Life’s short, and we wanted to spend more of it with the people we love. If we lived apart, so much of our time would go into figuring out when to get together, where to meet, and how to fit each other around work and everything else on the calendar.

Living together means we get the little moments between the weekends, too. The workday wind-down, spontaneous games and sister chats, and late-night wine adventures when nobody has to worry about driving. We don’t have to plan a visit to be there for each other. We just meet in the living room.

We spent years working toward a home of our own, even before we knew exactly what it would look like. Along the way, we both earned our master’s degrees and built our careers: Kayla as a physician assistant and Mindy as a product manager in tech. We lived well below our means and kept saving, knowing that buying a home was something we wanted to be ready for.

Buying together let us put those years of saving toward one home and split the ongoing bills, which made it more affordable for each of us than taking on all those costs individually. We still budget, save for repairs, and decide which projects can wait. What you see now took a lot of patience and planning before we ever got the keys.

Before we bought the house, we talked through how we wanted everyday life to work, from having our own space to sharing expenses in a way that felt fair. As we worked toward closing, our real estate lawyer helped us put an arrangement in place that fit those plans. We chose tenants in common, with defined ownership shares.

Alongside those arrangements, Mindy chose to add an umbrella insurance policy for extra coverage for certain personal liability claims beyond her underlying insurance limits. Everyone’s needs will look a little different, so it’s worth talking with your own lawyer and insurance adviser about the ownership structure, agreements, and any additional coverage that fit your circumstances.

Yes! We have plenty of room to spend time together and our own private areas when we want time to ourselves. We love being close, and having our own space makes it work.

Take a look around in our three-part home tour.

Yes, Kayla! She was already married when we bought the house, and all three of us chose this setup together.

Kayla’s marriage and our sisterhood are both part of the life we’re building together. This is our sanctuary, and there’s room for all of us.

We make room for both. Kayla and her husband have date nights every other week, alternating with our sister date nights. They also spend time together on her days off during the week and when she gets home from work.

After dinner, he usually prefers to head downstairs to the basement lounge to watch TV. We often meet in the living room for our sister nights and Cozy Time, with a show on while we chat, laugh, or settle into our own little projects.

We enjoy dinner together and casual time hanging out when friends come over, too. When we’re not together, he has his own routines and favorite place to unwind, and we have ours. There’s room for time as a family, time as a couple, and time for our sisterhood.

Mindy is happily single and doesn’t currently see marriage or kids in her future. The life we’re building gives her the companionship of family and her best friend close by, along with her own space to retreat to when she wants time alone.

That said, the future could always bring something unexpected and, if Mindy ever wanted to get married, it would be with someone who has their own place and wouldn’t mean selling her portion of our home to do so.

Yes, that’s something they’re planning for! We knew this when we moved in, and the extra space on their floor gives them room for their family to grow.

While Mindy doesn’t want kids herself, she’s so excited to be the live-in auntie and be there for all the little everyday moments, too.

That’s the plan! We bought the home with the intention of our parents building a detached in-law home on the property, so they can join the fun, too. We’re in the early stages of exploring the build and will be sharing more as we figure out this next part of our journey.

For the right people, it can be wonderful. Couples build homes and lives together, and we think there’s room to celebrate sisters and close friends choosing that, too. For us, choosing each other felt natural after a lifetime of friendship and trust.

If you haven’t lived together before, we’d start with renting. Traveling together can teach you a lot, but sharing bills, chores, and everyday stresses gives you a much clearer picture. Buying together is a major commitment, so have the honest conversations first and work with a lawyer to put clear agreements in place.

We’ll be adding resources for anyone interested in exploring a sister (or bestie) home of their own. Stay tuned!

It’s our time to get comfortable in the living room, put on a show, and settle in together. Sometimes we’re giggling like little girls. Sometimes we’re quiet and scrolling on our phones. And sometimes Kayla is crocheting a masterpiece while Mindy dives into her own side projects. It’s less about what we’re doing and more about being together.

Find our cozy favorites (coming soon!)

Sanctuary Sundays are our casual brunch every other month, with friends and their kids at our home for food, catching up, and a little Sunday fun. We choose a low-pressure theme, like Pancakes & PJs, and encourage everyone to stop by, even if it’s just for a quick visit.

While the theme is a fun addition, what matters more is the company and everyone having a good time. The laughter and time together mean more to us than how everything looks. It doesn’t have to be perfect to create a perfect memory.

We wanted matching shirts to celebrate two titles we’ve loved our whole lives: big sister (Kayla) and little sister (Mindy). We made them for ourselves, and when so many of you asked about them, we decided to share them.

And since you asked, our Better Together collection now includes t-shirts, hoodies, and crewnecks for big, little, middle, and adopted sisters. Our cousins, childhood friends, and the women who’ve become family along the way have always been part of our sister circle. We’d love for every sister to have a way to wear the title she treasures.

Explore our sister styles →

Our favorite finds is where we’re bringing together the things we actually use and love in our sister home. It’s an easy way to find something you’ve spotted in a video, with recommendations that come from our everyday life together.