Outdoor Cushions Living Outdoors: Is the Label Telling the Truth?
Outdoor cushions have a reputation, and it’s not a good one. Everyone I know treats the word “outdoor” on a cushion tag the way you’d treat a stranger’s promise to…
A Pergola Over a Fire Pit: Pretty and Pushing Your Luck
I bought a solid roof pergola for my patio in April, before I’d even ordered the fire pit, because I saw a photo of one online and decided the two…
Chimineas on a Deck: Put Something Fireproof Under It
I logged it, obviously, because that is the kind of person I am: fourteen googles for “can you put a chiminea on a deck” between September and January, four of…
Regular Bricks for a Fire Pit: The Budget Route
Every fire pit forum I’ve ever fallen down a rabbit hole on says the same thing with the confidence of someone who’s never actually tested it: regular bricks will crack,…
Battery Lights Outside: A Weather Reality Check
I own eleven sets of battery powered string lights. I counted them for this piece, on purpose, and then immediately regretted counting, because eleven is not a number a rational…
Fire Pit on a Concrete Slab
I bought my first fire pit off a clearance rack in early October, the kind of purchase that made complete sense at 9pm on a Tuesday and almost none the…
A Chandelier in the Living Room
I put a chandelier in my first condo before I owned a single piece of real furniture, which tells you everything about my priorities and also nothing about my judgment,…
Cushioned Vinyl Over Old Tile: The Grout Line Problem
I was on my knees in the half bath on a Sunday morning, scrubbing grout with an old electric toothbrush because apparently that’s a thing now, apparently that’s what qualifies…
A Vanity Table as a Desk: Working From the Makeup Corner
The reputation is pretty simple: a vanity table is a place you sit for twenty minutes with a ring light and a beauty blender, not a place you sit for…
A Firm Topper on a Soft Mattress: Fix or Fudge?
My sister stayed over three weekends ago, slept in my guest room on the topper I’d just put on my own bed for a night because the guest mattress was…