How Home Improvement Bloggers Live

Through their popular home blog, Young House Love, Sherry and John Petersik have opened their "virtual" doors to millions of people eager to peek at their doable DIY projects and makeovers inside the Richmond, Va., home they share with three-year-old daughter Clara. "Now we spend a combined 14 hours a day writing posts, photographing projects, making over furniture and shopping for supplies," says John, who used to work as an advertising executive. Next up: a new, bigger home, which means more DIY!

Sherry and John share a home office, so they wanted to create a spacious spot where they'd be happy to sit for hours. Sherry stenciled the wall with a leafy pattern that looks like wallpaper. The 13-foot-long desk was another DIY project: It's made from four cabinets (only $6 total from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore) that are topped with stained lumber from The Home Depot. Nearly 300 people commented on the thrift store chairs, which Sherry spray-painted Ivy Leaf by Krylon.

The front door opens directly into the dining room, so the couple added a console they got on Craigslist for $155 to provide more of an entryway feel. Sherry, a former advertising copywriter, touched it up using a matching sample pot of green Cricket by Behr. She also painted "All You Need Is Love" on yard sale art. The post got more than 300 comments, and many readers copied the look.

After four attempts to redo the dining chairs — she didn't like any of the results — Sherry turned to these woven outdoor seats from Target ($62 each), which she made more indoors-y with pillows. The 70-inch round Indian rosewood table was a floor sample from a local furniture store, reduced from $1,800 to $800. Sherry made the curtains with fabric from Robert Allen.