When Emily emailed us with a beautifully textured, natural DIY project, we knew we had to share it. Here’s what she wrote: I really REALLY enjoy reading your blog. I’m totally hooked on it—you have so many great, achievable ideas. I’m constantly inspired by the things you create, and recently I completed one of my … Read more

Star jasmine is a fast-growing, fragrant evergreen vine that provides excellent coverage and privacy whether trained as a climber or used as a groundcover. In spring it produces abundant, sweet-smelling white star-shaped flowers. Native to Asia, it’s especially popular in the southeastern United States and parts of California, where the warm climate makes it easy … Read more

Thinking About a Home Addition? Practical Thoughts and Tips Lately we’ve had home additions on the mind. It could be the house down the block that’s in the middle of an apparent garage addition, the new HGTV show we can’t stop watching—“My Big Amazing Renovation”—or simply the recurring daydream of what our home might look … Read more

We painted a few test swatches on our house. To be precise: just a few small patches. Our existing creamy color wasn’t unbearable, but we’ve been admiring several nearby homes with gray hardboard siding and brick, and decided to try some mid-toned options to see how they’d look against our brick and trim. The current … Read more

We’ve installed very few upper cabinets in our recent projects, so under-cabinet lighting hasn’t been a priority—until our laundry room. I found photos of the installation process from 2014 that I never shared, and it’s worth passing along because this upgrade is straightforward and can dramatically improve task lighting in kitchens, laundry rooms, or any … Read more

This week we help a listener whose home flooded during Hurricane Harvey by offering practical advice on finding trustworthy professionals to repair her kitchen and get her life back on track. We also share a new intelligent platform for buying and selling secondhand items that we’ve been enjoying, show off some recent faux-plant wins, and … Read more

DIY Reversible Stamped Rug Inspired by a Dollhouse Fabric Inspiration can come from the smallest places, and Sheena’s project is a perfect example. After spotting a tiny patterned fabric sample in a dollhouse room, she recreated the design on a full-size rug. The result is a reversible, budget-friendly floor piece that injects color and texture … Read more