The backyard sauna is almost done! All the wall paneling is installed, everything is wired, just need to install the heater and make an adjustment to the upper bench. So excited to reveal this.

I was lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving with my mom's family this year in northern Indiana, just south of Chicago. My grandma, 93, was there, and it's always wonderful to see her.

We did something we've never done before this week. I've been eyeing this Vendanges mural wallpaper for a while - the huge empty dining wall was calling out for something.

The return of the study. I've made videos and written about the idea of analog spaces before—the intersection of a library, office, and an artist/writer's studio.

The Arden Lounge Chair by ZM Home. Bamboo & cane furniture really had a moment 5+ years ago. Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters & Safavieh pushed the MCM meets Refined Boho look hard. But I haven't seen all that much of that material lately, and I miss it. Couldn't resist featuring this piece; such an inviting shape, and seems like the kind of thing that could go almost anywhere.

Amber Lewis is someone who has quietly ended up everywhere - in-store retail, big online retail, designing many beautiful homes, been featured in every magazine and blog you can think of, and has numerous brand collaborations.

I've been really sick over the last week. Some kind of very intense cold. Feeling a little better this morning, but it's still got me in its grip.

Just got back from an incredible trip to Florida, and landed right back in the middle of a tornado - renovations, multiple shoots for a TV network, architect, the new sauna, and more filming for my forthcoming program (for those interested in learning and building a business around design)

It has been another whirlwind week, gearing up for a bunch of filming in our home, repainting about 40% of the house, making a bunch of small miscellaneous changes, and prepping for the backyard sauna.

We spent the last three days in Mexico City. It’s somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for years, and finally got the chance.

I was astounded by how beautiful it is. I am a plant person through and through, and this is plant city. Because it’s both relatively overcast and not too hot, the whole town is like a giant shade garden, at least where I went.

We're watching entire industries reshape themselves. Major upheaval in the job market. Just looking around and talking to folks, it seems that job security is uncertain at best.

Take marketing & tech - how much has changed in just the last two years?

I did something terrible two days ago.

I have a 150+ year old giant hackberry in front of my house. Its trunk at the bottom is 6 feet in diameter. It is, without question, one of the biggest and oldest trees in the zip code.

We are about to visit Mammoth Cave, I wish I could write about that, but it will have to be next week.

If you pay attention to Instagram, maybe you've noticed I've been very light on content lately, simply due to a couple of big projects we're trying to wrap up. I really do enjoy making videos, so I can't wait to go full bore on that in the near future.

My wife & I sold our short-term rentals yesterday.

It was a very hands-on business, and one that has undergone significant changes since I first got involved in 2014, when Airbnb was still a budding platform primarily built around renting out single bedrooms.

There have been whispers of cooler weather lately. 

A couple of consecutive mornings, I slid open the patio door to feel something strange: a chill. 

Thoughts of greener lawns with less watering flood my mind.

All of my focus this week has been on wrapping up the above-mentioned program. Cannot wait to get it out. It's been a huge endeavour to make this a reality, and I sincerely hope it will make a difference in the lives of many folks.

I’ve been working at Switchyards this week, trying to be out of the house and away from its many distractions, just trying to finish the things I said I was going to finish. It's where I am writing this newsletter.

This week's sponsor is McMillan Floors. Whether you need LVP, Laminate, or Engineered Hardwood, they have beautiful colors, a high wear rating, and are built for busy homes.

We returned from California, and I was hit with a deluge of reality. A heatwave (98), selling a property, scorched and overgrown landscaping, helping clients, no more angelic grandparents to pass off the kids to, and a house that was used as a brand video set right before we left.

It has been such a great summer in California, and in a few days, we'll be heading back home. It's always a joy to come out here and experience all that the West Coast has to offer in design inspiration. Yesterday I tried to get in a few more that I hadn't already seen.