Celeb and GOOP author Gwyneth Paltrow and family (Apple included) are going to be in Nashville for a while – so, as you do, Gwyneth had an industrial warehouse converted into a cutting-edge, million-dollar home in just 10 days.

In her newsletter, Gwyneth detailed the breakneck pace and the gorgeous results – at one point, 30 workers were busily installing drywall, painting, hanging, tiling, and wiring – all at once. The furniture and decor was moved into the home with just 3 days to spare.

Head over to Apartment Therapy or Paltrow’s site to check out the results – they’re undeniably gorgeous, but one has to wonder at the wisdom of building an entire home from the ground up just for a temporary stay. Aren’t there any 5 star hotels in Nashville?

(All images courtesy of GOOP)

The leap from IKEA furniture to furniture made out of…well, real wood (we love you, IKEA!) can be a pretty big (and expensive) one – but when you’ve seen your exact $60 “Billy” model bookcase in all your friends’ homes, you might be ready for furniture that reflects your personality just a leeetle bit more.

So, how to grow up without shelling out mad cash? Easy – enter IKEA Hacks, a website with hundreds of easy ways to alter and adapt IKEA furniture to make them your own.

Inspired by the site, in my own apartment we took a cheap $20 table from IKEA and covered it with samples of designer wallpaper and a coat of polyurethane to make a stylish, spill-proof one of a kind table. It was a piece of cake, and I’d love to try other IKEA hack projects in the future. Here are three of my favorites:

Make A Dali-Style Melting Clock
Make a Rope-Bridge Bookcase
Make an iPod Protector

Happy Friday! We hope you’re enjoying the anticipation of the weekend and enjoying spring in full bloom. A new season brings with it the urge to cast out the old and welcome the new with open arms – and that can translate to antsiness when it comes to last season’s home decor. (Spring cleaning, anyone?) What was so cozy last October may seem dull and boring now. What to do?

Luckily, you don’t have to buy whole rooms full of new furniture in order to freshen up your world. Sometimes all you need is a jump-start in the idea department to make some little changes that will have a big impact.

Here are 6 great design blogs to get you inspired – whatever your design style, whatever your budget, and whether you want to change things up on a big or small scale.

Simple Song (beauty in the small things)

This is Glamour (daily glamour within your reach)

Design Squish (design for the eco-conscious)

Apartment Therapy (the Big Daddy of all design blogs)

Decor8 (dispatches on design from an American living in Hamburg)

coco + kelley (cozy, worldly sophistication)

(Image ”the home within us” by Bobby McAlpine, found via simple song)

Obviously we here at Spa Week endorse going to a real spa whenever possible. But real life, time, and money all conspire to keep us from heading to the spa as often as we’d like–so it’s nice to have spa-like touches in your bathroom at home! Check out these spa-inspired bathrooms featured on Apartment Therapy for spa touches to add to your own bathroom:

Try going monochromatic – varying tones on tones can help even small spaces open up and feel spacious.

Jars and bottles with chrome and silver touches look sleek and clean. Just make sure to pair them with fluffy towels and other cozy touches.

Rustic elements, like these raised bowl sinks, can feel very luxurious! To keep from feeling too “country”, choose 2 or 3 rustic elements and keep everything else simple.

Fabulous spa bathroom pics courtesy of Apartment Therapy