Our living room is still in transition since we took Karl to the beach house and we bought our new sofa — one new living room purchase and suddenly I want to change everything. I couldn’t wait to share a few sneak peeks and highlight a bunch of great weekend home sales. We’re talking $60 … Read more

We kicked off 2008 with a home improvement project that changed our master bedroom dramatically. On New Year’s Day we were out the door before nine, motivated by the simple promise of two new closets. Our master had only one tiny closet, which forced John to keep half his wardrobe in the guest room. That … Read more

Q: Hi guys! I was snooping around your blog to try and find a floor plan of your new home with the colors you used for each room (like you did in the post from Feb 24/2010) but I didn’t find one! I would L-O-V-E to see what your new house looks like now, with … Read more

We set a goal to enjoy our deck by Labor Day and barely made it with a few days to spare. As you can probably tell, I’m thrilled. Don’t ask me what this pose is called — John pointed the camera at me and this happened. It’s a full-on Kids Incorporated moment. We could have … Read more

Apologies for the late post — we had some technical issues. We’re excited to share more about the cottage we mentioned on Friday. A lot of you asked for details and extra photos, so here’s a proper tour. The cabin is about 45 minutes west of Richmond in Columbia, Virginia, on the Rassawek property, which … Read more

Yes, a rare Sunday post — but we couldn’t resist sharing an exciting bathroom update. We’ve praised budget American Standard toilets in the past, but today we’re eating those words: we’ve found the most impressive toilet we’ve ever seen. Think of it as the Jake Gyllenhaal of toilets — seriously stunning. Take a look at … Read more

We’re thrilled to reveal that the entire front half of the duplex is finished — which means the open living and dining areas on both sides are complete and ready to be shown. We couldn’t be happier with how these spaces came together. When you enter the left side and turn toward the living area, … Read more

Here’s a simple, affordable fan makeover anyone can do. We updated a plain white ceiling fan in the den by replacing its dated glass bulb cover with a lamp shade. The only requirement for the shade is a metal interior loop that fits around the bulb—without that loop there’s no way to hang the shade … Read more

A quick garage refresh is simple and inexpensive, especially when your doors are wood or metal and respond well to exterior paint. Our double garage has one large metal door (painted to resemble two separate doors), so two coats of black semi-gloss exterior latex transformed it in no time. The paint itself cost roughly $20. … Read more

Kids heading back to school means teachers and staff are returning too, so we were excited to brighten the welcome for one local public school’s teachers’ lounge after the school reached out for help with a volunteer makeover. In June, after someone saw our prior room makeover, the principal and PTA asked if we’d help … Read more