Some nursery updates have happened. While we’re knee-deep in a kitchen project (more on that tomorrow morning if everything goes to plan), we wanted to share the full gallery-frame update for Clara’s room and explain what’s in each frame. We’ve always liked the idea of growing Clara’s art wall as she gets older, adding a … Read more

Something significant happened last week: my parents sold the house where I grew up. They had been planning this for some time, so it wasn’t a complete surprise. It also didn’t feel entirely sorrowful—this sale is a step toward moving to Richmond. Right now they live about two hours away in Northern Virginia. Both of … Read more

I’m, shall we say, particular about my light bulbs. After recently switching our whole house to LEDs, I wanted to get it right—especially since one of the big advantages of LEDs is their longevity. A good LED can last years, even decades, so choosing the right ones up front matters. In this article I’ll walk … Read more

True to our blogiversary promise, we took our house-crashing tour on the road and drove four hours south to Charlotte, North Carolina to visit Matt and Kristin. They welcomed us into their charming bungalow in NoDa, one of Charlotte’s most up-and-coming neighborhoods. Their dogs Sage and Simon were on hand for the visit, and the … Read more

It’s video tour time again. It’s been about six months since our last walkthrough, and a lot has changed, so we decided to take you along on a fresh, ten-minute tour of the house. John steadies the camera while I narrate—he’s the calm, steady hand; I’m the chatty one—and together we wander through each room, … Read more

We’ve always been fans of dramatic before-and-after transformations, and after several renovation projects with century-old beach houses, there’s something especially satisfying about restoring an old home to its former glory. When Mandy shared photos of the renovation she and her husband Joe completed in Charlottesville, Virginia, we were instantly captivated. The house, affectionately named “Blanche,” … Read more

I love writing detailed product reviews, and after hearing from readers that our blog didn’t have a focused post about our favorite air purifier, I decided to fix that. For full disclosure: we bought these ourselves and have no relationship with the company. Sherry has long struggled with seasonal allergies, and finding a home air … Read more

Can we go an entire month without buying anything unnecessary? That’s the challenge we’ve set for ourselves: a self-imposed month-long shopping ban. This week we talk about how Cait Flanders’ book The Year of Less inspired us, how we’ve adapted her rules to fit our lives, and what we expect from our experiment. We also … Read more

How We Transformed Our Front Door with Valspar’s Fabulous Red After several coats of paint, our front door finally achieved the bold, welcoming look we wanted. We used Valspar’s Fabulous Red in a semi-gloss exterior finish for durability and shine, and while it took five coats to fully cover the previous black paint, the result … Read more

There’s been a little transformation happening in our sunroom lately. No, I’m not referring to the fireflies Clara keeps chasing around—though she’s convinced one should live in her room forever. The real change is that the sunroom finally has proper lighting. We installed wall sconces on the four corner posts of the space, and it … Read more