Do you avoid certain household staples? We do—and it turns out many others are doing the same. Experts even suggest some of these items could fade away entirely. This week we explore how the modern home and its contents are evolving, which comforts we’ve dropped (one is surprisingly odd), and what’s become unnecessary in our … Read more

Our custom mood board services were featured in The Washington Post this morning — perfect timing as we celebrate our blogiversary! We’ve been mentioned in The Post’s “Blog Watch” before, but this is the first time we’ve been highlighted in a full article, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. If you’d like to see the … Read more

But don’t worry – we’re not moving into this one. As we mentioned on this week’s podcast, we recently purchased a beach house. It’s not the glossy, high-end retreat you might picture. This house is nearly 100 years old, in rough shape, and by far the most in-need-of-help place we’ve ever taken on. It’s already … Read more

And now for the fun wedding-week DIY decor you’ve been waiting for. From the moment guests arrived, we wanted them to feel welcomed and comfortable. We built a simple wooden welcome sign with a hand-painted message. Because it was a sandwich-board style (two boards joined with hinges at the top), we used the back to … Read more

Tiling a backsplash is equal parts nerve-wracking and thrilling. We dove into this project a few days ago and it took longer than we expected — nearly three hours just to work out how to cut the tiles, set up our workspace, and mix the thinset before we even began. By the end of the … Read more

When we shared this Instagram photo last month, we hinted that it wasn’t an ordinary snap—our caption even mentioned that both of us had to put on makeup for it. That shot was taken on the set of a photoshoot for Richmond Magazine’s Best & Worst issue. This annual, reader-voted roundup highlights local favorites in … Read more

We could hardly believe our eyes when we saw this remarkable kitchen transformation. Here’s a note from Gord about the renovation: I wanted to share a quick update about the kitchen renovation we just finished. The project involved relocating windows and doors, taking down walls, enclosing the odd railing that separated the family room, and … Read more

As our arms recover from the recent kitchen priming and painting marathon (shared here this morning), we thought we’d slow things down with a post about sinks. Think of it as a mellow song after an energetic dance number. One interesting part of owning our second home has been comparing its features to our first … Read more

Our neighbor recently asked for help installing a drip irrigation system in their new garden. My previous experience with a full DIY irrigation setup felt overwhelming, so I approached this one cautiously. It turned out to be the complete opposite—simple, affordable, and quick. The whole install cost roughly $75 and took only a few hours. … Read more

After yesterday’s first house vs. current house comparison, one reader’s comment made us rethink the timeline: “I think it’s an unfair comparison to put 8 months of work at the current place up against 4 + years at the old. You should have compared current photos from this house to what your old house looked … Read more