When we were expecting baby girl 1.5 years ago, I looked for a space in our home for her to sleep away from big brother in the bedroom so that she wouldn’t disturb him every two hours overnight with her crying. I went into maximal minimalist mode and transformed our tiny hallway closet into a nursery nook. Behold, the closery!

I was always nervous about the placement of my favorite bench in the hallway, but now I’ve finally figured out a better place for it, and solved another “problem” in the process.

I’ve ditched the plastic sponge in favor of the Swedish dishcloth and have (largely) been won over.

I’ve spent years trying to discern my dining room decor style, and I’ve finally found something I’m happy with (for now, at least).

I’ve become a dish drying rack person again, but this time I don’t want to compromise on either form or function.