Hi friends. We’re excited to share that we recently purchased a couple of properties and we’ve got some exciting renovations coming up this year! As you know, Emma is based in Springfield, Missouri and Elsie lives in Nashville, Tennessee. We knew we wanted to invest in some properties we could Airbnb, but also live in ourselves when we come to visit each other’s cities (which is a lot).

So first, up—Nashville! Above is a photo of the duplex we just closed on in Nashville. We each purchased one side of the duplex. It’s a brand new build with a pretty basic design, so we’re doing a (tiny) bit of renovation and furnishing our side in our own style! It’s been really fun so far. I (Elsie) am almost wrapped up on my side and I’m coordinating a lot of Emma’s now since she isn’t always in town.

We’re both so excited because this home will give Emma and Trey a place to stay for longer periods of time. Emma comes often for both work projects and to visit, and although she’s always been welcome to stay with me, I know she’s excited to have a little house of her own with a fenced backyard so they can bring their dogs too. Trey has a sister who also lives in the Nashville area and she and her husband have two (adopted) little kiddos as well. So, Emma wanted to be able to come visit more to spend time with their nieces and nephews in addition to all the work trips she does out here.

Also, our grandmother (Norma) and her sister (Ina) live next door to each other and always did when we were growing up. So we had dreamed of having houses next to each other one day and even though this little duplex isn’t exactly the same thing, it definitely is making our grandma dreams come true early. 🙂

Once it’s available to rent, it will also be cool because larger groups could potentially rent both sides for a bigger space.

I believe this is the first time we’ve renovated a contractor-grade new build, so we’re excited to share the room before and afters with you as the months go on! It’s amazing what even small changes to a space can do to personalize the feeling.

Here we are in my mostly completed kitchen, minus that light fixture behind my head. I’ve decorated my side a little more of a farmhouse vibe with a lot of texture. I’m trying to make it as cozy as possible. And I did a cooler color scheme with greens and blues (yes, you read that right, some BLUE!).

On Emma’s side, she chose more modern finishes with a warm color scheme.

We are really excited to share the full reveal with you in the next few months!

In our hometown of Springfield, Missouri, we purchased an adorable historic home in the Rountree area (our favorite neighborhood in our hometown, if you’re not familiar). It’s a very sweet neighborhood. And just around the corner from this house there is a pizza place, a coffee/wine bar, and a small brewery. It’s the perfect neighborhood to take long walks on summer nights. And it’s just a few minutes from our downtown, so it’s super conveniently located to do just about anything.

We are especially excited because this neighborhood is also known for being the best place to trick or treat on Halloween (MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY!). We plan to participate in that in a BIG way this year … hint hint. Stay tuned this October. 😉

I (Elsie) am so excited because one of our personal goals was to spend more time in Missouri with our family. We are planning to spend Halloween and Christmas in this home, starting this year. It’s extra special because I’m imagining us waking up there on Christmas morning (it will be Marigold’s first holiday season with us!). It feels SO magical to me to have this home where we can make memories with our children in our hometown. I’m imagining cousin sleepovers and gingerbread houses, plus there is a fireplace so Santa can visit … all that good stuff! I nicknamed this one “holiday house” since we’ll be spending so many holidays there!

This photo is from last Thanksgiving right after we closed. It was my first time to see the home and I was instantly in love!

Emma and I have designed this home together and we have worked to choose things that go well with the age of the home (it was built in the 1920s). We’ve already done quite a bit of work since then, including a full kitchen renovation, which is nearly complete. Emma has been documenting a LOT of the progress, so be watching our IG stories to see all the behind the scenes. We will for sure we sharing LOTS of room tours and how we updated things with you soon.

Nova loves the house! But don’t all kiddos love running around empty houses? She has to hide in every single closet and try to scare us. Haha!

Just like with the Nashville homes, we’re planning to rent this home out as a short-term rental (like Airbnb) when we’re not using it. So if you’re ever passing through Springfield, Missouri, look us up! We’ll be sure to have links to our properties once they are available.

Before I go, just a quick note! We realize how lucky we are to be able to invest in these properties. Please don’t think it’s something that came overnight for us or something we take lightly. It’s an opportunity we worked and planned for years to be able to achieve and we’re so excited to share our journey with you!

Thanks so much for your love and support. xx – Elsie + Emma

Photos: Katie Day, Trey George, and Jeremy Larson.