As some of you guys have already discovered, we had the great pleasure of having our house photographed for the latest issue of HGTV Magazine. Well, our last house (we’d probably bat someone away with a stick if they tried to snap pictures of our new place just yet). And since a bunch of you have been asking for the behind the scenes scoop, here it is.
That day was such a blur that we weren’t even sure that we had any behind the scenes photos to share, but when we looked back in iPhoto, it turns out we remembered to snap a few photos. This is Clara the editor. She’s telling us what we need to fix for the shot to work better (“you need to see more of my toys”).
The HGTV Magazine crew (which included a photographer, his assistant, a stylist, and an editor from the mag) spent two days in our house. They were lots of fun and very gracious guests… even as our dining room became a makeshift office for 48 hours.
Well, except for when it had to be tidied up and photographed. Notice how there are only 4 chairs instead of 6? It was their trick to make it feel open and show off the pedestal a bit more. All part of the fun of seeing your house through someone else’s eyes.
And of course there were moments when the room had to be almost entirely cleared to get the perfect angle. This was the set up they used to photograph us in our office for the opening spread.
Sherry and I are quite comfortable with the chaos that comes along with a whole-house photo session (nothing can compare to the three straight weeks of book shoots). And by now I’d say our kids are getting pretty cool with it too.
Rachael, the photo stylist, was awesome with flower arrangements, pillow fluffing, and Clara. They even developed a secret handshake to help her feel at ease with all of the strangers around. Although I fear this photo gives away the whole secret (it was just pressing their thumbs together). Simple or not, we love Rachel for thinking of that.
We also love that she and Jen (the editor) brought some fun props with them. You may have caught this Instagram shot of our kitchen doused with pretty food and accessories. It was eye candy and literal candy all at once.
You can see some of those styling props hard at work in this picture of our kitchen, which we think is just about the prettiest shot of it ever taken. But even as photo-styling goes, we loved the balance the HGTV Magazine crew struck. In our opinion, it wasn’t too over-styled (it still looked like our kitchen) but it was fluffed enough to make it look interesting on the page and to give us some new ideas about what we might want to tweak ourselves (more on that later).
Perhaps the only bummer about the feature was that some of our favorite shots didn’t make the cut. We knew they were taking more pictures than they’d have room for, but we saw some along the way that we had our fingers crossed for – like this one of the recently-completed fireplace.
That shot also featured our new favorite term: “an aggressive sandwich.” Someone deemed the prop sandwich too big at one point, dubbing it too “aggressive” for the shot. I think they eventually tamed it by removing a tomato slice. We all had a good laugh about what goes into these shoots, and Sherry still trades emails with our new HGTV friends by signing them with “xoxo, Aggressive Sandwich”
Here’s a peek at what could’ve been, had these shots ended up in the spread.
The frame wall never looked better. Here’s one of our over-their-shoulder shots of the hallway styled up with some pretty flowers by Rachael.
I wonder if the photographer feels a little sad when certain shots don’t make it. He took a ton of time setting each one up, but he’s probably used to it. Oh and you’ll notice that we had to take down the basket light in the kitchen because it was casting weird shadows during the fireplace shot, so down it came.
Fortunately, we got to enjoy the fresh flowers, even if the photos didn’t make the final cut.
Oh, and they also cut a shot of the two of us prepping food in the kitchen (when we took this Instagram picture). But we’re 100% sure that we looked far from natural in it, so we’re forever grateful (us + cameras aimed at us = especially awkward). The funny thing is that we thought this might be a 2-3 page spread and it ended up being 10 pages long! Completely mind-blowing, and way more than we expected.
Speaking of abundance, there were lots of flowers. Which of course means that Sherry was in some state of flower-induced euphoria the whole time. They had a box shipped directly from the flower market in New York City and, thanks to our cooler, the sunroom became a makeshift florist shop for the two days they spent with us. Seriously, the room smelled like one giant flower for like two weeks afterwards. Sherry loved it. I thought it was kind of spooky once the flowers were gone (“where is that smell coming from?!”).
You should have seen Sherry creeping around the house whispering “If only they would last foreverrrrrrr.”
At least we have pictures to remember them by.
Besides tempting us to blow our life savings on fresh flowers (don’t worry, I’ll rein Sherry back in), one tip that we picked up and were inspired to put into action by watching the pros involved the pillows on our sectional. Rachel loaded it up with a bunch more pillows than we’d ever used… and Sherry was in heaven. Picture her doing one of Oprah’s over-the-top “a-ha moment” faces. You can’t really see them in the final magazine shot, since they used a picture of the living room with us in it, but Sherry may or may not have bought some of the pillows directly from Rachel when they were done (they were $20 from HomeGoods) to fill out her already robust pillow collection. Just picture me rolling my eyes in the background.
Oh, and you can’t tell from our picture above, but this little table was deemed too short for their shot so they borrowed some scrap wood from the basement to give it a lift. Also note how our usual desk and mirror got the boot so that our chalkboard could take its spot (see the picture above).
Wardrobe tricks were also employed – namely for one of Sherry’s loose shirts that was deemed “too maternity looking” for the way it draped in the shot of us in the office. She ultimately swapped this outfit out for something less breezy (which is why she’s in a different shirt in the other shots) but lo and behold, the original test photo with the pre-clipped shirt ended up in the magazine on the first page of the spread.
As for some literal “behind” the scenes dirt, when they took the picture of Clara playing in her big girl room, I hid behind the wall in the closet so that one of us was nearby while they snapped away. The toughest challenge was getting her not to run in there with me.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle for them was shooting the outside of our house, since late March in Richmond wasn’t looking as spring-y this year as it usually does. Not to mention we had yet to begin lots of our recent improvements out there…
So now you know why the pictures of our outside are pretty small or just limited to close-ups of us on the porch. Although they did a great job of cheering things up by moving our red adirondack chairs (swiped from the patio) to bring in some semblance of color.
Oh and although the article mentions our moving plans, we actually didn’t share them with HGTV until we shared them with you guys on April 30th (via an email that Sherry most likely signed “Aggressive Sandwich”) – so they added that right at the end before the issue shipped. It really was locked deep in our brains until our alarm system was in and we were ready to tell the world at large, so I think only our parents, siblings, best friends, and the realtor knew before that. It was especially fun to finally tell the HGTV crew though, because we were able to explain how meaningful it was to us to see our house captured in such a major way before we said goodbye. It was a nice last hurrah, and they were psyched to have been the ones to document it all.
So we’re incredibly grateful that they thought our home was worthy of their magazine, and we’ll end this little behind the scenes spiel by sending out a big thanks to all of you who have stumbled upon it and said such kind things via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blog comments, email, and carrier pigeon. Just kidding about the carrier pigeon – you guys know we only accept ravens.
Debbie Harper says
I just purchased the HGTV magazine and was so excited to see your beautiful house and family featured. I have recently discovered your blog and purchased your book! We moved into a new (to us) house and I already have lots of projects. Just one question – Where was Burger? I could not find him in any picture. So sad!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Debbie! That was the biggest shot to us! We couldn’t believe how long the article was (ten pages?!) but there was no sign of Burger! He felt like he was all over the place, but I guess he didn’t make it into any final shots.
xo
s
Wrenaria says
I find it interesting that your bedroom and sunroom look like a completely different color in theirs photos (more brown) verses yours (more grey). Which color is more accurate to life?
Also that shoot looks like a lot of fun. That’s like a bucket list thing for me, to have my house featured in a magazine. Of course, it might help to actually OWN a house first, yeah? ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Our photos and video are a lot more true to life, so our only guess is that we were losing light when they took those (around 4-5pm in the winter) so they must have needed some color correcting and since the photo editor at the magazine doesn’t come out to the house for the shoot, they seem to guess about colors when they get the film back (I think he thought it was more of a brown color and corrected those rooms that way).
As for your bucket list, you can totally do it!
xo
s
Redkimba says
Er, Valar Moghulis?
So, have you considered incorporating some GoT decor into your space?
YoungHouseLove says
A three eyed ceramic raven would look awesome on the mantel. With maybe some white walker printed curtains?
xo
s
Mia says
Wondering, what were Clara’s reactions/thoughts seeing the pictures in the magazine? Even though it’s been a short time to adults, must seem a long time to a 3 yr old. Is the memory of the old house fading yet? Does she ever ask to go back or move back?
YoungHouseLove says
We were so lucky that Clara seemed really into the new house right before we moved (we did some fun activities here like painting castles and fabric, so I think she associated it with fun things) so the only talk there is of the old house might be when we get into the car and she’ll say “I don’t want to go to the old house!” and we’ll say “we’re just going to the store” (or wherever we’re going) and she’ll be so relieved. She once said “all of my toys are at the new house so I don’t want to go to the old house” so we think that might be why. Such a funny kid! As for seeing herself in magazines I don’t think she really gets it. I guess since she sees herself in our family photo albums she thinks magazines are like that? She once saw our book on the coffee table at my mom’s house and she said “Oh I have that book too!” – so funny.
xo
s
courtney says
You can never, ever have too many pillows! Trust.
YoungHouseLove says
High fives.
xo
s
Amy Beth says
I have to ask why didn’t Burger make it in any of the pictures? Also do you ever look at pictures and wonder why they picked that picture over another or think that you looked better in another shot?
YoungHouseLove says
We couldn’t believe there was no Burger! It felt like he was all over the place, but I guess he didn’t make any of the final shots. As for which photos they pick of us, I think we’re normal humans, so we’re a little weird when we see ourselves in a magazine (it’s just a strange thing!). So we might laugh and say “what am I doing with my face?” or “jeez that shirt is getting immediately burned” but in the end, being in a magazine is pretty crazy in general. I don’t think we’ll ever get used to it!
xo,
s
Staci @ My Friend Staci says
Yes! After seeing someone comment in a different post, I snatched up the mag when I saw it at the grocery store! Great feature, guys! I feel like your photos and home in general seemed much more “real” and way less staged than a couple of other features in that issue.
There’s just something about seeing you guys in print that makes me feel so proud!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Staci!
xo
s
Sally says
Ha! I bought the HGTV mag for beach reading while on vacation last week. When I saw your spread I though, “oh, I must have missed the post about this.” Your house (and y’all) look amazing in the mag – congrats!
Meredith Jones says
HGTV mag is my FAVE new magazine! I get so excited when it comes in my mailbox. But let me just tell you, this month…. I was like a pround friend! I couldn’t even believe you had TEN pages in the best home magazine there is! GO Petersiks! It’s funny because I was reading the article and I was like, duh… I already know all this stuff! But I loved it anyway. :) And those flowers are making me drool.
Laura @ Rather Square says
I saw the article and was hoping you’d tell us more about it! What a nice way to document the end of your time in this house. Congrats!
I know what you mean about keeping people from photographing the new place yet. We’ve been in our house for about 8 weeks and we’re still unpacking/arranging/organizing. I think we’re doing your approach where we try to sit with things for a while before making any major design decisions.
Christine S. says
The article in HGTV’s magazine was the first time I had seen your work and I immediately fell in love!! I am now a “Young House Love” follower!! Thank guys and keep it comin’ !
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Christine!
xo
s
Krista says
When I picked up the latest hgtv mag from a magazine stand and came back home and to flip through the pages, I was delightfully surprised by the beautiful 10-page spread featuring your ( previous )home. I was so happy to see your lovely faces and home in another medium. Thank you for sharing the behind-the-scenes photo and narrative..
Jenny@EvolutionofStyle says
Thanks for the behind-the-scenes tour! I loved seeing your feature in HGTV Magazine (one of my new favorite home magazines), and hearing the back story on magazine shoots is equally entertaining. Well done!
jp says
Congrats! What an amazing accomplishment! That photo wall by the desk is killer :)
LARY@Inspiration Nook says
Love you guys, and love HGTV! What a great combo!!!! Such a fun post.
timothy says
you guys are lucky!!! its on my bucket-list now to have my house featured in HGTV magazine!! although ill be featured in there when i’m on design star. i love that show!!
YoungHouseLove says
Go Tim, go! We love watching that show. I’ll totally cheer you on.
xo
s
Casey says
Question- the photos in the spread and the photos on your blog make the colour of the sunroom so different! Your photos are totally grey, while theirs look so sandy! Which would you say is more “true” to life?
I know when I edit photos for my blog they always look off to me, and even more off when I check on my work computer the next morning (I have grey walls too)! So just wondering!
YoungHouseLove says
Ours pics (and videos) are more true to life, so we think what happened with things looking more brown in the bedroom/sunroom is that the photo editor had never been to our house and just got the film in and guessed that they should be brown so they got adjusted that way.
xo
s
Julianne says
So fun to see how a magazine shoot all comes together! Thanks so much for thinking about us & recording everything to share! :0)
Michelle F says
How awesome to be featured in the HGTV mag! and 10 page spread none the less!! Love how you guys pop up everywhere it seems… also kinda funny about Clara’s secret handshake, that is also my families little secret handshake too!
Laurie says
OK, for some reason that last picture with the demoted bench left me laughing for about 5 minutes. It really did look like it was standing way out there going, “guys? guys?”
Can’t wait to pic up the magazine and share it with my Mom. I keep telling her about this adorable couple who write DIY stuff better than anyone!
YoungHouseLove says
Poor bench. He’s all “wait, you’re putting me back in there right? I did my hair for this. I better make it into this shot.”
xo
s
Priscilla says
What an honor to have HGTV photograph your previous home. They certainly picked the best! Congratulations on that.
On another note, could you tell me if you were able to keep your newer washer and dryer from your last home. Also, could you give me the cu. ft. capacity of each, and tell me if that size /brand suited your needs. My washer is dying and I need to replace it very soon. I’d like it to be large enough to wash a comforter. Any information you could share would be appreciated, and I’d love to hear any advice on how to get the best deal. Thank you so much!
YoungHouseLove says
In our area when you sell a turn-key house, those convey, so they were part of the sale with the house. So sorry, I’m not sure of the CU FT, but we loved them! They were by whirlpool.
xo
s
Quiana says
“They had a box shipped directly from the flower market in New York City and, thanks to our cooler, the sunroom became a makeshift florist shop for the two days they spent with us.” That’s awesome – yes, we have THE best flower selection in NYC, and it’s one of the few things that’s priced really reasonably. Enough so that you can have fresh flowers every week and not break the bank. LOVE it here!
YoungHouseLove says
I miss the flower market! It was right near where I went to school (FIT) so I walked through all the time!
xo
s
Manoli says
Nice!
Julie Jacobsen says
I follow the blog and have never met you in person, but when my issue of HGTV Mag arrived and I started flipping through, I said to my husband, “Oh, that’s John and Sherry’s bedroom”. I had to laugh…it came out so naturally, like we were old friends or something and I recognized your bed instantly (is that creepy?). Anyhow, what a great blessing before moving to the new digs!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s awesome.
xo
s
Sarah says
Just noticed this today, http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?navAction=jump&id=27210285&cm_mmc=CJ-_-Affiliates-_-rewardStyle-_-11292623
One of those books looks familiar…you’re probably already aware of this, though. Pretty cool, nonetheless.
YoungHouseLove says
How crazy is that?! I screamed the first time I saw it. Mid-sentence while on the phone. Haha!
xo
s
Gina says
Hi Sherry! Pretty cool spread. I noticed another article about you Youngsters on the HGTV site:http://blog.hgtv.com/design/2012/11/05/bestworst-with-sherry-of-young-house-love/
In it you say the built in desk, which cost you $127 to make, would have cost $7,000 if you had hired the job out. That’s a staggering price difference! Can you sort of break down the $7,000 figure and how you arrived at it? I’m sort of curious to see where the savings were, since we considering something like that for our home office. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Forgot all about that article! We asked a woodworker-friend of ours what he’d charge for a custom built two person wall to wall desk like ours so we had a source of comparison for the write-up, and he said that solid maple cabinets with pull out drawers like ours with a chunky counter and trimmed out molding at the bottom would be around 7K for him if they went wall to wall. We couldn’t believe our luck of finding those cabinets and being able to paint them and build them out ourselves! Of course you could probably buy cabinets from Home Depot/Ikea and add a counter and some molding yourself for about $500-800 or so (his price was for a custom built one with maple cabinets and slide out drawers), but it was finding those cabinets at the ReStore for a dollar each that really helped our budget! Still can’t believe it.
xo
s
Lyn says
I’m one of the people who found out about your website after receiving my HGTV magazine in the mail. Now I check your site every day! Both of you are so talented and the blog is so enjoyable to read. LOVED all the details about your wedding too and everything you did to make the day fun for your guests. I am going to love following your progress on this new home. So glad I found you!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Lyn! So glad you found us.
xo
s
Suzy B says
So happy I stumbled on your blog last year. You are true DIYers and deserve to be in that magazine. You guys inspire so many to tackle projects and keep room redos on a budget. Fav blog by far!!! So proud whenever I see a sweet couple/family do so well & keep it REAL…..
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Suzy, you’re so sweet!
xo
s
Sunshine and Paint Pots says
Wow !! That’s amazing to see how much work and staging goes into a photo shoot for a magazine. But then again staging only works if you have a fantastic place to work with, and you guys must be so proud of how your home reflects you and your style – congratulations and keep up the inspirational work :o)
Steph Nelson says
I ran into the article by happenstance and was like “awwwweeee, good for them!” I liked it a lot and how they went into detail on what got how many hits and a bit of a behind the scenes type of vibe. (That WAS this article, right?) :)
10 pages is MAJOR, so happy for you guys!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Steph!
xo
s
Bella says
Oh those pictures are beautiful, i wish i could just go out and buy an hgtv mag but i live overseas in austria and it is nearly impossible to get american magazines here :( but i love your blog, i have been following you guys since clara was like 2 months old :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Bella!
xo,
s
Gillian Milton says
I love how the stylist made the dining and kitchen look so different. The angle in the dining room made me notice the table which I can’t ever recall seeing. The pics seem to give a whole new perspective, I think the shots actually look less styled, really natural. Your house was beautiful. Also, I’m loving being a part of this new house from the start this time!
joan says
Love seeing the Phase One gear and Capture One software! My husband works for them and teaches their software certification, so it’s always exciting to see it in use! The photos turned out beautifully! Swooning over those flowers!
Brooke says
Guys.
For eight years my husband and I have been living in a house that we hate more than anything. Miraculously, I saw your article in my favorite magazine and I have to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You guys have given me the inspiration to work WITH it rather than against it, even if it does take years to complete. (how stupid did I feel when I realized that if I had started fixing when I started complaining, I would have been done by now ;-))
And realizing that we can really do most of it ourselves (since it’s not in our budget to hire a crew) is also a revelation! Duh.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Brooke, you’re so sweet! All the best to you!
xo,
s
Amy says
I picked up the issue last week after seeing someone mention it on one of your blog posts……how cool! Love having this issue!
Emma says
It’s funny how paint can appear differently in each picture. The HGTV pics make your bedroom look more beige gray than the more blue gray that I recall in your pictures.
YoungHouseLove says
We noticed that too! In their photos it looks more brown, and the sunroom does too.
xo,
s
Becky says
Ooohhh…I was at Target this afternoon and saw the HGTV magazine on the stand. I seriously considered getting it. I left it there. wwwaaaa (I used to have a bit of a magazine obsession and haven’t bought any for years.) :)
Crabapple Cove says
Thank you for sharing. This is the most awesome post ever!!
Rebecca says
How exciting. Would be nice if their pics reflected that both of you work (I stopped counting at 3 pics of dad with laptop, no pics of mom with laptop). A lil 1950s-esq.
Jeanne says
That’s awesome! What issue is it going to be? June? July? I don’t follow HGTV magazine but I’d love to pick up a copy and see what they did. Congratulations!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s the one on news stands now, which is their July/August issue.
xo
s
Autumn Beach says
Yay! Thank you SO much for this post. Behind the scenes is so much fun. I loved the spread. Your house looked absolutely beautiful! And I think it’s so impressive how very few tweaks they made for the shoot. It’s all just SO COOL!
Cindy M. says
LOVE the behind the scenes post!! Those flowers are gorgeous!
Lindsay says
Next time I’m sending mine via an Owl like in Harry Potter, will you accept that please?;) I haven’t seen the magazine yet, we just returned to the States, but I look forward to reading your blog wherever we are at in the world! You have given us LOADS of inspiration for our own moving-home!
YoungHouseLove says
I will consider messages delivered by owls, only because Clara loves them. ;)
xo
s
Miranda says
How do you find your inspiration? I ‘m so impressed with what you’ve been able to do yourselves and how creative you are with small budgets.. What other parts of your life inform your creativity?
YoungHouseLove says
I think we try to soak it up everywhere we go, so we might notice that we like a certain wall color or shelving system in a coffee shop or restaurant or even the library. We just keep an eye out for anything that makes us stop and say “I like that!” and of course TV shows and magazines and design books inspire us as well!
xo
s
COKKKIEEE3 says
I found your blog on the HGTV magazine. That was probably one of best investments in magazines because of your article. I’ve fallen in love with both of your creative minds! Thank you for being you! So excited to see what you all will do with the next home.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much! So glad you found us.
xo
s
Mary | lemongroveblog says
Those flowers are a-mazing!
Nikki H says
Hi! Mostly lurker here. But the peach flowers–are they peonies?–are gorgeous. I keep going back to them and sighing. I loved the article in HG magazine. I opened it and kept saying, “I know them. I’ve seen this room.” Such a well done article. You guys are awesome.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Nikki! I think the pink ones are either peonies or some sort of insanely lush breed of rose (I think I remember Rachel telling me about them).
xo
s
Heather says
Got my copy from good old Target this morning! :)
Cynthia in the U.P. says
Was watching to see if #americanblogger came to visit you…. Did you pass on that?
YoungHouseLove says
We would have loved to do it but never heard from them. Maybe they weren’t passing through this way? Or they have no idea who we are. Haha! Maybe next time :)
xo,
s
Lisa says
Love that you share the behind the scenes with us. Thanks. What a process!