We're working on a big post about our finished renovation (which we last talked about on the blog here). But I'm dropping in to answer questions about the new flooring that we chose for our entire first floor (except for the tiled bathrooms). They've been one of the most-asked-about details of our reno on Instagram, where Sherry shared this reno as it rolled along in our Stories. So today we'll cover the what, why, and how of our new flooring. It's our first time using this particular material, and we have some thoughts.

Continue reading FAQs About Our New Floors at Young House Love.

Once again, the annual Color of the Year announcements have started rolling out VERY early. And once again, one has already come out before we could make our official guesses (it's only August of 2026!). So we quickly made our picks this morning. You can see them below in this post, and just like we've done for 2024, 2025, and 2026 - we'll update this post every time a new one is announced so you can see all the COTY selections in one convenient place.

Continue reading Every 2027 Color Of The Year (So Far!) at Young House Love.

I'm honestly a little surprised by all the interest in my photo digitization project, but we continue to field questions about how I've organized our old family photos. So here are answers to the most often-asked burning questions about exactly how we sorted, organized, and backed up our photos throughout the digitizing process. I won't claim to have ALL of the answers because there's been some trial and error along the way for me. But below are the steps I wish I'd followed from the very beginning. There's also a "rapid fire FAQ" at the end.

Continue reading How We’re Organizing Our Digitized Photos at Young House Love.

Our neighbor recently asked for help adding a drip irrigation system to their new garden. My last experience with a DIY irrigation installation was pretty intense, so I was wary. But installing drip irrigation was the total opposite. It was easy, affordable, and fast. Plus, it only cost around $75 and took just a few hours to install. It's also a much more efficient way to water your plants than traditional sprinklers - so there's a lot less water waste.

Continue reading How To Install a Drip Irrigation System at Young House Love.

Pothos plants aren't just low-maintenance houseplants to own, they're also some of the easiest to propagate! Propagation is a fun way to grow new pothos from your existing pothos plants, while also helping them stay healthy, full, and looking their best. And, since it requires no special tools or skills, it's a virtually free way to grow your plant collection! We have, no joke, generated at least 12-15 free pothos plants using this method! You can even use them as gifts for friends and neighbors.

Continue reading How To Propagate A Pothos at Young House Love.

In my lifelong quest to name everyone's baby, I've posted a few lists of baby girl names and baby boy names, but what about names that defy easy categorization? Gender-neutral or unisex names are growing in popularity, and for lots of good reasons. Many see them as more inclusive, equitable, and adaptable. Some find them modern, cool, or even edgy. The rise in gender-neutral names also makes it easier for parents to use a family name or other sentimental or beloved name, regardless of their baby's gender.

Continue reading 100+ Gender Neutral Baby Names at Young House Love.

This year, we took our kids to the land of Dolly Parton, aka the Tennessee Smokies, for our recent Spring Break. It was a jam-packed week of family fun, food, and there was even a dusting of snow! There’s SOOOO much to do in this area of Tennessee – you’ve got Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park all right there. So we thought we’d hit the highlights and share our 7 favorite things that we did there. Why 7? Well, it’s smack dab in the middle of the numbers 9 to 5…

We traveled with another family, so we had 4 adults and 6 kids with us, ranging from ages 11 to 20. So all of these activities are tween and teen approved! We can’t speak specifically to younger kids like toddlers, but I think you’ll see that most of what we’ve listed below would be fun for the whole family.

Continue reading Our 7 Favorite Things To Do In Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg at Young House Love.

I’ve shared a lot of real-time renovation updates on Instagram Stories, but here’s a quick catch-up blog post for anyone thirsty for the longer format (we know we’ll love having these posts to look back on). We’re about 7 weeks into our biggest renovation in over 5 years, and the house pretty much looks as chaotic as expected. Who remembers our mantra from 2012: “the middle makes no sense“? Over the past month and a half, walls have been busted open, ceilings have been torn out, and entirely new rooms have been framed. So… lots of progress, but lots of dust… and a lot more to do. Did I mention it’s dusty?

The easiest way to catch up is to watch the video below, where you can hear me yapping about every space, what has been done, and what’s next on the agenda.

Continue reading A Mid-Renovation Update (And Video Tour!) at Young House Love.