Since so many of you enjoyed our previous messy house tours (like the one from our last house in 2011), we thought it was a good time to show that our home isn’t perfectly staged all the time. With most of our attention on the showhouse and some last-minute nursery details, several projects have been … Read more

We’re excited to share our latest “Try This” column in Richmond’s R. Home magazine. For this three-page feature we offered a collection of backyard entertaining ideas. As usual, the real challenge came from shooting months in advance—like hunting down holiday decorations in the wrong season or, in this case, photographing a not-yet-blooming backyard in March. … Read more

With another round of decluttering underway, we’re revisiting our last yard sale and the unusual trick that helped it sell out quickly — and the small detail we overlooked that almost turned it into a disaster. We also share how we sold both of our homes without a realtor and outline five things to consider … Read more

We asked. You voted. We listened. A few weeks ago we put out a ballot to choose a new color for our drab bookcase, and the results are in. All three subtle options received support, and several of you suggested additional hues, but we went with the majority choice. Meet the new green bookcase: We … Read more

This week’s first project for my self-imposed “Dude Get On That Already” challenge is small, and—surprise—it’s not animal-related. I found a fifty-cent wooden box at Goodwill a few months ago, then tucked it away in the playroom until now. Here’s the only before picture I took, showing a quick splash of blue spray paint before … Read more

It’s Tuesday the 30th, which means it’s time to share this season’s unofficial Pinterest Challenge project (not sponsored by Pinterest—just an idea Katie dreamed up to get people to stop pinning and start doing). Huzzah! This time John and I built a large, chunky-framed leaning piece that looks like a mirror but functions as a … Read more

Back in October we mentioned our plans to add a hanging daybed to the covered portion of our front porch, and our whole family is thrilled that it’s finally complete. Hanging daybeds are very popular around here, and we’ve always loved the idea. There’s something wonderful about reading or napping outside on a slow Saturday … Read more

We’ve made a lot of headboards over the years, and the method below is the simplest and most versatile DIY headboard we’ve used. It requires no sewing, buttons, or advanced upholstery skills. It’s so straightforward we built two for this room. We made a wraparound, daybed-style headboard for our son’s bed to turn a basic … Read more

Every year we publicly state a few resolutions in the hope they’ll motivate us to actually follow through. So here they are—no further ado (except for this gratuitous Clara picture). Resolution #1. Be bolder with decorating and renovating choices. We want to embrace color, contrast, and playful decisions without worrying about making mistakes. We’ve learned … Read more

As much as we love our new built-in shelves in the laundry room, they interfered with our previous ironing board storage system — the one that clanged every time the washer spun. Clearly the ironing board needed a new home. We briefly considered building a cubby inside the built-ins, but wanted to keep maximum space … Read more