We got a little white Christmas around here — not from snow on the lawn, but from a fresh coat of paint on our upper kitchen cabinets. Last week we sanded, primed, and painted all of the upper cabinets, and we ended up choosing white. That’s a shift from our original idea to go with … Read more

For anyone wondering when we’d move forward with the kitchen banquette idea we mentioned a few weeks ago, the short answer is: we won’t. After a lot of thought (and some disappointed emoticons), we realized it wasn’t the right fit for our space. When we first floated the banquette, the response was overwhelmingly positive—more than … Read more

When Robyn sent over photos of her charming nursery, full of thoughtful details, we knew we had to share. Below is the letter she wrote about the transformation: We welcomed our first baby on 9/9/09 and I wanted to share his nursery. It began as a guest room, but a shower leak soaked the berber … Read more

John and I often ask ourselves the same question: how did a casual blog about our upcoming kitchen remodel—originally meant to keep friends and family updated—grow into a full-time interior design and home-improvement site read by thousands every day? That question has come up more in our inbox and even in a recent reader survey, … Read more

This spontaneous Friday post was inspired by a message from Kari on Instagram: “40% off capiz lamps at West Elm. Just saying!” I immediately dove into the sale and ended up buying a giant capiz chandelier I’m excited to hang over our bed. I also almost purchased a dozen other items (there were about 14 … Read more

There will always be a soft spot in my heart for a good Ikea hack. This one isn’t complicated — it’s delightfully simple and accessible to anyone. A few small tweaks to a basic $99 Malm dresser transformed it into a piece that reads like a custom built-in for our beach house. It now sits … Read more

***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries*** You may remember our recent post raving about Envirosax — stylish, reusable fabric bags that won us over with their large capacity, compact foldable design (they collapse to roughly the size of a cell phone), comfortable handles, and fun patterns. They’re practical, portable, and look great whether you … Read more

Welcome to our 2025 Holiday Gift Guides — all in one place for easy browsing. These selections include gifts we’re actually buying for family and friends this year, from small businesses and Black-owned shops to larger retailers. Everything here is chosen because we genuinely like it: nothing was gifted to us and no items are … Read more

Did you know you can upgrade your existing toilet to a dual-flush model quickly and without plumbing experience? The conversion typically takes less than an hour and can give you the water-saving benefits of a new eco-friendly toilet without replacing the whole fixture. By reducing water per flush you can lower your household water use … Read more

Can’t we just paint some cabinets already? Our patience is wearing thin — and if you’re eager for painted cabinets, imagine how we feel. When we planned this kitchen update we assumed we’d retro-fit a few doors, slap on some paint, and call it done. Turns out there’s a lot of work between “retrofit” and … Read more