In this long-overdue update on our beach house renovation, we share progress: some walls are going up while others come down, and we’ve revised the floor plan again. We also revisit the bathroom renovation, which is still in progress. This episode features a conversation with Joy Cho of Oh Joy! about growing a blog into … Read more

We’re back with another update on John’s sister’s nursery, just like we promised. After sharing the play-by-play of our wall striping project and revealing a few fabric choices, we moved on to the biggest design challenge: the room had zero windows. That’s right—none. Emily’s modern new construction positioned this interior room behind a sliding barn … Read more

***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – see who won below!*** We used random.org to pick our winner and they chose… Sarah (she could name ten small projects that have added up and could make use of this prize). Congrats, Sarah! Since the early days of YHL, we’ve been friends with the team at … Read more

Our new washer and dryer have arrived! That means our old set is gone — and selling them on Craigslist worked out perfectly (thanks for buying them, Leslie Ann!). We were appliance-free for a few days, which you may have noticed in the video house tour. By selling the old machines for $250, our already-discounted … Read more

Happy Friday! I wanted to share a quick Memorial Day sale roundup because there are tons of home items on discount right now. I’m shopping for both our house and the beach house, so I’m on high alert for good deals. A few years back I learned the hard way to wait for holiday sales—buying … Read more

This week we discuss when it makes sense to undo a personal change you made to your house that might turn off potential buyers—and when you should leave it be. We also dig into how store return policies are evolving. The ability to return decor that doesn’t meet expectations is a big comfort for online … Read more

When we removed the old cabinets on Wednesday, we discovered a small time capsule. Stuck beneath fifty-year-old cabinetry were several faded papers and coupons — not glamorous, but fascinating glimpses of everyday life decades ago. Here’s a list of what turned up: Coupon for 5¢ off two bars of Princess Dial soap (described as “the … Read more

Can you believe we’ve been blogging for five years? It feels surreal. It seems like yesterday we put up a simple page with a bold blue background so friends and family could follow our first kitchen makeover in our very first home. For our fifth anniversary we imagined a parade of homeowners waving hammers and … Read more

On Sunday we took Clara on a little weekend adventure. One of our stops was a butterfly exhibit filled with live butterflies fluttering about: Thanks to a handout we picked up at the exhibit, I was able to create a new framed piece for our built-ins as soon as we got home: Before anyone worries: … Read more

Here’s the washer and dryer update you’ve all been asking for. Yesterday our front-loading set arrived — they turned out to be floor models because Lowe’s accidentally sold the units we had originally purchased — but they arrived in near-perfect condition. The dryer is flawless, and the washer has only a tiny scratch on the … Read more