A Fresh Start: Painting the Nursery

The small bedroom we've used as a closet just next to our master was the only room we hadn't painted in the entire house since moving in 8 years ago... until last weekend. We're slowing updating this little space into the baby's nursery and I can't tell you how much it makes the idea of meeting our daughter feel like a reality.

Nursery Plans!

Lately, one of the most frequent questions we're getting is when we're starting the nursery. That and what the colors are or if we have a theme. Well, we've only just gotten started! In the midst of finishing up our laundry and upstairs office, we didn't want to wait too much longer on the nursery (given we're in the 60-day countdown) so, we are juggling a bit of each at once as time permits.

Laundry Room Progress: All The Finishes!

Over the last few weekends, we've been chipping away at the upstairs laundry room. The good news is we're already doing our laundry in the new space, and it's been life changing! That said, we've still got a handful of finishing details to take care of before calling this little laundry closet complete, so today I wanted to share a peek at where things are right now along with all the plans in store for wrapping this one up!

An Update: Upstairs Laundry Room Progress

With baby on the way, we have a new sense of motivation to complete the laundry nook upstairs and have made some solid progress in the last few weeks, so I want to catch you up to speed with how everything is coming together!

It's Happening: Moving our Laundry Upstairs!

We've been talking about moving our laundry upstairs since moving into this house (that's 7 years of talking) and this is the year we're finally making it happen! Wow, it feels good to say that. And! After coming through a 12-week kitchen renovation over the summer, we swore up and down we were done with tearing out walls for a good while, but here we are again and I have to admit it also feels good to be back at it. Today we're sharing all the plans, what we're losing and what we'll gain throughout the process.

The Reveal: Our Row House Kitchen Renovation is Complete!

After years of dreaming, and more recently 12 weeks of renovations, our kitchen makeover is officially finished! It's everything we imagined and more, and over the last few weeks we've been getting used to the new layout and spending so much more time in here than ever before. Our kitchen is the heart of our home, and we can't wait to show you every last detail.

Our Historic Kitchen Renovation: Waiting for the Dust to Settle

Over the last 8 weeks, we've been in the midst of a full remodel and reconfiguration of our kitchen to accommodate our ideal use for the space along with our dream design. Last we checked in, we were eager to get the process started and anticipating how we'd survive without a kitchen for a 3-4 week stretch. We knew there would likely be surprises to come and our amazing team of local specialists even prepared us with the notion that renovations can be like weddings in that there's always some sort of challenge — it's just a matter of what and when...

Historic Polish: Smooth Ceilings & Plastered Walls

After Brandon moved out and we decided to relocate our office upstairs, we've been focusing all of our energy into a full refresh of the front parlor where the office used to be.

The Unsettled Chaos: When Kids Fly the Coop

Just when we thought our house was in order, we've found ourselves in a new season of complete overhaul projects across multiple rooms. At this stage, we're learning to embrace the process and chaos.

On Removing Radiators & Lightbulb Moments

Sofa | Ottoman | Rug | Leather Chair, Estate Find

Back in November, we had the radiator in our family room removed — and I have to tell you, it's made all the difference.

Our Master Bedroom Transformation: Final Reveal

Over the past year we've undergone a series of restorations and a full redesign in our master bedroom — and we couldn't be more excited to say this space is finally complete! Can you hear the excitement? If you're curious (or just want to see some good "before" pics), we detailed the entire restoration bits of the room in this post and created a mood board with all the background details on the inspiration for the design in this post.

Our Master Bedroom Transformation: Demo & Restoration

A few weeks back Mary shared the inspiration behind how we've been rethinking our master bedroom, which you'll see a sneak peek of in the photo below. Before we share all the photos from the transformation of the space, I wanted to detail out each of the restorative repairs that went into the process. If you are on the fence about owning a 100-year-old historic home, today's post might just help in the decision making...

Before & After: Painting our Historic Home in RVA

We recently updated the exterior of our home with a complete front door restoration, new gutter system, porch repairs and a fresh coat of paint — suffice it to say, we're feeling all shiny & new! This particular update has been a few years in the making (and completed in stages), so we've been excited to share the before and after photos along with a rundown of the background details here on the blog.

Over on eHow: How to Clean & Season a Gas Grill

Hello, Labor Day weekend! We're spending the long weekend at home, enjoying the extended break and have plans to fire up the grill for one last summer feast to bid the proverbial season adieu.

Over on eHow: How Restore Brass Door Hardware

In our latest project post with eHow, we've detailed out an incredibly simple method for removing layers of paint from metal hardware, then restoring it back to its original glory. We used the handle plates from the pocket doors that surround our front office:

Before & After: Exposing a Brick Chimney Under Plaster Walls

We've sort of been all over the place with house repairs around the upstairs of our home lately — we've been tackling a few plumbing issues, repairing wall damage in two rooms and even opened up the plaster wall in Brandon's room to expose the brick chimney hiding underneath. While we've got a lot going on, the most solid progress has taken place in Brandon's room and we're finally at a point where we share a pretty substantial "before and after" progress update for this space! As you can see from the picture above, Basil asked if he could do the honors of revealing today's makeover.