DIY SHIPLAP

One of Jessica’s most requested DIYs is her shiplap. Shiplap can be expensive and time-consuming, but Jessica has an affordable and fast way to get the look.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• Measuring tape

• Utility panels

• Saw

• ¼-inch metal rod

• Nail gun and nails or paneling gun • Paint of choice

• Paintbrush or paint rollers

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

1. Measure the wall where you want to have paneling. Instead of real shiplap, you’ll get utility panels. Get as many as you need to cover the wall; then rip the utility panels into 5-inch wide pieces.

2. Invest in a ¼-inch metal rod, which you’ll use as a spacer to measure your wall and the space between the boards.

3. Once you have your strips, put your first piece of shiplap in place to make sure it’s the right size. You’ll start from the bottom, just above the baseboard.

4. Use a nail gun or paneling gun to attach the first piece to the wall. Once that’s done, take the metal rod and put the skinny side onto the shiplap piece; then lay the next piece on top.

5. Continue to lay your shiplap up the wall.

6. Paint the whole wall in the color of

your choice.

COZY QUARTERS

The first time Jessica saw the ranch home she’d purchase, she fell in love with the porch and knew it’d be a wonderful place to decorate. While she’s since done several DIY renovations, such as adding shiplap and wallpaper, its bones have been beautifully suited for her designs and are particularly gracious in the fall.

Autumn is Jessica’s favorite time of year, and she looks forward to adding harvest elements to her décor. “Although the other seasons are great, I love making cozy spaces in the home with chunky textures during fall,” she says. “I use pumpkins in a variety of colors along with fall florals. There’s nothing like waking up and walking through your home and being greeted by beautiful fall details everywhere you look.”

FAVORED BY FALL

Jessica begins decorating for fall in September. “This is when the pumpkins start coming in,” she says. “I would say it takes me all fall only because I’m always refreshing my spaces with new florals or vintage pieces.”

(right) For the primary bedroom, Jessica replaced the regular door with a barn door she made from pine boards. “I wanted this area to feel open and knew I could create that feeling by having a sightline into the bedroom,” she says. “But a typical door wouldn’t feel right sitting ajar, so the sliding barn door was a wonderful solution.”

Jessica’s hutch is filled with a mix of Rae Dunn dishes, vintage pieces and ironstone. “Since this hutch is tall, I always think of what I can do in a landscape view,” she says. “I try to bring in some of the same elements that I have on my dining room table to keep the flow.”

( left) Open shelving made from 2 x 10 pine boards and Ikea brackets, along with the shiplap, are kitchen DIYs that refreshed the space. To festoon the kitchen for fall, Jessica styled it with pumpkins sitting in bowls and placed on the shelves. “I used wood pieces and fall florals in jugs and canisters. Then I added pops of warm colors with vintage tins, amber bottles and dish towels,” she says.