All week on our Instagram stories we’ve been highlighting Black-owned businesses as an easy way to vote with your dollars and support deserving small businesses. This began after sharing a personal post on Instagram and Facebook and reading an article noting that, over the last 30 years, independent Black-owned businesses have declined sharply and Black … Read more

So much has happened since we last picked up the podcast mic, so this episode is a catch-up on everything. We talk house updates, renovation plans, and the awkward, funny moments that come with recording and life. We even tried to describe a few metaphorical diagrams (because describing charts you can’t see is always a … Read more

Between finishing a 260+ page book manuscript (due Jan 4 — yikes!) and hosting family time with lots of delicious food, we’ve also been priming the kitchen cabinets. Can I get a “holla!”? Or more likely, a “you’re crazy.” Thankfully our guests have been super understanding, and it feels great to see real progress. Primer … Read more

We’ve finally reached the phase in our house where we’re tackling the “we’ll-just-put-this-here-for-now” things that get tossed around after a move. After a year and a half of living here, we’re slowly upgrading those temporary choices. One casualty of that effort was the tiny mirror that had been perched above our fireplace mantel since the … Read more

If you’ve strolled through Carytown in Richmond, you’ve probably visited Modern Artifacts — a charming shop filled with handmade goods including art, home decor, tableware, and jewelry. The store features distinct sections such as a kids’ area and a gallery space showcasing framed art and photography, much of it created by local makers. This week … Read more

Continuing our showhouse reveal series, here are the after photos of three connected spaces: the main bedroom’s en-suite bathroom, its attached closet, and the small atrium (really more of a vestibule) between them. We shared the main bedroom earlier this week, so it felt natural to keep the virtual tour moving through these adjacent rooms. … Read more

We recently reached a milestone we’ve been working toward for months, and we’re so grateful. Today we’re sharing the full update and digging into a question that keeps coming up: how do you know if downsizing is right for you, and what if you regret it? Fortunately, there are four practical ways to try smaller-space … Read more

It happened again: our little girl is back in preschool. The change from last year’s first-day photo nearly left us speechless. We knew she had grown, but seeing it in pictures was striking. Since her monthly photo project wrapped up at age three, it was nice to revive another photo tradition and take a few … Read more

Laura’s paint-and-accessory makeover shows that great style doesn’t require a big budget. Below is the letter she sent describing her living room transformation. I enjoy reading your blog and wanted to share some before-and-after pictures of my living room redesign. I’m a first-time homeowner in a charming older house—a Cape Cod built in 1951—and since … Read more

I have a pillow problem — and apparently John might too, since he came back from HomeGoods holding these two boldly striped 26″ x 26″ euro pillows that we snagged for just $9 each. In my defense: 100% cotton, giant euros for under ten bucks? Hard to pass up. Pillows in our house are nomads, … Read more