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.
Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-109/ for notes, links, and photos from this episode.
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 painting project fail that shines a light on some of the peculiar pitfalls of sharing your renovations with the world. Plus, as summer comes to an end, we’re taking you inside a months-long (and somewhat heated) disagreement that we’ve been having about our beach house.
Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-108/ for notes, links, and photos from this episode.
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 probably already got in your toolbox, and we reveal how we finally found some momentum in our beach house backyard projects. Hint: it rhymes with schmot mub.
Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-107/ for notes, links, and photos from this episode.
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 NO!) as well as diversifying your online inspiration sources. Plus we’ve got some exciting news about the upcoming launch of our furniture line, and we find out why most Millennials regret becoming homeowners.
Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-106/ for notes, links, and photos from this episode.