If you have marble or granite countertops—or any countertop material, really—preventing oil rings from soaking into the surface is an important concern when you cook. Rather than obsessively wiping every bottle before setting it down, try this simple, low-effort solution that keeps oil away from your counters for good: Place a small square dish under … Read more

It’s that time again — a look back at everything we tackled this month, bundled into one easy-to-skim roundup (with links collected for convenience). We also sprinkled in some behind-the-scenes moments, because oversharing is our specialty. This month felt especially busy: we painted, organized, built, rearranged, crafted, made art, upholstered, installed light fixtures, coded, tended … Read more

The weather hasn’t been ideal for photos and the landscaping is still a work in progress, but I’m so excited about our painted brick house that I couldn’t wait to share these pictures. I’m a suburban mom in my mid-thirties, and this transformation feels thrilling. In this article we cover: Why we painted our brick … Read more

I’m thrilled with our new living room sofa. It strikes the perfect balance between casual and elegant, and best of all, it’s completely dog-proof. The linen-look twill slipcover was exactly what we needed: it looks refined while wearing well, and the clean lines plus plush pillows deliver a comfortable yet stylish silhouette. Naturally, it makes … Read more

2, 4, 6, 8, Who Do We Appreciate? Planning! And why do we appreciate it? Because we get burned when we don’t. We certainly learned that after the framing project above our sectional went sideways. Here’s what happened. We’d always planned to fill the large blank wall above Karl with a grid of oversized frames. … Read more

You may remember the quick sunroom update from a few months ago, when we transformed our former third bedroom—previously home to a West Elm daybed and a desk—into Clara’s nursery. Since we like to make the most of what we already own, we moved the old daybed into the sunroom. At the time we mentioned … Read more

We made great progress on the deck this weekend — even with a dramatic water main break right in front of our house that sent gallons of water rushing down the street until we noticed it and reported it. The result was five workers spending about seven hours with our street’s water turned off, repairing … Read more

After so many readers asked how we keep everything—from bills to receipts—organized, we realized our recent post about seven simple life hacks only scratched the surface. So here’s a deeper look at the systems and habits we use to store, stash, and stockpile nearly everything in our home. These routines help us find things quickly … Read more

It’s high time we highlighted a few projects from our prolific, pregnant Twitter friend Jen Woodhouse, who recently relocated from Nashville to the Richmond area. Since arriving in Virginia Jen has been busily nesting, and we thought you’d enjoy seeing several of her recent makeovers and DIYs. You can find more photos and details on … Read more

Guys, I did it. I pulled out the sewing machine to make something special for Clara’s third birthday. It’s become a little tradition for us to create a homemade gift rather than buy another toy, since she already receives so many store-bought presents from family and friends. I even used fabric from her monthly photo-project … Read more