The Blog


Inspiration Tessa Kirby Inspiration Tessa Kirby

6 Moody Paint Colors You Need in Your Home

These rich colors really do bring us back in time especially when they saturate an entire room from floor to ceiling - Covering the walls, the trim, the ceiling, and even the doors. If you’re thinking of going bold this year, just do it! But do it with one of these 6 moody paint colors that every home needs to have at least ONE of!

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Tessa Kirby Tessa Kirby

House on Hillside

This past year we flipped a little 70s styled mid-century modern home that had taken quite the beating over the last few decades and while many people would see this house as a HUGE project…we saw the raw potential it carried. So with no further adieu here is our House On Hillside.

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Our Home Tessa Kirby Our Home Tessa Kirby

Nightstands With Storage Under $160

When searching for the right nightstand to accompany our newly refreshed bedroom, we compiled a list of 9 of our very favorite nightstands and all under $160. Shop them out below by clicking on your favorite one!

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Our Home Tessa Kirby Our Home Tessa Kirby

Why We Refinished Our Floors 2 Years Later

We get asked so frequently about our floors and how we refinished them but would you believe me if I told you, this is the second time we refinished them in LESS than 2 years???? Why would anyone be that crazy you might wonder. But the answer is simple really.

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Our Home Tessa Kirby Our Home Tessa Kirby

Going For The Bold & Gold: Bedroom Color & Wall Lamps

I’ve always loved the look of wall sconces but in full transparency adding additional hard wired electrical was not really an option for us living in a 100 year old house with lath, plaster, etc. So the next best option was to find a wall lamp that had a clear cord we could minimize the appearance of a cord at all.

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Inspiration Tessa Kirby Inspiration Tessa Kirby

Plug-In Wall Lamps With Clear Cords

Wall lamps (are basically wall sconces but have the “plug-in” option) are perfect for those of us that can’t take on the task of hardwiring a sconce into our desired location. But the thing about wall lamps is the hideous cord that often runs from the bottom of the wall lamp to the outlet.

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Design Tessa Kirby Design Tessa Kirby

Creating A Natural Christmas Mantle Mixing Faux Stems & Real

It seems to hold true each year, I can never do the same decorations twice…a quality my husband thoroughly loves about me (hahaha). But this year, I wanted to less faux and more natural looking. I absolutely love seeing peoples mantles draped in real pine stems but know that real is just not in the cards for our family.

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Our Home Tessa Kirby Our Home Tessa Kirby

Dark Bedroom Vibes: A Designers Honest Review

Everyone always tells you, never paint a small room a dark color because it makes the room feel even smaller and I’m not going to lie, as a designer, I have told many clients that myself. But there is something magical about dark, high gloss paint that is just hard to explain.

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Inspiration Tessa Kirby Inspiration Tessa Kirby

Modern/Transitional Flush + Semi-Flush Mount Ceiling Lights

Finding the perfect flush mount or semi-flush mount lights can be hard and honestly, sometimes super pricey (or maybe it’s hard because they are pricy???). But, no need to worry anymore friends! I’ve found some AMAZING entryway and hallway show stoppers that you won’t be able to keep out of your online shopping cart because they are THAT good!

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DIY Tessa Kirby DIY Tessa Kirby

How We Make Our Open Shelving for a Fraction of the Price

Alright folks, we have been getting asked for YEARS how we make our open shelving; whether it’s been for our own home or one of our flip houses we have done it A LOT of times. So I can confidently say, after much trial and error, we have mastered the opening shelving trend and at a FRACTION of the price of the pre-made stuff.

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Inspiration Tessa Kirby Inspiration Tessa Kirby

Our Favorite Dining Room Chairs (Set of 2)

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I’d round up some of our favorite Dining Room Chairs (all in sets of 2), not to mention on SALE!! And if you’re curious to see some of these favorites IRL check out some of our besties from Instagram to be ultra inspired below!!!

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Projects Tessa Kirby Projects Tessa Kirby

The House On Main Street-Monticello, IL

If you’ve followed us on this journey of our “House on Main” flip, then you know this has been QUITE the transformation! We spotted this house almost TWO years ago and right away Guy knew it would be the perfect flip property for us. It wasn’t until THIS April that we finally got to put that potential to the test and watch our late night vision board come to life.

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Our Home, Design Tessa Kirby Our Home, Design Tessa Kirby

How To Create Texture & Layers In Your Entryway

When we started refinishing our floors back in March, I knew that the entryway was going to be next on our “to do” list. Why? Because entryways (IMO) are incredibly important. 1.) They are the first things people see when they walk into your home, and 2.) they set the tone for the rest of your house as well. Is it warm? Is it inviting? What does it say about YOU?

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Projects Tessa Kirby Projects Tessa Kirby

Close To The Finish Line: See What's Happening At The Flip!

That’s the thing with flips, you have to have a BIG VISION in the beginning but ok with letting go of some of those ideas when push comes to shove and the money just isn’t there because this issue popped up and that issue came up. It’s hard to do, but it’s so much better in the end to just roll with the punches and push yourself creatively.

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Inspiration Tessa Kirby Inspiration Tessa Kirby

On Trend Ceramic Table Lamps

Ceramic table lamps are all the rage right now and for good reason too. They are beautiful and act as both a statement piece and a functional accessory to any space they’re in. I have recently thrifted two old ceramic lamps and refinished them to look like one of these high end lamps I’ve shared here and I am so in love.

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