Before we left our second house for the last time, we took this photo of Clara in the room where she woke up on each of her first three birthdays. It felt important to capture that small, private corner of family life—an ordinary moment that had become meaningful precisely because it repeated year after year. … Read more

As I mentioned earlier this week, we finally brought home a real mini Christmas tree. I put up twinkle lights and hung a few ornaments, and I’m honestly thrilled — it’s a game changer. I love it. Clara and Burger are just as captivated (try finding them in the dark — it’s a Where’s Waldo? … Read more

We’re still plugging away at the kitchen, so expect an update soon—probably not post #561, more like #19—but still: progress is coming. This week we’re hoping to share some big milestones like new countertops and a working sink again. In the meantime, it feels right to shift gears and get into the holiday spirit. There’s … Read more

The weekend after we finished our big bathroom makeover, we hopped in the car and drove five hours to the family beach house in Rehoboth, Delaware. It wasn’t that we were tired of our shiny new bathroom—we kept sneaking in to admire it—but we needed a mini-vacation after all that work. My main tile guy, … Read more

If you listened to this week’s podcast, you heard John and I say that we’ve moved out of the loooong phase of daydreaming and indecision about our master bathroom and into the phase where we actually know what we want and are starting to space-plan. For years we flipped back and forth — separate tub … Read more

So yes — our refrigerator is white now. It’s not a new appliance; it’s the same almond-colored fridge we’ve had for years, refreshed with appliance epoxy so it would coordinate better with our white cabinets. After dozens of readers praised appliance paint in a previous post, we decided to test it ourselves. I was skeptical … Read more

Installing a stair runner yourself may sound intimidating, but it’s straightforward — we’ve done it multiple times and even demonstrated it on live TV. Follow this step-by-step guide, including our simple trick to ensure your rug is the perfect size for your stairs. Adding a runner to your stairs is more than a style choice … Read more

When we say we’re “tackling a room,” it’s usually a figure of speech, but this time it was nearly literal: a big bathroom demolition weekend. Before we could bring in the new finishes, we had to take everything old out. Once we removed the small items — baskets, shower curtain, mirror, rug — and told … Read more

The last few weeks of work on our beach house have been intense and anything but smooth. This week we’re sharing the story of three setbacks that happened almost back-to-back: a missed deadline, a mysteriously absent water line to the house, and an unexpected medical scare. Renovations are rarely straightforward, and we’ll be honest about … Read more

When Dana sent us her simple, budget-friendly stencil project, we had to share it. Below is her note in her own words: I just wanted to pass along a quick and inexpensive project that you inspired! A while back you featured the knot stencil from Sunny’s Goodtime Paints in a mood board and I immediately … Read more