Gravity plus paint became a lesson in humility when we tackled the den’s ceiling tiles. Those tiles were unusually absorbent and uneven, turning a straightforward paint job into a messy challenge. We’d been postponing this task for months, so one Friday night we finally decided to get it done. Armed with a contractor’s tip to … Read more

First off, this post wasn’t sponsored by Ikea — we just wanted to share a recent pilgrimage. We’re big fans (especially after their renewable energy announcement). People say you can learn a lot about someone by peeking in their purse or closet; for us, you can get a pretty good snapshot of our lives by … Read more

Alternate post title: “In A Minute, I Have To Hairdry The Chair” Guys, I did something a little bold. We wanted our $25 hotel-style dining chairs to be a crisp, solid apple green (since I plan to make patterned curtains, I wanted the chairs to be a single, fun color without a pattern that I’ll … Read more

It’s rare a “before” photo makes me laugh out loud, but Erin’s original shower tile did just that. Thankfully, the incredible renovation she and her husband completed has turned that unfortunate tile into a distant — and somewhat hilarious — memory. Here’s her story: Hi John & Sherry, we’ve been slowly remodeling our foreclosure for … Read more

As we mentioned here, the bedroom is “still looking rough and we’re not sure about a lot of things – just waiting for inspiration to strike – which might involve repainting and rearranging furniture along with refinishing the floors”. In the comments we clarified that we love the paint color, but something about the room … Read more

We’re excited to share a recent house tour we photographed, featuring a beautiful local home that appeared in Domino magazine last summer. Homeowner Katie Ukrop graciously welcomed us in and showed us around her charming Richmond residence. Katie is well known in Richmond as the owner of the beloved gallery Quirk, which later became the … Read more

After several readers asked how we upholstered the green headboard in our guest bedroom, we decided to share a straightforward tutorial. John’s sister Emily wanted a pink headboard for her daughter Olivia’s room, so we showed her how simple this project can be. Don’t worry — if you can wrap a present, you can upholster … Read more

Jen sent us a simple but striking dresser makeover that proves sometimes the best updates bring furniture back to its natural wood roots. While painted furniture is lovely, this two-tone treatment—stained wood surfaces paired with soft-painted body—feels fresh and modern. Here’s what she shared about the project: I recently discovered your site and love it! … Read more

Dudes and dudettes, I finally tried chalk paint. Many of you asked if I’d used Annie Sloan chalk paint, so here’s my experience. First, how we used it: John and I brainstormed options for the table we trimmed down and two thrift-store chairs we found in West Virginia (they were $8 each). We considered several … Read more

We painted a $39 Marshall mirror to tone down its formal black finish and give it a playful, nursery-ready look by transforming it with several coats of deep asparagus green. The process was simple, though the curvy openings around the frame took a bit more time than a plain frame would have. Even so, it … Read more