Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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YHL Wedding Week

Today marks the one year anniversary of our swanky DIY backyard wedding… so we thought a wedding week was in order. That’s right, we’re dedicating this week to sharing all of our crafty and creative ideas for not only a swoonworthy backyard wedding, but a fun and festive gathering of any kind. So don’t tune out if you’ve already tied the knot, we’re gonna bring you tons of affordable, personal, and unique decorating and entertaining ideas fit for any par-tay on your own turf (even if it’s just a romantic evening for you and the hubby). So sit back, relax, and don’t worry about having to catch the bouquet. First the basics. We got married

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The After Party

On Tuesday, Annastazia proved that we’re not the only ones around here with great before & after photos of their home. So I know lots of ears will perk up when I tell you that now there’s a way for your before & after pics to help a worthy cause (and maybe even earn you a little reward to the tune of a $50 gift card). One Project Closer – a blog chronicling the home improvement adventures of two Baltimore, MD couples – is hosting a blogging event this summer called Before & After ’08. You can read more about it by clicking here, but here’s the gist: Readers submit stories and photos of their

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Painting A Mustard Yellow Attic A Soft Blue Color

I don’t think you’d be able to stomach any such mustard after one peep at this Reader Redisign sent in by Annastazia. But before we get to the stomach churning before, here’s her letter: Hi John and Sherry- I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and am so envious of both your talent and your ranch home! Stairs and second levels are overrated if you ask me. I thought you should know that your bedroom design totally inspired me when I was stuck about what to do with our own bedroom. With low angled ceilings that slope as low as four feet from the ground and very small rooms, furniture placement and design

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Touring A Modern New Construction Home In Richmond VA

John’s sister Emily has been a busy girl since our last post about helping her move into her fabulous new home (that she and her husband Todd designed themselves). Yes, only a month later, she’s managed to furnish, fluff and feather nearly every room and has graciously allowed us to invade her space once more to bring you some fresh & fabulous after photos. Let the house crashing begin… Here’s a shot of the swanky modern exterior with Emily and Olivia hanging out on their front deck. The house’s theme was clean lines, modern touches and windows galore. When you buy a corner lot with nothing but green in three directions it’s easy to see

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Our Home In R. Home

Ok, so we’ve extended our 15 minutes of local fame a smidge thanks to the latest issue of R. Home magazine, the much loved home & garden offspring of our hometown’s über popular Richmond Magazine. We’ve been anxiously awaiting this July/August issue since way back in April when they first contacted us for an interview and a professional photoshoot (I know, we’re fancy), and it’s finally here. And I must say we’re thrilled (especially Sherry, who has worried for two months that her pose on the second page might make her appear one-legged). The article chronicles the short story of us and the birth of Young House Love, while sporting some swanky, professional pics of

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How To Use Paint Swatches To Make Art

When Meghan Carter came to interview us, we tried to pull out all the stops to make our house look its absolute best. We were sure to have a tasty assortment of apples in our clam-shell-turned-fruit-bowl in the kitchen and fresh towels in each of the bathrooms. Heck, we even Fabrezed a bit for good measure. But we opted against bringing in bushels of fresh flowers after deciding that lush leafy greenery looks just as fresh with our simple neutral palette (and conveniently grows in abundance just steps away in our backyard. So we were sure to snip some fresh ferns for a few bud vases in our bathrooms: And to bring in some heavier

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Some Fresh Greens For Our Floating Vases

Last week’s post about our floating CB2 vases elicited a reader request for some other vase options beyond the grasses that we had on display. So without further ado, we bring you a greener, more contemporary option: Some simple cuttings from a tree out back (definitely more believable than any faux greenery we’ve seen) added a fresh dose of green and some clean organic shapes. And even though backyard clippings may need to be replaced on a weekly basis, they’re as easy on the wallet as they are on the eyes (read: free). Still craving a few other floating vase ideas? A layer of sand with a tiny seashell or two on top would be

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Our 15 Minutes of Fame

You could have knocked us over with a feather back in December when we won the Remodel, Blog & Win contest. And not only did we score a few clams (5000 of them to be exact), we also won a coveted interview with none other than AskTheDecorator.com’s Meghan Carter. And since Meghan is such a jet setter, we weren’t at all surprised that her schedule was packed until this June (which happily meant that we had six months to whip our house into prime shape just in time for its close up). And then this past Saturday, the fateful interview day finally arrived. We realize now that we could have taken more exciting photos if

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Father Knows Best

My dad gave me a toolbox when I was in high school. I think it had four things in it: a hammer, a handsaw, a set of screwdrivers and a photo of his dad (to show me that being handy was in my blood). But not even my ancestry could interest me in tools as a teenager. Yet I dragged that toolbox along to college, then to New York City and even back here to Richmond. With each move my need for (and skill with) those tools grew. And I added plenty to my collection along the way – levels, drills, wrenches, etc – eventually outgrowing the toolbox itself. But to this day we still

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Our Glass Floating Wall Vases From CB2

After countless readers asked what was hanging to the left of our living room fireplace, we thought our cheap teardrop vases from CB2 warranted a post of their very own. With 15 framed works of art in the expansive living and dining room (yup, I counted) the last thing we wanted to bring in were a few more hard edged rectangles. So for less than $12 (actually they were a gift so they were F-R-E-E), we added instant interest. Some wild grass “borrowed” from a Target parking lot completed the look (and has surprisingly held up for the last 12+ months). Observe: These vases are versatile. If you have a wall at the end of

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