I grew up with stacks of Better Homes and Gardens on our family room coffee table, and even as a preteen I would flip through them, admiring the houses and wondering how real those staged scenes might be. It felt a little surreal when I opened my inbox one afternoon and found a message from a Better Homes and Gardens editor asking to feature our DIY window seat in their “I Did It” column. We were going to be in the February 2018 issue!
The email arrived back in July while I was in a thrift store parking lot, checking messages before my usual run to see what treasures I might find. I remember nearly spilling my coffee when I read the request: would Robert and I be willing to do a photoshoot to showcase the DIY window seat we built from a kitchen cabinet to house our TV electronics? I typed an enthusiastic yes as fast as I could—this was a dream opportunity to share our home DIY work with readers of Better Homes and Gardens.
In August, our stylist Sandi (whose very title made me feel unexpectedly glamorous) took me shopping to select several winter-appropriate outfits for the shoot. Hunting for cozy layers and seasonal pieces in the heat of the Carolinas was its own little challenge, but we found looks that would read wintery on camera. The next day she brought accessories and pillows to style the window seat, and we tried on a few outfit options until we landed on the best combinations for each shot.
On the day of the shoot, Lincoln, the photographer, arrived with a small army of lights, reflectors, and white screens. Graham, his assistant, helped arrange the equipment while Sandi adjusted pillows and props until everything felt just right. Our back porch became a temporary studio, filled with bright lights and tiny adjustments—tilt the head an inch, shift the foot a fraction—until each frame felt perfect to the team.
The whole experience was breezy and fun. Sandi, Lincoln, and Graham made us feel at ease, and Robert and I laughed through most of the session. Watching the team work taught me a lot about magazine photography and interior styling: a single published image can take hours of careful lighting, composition, and tiny tweaks. It reinforced something I already suspected—those glossy, picture-perfect magazine spreads are the result of a lot of patient work, not everyday reality.
That insight felt freeing. Trying to live to a magazine standard every day is impossible, and knowing behind-the-scenes work goes into those flawless images made me embrace the charm of our real, lived-in home even more. It was a joy, though, to be in front of the camera for a while and to see our DIY window seat presented so thoughtfully for readers who love home projects, interior styling, and DIY inspiration.
You can find the full feature in the Better Homes and Gardens February 2018 issue that hit newsstands this week. Seeing our home project in print was a proud moment for us—especially knowing that the DIY window seat, built from a kitchen cabinet, can inspire others to create functional, attractive solutions for electronics and storage in their own homes.
After the shoot, we did a little at-home photoshoot of our own. While still dressed up after church, Olivia took a few family photos on our now-famous window seat. Our dogs, Lola and Stella, decided the model life was not for them—Stella preferred nibbling the magazine, and Lola just wanted to be left alone to nap. Those candid moments remind me that real life is full of small, imperfect, beautiful moments—exactly the kind of authenticity that makes a house a home.
Wishing you a wonderful week. If you’re working on a home project or dreaming of one, aim for something that suits your life rather than magazine perfection—real life, with all its warmth and quirks, is always beautiful.
