We finally made it — after a few notable setbacks, the duplex is officially gutted. Today we’re sharing photo and video highlights from the demo and outlining our plans for rebuilding each side. Having renovated the pink house, we learned that extensive moisture damage calls for a full gut to expose any hidden mold, rot, … Read more

We recently passed the one-year anniversary of moving furniture into our beach house, so this week we’re looking back at how we stayed sane while furnishing and decorating an entire house all at once. That experience made us reconsider our usual slow approach of tackling one room at a time — and revealed a few … Read more

We’ve shared bits and pieces about our beach house progress on Instagram and the podcast, but we were long overdue for a big, photo-filled update that explains everything that’s happened — including our latest (and hopefully final) floor plans. Things look very different now compared to when we first bought the house; you can see … Read more

I was lying in bed thinking about the random lessons we’ve learned over nearly seven years of homeownership and DIY, and I realized they might make a helpful post. These aren’t exhaustive, but they’re the things that jumped out at me when I thought back on our projects — the small failures, the fixes, and … Read more

Where did April go? That rainy, project-packed month already feels like a blur, but it brought plenty of progress: outdoor makeovers, bathroom updates, new shades, a playful faux rap video, and more. Here’s a roundup of what we finished in April to celebrate momentum heading into the warmer months. We also included a hint about … Read more

Thank you for all the kind, excited messages on Instagram and Facebook about our beach house project. If you missed our original announcement, check the post on our blog to catch up. As promised, here’s a clear rundown of the floor plan and the changes we’re planning so far. Fair warning: we’re still early in … Read more

We finished preparing our second guest bedroom just in time for tonight’s family visit. A few days ago we shared the new daybed and cozy reading corner; now we can reveal the room dressed up with a few bold accessories that give it extra personality. To my surprise, John agreed to two fuzzy leopard pillows … Read more

Last week we spent six nights in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula with our two kids (ages 8 and 12) and our dog Penny. This was our second international family trip, so we’re far from expert travelers, but like our previous Costa Rica trip, we wanted to share practical details for anyone considering a similar vacation — … Read more

This week we’re sharing how a weekend cottage getaway doubled as research for our own vacation rental project. We also tackled a common lighting dilemma: how to choose ceiling fixtures that coordinate without being too matchy-matchy. After some trial and error, we landed on one simple rule that keeps our fixtures feeling cohesive while still … Read more

***THIS GIVEAWAY HAS REACHED ITS 10,000 ENTRY CAP AND IS NOW CLOSED – SEE WHO WON BELOW!*** And our VERY lucky winner this week is… Hallie (who knew that Belle Isle was once a Powhatan fishing village — a detail even we hadn’t heard). Congrats to Hallie, and thanks to everyone who entered! We spent … Read more