What to Do When Someone Tries Talking You Out of What You Think You Want!

When creating YOUR kitchen strategy, don’t let yourself get talked out of what YOU think you want!  There's a fine line between listening to the professionals and following your gut and YOUR strategy based on facts and logic. Our Kitchen Design Guides give you this confidence! (Over & over, clients say “Confidence!” is one of their many favorite things our guides have given them!) Storytime! A woman set up a consult with me, begging for…

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Backyard Makeover: BBQ, Patios & Pool, Oh My!

Wikiwikiwhat! Backyard makeover time! Yes, our backyard is officially MADE OVER! If you've already taken the tour of our backyard before we moved in, you'll be more up to speed. For those of you who haven't taken that tour, have no fear—I'll put in many of the "befores" so you'll feel all caught up. (Although I still think you should check out that original tour because it's a fun one and shows more than this!)…

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The Azores: Daily Life in This Remote Archipelago!

Welcome to our front door! Notice the volcanic rock left showing around the doors and the windows. Our now-85-year-old landlady told us this whole building we're now living in) used to be used for storing food. She was born here (and has been so lovely, speaking a mix of English and Portuguese with me so that between the two of us, we always get there! :) ). Her grandfather bought the property originally, so it…

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How To Get a Genuinely “Smart” Home TODAY!

How can you get smart function + flow in your space...TODAY? You need strategies for tasks, time, layout, flow, placements, and more…all customized 100% to YOUR exact needs! We share our home projects, client projects + 1000s of hacks, tips, and ideas for you here on TheBrainAndTheBrawn.com—as well as our Plans & Design Guides section to help you get there TODAY!🤗 👉 While we’re booked through 2024, you can get our guides TODAY for room…

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Laundry Hamper: 5 Genius Reasons to AVOID Standard & Go Hidden!

Looking for how to get a hidden hamper? Then you're a smart cookie--and you're in the right place! We're sharing why we think everyone should have a hidden laundry hamper, as well as how we created our own design in our closet! (We'll also share the second kind of pull out laundry hamper we have, and address whether a pull out or tilt out laundry hamper is best!) So if you just met me, you…

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5 Smart Strategies for Using Older Furniture in Your Newer Space (And No One Can Tell)!

What do you do with your old furniture?  Us? Ours is here in this family room. Can you tell?? coffee table | frames | basket | seagrass rug | similar lamp | similar side tables | similar chair | couch | pillow | yucca | philodendron Yes indeedy. 3 out of the 4 main pieces of furniture in this photo are 15-20 years old. (Try spotting them!) 5 STRATEGIES FOR USING OLDER FURNITURE IN YOUR…

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Plates In Drawers: 5 Genius Reasons You Should Avoid Plates in Cabinets!

Wondering about the best plate storage—and whether you should store your plates in drawers or in cabinets? We're sharing 5 brilliant reasons to avoid storing your plates in upper cabinets! Growing up, everyone I knew stored plates in their upper cabinets. No one seemed to think twice about it; that's just the way it was done. Tradition does that. People learn how to do something without asking "Why?"...and on and on it goes! However, when…

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DIY Drawer Dividers: The Only 1 You’ll Ever Need! (Easiest Wood Organizer)

How did we get our drawer organizers to fit so perfectly? Easy! We made our DIY drawer dividers out of wood and are sharing the smart n' easy plans with you here! Who doesn't love good drawer organization, I want to know? :) Clearly millions agree, because the number of pre-made drawer organizers available out there is countless, right? Just Google "DIY drawer dividers" and you'll find thousands of pre-made drawer dividers, ranging from "adjustable"…

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Open Shelving Is of the Devil: 5 Reasons To Avoid the Horrors of Shelf Styling!🤣

A Semi-serious Manifesto Against the Shelf Styling Movement! Will the gates of my home be stormed by Open Shelf-loving villagers with torches and pitchforks? Maybe! But it's a risk I'm willing to take.😎 I've wanted to write this post for a long time. Mostly because I had the title "Open Shelving Is Of The Devil" pop into my head months ago—and it makes me laugh to myself every time. (And when something still makes me…

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Why We’re Going to Travel & Live Abroad With Kids For Another 2 Years!

Our first post about this can be found here. Did you know that one of the top 3 reasons we started this blog and business was because our dream was to one day be able to work from anywhere in the world?! 🌍💻 And while it didn't necessarily happen quite the way we imagined it would (our imaginations were already hazy around it because when you have what feels like a Big Giant Crazy Dream,…

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