Home Design

by Sherry Petersik on January 22, 2020 at 3:14 pm

This post is going to cover a lot of ground. Not only are we sharing before & after photos and a video tour about how we organized it all, we’re also spilling how much the whole thing cost, tossing out some closet planning tips to help you tackle an update yourself, and the details on how we made it all look built-in like a bonafide custom closet (with just $65 of wood!). First let’s get to the eyeball-related things: the before & afters. Also, please note how badly Burger wanted to be in this post. Photobombs out the wazoo. This little room of ours has come a long way. The photo below shows how we even upgraded the entrance to the closet. See that super narrow doorway? It was 22″ wide (WHYYY?!?!?) and not centered on that wall (again…. WHYYY?!?!). For reference, John’s shoulder to shoulder measurement is 20″. Continue reading Our Big Closet Makeover – The Budget, The Video Tour, And The Before & Afters at Young House Love.

by John Petersik on January 15, 2020 at 9:46 pm

We have so many good things to say about our family vacation to Costa Rica, and we were excited to hear from so many of you who were interested in a giant blog rundown about it. Do you know me at all? Of course I’m happy to write – at length, sparing no detail. Let’s get into it. But first I wanted to mention that no part of this trip was sponsored and we paid for all of the flights, lodging, and activities ourselves (thanks in part to a lot of saved credit card points that covered all but $219 of our flights and lodging!). Not only are we going to cover some basics like “where did you stay?” and “what did you do?” – we’re also going to answer some of your broader curiosities about traveling internationally with kids for the first time (boy did we get questions from you guys on Instagram and Facebook!). Continue reading Costa Rica With Kids: The Details Of Our First International Family Trip at Young House Love.

by Sherry Petersik on January 8, 2020 at 9:05 pm

We made some pretty exciting progress over the last few weeks that has earned us a much more functional space with a random but doable smattering of tasks left on our to-do list. We’re definitely rounding third base on this bathroom (that sounds weird, but you know what I mean – we’re getting extremely close to the end) and for that I’m straight up Carlton-dancing. Let me tell you, having a double sink for the first time in our lives (and my favorite toilet! and an actual closet system instead of a few old hanging bars!) is a huge upgrade. We’re thrilled, even if this feels like it has been a much longer renovation than we initially anticipated (aren’t they all?). And since its been a while since we’ve blogged about our bathroom & closet progress (we’ve shown a lot of peeks on our Instagram Stories but our last blog post was all the way back on October 9th!) we wanted to give you a big ol’ update, complete with pictures that we snapped this very morning. Continue reading A Big Master Bathroom & Closet Update at Young House Love.

by Sherry Petersik on December 18, 2019 at 2:09 pm

This post is for everyone who has been asking for a shed update since we finally painted it to match our white house (it only took us a year!). While we were updating things, we switched out the lights and added window boxes because I can now be described as “extremely passionate about sheds.” Like if I was on match.com that would be in my bio somewhere. This is perhaps the largest personality change for me throughout adulthood. The idea that I like sheds is an extremely new revelation. Remember when I didn’t care about sheds – and maybe even hated them – especially when John wanted to use half of our beach house’s tiny backyard for one and I basically said no and rebelled for an entire year while we lived with all of the stuff that should have been in a shed inside the beach house. Continue reading New Paint, Lights, & Window Boxes For Our Backyard Shed (Finally) at Young House Love.

by John Petersik on December 16, 2019 at 6:00 am

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 five ways you can refresh a room without spending ANY money whatsoever. As in zero dollars (Sherry would add a “holla!” right here). Plus, the new kid-friendly kitchen activity that we’re loving, the exciting-ish conclusion to our Color of the Year predictions, and how far people will go for bread. You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may have to click through to the post to see the player. Continue reading #159: Are You A Maximizer Or A Satisficer? at Young House Love.

by Sherry Petersik on December 11, 2019 at 4:25 pm

For everyone who has been asking for the details on our new coffee table (glimpses of it have made their way into my InstaStories over the last few months – and boy did you guys notice!), I’m finally writing up all the details. How many words can someone possibly share about the hunt for and the creation of a living room coffee table that checks every one of their oddly specific boxes, you ask? Well, settle in. I shall regale you with a tale of woe and triumph and there’s even a random not-sure-it-even-works alien joke worked in there for good measure. Plus I’ll show you exactly how to get this exact coffee table if you want to pull this same hack at your house (it is BEGINNER LEVEL EASY). Let’s back up for a second. You know how sometimes you dream about an item that doesn’t exist and you’re like “I like this one thing but wish it had that other top or that other wood finish.” Like you want to pull a Frankenstein combo move and merge three things together? Continue reading Our Stone-Topped Coffee Table Hack at Young House Love.

by John Petersik on December 9, 2019 at 6:00 am

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 every holiday together across the globe! Plus we’re sharing the painful wrench that was thrown into our master bathroom progress, and why we need to have a word with Taylor Swift. Oh and the movie that you should run, not walk, to go see. You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may have to click through to the post to see the player. Continue reading #158: Holiday Decorating Around The World at Young House Love.

by Sherry Petersik on December 3, 2019 at 9:51 pm

As is the tradition, I’m always the last blogger in blogland to get a gift guide up (did I mention we just got our tree up two days ago?!), but I love searching for fun gift ideas all over the interwebs (including tons of small businesses & handmade items) and smashing them all into one big post for you guys! And this is that post, so let’s get down to business. There’s stuff for grown ups, finds for kids, and a ton of budget friendly ideas that are under $25, and even $15! Hope you find something you love for someone you love… even if that someone is you (I’m totally asking Santa for a few things on this list ;) GIFTS FOR GROWN-UPS Here’s what we’re loving, either firsthand stuff we’ve bought ourselves and have really enjoyed – or things we’re getting for friends & family (or hoping to find under the tree).  1. Continue reading Holiday Gift Guides For Everyone On Your List (With Stuff Under $20, and even $7!) at Young House Love.