Today we’ll walk you through how we built the bookshelves in our son’s room. It’s a straightforward project that we’ve reused to create custom shelving in other areas of our home — from built-ins around a living room doorway to pantry shelves at our beach house. These bedroom shelves were our first attempt and we … Read more

Back in 2006 we named our first dog Hamburger — aka Burger — and that sparked a long-running fascination with creative pet names. Over the years we pitched a pet-naming book, I spent more than a decade working as a product namer, and I’ll happily help name a baby or a pet whenever asked. That … Read more

We’ve always joked in our kitchen photos that we still needed to add crown molding — and today that’s finally done. The unfinished edge where the tile meets the ceiling used to stand out, but no more. Here’s a closer look at the finished edge. And another view up close. Before I walk through how … Read more

Break out the 3D glasses — well, not really. Put them away. This article won’t be arriving in any extra dimensions today. After our recent kitchen planning post, I finally took the plunge and learned Google SketchUp, as many readers suggested, to help plan our kitchen renovation. I’ve also used Floorplanner.com for years and recently … Read more

How should I stage my house to sell? Should I take down all of my family photos? I’m not selling but I want my house to look good for company — give me some tips! Do I need to add a lot of decorative accessories? Or, wait, am I supposed to be taking things away … Read more

We take a moment each month to thank the sponsors who help keep this site running. Below are a handful of patriotic and summer-themed picks that caught our eye, along with the current sponsor discounts listed at the end. Bright, vacation-ready canvas art on sale at Joss & Main. A knitted pendant light spotted on … Read more

We’re giving away a total of $500 to three small shops that make some of our favorite Teddy items. First, $200 to Bella Tunno, the maker of the cozy striped stroller blanket pictured above. We received this blanket as a gift and use it constantly. Bella Tunno also offers bibs, pacifier clips, loveys, and practical … Read more

When we noticed West Elm’s impressive post-Christmas sales, we decided to treat Ed the bed to a new king-sized duvet cover (meet Ed here and here). Although Ed is actually a queen, we opted for a king cover so it would drape more generously over the sides—the old full/queen cover had started to look a … Read more

As Sherry and I discussed on this week’s podcast, we’ve both been deeply affected by the devastation Hurricane Maria has left across Puerto Rico. It’s hard to imagine this kind of suffering anywhere, but having visited the island just a few months ago to celebrate our ten-year anniversary, seeing its people and places in crisis … Read more

Get on the floor. Seriously—oak, get out of those boxes and do your thing. I wish it were that easy. Laying oak flooring takes time and patience, but the results are stunning. Hardwood floors are one of those projects where the effort really pays off. We chose solid oak for the four upstairs bedrooms and … Read more