FRIDAY Q&A: WHY WE’RE NOT HIRING AN INTERIOR DESIGNER, WHAT WE LOOKED FOR IN A FIXER UPPER, AND MORE

Happy Friday! We are in town today and Sunday and planning to chip away at more house projects (mostly finishing painting the living room and doing some unpacking). Tomorrow we’re headed to Rhode Island for the day for our annual family reunion on my dad’s side — it’s always a good time with all five siblings and their significant others, siblings and cousins, a diving contest, a talent show, and lots of good food. I hope you all have a great one!

design darling friday q&a

1. We are house hunting in Darien too! Any advice on picking a good house to renovate?

So exciting! We’re so new to the world of fixing up an old home that I don’t feel qualified to give advice just yet, but I’d be happy to share more on our thought process! We decided we felt more comfortable taking on an old home where projects could be tackled room by room than a house that needed a massive addition or complete gut job that would require us living elsewhere for several months. I shared our first round of house projects in this post, but we’ve already put a lot of thought into what rounds two, three, and four will look like! Everything in this house is liveable as is, so it was a question of what on our wishlist to prioritize financially as opposed to absolutely needing to do this or that before we could live in it. We were drawn to the high ceilings, relatively open layout, what we could see of the original hardwood floors — I guess I would say the house had good bones that we could see ourselves being able to breathe new life into over time. 

2. What are the first five or so things you’re doing to your new home before moving in?

You can read our first round of projects for the house in this post! I’ve also shared updates on what we accomplished in our first week and our second week.

3. Will you hire a decorator for your new house?

No way! I thoroughly enjoy decorating and am excited to take my time in making this house feel like ours. We will of course hire an architect/contractor when we take on bigger projects like our kitchen next year, but the interior design will be all me (with input from my husband and mom!).

4. How do you store statement earrings?

You can see a peek at my jewelry storage system in this post! I use several of these linen trays (the 12 grid size for statement earrings and the 24 grid size for necklaces, rings, studs, etc.) which are pretty enough to keep on display.

5. Going to an October wedding that is “CT casual.” Is this Tuckernuck dress too dressy with heels/earrings? 

Wedding dress codes can be so confusing but I think you’re spot on! It’s always best to err on the side of being too dressed up rather than too casual, especially for a wedding. I wore the same dress to an event a few weeks ago with espadrilles and this wicker bag (now on sale!), but for a wedding I’d dress it up with a big statement earring like these or these. 

6. Favorite day-to-day sandals during pregnancy?

Jack Rogers for sure! Anything I can slide into and not have to bend over and tie is a major win right now. 

7. Before pregnancy, what was your favorite white jean brand and fit?

These J Brand jeans have been my go-to white jeans for several years. I can’t recommend them more highly if you’re on the shorter side!

8. Do you have a sunscreen rec that doesn’t make your hair gross? I have a good face one but would love something for ears/neck/body.

Have you tried the Supergoop Unseen sunscreen? It’s more like a gel than a thick cream — I like it a lot for my face, ears, and neck. I’m less picky about what I use on my body — just the higher SPF, the better!

9. Go-to lip products? Favorite gloss, color, etc.

I’m honestly most comfortable with a dab of Aquaphor and that’s it! If I am wearing lipstick, it’s almost always Nars Roman Holiday — the perfect pink and the color I wore on our wedding day!

10. Any good recommendations for fall in Vermont? We’re going to Woodstock!

You will love Woodstock! We went last year at the end of September and I wish we’d gone a few weeks later to experience the fall foliage in all its glory. We did a fair amount of driving so we could experience multiple towns, but I’d say the highlights were the Simon Pearce factory and restaurant in Quechee, dinner at the Pitcher Inn in Warren, exploring the Quechee Gorgelunch at the Equinox in Manchester, and riding bikes around Woodstock.