Things are moving at warp speed at the Homearama Showhouse, and we have a lot of updates since last week—especially now that fixtures, cabinets, and countertops are being installed. On the front porch the focal point of the rustic, vaulted ceiling is finally up: a statement light from Restoration Hardware. It was a splurge (we … Read more

Every year on Instagram Stories I share photos from our friends’ outrageously over-the-top Fourth of July party, and every year readers ask for a post with the photos and recipes she uses. So here it is: a roundup of what makes Justine’s backyard soiree so memorable. She and her husband John throw one massive annual … Read more

Painting our brick house white was just the beginning of our exterior refresh. This week we’re sharing more updates — including a project that’s proving to be more complicated than we expected. We’re also announcing a color collaboration we’ve been developing, and returning to a favorite topic: design norms from around the world. From bomb … Read more

It’s a stick up—er, down! This straightforward tutorial walks you through the practical process of installing peel-and-stick vinyl tiles. Widely available at big box stores for around a dollar per tile, these self-adhesive squares are an inexpensive way to refresh a worn floor. We used them to cover the blue-and-white linoleum that came with our … Read more

Curious which American accent you speak with? Here are three online quizzes that identify regional dialects based on pronunciation and vocabulary. We tested a dozen dialect quizzes to find the ones that provide the clearest, most reliable feedback. One of them even pinpointed the correct state. Not every test was useful. A couple gave odd … Read more

We don’t always agree on projects or decorating choices. Lately we’ve found ourselves in the middle of some lively home debates, so for Valentine’s Day we decided to share our current disagreements and how we’re planning to resolve them — hopefully with minimal hurt feelings (Sherry is already pretty passionate about one of these). We … Read more

Something significant happened last week: my parents sold the house I grew up in. They’d been planning this move for some time, so it wasn’t a complete surprise. It’s also not as sad as it might sound — they’re selling so they can relocate to Richmond. Right now they live about two hours away in … Read more

Let’s get into what Santa brought us. This Christmas felt extra special: in all seven of our past December 25ths together, we’d never woken up in our own beds to open presents under our own tree as a family — we’d always been traveling. This year, we finally stayed home. Later in the morning we … Read more

***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – see who won below!*** Our two lucky winners as selected by random.org are… Susie (who doesn’t like fish, despite her former employment at Red Lobster) and Sarah (who especially loves Maryland crab, shrimp, salmon, and freshly caught smoked trout). Congrats, ladies! When I lived in Brooklyn I … Read more

This weekend we scored two vintage children’s chairs — each just about two feet tall — for $7.50 apiece at a neighborhood yard sale. They were originally tagged at $10 each, but a friendly “how about two for $15?” sealed the deal. At first glance we admired their solid construction: steel legs, clean lines, and … Read more