Willow & Twig

Scrape. Sand. Paint.  Week number two for the One Room Challenge: It may be my least aesthetically pleasing post, but a crucial step none-the-less.  This weekend we sanded cement floors. No, no – not the pretty sand-it-till-it-gleam. Just a simple floor sander to muddle up years of boat glue and chipping paint. It came out looking similar to what it had been, just dirtier. The trick is, when you touch the floor – it’s smooth sailing. We rented the floor sander from Home Depot for $168 all in. We anticipated more dust than there was, so started by… Read more: Cement Floors

Transform a garage-like workshop into a chic studio in eight weeks? We got this y’all. When we bought the house in 2020 we weren’t entirely sure if the outbuildings were included. As it turns out, they were.  The largest outbuilding is a 25’x30’ workshop: cement slab with footers, the building was insulated and outfitted with a non-compliant wood burning stove and a DIY rain barrel water system. The man who owned the house for 50+ years used it to build wooden boats. He was clearly awesome. There are so many problems solved with creative (if not long-term)… Read more: One Room Challenge: Transforming a Workshop into a Studio

Take a tour of our recently refreshed rental kitchen!

I started compiling this post before we even moved out of our Madison house, and it’s sat here in my archive of unfinished drafts for nearly nine months. The house is no longer the bright cheery yellow, but a dark blue with cream and red trim. This post is my ode to the Madison. A quick overview of how we left her, better and more loved than when we came.  Like many good things, this house was an unexpected find. In 2015 we decided to sell our newly renovated house and buy a duplex. We had just… Read more: An ode to Madison: House Tour

Here in four-seasoned West Michigan the warm autumn nights finally transformed into crisp, gusty Fall days. This morning Simeon and I had a rare opportunity to catch breakfast sans kids and while walking the sidewalks to the cafe, I was blasted with tangible feels of autumn. The crunch of thin, crisply dried leaves under my shoes. The startling gusts of wind that blew around and through me, reminded me thin cotton shirts may as well be mesh and left me opting for an inside table. The deep autumn rust and gold leaves gleamed in sunlight against the… Read more: Rustle. Crunch. Contrast.

We’re closing in on five months since we purchased our 1950s tri-level. Much has been accomplished, including new floors, new kitchen, almost every wall has been painted and sanded, we’ve added custom builtins, knocked out walls… despite all the progress there are still spaces that need to be taken from livable to lovable. But here I am getting ahead of myself. The One Room Challenge is a bi-annual event where both interior design amateurs and pros alike choose a room to complete in six weeks, blogging the process. Though there are some (major) perks for the winner,… Read more: One Room Challenge: We Meet Again

After hauling our dumpster-dive finds (century-old hand carved panels) with us on five separate moves, we transformed the architectural icons into an unexpected kitchen island.

I came across the Final Cut Instagram account nearly four years ago. The account feed was populated with snapshots of discounted furnishings and decor from Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Terrain. The beautiful pieces looked dingy against the backdrop of the neon-lite warehouse, but it was clear I had just stumbled upon a treasure trove of deals. Prices started at 60 percent off retail. The downside? Final Cut was located in Augusta, Georgia. I racked my brain for reasons to make the pilgrimage. To sweeten the temptation, Final Cut sporadically has flash sales where items are marked at… Read more: Pilgrimage to Final Cut – Anthropologie’s Outlet

This post comes to you from the comfort of my childhood bedroom. There’s nothing quite like being an adult and crashing with your parents. For the fifth time. Fourth time since we married. Third time with kids. Wait.. is there an unhealthy pattern developing here? It’s true. Jeff and Cheryl continue to be immeasurably hospitable to the Rowland clan, despite the never ending cycle of finding houses that need so much work they are inhabitable for a time. We closed on our soon-to-be-pretty little house two weeks ago tomorrow. Since then? The kitchen has been gutted, leveled… Read more: Color Crisis and the World’s Most Beautiful Herringbone

I’ve always considered myself a decisive person. Especially when making aesthetic decisions, however the combination of Covid (limiting access to touch and feel shopping) and not living in the actual space has revealed that I am very, very much a design-as-you-go type of human. With that said, here’s a very rough idea of how we plan to makeover the dining room: A few notes: the buffalo checkered bench is a placeholder. I like the chromatic colors, but am not in love with the pattern for this look. Stay tuned for something either A. simpler and B. more… Read more: Read the Room – Mood Board

What better time to participate in the One Room Challenge than the week we close on our latest fixer upper/money pit/labor of love/family home. Recap: Just as we were running low on the long list of projects for our current historic beauty, we purchased a 1950’s tri-level house sight unseen (story here). It hasn’t been updated since… well… 1952. We close a week from tomorrow, and while every. single. room. is going to be touched, I’ve settled on the dining room for the One Room Challenge. For the before, I present exhibit A: A few takeaways: The… Read more: My Ugly Room Challenge

I started compiling this post before we even moved out of our Madison house, and it’s sat here in my archive of unfinished drafts for nearly nine months. The house is no longer the bright cheery yellow, but a dark blue with cream and red trim. I could hoard one thing it would be houses. Alas, finances and practicality limit us to one primary residence. This post is my ode to the Madison. A quick overview of how we left her, better and more loved than when we came. Like many good things, this house was an… Read more: House Tour on Madison

Was it Covid? Do we have a problem? Whatever the cause, it was the perfect storm, because we just bought a BIG time fixer upper sight-unseen. And then turned around and sold our dream home. In 6 hours. Two weeks into quarantine Simeon and were enjoying a Saturday morning cup of coffee and silently perusing Zillow (mind you. this is a relaxing exercise for us, we were not looking to buy/sell). I pulled up a listing I’d quickly passed by in the weeks prior – a lovely 1960s tri-level with a horrific layout that had not been… Read more: HELP. We Just Bought a New (Old) House

This is one of the projects I’m most proud of, yet it’s taken me the longest to share. I’m very aware of it’s flaws and shortcomings. I think it’s a DIYer’s worst nightmare to be proud of something only to receive criticism on it’s quality. Then again, I think that applies to humanity across the board, not just DIYers. The kitchen of our 1910 home was last remodeled sometime in the 1990s or early 2000s. Whoever did the remodel did a nice job- but as much as I can appreciate the expensive solid oak cabinet doors, 20… Read more: Paint Tile Backsplash DIY on a Dime

I’m pretty stinking excited about this one. Recap: in 2016 we purchased yet another historic home and have bit-by-bit been tackling projects. When it comes to design I’m a hybrid between a historic purist (staying true to the era) and art teacher (make a statement because…art). The kids bathroom was on the bucket list and when winter came early-ish this year, we decided to go for it. Simeon tackled the demo and laying new subfloor and cement board. Meanwhile, I scoured the web for ideas. The materials needed to be accessible, but if I saw another white… Read more: Historic tile with a twist

Over the past two months plans have been slowly unfolding to build a two-stall carriage house tucked in the corner of our lot. The best part? It would have a airy, light-filled little apartment on the upper story. In effort to manage the project myself, I have been working with the historic preservation commission to get plans approved, confirmed zoning and size limitations, I’ve interviewed architects – ultimately purchased an existing plan – requested quotes on materials, secured a framer, you name it. But I underestimated one mighty detail: the City Planning Department. The moral of the… Read more: Doozy of a Day, Ending with Dale the City Planner

I’ve only cried over the way the AirBnB suite was left once. I’d been messaging with Mrs. Salt Foot pretty heavily up to the booking. She was coming in town for her daughter’s college graduation. She needed two, maybe three nights. She would have at least two cars that needed off-street parking. She would have her daughter and husband with her, or at least for a combination of the nights. She may also have her grown daughter stay with them (mind you, this is a 350 square foot apartment with a bar instead of a kitchen and… Read more: Airbnb Mistep: The Legend of Salt Foot

I’m not sure how the idea came to me – we’d never used Airbnb, but by 2015 it was rapidly rising in popularity. We had just purchased a large duplex and lived in the lower half. The duplex was our solution to the rising cost of childcare (we had two children under two years old) and it allowed me to stay home with them. We renovated and rented the upstairs and finished the main living space of the lower unit for ourselves. The unfinished back bedrooms and bathroom had its own entrance, so the idea of creating… Read more: Is AirBnB for You? A Beginners Guide: