We’ve been holding onto a fun secret: a little road trip and a real-life meet-up with a favorite blogger. Now that the secret’s out, we’re excited to share the highlights from our visit and a peek into Katie Bower’s cheerful, well-organized home. That’s Katie Bower from All Bower Power. After months of commenting and emailing, … Read more

***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries*** The headline isn’t meant to be provocative — it’s simply the clearest way to identify the DuPont giveaway that has been appearing on several of our favorite blogs. Now it’s here on YHL. We’re excited to announce: the DuPont iPod Touch giveaway. DuPont is giving one lucky reader … Read more

I’ve never been more excited to share before-and-after photos than I am today. Last month marked the two-year anniversary of buying the beach house, and while we never call a home completely “done,” this place has come so far that it felt like the right moment to look back and document what’s been finished — … Read more

The deck is finally finished — cue the celebratory cowbells. I wrapped up the project on Friday and spent the next few days nervously waiting for the county inspection before I let myself celebrate. Yesterday afternoon the inspector came by and we passed. The relief was immediate and well-earned after all the sweat poured into … Read more

Painting our brick house white was just the beginning of our exterior refresh. This week we’re sharing more of the plans — including one project that’s proving far more complex than we expected. We also have an exciting announcement about a color collaboration we’ve been developing, plus another round of one of everyone’s favorite segments: … Read more

Remember when we mentioned that HGTV stopped by to film us for their show Rate My Space? Our episode is finally scheduled to air this week. Mark your calendar for Thursday, Dec 18th at 9pm e/p — couch date or DVR recommended — to catch us on TV. HGTV’s Rate My Space is based on … Read more

This week we celebrated our one-year anniversary of moving into this house. To mark the milestone — and while we finish an office update to share on Monday — we put together a set of infographics highlighting fun facts and figures from the last year. As a nod to our original “before” post, these graphics … Read more

***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – see who won below!*** This week’s early Christmas gift goes to Nancy, who mentioned she “could certainly use some new lighting” and that her favorite holiday glow “has to be my fireplace.” Congratulations, Nancy! We adore holiday lights, but indoor lighting is something you see every day. … Read more

Heads up: this post covers a few different topics. Life has felt a bit scattered in a good way lately, so it’s been harder to shape everything into a single tightly themed post. Instead, here’s a roundup of what’s been keeping us busy. We say “in a good way” because we’re gaining momentum on a … Read more

“Refinance” always sounded like one of those big, formal words reserved for our parents. As first-time homeowners with just three years into our first mortgage, we were initially skeptical about all the chatter around low rates. But after talking with my dad, consulting our loan officer, and reading practical blogs, we decided to investigate refinancing … Read more