Posts By John Petersik

As much as we love to simplify and declutter, we’re not aiming for that ultra sleek and sometimes sterile look that’s often associated with minimalism. So we’ve been trying out a step-by-step process for creating a minimalist space that still feels warm, cozy, and inviting. Spoiler alert: Sherry loves the easy formula and is basically going nuts on the whole house. We’re also starting to bring our vision for the duplex kitchens to life and – curveball alert! – we’re steering clear of white cabinetry. You can hear why we don’t think it’s right for the duplex, along with learning how we’re getting a custom look on a serious budget. Sherry also ups her underwear

What started as a straightforward sink swap in the beach house’s en-suite bathroom ended with a big hole in the wall and a face full of water. And the cause was something we had never heard about before (and just about the weirdest thing ever). We share what happened and how we fixed it – plus we spill all the details on why we continue to put off the renovation of the two upstairs bathrooms here at home. We’re also shouting out a new decorating show that we really like, a piece of technology that Sherry is loving, and the a tale of how our first book snagged the attention of a ‘90s rock singer

We’ve been on a rollercoaster with those diamond paned doors that we hunted down for our duplex renovation. There was a pretty disappointing low followed by a surprising high, so we’re looping you into the whole thing this week. Also, how come some home improvement professionals seem to be playing hard-to-get sometimes? Unreturned phone calls, missed appointments, and straight-up ghosting seem to be all too common, so we asked a contractor why this happens and what people can do to get better service. Plus, we explore some weird new “smart” gadgets for your home, the trendy new place for paint, and John gets swindled by a sponsored post. You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google

Welp, it’s official: new research shows that we aren’t using all of the square footage in our homes. But we sure are paying for it (and then paying to heat & cool it, decorate it, plus spending time cleaning it). Why are we doing that?! Well, this week we’re diving into a study that shows what specific spaces aren’t being used – and what we all might want to consider focusing on instead of house size – even if you love having people over and entertaining large groups. We’re also sharing a failed painting project that shines a light on some of the peculiar pitfalls of sharing your renovations with the world. Plus, as summer

We can’t be the only ones noticing that all of the renovations on TV and online seem to be snowballing. Whatever happened to those budget decorating shows and use-what-you-have makeovers? And who remembers when a blog post might have just been “I ordered some new art” instead of “here’s the entire before & after of our kitchen gut job!” Our own projects certainly have ratcheted up over the years too, so this week we’re discussing how we all got here, if we might be approaching a tipping point, the understandable craving to scale back, and how bloggers & design TV are contributing to the escalation. We’re also breaking down some surprising features of something you’ve

Sure it’s fun to imagine what it would be like to downsize and live in a significantly smaller space, but this week we’re talking to a family of 4 (with a giant dog!) who took the leap and moved from a large builder-grade home to a 1,200 cottage bungalow with just one full bathroom and two bedrooms. Designer Shavonda Gardner shares extremely frank details about the pros & cons – including who in her family resisted it most, what space issues they still struggle with, and what they’ve done to make it work a heckova lot harder. We also talk to her about designing smaller spaces (is lighter paint really the only answer? she says

We seem to have a sore spot with tubs, and the duplex renovation has proven to be no exception. So today we’re sharing how a strategic money-saving decision saved us 30% off a huge renovation line item, but sent us on a tub-induced stress spiral. We’ve also got some exciting updates about painting our brick house white, our gross backyard experiment to keep the deer from eating our plants, and whether Sherry is still known as Laura in Cape Charles. We dive into the pros & cons of laundry location too – plus we explain when to choose a variety of wall colors for your house (and when one whole-house color can actually work like