Young House Love: Blog Spotlight

In a sea of thousands upon thousands of blogs circulating the Internet, the cream inevitably rises to the top. After stumbling across this website and eventually becoming slightly addicted to it, this writer felt it necessary to spread the love of Young House Love.

What is Young House Love, you ask? A blog created by John and Sherry Petersik, a young married couple (with their adorable chihuahua Burger as their mascot), as a way of sharing their kitchen renovation. They thought it would be fun to chronicle the decorating and DIY design upgrades of their new house on the world wide web, and Young House Love was born.

Except, it wasn't always called Young House Love. It used to be known by This Young House, and gained immense popularity in part because Sherry and John Petersik (more on them later) put so much love into their home, and into sharing their ideas. It is alleged that lawyers representing a popular television show of a similar name (think about it) threatened them with a cease and desist letter and allegedly hinted at a potential lawsuit. Even though their blog and website in no way resembled that of the other show, Sherry and John took the high road and changed the website name to Young House Love, and didn't skip a beat in offering up free design tips, DIY ideas, and even offer custom design advice for a fair price.

It is clear Sherry and John love their home and each other. They met while both living in New York City while working at the same advertising agency. After dating in secret, they decided to chuck the NYC lifestyle for a slower pace in Virginia, John's home state. They became engaged, and purchased an older first house. Well, this wasn't any ordinary "starter house". This became a house Sherry and John would soon fall in love with, and would transform into the home of their dreams. One of the first things the soon-to-be Petersiks did was transform their backyard into the perfect location for their wedding. They truly were innovative in their DIY wedding ideas. Looking through their wedding album, there are so many creative and unique wedding ideas almost anyone can implement.

There is so much to see and read on Young House Love, and it is all just so darn...pretty. With freebies, reader involvement, easily searchable tags and twice daily updates, one can really see John and Sherry's advertising experience at work, but it doesn't come across as pandering. One of the appeals of Young House Love, is that it is a website tailored toward regular homeowners, with ideas that can be easily implemented but make incredible statements. There is a slant toward eco-conscious living and respecting the planet, which is not only a smart marketing tool, but seems to be authentically how Sherry and John aim to live. Another appeal is their generous sponsored giveaways. So far they have given away things like rain collecting barrels, home decor, Kleen Kanteens, and more! That is not what keeps readers coming back for more, however. Sherry and John seem to be 'the real deal'. They are cute, personable, friendly, helpful, and provide readers with creative decorating and design ideas they may have never even considered. All this with a personal twist, allowing readers into their lives as well as into their home.

Young House Love's popularity is exploding. With TV appearances, blog sponsors, and numerous magazine appearances (including their own column in Better Homes and Gardens' Do It Yourself magazine), the blog is now Sherry's full-time job and seems as if it is on its way to becoming John's too!