Preorder Move Slow & Make Things, and enjoy a collection of thoughtful bonus content created just for you!

My House

1970 home renovation

James Farmer Inspired Corner

There are times when a design I see in a book or online sticks with me.  I keep coming back to it again and again and I find myself imagining it in my own home.  Most of the time, it just remains an object of admiration.  I just don’t have the space or things to pull it off.  But, this design by James Farmer has stuck with me and it was something I could emulate.  I just needed the right place to do it. James shared this picture in a 2019 Facebook post and this is what he said about it, “When I graduated from Auburn, I started helping some of my grandmother’s friends rearrange furniture, recover a chair and of course, hang a plate or two or three… or twenty. I guess some things never change! In an entry for a client’s hunting farm, the combo of brown transferware,

Read More
My House

slowly but surely

Moving into this house has been a slow process.  Slower than usual, but it is progressing and, over the weekend, it felt like a cork finally popped off of the bottle, and pressure was released.  Our floors were finished and we could finally start moving into the entire house.  On top of that, I had some amazing pieces of furniture that I purchased from Ekster and Lucketts to get in place.  My problem is that I want to do it all right away, so I get a little overwhelmed by where to start.  I reeled myself in and focused on the things I’d been missing most during our month of transition – having my clothes put away and sleeping in my own bed.  So, I started there. All four of us moved the furniture in and put the wardrobe together (which can be a little dicey because it’s a breakdown

Read More
1970 home renovation

golden oak floors

Let’s talk about the cause of the upheaval in our house and the reason Jeff and I are still living out of suitcases – the wood floors.  We knew that we would get the floors installed ASAP so when we do finally settle in the house, we can completely settle.  We won’t have hardwood floor installation and refinishing looming overhead.  As I shared before, that is a decision that I know we won’t regret, but we’ve been in the house for a month and still have stuff stacked everywhere.  It’s prolonging one of the uncomfortable parts of moving into a house.  It’ll all be over soon, though, because the golden oak stain went on the floors yesterday and we’re now in the finishing stage of the project. Let’s talk about the golden oak stain we’re using on the floors since a few people have asked about that choice as I’ve

Read More
1970 home renovation

weekly reno recap | wood floors & more

There are so many things happening in the house (you can read about our new house HERE if you missed it) that I decided I should write a weekly recap while we’re in the thick of renovations to give you a rundown of the activity. Some projects we do are not worth a dedicated blog post, but might be worth a few sentences in a larger recap post.  So, here we go with our first weekly reno recap. This week was mostly about having the wood floors installed and the week prior was all about getting ready for those wood floors.  This meant moving everything out of the three rooms in the house that were getting hardwood floors installed.  This is why I felt some urgency to unpack.  Yes, things will just be sitting out, but unpacking reduces the bulk and most items could be absorbed into a piece of

Read More
All Things Home

how to remove wallpaper glue from walls

When you do an internet search for “how to remove wallpaper glue from walls”, you end up finding all sorts of articles that suggest all manner of mixtures to rewet glue and remove it from a wall.  I read a lot of those articles as I needed to wash wallpaper glue off of the walls of our primary bedroom and was hoping to get it done before having new hardwood floors installed.  I learned, though, that most of these articles aren’t written by people who have or are in the process of washing wallpaper glue off of their walls.  It’s missing the angst that comes along with doing this unenjoyable and discouraging DIY project.  It’s also missing the combination of products, materials, tools, and techniques that actually work to remove the glue and prepare the walls for painting. Since I just spent the better part of last week doing this

Read More
All Things Home

slate tile in the foyer

When I showed the foyer in our new house, a few of you noticed something familiar about it.  This slate tile is one of the original features I loved about this house.  (I also like the vintage lantern fixture in the foyer!) It looks familiar because the Montauk Blue slate tile I selected for the foyer in our MN house is basically a modern version of it.  I’ve always liked slate in foyers.  There is something very classic and stately about it.  The slate is a bit more green in the foyer in our new house and the grout lines are bigger, but they both have the same irregular pattern and definitely the same timeless feel. Even though I am going to remove the wallpaper and paint everything eventually, this foyer has great bones and really is beautifully finished.  The slate tile is a big part of that.  But the

Read More
Decorating

getting new hardwood floors

I’ve decided that moving into a house is a lot easier when you don’t have big projects planned right off the bat!  But, it is also easier to get those projects out of the way before you get settled, so then you can get settled knowing that big project is done.  I guess disruptive renovations are disruptive whenever you do them, but I am glad we’re knocking out some of these projects right away.  One of those projects we knew we would do before we even bought the house – swap out the wall-to-wall carpet for hardwood floors.  Even though we’ve installed and refinished wood floors before, we are hiring out this project to have it done quicker. We’re fortunate that most of the house has hardwood floors, but the family room, primary bedroom, and living room are all carpeted.  With a 1970s house that is mostly hardwood, I figured

Read More
All Things Home

concrete pool restoration & inspiration

When we sat down as a family and talked about what we would want in a future house, the boys requested a pool.  They befriended a neighbor one court over in Minnesota who had a pool and often invited the boys and other neighborhood kids over for impromptu swims and planned pool parties.  It was a highlight for them during the summer and the idea of having our own pool to do the same was very appealing to them.  So, we put that on the wishlist, but let them know we might not end up with a pool.  It wasn’t a top priority.  I really did keep that request at the forefront of my mind when I was looking at houses and most of the homes we seriously considered had pools.  The house we ended up purchasing does have a pool, but technically, it’s just a big concrete hole in

Read More

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

next art sale

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Now Available for Preorder

Move Slow & Make Things

A book about creativity, intention, and making things with care. Sign up to receive updates, preorder details, and exclusive bonus content.

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From original paintings and art prints to Pup Club releases and curated goods, each piece is created or chosen to bring warmth, creativity, and character into your home.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

A handpicked collection of items styled and shared throughout posts, projects, and social feeds. Every product is thoughtfully chosen to reflect a timeless, collected aesthetic.

Recent Video

Spring Posts

Explore the Shop

Explore the Blog

Categories
error: Content is protected.

Pin It on Pinterest