Painted Stone Fireplace: The 3 EASIEST Steps (Ever)!

Before moving into this house, we thought about painting the stone fireplace. We were having the whole interior painted at the time, so it made sense. While I'd thought about making ours a painted stone fireplace, we decided against it. You can see our family room (with more pictures) on our "before" tour of the downstairs. Here's another before shot of the non-painted stone fireplace there. Why we converted our wood-burning to a gas fireplace!…

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Spanish-Style House Interior: 50 Genius Room-by-Room Ideas I’m Hyped For!

We're a professional Designer + Builder husband & wife team showing you the Spanish-style house interior inspo for our new personal home, sharing our 50 favorite designs and tips, from Spanish Revival to hacienda-style, Spanish Colonial to modern, floor to ceiling! 🤗 While the internet is full of same-old same-old Spanish-style house interior inspiration photos, I'm here to bring a fresh new perspective... ...not only as a professional designer but as someone shaped by Californio…

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Designing Our New Workspace: 21 Home Office Design Ideas We’re Blending for Our Modern Beach House!

Looking for the smartest home office design ideas, from modern to unique, small to luxury, and everything between? We're a professional Designer + Builder walking you through HOW to design a personal home office space(s) + sharing design advice to get a result you love! Wanting to improve his or her home, the average person will start with the kitchen or a bathroom... ...yet here I am, with a list full of sad and/or ugly…

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The Little Things: When I Need an Indoor Entry Rug for Our Beach House!

We need an entry rug for a certain door (not our front door, hint hint!) in our new beach house, and I don't just want "the usual" interior door mat! What size? What style to AVOID as well as focus on? What mistakes do most people make with theirs? I'll walk you through how I make a timeless + smart decision about even these little details! ;) Today I'm going for a SHORT post! :)…

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The ONLY 50 Guest Bedroom Ideas & Decor Tips You (Actually) Need to Know!

Looking for the most timeless, most intelligent, most cozy guest bedroom ideas for THIS coming decade? Congrats -- you've found the best people to help you! :) Guest bedrooms are one of THE most incorrectly "done" rooms in peoples' homes! Want to avoid the mistakes while learning how to pull your guest bedroom together like a pro? You're in the perfect place! I'm a professional Design Architect who runs this business with my Build Engineer…

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TV Lift Cabinet: The Genius Hack For a Hidden Pop Up TV!

Today we're walking you through how and why we made our hidden TV lift cabinet (and sharing JUST HOW LITTLE MONEY we made it for compared to the $3k-5k ones you can buy ;) ), as well as answering these popular questions: "How do you make a hidden TV?" "How much does a pop up TV cabinet cost?" "How do you make a TV lift?" "Do TV lift cabinets work?" "Why hide your TV?" "How…

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How to Make a Fake Tree: 3 Faux-Real Simple Steps to a DIY Artificial Tree!

Want to know how to make a fake tree? We're sharing exact, simple steps (with photos!) showing how to make a large, life-size DIY artificial tree! I needed a specifically-shaped GINORMOUS PLANT in a corner of my living room, so you know what had to happen. I first had to drag my children with me to 178 different nurseries in search of the perfect one.🤣 While we found some "live" options that fit with what…

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Welcome to The Beach Casita: Our Kickoff Plan!

Over a decade ago, we bought this house and many of you watched us transform it room by room (and outdoor space by outdoor space)! Now, after a three year break from that house (one year at a beach rental and two years living & working around the globe), we're back in a brand-new area further north with an old(er) house needing our unique new treatments. ;) Right now for a working title, I'm calling…

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In Fun News for 2025: We Bought a New (Well, Old-ish) House!

If you enjoyed seeing what we did in our last house, then you'll L-U-V this time around! After selling our "Big House" (an hour outside of Los Angeles) three years ago, we rented a house at a Southern California beach for a year. That beach rental was old and ugly and you won't find pictures of that here on the blog because it was just a rental. We quickly determined we were never going to…

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The 12+ Simplest Plaster Fireplace Surround Ideas to Ease Your Eyes!

Looking for the best plaster fireplace surround ideas? Whether you want Venetian plaster over brick or to design yours from scratch, think of me as your own personal designer on this one—I've saved you time and compiled the 12 best ones in this post! (Plus other fireplace tips at the end!) Today I'm sharing a peek at a new client project! (Namely, the best plaster fireplace ideas for your enjoyment. :) ) (Things are so…

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