Bathroom Renovation Day 1: Transforming Granny’s Space

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There are almost always three main phases to the room makeovers we take on. Depending on the project’s scope they can last a few days or a few months (and sometimes, when we hop around, they stretch into years). Still, the process generally follows this sequence: Prep and planning: brainstorming, choosing a color palette, shopping, … Read more

How Fancy Should You Make a College Dorm?

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Welcome to the show notes for Episode #15 of Young House Love Has A Podcast. In this episode we discuss college students whose over-the-top dorm rooms are making headlines, share where we land in that conversation, and reflect on our own college-housing memories. We also get design tips from HGTV’s Vern Yip, describe our first … Read more

Affordable Floral Finds: My Birthday Bouquet Haul

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As many of you know, each month we like to brighten the house with an inexpensive—or even free—bouquet to keep things feeling fresh. The idea actually started from a thoughtful Christmas gift from my husband. This month, however, I ended up with two months’ worth of blooms overlapping at Casa Petersik. Remember February’s $5 bouquet? … Read more

Paint Chip Ideas to Inspire Your Home Decorating

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The other day we stopped by Home Depot to check out the new Martha Stewart Living Paint collection and, unsurprisingly, were impressed by Martha’s consistently thoughtful color choices. What caught us by surprise was the attention paid to the reverse side of the paint chips. Martha’s chips include a number of practical extras designed to … Read more

How to Seal Ardex Concrete Countertops for Lasting Protection

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Thanks for all the kind messages about Teddy’s arrival last week. We’re home now and slowly settling into life with a newborn again (seriously — any tips for getting one to sleep between 10pm and 4am?), so our posting schedule will be lighter for a bit. One project we squeezed in about 48 hours before … Read more

Turn Your Sunroom Into a Cozy Back Porch: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Sherry and I were thrilled the first time we stepped into the sunroom at our new house. We didn’t mind the stuck glass sliders or the damp carpet—those flaws made this place affordable and signaled that the room was a true fixer-upper. We loved the potential. At first I imagined a quick refresh similar to … Read more

Paint Your Fuse Box to Blend Seamlessly With Any Wall

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Our freshly painted laundry room is so bright and cheerful it makes me want to sing and dance. I started by repainting all the trim with Olympic No-VOC semi-gloss off-the-shelf white and painted the brown quarter round near the baseboards so it would blend with the trim. I applied three thin coats of the same … Read more

Missed Chances and New Opportunities: Turning Setbacks into Wins

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And now for a “we never thought we’d type this” update before we jump into today’s post. Remember when we shared that Instagram photo back in May? It was from the day we filmed a short segment with the OWN crew (yes, Oprah’s team). #ahhhhhh #more screaming Well, that little short film is airing this … Read more

30 Meaningful Non-Material Gift Ideas for Loved Ones

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I recently learned that Ina Garten calls consumable presents “disappearing gifts” — items that bring joy without taking up space in someone’s home. The idea is simple: material gifts often create an unintended obligation for the recipient to find room to use, store, or display them. The easiest way to avoid that is to give … Read more

Our Favorite Toilet: A Complete Guide to the Top Pick

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You know you’ve made an impact when people quote you in major publications or you’re interviewed on national TV. But what if one of your top Google results is “young house love toilet”? If that phrase led you here and previous searches didn’t turn up helpful details, this article will answer the most common toilet-related … Read more