Seeing this playful $22 lamp from HomeGoods is one of our favorite Sue The Napkin colors, and we’re planning to use it as inspiration throughout the house, I couldn’t resist bringing it home. It’s even cuter in person, though the wood paneling behind it doesn’t do it any favors. Forgive the backdrop — we’re slowly … Read more

We had a clever idea to boost our home’s curb appeal. Introducing the front-yard fountain of our dreams—an elegant, eye-catching feature that immediately elevates the look of our modest brick ranch. It adds a touch of sophistication and makes the whole property feel more polished and inviting. Looks impressive, doesn’t it? If you’re thinking about … Read more

The front of our house keeps evolving — goodbye scalloped porch, hello red door — and this weekend we finally tackled the uneven front walkway that came with the house. Why fix it? Because the old path was jagged, narrow and a trip hazard. It felt more like an ankle-sprain waiting to happen than an … Read more

We’re back with more floor refinishing details as promised. First, a quick reminder why we refinished 600 square feet of our home’s 50-year-old yellowed wood flooring: we wanted it to match the new prefinished mocha hardwood installed in the kitchen, den, laundry nook and half bath. Here’s the after — much better, right? When matching … Read more

Things just got real in the foyer. We picked up this striking pendant at our local lighting outlet in Richmond, The Decorating Outlet, for $135 — a returned item that originally retailed for much more. I had imagined something bold and architectural in the foyer, probably in an oil-rubbed bronze finish to coordinate with the … Read more

A certain pregnant friend I love has a birthday this week, so we decided to celebrate by giving one of Sherry’s favorite things to a reader: jewelry. Specifically, $500 to spend at Kendra Scott. Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. The widget may take a moment to load; once it appears you can … Read more

What’s better than one quick, easy family photo project? How about two. First up: Photo Project Number One. We’d enjoyed the small cards-turned-art that had hung above our sofa in eight Ikea frames for the past two years. At first we backed them with bright paper, and later we switched to textured fabric for a … Read more

In the spirit of sharing our favorite shelter magazines and decorating shows, we wanted to round up the top decorating books that inspire us most. We own more than thirty design books, but seven consistently stand out. Here are those favorites, with what makes each one worth a spot on your shelf. 1. The Design … Read more

Is it odd that John glanced at my headline and turned it into a bit of stand-up? His “room-crisping” ideas included: 1) Flambé it. 2) Scatter crunchy noodles on the floor. 3) Starch it. Funny guy. But seriously, here are seven inexpensive, easy ways to refresh any room. These tips are simple, but the right … Read more

When a “before” photo landed in our inbox recently, we did a double-take — it wasn’t our photo at all but a beautiful dresser redo by Desiree, on the same piece we refinished for Clara’s nursery a few months ago. Small world. Here’s Desiree’s note about her project: Technically this isn’t a Reader Redesign since … Read more