Painting our brick house white was just the beginning of our exterior refresh. This week we’re sharing more of the plans on our list—including one project that turned out to be far more complicated than we expected. We’ll also announce an exciting color collaboration we’ve been working on, and share more of everyone’s favorite segment: design norms from around the world, from bomb shelters and frost lines to the quirky “Vermont Witch Window.” Plus, we tried a strange but entertaining subscription mystery box that made us feel like we were solving a real crime scene.
You can also find this episode on your favorite podcast app like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or Spotify.
What’s New
- Spring has arrived, so here’s an updated shot of the house we painted white last fall, now framed by a blooming white dogwood at the front. It feels like the exterior changes are finally coming together.
- We’re planning to order an awning from the UK that has a gentle swoop we couldn’t get replicated locally. It took a surprising amount of effort to track this style down, but we think the soft curve will be worth it for the overall look.
- If you missed the full rundown of our masonry paint color collection with Romabio, we recently posted an in-depth article explaining why we chose that product, how we selected the colors, and how we tested them on our own house. We paid for and used this paint after lots of research and reader recommendations last fall.
- There’s also a dedicated landing page with all the colors in our collection and additional tips for matching paint to roofs, trim, and door colors. We included color pairings and ideas that make it easier to visualize how each shade performs in different light conditions.
Updates
- If you haven’t heard our conversations about “design norms” from around the world, start with Episode #133—one of our favorites—and then listen to the follow-up episodes #135 and #132 for more context.
- We received a great photo from a listener showing how two twin duvets are arranged neatly on one larger hotel bed in Copenhagen—an elegant visual example of a regional design habit.
- We also shared an example of the Vermont Witch Window—an odd little architectural feature with folklore attached. That image and the history behind it are worth a read if you’re curious about local building superstitions.
- For a different kind of design norm, we discussed Singapore’s requirement for bomb shelters in modern apartments. That rule has resulted in some surprising design decisions and living realities for residents.
We’re Digging
- We’ve been subscribing to a mystery box service called Hunt A Killer. Below is a photo of some of the materials we’ve received across two boxes. It’s not everything—some items were blurred to avoid spoilers—but it gives a sense of how layered and immersive the story and evidence are.
- While I couldn’t locate the earlier coupon that got our first box free, a common code you can try is FRIEND30 for 30% off an initial order.
- If you want something more family-friendly, we enjoyed playing the SET card game. Below are three examples that illustrate how a “set” is formed:
- The top example shows cards that are almost identical—same color, same oval shape, same solid fill—only the number of symbols differs (3, 2, and 1). That counts as a set.
- The middle example uses the same shape and number on all three cards, but each card differs in color and shading. That’s also a set.
- The bottom example is where everything differs—no shared number, color, shape, or shading—so it’s a set as well. If you want a simpler version, there’s a SET Junior edition that’s aimed at younger players.
If you’re trying to remember a past recommendation from one of our shows, we compiled a master list of everything we’ve “dug” in the podcast notes over the years, and we keep a running Book Club page with every book we’ve recommended.
A big thank you to Social Print Studio for sponsoring this episode. Use code YHL15 for 15% off your next order.
Thanks for listening, everyone—we appreciate you following along as we navigate exterior projects, design curiosities, and a few entertaining diversions along the way.
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