Our beach house has surprised us more times than we can count, but frozen pipes was a shock we didn’t expect. Thankfully the story mostly had a happy ending, though we did make one regrettable misstep at the very end. In this update we also tackle whether high-end paint is worth the price or if … Read more

“Smart home technology is cool, but is it actually worth it?” We asked ourselves that for years as the trend slowly grew. My current answer: it’s not a necessity — it’s a want, not a need — but a few well-chosen smart devices can genuinely make life at home easier. Some also improve energy efficiency … Read more

I take pride in some unusual talents: cartwheeling into a pool, reciting every word of old commercial jingles and 90s rap, and the small miracle that my husband John and I, both right-handed, somehow produced two left-handed children. I also revel in the fact that our kids are tall — impressive for a mom who’s … Read more

We’re back as promised with the full front door makeover. Here’s what we started with: an old maroon storm door that caused three main problems: the grid pattern didn’t line up with the six‑paneled wood door behind it, it frequently jammed, and it didn’t latch reliably so it would bang open in heavy wind. We … Read more

We finally completed a small bathroom-door makeover that turned out to be far more eventful than we expected. Back in January we decided to keep the mirror on our master bedroom door (unlike the one on the guest bathroom door, which we removed). The plan was to give this mirror a thicker, more substantial frame … Read more

This post was shaping up to be a strange one. We were trying to hang Ikea cabinets in our laundry room and re-hook up the washer and dryer at the same time. By yesterday morning we were stuck halfway through both projects, and that was the best progress photo we had to show. Luckily, over … Read more

When Erica sent us photos of her remarkable office transformation, we knew we had to share the before and after. Below is the letter she included, edited for clarity and flow. I love reading your blog and seeing all the creative, budget-friendly solutions you share. I recently refreshed my home office on a tight budget … Read more

This week we share an exciting new design project (our first commercial space), plus long-awaited progress on the beach house. We also sat down with a Feng Shui expert for a clear, practical overview of how to apply its principles at home. Along the way we discover which parts of our house already follow good … Read more

When does sharing details about your children online cross the line into oversharing? How do older kids who grew up with parents’ blogs and social media feel about having their childhoods shared publicly? Lately many of us have become more cautious about posting our kids, and in this episode we dig into “sharenting” and explain … Read more

***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – scroll down to see who won!*** We had a tough time picking a single prize for this holiday giveaway, so when Skil offered a combo set it made the decision easy. They were kind enough to provide an all-in-one kit that covers a range of common job-site … Read more