Sherry has picked up a new side gig that I’m intentionally avoiding, and — spoiler — it’s already provided a perfect excuse for a shopping trip. We also missed our goal of spending a night at the beach house by the start of summer, thanks to an unexpected delay we couldn’t have planned for. In this episode we discuss which home design trends people are most ready to see go (shiplap? succulents? decorative poufs?), I share one outdoor task I finally crossed off my list for Father’s Day, and — oh look — a deer makes an appearance.
You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, and TuneIn Radio — or listen to it below. Use this page to find links, notes, and photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you might need to click through to the post to see the player.
What’s New
- Above is an after photo of the house Sherry “lightly staged.” She didn’t swap out big furniture pieces — she pared down, rearranged, simplified, and added pillows, art, and small accessories. Comparing it to the before picture, you can see how removing distracting personal items helped reveal the house’s bones. Sherry also loves adding a pitcher or a few vases with yard clippings for instant, free greenery. Small changes, big impact.
- The house received multiple offers within a day of listing. Sherry’s reaction: running around the house shouting “sssssssold!” with her hands on her cheeks — classic Home Alone energy.
- You can hear more about Sherry’s staging work in Episode #41, which covers larger DIY efforts to prep a friend’s house for sale.
- We also dropped by the beach house last week to check progress. The exterior looks much more finished than the interior right now, but it’s moving forward.
- We didn’t get a photo of the fawn this trip, so here’s one from a couple years ago. Cute and hungry.
What Home Decor Trend Has to Go?
- If you want to vote in the trend matchups we mentioned, you can still participate in the BuzzFeed poll we referenced.
- Also, here are those “fancy cheese boards” that have been stalking Sherry on Facebook — once you click, the ads keep appearing. Examples were shown during the episode.
Can We Just Talk About…
- We’ve seen several alarmist posts claiming shows like Fixer Upper are partially “faked.” One recent article leaned into the detail that the source was a model. Stories like this aren’t new — similar revelations about House Hunters date back years.
- That 2012 House Hunters write-up went viral and even prompted an HGTV response. Reality TV often involves produced or guided moments, and audiences have long debated how “real” some shows are.
- HGTV has even poked fun at itself, and bloggers have compared before-and-after images to what homes look like months or years later when furniture and styling have changed. These discrepancies are common and worth keeping in mind when you watch design programming.
- We also touched on past examples from game shows like Cash Cab, which some contestants later described as more staged than purely spontaneous.
We’re Digging
- We showed several Ikea items that are available through Amazon sellers. Note that prices can be higher than in-store Ikea rates, so buying on Amazon is most useful when an Ikea trip isn’t practical. After the episode went live, Ikea clarified that many of those Amazon listings are from third-party sellers and not Ikea itself. They said they’re exploring selling on Amazon in the future.
- In the yard, we revisited our original post about the first time we mulched this space. This year the delivery driver misinterpreted our instructions and dumped the mulch about 15 feet in front of the flagged area, right on the grass. Not ideal, but we dealt with it.
If you’re trying to find something we mentioned in a past episode, here’s a master list of everything we’ve been digging from previous shows.
Finally, thanks to Delta for sponsoring this episode. You can explore Delta Faucet’s products and the ideas behind their Cassidy line at DeltaFaucet.com/YHL.
Thanks for listening, everyone!
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