I’ll admit South Dakota wasn’t on my short list of vacation spots. Yet this summer my daughter and I joined other family members for a dad-and-daughter trip — and it turned out to be one of our most memorable getaways. It was a refreshing change from the usual beach or theme-park vacations, so I wanted … Read more

Before we put our first house on the market we quietly dug up a Japanese maple from the backyard. We had planted it around the time we got married, and it was a little offshoot from a beautiful maple that grew at John’s parents’ house—the only home he lived in during his childhood. That house … Read more

I’m absolutely in love with the latest addition to our bedroom: a lovely linen-look ottoman trimmed with nailhead detailing. It looks like a pricey pouf, but we found it at TJ Maxx for just $119 — the most we’ve ever spent on an ottoman. (For comparison, two leather ottomans in the den were $69 each … Read more

UPDATE: This post isn’t updated with recent tour info, so click here to see our official regularly‑updated tour page. The day has finally arrived — we can now share the finalized tour dates for our book, straight from the publisher. We’re thrilled to get out on the road and meet so many of you. Here … Read more

With Halloween finally here, we’re curious how you plan to celebrate: hosting a party, attending one, dressing up, or simply answering the door and handing out handfuls of candy to pint-sized ghosts and goblins. This year Halloween feels especially intriguing—perhaps because it marks a clear before-and-after for the home (we gave our porch and our … Read more

Ok, not the whole world, but a good selection of it. If you watched our house tour video yesterday, you probably noticed a shot of these prints in action — eight freshly framed city illustrations we hung in the hallway above the board & batten. Here are some close-ups and a rundown of how we … Read more

We were thrilled when Erica shared her medicine cabinet makeover. Open shelving remains a favorite trend, and this small niche conversion is crisp, practical, and stylish. Below is Erica’s description of the project. Inspired by the open shelving we keep seeing, my husband and I decided to replace our builder-grade medicine cabinet with a simple … Read more

Who knew that posting one little picture on Instagram with Clara would spark such a “tell-me-more-about-the-bangs” frenzy? You all were curious and asked for a post about my hair. There were even conspiracy theories that the bangs weren’t real and I was pulling a Kim K-style ponytail flip to fake them. Funny, but they are … Read more

My small stenciling project above the chair rail in the office is finally finished. It took three sessions of about 4.5 hours each spread over four days so my hand could recover between sessions, but it was absolutely worth it. The tone-on-tone effect is subtle up close and reads like a soft texture from the … Read more

With another round of decluttering sweeping through our house, we’re reflecting on our last yard sale: the odd trick that helped everything sell fast and the small oversight that almost turned it into a disaster. We also talk about selling both of our homes without a realtor and share five key things to consider if … Read more