We couldn’t believe that over a thousand of you took the time to take our little blogiversary survey. Thank you all so much. And can we just say that it was really nice to virtually meet you and learn a little more about where you’re from, who you live with and even the names of your pets (of course Burger loves making friends- and is especially entertained by the idea of hanging out with Tater and Angus since they also have food-related names). We discovered that we have quite a range of readers, from age 15 to 66! In fact, one of our readers named Kay listed herself as 62 and “cool as heck” and even mentioned that she rides a Harley. Awesome, right? We’re also happy to see that some men actually weighed in too (suddenly I don’t feel so alone).
Oh and we couldn’t believe how spread out you guys are. Not only do we have readers in pretty much every state from Alaska to Hawaii, we also have some pretty cool international peeps dropping in from: Croatia, Singapore, France, Australia, Belgium, Greece, Bermuda, Colombia, Austria, Switzerland, Mexico, England, Estonia, China, Portugal, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, South Africa, Sweden, Italy, Holland, Germany, Spain, Malaysia and even right to our north in Canada. Is that not amazing or what? Seriously we’re blown away, and so glad that you’re all enjoying our blog. Merci! Gracias! Grazie! Danke! And that’s all I know…
But that’s not all we learned from your responses. We discovered that many of you are chomping at the bit for more rental ideas, organizing suggestions, cheap DIY projects, tutorials in general, before and afters, house crashing excursions, entertaining ideas, green-related projects and even more of Almost Doctor Dan (and we’ll have you know we’re already brainstorming his next appearance). There was also an overwhelming request for “more Burger” which we intend to deliver. Of course his formerly tiny chihuahua head can hardly fit through the door now that he knows he’s so sought after. Come to think of it ever since he was on the cover of The Nest magazine he’s been acting pretty smug.
Opinions were pretty split in two areas though: videos and design dilemmas. A lot of people lamented that they couldn’t covertly watch videos at work (Heather cleverly asked if we could somehow hide our videos in an Excel spreadsheet so she could get away with watching them) and we totally understand. But because a lot of other people listed videos as one of their favorite things – and because we enjoy making them – we’ll be keeping them as a regular feature. Just think of them as a “bonus” to the rest of the week’s posts that are chock full of work-safe photos and text. So skip ’em if you must… or maybe sneak a peek at home?
As for design dilemmas, many people begged for more frequent after photos (might we add that we’re dying for them as well) and some people said they were just too long/hard to picture so they skimmed them or skipped them altogether, which we also totally understand. But because many other people listed them as their favorite things, they too will remain as a regular feature although there are always many other topics and projects to read about between each one (so rest assured they won’t bump anything else that we’re itching to write about). In short: Karen’s request really rang true with us: “I would not say less of anything. If there is a particular post that doesn’t suit me, i can just scroll past, but you shouldn’t take anything away!” Done and done.
And although there were those two minor discrepancies, the majority of our commenters actually just encouraged us to keep doing what we’re doing, which is always nice to hear (it seems as if we’re barking up the right tree for the most part) so we breathed a nice long sigh of relief about that and got to work adding all the other ideas that people tossed out to our to-do list. You know we love a project. Seriously, we do.
We also got some good laughs out of all the little tidbits that were flattering, random and everything in between. For example we learned that Jessica loves cheese (hilariously random) and that our blog is LauraC’s homepage (speechlessly flattering). We also couldn’t help but smile when a few people mentioned that they appreciate the fact that we take the time to proofread (that’s Sherry’s inner copywriter coming out) and that we work to keep Young House Love a drama free zone (what can we say, we want everyone to see rainbows and unicorns when they come here).
Overall it was insanely fun to read all about you guys, how you live, who you share your home with and what you’d love to see in year three. In fact our heads are already spinning with a ton of new post topics thanks to all of your suggestions so everyone should go ahead and give themselves a round of applause, dust their shoulders off, or give themselves a pat on the back (just pick your favorite self-congratulatory gesture and run with it). Thanks again so much for taking the time to tell us who you are and what fries your bacon. Made. Our. Day.
PS: And as for those who slipped some questions in there about where we got something in our house or how we like to decorate for the holidays, you can check out our Room By Room Source List (located in a link on the top of our House Tour page) to find out where we snagged almost everything in our house and the bottom of our How To page for a slew of holiday decor related posts. Of course we have more where those came from in the hopper for this coming season, so stay tuned…
Jen says
I love seeing your design boards, though I do often wish there were more after photos. I also love it when you guys post favorite tools/resources/special finds from stores. It always gives me great ideas. Any chance you want to take on a barn-turned-house renovation? :) I’m local!
Elida Rodriguez says
I’d have to agree with Jen. I love seeing the mood boards, but I like to see the final product too! I’ll randomly click through them and see where you found the items, but I can’t say I’ll take the time to visualize how you’re recommending to place each item, HOWEVER, this doesn’t mean other people wont-so don’t take them off! =)
Oh..yes, I watched your videos yesterday at home because I have the same issue about your videos at work. I was cracking up with Burger. I think I’m feeling a little antsy about seeing him (or one similar) in real life–kinda the same feeling when you see a celebrity?
rich says
Hey Youngsters–
I know this has been asked about before, but could you repeat why there is never an accompaning floor plan with the design dilemmas? Even the most redimentary one would be SO helpful!
Keep on keepin on guys! LOVE LOVE LOVE
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rich,
We would love to find the time to whip up a floor plan to accompany every mood board but because our clients already know the ins and outs of their own rooms they aren’t absolutely necessary. We would love to add them for our readers though. Here’s hoping!
xo,
s
ChristineMarie says
Food-related names for pets are adorable! I would love for our baby girl Daniff (mastiff/dane mix) named Pepper to meet Tater, Angus, and Burger. :)
Melanie says
One comment re: the videos. I’d love to watch them, but I’m hearing impaired, which makes it difficult. One thing that might help – me, and those who can’t really watch at work or whatever – is a text summary of what happens in the video. It doesn’t have to be super-specific, but that would help me (and others, presumably) decide if I want to make the effort to hook up my little assistive device.
Otherwise, I’m with Karen – you guys keep doing what you do, and I’ll pick and choose what I want to read! I love your site! Makes me wish I was a homeowner! (Guess that means you can add me to the “more rental ideas, please,” group!)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Melanie,
Great point! We would love to create little summaries for as many videos as we can which will also help people who can’t watch them at work. Awesome idea.
xo,
s
Paola@Little Bit says
1000!!!!!!!
For a survey???
That’s amazing!
Steph says
I think Karen nailed it with the comment you highlighted:
“In short: Karen’s request really rang true with us: “I would not say less of anything. If there is a particular post that doesn’t suit me, i can just scroll past, but you shouldn’t take anything away”
Absolutely agree!
Steph says
** Sorry – meant to say I haven’t hit anything I want to scroll past, I agreed with the section that asked not to take anything away!! Any additions from here are a bonus. You clearly understand your market (but at the same time it reads so naturally so I don’t feel patronised, or that you’re writing solely with $ in mind) so I really can’t imagine you doing anything with your fabulous blog that we don’t all lap up!
Juliana Fidélis says
Hi… I’m from Brasil and your site is one of my favorites. I love the way you post (specially the special finds!). Here I feel like I was in home.
Well, I live with my husband and a 4 years old daughter in a simple house (that is passing through a “little” makeover).
No pets! Oh my, I forgot we have a little fish…
Emily says
Don’t give in to the baby pressure! They take a LOT of time and energy. Enjoy your freedom until you catch baby fever because there is no going back! – following YHL in Portland, OR!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Emily,
I can promise you that pressure would never be a reason we would bring a new Petersik into the world! Seriously, we love our readers, but not enough to procreate because they ask us to. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jennifer says
Your best videos are the ones that show something that really wouldn’t translate well to text and photos (e.g. how to set the table). Otherwise, your clear and entertaining writing style and your excellent photography skills can’t be beat!
Julia says
Phew – I was worried for a minute you were cancelling design dilemmas. They are my favorite – they are my #1 reason for reading bc they give me the best ideas! I was one of your clients too – and I’m hard at work trying to finish the room so I can send in the after pics for everyone!
Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog says
Did you seriously read through all of the posts? Wow.
Heather says
Wow!! I feel so famous that my Excel comment actually made it to the summary! AND I am uber impressed you read all 1,000 comments!!!!
So about the Excel thing…
No, seriously, the blog is fantastic and best wishes entering year #3!!! :)
Jill Stigs says
Personally I do not have a creative bone in my body. I love the moodboards because I may get an idea off them.
Of course when we finally do get afters then I have an aha moment. Keep them going!
CanucksCount says
Ummm…
You just pulled a Bush and forgot to mention Canada.
I’m hurt.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh geez, I’m not sure I like the idea of “pulling a Bush” unless it involves landscaping. Oversight corrected and Canada’s officially on the list now. Forgive your silly American neighbors?
And Kasey, between the two of us we do read every single comment. We figure if you guys take the time to write, you deserve the time to be read. It’s one reason we manually approve all comments… in addition to catching extra sneaky spammers. So a reminder to everyone not worry if your comment takes a few minutes to appear.
-John
JenO says
Woohoo! I think that arrow pointing to the US is pointing to me! Way down in Tempe, AZ (near Phoenix and Scottsdale). If you’re ever in the super sunny southwest, I would love to go to Ikea with you – it’s only 10 minutes away!
Crystal says
Just wanted to throw in a late congratulations from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. :)
Sadie says
Here’s another idea (like you need one more, right?), but your little thumbs up thumbs down clip art inspired me! Just another thing on your blog that does I guess… :)
What I find helpful in one of my favorite cooking mags is their ratings on kitchen supplies from food to appliances. Maybe for some DIY and make-over projects you could have a least to highest recommended list of supplies and why or why not to use them explanation to go with them.
Or… since you have so many dedicated followers, you could propose certain DIY projects followed up with a survey (imagine 1000 responses!) and see how readers liked doing it on their own and what they would or wouldn’t change. The results could be compiled and presented in a future blog.
This would be fun and and even more interactive!
Kelsey says
Phew! You had me really worried with the red “thumbs down” on the design dilemma picture. I would have to agree – don’t watch the videos from work, but love, love the design dilemmas.
I like to see the overall look/feel of the room, but what I like more is picking out the individual elements that really speak to me and bookmarking them for future projects. I keep a little folder on my desktop in which I copy and paste the names and retailers of the items I love (in case the page moves on their site).
I really love that you pick affordable and easily accessible items. I get super frustrated reading decor mags that may be beautiful, but are also like 35x my budget. Rock on, Young House Love!
Lynsey says
Quick question…. which design dilemma was this mood board from that you featured in this post? I am in absoulte love with it!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lynsey,
That moodbard is from Julia’s Design Dilemma that we did back in August. You can see the breakdown here: https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/08/julias-design-dilemma/
Glad you like it!
-John
Liz says
I concur! Keep doing what you’re doing, it’s fabulous. But I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed seeing your video on The Nest, just to have some perspective beyond normal photos. I may try to record a few clips around the house for my blog b/c of it, so thanks for the inspiration. Again. :)
Liz
Yansy says
Congratulations guys! I’m in the process of moving and haven’t had a chance to stop by but you’re a huge inspiration and I thank you for that.
Funnelcloud Rachel says
I didn’t comment on your survey post, but I’m inspired to comment now because I have a pet with a food-related name: Gravy (he’s a greyhound)!
Anyway, hi, I’m Rachel, I live in Northern Virginia, and I just found your blog about a week ago when a friend told me about it. We bought our house about a year ago and are in the throes of home improvement and decorating projects – though we’re not nearly as motivated/productive as you guys are! (Actually, you put us to shame!) But I’ve since become addicted to YHL and check it several times a day. I love the frequent posts – keep up the good work!
Lauren says
I have a random question not related to this post. Would you hypothetically ever add an espresso/brown leather chair to your living/dining room? I’m using your room as my inspiration with the 3 white ikea shelves, light colored couch, and white window treatments (high and wide of course). I’m not sure if a brown leather chair would make it look “off”?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lauren,
Go for it! Just put a light-ish throw pillow on it to break up all the brown. And maybe toss a brown throw or pillow on your couch to tie everything together. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
steph anne says
I do see rainbows and unicorns when I come to your blog!
Christin says
I can’t imagine who would write a negative comment on your blog, but can I ask if you have to filter many out? I sure hope you don’t get any – you guys rock! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Christin,
Aw thanks! We very very rarely receive anything other than sweet and enthusiastic comments, which we are forever grateful for! We just have that little disclaimer to remind everyone that we don’t like snarky. Life’s too short to let one hater ruin it for the rest of us!
xo,
s
Mary says
I know it is not the style of your particular house, but it would be great if you could do a feature on more dramatic wall colors… Like the feared & dreaded… RED!!!
I think many people would be interested to know how to make use of bold colors in ways other than just an accent wall!
I am very curious on your take on brighter colors!!!
Kristin says
Congrats! I’m stopping by from Southern Hospitality. We’ve been in our first home for over three years. We blog about diy stuff, recipes, and crafts. Everybody says owning a house is so much work, but it’s also so much fun! Look forward to reading more :-)
Lara says
Hey guys! Great work on the blog. Just married my sweetheart in June, and we are working to get this first nest in tip-top shape. Love reading your ideas. Thought of you all this morning when I was yard-saling…I found a file drawer like the one Sherry bought John for V-day. It was 25 cents! I don’t know if I would have bought it before seeing your idea, but now it’s holding spices in my kitchen. I love it! Thanks y’all.
YoungHouseLove says
Twenty five cents is awesome Lara. Good find!
xo,
s
Michelle B. says
I just found your blog and absolutely love it! My husband & I are newlyweds and going through the “nesting” phase (it’s fun)! We love making our apartment a home together and the DIY tips and ideas are very helpful!
It is great to see that you get a lot of furniture and decorative pieces from Target, Ikea, TJ Mazz, etc – I love those stores!
Thank you for all of your hard work, sharing your inspirations, “how to” advice, and home story! Looking forward to more. Blessings to you!
Michelle B. says
Sorry – I meant T.J. Maxx :)
FullertonRegan says
You two are too adorable. I think the most endearing things I’ve found about you two is that you respond. I think blogging is cool because you can sometimes live vicariously through another person’s life, job, home, whatever, but the greatest thing is to feel connected. Every time I’ve asked a question, you’ve answered, and that really does make me feel special. I don’t know why, I’m sure you two are the last people in the world to think you’re too cool for school, but just the idea that you’re taking time out to answer me means your taking time out to answer Everyone. And that’s simply wonderful. Word!
Honey says
You guys are amazing! I just found your blog yesterday and have spent the entire day today going through it – LOVE IT! You have inspired us (had to send the link on to hubby) to get the projects done that have been waiting and waiting. I love your ideas and style! I am so excited! Thank you!
Karin says
I really enjoy the mood boards. In fact I got one months ago which I have “after” pics if anyone’s interested…
http://rksmithfamily.blogspot.com/2009/04/before-and-after.html
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the link Karin! Loooove the makeover. It doesn’t even look like the same room!
xo,
s
K*OS (Keep On S'myelin!) says
Congrats again to both of you!
Wow! Looks like you could go on some awesome house crashing road trips to visit your readers!
Dan says
Stop with the food names! You’re making me hungry! :)
Dan says
And you DID mention Canada.
YoungHouseLove says
You’ll hate me for this Dan – someone else emailed us about a dog they just adopted named French Fry. Now if that’s not a perfect match for Burger then I don’t know what is!
And yep, we did mention Canada after that gentle reminder earlier.
-John
erin says
So, I didn’t do the survey (reading but no commenting at work) but thought I would mention something I have been missing seeing on your site these days. On your previous page “which shall not be named”‘ I seem to remember you had a bunch of your mood boards collected under a tab. It probably was “design advice” but now only one lives there and I used to love seeing what color and things you put together even if it didn’t have an after picture. While I know I can search for mood boards and find them again. I thought I would put it out there to see if you guys were planning to beef that tab up again. FYI – A huge fan!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Erin,
You’re probably thinking of our Flickr page that has all of the moodboards loaded in one place (though this reminds me that it needs updating!). Hope that’s what you’re looking for! And if you ever lose the link, you can always find it on the bottom of our Design Advice page.
-John
Sara says
I’m on here so much lately that my fiance just asked if I’m on the YHL Fan Club. I proudly said, “YES!” and turned around to continue reading through the archives :)
Jill says
I didn’t get around to commenting on your survey post, but just wanted to let you know you have readers even deeper into the South Pacific than Australia, in New Zealand.
I have been reading your blog for over a year, and can’t bear to miss a day. Thanks so much for all the inspiration.
Liz says
just remembered another thing i thought would be most helpful. My mother and I are in the pickle where we both have cats, and we want to find a way to make a slightly more aesthetic scratchy post for them. I know you guys don’t have a cat, but i imagine a few of your readers do and this proves to be an issue for us. Ta ta!
prettythings says
And another! So many suggestions (and great ones!) … but you really need to continue to open those virtual doors of yours. As you both know, you can’t please everyone all the time but you can continue to focus on the diversity of your readership.
Please expand on reader DIY before and afters; there are so many ways you can accomplish this! Email submissions, reader surveys, diy voting contests and more would do continue to keep you focused on your readership. There’s nothing worse than self-promotion taken too far (look at the back lash against dooce . com), and you both are at the cusp where it can go either way. Balance your readership involvement and you’ll go far. Focus on your private decor business, and you’ll drop faster than you think. Decor blogs succeed the most when:
a) they unapologetically advertise and disclose when they receive freebies or other compensation – no subterfuge, no paid endorsements (and as former Eng. majors you should know the language to craft around this issue in the balance between receiving freebies/other and providing honest appeal). If you’re straightforward and practice tactful honesty, you’ll go far.
b) not too many videos involve your site. Let’s face it, most of us have jobs and families and decor videos is our guilty pleasure. Most of us don’t have the time or conscience to listen to decor videos when we’re trying to feed and prepare our families for the next day.
c) continue to expand on color theory and the art/craft of repurposing. I know a lot of affordable furniture comes in limited color schemes, but show us how to take hidden treasures from yard sales and craigslist to make unique, quality, one of a kind items. Go beyond CB2 and the like to include other blogs that inspire the spirit of uniquity by their own DIY experiences. A lesson on color wheels would be fantastic.
d) – – – feel free to delete after reading. You have the makings of a truly great blog … I would love to see it continue to grow and expand in the right direction. I would totally drop some coinage on your sponsers, as long as the quality and style is there.
Best of luck to you both!
tânia Borges says
In portuguese “Thank you” said “Obrigado”
Kiss :)
Sara Jane says
Woohoo!!! Tater got a shout out!! She’d probably like to hang out with Burger because he seems chill and she is very drama free dog.
YoungHouseLove says
Burger says it’s a date!
xo,
s
Amber says
My husband and I just moved into our first home in August, and I found your blog soon after. It’s great! If you want to continue tracking where your readers are coming from, try Google Analytics. It’s a great free program that tracks traffic to your website. You can see geographically where your readers are, what search terms or links bring them to your site, and other interesting information. It’s really easy to use too. I use it for my blog just for fun.
http://www.google.com/analytics/
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks, Amber. We actually do use Google Analytics, which is certainly a big help in figuring out the most popular regions for readers. But I guess we’re also just suckers for hearing it directly from you the people too!
-John