Mission: Finish installing crown molding throughout the rest of the house (with the nursery already done, we still needed to tackle the guest room, the playroom, and the hallway). Status: Complete. Thanks to the magic of the internet, a project that took us about two weeks of intermittent work can be shown in seconds. Here’s … Read more

Yup, that’s what I did. Well, technically 14 months and three days if you’re really counting. And yes, this is a post about breastfeeding, so if that’s not your thing you can skip it. I never expected to be writing about it, but I get a lot of questions and this blog is our memory … Read more

When we bought our house, the deck was in rough shape. Before it could be revived with a fresh coat of stain, we needed to strip off the old finish. It took time and effort — our deck is nearly 700 sq. ft — but it was a totally doable weekend project, even for a … Read more

* We’re sending lots of love to everyone in Boston (our cousins were at the marathon but are thankfully safe). Back in October we wouldn’t have called ourselves travel experts. We used to fly only every few years—our honeymoon to Alaska in 2007 was followed by another flight in 2012 for a family trip to … Read more

***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – scroll down for a special discount and to see the winners!*** If your New Year’s resolutions include words like “simplify,” “organize,” “declutter,” or “make more time for [blank],” this giveaway is for you. Simplify 101 offers practical, interactive tips and online workshops designed to help you reach … Read more

The beach house kitchen will be our seventh kitchen project after redoing three of our own (this one is our favorite), a 2014 showhouse, a 2016 spec house for a local builder, and a teachers’ lounge we refreshed last year. Even with prior experience, planning a kitchen still feels overwhelming because of the many decisions … Read more

After my tile-laying extravaganza, grouting and sealing felt like small tasks — especially since I took the week between Christmas and New Year’s off and planned several days to finish them. Still, I dreaded grouting. My dad called it “the pits,” and friends like Katie Bower admitted it was the hardest part of tiling. Even … Read more

***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – scroll down to see who won!*** We were thrilled when Room & Board reached out to offer a giveaway. Their furniture and accessories capture the clean-lined, comfortable-yet-sophisticated look we love, with natural materials and thoughtful details. One of their Galbraith & Paul pendant lights was featured as … Read more

When Erica sent her office makeover photos our team immediately wanted to share the before-and-after transformation. Here’s the note she sent: I love reading your blog and learning new, budget-friendly ideas. I recently updated my home office on a tight budget. You can find more details on my blog, but the L-shaped desk is built … Read more

This week we’re sharing how a quick cottage weekend turned into a scouting trip for our own vacation-rental plans. We also tackled a common design dilemma: how to choose ceiling lights that coordinate without being too matchy. After some trial and error, we discovered one simple rule that keeps fixtures cohesive while preserving character — … Read more