Whether you’re planning a custom home build or designing a kitchen renovation, countertop selection is one of those decisions that carries real weight. And a common point of confusion I hear from my BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ clients is, ‘what exactly is the difference between quartz vs. quartzite’? I get it! When I first started hearing […]

Selecting a paint color (in general) is overwhelming. Selecting a white paint color can be even more intimidating because there are literally hundreds of options to choose from.  Honestly, white can be one of the hardest ‘colors’ to choose, so I’ve narrowed down the vast amount of choices to 10 white paint colors that designers […]

Choosing paint colors can feel surprisingly overwhelming — especially when you’re standing in the paint aisle or trying to finalize selections before your builder needs them. That’s exactly why I’ve narrowed it down to eight of the most popular Sherwin-Williams neutral paint colors for 2026. I’ll walk you through each one — and explain why […]

Welcome back to the Before You Build podcast! I’m your host, Carrie Barker – aka Caroline On Design – and I am SO excited about today’s episode because I’m sharing my honest DesignShop review with you.  I’ve been wanting to do this episode for a while because these products will be an absolute game-changer for […]

Serena & Lily’s coastal-style counter stools are gorgeous, but some of them are pretty pricey. Thankfully, they have great sales periodically, and this is a fabulous time to buy the stools, OR you have a second option … you can buy Serena & Lily counter stools: Look for Less dupes. I’ve scoured the internet to […]

This episode is for anyone out there who is building a lake house and, more specifically, looking for trending exterior paint colors for lake houses in 2025. I decided to record this episode because, ironically, a significant number of my clients inside BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ are planning to build a lake house.  For some, it’s […]