We just passed the one-year mark since we moved furniture into our beach house. This week we’re reflecting on how we stayed sane while decorating an entire house at once. That experience showed us some limits of our usual approach—taking things slowly and finishing one room at a time—so we’re sharing ideas that might help if you’re facing a big decorating sprint. We also recap our trip to Chicago for the Domino Magazine Awards, clarify a few questions about smart locks and cabinet colors, and reveal a new purchase Sherry insists on (and I find slightly questionable).
You can download the podcast episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, or Spotify — or listen to it on the player on the original post. Use the episode notes here to find any links, photos, or references we mention.
What’s New
- Thank you to everyone who voted us Best Renovation Blog in the Domino Magazine 2018 Design Blog Awards. We’re honored and grateful to be included among so many talented creators. The winners included blogs focused on DIY, lifestyle, international design, interior design, new voices, small spaces, and modern mavericks.
- We discovered that most of our photos from the awards night were actually Boomerangs. For a better recap of the evening, check out the Instagram post where Sherry shared several of them.
- Sherry’s observation about flowers in trash cans being a real urban phenomenon was confirmed again—sometimes the strangest things make great styling moments.
Updates
- Many readers wondered whether we’d installed a connected smart lock shown in a mudroom photo. It’s actually a keypad-style Kwikset that does not include Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, or smart-home features. The “SmartKey” label in the product listing refers to rekeying capability—not network connectivity—so don’t confuse the two.
- The keypad lock is slightly larger than typical door hardware, but we liked that it matched our oil-rubbed bronze knobs. The lock is available in multiple finishes if you prefer nickel or brass.
- If you’re curious about the gray tile in the mudroom photo, we included sourcing details in the episode notes.
- About the cabinet color: I called it “navy” on a previous episode, but it’s really closer to a muted, peacock-leaning blue—think grayed teal rather than a true green or classic navy. Trends have blurred the lines between navy and peacock blue, and that’s probably what caused the confusion.
- If you missed our earlier discussion about fixing a musty smell in the house, that came from installing a crawl space dehumidifier, which we covered in an earlier episode.
Decorating a Whole House
It’s been a little over a year since we first moved furniture into the beach house, and looking back has been fun. Some pieces stayed exactly where they landed—like a coffee table base a neighbor gave us that we later topped with DIY concrete—while other items shuffled between rooms until we found the right fit. Seeing those before-and-after moments helps explain why we often wait to finalize every detail: moving pieces around is part of the process.
- The main bedroom looked very different on move-in day than it does now. Bedding, rugs, and nightstands traveled between rooms as we tested layouts and colors. One rug we bought for the living room ended up looking much better in a bedroom, and swapping it made the whole space feel right.
- We dug through older posts where we agonized over small decisions like light shades, kitchen rugs, and bath mats—reminders that design is often iterative and that your perfect setup can take time to find.
- We’re working on a full before-and-after post for the entire beach house, and in the meantime you can see room photos and sourcing details on our “Shop Our Beach House” page.
We’re Digging
- Sherry has a new favorite mirror that perfectly reflects the TV so she can watch Housewives while getting ready—decor that’s fun and useful.
- We added a NordicTrack treadmill to our bonus room for colder, rainy days. It’s been a great alternative to outdoor walks and has become one of Sherry’s favorite ways to stay active. If a free expert setup is available through the retailer, we highly recommend taking that option—assembling and moving the unit can be a two-person job.
- On the style front: I picked up a couple of pairs of Goodfellow & Co pants from Target—one pair in a slim straight twill and another slim-fit chino—and assembled a simple outfit that worked well for the Domino event. Sherry’s look was also easy and polished: a favorite top, dark jeans, and shoes that paired well for the evening.
If you’re looking for things we’ve recommended in past episodes, we keep a master list of every “We’re Digging” pick as well as a Book Club page that lists the books we’ve discussed.
Finally, thank you to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. New sign-ups can receive a trio of Mrs. Meyer’s cleaners and a set of walnut scrubber sponges through the offer mentioned on the show.
Thanks for listening and following along with our decorating adventures!
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