Outdoor Rugs in the Rain: Does It Really Not Matter?
I keep a rain gauge on my back porch that I never look at, but I will tell you exactly what I do look at every single time a storm…
Throw Pillows in the Washer: What Actually Survives
I pull four throw pillows off my couch every single night, set them on the armchair like I’m clearing a job site before the crew shows up, and about twice…
A TV on a Sideboard: Convenient or Awkward?
My sister walked into the living room in October, took one look at the television sitting on top of my new (to me) sideboard, and said, “That looks like the…
One Night Out or a Whole Summer? Patio Cushions and Bad Habits
Okay so picture this. It’s a Tuesday, not even a nice occasion, just a random Tuesday where my roommate Casey decided we were “doing a little grill situation” on the…
Fire Pits on Porcelain Tiles: Tough, but Not Invincible
I torched a two hundred dollar paver with a forty dollar fire bowl, and the worst part is I stood there and watched it happen like it was somebody else’s…
Sizing a Console Table Without Guessing
I’ve measured the same gap in my hallway five separate times since February. Same tape measure, same eleven and a half feet of wall, same result every time, and I…
The Right Moment to Buy a New Mattress
I’m on the floor of my own bedroom at six in the morning with a tape measure, trying to figure out if a platform bed I’m building is going to…
Outdoor Rugs Out in the Weather All Year?
I was out on the back steps hanging a load of towels on the line, the cheap collapsible one from the corner store that always tips over if you clip…
Actually Using a Fire Pit on a Deck, Not Just Owning One
Ask ten people whether you can actually put a fire pit on a deck and you’ll get two answers, both delivered with total confidence, both slightly wrong. Half of them…
A Portable Fire Pit and a Wood Deck: Easy to Move, Easy to Get Careless
Portable fire pits have a reputation as the responsible choice for a wood deck. The story goes something like this: an in-ground fire pit or a heavy stone ring is…