The Journal

Design notes & Denver guides

Honest, useful writing on renovating and furnishing a home in Denver — what things cost, where to shop, and how to keep an old house's soul intact. No fluff, just what we'd tell a friend.

A Denver bedroom painted in an earthy green suited to Colorado light
Design · Color

The Best Paint Colors for Denver Homes

Our high-altitude light reads cooler and brighter than almost anywhere — here's how to choose colors for it, and why you must test on your own walls.

A warm, richly finished lower-level space in a Denver home
Design · Wine Cellars

Designing a Wine Cellar in Denver

Denver's dry air and cool basements make it a great place for a cellar. The essentials — climate, humidity, racking — and how to make it a beautiful room.

A Denver great room mixing high-end and budget-savvy finishes
Remodeling · Budget

Where to Splurge and Where to Save in a Denver Remodel

A designer's cheat sheet — splurge on what's permanent and touched daily, save on what's easy to swap. How to look high-end without spending big everywhere.

A Denver home with original character and good architectural bones
Buying & Remodeling

House Hunting in Denver? How to Spot a Home With Good Remodel Bones

The best remodel candidates aren't the prettiest listings. What to keep, what's cheap to change, and the red flags to walk away from — before you offer.

A light second-story bedroom gained in a Denver pop-top addition
Additions & Pop-Tops

Can You Pop the Top on Your Denver House?

The three gates every Denver home has to clear to go up — foundation, zoning and the bulk plane, and design. How to read your own house first.

A finished, healthy Denver basement living space
Denver Basements

Finishing a Basement in Denver? Read This About Radon First

Colorado is a radon hotspot, and the basement is where it collects. How to test, what mitigation involves, and why to handle it before the walls go up.

A styled living room corner with a secondhand-feel sofa and olive tree
Sourcing · Denver

Where to Find Secondhand & Vintage Furniture in Denver

A designer's actual map — the consignment shops, vintage collectives, and online haunts we use to find pieces with a past.

A bright, vaulted living room representing a Denver pop-top addition
Remodeling · Additions

Pop the Top or Move? A Denver Homeowner's Guide to Adding Up

What a pop-top really costs, the part where you move out, and an honest comparison of adding up, building out, or just leaving.

A finished Denver basement family room with walnut built-ins
Costs · Basements

How Much Does It Cost to Finish a Basement in Denver? (2026)

Real ranges, the three finish levels, and the Denver-specific line items — egress windows, permits, moisture — that quietly move the number.

A curated, layered living and dining room in Denver
Sourcing · Denver

Where Denver Designers Actually Shop: Rugs, Lighting, Tile & More

Our little black book — the showrooms and vintage haunts we lean on, plus where to splurge and where to save.

A renovated 1930s Denver home blending original character with modern updates
Remodeling · Historic Homes

Renovating a Historic Denver Bungalow: What to Know First

What to keep, what to update, the surprises behind old walls, and how to add modern life without erasing the soul.

Renovating in Wash Park: A Denver Neighborhood Guide
Neighborhood Guide

Renovating in Wash Park: A Denver Neighborhood Guide

Bungalows and Denver Squares around the park — what to keep, what to open up, and whether to remodel or scrape-and-build.

Renovating in Berkeley, Denver: A Neighborhood Guide
Neighborhood Guide

Renovating in Berkeley, Denver: A Neighborhood Guide

Tudors, Squares, and brick bungalows — what to preserve, pop-tops, and the Harkness Heights historic area.

Renovating a Hilltop Home in Denver
Neighborhood Guide

Renovating a Hilltop Home in Denver

Stately Tudors and ranches on big lots — whole-home remodels, finished basements, and keeping the established feel.

Renovating in Cherry Creek, Denver
Neighborhood Guide

Renovating in Cherry Creek, Denver

Condos, townhomes, and custom homes — HOA approvals, refined modern finishes, and keeping it warm.

Renovating Near Sloan’s Lake in Denver
Neighborhood Guide

Renovating Near Sloan’s Lake in Denver

1920s brick beside modern infill — remodel or go modern, pop-tops, and blending old with new.

Renovating a Park Hill Home in Denver
Neighborhood Guide

Renovating a Park Hill Home in Denver

Denver Squares, Tudors, and bungalows — what to preserve, the highest-impact projects, and modernizing with a steady hand.

Renovating a Congress Park Home in Denver
Neighborhood Guide

Renovating a Congress Park Home in Denver

Bungalows and Squares by Cheesman Park — what to keep, common projects, and adding space on a tight lot.

Renovating a Platt Park Bungalow in Denver
Neighborhood Guide

Renovating a Platt Park Bungalow in Denver

Compact bungalows off Old South Pearl — the space challenge, opening up, basements, pop-tops, and keeping the charm.

Renovating in Bonnie Brae & Belcaro, Denver
Neighborhood Guide

Renovating in Bonnie Brae & Belcaro, Denver

Brick Tudors and mid-century ranches — how to update each one well, and the projects owners actually do here.

Renovating in the Highlands & LoHi, Denver
Neighborhood Guide

Renovating in the Highlands & LoHi, Denver

Victorians and bungalows next to modern infill — old-vs-new, pop-tops on tight lots, and making them live together.

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