Have you ever thought about your approach to making decisions? It turns out that humans tend to have two distinct styles (and they even have fancy psychological terms to go along with them). The funny revelation is that Sherry & I each exemplify a different one. So this week we’re sharing what we've learned about each type of decision maker, and how it can impact everything from how we choose items for our home to how we booked our first international family vacation. We’re also outlining...

After hundreds of submissions from Australia to South Africa, we’ve rounded up some fascinating (and extremely charming) ways that you guys dress up your homes all around the world to celebrate a variety of holidays. We loved hearing about everything from colorful Diwali decorations in India to elaborate Nativity scenes in Colombia, along with a wide range of tales about who brings the gifts (Santa isn't the only game in town!). And we realized there's one common theme that ties pretty much...

Don’t we all want mo money without mo problems? Today we’re talking with personal finance expert Tanja Hester about how value-driven spending and setting a “money mission statement” can help you reach even your biggest financial goals - whether you’re saving up for a home in your dream neighborhood, a big renovation, or even early retirement, which Tanja herself has accomplished. She’s sharing easy ways to trim your budget, painless ways to put more in the bank, and why she thinks most of us...

It’s no secret that house projects can be stressful. Sometimes REALLY stressful. So today we’re sharing three ways we’re keeping a handle on it during our master bathroom renovation, especially around common stress points like broken budgets, creeping timelines, and decision fatigue. Plus, how you can you stop second guessing yourself! We’re also spilling the details about a part of this renovation we haven’t mentioned much, which oddly enough happens to be one of the things we’re looking...

Today we’re exploring an expert’s theory that your childhood passions (specifically around 5th grade) could hold the key to what you'll love doing most as an adult. It was fascinating to take a look back and see if the idea really held up for us. We’re also confessing to a mistake we made when hiring a pro for a recent house project and sharing what we'll do differently from here on out. Plus it turns out that plants aren’t the powerful air purifiers we were promised, and the nerdiest...

Getting rid of stuff is hard, especially when it comes to kids and their creations. So this week we’re sharing the simple trick we use to keep everything from arts and crafts to forts and cardboard box villages from taking over our house, without putting a damper on creativity. Spoiler alert: this trick works for adults and our favorite things too! Plus, armed with an expert’s advice and a new guideline for how much indoor greenery a home should have for optimal air quality, Sherry doubles...

You guys submitted your favorite life hacks over the last few weeks, so today we’ve got an episode bursting at the seams with all of those cheap & simple tricks for making your home run smoother and your day a little less frustrating. We’ve got everything from clever cleaning tips and unconventional storage ideas to both high and low tech ways to keep you more organized. We’re also sharing why we’re giving a BIG EYEROLL to the latest part of our master bathroom renovation and a new money...

In honor of Halloween, we’re sharing a spooky occurrence at our beach house that we legitimately couldn't explain for a few months (even I, the perennial skeptic, was like... "how did that just happen?!"). We’re also chatting with author Miranda Anderson about how her entire family took on a yearlong shopping ban, and how that choice led to more gratitude, patience, and a sense of adventure for the entire family. Plus, an update on how things are getting real (and real messy!) in our master...

Today we’re sharing how two recent treat yourself moments in our house turned sideways on us and how it shed some light on when to splurge and when to make like Elsa and let it go. One even involves a feature in our bathroom reno that we’ve dreamed about for years, but suddenly can’t seem to justify in actual practice (although it sounds great in theory!). Also after nearly 11,000 people took our “Side Of The Bed” survey, we have some surprising insights about why people sleep where they do....

Our home’s exterior makeover didn’t stop with painting it white last year, so today we’re catching you up on some projects we've completed and what’s still to come (and it involves something we’ve changed our minds about twice). We're also reflecting on a few experiments & interviews over the past 149 episodes that truly changed the way we live in our house - and we're issuing a challenge to help us all find some new ways to improve our household routines and daily lives. Plus, we look...

We’re sharing how our bathroom reno went from zero to fifty percent (that’ll make more sense when you hear what we did) and how we gained a ton of insight about the right layout and the right size for the vanity, shower, tub, etc. Also… the houseplant struggle is real, so we asked plant expert Carmeon Hamilton everything we've ever wanted to know about how to keep inside greenery alive (and happy!). She shared her favorite easy plants for beginners and even laid out when to water, re-pot, and...

People are always asking how we keep our projects and our household organized ("do you make lists? use an app?! help me!") so today we’re outlining the three tools that we use every day. Some are digital, some are old school, but the most important part is that they help to keep us on the same page (sometimes literally) about our projects, purchases, and more. We’re also sharing the near completion of a long overdue outdoor update that almost sent one of us over the edge... of the roof. Also,...

What happens when you move into a smaller house in a smaller town for over two months? That’s what we found out this summer when we stayed at our beach house to manage the duplex rentals - AND IT WAS THE BEST SUMMER OF OUR LIVES. The smaller home and smaller town lessons that we learned really stuck with us when we returned home - and they have already inspired us to make 4 changes to our life and habits back in Richmond. So even if you aren't planning to move or downsize, there are some...

We survived our first summer as Airbnb hosts to 23 different families over the course of the last three months - and, more importantly, so did the duplex itself! But our first rental season wasn’t without hiccups, high anxiety moments, and surprisingly frequent learning opportunities. So this week we’re taking you behind the scenes of a jam-packed few months of learning the hospitality ropes while juggling guests and (more literally) a very full jug of laundry detergent. Sherry also...

This week we’re diving into a survey that reveals the top homebuyer regrets - as in what features their homes have that they ended up not loving (and the results may surprise you!).  A new study also concluded some shocking-to-us things about millennial dads versus their baby boomer counterparts - and we have some big feelings about one aspect of the results. We’re also sharing a crappy situation (literally) at our beach houses, and the weird measures we’re taking to resolve it. Plus, more...

We recently made two big changes to our shopping habits that are having both positive and negative repercussions. So we’re sharing what we did, why we did it, and how we’re trying to course correct a few pitfalls that popped up. We also got a refreshing reminder that it’s liberating to acknowledge that you don’t have to be good at everything - especially in a social media world where everyone else seems to have it all figured out. Plus, we share a big hiccup that was narrowly avoided at the...

After over a year and a half of renovation, the duplex officially hosted its first overnight guests!!! And it was an exciting, emotional, and eye-opening test of all the work that we’ve put into it. So we’re sharing what we learned and what we’re changing before it plays host again. We’re also talking about how a house that we considered buying last fall as a long-term rental popped back onto our radar with some surprising news. Plus, how we solved some household frustrations for under $25 -...

So it turns out there are some weird spots in the kitchen where germs go to party - so we’re learning more about that (and what you can do about it), as well as talking about why we gave up on those meal delivery kits and found a better solution for our family. We’re also talking about how shopping for your home can be fun, but it can also be frustrating and time-consuming. So we’re sharing our tips for how to streamline your hunt and pick things with confidence. Plus, you’ll hear how our...

Our recent Chicago meet-up with fellow bloggers Chris Loves Julia, Yellow Brick Home, and Making It Lovely left us with lots of feels (and very full stomachs). But it was seeing one of their homes in person that completely changed our minds about a "design rule" we had proclaimed for our own home (on this very podcast, no less). We’re also sharing what surprised us most about the final phase of getting our duplex ready to rent. Plus the results of Sherry’s latest staging assignment and a...

Home improvement can be stressful, and we’re no strangers to that tension leading to some pretty memorable arguments. So today we’re looking at some data about what do-it-yourself projects cause the most issues between couples to see if we agree (and we share a recent fight we had in the name of data). We also reveal some takeaways from a recent house staging project that we took on together, including the big secret to getting your home ready to sell and how you may have to unlearn...

Painting our brick house white was just the tip of our home’s exterior update iceberg, so this week we’re sharing more of our plans - including one that’s turning out to be much more complex than we expected. We’ve also got an exciting announcement about a color collaboration we’ve been working on and we're sharing more of everyone's favorite thing: design norms from around the world, including bomb shelters, frost lines, and… special windows that keep witches out of your house?! Plus we try...

Installing Ikea cabinets in all three of our beach house kitchens invites the question: why didn’t we use them in our home's kitchen in Richmond?! So this week we’re diving into the answer, including what gave us pause about using Ikea back then, how it could’ve changed our final result, and what we’d choose if we had to select kitchen cabinets for our home today. Plus, we share how a simple outdoor project turned into a major plumbing issue at the duplex (yes, another one - the water curse...

We’ve got a really exciting announcement this week about a new home project we’re taking on, including how it came to be, what has us most excited, and why it’s gonna challenge us in big new ways (did we mention it’s out-of-state?). Also, we’re sharing how last week’s Spring Break trip reinforced our mission to minimize our belongings, even if John did bring home something very strange from the vacation. Plus, a new solution we’ve found for wrangling our digital photos, a new DIY tool that’s...

This week we’re talking to Joyful author and expert Ingrid Fetell Lee about some simple ways to inject joy into your home without breaking the bank. She also explains why joy is easier to achieve than happiness - and how seeking it at home can actually help you unlock your decor style. Plus Sherry marked her recent birthday by getting a long-awaited tattoo (actually, two of them!) so she’s explaining the meaning behind them, how much it hurt, and what finally convinced her to go for it. We...

If you think our podcast has tackled this question already, JUST YOU WAIT! The universe recently tested Sherry’s dollhouse fixation and whether she passed or failed it, well, may depend on who you ask. We also share what item Ikea was mysteriously selling in bulk - but only in America (we laughed out loud at the big reveal) and we hear from some listeners about how space makeovers can affect behavior in a fascinating way. Plus some interesting lessons someone learned when they challenged...