One of my favorite buildings in all of San Diego is The Marston House, a 1905 home historic house that’s oozing with original charm and innovative design. With kitchen planning on my mind, I’ve been taking in the unique features of the butler’s pantry and cooking space in the old house, so I wanna show you!
Read MoreThe things on my mind this week including yellow kitchens, a carbon footprint calculator, my Enneagram score, my “life-changing” purchase this week, podcast recommendations, the movie I loved, a custom Mother’s Day gift, how our reusable totes are harmful, and colorful vintage bathrooms.
Read MoreThe more I dive into the low-waste, environmentalism, and energy conscious worlds, the more I think about alternatives to basically everything I do. I also have dreams of being a homesteader and recluse. So, a project I did last fall was install an exterior clothesline!
Air drying clothes is a great way to save on energy when doing laundry and I’m the perfect candidate for air drying clothes in my sunny San Diego climate. Plus, sunshine is the nature’s bleach. So, why not?
Read MoreThe things on my mind this week including my recent trip with friends, the super bloom, my favorite moisturizer and sunscreen, replacement windows, the affects of our waste on the planet, how to recycle correctly, how email is hurting the planet, organized kitchens, podcasts, my spring sweater, deconstructed kitchens, and my monthly playlist.
Read MoreI shared a couple of weeks ago that I was inspired to paint my dining room a super dark moody color. So, in an effort to write more popping-in-to-share-inspiration-and-thoughts-blog-posts I wanted to well, pop in to share inspiration and thoughts about giving my dining room a dark hue. I’ve compiled a bunch of inspiration images and mocked up the dark hue in Photoshop to give you a good look at the potential
Read MoreThe highlight of my week, deep cleaning, a live update on a favorite podcast, utility programs, historic home nostalgia, 8 things to do for the planet, what I’ve been saying about Queer Eye all along, the tools for sparking electrical panel joy, and two surprise visitors today!
Read MoreAmong my top 10 hobbies is deep cleaning my house. Call me crazy, but it’s just my jam. I’ve spent ages perfecting my routine to be as efficient as possible, years finding my favorite non-toxic cleaners, and just a few months to learn how to do it all without any waste. I filmed a quick video of me doing a kitchen deep clean and wrote out my step-by-step cleaning process. Check it out!
Read MoreThe things I’ve been up to and what’s been on my mind this week including appliance shopping, a moody tablescape, the book I’m reading, an architecture event, what to do with our recycling, how to mix wood tones, how I prepare for spring, the super bloom, environmental racism, and re-watching a favorite show.
Read MoreThank you all SO much for your feedback on my proposed layout changes last week! I really don’t know how I ever made decisions without the feedback of thousands of people.
Last week, I introduced two floor plan options and asked folks to vote but kept the results a secret. Wanna know what people favored?
Read MoreWho doesn’t love a good house tour? It’s one of my favorite things to watch on YouTube. Well, here’s mine.
You’ll notice that the title says “spring 2018” and you’ll notice that your calendar says “March 2019.” Yep, that’s not a typo. I filmed this last year and failed to edit/publish it until now. Oops.
Read MoreIn today’s Weekly Roundup, I’m sharing a moody dining room, an update on my kitchen design, a home tour of a friend, the artwork I’m excited to add to my collection, a dupe for my office pendant, the best mascara, a compostable hair brush, the movie that shocked me, a bathroom makeover, a retailer that went carbon neutral, and more!
Read MoreIf you know me IRL, or if you’ve been here awhile, you may have noticed I’m really indecisive and over think things WAY too much. I’ve been designing my kitchen for nearly FOUR YEARS now. I made minor upgrades to my current kitchen because I thought we’d only live with it for a mere 6 months. Well, here we are 4 years later and I’m still designing the future space. BUT! I think I may have come up with the best layout that makes the fewest compromises and sticks to a more reasonable budget! Check it out and let me know what you think.
Read MoreMy friend Martha had a vision for this garage conversion: to turn her unfinished catch-all garage into a beautiful, hard-working space that could function as a living room, media room, playroom, laundry room, home office, and storage zone. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t entirely convinced all of that could fit. But somehow(?!), it absolutely does and it turned out even better than I imagined.
Margot is getting an upgraded room to make space for baby sister in the nursery.
What I’ve been up to - from gardening, to film photography, and the books and shows we’re enjoying. Plus a house tour that requires a closer look, grass seed to always have on hand, cedar shake excitement, historic window screens, and the privilege I’m reminded of daily.
Hammocks, cookbooks, gardening, sewing, and the other things I’ve been up to on my impromptu break, and more.
Where I’ve been, shooting on film, my dream house, retro costume inspiration, energy rebates, a magic cake, textiles I don’t need but want, a lampshade DIY, my best defense against mosquitos, a new podcast, what’s killing home remodelers, best decision-making advice, overheard parenting, Little Women on acid home tour, best marble etch remover, and more.
If you like florals and color, this bathroom is for you. If you don’t, well, maybe scroll through and you’ll be converted? Or not? Either way, here’s the reveal of a bathroom addition that’s finally here - after a whole three years of construction.
My baby is two! Time’s flying… we wish we could slow down these years… I can’t believe she’s two… and all those other cliché things to say. We celebrated her second trip around the sun in our backyard with a small gathering of friends.
Ashley’s restoring her historic home at a snail’s pace in California. She shares home improvement DIYs, tips for sustainable living, and renovation stories - all while aiming to add more color and present real, lived-in, family friendly spaces.
I'm Ashley, a deeply systematic homebody restoring my 1915 Craftsman bungalow in California, slowly and on purpose. I don't make a single decision without first opening 100 tabs. Renovation, DIY, color, and what it actually looks like to live in an old house with two young kids.
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Hi. It's been a while. I've missed this. I took a longer break than I planned. Life has gotten full. I've been developing film and knitting at soccer practice, attempting to garden with the girls and fussing around with furniture layouts. I’ve also been scheduling summer camps, refilling the watercolors multiple times a day, and trying to keep the toys tidied. Around the house, I’m adding color wherever it fits and making some changes to the overall function and feel.