Every year, we tally up our most asked about questions regarding things in our home and give you our honest review of them, including the good, the bad, and would we really buy/do it again?
In 2017, we covered our (old) living room coffee table that we wouldn’t do again and since replaced, the craft table in the family room, the fan in our bedroom, our toy storage, our office chairs (also have since been replaced), our master bedroom bed which has been 100% improved from that post with the addition of our sleep number, the sectional in our family room, and our faux wood tile floors.
In 2016, we covered the glider in the nursery (which is still going strong!), our dining table which we’ll touch on again this year, our entry rug and our white concrete countertops! And a few other things that are no longer in our home–so you can imagine they didn’t score well.
Here are some updates on 8 specific items in our home, after the honeymoon phase:
The Good
2. Outdoor Fireplace
The Good
The Good
I think yes, just because it’s taken such a beating and still looks beautiful and new. But we might try to see what we can do about the top. If we can figure out how to match the color and finish, we may just plane the top ourselves and make it smooth. Anyone with experience doing something similar?
The Good
We got these chairs for our dining room in December, but we actually have had 1 that I used as my office chair for years! So we knew we would like them. They’re very stable and secure and comfortable and wipeable. The lower backs don’t create an intersect across the open sight line of our great room. And! Because they are molded plastic and not wood, even when they get scratch, you can’t tell because the scratch is black! We’ve had so many of our older black wood windsor chairs get scratched from back pockets or shoes from little ones–I felt like I was always touching them up. I haven’t touched these once. They are also stackable, which is nice. We generally live with 6 around our table and have 2 stacked and stored away.
I think they might be getting discontinued. They are still sold out everywhere from when I posted them after we bought them. One reader finally emailed a retailer and they said that they were almost losing money on them (so up the price!?) and weren’t sure if they were getting them back in stock. Of course this is bad for everyone that wanted them, especially after my glowing review, but it also makes me bummed every time anyone asks where we got them and I don’t have an option to give them.Would we do it again
Yes! These chairs feel classic and easy with kids. I’m going to hunt around for some similar ones.
5. Crate & Barrel Yukon Coffee Table
The Good
Last July, we sold our metal coffee table and purchased this one from Crate & Barrel and we truly love it. Almost everyone that comes over compliments it and touches the butterfly joints and looks underneath to see if it’s really beautiful there, too. It’s actually even prettier in person than it is online. It’s substantial for little Polly (or even me!) to pull herself up on without any fear of it toppling. Heck, sometimes it doubles as a bench when we have a big party and people are looking for a spare place to sit. We also love the warm wood tone it adds.
The Bad
I’m not sure if I’m supposed to oil the wood, or what! The wood tone is beautiful, but if I wipe it down with a wet rag after a spill or stickiness occurs, I see its depth and whoa! But then it dries quite a bit lighter. I might try oiling it? I just don’t want to ruin a good thing.
Would we do it again
Yes! It was a larger purchase and I remember buying a coupon on eBay and still taking the weekend to think it over. But now, I would have paid full price in a heartbeat. It’s the anchor of the living room.
6. Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal Upright Vacuum
The Good
The power. It’s really no joke – these Dyson vacuums have a lot of sucking power and they clean up our carpets amazingly well. With three little girls, my postpartum hair loss (that won’t quit!) and a big, hairy, shedding dog–a good vacuum is a must around here. We’re constantly emptying the canister like, what?! how?! I just did this! But in a good way. There’s also no filters to change or clean, which makes it easy.
7. World Market Outdoor Lounge Furniture
The good:
Honestly, you can’t beat the price for looks on this outdoor furniture, which is why we bought this sofa x2 two years ago. (Psst! They are having their big 20% off outdoor furniture + free shipping sale right now here–this is when we scored the best deal when we bought ours!) We sprayed the cushions immediately with outdoor scotch guard and they have stayed looking pretty good through two complete seasons.
The bad:
The cushion covers are pretty hard to get back on if you do opt to throw them in the wash. After a couple times, I decided it wasn’t worth the effort and resorted to surface washing instead (you can see how we did that in this post). Also, you aren’t going to sink into the cushions–they are more stiff/firm. They do soften over time and we actually don’t mind them, but some might.
Would we do it again?
Funny enough, we just did! For the past 2 years we had 3 smaller 2-seater sofas out there and two chairs and it always felt a little crowded. So, we decided to take advantage of the sale and we purchased two three-seater sofas (these! they have a slightly different look I’m excited about!) that will seat the same amount of people as all three sofas, but give us more breathing room. We’re anxious for them to get here.
8. Wall-to-Wall Carpet in the basement
The good
We wrote an update on our carpet last June after having it for about a year and a half right here, so I guess that means we’re over the 2 year mark. The pattern is still pristine with no visible tracks or faded walkway areas which we’re thrilled about. Another good thing to note (although a little gross) when Willow was ill a few weeks ago, she went to the bathroom in the basement and it cleaned up soooo easily (I used this) and left behind no smells or signs of it ever happening. (Ps. Willow has made a full recovery and seems to be back to her sweet self.)
The bad
Two months ago, one of our girls received a Make-Your-Own Bath Bomb kit and opened it without my knowing. It had dye in the kit and some bright pink and blue dye got on the carpet. Two spots, one the size of a quarter and one the size of a jelly bean. I called the carpet cleaner right away and they couldn’t get it out. I’m still not convinced it won’t come out–even though they said they tried their strongest stuff. I just feel like THERE HAS TO BE A WAY. Because it is a StainMaster carpet, I’m also looking into our warranty.
Would we do it again
Carpet–yes! We love the lightness and comfort it adds to our downstairs. The subtle pattern feels fresh and hasn’t worn a bit. The DIY Bath Bomb Kit–no. way.
Hope this answers any burning questions you have! If I missed anything, feel free to ask in the comments! Check out the Shop Our House page for all the sources in our home!
We are painting our cabinets and I love the look of black but I’m worried it will feel too heavy to paint all the uppers and lowers black. Shelving isn’t an option so I’m debating on doing the uppers white. I’ve also seen a lot more of the wood tones coming back on trend. Would black and a medium/dark wood island look better? HELP!
Wood is coming back in a major way! Go for it.
Your thoughts on the Dyson were spot on in my opinion! We have a dyson and a shark and I would choose shark every time. The dyson does feel cheap to me, for the price we paid, and it’s not that much better (if at all) then the shark – which was a fraction of the price. If I’m going to spend that kind of money – I need something pretty darn amazing. I’m now in the market for a good robot vacuum.
These were all good to know. You may want to try club soda on the stains from the dye on the carpet. I once was making Christmas ornaments and spilled some of the paint on the carpet. ( those small bottles from Michael’s.) It came out beautifully, and I have used it on other stains as well.
Great post! I’m taking all kinds of notes for the moment when we finally buy our house and we get to donthe reno ourselves.
I have two things that maybe could help you: I’m not very up to date with your hair loss situation bit have tou tried taking vitamin D? It helped my hairloss that came out of nowhere. And as for the carpet, I do hot vinegar and baking soda on spots on mine and sometimes it works really well. I haven’t had a dye issue but maybe that help?
Wow I’m surprised about the Dyson! And so glad you gave such an honest review. I’ Been debating buying it for over a year now. Amazon reviews are all mixed, and it’s such an expensive purchase.
Thanks Julia