This is it — wall-opening week (aka “w.o.w.”). Woot! Before demo starts, here are answers to a few questions we’ve been asked a lot: How we chose a contractor How we handled permits How we determined the exact spot for the new opening (so we wouldn’t wish we’d moved it later) First, why hire a … Read more

Here’s a peek behind the scenes at our home: cloth diapers drying on a sunny windowsill and an eccentric little chihuahua who insists on making himself comfortable right on top of them. He’ll pause for a bit of birdwatching… …then stretch out and lounge on the laundry. He’s a funny little weirdo, but we love … Read more

If you’re trying to hide unattractive elements in your laundry room or you want to see photos of a laundry room with a top-loading washer (most online images show front-loaders with counters), this post should help. After months of planning, the beach house laundry room/mudroom finally came together over the weekend. It’s a simple space … Read more

After much deliberation, our laundry area is finally getting a proper makeover. Well hello there, washer… shall we take this to the bedroom? Yes — literally, we moved the washer into the bedroom. Jealous? It’s been a hectic week here, mostly because of unrelated book projects, but we’ve also managed to make real progress upstairs. … Read more

We knew our new Florida house would need major repairs, but we didn’t expect an old plumbing surprise waiting for us — though, given our history, maybe we should have. This week we’re sharing how the issue surfaced, why fixing it cost thousands, and what we’re doing to resolve it. With so many people suddenly … Read more

I’m a last-minute kind of person, and I couldn’t resist playing with a few quick and simple Thanksgiving table settings—48 hours before the holiday and counting. Normally I do a bunch of Christmas table designs, but a new doorway between the kitchen and dining area has me eager to try out some early fall arrangements. … Read more

All this wedding week talk must have worked up an appetite, so please enjoy a taste of the dishes we served on our wedding day. Perhaps our boldest DIY choice was skipping a caterer entirely and preparing the entire menu ourselves. It may sound crazy, but there were practical reasons behind it. Many caterers require … Read more

*** This giveaway is closed – see who won below!*** The randomly selected and very lucky winner of this week’s giveaway is… BeccaK (who commented, “I could trust the lube & oil folks when I go for an oil change – is a radiator flush REALLY necessary?”). Congratulations, BeccaK! We love a beautiful home, but … Read more

We did it: we tiled the entire back wall of our kitchen from counter to ceiling. We call it Project Crazy, and we survived to tell the tale. We still need to grout, mount a large industrial range hood, and install chunky open shelves (which will be screwed through the tile using a special drill … Read more

***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – see who won below!*** Our random winner of a full house window cleaning is… Christy U (who would also love to outsource getting her car detailed this spring cleaning season). Congrats! Spring brings sunshine, blooming flowers, and the annual urge to deep clean. I don’t mind some … Read more