This kitchen renovation and bathroom addition are still cruising. Kinda slow, often uneventful, sometimes thrilling. This past week the guys have been wrapping up framing and that included cutting a hole into a perfectly good wall, removing a door, adding two doors, and adding two walls!
Read MoreWe’ve been without a kitchen for over a month during our renovation. The room is totally gutted so needless to say, we’re without a sink, cooktop, oven, organized pantry, and open counter space. And we’ll be without for many many more moons so we’ve set up a functioning temporary kitchen to prevent starvation.
Read MoreWe’re all facing challenges during this bizarre time. And I can’t stop thinking about the folks dealing with stresses far greater than the boredom of being stuck at home. I really feel for those without work and worrying about how to pay rent, the medical professionals working on the front lines, the most medically vulnerable, or the people that don’t have the luxury to work from home.
So, I’ve rounded up some ways we can help others during this time. Some of these involve cash donations and some are as simple as spending 5 minutes online. I’m sure you can find one thing to do in order to help someone else no matter your circumstance.
Read MoreA roundup of what’s been going on this week including the restoration material I just bought, a whole-house craftsman home renovation you must see, my decision fatigue, a house made entirely of local materials, my favorite shops for your shopping pleasure, how to research the life-cycle of your products, Cathy’s pantry, reframing our reaction to COVID-19, my tree mural print is on sale, how I get about my decorative bowls, and what I’m doing this weekend!
Read MoreI’ve been asked a lot about our vintage O’Keefe & Merritt range. I get it, she’s a cutie! For some people, an old stove is a foreign idea so there are a lot of curiosities about how we’ve used, cared for, and enjoyed our old range. So I’m here to share all that now.
Read MoreAnother week, another kitchen renovation progress update! The crew has been finishing up demo, working on termite repairs, and starting on framing lately. Let’s recap what’s been happening!
Read MoreThe things on my mind this week including what we did on our recent trip, my friend’s shop that you’ll love, Natasha’s childhood kitchen makeover, the history of our home items, how you can shop everything I own, upcycled fire hose cabinet hardware, the end of millennial aesthetic home decor, a climate change food calculator, what’s inside of everyday objects, my February playlist, and more!
Read MorePodcast time! Now live is part II of my episodes on the podcast True Tales From Old Houses! During part II, Stacy and I are talking all about how and why my home received historic designation, the amount of money I don’t pay on my property taxes anymore, gentrification and issues with Mills Act, city permitting challenges, neighbor disputes, and what I’m allowed to do and what I have to do to my historic home.
Read MoreOne of the most thrilling parts of demolition is finding evidence of yesteryear! So often remnants of the previous renovations are left in the walls, or old mechanical systems are uncovered, or things mysteriously end up in weird places. Wanna see what we found during demolition?
Read MoreDemolition started last week! The kitchen renovation and bathroom addition have been such a long time coming that it doesn’t even feel real that this new space is actually taking shape. Well, at this stage it isn’t taking shape so much as it’s losing its shape and becoming a big empty box. But that’s progress!
Read MoreRoss (my husband) is a mysterious member of The Gold Hive and you folks are curious about him! He travels for work a lot so he doesn’t often make appearances on the blog or Instagram, but he’s around here and there. I invited Instagram followers to ask questions for Ross (and for the two of us), so we sat down to answer your questions!
Read MoreMy kitchen renovation kicked off this week but other things were on my mind, too! Like a multicolored kitchen, other renovations you should follow, a new furniture line, a volunteer organization I’m looking to join, my favorite striped sweater, bees, my podcast episode, and what I’m gearing up for next week.
Read MoreWelcome to a new series: Report Card. I'm going through (nearly) everything in a space and telling you how it's actually held up. The backyard's first up, and spoiler, I did not ace this one.
The plants finally filled in, the veggie beds are in the wrong spot, and I've learned that the yard you design and the yard your kids actually use are two very different things.
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.
My 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.
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.
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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On data loss, real loss, and stretching further distances.