Building Clara a sandbox turned into a project that took nearly a year to finish. If you need proof, check the post about her first birthday party from last May — our girl is almost two now. We kept putting it off because we couldn’t decide where to put it. At one point we considered … Read more

Curious readers wanted to know what John and I exchanged for Valentine’s Day, so here’s the story. I found a charming vintage metal card catalog at a local thrift shop for $5 (it was marked $6, but I’m a notorious negotiator) and immediately fell for the gray-green finish and sturdy steel drawer pulls. Since John … Read more

When we received a letter from Jacky describing her mantle makeover, we were excited to share the before-and-after photos. Here’s her note: I’m a big fan of your site and wanted to share my living room transformation. We had an oddly shaped concrete mantle and left it alone for more than two years. After reading … Read more

As much as we admire a crisp white kitchen, there are many other appealing options—like my sister’s wood cabinets paired with white appliances and the popular “tuxedo” kitchens that mix dark and light cabinetry. When Rita sent in photos of her renovation, we were impressed by how much the space improved, especially her striking two-tone … Read more

We’re back with the final tutorial from our recent R. Home column on reinventing thrift-store finds: painting terra cotta pots. You may have seen this makeover in the magazine, but below is a clear, step-by-step guide for anyone who wants an easy, affordable update for plain clay pots. Supplies Terra cotta pots (an inexpensive mix … Read more

Our neighbor recently asked for help installing a drip irrigation system for their new garden. My previous experience with a full DIY irrigation install was intense, so I approached this cautiously. It turned out to be the opposite—simple, affordable, and quick. The whole system cost roughly $75 and took only a few hours to set … Read more

Last Halloween we found ourselves in a familiar last-minute scramble: hours before trick-or-treaters arrived, our porch still looked bare and the grocery-store pumpkins were soggy and unusable. A quick run to Michael’s saved the night — we bought two inexpensive faux pumpkins on sale and set them out with the candy. This year I didn’t … Read more

While our recently finished bonus room upstairs wasn’t planned as a dedicated media or theater space, we always imagined it would be perfect for family movie nights. When it came time to add a TV, we wanted a clean look without a tangle of cords, so we mounted the television and removed all visible wires … Read more

From the moment we first saw this house, the row of three lights in the upstairs hallway caught our attention. Call it the “tri-light zone” effect. Despite the old carpeting and blue trim, we could tell that arrangement had real potential. The existing fixtures were undersized for the space (this is a 33-foot-long hallway!), so … Read more

This niche-to-bookcase makeover from Mike and McGee shows how paying attention to every corner of your home can add both function and visual appeal. Here’s their account of the project: We recently renovated a nook in our Austin, Texas home. We removed an awkward art niche and recessed light and replaced them with a custom … Read more