We recently passed the one-year anniversary of moving furniture into our beach house, so this week we’re reflecting on how we stayed sane while furnishing and decorating an entire house all at once. Tackling many decisions at once exposed some limitations to our usual slower, room-by-room approach, so if you’re feeling overwhelmed, we’ve gathered a few tips that helped us. We also recap our trip to Chicago for the Domino Magazine Awards, defend our opinions about navy cabinets and keypad locks, and admit that Sherry bought something delightfully ugly for the house.
You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify — or listen to it below. Use this page to find the links, notes, and photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may need to click through to the post to see the player.
What’s New
- Thank you to everyone who voted us Best Renovation Blog in the Domino Magazine 2018 Design Blog Awards. We’re honored and grateful to be included among such talented creators.
- The Best DIY Blog: The House of Wood by Jen Woodhouse.
- The Best General Lifestyle Blog: Bright Bazaar by Will Taylor.
- The Best International Design Blog: Hygge for Home by Reena Simon.
- The Best Interior Design Blog: Studio McGee by Shea and Syd McGee.
- The Best New Voice Blog: Emily Everyday by Emily Blanchard.
- The Best Small Space Blog: A Small Life by Melanie Gnau.
- The Modern Maverick: Yellow Brick Home by Kim and Scott Vargo.
- Most of our photos from the awards night turned out to be Boomerangs — short GIF-like videos — so the best recap is on our Instagram post where Sherry shared several of them.
- Also, Sherry’s point about flowers in trash cans being a real thing was confirmed — we saw plenty of them that night.
Updates
- The tiling photo that prompted questions about a “smart lock” actually shows a keypad lock without Wi‑Fi or Bluetooth features. The “SmartKey” label only means it can be rekeyed to match existing Kwikset keys—it’s not a connected smart lock.
- It’s a bit larger than typical door hardware, but we liked that it matched our other oil‑rubbed bronze hardware. Other finishes are available if you prefer nickel or brass.
- If you want details about the gray tile we used, we’ve listed that source in the show notes.
- In the top left of the photo above you can see the cabinet color I once labeled “navy” on the podcast. It may be closer to what some outlets are calling a peacock blue—a muted, grayed teal—rather than a true navy.
- We’ve used peacock blues and muted teals in past homes, so this hue felt familiar. For more on solving our crawl space humidity (and the stinky house problem), see Episode #103.
Decorating a Whole House
chandelier / ceiling medallion / rug / bookshelf / curtain rod / curtains
- It’s been a little over a year since we first moved furniture into the beach house, and looking back at the process has been fun. Here’s what the living room looked like the day we unloaded the moving truck.
- Some pieces stayed right where they landed — like the coffee table base from a neighbor that later received a DIY concrete top — while other items moved around as rooms evolved.
- The main bedroom after move‑in looked very different from how it does now. We shuffled bedding, rugs, and nightstands between rooms until everything felt right.
- For example, the original bed linens were moved to a different bedroom to calm the pattern, and the nightstands found a better fit elsewhere. We also repurposed a rug initially bought for the living room into the bedroom because it looked better there.
rug / bedding / nightstand / fan
- We laughed about old blog posts where tiny decisions felt monumental — choosing a light shade, a kitchen rug, or bath mats felt like big life moments back then. Trends and tastes change, and that’s part of the fun.
- We’re putting together a full before & after post for the beach house, but meanwhile you can see most finished rooms and find sources on our Shop Our Beach House page.
We’re Digging
- Sherry discovered that our mirror perfectly reflects the TV, so she often watches shows while checking herself out in the mirror.
- We added a NordicTrack treadmill to our bonus room. Sherry uses it when weather keeps her inside, and it’s become her indoor walking solution. If a free expert set‑up is offered, we recommend taking it—moving and assembling a treadmill can be awkward and is much easier with an extra pair of hands.
- I picked up a couple of pairs of Goodfellow & Co pants from Target that I like: slim straight twill pants in moss and slim fit chinos in dark gray. I assembled my outfit from Target pieces for the awards event, and Sherry’s outfit details are also available in the show notes for anyone curious.
If you’re looking for items we’ve recommended in past episodes, we maintain a master list of everything we’ve been digging. You can also find all the books we’ve recommended on our Book Club page.
Finally, thank you to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. Their welcome offer includes a trio of Mrs. Meyers cleaners and walnut scrubber sponges for new customers; existing customers can still claim the sponges through the promotion link.
Thanks for listening, guys!
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