Posts By John Petersik

The sudden boom of video conferencing in all of our lives is giving us a new window through which to view our homes (and the homes of others – from coworkers to celebrities and news correspondents). So what does your Zoom background say about you? And what lengths will we go to when it comes to altering them to make sure nothing weird gets seen by everyone else on the call? We also realized in hindsight that a family trip earlier this year had a pretty major effect on our decision to move to Florida. Plus we explain the big shiny object on our kitchen counter – and Sherry divulges an embarrassing story from her

The perks of downsizing continue to show themselves, including a recent realization we had while shopping for curtains and blinds. It was a pretty dramatic contrast of how shopping for this house is different than our previous ones, and it highlighted some exciting freedoms that come along with that. We also take a look at how pandemics of the past have shaped the way our homes look today, including the origin of things like powder rooms, white kitchens, and higher bed frames. Plus, what we really think of our fancy new Frame TV – and can your birthday really help you pick the right plants? What’s New Here’s a photo of our new curtains in

We’ve been in our new house for one whole month, and there are definitely some things that are shaping up differently than we had pictured. So today we’re sharing why some house projects have been easier than expected, but getting settled in a few other ways took some turns we didn’t anticipate. We’re also diving into the history of three popular and persistent design trends – like the true origins of subway tile and why the fiddle-leaf fig isn’t a recent phenomenon. Plus, a curtain hack that Sherry secretly tested out for an entire year, and what happens when Alexa commands get lost in translation. What’s New We talked about how we’ve been pleasantly surprised

Today we’re talking about how it has been as a family of four who is sharing one bathroom, and what plans we have for adding onto that number down the line. And while we’re on the subject (this podcast always seems to turn to bathroom-related things…) we look into the uniquely American obsession with bathrooms and learn why the heck in the past 50 years the number of them per American has DOUBLED. We also finally have real beds in our house after weeks of sleeping on mattresses on the floor, and it feels good! So we’re sharing how they each serve different functional purposes in our smaller house. Plus, we learn what decor styles

We’re in Florida (!!!) and we’ve got LOTS to tell you about all that went down on our moving day and throughout our first couple of weeks in our new home. We’re covering a lot of ground, like how we made the 13-hour drive feel faster, which of our moving predictions from our last episode came true, and what we really thought about using those travel pee bags. Plus, getting unpacked and settled into a smaller home has presented some challenges that we didn’t anticipate, so we’re sharing what those were, and why they’re giving us a whole new appreciation for this part of the downsizing process. We’re also recapping what items we overpacked (even

While we’re getting settled in our new house in Florida, we’ve got one last episode for you that we recorded in Richmond. In fact, we took a moment as “Past John & Sherry” to make some predictions for what our moving day might look like, along with our hopes-slash-fears for our first night in our new home. We’re also talking about temporary, affordable, and easy-to-change decor ideas that are great for renters and homeowners alike, thanks to interviewing an expert on the subject named Medina Grillo. She was full of smart solutions and also took the opportunity to bust some myths about being a renter. Plus, the Instagram account that has us in stitches, and

On the cusp of our big Florida move, we take one last look at how downsizing and living for three weeks without almost all of our worldly possessions has changed our view of our “stuff” – including what we miss the most, and why it’s not what we expected. Plus experts predict how the pandemic may change the way people renovate and build homes moving forward. From floor plan changes to smart technology, it’s interesting to see what they think might carry on for years to come. We also stumble into a very random discussion about astrology, pet psychics, and whether the stars can tell us where in the world we really should be living.

If you’ve wondered about the money side of selling three houses and downsizing to one smaller home, today we’re answering some of your most asked questions. We’re also sharing the weird renovation hiccups that have delayed our move in date (including a series of weird toilet-related follies that we never saw coming). Plus the surprising reaction we had to our own house tour video and why everyone is crying over one particular part of homeownership. **Here’s a transcript of this episode if you’re unable to listen or would rather read 8,000 words** What’s New Below you can see our hardwood floors in the Florida house after they had been sanded down. See that big stripe-looking