For the past few years we've had a set of vintage chairs in our dining room and I really do love them... at least I love how they look. But to be honest, they are really uncomfortable to sit in for long periods of time. We love to host dinner parties and game nights and […]
Shop The CLJ x Poppy & Pout Trio Today is the day!! You can shop our limited edition collaboration of lip balms with Poppy & Pout! Each set, comes with three 100% natural, clear balms inspired by where you live AND actual Chris Cooks recipes developed for each!! Every detail is dripping with the signature […]
Our mudroom renovation has been quite the journey... a year-long journey to be exact! One of the factors making this a more complex (and lengthy) project was that it involved significant changes to both the interior and the exterior of the space (if you remember, this was a laundry room before!). After adding an exterior […]
I'm straying a bit from our typical gluten and dairy-free theme this week, sharing one of the things I make my two daughters who don't have food restrictions. Everyone loves a good mac and cheese, but something I struggle with the number of commonplace foods that are just differently shaped combinations of grain and dairy. […]
The lady jacket isn't exactly a new concept (think Jackie O.) but it's certainly having a moment this fall! Lady jackets come in all different styles (see below!) but typically they have a crew neckline, a slightly cropped length, and focal point buttons. Some are heavier like an actual jacket and some are more lighter-weight […]
Buying a house or moving into a rental is a really big life event that can have a lot of stress surrounding it. It's also a really big accomplishment. It can sometimes be months if not longer before you feel settled enough to have people over. But even before they're ready for guests, I think […]
This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. If there are rainy seasons in North Carolina, it's usually the summer and winter. Summer is drenching thunderstorms and winter is just a steady drizzle on and off every other week. A coir, fabric or jute doormat is great if you want to show […]
We're finalizing the exterior hardscaping around the mudroom and one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb was the meter box. It's that pale grey color and against the red brick, it was just too loud. So I decided to spray-paint it, and the payoff was immediate! There's really only one portion that you […]
Bowls (similar) | Platter | Copper Candlestick (similar) | Taper Candles | Wooden Serving Utensils | Plaid Tablecloth (similar) Late summer hits, and it's like the world collectively moves on to fall. But there is still an abundance of tomatoes and bright greens at the market. And it's actually the perfect time of year to […]
There are two types of boots I'm seeing everywhere this season that create two very different silhouettes for your favorite outfits. One is a very slender boot, often with a pointed toe. Because jeans are getting wider (hello to my new favorite pair), it's great to have a slim boot that you can zip up […]
I tend to go for a traditional, elegant, and spooky approach to Halloween decor rather than a cutesy vibe. I want it to feel like my house is really abandoned!! Imagine if my home had been left untouched for 150 years...that's the look I'm going for. We're talking cobwebs, spiders, bats, ugly pumpkins with warts, […]
Every year, I love to revisit my favorite fall candles—I keep a lot in storage if we haven't burned through them yet. Bringing out those tried-and-true candles always evokes scent memories. Like a game night we had with some dear friends last year. Or the backdrop to an amazing fall dinner that Chris whipped up […]
Faux Oak Branch | Vase | Serving Bowl | Candle | Dining Table | Chairs (vintage) (similar) | Wallpaper | Gallery Wall | Edie Two-Tier Chandelier After the busyness of summer, fall feels like a chance to really return to my roots of being a homebody. And yet, that doesn't mean I'm home alone just with my family! I love to have people over as well! There are […]
Well fam, we made it. We're finally here! The mudroom is officially done. I looked back at the very first post about transforming this space, and it was one year ago, almost to the day. On the one hand, I feel a little deflated that it took us a year. And on the other hand, […]
I love ordering crab cakes out—they're such a treat. But if I want to make crab cakes at home, they need to cater to our food restrictions. That means they have to be delicious AND have no eggs, dairy, wheat, gluten or grains. Well these knock it out of the park, thanks to some secret […]
August is my unofficial start of autumn — I don't believe in separating seasons, or holidays, for that matter. I prefer to squeeze every ounce of joy I feel from the day, whether that is a sunny beach day (which is how we started the month!) or a cool early fall walk with Cricket and […]
I love fall faux stems. It's funny how it feels a lot more acceptable for stems to be faux in the fall! I guess in the summer you can grow your flowers and cut things from the yard or buy some at the market. In the fall — at least in North Carolina — we’re […]
Last year, Chris wanted to do a fall low-country boil outside, and he wanted to invite 15 people over. He said, "I’m just going to send out a text." I said, "Wait, let me make an invitation!" When someone receives an invitation, they get the feeling that this event means something to you. I think […]
Shop our Chris Loves Julia x Wallpops collection This day has been over a year in the making, and I'm SO excited that it's finally here. As many of you know, a few years ago we created a line of peel-and-stick vinyl tiles with FloorPops. Their team has been great to work with; we love […]
Throughout my house, I'm always changing out switch plates to either 1) blend them into the rest of the room or 2) elevate them to reflect other accents in the room. One way to do that is with paintable switch plates. For instance, if your switch plates are on a baseboard where you don’t want […]
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Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations