The sudden rise of video conferencing has given us a new view into our own homes—and the homes of coworkers, friends, and even public figures. What does your Zoom background say about you? How far will people go to hide the odd or embarrassing things in their space before a call begins? In this episode we talk about the lengths people take to control their on-camera environments. We also realized, in hindsight, that a family trip earlier this year had a major influence on our decision to move to Florida. Plus, we explain the large shiny object on our kitchen counter, and Sherry shares an embarrassing NYC story she may never live down.
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What’s New
- That photo is from one of the Airbnbs we stayed at during our family trip to Costa Rica in January. We kept returning to this image as inspiration for the vibe we want for a future pool in Florida, and only recently connected how much the entire trip influenced our decision to relocate.
- We shared details and tips for traveling to Costa Rica with kids, plus video tours of both Airbnbs, in a post about the trip.
- During our stay we met an American family running a butterfly sanctuary and building an incredible treehouse Airbnb. The mom who split her time between Costa Rica and the U.S. showed us around, and she’s pictured wearing a visor in one of the photos.
- If you want to explore downsizing ideas, we referenced an episode where we discuss four ways to “test drive” smaller living—one of which is spending time in compact Airbnbs. That trip reinforced our interest in a smaller house.
Decorating For Zoom
- We could certainly improve our Zoom background, but at least the lighting in our current home office is better than our previous setup, where we often appeared as silhouettes during calls when using a big-screen desktop.
- Someone sent me an article about the Room Rater Twitter account, which playfully critiques people’s video-call backgrounds. Their feed is full of examples and tongue-in-cheek commentary on common background choices.
- There are many styling tips available to create a polished, camera-ready background. If you’re curious about how others approach it, consider trying a few simple swaps—better lighting, a tidy backdrop, and a few curated objects that reflect your style without cluttering the frame.
- We also invited listeners to share what changes, if any, they’ve made to improve their video-call backgrounds via a short survey.
We’re Digging
- In one photo, readers noticed our Berkey water filter on the counter. We’ve since added a stand that makes it easier to fit large water bottles underneath—highly recommended if you use the same system.
- We also picked up a compact Shark Wandvac because its attachments fit neatly into the charging base, and it pairs well with our cordless Shark stick vacuum.
If you’re trying to remember which episode mentioned a product or book you liked, we keep a master list of everything we’ve talked about across past episodes, plus a Book Club page listing the books we’ve recommended.
Thanks to Agility Bed for sponsoring this episode. They’re offering 20% off mattresses, cooling pillows, and sheets when you shop at their site and use the code COMFORT20 at checkout.
Thanks for listening, everyone!
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