I’m working on the annual Black Friday deals post, but in the meantime I had to share an impressive tile transformation sent in by a reader named Angela. She completely transformed her old blotchy beige bathroom floor on a tight budget—under $75—and the results have held up for more than seven months in a regularly … Read more

We couldn’t tidy up the laundry area without addressing our sloppy shoe situation. The side door into the laundry room is our most-used entrance, so it’s become the dumping ground for most of our footwear since we try to keep shoes off inside the house. Until now, our “shoe storage” was a shallow woven basket … Read more

Our Kitchen Cabinets: Choosing White KraftMaid Thermofoil Last week we got the call: our cabinets are on their way. They’re scheduled to arrive on Monday the 26th, which means we can finally lock in the installation dates. With any luck, we’ll have a functioning kitchen before the end of the year—definitely a reason to celebrate. … Read more

Now that all the birthday fuss is over, I can finally tell you about it. It was a sweet, low-key celebration—turning 29 didn’t feel dramatically different from recent birthdays. The day included everything from a foot massage with shaving cream (John mistook it for lotion) to watching Clara take her very first crawls. It was … Read more

We were surprised to realize it’s been almost two years since our last video house tour. Even more surprising was how much has changed in our home during that time. At first it felt like we hadn’t done much in Richmond because we’ve been focused on the beach house and duplex renovations. But watching the … Read more

The annual Color of the Year reveals are one of our favorite design traditions to follow (and predict). Each year, major paint brands pick a hue or palette they believe reflects or forecasts design trends. Some picks are bold, some safe, and some surprising. Now that it’s January, our 2026 Color of the Year roundup … Read more

From its name you might assume Sherwin-Williams Extra White (SW 7006) is the brightest, most brilliant white available. It is indeed a crisp, clean, slightly cool-toned white, but that doesn’t automatically make it the right white for every room. Below we answer common questions about Extra White so you can decide whether it fits your … Read more

You down with ORB? Yeah you know me. At long last, the job is done. After nearly two years of planning and procrastination, we finally replaced every old brass doorknob in the house with oil-rubbed bronze (ORB) finishes. It was one of those small upgrades that felt huge once completed—suddenly the whole home feels more … Read more

It’s gettin’ hot in here, so we added bamboo blinds. I might have been singing that while installing all four blinds — on repeat — as my husband rolled his eyes. The decision wasn’t just about heat; it was mostly about privacy. Our sunroom has an entire wall of windows, and during the daytime it … Read more

We’d been meaning to update the hardware on our front door for a long time, and the realization that our entrance would be photographed finally pushed us to get it done. Some recent returns to Lowe’s gave us an $80 refund, which covered the $50 cost of the new hardware and left a little extra—so … Read more