Editorial Policy and Methodology

Girls On It exists to help you make confident decisions about your home. That only works if you can trust what you read here. This page explains exactly how our content gets made: who writes it, how we research it, where AI fits in, and what happens when we get something wrong.

Last updated: October 2026

Who’s Behind the Content

Girls On It is run by Kate, our founder and editor. Kate wrote the home decor blog Heir and Space from 2011 to 2017, has worked for a museum and an antiques dealer, and has been refinishing furniture in her own workshop for well over a decade. You can read more about her on our About page.

Every article on this site is reviewed and approved by Kate before it goes live. Her name on a byline means she stands behind what it says.

How We Choose What to Write About

Topics come from three places:

  1. Reader questions. Emails and comments often point straight to what people are struggling with.
  2. Search research. We look at what people search for around home and kitchen decor so we can answer real questions, not imagined ones.
  3. Hands-on experience. Projects from Kate’s workshop and her own home often become step-by-step guides.

We don’t publish content simply to chase a trend. If a topic can’t be covered in a way that’s genuinely useful, we skip it.

How We Use AI

We believe in being upfront about this. Girls On It uses AI tools to help with parts of the content process, including:

  • Gathering background research and organizing information
  • Producing first drafts and outlines
  • Suggesting structure, headings, and related questions readers often ask

AI is a starting point, never the final word. Here’s what happens to every AI-assisted draft before it’s published:

  • Human review: Kate reads every article in full and edits or rewrites anything that is unclear, generic, or inaccurate.
  • Fact-checking: Measurements, product details, safety guidance, and historical or design claims are checked against reliable sources (more on those below).
  • Experience added: Practical tips, warnings, and opinions come from real-world decorating and refinishing experience, not from the AI.
  • Final approval: Nothing is published without Kate’s sign-off.

AI tools can confidently state things that aren’t true. That’s exactly why no draft goes live on trust alone.

Research and Sources

When an article relies on facts we haven’t verified first-hand, we lean on sources with real authority, such as:

  • Manufacturer specifications and care instructions for furniture, paint, flooring, textiles, and finishes
  • Government and safety agencies, for example the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for furniture tip-over guidance and the EPA for lead-based paint safety when working with older furniture
  • Established design and home publications, trade organizations, and museum collections for style history and terminology
  • Our own projects, measurements, and photos

Where it helps you dig deeper, we link to the source directly.

Safety Comes First

Some decor projects involve chemical strippers, power tools, electrical fixtures, or heavy furniture. In those articles we:

  • Flag safety precautions clearly, including ventilation, protective gear, and safe disposal
  • Note when older painted pieces may contain lead and point you to EPA guidance
  • Recommend anchoring tall furniture to the wall
  • Tell you when a job should go to a licensed professional, such as an electrician or plumber

Our content is general guidance for informational purposes. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and your local building codes.

Product Recommendations

When we recommend a product, it’s because we think it’s a good fit for the job. Here’s how we approach it:

  • Clear criteria: We judge products on design, materials, durability, ease of care, price, and how well they suit the style or space in question.
  • Honest wording: If Kate has used a product herself, we say so. If a recommendation is based on research, specifications, and verified owner feedback instead, we say that too. We never claim to have tested something we haven’t.
  • Price awareness: Where we can, we include options at different budgets.
  • Regular checks: Prices, availability, and product details change, so we revisit recommendation articles and update them when needed.

Girls On It is free to read. We support the site through display advertising and affiliate links. If you buy something through an affiliate link, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

These relationships never decide what we recommend or how we rate it. Articles with affiliate links include a clear disclosure in line with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s guidelines. Sponsored content, if we ever publish it, is always labeled as sponsored, and brands never get approval over our editorial opinions.

Images

Images on Girls On It come from Kate’s own projects, properly licensed stock libraries, or brand-provided product photos used with permission. When we use AI-generated images to illustrate a concept, such as a sample room layout or color palette, we label them as AI-generated so you’re never misled about what a real space looks like.

Updates and Corrections

Home decor advice should stay current, so we review and refresh articles over time. When we make a meaningful update, we change the date shown on the article.

If you spot an error, please tell us at [email protected] with the article link and the details. We review every correction request. When a correction changes the substance of an article, we note it at the bottom of the page so readers know what changed. Small typo fixes are made quietly.

Editorial Independence

Our editorial decisions are made by Kate and no one else. Advertisers, affiliate partners, and brands do not review our content before it’s published and cannot pay to change our opinions.

Questions About This Policy

If you have questions about how we work, we’re happy to explain. Reach out through our Contact page.