing at Trader Joe’s that I buy for everyone I know, and I’ll keep doing it until I die. I’m talking about succulents, those delightful diminutive plants that everyone’s crazy about these days. They’re cute and they are easy to care for.
May 1, 2019
Boot This One Thing from Your Kitchen Cabinets to Free Up Some Major Space
I have a love/hate relationship with mugs. I don’t drink coffee, but I’ve still somehow managed to amass a pretty extensive mug collection, which I’m oddly and irrationally fond of. I see them as a scrapbook of my life. There are the ones from my alma mater, mugs gifted by visiting friends, and then some souvenirs from travel. Yet I probably only actually use one every week or so.
May 1, 2019
The Most Versatile Whole-Home Organizer You’re Not Using Right Now — But Should Be
Wire grids are an organizational basic, which can then be outfitted and customized to suit any space in your house. They are one of the most versatile tools around, and also happen to be pretty affordable. Here are a handful of ways to hang and use them all over the place. There’s a swathe of space inside your kitchen cabinets (or bathroom vanity for that matter) that you’re overlooking, which can be used to store any number of things.
May 1, 2019
This $4 Trader Joe’s Find Will Last Forever
I’ve been writing a lot about Trader Joe’s fantastic seasonal pop-up items (like wheat stalks!) over on Apartment Therapy. It’s my go-to favorite store for lazy decorating on the fly, and on the cheap. Their latest offering: Dried lavender, which you can find in bundles right inside the front door and throw in your cart while you do the regular weekly grocery shopping. Buy these while they last at the store, because they’ll last forever at home.
May 1, 2019
Everything You Need to Know in Order to Get Rid of (and Prevent!) These Creepy-Looking Bugs
Bed bugs get all the press these days. Comparatively, silverfish (and their cousin the firebrat) are pretty harmless, but man are they ugly. It doesn’t help that they hang out in cold, dark, damp places like the basement or under the bathroom sink. If you’ve spotted one of these lurking in your house, or have an infestation, we have some tips for first preventing their arrival, then getting rid of them.
May 1, 2019
You Should Put an Old Sock in the Microwave — Here’s Why
I am sitting on my sofa right now, writing this, wearing a wool sweater, swaddled in a blanket, and I’m still freezing. My fingers, toes, and nose feel particularly arctic, and I dread leaving the house later to walk my dog. Yep, I’m one of those people: always cold. Like a heat-seeking missile, I will shamelessly and relentlessly navigate towards warmth, wherever and whenever I can. Here’s a neat hack I use to get through winter.
May 1, 2019
The Best Things You Can Do for Your Kitchen for Less than $100 This Year
Do you love your kitchen 100 percent and not want to change a thing? If so, you might be one of the lucky few. Most of us have a least something that drives us bonkers, and that something is usually storage. If you could address this one thing and spend under $100, do you know what it would be? We have a suggestion for you. If you are concerned about kitchen storage, turns out, you are not alone. According to the Houzz 2018 Kitchen and Bath Study, clutter is at the forefront of our minds.
Apr 30, 2019
9 Small Outdoor Spaces That Deserve Instagram Fame
Having a small backyard area doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the outdoors as much as those with large, sweeping grass lawns (in fact, without all the mowing, you might just enjoy yourself more). We’ve rounded up 10 inspiring spaces that are both beautiful and smart uses of their tiny little selves. If you love small spaces, and don’t follow the Tiny Canal Cottage on Instagram, get your follow finger ready.
Aug 8, 2018
The Big Drawback to Shiplap Walls That You Might Not Know About
Sick of shiplap yet? It’s the little wall siding that could, chugging its way all across America these days. We’ve seen it in kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, and even inside showers. Oh, and it is apparently all over a certain Texas town called Waco — maybe you’ve heard of it? Whether you are a diehard devotee, a grudging admirer, or just looking for another reason to hate it, know that shiplap has at least one major check in the “con” column.
Jul 11, 2018
The Only Thing You’ll Recognize in This Kitchen Makeover Is the Floor Plan
Adam and Amber bought their first home — a 1940 Tudor in Knoxville, TN — in 2016 and have been carefully re-designing it ever since. One of the main projects was the “heart” of any home, the kitchen, which Amber described as “on the verge of cardiac arrest.” Amber likes to cook, so functionality was her biggest focus.
Mar 14, 2018
Top 5 Spots To Clean in Your Rental
The best way to make a new place feel like home is to roll up your sleeves and give it a thorough cleaning. Here are the top five spots to hit when you move in. • 5 Spots To Clean in A Rental Apartment Therapy
Mar 21, 2013
Rental Damage by Kids
The top type of damage to rental apartments? Torn off kitchen doors and towel racks. Check out the rest of the trouble zones, along with possible solutions: • Rental Damage by Kids Apartment Therapy
Mar 12, 2013
Ideas for A Rental Kitchen
It’s a question as old as time. What to do with an ugly rental kitchen that, per the terms of your lease, can’t be painted? Ginger reached out to get readers’ thoughts and ideas. • Ideas for A Rental Kitchen Apartment Therapy
Mar 8, 2013
How to Hide Washer & Dryer in Cute Rental Kitchen?
Limited cooking space and large, unsightly appliances don’t easily mix. Our readers weigh in on ways to hide a washer & dryer, when the only hookups to be found are in a small apartment’s kitchen. • How to Hide Washer & Dryer in Cute Rental Kitchen? Apartment Therapy
Mar 1, 2013