Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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House Crashing: A Family-Friendly Whole House Renovation

We’ve shared this glorious back porch on Instagram twice (during the holidays, seen below, and last summer, seen here), which belongs to our good friends Carey & Jordan. And based on the reaction to just this view alone from you guys, we figured we should do a good old fashioned House Crash so we can show you guys more of their beautiful home. They’ve also got some really great tips about what wears well with kids and dogs (and what they wouldn’t do again), which was especially helpful since we’re currently mulling over some bathroom renos. But enough jabbering, let’s get on with the tour! similar storm door / similar black sconces / string lights Carey & Jordan used to live

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#38: How The Internet Changed & How Our Lives Changed With It

In this special episode, we’re talking about the unpredictable and sometimes dramatic ways that we’ve seen the internet change in the last decade. Has social media dethroned blogging? Has sponsored content made things worse? And what has made us more guarded about opening our lives up for public consumption? In this recording of our keynote talk from Altitude Summit, we tackle all of this and more, including why a Bachelorette turned to us for advice, what we regret about a major moment in our career, and what blog comment still brings Sherry to tears. You can download this episode from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links,

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New Lighting Designs (And Photoshoot Secrets)

Back when we revealed our kitchen makeover, we mentioned that we worked with Shades of Light to design our pendant lights (below). But those were just one of a whole slew of new designs that we’ve added to our lighting collection over the last year-ish. So in addition to sharing some of our latest designs with you guys, we also wanted to take you behind the scenes and show you some of the tricks that catalogs and websites use when it comes to photographing stuff (including how we turned an armchair into a headboard, all in the name of getting the shot). After launching our initial collection back in 2013, we added a few new pieces over the years (like the geometric flush mount that

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#37: To Brass… Or Not To Brass?

In this episode we’re talking about what women “should” and “shouldn’t” have around the house (Sherry’s guilty of at least one!) and we’re diving deep into the question of metal finishes. Should they all match within a room? How about throughout the house? And is the brass trend over or here to stay? Plus, you guys call in with your very own random and hilarious house quirks, and we share the awesome and the cringe-worthy moments from our trip to Palm Springs. You can download this episode from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos that we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a

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How To Fix A Rocking Toilet

The toilet in our hall bathroom has rocked a little bit from the day we moved in (the inspector even noted it on our little home inspection form). Some people can fix this with plastic shims or tightening bolts, but we quickly diagnosed the issue as a rusted bolt under the toilet flange. That’s a fix that requires removing the entire toilet and replacing the bolt, so it took us a while to get to this to-do task. But here’s how I finally decided to seize the day toilet and show this rocking throne who was boss! The process is similar to our toilet installation tutorial, but that project didn’t involve removing an old toilet

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Taking The Beach House Down To The Studs

We’ve shared some random details about our beach house progress here and there, but we’re waaaaay overdue for a giant picture-filled blog post about everything that has been going on over there, complete with our latest (and hopefully final) floor plans! Let’s just say that things are looking VERY different these days (you can check out the before pictures here and virtually walk through via this video tour). We definitely have the whole “sometimes it has to get uglier before it can get prettier” thing going on. As you can see from the photo above, we’ve demoed out all of the existing walls. The big “LEAVE” is not some horror-movie-style warning, just a note the contractor left for his crew so nobody

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#36: A BIG Beach House Update & Reflecting On Rejection

In this long overdue update on our beach house renovation, you’ll hear how we’ve got some walls going up and many others coming down – and why we’ve changed our mind on the floor plan (again!). We also revisit our bathroom reno for a sec (which is still percolating). Plus, we talk with Oh Joy’s eponymous founder, Joy Cho, about turning a blog into a lifestyle brand – and pushing through the many rejections along the way. We’re also talking about a simple upgrade that has streamlined our hall bathroom and an even simpler sticky fix that has solved a cord nuisance in our house. Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! You can download this

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The Best Faux Fiddle Leaf Fig I’ve Ever Seen

Just slipping through on this sunny Saturday with an urgent fake-plant related announcement. Target has some really good fake fiddle leaf figs right now by Threshold. Three things: They seem expensive ($99 for the big one and $55 for the small one) <– update, just heard they’re on sale In the store they look NEON green (like insanely bright and not-real looking at all) They’re in pots that are proportionally too small for them, and where the base of the plant meets the “dirt” looks super fake… but… … I bought a couple home to mess with them to see if I could get them to look more real for the beach house (since big real plants that

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Rug Shopping Tips

Lately we’ve received a ton of questions about our rugs. How we find them. What materials and designs we like best. How to clean and care for them so they last. Even what price points we aim for (and run away from). The truth is that rugs are complicated. And they can be expensive. And they’re definitely one of those easier-than-average things you can get “wrong.” And not only does that make you feel all crestfallen and dejected, then you’re even more scared to take the rug-buying leap again. And so begins the downward rug spiral. Oh, the drama! But fear not! As two people who have pretty much made all of the rug-buying mistakes that someone can make

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#35: When Someone You Love Gives You Something You Don’t

On this week’s episode, we’re talking about what you should do when a sentimental hand-me-down just doesn’t fit in with the rest of your home? And if you try and try but just can’t find a way to love it, do you keep it out of guilt and give it everlasting side eye or let it go and cry because you feel heartless? We’re also sharing one of Sherry’s house schemes that quickly unraveled, and I get real about those online “find your style” quizzes. Plus, we give an underrated kitchen accessory a moment in the spotlight, we find out what your home state smells like, and a famous “neighbor” drops us a line. You can

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Refinishing Our Hardwood Floors: Before & After

The new floors in our kitchen are easy to forget amidst all of the other big changes (a completely new layout! a wide doorway to the living room! new cabinets! new counters!). But every now and then we’re reminded that the floors are a HUGE reason that space – and heck, the entire first floor – feels so fresh, updated, and open. So we thought it might be helpful to recap the entire process, including time & cost, for anyone else who’s debating a similar upgrade. This before picture does a good job of demonstrating just how much of a difference the new floors have made. Yes, the photo below was taken from the same exact spot as the after shot

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#34: And Just Like That, The Beach House Threw Us A Bone

On this week’s podcast, we’re counting down our five favorite tricks for adding flow to any space so it feels larger and less cramped. We’re also divulging a big financial plus for buying a beach house in such bad condition (it’s saving us thousands!). Plus we’re exploring what organizational items annoy professional organizers, and what they recommend instead. We also got some great tips from a listener who finally conquered her giant laundry pile. Oh, and John revealed some mildly creepy Facebook stalking that turned him into a self-proclaimed hero. You can download this episode from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos that we

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