Suzannah Hamlin Stanley's Blog, page 42

Renovating and rolling with the punches--or, when projects snowball

The question of where to stop when you take on a home project can be so hard! You debate between, let's just do a few updates and make things better--vs., well, if we're doing this, we might as well do it right... which is the right choice?!

A great example of this is Ashley's kitchen renovation: the original scope of the project was just removing the wallpaper. Take a look at what it turned into!!!

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DIY room makeover expert, modern style, and multi-generational living

Possibly my favorite Featured Designer from last fall's One Room Challenge wasn't a New York or LA celebrity designer, but an Ohio-based DIY blogger who's knocked it out of the park on two other One Room Challenges--and who I got to interview!


You've probably seen Bre's amazing master bathroom makeover... vintage dresser vanity! Black framed sliding shower door! Tub enclosure!

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Budget-friendly alternatives to custom window shades

Window coverings can be so tricky and you can spend a LOT of money (and time!) figuring them out. Curtains, curtain rods or clips, where to hang them, when to use blinds or shades instead of curtains or in addition... so much to think about!

I had no idea what I was doing when I chose blinds and a shade for our first house, so I ordered them custom and it was a good experience since I only had two.

At our next house, I wanted all matching bamboo shades. I ordered them custom which worked out fi...

Choosing the perfect couch!

This topic has been hot on my mind lately because our living room is so desperate for more seating and a rug/sofa makeover. We've been using our IKEA sofa with Comfort Works slipcover for a couple years now and we love it, but I'm ready for a color change and we have a funky layout but still need more places for people to sit! (But don't we all have a funky living room layout in some way?)

Point is, which sofa to buy is an important choice and a lot of research does (should!!) go into it.

We're...

A temporary solution I am LOVING: picture light in an office space!

Maybe it's because of our recent Your Home Story podcast episode all about office spaces... I recently got motivated to solve a problem at my desk/office space (a corner of our dining room) and it's not done yet, but I LOVE it! I wanted to share since I got some follow-up questions when I shared on my Instagram.


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My "office" space is pretty embarrassing right now. CORDS, black on black/dark wood that shows all the dust, index card taped over...

How to Get Started Finding & Hiring Professionals for Home Projects (+ before/after landscaping demo!)

This is kind of a scary topic for me! Hiring a pro usually means spending more money, and actually often more time because I like to get multiple quotes--and contractors are pretty busy in my area right now.

But, I've learned quite a lot about finding and hiring professionals for home projects in the past couple years and fixer uppers, and I'm sharing today!

On this week's episode of the Your Home Story podcast, Ashley and I both share tips and experiences on what's worked for u...

Design, Make, & Live: Offices

Home offices are typically mostly about function. Desk, comfortable chair, printer, to-do list... the design doesn't really come first.

But, there are tons of ways you can make a home office space beautiful as well as practical. This post links lots of ideas and solutions for utilitarian essentials and design features, plus four (very different) gorgeous office inspirations from around the web!


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On the Your Home Story podcast this week, we do a deep dive i...

How to have friends over when your house isn't "done" yet

Not since fall of 2016 have we lived in a clean, presentable, fully functional house for more than a couple months!! Two fixer uppers back to back has us used to Amazon boxes in the corner of formal spaces, and feeling extra grateful for things like working sinks. BUT that doesn't mean we haven't had a great time hosting friends and family for parties, simple dinners, even overnight guests.


This post contains affiliate links. 

This week on the Your Home Story podcast, Ashley and I are shar...

How to measure and hang a grid gallery wall! Dining room art with affordable custom frames & hardware

I'm making some big changes to our dining room and those include filling the big, empty wall with some very special art! I'm a big believe in BIG art (or at least appropriately scaled for the space), but a mix of types throughout a home. For example, maybe a huge framed canvas on one wall, but a set of smaller, grouped black and white photos on another.

In our case, I want a big piece above our fireplace, so I wanted to do a gallery wall in the dining room. But, I love order and simpli...

How to make a difference with quality doorknobs & other hardware

Updating our dingy 90's fixer upper, and now living in a 1937 home with many original features, have really made me notice details like doorknobs and switch plates! It's amazing what difference you can make to the look and vibe of your home by replacing outdated ones and even making a statement with fancy or higher quality ones.

I've talked before about what a great update it can be--and my first project at our last house was updating dated doors with paint and hardware! But there&...