#40: Going On Vacation Meant for “Research”

This week we are sharing how a recent weekend getaway to a small cottage turned into a reconnaissance mission for our own vacation rental project. Plus, finding ceiling lights that look good together but are not too matchy can be tough. We struggled with it ourselves until we learned to rely on one plain trick for keeping our home’s light fixtures in check – without robbing them of all interest and personality. We are breaking that down this week, along with what pro decorators say folks should never have in their homes. We also herald a new painting tool that I am obsessed with… and it turns out Sherry’s truly bad at something that most people can do without even trying.

You can download this episode from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos that we referenced. Note: If you are reading in a feed reader, you might have to click through to the post to see the player.

What is New

Here is a swift link-y rundown of our Charlottesville weekend trip:
- Our fairly 700 sf Airbnb cottage
- Breakfasts at Keevil & Keevil and Brazos Tacos
- Dinners at Citizen Burger and Oakhart Social
- Visit to IX Art Park (it is right next to Brazos)
You may have already seen the picture above of the Airbnb we stayed at on Instagram, but here are a few other shots that we grabbed with our iPhone (the good camera stayed at home!).

And here is the “Enjoy Butt” sculpture at that art park we mentioned. We are nothing if not classy tourists.

Updates

Here is the podcast episode (#31) and the journal post where we talk about picking our “pinch” beach house color
These are the “life-changing” jeans that Sherry cannot stop raving about (and stockpiling)
And here is our podcast episode (#33) about float tanks & Questlove’s Instagram about ’em

That is Embarrassing

Here is our original podcast episode (#36) that references Sherry’s lack of bath-taking.
And if you are curious, we at last ordered another “good” drain plug so both bathrooms can have one. #tinyvictory

What is Not

Here is Elle Decor’s 16 Things A Man Should Never EVER Have In His Home (read that like a southern lady for 5 extra points)
And if you missed our original chat about the women’s list that had us doing a bit of eye-rolling, it is in Episode #37

Listener’s Call

dining chandelier / kitchen pendant / similar end chair / blue dining chairs / stools / blinds

You can visit our Shop Our House page to see all the lights we have throughout our house (and find out where they are from). Our most recent house tour videos might also come in handy to see how they look as you walk through the house.
Here is a look at the mistake we made in our pre-renovated kitchen. We chose three lights that looked good together on paper, hung ’em up, but slowly realized the two oversized ones were fighting for attention in there (there are a couple of good shots at the end of this post).
Sherry began to make her lighting mood boards for these show notes and got a little carried away. So we are going to drop them into a full journal post for you folks asap. Stay tuned! Here is a preview of one that incorporates a glass globe fixture, like our caller mentioned (it is a sconce and not a pendant, but you can see how it relates to the other items): 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

We are Digging

You can see in the snapshot above how the concave roller (10-pack or 2-pack) hugs the curved furniture leg better than a traditional foam roller. And the lack of a plastic end nub (you cannot see it in the convex one, but it is right under the foam and scrapes if you push too hard) also makes the convex one fairly strong.
Here is our new go-to book, The Kind Worth Killing, for anyone who likes books like Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. Bonus points for this one because it involves a renovation.

Psst- Looking for something we have dug in a past episode, but do not remember which show notes to click into? Well, here is a master list of everything we have been digging from all past episodes.