[4] Early on, he created a weekly email list offering further decorating ideas to his clients, particularly to help them make their own design decisions.

[7] In the mid-2000s, Apartment Therapy established companion sites focused on more specific topics including a children's division called Ohdeedoh and the ecologically friendly blog Re-Nest.

[5][8][9] Maxwell Ryan and his then-wife, Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan, a food writer (they have since separated), also started The Kitchn, a page dedicated to recipes and entertaining tips.

[8][10] The diversity of its readership also led Apartment Therapy to launch city-specific blogs for Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C.[1][11] As the site became more widely known, Ryan began making regular appearances on the HGTV programs Mission: Organization and Small Space, Big Style.

[17] In 2005, the site held its first annual "Smallest, Coolest Apartment Contest," open only to New Yorkers with a residence of 500 square feet or less.

The year following, Apartment Therapy partnered with furniture manufacturer Design Within Reach to expand the pool of participants nationwide, open to those with a home of no more than 650 square feet.