Since you guys have enjoyed the past messy house tour videos that we’ve shared (like this one from our last house in 2011), we seized the opportunity to remind everyone that we’re not all carefully folded towels and meticulously placed pillows 24/7 (not even close). With our attention focused mostly on the showhouse & some last minute nursery updates, many of our other house projects have been put on hold (some are literally halfway done) and a handful of rooms have quickly devolved into chaos. And when your house is a mess, why not video tape it for the whole internet to see?
A few notes:
- There is no rapping in this video. I am both relieved and somewhat disappointed.
- I hate narrating these things and usually just hold the camera (I have steadier hands) while Sherry talks, but she was doing showhouse stuff so I put on my big boy pants and went for it.
- Burger is all over this thing like a helicopter in a P.Diddy video.
- Don’t worry about the droopy figs in the office. They bounce right back after getting some water… although they do seem to be suspiciously thirsty.
- If there truly were a wedding between a sabre toothed tiger and a pony, I would have given anything to attend it as a child (I was a huge fan of any type of tiger, and checked out a library book about tigers every week for two years straight in elementary school)
- Look at those gleaming hardwood floors after the climb to the second floor. They make my chest swell with pride.
- For everyone asking what’s on the fourth wall of the nursery, you catch a quick glimpse of it in the video (it’s just a floor lamp and the doorway to the hall for now, but we might add a “wall of fun” like we did in Clara’s room eventually)
- There’s some rarely seen footage of the unfinished storage room at the end of the upstairs hallway (and – surprise! – that’s a mess too)
- I edited the end of the video to cut off myself shouting “keeping it real” because something possessed me to yell that out and the end of the video like a Backstreet Boy circa 1995 and I couldn’t not let it see the light of day. You understand, right?
In case you can’t watch the video at work (it would still pretty much tell the story sans sound), here’s a quick tour-via-screengrab of some of the highlights.
If everything stays on schedule, we should have a few days between our big Homearama deadline and our baby arrival date when we can hopefully wrap up a couple of projects and return things to some semblance of order. You know, right before Barnacle comes along and throws us all out of whack again…
Does anyone else have any messes to fess up to? Is there some half-finished project that’s causing a ripple effect into other rooms around it? We can’t be the only ones.
Psst – Showhouse deadlines have kept us even crazier than expected this week, so we’re not going to have a post for you tomorrow, but we hope to be back at it again on Monday.
Jenna says
I wasn’t able to picture a double desk when you guys were talking about one for the office… But then I saw the 80’s movie “Say Anything” and there’s one in the girl’s dad’s office! I was like “That’s what Sherry was talking about!”
I’ve never seen one before..
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Eri says
Okay guys, that is NOT messy. If that’s messy, what should I call our house?
:\ (:ashamed:)
Kati says
Realistic! Or like mine! Haha!
Koliti says
I am sooooo happy that I finally got my buns in gear and cleaned out my 2nd bedroom – it used to be a total dump/junk room (and none of the “messes” at the Petersik house would even compare!). Now it has a 6 foot table and 4 blue chairs I found at a rummage sale for $20. The 6 foot table is a wonderful sewing table and is a great crafting spot for up to 4 people. Also I purchased a small kiln to do Art Glass Clay. YAY! Now I have a sewing/crafting table & kiln room. I found some happy art for the wall :)
Sara says
As a devoted BSB fan, am I the only one that’s disappointed in John’s editing out of “Keep it real?” :)
I love the house, guys – it flows so nicely from room to room! Can’t wait to “meet” that baby :)
Colette says
Why thank you, I needed that. I was just starting to go off you guys because you were way too perfect.
Meire says
Love the video. It felt I was touring your house during an open house. We are in the process of renovating as well and I almost go insane looking at things spread everywhere. I really love that you guys show the behind the scenes of the wonderful reno transformations. Always inspiring!!!
Brittany M says
Oh whew! So glad you guys are real people afterall!!! lol
I’m sure you’ll get everything in order before the due date because ya know… “you’ve got the eye of a tiger” and all.
Keep keepin it real!
<3 Brittany
Amanda B. says
I snort-laughed into my coffee at “where things … go on vacation.” Love hanging out with you guys here on your blog. Best of luck with the show house! You are doing awesome work over there!
Angie says
This makes me feel less guilty about the mess in my house, so thank you sooo much for keeping it real!!
We’re currently shuffling stuff around to turn our office into a nursery and it always amazes me to see how much stuff we are hoarding in there. Not to mention that our dining table just seems to be a magnet for stuff… I’d say it’s far worse than yours, actually.
Kari says
Thank you, thank you, thank you. The two of you are so “real”, and yet so amazingly organized with the structure of your blog/business, which is the chemistry that makes your blog truly one of the best DIY/Design blogs on the web. A true pleasure to daily visit your site. I am so happy I fell upon it from Apartment Therapy a couple of years ago.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks you guys! You’re all so sweet. And it’s nice to know we aren’t alone in our messy house-ness :)
xo
s
Sam says
Not bad! Unrelated question- But have you had your baby shower yet? Are we going to see pics? Would totally love to see it!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no this is my second baby. No shower for me :)
xo
s
Jennifer says
Refreshing! Wish more people posted everyday stuff instead of glossy perfection.
Bonnie @ The Pin Junkie says
Every room in your home always looks so perfect in your photos. Thanks so much for sharing the messes (a.k.a. real life)too! You guys are awesome!
Erin says
I love it when bloggers keep things real. Real life for most of us is not having a magazine ready house all the time. It’s great and nice to have a room so beautiful and clean that it looks the way you want, but living in a house means there is usually one room or two or five that on any given day do not look the ideal way you’d like the world to see. You are still more organized than most of us and you have a beautiful room for your son, all set up before his arrival. 2nd and 3rd babies (in our house) usually didn’t get their rooms decorated or even painted until their 2nd or 3rd birthday! Haha!
Kelly says
Thank you for not living in a perfect space. This is my house, oh about 90% of the time! Enjoy the chaos, I suppose!
Kate says
Holy mother of pillow and picture frames! Can I come shop in your storage room?
No, really- where do you get all of your picture frames?
YoungHouseLove says
Those are mostly Ikea. Our hallway frame wall had a ton of them and we haven’t done a big grouping like that here… yet ;)
xo
s
Jessie G. says
oh yeah- I have a mess to fess up about!
Out kitchen is in the middle of a renovation. We have tarps blocking the south end of the house – kitchen, family room, half bath from the rest of the house.
so the rest of the house has a makeshift kitchen, our laundry room sink is being used as our “kitchen” sink, our dining room houses stuff, our living room, our foyer… the list goes on and on, and to add insult to it all, I’m testing paint samples on the dining room wall. I better get on that! I’m hoping to board and batten that baby up PRONTO!
So happy to see your not so neat home – thanks for “keeping it real”
Haley says
I love seeing blogger’s messes… makes me feel more human. Good luck with wrapping up the Showhouse and nursery!
Jody says
Thanks for this! Makes me feel normal, or ‘normsies’ as we like to call it :)
Jenny B. says
This is so fun! The video really gives a better feel for the layout of the house than just the photos. I wish my house had a big storage space like that! Then I could hoard pillows and not have to have them all on display all the time. :)
Annie Thompson says
Thank you guys for sharing this stuff! Too often in the blogosphere people’s homes come off as perfectly staged and as a reader, you always think that that must be how people live all the time. And then you look around your own home and feel so crummy. You guys are so awesome for always reminding us that it isn’t true and you guys aren’t perfect (even though you all seem pretty darn close!) Good to see you guys are “real people” with not always perfectly tidy houses! I feel like tidying up is all I do EVERY DAY ALL DAY. So I have always wondered how you all get anything done keeping everything perfectly photo ready! Thanks again! You guys are rockstars and I am just starting to blog and as a mom I don’t know how you do it all! I have been putting off photographing our own home because taking photos would make it less tidy. Argh! I feel like Monica Gellar. I seriously think you and Katie Bower must be like Energizer Bunnies–always going! You definitely keep me motivated!
http://www.allthebigandsmallthings.blogspot.com
Melissa B. says
You guys are saints… thanks for making me feel like less of a heathen! We are totally guilty of the draping/piling of clothes on chairs in the bedroom too. I always feel tremendously accomplished when we clear those spots, it’s like a whole new room when we do! And to just go ahead and be a sketch ball… if you guys are planning to sell/craigslist your brown & white teardrop/quatrefoil-ish coverlet, I’ll totally buy it off ya! Maybe that was the “to be stored” pile, but if not… hit me up! Good luck with finishing up the show house, it looks amazing so far!
Janet says
I think the messes are minimal for all you have accomplished in the house so far. It is showing great progress and I love what you have done. Not to mention dealing with the show house, future book stuff, Clara, growing a baby and morning sickness.
Enjoy the show house finalie and then your new son joining the family.
Deb says
I’m going to “pile on” the love for this post! Thank you for keeping it real! I recently had our kitchen island and peninsula wrapped in beadboard. I have managed to paint the island, but am still in limbo (read: scared) as to what to do with the peninsula…so while that decision is simmering I took on re-organizing our laundry room and hanging a gallery wall. Basically at this point everything is out of cupboards and closets and waiting to be sorted to it’s new home. It’s like a tornado has whipped through here and I am just about out of steam and feeling like I should never take on another DIY/home organization project…this post assures me the chaos is par for the course!
Tammy says
Weird question: Do you guys not have a basement??
YoungHouseLove says
We have a double garage, storage room, and walk up attic, but no basement.
xo
s
Amanda K. says
very few houses in richmond have (live-able, finished, non-leaking, etc…) basements! we’re close to sea level!
Mary M says
This is the homeowners version of the Camo Confessions campaign! Thanks for showing that your house is lived in, not just styled perfectly! It’s so easy to get caught up in beautifully edited blogs that make you feel insufficient & that you must buy things… but not yours! YHL is so down to earth <3
Rosie S says
I cannot lie, I am one of those annoying people who cleans up WHILE I am doing a project and then has to go back and find what I need, ’cause I just put it away :( ….I am trying harder to embrace messes. At least your house has good looking messes, I must say! Good luck in the next couple of weeks for the rest of the show house push, I know everyone is looking forward to that wonderful, finished project AND a healthy baby and mama announcement!
Meghan Campbell says
Hey guys!
Just want to send warm wishes in these remaining busy days. Hope you get to rest a bit before baby go time. I don’t often comment, but just had to let you know this post made my day. We all do the best we can, and we all have things calling for our attention.. Isn’t a perfectly tidy house a sign of a misspent life or something like that? I personally crave order and rarely achieve it with two littles under four. Some days I can get distracted by the mess and lose focus on the kids. Posts like this give me permission to let go and remember what’s really important with my limited energy and time.
You are the best and we’re all rooting for you!!
Meg xo
Larita says
Haha! A friend and I were just talking yesterday about how we see your house and go YAY! and then look at our houses and go BOO! Except I know my house has never been that messy, so I’m feeling a bit better. I love how the quality and beauty of the finishes you’ve chosen for your house aren’t dimmed by a bit of mess.
Kim R says
This post is like the “Dove Campaign for Real Beauty”.
Show the honest body image of a house! :)
Awesome. Also… wish I had a storage room. We just call it “the garage”.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Aimy says
I’m sure you posted the paint color, so why can’t I find it? ;) It looks like a nice true gray. So happy for you both! I’ve been reading since the “This Young House” days. Great work!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Aimy! The foyer and upstairs hallway are Edgecomb Gray by Ben Moore.
xo
s
Aimy says
Well… apparently all I need to do was admit my lack of website navigation skills to find the paint colors. At least from the last house. :)
Abby S says
Show glad you posted this. I feel so much better about my place being a disaster. The hubs and I have been super busy with work and out-of-town commitments that everything has suffered. Fingers crossed – I’ll make a dent in it this weekend.
Andrea says
Oh man. At first glance, I thought you guys were phoning it in on this post because you’re obviously swamped. But after looking through your photos I feel surprisingly much better about my own chaos at home (we’ve lost access to a third of our house after a plumbing leak turned into contractors ripping out walls, floors, fixtures, etc…) Our house looks like a war zone right now.
Do you ever look around and mumble “We have SO. MUCH. CRAP.” That’s what always startles me most. Where did it all the stuff I have come from? Will my house ever be clean again? Is this a slippery slope ending in an episode of Hoarders?
I’m just thinking out loud.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, I think that all the time! Weirdly enough I think we have just gotten used to rooms in progress spilling over rooms, so I’m deluded enough to think “someday this will all make sense.” Haha!
xo
s
Susan in Colorado says
If you are going to Craiglist that globe, I’ll take it.. haha.. My five year old is obsessed with globes for some reason and dang they are expensive!! (Actually keeping my eye out at thrift stores for one..and maybe making it some kind of project??)
YoungHouseLove says
I think that’ll end up staying but I’ll let you know if we change our minds :)
xo
s
A says
Check out yard sales. I got my son two globes for $0.25 each at a school yard sale last summer. Countries change pretty often and globes get outdated and the schools have to get new ones. It was perfect for me because I wanted them for more decorative purposes anyway. And he can get the basic concepts of the continents and oceans even if a couple country names have changed.
Faith says
Norrrrrrmaaaalll…..boring… HA. HA. Me, three teen boys, dirt mess 24/7.
Shannon says
Thank you so much for sharing your messy house. I read many home design/DIY blogs and everything always looks so beautiful & perfectly styled, but nothing like real life…at least mine. I often get down on myself for not being able to live up to the same standards of other working moms who produce such amazing design projects & homes. You’re the best for keepin’ it real!
Nicole says
Thank you for being normal people! A lot of bloggers say they are, but we never really quite see it. I remember taking pictures of our house before we sold it. I kept moving laundry baskets full of junk out of the view of the camera to take pictures. It’s always nice to be reminded of the normal people you really are!
Michelle says
It’s so nice to see some “realness”. I usually have room envy from all your posts. Makes me feel better about not having every room in the house look perfect!
Have you ever done a post about cleaning? I’d love to know your routine for keeping all those ceramic animals dust free and hardwood floors gleaming!
YoungHouseLove says
On our projects page (see that word under the header?) we have a cleaning section with posts like that :)
xo
s
Patti says
Oh boy, I thought I was sold on Behr’s Ground Fog for my LR but now that I see how nice the Edgecomb Gray is in your foyer I’ve changed my mind AGAIN! Thanks a lot!
Bonnie says
Your paint colors really are beautiful. I love the transition from the front entrance to the kitchen. The blue slate in your entranceway looked more gray when John was coming down the stairs at the end. For a moment, I forgot it was original to the house!
Lindsay says
I love that you guys keep it real. Our house is a mess and it’s driving me crazy. Here’s hoping I can get it under control this weekend. Good job narrating, John!
Shannon says
We’ve had a bathroom sink, vanity and mirror sitting in our Master Bedroom for close to six months. I found them for a great deal on Craigslist for our bathroom remodel. All the “remodel” that’s been done is some paint samples on the wall and a hole patched in the wall. Which happened soon after the vanity come to live in our bedroom.
Mary says
HA! Nothing compares to my closet right now! It’s currently the Bermuda Triangle but 1000 worse. I will not get out alive from that cave next time I need a pair of pants!
stephanie says
i would LOVE to get my hands on some of your Craig’s List goodies!
Kristin says
Such a relief to see your mess! I’ve considered making a sign to move around with the mess to name it “Staging Area.”
Julianne says
Even when you think yours is messy, it still beats ours on a good day, lol!
I found a large canvas of a ‘Burger’, I thought y’all would enjoy. Don’t know how to add photos here, but I’ll IG it & tag you :O)
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds adorable!
xo
s
Leslie says
Hi,
Where did you purchase your ottoman/coffee table in the family room? I have been on hunt and have not been able to find one I like that can also store blankets.
Thank you
YoungHouseLove says
That’s from Joss & Main a few years back.
xo
s
Sarah E says
We had a half-finished kitchen cabinet trash can drawer project that hung out on our kitchen floor for a week until I cut my toe on the rails. The project was quickly finished the next day :D
Robyn says
Love it! You guys always keep it real, which is awesome :). I was just thinking this morning (as I tackled the mess that I call my house) how do you guys keep it clean and neat? I just had a second baby in January, and cleaning is a struggle! I’d looooooove a post on your routines, and any tips and tricks you’ve learned along the way!
YoungHouseLove says
We have a cleaning section on our Projects page with some tips and tricks for ya, although I’m hopelessly behind.
xo
s