Not trying to jump the gun here or anything, but we’ve had two days of sunshine in SoCal this week, and I’m thinking summer just might have finally arrived. And well, we are ready for it. We recently did a little backyard refresh with new outdoor furniture from Walmart (these swivel gliders are SO nice), and we obviously couldn’t forget about the furry family members.

My dogs are obsessed with this indoor/outdoor bed, and I love that the cover is easily machine-washable. We swear by these leashes, and I’ll definitely be grabbing some of these calming treats to get ready for July 4th fireworks. From the best selection of dog beds to adorable accessories and toys they’ll love, Walmart has everything you need to keep those tails wagging all summer long.

xoxo

Gap sock toy; Ice cream cone bandana; waterproof leash; Calming dog treats; sock monkey toy; waterproof dog collar; Gap denim dog vest; Striped indoor/outdoor dog bed; dog pool

Brought to you by Walmart #walmartpartner

Happy New Year, friends – it’s been a while!  The blog took a little quiet time over the holidays and start of the new year, but today we’re back with a little peek into our Palm Springs casita.  (Finally!)  I’ve shared our Palm Springs home here a couple of times (here, here, and here), but I’ve never shown you guys the casita, the small guest house on the property.

It was certainly one of the things we loved about the house from the start.  The casita is a completely separate guest house that has a full bathroom, a small kitchen area, and an open space bedroom that features floor-to-ceiling windows and the prettiest hillside views.  Those swing chairs (sold out but similar here) on the little wraparound deck are legit the best seats in the house.  We loved that guests could have their own little private space, and we fully planned to make it a cozy little guest retreat.

But when we started furnishing and decorating the main house, the casita got put on the back burner, and eventually, it was kind of forgotten.  It had a couple of beds for friends to crash, but that was really it.  It wasn’t until last spring that I decided it needed a big refresh, and after having lunch at The Pink Cabana at The Sands Hotel (photo below), I decided to start with a wallpapered accent wall.  (Or more accurately, I became OBSESSED with having a wallpapered accent wall.)

I found this blue palm print wallpaper from Think Noir, and then everything else kind of fell into place.  The upholstered beds perfectly pull the lighter accent color from the walls, and we added a sleek ceiling fan for more circulation and light at night.  Easy bedding, throws, pillows, an accent chair (bought second hand from a family friend), and a nightstand (from a local shop) gave the room a more comfy, cozy feel, and I really love how it turned out.

I think in the not-so-distant future we’ll have some remodel plans for this space and the Palm Springs home in general (stay tuned!), but for now, this little refresh is just what the casita needed.  Hope everyone has a great rest of their week!

xoxo

P.S. – Here’s a little peek at the room before – YIKES – and my wallpaper inspiration at The Pink Cabana at The Sands Hotel.

The Pink Cabana at The Sands Hotel

It’s been a while since I did a little bedroom restyle, and recently I had the itch.  (Nothing like a change in seasons to inspire some new bedding, #AmIRight?)  So I hit the interwebs and headed straight to Walmart.com, and I LOVE the new cozy, neutral vibes in here.  But before we even get to the bedding, I gotta start with step one and share these new nightstands with you guys.

You may remember that our old bedside tables were a little…bright.  Yep, they were teal, but they were never supposed to be.  They were supposed to be a light blueish grey, but when they arrived (about 5 years ago), our house was still under construction.  So they went into storage for a bit still boxed up, and by the time I discovered the mix-up, it was too late.  So we lived with them (for a few years, LOL) but always knew we’d swap them out at some point, and recently we finally did.  When I found these nightstands on Walmart.com, I ordered them that day.  The size is perfect for our space; shipping was super quick; they’re under $200 each; and the quality is so good.  (Much better quality than the teal ones that cost way more.  Score.)

With the teal tables out of the way, I figured we could now do any color scheme in here, so I went with neutral taupe, LOL.  Honestly, I was looking forward to getting all or most of the color out of this room.  We are not duvet people, never have been.  I run hot and Eric is always cold at night, so we do two layers of quilts and it’s just what works for us.  (This coverlet is perfect solo in the summertime and then as a base layer in the winter.)  When I got in this new taupe quilt set, I knew it was perfect for us.  It’s a thicker fabric that doesn’t get all wrinkled and disheveled (two things that drive me NUTS), and it’s really comfy for sleeping.

I then ordered some fun, textured throw pillows, a couple of cozy throw blankets, and some new fashion coffee table books for styling my nightstand.  Oh, and the coziest little shag dog bed that these spoiled pups love.  I love how it turned out – take a scroll below for a closer look at some of the pieces I grabbed from Walmart.com.

xoxo

Taupe quilt bedding set;  Fringe and textured square pillows;  Tasseled rectangular pillow;  Nightstands;  Cherry blossom art;  Sherpa throw blanket;  Shag dog bed

Brought to you by Walmart.

I’ve been posting lots lately about my love of all things fall, and while it’s really still too early to pull out the sweaters and boots and fall fashion things I want to wear, it’s never too early (in my book) to get the house autumn-ready.  Our dining room has always been my favorite room of the house to decorate for any season or holiday, and this year, I wanted to switch things up for fall, starting with our dishes.

We host friends and family for dinner a lot this time of year, so I knew I wanted dishes that would be pretty but also very functional.  When I saw this matte black set from Gap for Walmart, I loved the idea to incorporate some of the black from the rug, and once I received the dishes, I loved them even more.  They are sturdy, on the heavier side, and look so much more expensive in person than they actually are.  They’re also microwave and dishwasher safe, and having used them a few times and run them through the dishwasher, I can say they come out streak-free and just like new.  (I also think they will be so pretty during Christmastime.)

For everything else for our fall tablescape, I hit the Wow & Now section on Walmart.com.  Have you guys checked this section out?  It’s filled with fun, on-trend items to get your home ready for the season.  From the Wow & Now section, I snagged the table runner (not always easy to find them over 100 inches long), the faux flowers (that are arranged in the handle-free mugs included with the dishes), the leaf garland on our sideboard, and the matte gold flatware.  You guys, this flatware.  It comes in gold, rose gold, or black with options of matte or mirrored finish for each, and honestly, they all look so pretty.  I’ve wanted gold flatware for a while, so I couldn’t pass these up, and just like the dishes, they came out of the dishwasher looking just like new.

Switching things up this season has been so much fun, and I LOVE the way it turned out.  If you’re looking for a few new touches to get your home ready for fall, head over to this Wow & Now page or scroll below for some of my favorite finds of the season.

xoxo

Glass cake dome;  faux leaf garland

Similar chair and side table;  blanket;  similar rug;  faux flowers;  plaid throw pillow;  similar “Gather” pillow;  similar wreath

Sponsored by Walmart.

I could probably ramble off a million reasons why I love fall – sweater weather, a favorite chicken chili recipe, football season, boots and booties, the countdown to Thanksgiving, all things pumpkin – the list goes on and on.  And somewhere at the top of my list is definitely seasonal home decor.  It’s just so nice having a few fresh updates in our everyday decor, and I tend to focus on our dining room and entryway.

So today I’m sharing a couple of peeks into our fall home decor, and I have to say, it just makes me so happy.  I’ve been collecting things here and there over the years from HomeGoods, Target, Amazon, Hobby Lobby, and other stores, but I’m linking lots of similar finds here.  Also, you can check out other shots of our seasonal home decor here.  What are you guys most excited about this fall season?

xoxo

 Similar cabinet;  Pottery Barn decorative wall disc;  similar dog statue;  similar beaded pillow;  gingham pillow;  similar wooden pumpkin;  Artificial fall floral stems;  similar garden stool

Remember this post wayyyyy back in April of 2018 where I shared a bunch of before and after photos of our home remodel?  Well around that time we had just finished a pretty big overhaul of the backyard, and I intended to share it sometime last summer, just as soon as I found new patio furniture.  Fast forward to now, and we’ve JUST created an outdoor space that we love in the backyard.

Although we don’t have many “before” photos of the backyard, if you scroll below, you can get a little feel for what we were working with.  It was overgrown (to say the least), had concrete poured in some strange “figure 8” pattern, and had dirt instead of grass.  It definitely wasn’t a place that we wanted to hang out or relax, but now, we are loving this space thanks to a few key changes.

Podocarpus Trees – Definitely one of the best things that we did in the backyard was lining all of the block walls with Podocarpus Trees.  We had them planted pretty close together, and after a couple of seasons, they had grown SO well.  They’re regularly trimmed as a living wall, and it provides so much privacy, noise protection, additional shade, and overall peace in the space.

Jacuzzi – This, by far, is one of our favorite features of our entire home remodel.  We use the jacuzzi ALL of the time, and we designed it pretty big so that it doubles as a small pool in the summertime.  (It even fits a full-sized float or two.)  We went with a natural stone exterior, a soothing waterfall feature, and two functioning coolers on the sides that are so handy for outdoor parties.  When we aren’t in the jacuzzi, we most likely have the waterfall feature on with the French doors in the kitchen open so that we can hear the sound of water throughout the house.

Fruit Trees – In addition to the Podocarpus Trees, we also planted avocado, Valencia orange, and Meyer lemon trees.  They don’t produce a ton of fruit yet, but it’s always nice when we can just grab an orange or lemon or avocado from the backyard.

Actual Grass – Here’s a shocker – planting grass was a significant change to the dirt patches we had before.  To the left side of the jacuzzi, there’s a strip of grass where the dogs can run and chase birds to their hearts’ desire.  And yes, we unfortunately have burn patches in the grass ALL the time because, well, dogs.

Built-In BBQ – The built-in BBQ and bar area has been so nice to have for grilling out or even just for putting out food and drinks during parties.  We made the bar pretty big, so there’s a ton of counter space for entertaining.  Originally I wanted to put barstools around it, but for now it’s kind of become a standing room bar.  We’ll see, the jury is still out on that one.

New Patio Furniture – Last but certainly not least, our new patio furniture is what helped tie the entire space together.  I don’t know if you guys have looked into outdoor furniture lately, but it can be crazy expensive, so I was so excited to find these two sets that I love at Walmart.  On any given weekend you can find me lounging on this couch or hanging in one of the rocking chairs – every piece is SO comfortable, and the quality really can’t be beat.  (Clearly, it’s pup-approved too.)

xoxo

Happy Wednesday, friends!  And yes, when typing that, I 100% felt like I should be saying “happy Tuesday” – is there anything better than a short week where losing track of the days always turns into a happy surprise?  Always good in my book.

Today I’m super excited to share a little spring and summer refresh in our master bedroom that was easy-peasy and pretty affordable to do.  If you remember back to this post last summer, our bedroom was a muted mix of greys, neutral tones, and blush pinks – with the same (not so wanted) pop of turquoise from the nightstands.

**A little back story on those – to be honest, I’ve never liked our nightstands, and the color was always an unhappy accident.  They were supposed to be MUCH more muted, almost a greyish blue.  They arrived when I was out of town, sat hidden in their boxes surrounded by construction materials for weeks, and were ours for the keeping by the time they were opened and in the house.  You live and you learn.  They’re next up on the chopping block, but I just haven’t found any that are tall enough that I LOVE yet.  The search continues…

Anywho, I was really loving the blush and grey (and turquoise I suppose) color palette, but our striped grey coverlet had really seen better days.  It was made of flannel, which we loved for the winter, but after a couple of years it was just looking tired and pretty pilled.  I searched around on West Elm and was pretty sure I’d end up with this pretty striped grey one or the grey version of what I eventually chose.

As a bedding rule of thumb around here, I do NOT do duvets anymore.  They’re too hot in the summertime, and to be honest, they’re just a giant pain in the ass every time you wash the duvet cover.  I was over that mess years ago.  We’ve also ditched the top sheet.  I buy these fitted sheets from Target that are great and have replaced the top sheet with this super lightweight coverlet that gets washed EVERY time the bottom sheet gets washed.  (I swear by this coverlet by the way – so breathable, affordable, and has held up wash after wash beautifully.)  Then I top it with something pretty – I always love the coverlet and quilt selection at West Elm (went there for the Palm Springs bedroom too), and they have great bedding sales all the time.

But this time, rather than sticking with the grey and blush palette, I decided to make a big little change and go with this yellow dotted coverlet, and I have to say, I love how much it brightens the room.  I picked up a couple of pillows from HomeGoods, grabbed minimal yellow touches like this little vase, and moved all of the blush accents into the guest bedroom.  Eric and I are loving how this room feels so fresh and new, and as you can tell, the pups are loving it too.  (Scroll down for a few more pics.)

Hope you guys have a great rest of your week ahead!

xoxo

 White base bedding;  West Elm Coverlet Restoration Hardware Teen pendant light Bench via HomeGoods (similar here);  similar yellow velvet pillow;  Round ivory pillow;  Basket and throws via HomeGoods;  West Elm yellow vase Similar grey velvet pillows; Wall sconces Mr. & Mrs. pillow (gift from a friend, found on Etsy) Vogue book;  Homebody book;  Yves Saint Laurent book;  Yellow book;  flowers via HomeGoods (similar here);  One Kings Lane side table (sold out);  Wall sconces

If you read this post from a couple of weeks ago, then you know I’ve added a new job title around here lately.  Officially, I’m going with Airbnb Hostess Extraordinaire, but basically, we’re renting out two different cottage spaces on Little Balboa Island in Newport Beach.  (Read this post for a little back story.) . The front, lower unit has been up and moving for a few weeks now, but as of this week, the upstairs unit is finally ready to rent.

This one took a little more work to get it ready for visitors, but now I have to say I love it.  It’s cute and comfortable and has a similar open and airy feel to the downstairs unit with two bedrooms, each with a queen sized bed.  My favorite feature of this one though?  Climb the spiral staircase in the kitchen to the large, private rooftop deck that I’m admittedly obsessed with.  Those sling chairs (above) are seriously comfortable and just begging for some summertime rooftop hangs.  I told Eric not to be surprised if he saw a familiar name (mine) on the rental calendar this summer because I genuinely just want to hang out here.

You can check out both of the units here and follow along with @thebalboacottage on Instagram for more local snaps and attractions.  If you’re looking for someplace sunny to spend a little time this spring or summer, we’d love to have you!

xoxo

 Turf outdoor rug;  Sling chairs;  similar garden stool;  glass top table (under $100);  turquoise outdoor dining chairs Table;  Chairs Barstools Distressed white bed;  White bedding;  similar side table

Well, guys, we recently did a little thing.  If you read this post from a couple of weeks ago, then you already know that Eric and I recently bought a new house.  I realize that I spilled the news and then promptly left you guys completely in the dark, but today I’m so excited to finally give you guys a full peek into what I’m lovingly referring to as The Balboa Cottage.

If you’ve been following along for a while, then you might remember that Eric and I closed on our first home on our wedding day.  (How’s that for timing?)  It was a mess of a house that needed a full overhaul and so much TLC, but after months and months of gutting and rebuilding, it became our home sweet home.  We love our home and have genuinely loved being in Huntington Beach (where Eric grew up), but I think that Newport Beach, and more specifically Balboa Island, has been a dream in the back of our minds for some time.  We just didn’t really think it would happen this quickly.

A few months ago, we started putting our feelers out and looking around at listings on Balboa Island.  We checked out a couple of “no’s” and then saw this little gem. The location is a total dream.  If Balboa Island was the home run, then Little Balboa Island for us is the grand slam, and we love that it’s right on Grand Canal.  Our spot on the Little Island is a bit quieter, less crowded for the most part, but still a short walk to the shops, restaurants, and attractions on Marine Avenue on Balboa.  It’s also a couple minutes to plopping down on the sand.

The house is small and sweet, currently consisting of two separate two-bedroom units.  While the cottage isn’t really a good fit for us (and our two crazy Vizsla pups) right now, we just couldn’t unsee the potential.  We knew that if we passed it up, we’d probably end up kicking ourselves, and so, we went for it.  And things got rolling QUICKLY.  We closed on the cottage a month or so ago and already can’t stop thinking about the forever home we’d like to create there.  That’s right, more construction in my future.  (Didn’t I say we were done with construction for a while?)

For now though, we’re figuring out our plans for the cottage (staying put in Huntington Beach), and in the meantime, we’re renting her out to folks looking to spend a little time on Balboa Island.  (Maybe that’s you?  Ha, can you tell I’m taking my new roll as Airbnb host very seriously?)  After several thousand trips to this store and that and more online ordering than I even care to think about, the front unit is fully stocked with vacation essentials and ready to rent.  (We’ve actually hosted our first four bookings already, too!)  The upper unit needed a bit more work, but it’s coming THIS WEEK – and wait until you see the huge rooftop deck.  It’s incredible, and I’ll be sharing it soon!

It’s been a wild couple of weeks, but sharing The Balboa Cottage and our love of all things Balboa Island with vacationers from all around has been so much fun.  If you’re planning on heading to Newport Beach this spring or summer, I hope you’ll check it out.  We’d love to host you!

xoxo

 Round vase with faux lemons;  faux plants via Michael’s;  Connect4, Clue, Trouble, and Monopoly games;  blanket via HomeGoods similar wall art;  wall clock;  turquoise microwave Bistro table and chairs for two Bedding and pillow via HomeGoods;  similar light fixture;  similar bed

Happy Friday, friends!  It’s been a long (LONG) time coming, but today I’m finally sharing a full look and some before and after photos from our kitchen remodel.  I shared a little more about our house, the process, and the outside before and after in this post last year, and I planned on sharing some B&A photos of the inside sooner than now.  But, you know, life gets crazy, photos never get taken, and at the end of the day, I really wanted to live in our kitchen for a while before sharing the details and what we love about it with you guys.  Over the last year and a half or so, we have definitely entertained in this home.  Like, a lot.  We love having people over, cooking up way too much food, and sharing lots of wine between friends.  And this space has been exactly what we hoped for.

Originally, the house was super divided, walls between every room, just how they liked it in the 60’s apparently.  We knocked down the walls between the kitchen, living room, and dining room, relocated the dining room by way of an addition, and vaulted the ceiling.  I’ve had lots of questions from you gals about the cost of doing all of the wall removal and ceiling vaulting, and the answer is pretty tough.  Every house is different, and if you’re thinking of doing something similar, your first step is talking to an engineer.  (And as a rule of thumb, it’s always best to add on 20% to any final cost, just for safety.)  The wall between our kitchen and living room was load-bearing, so we kept a little part of it (what’s behind the oven and coffee station) and then added a huge beam across the entire living area to support the house.  (In the first photo at the top, you can see the wooden beam running across the ceiling.  It was originally covered in drywall and painted white, but we eventually added wood panels to the outside and stained it for a bit of contrast.)

The kitchen design itself was a little tricky because it was a long, seemingly narrow space, and with an open concept, you lose a good bit of storage with the lack of upper cabinets.  After it was all said and done though, the kitchen is wider than we originally thought it would be, and we have a ton of storage with the lower cabinets, huge drawers, and end nook of lowers and uppers.  We love bright lighting (as you can also tell from the outside of the house here), so we have a ton of can (recessed) or down lights throughout the house.  They’re all LED and super-efficient – running every single light in our house takes less energy than an old-school plasma TV.  Light fixtures were added in most rooms because we wanted the look, not because we needed the extra light.  (And that is something I would suggest to anyone doing a remodel – add more can or recessed lights in the ceiling than you even think you need.  It makes a world of difference.)

Overall we love how everything turned out, and through sharing a few photos on Instagram (you can follow this hashtag for more) over the last year or so, I’ve gotten a ton of questions from you guys.  And I totally get it!  There are so many questions, so many unknowns!  And personally, looking at our remodel on paper plans made no sense to me.  Like, how is this really going to look?  So below I’m recapping some of our favorite features and decisions that we made.  Hopefully this answers a few, but please feel free to send over any additional questions.  I’m happy to answer anything I can!

Cabinets – Of all the questions I get from people looking to redo their kitchen, the most popular question is probably about the cabinets, and for good reason!  They’re expensive, and if you’ve never looked into kitchen cabinets before, then who in the world knows where to start?  There are tons of prefab versions available, but we ended up going with custom cabinetry (from Serna Cabinets) because it allowed us total freedom with our kitchen design, much deeper countertops than the standard, and the option to panel our appliances – which is why our fridge, dishwasher and ice maker blend in with the cabinets.  I also love the smaller touches that custom cabinetry allowed for – what could have been a wasted space is now our pull-out spice rack; the cabinet full of pots and pans features pull-out drawers inside; and our storage pantry has electrical outlets for charging a little vacuum and other small appliances.

Countertops – I’m not a huge Pinterest person, but in all my scrolls down Pinterest-Inspo lane, white marble countertops were the one constant.  I knew I wanted white marble, but oh man, I was not prepared for the mountains of unsolicited advice.  The coffee stains!  The red wine!  So we checked out other stones that were supposed to have the same look with more durability, but no matter what the HGTV shows tell you, the look is not the same.  We saw some beautiful quartz slabs, but in my opinion, they looked nothing like real Calacatta or Carrara marble.  Sometimes you just can’t manufacture something to look like the real thing.  So we went with Calacatta marble slabs, and a year and a half or so in, they definitely show some lived-in wear.  There’s not one coffee or red wine stain to be found though.  The real culprit here is actually water stains and rings and SO much citrus (the worst for marble).  Stains and all, we’re still happy with the marble decision for this kitchen because we love the look and don’t really mind that it feels lived in.  But if I were designing another kitchen in the future, I might warm up to the darker / smoky grey quartz idea.  Who knows.  (Also, a marble slab is about an inch or less thick – 3/4 of an inch usually.  To get a thicker countertop look like we have, ask your installer to “apron” the sides – they matched the marble perfectly at the edge and made a 2″ mitered apron.)

Appliances – Here’s a non-shocker for you: kitchen appliances are expensive.  Like, really expensive.  But when it came down to it, we felt like we had spent the time and money creating our dream kitchen and entertaining space, and we wanted nice appliances to finish it off.  We went with a full Thermador package – fridge, gas range and pop-up downdraft (vent), oven (with 100 functions), drawer-style microwave, dishwasher, and wine fridge – and we couldn’t be happier.  We paneled the fridge and dishwasher and love the sleek look blended in with the other stainless appliances.  Given the chance to choose again, we’d definitely make the same choice and go with Thermador again.

Undercounter Ice Maker – After spending a few years constantly changing out ice trays in our Newport Beach rental house, ice had become like a luxurious hot commodity for parties and sometimes just everyday life.  (WHO FORGOT TO FILL THE TRAYS AGAIN?!)  A separate ice maker was on our list of kitchen musts, and it’s something that we use multiple times every single day.  (In the photo above that shows our fridge, it’s hiding two cabinets over – you can see the little vent below it.)

Farmhouse Sink – Tune into a little marathon of Fixer Upper, and you’ll hear the words “farmhouse sink” in every single episode.  Trendy or not, sweet Jesus I hope they never go out of style because having a big, undivided sink is just so functional.  Washing or soaking large pots and pans is a breeze, and having the extra space is just plain nice.  I also LOVE the Kohler faucet with a couple of different spray options that we chose.  Which brings me to my next…

Filtered Hot and Cold Water Dispenser – You know that whole “drink more water” thing I’m always talking about?  Well if there’s anything that’s helping me out with that, it’s this.  We installed a filtered water dispenser that matched our main faucet and an “insta-hot” to make hot tea or other hot beverages instantly.  (Seriously, piping hot water comes out within a second.  It’s magic.)  It’s one of my favorite features in the kitchen, and I think the second faucet (really similar to this one) is actually a really sleek addition.  My only regret is not adding one in our master bathroom as well.  (All of our kitchen and bathroom plumbing fixtures are Kohler, and we’ve been really pleased with the easy maintenance and overall durability – fingerprints and everyday smudges just wipe right off.)

Wine Fridge – Well…hello.  A wine fridge is definitely NOT an essential in a kitchen, but I definitely wouldn’t create a future kitchen without one.  It’s obviously great for keeping red and white wine chilled and out of the way, but it’s also been so great for entertaining.  When guests bring over wine, throw it in the wine fridge instead of taking up valuable real estate in the main fridge.  Ours was part of our Thermador appliance package.

Bar Height Island – One thing we knew we wanted from the beginning was a big island, and I don’t really know if ours would be considered an island or peninsula, but let’s just go with it.  We went with a taller, “bar height” counter because it’s the main gathering place in the kitchen where people tend to hang around, and Eric and I are both on the taller side.  For shorter guests, it’s a little on the tall side, but we still have no regrets with that decision.  We also chose to waterfall the marble top down to the floor, and it’s definitely become a focal point of the kitchen.

White subway tile – Originally, we didn’t have a backsplash because we kind of needed to figure out what we really wanted to do.  We ended up going full-height with white subway tile on the entire wall behind the sink and slim wall behind the coffee station and also behind the stove, and it finished the space for us so perfectly.

French doors – If you scroll below to the “before” photos, you’ll see that we had a window above the original sink and one in what used to be the dining room.  We replaced and rearranged all of the outdated windows in the house (not a decade too soon), and in the new kitchen, we went with French doors to access the backyard.  When the weather is nice (which is most times in Southern California), we keep one door open all day long so the dogs can come and go (slash run like banshees) as they please.  It’s been great for the dogs but also for airflow in the house in the summer months, and we love how they seamlessly tie in with the windows.

And now for a little walk down (bad) memory lane.  Scroll below for a couple of photos of the “before” of this space.  Admittedly, I’m kicking myself for not taking more photos of what it all looked like before.  (What can I say, at the time, it didn’t feel like something I’d want to remember.)  But if you’re doing a remodel of your own, take photos, take your time in the planning phase, and buckle up for what is going to be one crazy ride.  Have a great weekend, guys!

xoxo