When we planned features for our son’s bedroom—a compact, cozy space—we made a list of essentials: a comfortable bed ample clothing storage open shelving for books and toys concealed storage for papers and smaller toys a cozy lounge area for reading or hanging out with his sister or friends a dedicated desk for drawing, homework, … Read more

This week’s episode takes you behind the scenes of a home-makeover show with Candis and Andy Meredith of Old Home Love. They explain how their HGTV opportunity came about, what surprised them most about production, and why they’re so passionate about preserving historic character. They also share practical tips for introducing vintage charm into houses … Read more

You might remember the quick $200 makeover we did for our niece Olivia last October. To refresh your memory, here are the before photos: And here are the after photos from that $200 refresh (that budget covered the desk, chair, headboard, dresser, curtains, and other items): Olivia’s bedroom looked great after that refresh, but her … Read more

Anyone who knows me knows I adore Nate Berkus and Jonathan Adler above nearly everyone in the design world (I also have big girl-crushes on Sarah Richardson and Candice Olsen). So when I received an email asking if I wanted to do a phone interview with Jonathan Adler—who I secretly refer to as “J-Ad” in … Read more

When we needed heavy-duty shelving for our new shed, we followed a clear tutorial from Ana White. These shelves hold heavy items like power tools and paint cans and are surprisingly easy to build — even for beginners. We liked this approach so much we repeated it in the beach-house shed and the small shed … Read more

Quick note Book holla! -We’re publishing this post early since we’ll be at our stop in Wilton, CT this morning and then we’ll be at Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ at 5:30 pm (and staying as late as it takes to hang/sign/geek out with everyone). More details here. We’d love to see ya! Recently we took … Read more

We rarely mention our hall bathroom. In the 17 months we’ve lived here it’s only been the subject of two posts (removing a towel bar and fixing the toilet). Since we later used nearly the same hue as our inspiration room in the guest bedroom, we decided not to repeat that color here, so the … Read more

We finished a quick, inexpensive DIY that gives us a handy, out-of-the-way spot for recipes and meal ideas. We wanted something easy to access—recipes tucked into a book tend to be forgotten—and we didn’t want to add clutter to the kitchen. The answer was simple: a hidden cork pin board mounted inside a cabinet door. … Read more

It’s clear the biggest upgrades our laundry area needs are energy-efficient appliances and built-in storage to make the most of the small space. While we save and plan for those larger changes, we spent a few hours after Clara’s bedtime tackling smaller projects on our list a few nights ago. First on the list was … Read more

I’ll admit it: we’ve been entering the 2009 HGTV Green Home sweepstakes every day lately. As much as we love our own house, the idea of winning an eco-friendly home in sunny Florida — plus the hybrid car that comes with it — is hard to resist. And imagine the posts we’d write if our … Read more