Category Archive

Philosophy

Not everything on Offbeat Home centers around the physical. Sometimes being an Offbeat Homie is all about the mindset.

Punk comes home

Is your house all rock and roll and rebellion? Maybe it’s country strong. Mine, I think, is punk through-and-through — and here’s what it means to bring punk home.

Repair as rebellion

Check it: the DIY movement can help us learn to cut our consumption and make more conscientious buying decisions.

How can we change institutional housing into a home?

People with impaired eyesight and hearing and those with limited mobility have come a long way since the days of homes for the enfeebled. What does it look like when we make it easier people with developmental and cognitive disabilites to live independently as well?

Battle of the blands: making the most of boring spaces

There are elaborate romanticized dreams about how young and creative people live — but very few of us are in gorgeous abandoned industrial spaces. We can’t all afford the luxuries of gentrified quirky spaces, and most of us have to make the most of what we’ve got.

It’s Earth Day! Read 12 ways to make your home greener for the next year

It’s Earth Day! Right, we all totally remembered and planned to do something! YAY, environment!
Great! Learn how to tune up your bike — and 11 other ways to green up this spring.

Embracing my inner mooch: learning to love living with my boyfriend’s parents

I’m starting to appreciate the full range of benefits of co-habitating with my boyfriend’s family, a lifestyle formerly known to me as “mooching.” Admittedly, I originally was eager to partake in the no-rent, frequent-free-meals, high-quality-shower type of benefits. These selfish reasons are certainly the temptation of every low-life mooch. I felt less guilty, however, after I read Little House on a Small Planet.

Starving artists live in New York, while The Heartland’s artists are fat and happy

I spent a LOT of money and time learning to paint, and then I decided not to move to a cultural center to work. I promise, I’m not stupid. Flyover country is great for creatives.

Your home is killing the planet and mine isn’t: Let’s talk about eco-machismo

One night I got drunk and when I woke up I was a vegetarian. I SWEAR, this has to do with the eco-conscious choices we all have to make.