This week we’re sharing how a weekend cottage getaway doubled as research for our own vacation rental project. We also tackled a common lighting dilemma: how to choose ceiling fixtures that coordinate without being too matchy-matchy. After some trial and error, we landed on one simple rule that keeps our fixtures feeling cohesive while still letting each piece have personality. We break that down here, along with a few decorating no-nos pro designers say men should avoid in their homes. Plus: a painting tool I can’t stop using, and a confession that Sherry struggles with something most people do effortlessly.
You can download this episode from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio — or listen to it below. Use this page to find links, notes, and photos we referenced. If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may need to click through to the post to see the player.
What’s New
- Quick highlights from our Charlottesville weekend:
- Staying in a charming 700 sq ft Airbnb cottage
- Breakfast at Keevil & Keevil and Brazos Tacos
- Dinners at Citizen Burger and Oakhart Social
- A visit to IX Art Park (right next to Brazos)
- You may have seen the Instagram photo of this Airbnb, but here are a few more iPhone shots we took while exploring (we left the big camera at home).
- We couldn’t resist being classy tourists—here’s the “Love Butt” sculpture at IX Art Park.
Updates
- Episode #31 and the related blog post cover how we picked our “pinch” beach house color.
- Sherry’s favorite “life-changing” jeans are still getting rave reviews and a bit of a stockpile.
- Episode #33 dives into float tanks and includes a mention of Questlove’s Instagram post about them.
That’s Embarrassing
- Episode #36 tells the story of Sherry’s long-standing aversion to bathing regularly.
- We finally ordered another “good” drain plug so both bathrooms have one now—a small victory.
What’s Not
- We discussed Elle Decor’s list of “16 Things A Man Should Never EVER Have In His Home” and had some fun reactions to it.
- If you missed our chat about the women’s list, it’s covered in Episode #37 and prompted some eye-rolling.
Listener’s Call
Dining chandelier / kitchen pendant / similar end chair / blue dining chairs / stools / blinds
- Visit our Shop Our House page to see the lights we have throughout our home and where they’re from. Our recent house tour videos are also useful for seeing how fixtures look in real spaces.
- We made a mistake in our pre-renovation kitchen by selecting three lights that looked good together on paper but ended up competing—two oversized fixtures fought for attention. There are photos that show this in a post titled “The Darkness.”
- Sherry has started creating lighting mood boards for these show notes and got carried away. We’ll publish a full post with those mood boards soon. Here’s a preview that includes a glass globe sconce to show how it might pair with other pieces.
We’re Digging
- The concave roller hugs curved furniture legs better than a traditional foam roller, making it ideal for painting curved surfaces without the plastic end nub that can scrape when you press too hard.
- Our current book pick is The Kind Worth Killing—recommended for fans of twisty thrillers like Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. Bonus: this one weaves in a renovation thread.
Psst—looking for something we mentioned in a past episode but can’t remember which show notes it was in? Check out our master list of everything we’ve been digging from past episodes.
To see the Smartstuff nursery makeover and learn more about their smart furniture features, visit smartstufffurniture.com/YHL
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