Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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#102: Are Islands Ruining America’s Kitchens?

Islands are a staple of most modern kitchens, but this week we explore why not everyone is a fan (including what we realized is a negative about the island situation in our own kitchen). Plus, we’ve tiled our fair share of backsplashes, but our recent project at the beach house kitchen taught us an important lesson about preparation, patience, and imperfection. John’s also sharing a new technique for helping you pick the perfect paint color, Sherry finds a new favorite beach accessory, and, well… Chad!!! You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re

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Making A Concrete Coffee Table Top

Hey, good news! I finally have a place to put my feet up in the beach house living room. Or, as Sherry would state this good news: we finally have a coffee table! light fixture / ceiling medallion / similar rug / similar sofa / similar curtains / curtain rods And it was a DIY that was SO MUCH CHEAPER than the high end alternative, so three cheers for that. Oh and people who follow our InstaStories know we’ve switched out the rug in here for this rug since taking these pics, so there will be a post all about that (and the other dining room tweak we’ve made) coming up in a week or two. But

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#101: Should We Paint Our Brick House White?

Our urge to paint the exterior of our brick house white has been growing lately, but there are still some concerns holding us back. So today we’re diving into the pros & cons that we’ve been tossing around (for years now!) as well as some new stuff we’ve learned – plus we’re asking for your opinion on what you’d do if it was your house. We’re also sharing why Sherry has ditched veganism and how our television provider suddenly ditched us… requiring us to reconsider our cable cutting set-up. Don’t worry, in the end we actually figured out how to save more money! You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen

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Quick & Easy Landscaping Updates

A few weeks ago we shared on Instagram how we (finally) landscaped the front yard at our beach house in Cape Charles. But we wanted to give you some more details on how we knocked it out in just a few hours, what we planted, and how it’s doing today (almost two months later). Plus we love the idea of having these photos on the blog to look back on in a few years when things continue to grow in. The beach house gets tons of sun, so everything seems really happy so far. We don’t often feel very confident in the landscaping & gardening department (hence relying on professionals for our backyard at home)

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#100: So We Had To Quarantine The House…

Nothing like an infestation to drive you from your home for a few days, am I right? We’re sharing the whole itch-inducing story, including why we had to leave, and what we did to resolve the issue (for significantly less trouble than we originally thought). Plus, we vent some strong feelings about front doors and share an idea that we stole from a luxury hotel to fancy up our beach house. And in celebration of our 100th episode, we have a VERY special guest. You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading

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How Each Side Of The Duplex Will Differ

We showed you our beach house style inspiration while the pink house was barely starting to come back together. And now that the duplex is at that same stage, we wanted to share our “vision” for its design – from materials and color ideas to specific room functions or features we’re thinking about incorporating. It’s never too early to start making the 10,000 decisions that a major house reno like this requires because your brain will practically start to smoke if you attempt to pick everything all at once. So from the moment we offered on the duplex, I’ve been keeping a huge Pinterest board to catalog all of the ideas that have popped up and

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#99: Our Latest (And Grossest) Home Experiment

When you put a lot of time or money into a project, you’ll go to great, weird, and sometimes gross lengths to protect it. We’ve got all the details in this week’s episode, along with a story that shows why renovating a house that’s over two hours away isn’t always a smooth process. Plus, we gathered some great advice on building a new home from scratch (or tackling a major renovation with a group of pros), including how to find the right team and avoid common pitfalls… and why you should keep your expectations in check. You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to

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The Best 45 Tools For Home DIY

We get a lot of questions about what tools people should own and they only seem to pick up steam as we approach Father’s Day (are us dads really that predictable? Never mind, don’t answer that). “Should” is a strong term because what you need is very personal to the types of projects that you take on and how much budget/space you’re willing/able to dedicate to your tools. Also, I should note that Sherry uses every single tool that I do, so they also can make good Mother’s Day gifts… assuming your lady didn’t ask you for breakfast in bed and you got her a router. That might go over about as well as a

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#98: Why Some Houses We Designed Never Saw The Light Of Day

A few years ago we embarked on a design project with a local builder that we were very excited about… but it all fell apart for reasons we never anticipated (and it still bums us out). We’re sharing that story this week, along with the surprising way Sherry scored an awesome secondhand find for the beach house. We also dive into your feedback about houses that are too big, including some conflicting sentiments about children and large houses. Plus, how we pulled off a stress-free game night with friends and the details behind our new collaboration with A Beautiful Mess. You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then

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The Duplex Is Coming Back Together, And It’s Happening Quickly!

Last time our duplex renovation was on the blog, it was still looking like shell – er, skeleton – of its former self (see below). The stench of potential was thick in the air (how’s that for a mental picture?) and today, nearly a month later, we’re gonna blow a big whiff of progress in your general direction. We’re starting to see our new floor plan come to life, the second story additions on the back of the house (two more bathrooms!) are nearly complete, and the rain held off just long enough last week to get the front windows in – including Sherry’s precious diamond-grille windows in the top middle (if you follow us on

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#97: What We Learned From Our Shopping Ban

Our month-long shopping hiatus came to a close last week, so today we’re sharing our results! What was the most difficult part? How did it change our habits? What were we dying to buy first after it ended? And – most importantly – how did it impact our bank account? We’re sharing all those details, along with some ideas for you to try if you’re too nervous to commit to a full-on ban. Plus, there’s a part of our house that we rarely show because we’ve been so ashamed of its state – but not anymore! Find out what we did to fix it without spending any money. We also added some easy organization at

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