This one is for those who want the “hot goss(ip)” – all things behind the curtain and under the hood in the life/business categories. Remember when that’s what blogs were? We just blabbed, stream of consciousness, and people had long attention spans and would read every word? All hail long form content!!!! Anyway, we have finished a few big things (my brother’s house, our outdoor kitchen/garages), so there is a bit of a “what’s next” floating around both internally and externally. The funny thing about being a home design content creator (versus fashion or food) is that you need new rooms to always be designing, new projects to always be announcing and launching. It’s pretty wild and yet just part of the job. Every year, the landscape in digital media feels different – both emotionally, professionally, and financially (not to mention politically) and navigating it is truly a version of The Hunger Games (competing against the algorithms, not each other). And listen, digital/social media isn’t uniquely affected by huge tech and societal swings, it’s just part of the game that frankly I’m grateful I still get to play, but sometimes don’t know what weapon I’m even supposed to hold. But I figured for those who might care (or are just super curious), I’d talk through all the things we are thinking. Here’s what’s up:
The Guest House/Carriage House
As a reminder, this is the 1850s original farmhouse on our property that needs to be restored. This project is moving forward, but has already slowed down due to waiting on foundation quotes. Well, that and I’m terrified at how much it’s going to cost. The first quote came in, and Brian and I looked at each other like, “Are we really doing this?”. We knew it would be a lot of course (and I we are still on the fence about sharing real numbers, TBH) but it’s made us reconsider how we are doing it, and frankly, we have to figure out the best way to pay for this project. We really want to be as smart about this as possible, and I’m genuinely excited to get my hands dirty, experiment, and learn. So we are still going to do it, don’t worry, but it’s not this super easy, fast process for many reasons – both personal and financial. As many of you pointed out, restoring this 1850s fixer won’t necessarily be the best “investment” in regards to resale, but if I can use it as a project house for our business and create content that drives more business, then it could still be worth the investment. It’s certainly a risk (isn’t everything?). I think getting through the first round of major non-exciting expenses will help, and I have to remind myself that we can get a line of credit, pay slowly over time, and leverage my job to help offset the labor costs that we can’t do ourselves. But here’s the official update: We recently went to the Oregon Historical Society to get as much info as possible, and the guy who was helping us hurt his back and has all the info in his locked work computer, so we are waiting and dying to find out. We have 4 foundation quotes coming in, and our asbestos and lead abatement quotes are already in the works. I love my job, and if money were no object, I would be making these big financial decisions much faster, trust me. I am learning so much about the process, though, with the quotes, methods, and “best practices” thus far being so different (and often contradictory). Who do we trust???? Anyway, I’m so glad that we pursued many more foundation repair quotes because the first one was the most terrifying (and I loved the guy so much), and crossing fingers that doing less work is the right move.
More Personal Posts Or Brian’s Substack?
I’ve wanted to write about more personal things (not design-related), so Brian and I have been seriously considering a Substack for over a year now. In fact, we’ve written so many articles already, we shot photos and promo videos for it, and we aren’t settled on the name, but we are so close (What do you think about “The Belly Flop”?). He’s taking the lead on this, and he’s in the final stages of editing his book, so we’ve been in a holding pattern for a bit. He would write about more male-driven topics – i.e., lead parenting, marriage, masculinity in 2025, what it’s like to be married to me, lol, and I’d write more about the insides of this nutty business, Mormonism, sex, social media, motherhood, etc. There are many times when I think “just publish it on the blog like you used to” because I know these juicier posts would do really well here, but unfortunately there are people out there who would weaponize our vulnerabilities, insecurities (and successes) and take things out of context, so having them behind a small paywall makes us feel safer (all of that can and will still happen here of course, but less so). The anxiety that I feel when I almost publish a more personal post is just not worth it to my mental health any longer, so they get stuck in “drafts”. We know that we have perspectives that are relatable and valuable, especially Brian’s, honestly. Would love any feedback on that (and know that for long-time readers who have left positive comments, I can give out coupon codes to read for free). Anyway, it’s happening soon one way or another, so just dropping it here first.
Design Coaching – What’s Up With Pete And Chrissy’s Kitchen?
This was our first foray into coaching someone else through their remodeling stress. We hoped to be there to bounce ideas off or weigh in to help avoid problems. Now turns out Chrissy and Pete were pretty dang capable (and had great design sense/taste), so we kept checking in like “do you need anything from us?” and while we did help problem solve their layout, they honestly did such a great job without needing too much from us. As predicted, there are things outside our control that have affected the timing of the reveal – but they are like 90% done and it looks awesome (we seriously can’t believe they DIY’d so much themselves). Pete has taken a 2-month job in Kentucky, and the whole family (yes, three kids) is headed out there for a bit. They get back in December, but I would never put a huge shoot on a parent’s calendar in December, especially when the house is decorated for Christmas. So our plan is to shoot in January and reveal asap after that. We started a second design coaching client this week – another kitchen in our neighborhood by a reader that honestly just made it too hard to say no to (and the proximity to our house makes it so easy). I’m really enjoying these, and am learning what works content-wise and where our help is most needed. Which brings me to…
Fast Budget Styling Makeovers In 2026 – YES!!!
I joke all the time that my dream job, once I “retire” (likely never), is to do quick, budget restyling makeovers. These rooms would be already “good” or even “pretty good,” but they need my help to make them better. We’d need total creative control (of course), on their budget, and in a few days. Think speed shopping, easy DIYs, thrifting, shopping their home – real people, real money, real time. They’ll give initial ideas/needs/wants of course, but then that’s it – we get to do our thing and “Ta Da!” I’ve done this with so many of my friends as favors over the years on weekends, and it’s incredibly fun, so why not try doing this on the blog? We wouldn’t get paid, but we’d shoot it all and turn it into hopefully fun content here. We are starting our first one soon, and we’ll see how it goes 🙂 My hope is that they are a low lift, but high impact, and they can be consistent. More to come soon.
Jess’ and Caitlin’s Makeover Takeover!
Ok, you guys are being super patient here, but you also have to remember that people have personal lives that they may not be sharing, which affects their design time and reveal schedule. But I get the excitement to see what they’ve done – I want to, too!!! Good news, Jess shot her living room and bedroom last week!! Caitlin’s is scheduled for October. Gretch has a super fun guest room update coming soon, too. Its all in the works! Just takes time and resources (we have a new program to help get them executed more swiftly).
Kaitlin’s Bathrooms
They are ALLLLMOST done, I promise. This one falls more in the design coaching category – We are just helping Kaitlin out with product and any design advice she needs (as well as publishing and creating content). She has great taste and style, and she hired my brother’s company, Afore, to execute it all. They are able to use the bathrooms now, just waiting on the glass doors to go in and the skylights to be finished. They are looking extremely cute and just so “her”. We are shooting mid-October for a reveal asap after that.
The Rest Of The River House – Are We Done??
Yes! and …. no. We still have to reveal a few of the rooms that I’m so excited to show you (living room, game room, and dining room), and we haven’t touched Frank’s room (their 7-year-old son) or the pantry, which we still want to do (and Frank is definitely like, “what about me??”). Both are great January projects. Technically, they have a basement to turn into a rompous room/gym, and we’ve never shot the front of the house, which has a huge patio so there might be some more River House reveals in the future (and honestly they are just really fun for us because we have complete creative/shopping freedom to spend someone else’s money:))
The Future Of The Blog (And Some Drama)
We are currently in the beginning process (again) of redesigning and rebuilding this site. Last year, we had some pretty devastating hacking that occurred over and over and over, which was a massive problem for many readers and cost tens of thousands in security repairs for my IT team. So behind the scenes, my IT team rebuilt the site without redesigning it for it to be safer, but it had to happen really FAST so no time to redesign or rebrand. Basically, I was told that our former version of WordPress (the blog platform) was so old that it was like having a vintage car that you can’t find the parts for, and it was so easy to hack. So we did a fast and dirty rebuild, migrated everything over with the intent of a full redesign/rebrand in 2026. As my team knows, this is not my strength (which is why I let it go for so many years) – it’s just so intimidating, daunting, expensive, and frankly, the way media is going, it’s hard to know how much to invest in a “website”. But during our retreat, we brainstormed the site, how to make it the best for daily readers, and how to make it the most useful and reader-friendly for people just dropping in when they need help with design, renovation, or shopping. It really helped to narrow it down, hone in on priorities, and then organize the site based on that. I’m finally so excited about it. Turns out that while daily readers like process posts, the new person who lands here randomly will rarely seek them out. So we had to cull through so much data to know what really needs to stay, how to categorize, etc. It’s not going to necessarily change the content much, just where it lives permanently after it’s not that day’s post. We are also optimizing more for efficient renovation guides and clear shopping for those just in search of the best counter stool. A huge thanks to Paul and Flywheel Agency for helping us navigate it all the last 8 years, and to my team who hold my hand and give me confidence through all the stuff that is just not my strength. But sites as big as ours aren’t built in a few weeks for a few thousand dollars – nope. They take months and months and cost more than you’d ever want to know 🙂 So, crossing fingers you’ll love it!!! (Obviously very open to suggestions/ideas!!)
Love For Portland!
Portland has been in the news a lot lately due to Trump calling it “war-ravaged” and “like living in hell,” and subsequently calling in the national guard to help quell some ICE protests. I’m not here to talk politics, but you should know that there was nothing violent happening in Portland that warranted this action last week. And sure, in 2020 (before we lived here), there were some serious problems with protests. But it’s not a thing right now (at least wasn’t when he announced it). Trump has admitted to looking at outdated footage that isn’t accurate or current. Everyone in Portland was honestly so confused about what he was talking about. My friends drove by the ICE building to see for themselves and sent photos of 8 peaceful protestors (this was on Monday). I’m not saying its perfect here, but no where is. Our public schools are underfunded, our small business taxes are high, and yes, we’re also suffering from the nationwide housing crisis. But Portland is such an incredible place to live, raise our kids, in a vibrant community full of creativity and acceptance, near world renowned nature, and still with big city culture. Living here is wonderful and beautiful, and I sincerely hope that this activation doesn’t actually cause the violence that he hoped to quell, misguided as it was.
Media – What A Mystery You Are!!!??
We know that every few years things change, and you really have to embrace it or you’ll spiral into an existentialist pit where you question your relevancy and purpose while crying in the shower (for instance). AI and TikTok disrupted our lives so fast, like in one year, things drastically changed. And listen, we’ve been here before. Magazines were killed by blogs, blogs were killed by Pinterest and Instagram, and Instagram was almost killed by TikTok (turns out too many consumers like me don’t want to be on TikTok, so thank god there is still a huge audience and brand money on IG). We are still here and thriving (thanks to you and my team). But now with AI scraping all our years of educational design content (not to mention my two books – and yes I’m part of that lawsuit) our numbers are being challenged because what used to be a big “Google hit” (like how high to hang your curtains) is now being answered by an AI bot before they scroll down to find the original writer of the content. And people are more easily entertained on their phone than on a website. All things I get!! It is what it is, and we saw it coming and have diversified enough to be a healthy, robust business. And honestly, I’m just still so grateful to be here doing this, while raising my kids, and if I only got to do 50% of what I’m doing now for the rest of my life, I’d still feel lucky. I tell myself all the time that after the kids go to college, I really think I have a third act in me, but right now, the opportunity cost of trying to grow the business, while not seeing my kids, is just too great and not worth it.
But What About Product Lines??
I’ve loved doing the rug and sofa line. They really pushed my team and me to grow in ways that were so fun. New muscles to flex, etc. And will always pursue the right opportunity should we feel compelled – both emotionally and financially, or if we see a clear hole in the market. But it’s not always seamless behind the scenes (lol). With the sofa line, we had to move the entire operations from Mexico in April when the first tariffs were announced, making them now in Texas. This obviously created a decent amount of stress (not to mention shifting the revenue while trying not to raise the prices). I flew down multiple times to tweak and approve, tweak and approve, and I’m so grateful that they were patient with me and they did an incredible job. I’m so proud of them and so grateful for my team’s talents. With the latest high percentage tariff gauge on upholstered furniture, I guess we are as grateful as ever that they are American-made. That’s all to say that we are continuing to expand the line and see where it goes! We are in talks with another rug manufacturer whom we love, and hoping it’s a good fit for all, but if it’s not, that will be ok, too. The world is full of so many opportunities, some we earn from and others we learn from (ideally both).
Meanwhile, on the Henderson family front, Brian and the kids are healthy and thriving, which is honestly all that matters. Most nights and weekends are us doing sports, playing pickleball, or watching Survivor after dinner. They are truly my favorite people to hang out with, which I honestly didn’t predict (I knew I’d love my kids, but I didn’t know that we’d have so much fun together). Elliot is my life-buddy (I won’t say best friend because it’s too cringey, but y’all, we are totally best friends). We have so much in common, and we really, really get each other, which makes parenting pretty enjoyable right now. Recently, we were both sick all weekend, and we binged “My Life With The Walter Boys”. I was secretly like “this is my favorite day ever – being sick with her was so cozy and comfortable” and then got nervous that I was being a little Munchausen-y (if you haven’t watched Unknown Caller yet – OOF). Charlie worships Brian (in the best way possible), and they connect in ways that I only get to admire (sports, comedies, and so many farts), but Charlie and I play chess every day, and no one can tuck him in like a burrito like I can. So thankfully no serious drama here yet 🙂 The kids are unhappy with our family media policies, and frankly, if you asked them, they would love more sugar. LOL. Brian and I just celebrated 25 years together (19 years married), which is increasingly incomprehensible. How is that even possible?
That’s the update. As always, THANK YOU for being here and hope you’re excited for what’s coming up. xx
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