Happy Friday 9/19/25
Happy Friday! This week felt a little extraordinary - five years ago, we started demo at the Poplar Cottage. Five years! Five years of hard work, countless design decisions, and surprises both good and bad. And this week, all that time came together in one wonderfully-satisfying moment: we passed final inspection!!!
Walking through the cottage with the inspector was so satisfying. He stopped in more than one spot and said “wow”, complimenting both the design and the quality of the work. I can’t help but think he’s seen a lot of flipped homes - quick kitchens, basic bathrooms, a paint-and-run approach that’s common in renovation. That’s just not what we do. We take our time. We craft these houses. We fuss over the details. And, apparently, thoughtful craft is rare enough to make even an inspector pause and comment. It reminded us that slow, deliberate work is worth all the time and money you give it.
So here’s to five years of this little cottage! She’s a cutie, and we love her so! ;)
Some fun links from the week…
design: Oho Interiors | photo: Ashley Sullivan
The top 3 features people want out of a custom kitchen. Number 2 surprised me!
I’ve been looking at a lot of stairs lately and these plaid covered ones are quite stunning (shown above)! We originally planned to rework our narrow, step stairs at the Hill House, but the inspector said if we touch them we have to bring them to code, which would be nearly impossible as is. So it’s going to be a refinish the treads, paint the walls, and add a beautiful stair runner situation, which is fun too…
Anyone going to the new Downton Abbey movie (here’s the trailer)?! I need to brush up on the last two, but goodness the interiors and fashion are always such a delight!
The upstairs bathroom at the Poplar Cottage is brand new, but we worked hard to give it the kind of timeless charm that fits in an old house. Check out how we did on this week’s reveal!
I’ve had two girlfriends recommended these highly-reviewed $50 jeans and they’re SO good! Just bought the faded black color.
One living room, three layouts. IMO living rooms are the hardest room in the house, layout wise (just me?). This was super helpful!
Someday I’m going to get my meal planning in order and batch these curry recipes for the weeks ahead. So brilliant! Here’s how the prep looks on video via Instagram Reels - so satisfying!
Couldn’t wait to see Amanda Brooks’ newly-designed NYC apartment (in collaboration with the great Hadley Wiggins!). That interior glazing is so dreamy!
Listed to this book this week and it was sure fun!
Here’s to a lovely weekend!
xx
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