Fire Pits in a Neighborhood: The Rules Nobody Reads
My neighbor Dale texted me a photo of my own backyard, taken from his kitchen window, no caption, just the picture, at 9:47 on a Tuesday night. Smoke was drifting…
Two Mirrors in a Bedroom
I currently own three mirrors in my bedroom, which is one more than I own opinions I’m willing to defend at a dinner party, and somehow still feels like the…
Sandstone Fire Pits: Pretty and Layered
I built my first fire pit out of raw sandstone slabs I bought from a landscape yard on the east side of Indianapolis, and I want to be upfront that…
Billy Bookcase Without Its Back Panel
I used to hear “you can’t take the back off a Billy bookcase, it’ll fall apart” and just nod along like everyone else, because it sounds like it should be…
Charcoal in a Fire Pit: Not What It Was Built For?
I’ll tell you the honest version of this story, not the version where I look competent, because that one’s a lie. Two summers ago I bought a fire pit off…
A Sideboard in the Living Room
I counted it once, out of pure boredom during a work call I wasn’t paying attention to. Nine times. That’s how many times I opened the sideboard in my living…
Ottoman Plus Coffee Table: One Too Many?
I was on my knees in the living room with a tape measure and a granola bar my daughter had abandoned halfway through, trying to figure out why every time…
Bed Frame Quizzes and What They Get Wrong
My buddy Marcus texted me a link at eleven at night with the message “just take this thing it’ll be faster than asking you.” It was one of those “What…
Headphones With the Ear Pads Missing
The reputation headphones with missing ear pads have is pretty simple: they’re done. Trash. Toss them, buy new ones, don’t even think about wearing a pair with the cushions gone…
Washing Couch Cushion Covers Without Shrinking Them
I ruined a cushion cover so badly that my wife walked into the living room, looked at the couch, and said “did we get a cat that likes to nest…