The excitement began yesterday when we visited the stone yard to see our granite slabs, and it continued when we laid eyes on a massive piece of Blanc Noir. The small white sample with gray and black flecks that had captured our hearts months ago looked completely different when enlarged — a heavy, gray, polka-dotted … Read more

We replaced all of our outdoor light fixtures today and couldn’t be happier with the result. After seeing the Parade of Homes confirm that the craftsman style is a genuine trend—not just a personal favorite—we decided to introduce a few craftsman touches to our house. With Frank Lloyd Wright unavailable to redesign the entire property, … Read more

When Kathy sent us photos of her kitchen makeover, we were genuinely impressed. Here’s the note she included: I wanted to share before-and-after photos of our recent kitchen update. I read your blog regularly and all of the projects you feature keep me motivated. We followed the “how to” tutorial on painting cabinets and chose … Read more

Since we revealed the exciting 48-Hour Challenge with Home Depot last week, we’ve been steadily progressing on our porch makeover for Better Homes & Gardens. You can read the latest project update on BHG.com to see what we’ve been up to. There we outline exactly what we’re painting (including subtle stripes), what we’re building (a … Read more

And not only did we make the magazine — we were on the cover. We were ecstatic when we found out and may have screamed with excitement for a few hours. We’ve been thrilled about this feature ever since it was shot back in November, when the team also filmed our video house tour. It … Read more

Okay, make that two nightstands. Technically they’re living room side tables, but they’ve found a new life in our bedroom. These tables were nudged out of the living room when Karl arrived, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to give them up. They’re from Target’s Victoria Hagan collection and pair perfectly with the seeded glass lamps … Read more

As if this morning’s pie charts weren’t enough, we’re back with another by-the-numbers look at Young House Love. Each year we break down the blog in measurable (and sometimes silly) ways. Some figures are surprising, some are serious, and some are just for fun. For comparison, we’ve included last year’s numbers where relevant, and you … Read more

Yeah, we’re those neighbors — the ones so focused on indoor projects (and baby-wrangling) that the yard gets neglected. Here’s the weed convention taking place under our mailbox: And who’s that peeking out of the overgrown chaos? It’s a little iron squirrel the previous owners left behind. I adore him — I even pet him … Read more

There’s no better cure for a case of the Mondays than swinging a sledgehammer. It must have been an especially slow Monday, because we took on four different demolition projects yesterday. Demo project #1: Removing the chair rail in the dining room we’re converting into a third bedroom. Chair rail looks odd in a bedroom, … Read more

Don’t worry — I don’t know how to pronounce that post title either. It’s just a playful way to say that my “Aquatober” challenge — where I try to spend the entire month of October drinking water instead of soda and other sugary drinks — has stretched all the way through April. Hence, Aquatoberpril. When … Read more