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Our recent Chicago meet-up with fellow bloggers Chris Loves Julia, Yellow Brick Home, and Making It Lovely was equal parts fun and inspiring. We ate well, explored the city, and spent quality time seeing each other’s homes. Visiting one house in particular made us rethink a long-held “design rule” we’d even mentioned on the podcast. In this post we share what surprised us about finishing the duplex for rent, a few staging results from Sherry’s latest assignment, and an easy decor idea that’s an alternative to simply hanging another picture frame.
You can also find this episode on your favorite podcast app, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, and Spotify.
What’s New
- Here’s the crew from our Chicago trip a couple of weeks ago. From left to right: me, Nicole Balch (Making It Lovely), Sherry, Julia Marcum (Chris Loves Julia), Kim and Scott Vargo (our hosts from Yellow Brick Home), and Chris Marcum. It was such a treat to finally meet in person.
- We shared highlights from the trip on Instagram, and both Sherry and Julia saved a few stories that capture our days together. The city offered an amazing combination of restaurants, conservatories, and museums that made for great outings and photo ops.
- Some of our favorite stops included Lula Cafe, Lost Lake, Garfield Park Conservatory, Dove’s Luncheonette, Toni’s Patisserie, the Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago, Revival Food Hall, Chicago Athletic Association, Lonesome Rose, Cafe Marie-Jeanne, Same Day Cafe, Pretty Cool Ice Cream, Summer House, and Little Goat Diner. Each place added something memorable to the trip—whether it was food, architecture, or just a perfect corner to linger in.
- If you heard our recent Episode #134, we talked about why we don’t display many family photos on our walls. Touring Kim and Scott’s Chicago home gave us a fresh perspective: small, carefully framed snapshots can have a big impact when they’re arranged thoughtfully. Their framed instant photos felt intimate and intentional rather than cluttered, which made us rethink how we might incorporate more personal imagery at our house.
- Kim even documented how she DIYed the framing for those instant photos—an accessible way to display moments that still reads like curated decor. They also posted a before tour of a renovation project they call the “Two Flat,” which showed lots of potential and inspired our own renovation ideas.
Update
- For the full story and before-and-after photos from Sherry’s staging project, check the show notes for our recent episode. The staging transformed the space and highlighted a few repeatable techniques for making a listing sing without breaking the bank.
Finishing The Duplex
- Back in Episode #125 we talked about the kitchen progress and my renewed hope to finish the duplex by summer. Construction delays had shaken our timeline, and I underestimated the furnishing process. What we thought might be a few long weekends turned into a months-long effort of multiple day trips, assembly, and steady problem solving.
- Over the last four months we made 16 separate trips to Cape Charles—each a 5–6 hour round-trip. Many of those days were spent unpacking boxes, assembling furniture, and making lists for the next visit. Looking back, those repetitive small tasks added up to a lot of time and effort, but they were essential to get the place ready for guests.
- Here are some snapshots of the early work: boxes to unpack, furniture to assemble, and a steady march toward completion. It took longer than we expected, but both of us feel really good to be so close to the finish line. We still need to stock a few kitchen items and wrap up some outdoor touches, but the duplex is essentially done—about 98% complete after nearly two years of work.
- When we first listed the duplex, all the summer weeks we opened for booking filled within 24 hours. That was a huge relief and a reminder that thoughtful presentation and timely listings really matter. There was one cancellation for the final week of August on the right side, so we’ll open that up for booking again soon. We plan to add off-season dates for fall and will reopen summer 2020 reservations after this season concludes. We’re taking things one season at a time and learning as we go.
We’re Digging
- One small detail that added life to a bedroom corner was a hanging mobile. We borrowed a mobile from our bonus room and placed it in the duplex bedroom to add movement and interest. That mobile was originally from Pottery Barn and isn’t available anymore, so Sherry is on the hunt for a replacement. A simple hanging element like this can turn a bare corner into a charming focal point.
- We hung another mobile in the beach house’s middle bedroom; that one came from Target and also shows how small decorative objects can make a room feel complete without expensive or permanent changes.
- We also shared a compact car battery jump starter that several listeners recommended. We haven’t had to use it yet, but it’s reassuring to have a reliable option in the trunk after a couple of dead-battery experiences in the past year.
If you want to revisit anything we’ve recommended over past episodes, we keep a master list of everything we’ve been digging as well as a Book Club page with all the books we’ve recommended. Those resources make it easy to find products and reading suggestions we’ve mentioned on the show.
Finally, thanks to Rothy’s for sponsoring this episode. We appreciate the support that helps keep the podcast and blog going.
Thanks for listening and following along with us—your support means a lot.
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