Emily Henderson's Blog, page 110

Designing Your Closet For How You Dress

Without systems there is chaos. And while I’m decreasingly into fancy fashion (pandemic + working from home on a muddy farm + moving away from LA + rarely leaving the house) I still need a better system than two rolling racks and a dresser. I strangely still wear three outfits a day – workout clothes + comfy utility clothes + pajama sets. And oddly I need way MORE clothes here than in LA – not in quantity but in variety since we have seasons. And mud. I have what is called “jacket confusion” – and on any given day I wear THREE different coats – the cozy fleece, the rain jacket, the light parka that can also repel rain – not to mention if I want to look more pulled together and cute. Same with boots – I have my boots for cold but dry days, cold but muddy days, warm but muddy days, and finally warm (ish) and dry days (those are the cute ones). The weather makes it so you simply need more options for everyday utility. Regardless of how often I get dressed up, I needed something better than these two janky rolling racks. And while we didn’t need something fancy I didn’t want to be short-sighted and not be thoughtful about how we use our closet or how someone else might use it (should we ever sell). Here’s where we are currently:

I’ve worked with California Closets on our house in LA and frankly loved their customer service, expertise, and product. Also fun fact – the Oregon CC team is 100% women which is just nice to know 🙂 So Amy Bodi (one of their lead closet designers) met with me at the house and asked me all of these questions to help guide the function of the closet (and function leads form when it comes to closets). They take your info and present to you a plan (it’s full service). These are all very lifestyle questions that are obviously very personal to how you live your life. Brian and I are both on the messier side so we need extra help making sure that we are designing it to be easy to maintain and so that things are easy to put away (like literal children – it sucks).

What do you wear on an average day? Me: dog walking clothes/athleisure, then if I change for people to come over and then for shoots (a twice-a-week activity now) I’ll put on “harder” pants (jeans if they fit comfortably) and a cuter sweatshirt. Then pajamas – and I only wear sets.If it’s a shared space, what is the ratio of your combined belongings? (50/50, 70/30, etc.)  Let that determine each user’s overall “real estate” in the closet. We are probably 70 (me) /30 (Bri). Do you like to hang or fold? This is hard because sometimes it’s just what you are used to. For instance, we’ve never had a walk-in closet except at our rental last year which was just four big rods (the mountain house is more like a galley but technically you can walk in) so I’ve never had the space to hang my jeans. That’s all to say since I hate steaming or ironing I like to hang most of my tops (not t-shirts) but not my pants. I also like to do laundry with the kids while watching TV on Sundays so folding is more fun than bringing hangers to hang. For us, we wanted ample “top” hanging space but prefer more drawers and shelves. How many “long things” do you have – aka dresses or coats? I only have about 10 long dresses but I have 7 fairly bulky long coats. Brian has 1 suit and 1 long coat that he never wears but dreams of wearing in December in New York again 🙂 Do you like to display your shoes? Do you want to see them? This was an easy no for us and I hate clutter (because I create it) so I did not want one of those fancy floor-to-ceiling shoe shelves with fancy lights. I’m just not a “shoe person” which is ironic because I have extremely unattractive feet (it’s ok, no self-shame, I think it’s funny) so you’d think I’d want to cover them up. But I think the cute shoes that you want to display are the delicate ones that I can’t wear because they really highlight my bunion and my pale or orange spray-tanned sausage toes. They are so special! How much of your clothes do you want to see and how many “steps” do you want to have to take to get clothes? At first, we thought that we wanted everything out of sight, but realized that it would A. look boring and B. be kinda annoying to open every single day. Plus covering it all up adds a lot to the cost and while we were partnering on this we didn’t want to be greedy. We had a budget we were trying to come in under. How Do You want to display your jewelry? I don’t have a lot of jewelry (I think I have a sensory thing because I just immediately take it off and leave it places. So I think some hooks are just fine, but we don’t need a drawer. Do you need a full-length mirror in the closet? Yes, but we will have this big one from Rejuvenation in our bedroom (better lighting for fashion posts), but a full-length mirror is still nice in here (it would just be super backlit if I were to take photos in it). Do you want a hamper in the closet, or if real estate is tight, should it be moved to the bathroom, bedroom, or laundry room? We hope to have a hamper in here and ideally not floating around 🙂 Are there any other non-apparel items that you prefer in the closet? (luggage, a steamer, etc.) Nope! We keep our luggage elsewhere and I use small steamers, not full-size. Hats…I do have a few hard-to-store hats!

Two additional tips from California Closets: Where is the door opening? Let that determine where drawers, bins and/or baskets land. Drawers and bins/baskets are the nicest to look at and will function best if they have to open within the doorway (in a reach-in closet for example.) For a walk-in, try to keep hanging items along walls that have the most depth (and preferably away from the doorway.)    

If you don’t have enough space in the closet for all your apparel, prioritize what’s in season, along with your daily undergarments.  Use a dresser in the bedroom for off-season items and reserve a couple of bins and/or drawers in the closet for undies, bras, and socks so you can 1-stop-shop in the closet, rather than ping-ponging from the bathroom to the bedroom, to the closet, to the bedroom…you get the idea.

So here’s the process – they come to you to take measurements, you have long conversations about finish and style (which is better to do in their showroom so you can really experience everything) then your designer takes a stab at it and presents you the design. It’s WONDERFUL. Once again I was EXTREMELY impressed with their speed, knowledge, and expertise. When you only do storage design all day every day like they do, they bring such expertise that ensures long-term function and enjoyment.

Version A – Open Shelving With A Drop Zone

So Amy (our closet wizard) sent two options the next week and we became just so excited.

This version is a lot of symmetry. Mirror in the middle (with my taller boots behind it). In this version (and others I think) I get the left side and the back side, Brian gets the right and some drawers along the back. Before you think I’m somehow steamrolling Brian (which literally never happens), Brian takes pride in how few clothes he owns. So yes, we both quickly agreed that I get more space than him.

This version allowed for a “drop zone” for both of us – to unload pockets and throw our wallets. We weren’t convinced we would keep them looking nice and they would get a lot of attention.

I think our feedback for this version was also that Brian doesn’t have that much to hang, so he wanted more shelves than hanging space.

Version B – All enclosed

Now this version was based on our initial request to not be able to see as much mess as possible. Once we saw what that would look like though we decided that they were right – that the “two-step” process would be annoying and that this is just less visually pleasing.

Version C (Final Version)

So Amy took our feedback and did a final version.

This felt perfect for us – a nice mix of hanging, shelving, and drawers.

The shelves on the left were going to have to be set back due to an outlet, but we are cutting out the wood instead to expose and integrate the outlet. We kept it there because I use a steamer a lot so I need to plug it in easily. The space under the shelves is for a hamper – I just bought this one, which admittedly now that it has arrived it might be too tall – not because it won’t fit, the dimensions are good, but it’s so deep that if you want to get out something you threw in at the bottom, you have to take it ALL OUT and make a huge mess. We’ll see if that annoys us too much or if it’s okay.

In this version, there is room for 16 pairs of shoes on the bottom, and obviously more room for seasonal shoes in the bottom of the hanging areas or above in shelves (like a bin of summer shoes). And again, my tall boots (that I have a lot of strangely) are behind the mirror.

In this version, Brian doesn’t get his own “full-length” section but I have too much of it so he’ll throw anything that is full-length (possibly just a nice coat and his only suit) on the back wall.

We chose the light natural wood – mostly because I loved it in Joy’s closet and felt that it had the most warmth (but they have a ton of different tones or woods or painted colors to choose from).

So we approved this design (and are so excited).

The post Designing Your Closet For How You Dress appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Caitlin’s Bedroom Update! – The Disaster That Caused A 3-Month Delay And The 3 Design Questions She Needs Help With

SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED SINCE MY LAST BEDROOM POST. (In the world, but also in this room.) Schadenfreude fans, today’s update is dedicated to you!!! Things in here were very bad and scary and overwhelming (for me – it’ll be a fun read for you, at least), but we’re finally back on track after a multi-month delay. It’s been a minute (or, uh, 7 months?) since my last bedroom post, so let me catch you up on the complete unraveling of my life (followed by a few design conundrums, because technically this post is for “work” and not for “throwing myself a pity party”). We begin here…

listing photo | move-in day

That’s the listing photo on the left and my move-in day on the right. The good: a palatial, 16′ x 11′ bedroom, really lovely light, plaster walls, and original hardwood floors and windows. The bad: THAT AIR CONDITIONER. Spoiler alert: it leaked. Badly. I’m still not sure of when it started – it was an early 2000s window unit (i.e. slightly different drain/overflow functionality than comparable wall units) and the A/C’s remote control meant that it was always a little “on” even when it was switched “off,” but a water damage expert later suggested it may have been going on for a while (like, since before I moved in).

I still remember getting the call from my landlord requesting entry to my apartment – mainly because it was really late at night, my boyfriend and I had just checked into the world’s tiniest Boston hotel room after a traumatic dinner that ended with a friend carted away in an ambulance (she was fine, thankfully!), and I’d just realized that I’d booked us a room that boasted really special amenities, like no staff on site (!), stained sheets (!!) and a whole room-sized bed with a stunning view of THE BATHROOM’S GLASS BARN DOOR (jackpot!). You know when people are like “chin up, it can’t get any worse?” They’re lying! It definitely can, baby!!!!

ANYWAY. The phone call. My landlord told me that the paint on my downstairs neighbor’s ceiling was peeling, which indicated water damage. Upon entering my room, my landlord later described seeing a few cupped and buckled OG hardwood floorboards (yeah, an absolute gut punch, I know) in addition to water damage surrounding the A/C unit. I flew back to LA and hired a water damage specialist, who officially confirmed that the A/C had caused the damage, and I made a plan to stick around the apartment for a few days to supervise the repair process. (LOL. A FEW DAYS. So naive.)

we got mold, baby!!!

Well…that was the plan, at least, until I peeked inside the A/C cavity while my building’s handyman was cutting open additional sections of the wall to house the new replacement unit. (Side note: I learned my building literally does not have insulation, which is why the temperature outside is the temperature inside! Fun old apartment things!) I’d never seen inside an ~100-year-old building before, but I was preeeeeeetty sure that walls of any age are not supposed to be simultaneously slimy AND fuzzy.

But wait, there’s more! After the wall was opened more, I learned that there was no asbestos survey on file with the city for my building…so there was no way to tell if the thick layer of dust now coating the entire room was dangerous or not. (The good times kept on comin’!!!) After spotting what I thought looked like mold and learning about the asbestos risk, I stopped the work and called my landlord, who scheduled sample testing. About a week later, an inspector collected wall, paper, debris, and air samples and I’m SO glad I advocated for myself, because…

nbd!

I MEAN. GUYS. Should I play the lotto or what?! LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD OVER HERE! I’m not joking, though – despite being built in the 1930s, I somehow live in the only old building in Los Angeles that wasn’t constructed with asbestos material. The testing did, however, indicate two types of black mold in the air – stachybotrys and chaetomium – and this literal Dexter scene went up in my apartment 3 weeks later. (I have to confess – the wait between my initial “hey, I think there’s mold here” and complete remediation was brutal and took waaaaay longer than I’d anticipated. So much sofa sleeping! So much back pain! I got my first ulcer from being so stressed!)

After the first round of remediation, air quality testing indicated that all the mold hadn’t been eradicated. The team came back the next week, cut out more of the plaster wall and original trim (again – a gut punch), and sprayed everything down a second time. A bright spot: my boyfriend flew out to LA and was present for most of the remediation – we slept on the floor of my living room while industrial strength fans ran 24/7 in the back of the apartment – and having someone who was willing to hoof it to Walgreens to buy Pepto for the aforementioned ulcer when I thought I was dying DID actually make the process a little bit (or a lot, TBH) better. I think it’s really easy to spiral in housing situations like this – especially when they’re going on and on, week after week – so I’m really lucky that I had a great support system who helped me figure it all out, at least 🙂

SHE HAS A ROOM TO SLEEP IN AGAIN!!!!

And thankfully, the second round of remediation did the trick. I spent a week with that microbial crime scene in my room before the remediation company got the all-clear, and it only took about 4 half-days to put the whole space back together – one to measure, one to hang drywall, one to mud and paint, and one to fix the flooring (which had dried out significantly in the time it took to handle the other issues – the cupped boards had mostly flattened, and my building’s handyman was able to remove screws and knock the buckling floorboards back down into place). This weekend – after nearly 3 months – I was finally able to move back into my own bedroom. I WILL NEVER TAKE IT FOR GRANTED AGAIN, I SWEAR.

loden | goldenrod | cognac

To that end, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE. The last time we chatted about this room, I was working through three potential bedroom color palettes in an attempt to make a decision about which one of these beds to order. I loved reading your feedback – thank you for helping me work through my analysis paralysis! – and this weekend, my bedroom fiiiiiiinally started to take shape when my new bed frame was delivered…

DISCLAIMER: Before you look at these – yes, it is a king-sized bed. Yes, I do currently have my full-sized mattress in a king-sized frame (still deciding on my mattress – it’s a huge investment that I’ll spend 4 months a year asleep on! Though I am currently heavily leaning towards this one for its heating/cooling functionality – would be great to not have to use the heater or an A/C at night!). Yes, those are t-shirt quilts (I know I work at a design blog, but my mom gave them to me and I love them!). Yes, it is kind of nerve-wracking to put your VERY in-progress room on the internet, but…if I can use a bathroom with a glass barn door, I can do this too:)

AHH. I know there’s a ton of work to be done here – and we’ll walk through it all below – but I feel like I’m starting to see what it can look like in here, you know? First: THE BED. I went cognac, y’all!!! I know the lighting on my iPhone isn’t the greatest – and these aren’t edited at all – but it’s such a luxe, rich, rust-meets-gold shade (at least in here, with northeast light!). My wall is 107″ long and this headboard is 97″, so I love how it fills out the space – going from the world’s bitsy-est bed to something that’s appropriate for the scale of the room has been a game changer.

And second: HELLO, RUG! Once I saw the Grand Rug in Deep Blue, it was ooooooover for me. I literally cannot tell you how much I love this rug – it’s so plush and the color is out of this world (it’s saturated AND quiet? Solid but still dynamic? It’s a literal dream! They just announced new colorways and I’m trying to figure out if I can work one into my dining room because I love it so much). I actually cried when I rolled it out (not joking – this whole mold thing has been weighing on me for a long time and finally seeing this beautiful rug against my brass dresser BROKE ME. I really truly love it and I can’t wait to style around it!!!!).

This brings me to my next point – y’all, I’m expanding the color palette a little bit (from “cognac and desaturated blues” to “cognac and pretty saturated, uh, everything else.” The front of my house is going to be pretty restrained and a little more minimal – mainly lots of pinks, greens, neutrals, and texture – so I want to make a space in my home that’s a little more vibrant and energizing. (Everyone I know will testify that I have no problems sleeping, so my bedroom priority is more “WAKE UP, LET’S GO” than “WIND DOWN, RELAX,” you know?)

I ended up pulling two of my favorite vintage pieces in here – an Otomi pillow (a 2017 Long Beach Flea score!) and a Tobacco Leaf card case (there are two sets of printed playing cards in there, too!) – to serve as the jumping off point for the rest of the color in here. I’ve loved both prints for years and I’m really excited to have a bedroom that makes me feel as happy and energized as these two pieces do:)

Which brings us to our first debate: What color should the walls be? I thiiiiink my current frontrunner is the faux grasscloth wallpaper from Society Social in either citrus or sage – I love how the classic texture balances out the super-modern bed shape, and it’d be a great backdrop for the rust fabric – but to be fair, I also don’t hate how the wheat faux grasscloth looks in my little keynote mockup, either. I’m also open to just painting in here, which is obviously the easiest and most affordable option – what are your thoughts?

Next up: let’s talk nightstands, please! I originally wanted something square and campaign-y to tie in the brass dresser, then I thought that something really long could balance the visual weight of the 8’ headboard (!!!), but now I think I’m back to looking for something a bit more squat and plinth-y that could fit in the confines of the rug. (I have about 23″ between the edge of the bed and the edge of the rug, and I do want something with storage – maybe campaign nightstands were the right call all along?) Either way, I feel like I’ll know it when I see it. (Also on the hunt for a cute vintage perch for the corner so my cat can sit comfortably in the window – she loves people-watching!)

MOVING ON. I still cannot believe that I own this dresser (and that I did not have to like, go into debt to acquire it!). VINTAGE DREAMS DO COME TRUE (if you are very patient and prepared to wait forever, at least). This one is in incredible condition – it was actually in better shape than the one I wrote about in our 2021 “if money were no object” post – and scale-wise, it’s almost like it was meant for this wall. Design-wise, I’m just planning to hang a few of my favorite art pieces up here (and I’m also on the hunt for a good vintage jewelry box to adorn the top of the dresser, if anyone has any fun leads!).

The last two walls are giving me a bit of design trouble, so stick with me for some external processing. The facts: there’s 3.5′ feet between the foot of the bed and this wall – it’s a super comfortable walkway, and I’d almost rather not clutter it with a bench or stools or baskets. That said, I am going to need to suck it up and figure out a location for a new full length-mirror (I don’t know if y’all can see that one, but it’s broken and it drops shards of glass every time I move it, so it’s probably time to call it and recycle her, hah).

I’m leaning towards placing it on this wall – a bit to the right of where the TV is right now, but I’m worried about the rest of the wall/walkway feeling sparse and empty. (Maybe it’d be a good use case for the huge famous Rejuvenation arched mirror?) I’m also worried about putting so many reflective items next to each other – will it be too much? Beyond that, will I regret not opting for an end-of-bed bench or baskets or even a narrow storage solution on the wall? I’ve only owned twin or full beds and am planning to celebrate this upgrade with some very liberal pillow usage, so I guess I do need to put them somewhere at night – if you’re currently a king bed owner, what works for you?

Moving on! First – if anyone wants a free IKEA Tarva bed frame in LA, please leave a note – it’s yours 🙂 I feel like the size of this wall is better scaled for a mirror, but the 5′ distance between the bed and wall have me considering some sort of vintage armoire or chest here. I originally thought it’d be a great place for a vanity or desk, but I like doing my skincare near a sink (because I’m messy, and I also because need water), my makeup near the window (better lighting), and my work from…well, not in my bedroom, I guess. I’d like the extra storage (and honestly, I’m not crazy about waking up and staring straight into my own eyes every morning), but maybe a smaller mirror closer to the hall door on the left would be nice?

Last but not least – let’s talk WINDOW TREATMENTS. I’m torn here – on one hand, I want to go with bamboo shades because I love the texture they bring to my home (I just hung these $48 cordless ones in my living room and they look just as good as the $600 versions!), buuuuut they don’t have awesome blackout functionality (which is okay in my living room when they’re layered with curtains – that’s just less of an option here, considering that a curtain would make that closet door on the right annoying to use). Light leak doesn’t really bother me, but I also don’t want to buy multiple window treatments if it ever does, you know?

My alternate option: go with a patterned shade. And while I love this idea now, I worry that any pattern (outside of something simple, like a neutral stripe or dot) will really lock me into a certain color palette or direction. Right now I love that the bed, rug, and dresser are functioning as such a versatile base layer – every piece I’ve brought in here has looked awesome against this backdrop. (I mean…I knew saturated blue with warm leather and brass is one of my favorite combinations to build upon – very classic EHD! – so of course, this cognac fabric is a great substitute for leather!) I’m excited about the flexibility to mix things up in here, and I can’t wait to figure out if I should optimize for texture or pattern. It’s a fun problem to have, at least. (FINALLY.)

That brings us to the end of your schadenfreude-y rollercoaster ride – another saga in the books. (Like literally, in the books – my apartment passed inspection yesterday at 10:50 AM and it’s officially a closed case with the city!) As a reminder, I’d welcome your thoughts on paint/wallpaper, nightstand shape, mirror placement, end-of-bed necessity, chest/armoires vs. desks, and window treatments. And if I can help answer any mold questions…or if you’re in the market for an IKEA bed frame…well, I’ll see ya down there. Happy Wednesday 🙂 xx

The post Caitlin’s Bedroom Update! – The Disaster That Caused A 3-Month Delay And The 3 Design Questions She Needs Help With appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Caitlin Bedroom Update! – The Disaster That Caused A 3-Month Delay And The 3 Design Questions She Needs Help With

SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED SINCE MY LAST BEDROOM POST. (In the world, but also in this room.) Schadenfreude fans, today’s update is dedicated to you!!! Things in here were very bad and scary and overwhelming (for me – it’ll be a fun read for you, at least), but we’re finally back on track after a multi-month delay. It’s been a minute (or, uh, 7 months?) since my last bedroom post, so let me catch you up on the complete unraveling of my life (followed by a few design conundrums, because technically this post is for “work” and not for “throwing myself a pity party”). We begin here…

listing photo | move-in day

That’s the listing photo on the left and my move-in day on the right. The good: a palatial, 16′ x 11′ bedroom, really lovely light, plaster walls, and original hardwood floors and windows. The bad: THAT AIR CONDITIONER. Spoiler alert: it leaked. Badly. I’m still not sure of when it started – it was an early 2000s window unit (i.e. slightly different drain/overflow functionality than comparable wall units) and the A/C’s remote control meant that it was always a little “on” even when it was switched “off,” but a water damage expert later suggested it may have been going on for a while (like, since before I moved in).

I still remember getting the call from my landlord requesting entry to my apartment – mainly because it was really late at night, my boyfriend and I had just checked into the world’s tiniest Boston hotel room after a traumatic dinner that ended with a friend carted away in an ambulance (she was fine, thankfully!), and I’d just realized that I’d booked us a room that boasted really special amenities, like no staff on site (!), stained sheets (!!) and a whole room-sized bed with a stunning view of THE BATHROOM’S GLASS BARN DOOR (jackpot!). You know when people are like “chin up, it can’t get any worse?” They’re lying! It definitely can, baby!!!!

ANYWAY. The phone call. My landlord told me that the paint on my downstairs neighbor’s ceiling was peeling, which indicated water damage. Upon entering my room, my landlord later described seeing a few cupped and buckled OG hardwood floorboards (yeah, an absolute gut punch, I know) in addition to water damage surrounding the A/C unit. I flew back to LA and hired a water damage specialist, who officially confirmed that the A/C had caused the damage, and I made a plan to stick around the apartment for a few days to supervise the repair process. (LOL. A FEW DAYS. So naive.)

we got mold, baby!!!

Well…that was the plan, at least, until I peeked inside the A/C cavity while my building’s handyman was cutting open additional sections of the wall to house the new replacement unit. (Side note: I learned my building literally does not have insulation, which is why the temperature outside is the temperature inside! Fun old apartment things!) I’d never seen inside an ~100-year-old building before, but I was preeeeeeetty sure that walls of any age are not supposed to be simultaneously slimy AND fuzzy.

But wait, there’s more! After the wall was opened more, I learned that there was no asbestos survey on file with the city for my building…so there was no way to tell if the thick layer of dust now coating the entire room was dangerous or not. (The good times kept on comin’!!!) After spotting what I thought looked like mold and learning about the asbestos risk, I stopped the work and called my landlord, who scheduled sample testing. About a week later, an inspector collected wall, paper, debris, and air samples and I’m SO glad I advocated for myself, because…

nbd!

I MEAN. GUYS. Should I play the lotto or what?! LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD OVER HERE! I’m not joking, though – despite being built in the 1930s, I somehow live in the only old building in Los Angeles that wasn’t constructed with asbestos material. The testing did, however, indicate two types of black mold in the air – stachybotrys and chaetomium – and this literal Dexter scene went up in my apartment 3 weeks later. (I have to confess – the wait between my initial “hey, I think there’s mold here” and complete remediation was brutal and took waaaaay longer than I’d anticipated. So much sofa sleeping! So much back pain! I got my first ulcer from being so stressed!)

After the first round of remediation, air quality testing indicated that all the mold hadn’t been eradicated. The team came back the next week, cut out more of the plaster wall and original trim (again – a gut punch), and sprayed everything down a second time. A bright spot: my boyfriend flew out to LA and was present for most of the remediation – we slept on the floor of my living room while industrial strength fans ran 24/7 in the back of the apartment – and having someone who was willing to hoof it to Walgreens to buy Pepto for the aforementioned ulcer when I thought I was dying DID actually make the process a little bit (or a lot, TBH) better. I think it’s really easy to spiral in housing situations like this – especially when they’re going on and on, week after week – so I’m really lucky that I had a great support system who helped me figure it all out, at least 🙂

SHE HAS A ROOM TO SLEEP IN AGAIN!!!!

And thankfully, the second round of remediation did the trick. I spent a week with that microbial crime scene in my room before the remediation company got the all-clear, and it only took about 4 half-days to put the whole space back together – one to measure, one to hang drywall, one to mud and paint, and one to fix the flooring (which had dried out significantly in the time it took to handle the other issues – the cupped boards had mostly flattened, and my building’s handyman was able to remove screws and knock the buckling floorboards back down into place). This weekend – after nearly 3 months – I was finally able to move back into my own bedroom. I WILL NEVER TAKE IT FOR GRANTED AGAIN, I SWEAR.

loden | goldenrod | cognac

To that end, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE. The last time we chatted about this room, I was working through three potential bedroom color palettes in an attempt to make a decision about which one of these beds to order. I loved reading your feedback – thank you for helping me work through my analysis paralysis! – and this weekend, my bedroom fiiiiiiinally started to take shape when my new bed frame was delivered…

DISCLAIMER: Before you look at these – yes, it is a king-sized bed. Yes, I do currently have my full-sized mattress in a king-sized frame (still deciding on my mattress – it’s a huge investment that I’ll spend 4 months a year asleep on! Though I am currently heavily leaning towards this one for its heating/cooling functionality – would be great to not have to use the heater or an A/C at night!). Yes, those are t-shirt quilts (I know I work at a design blog, but my mom gave them to me and I love them!). Yes, it is kind of nerve-wracking to put your VERY in-progress room on the internet, but…if I can use a bathroom with a glass barn door, I can do this too:)

AHH. I know there’s a ton of work to be done here – and we’ll walk through it all below – but I feel like I’m starting to see what it can look like in here, you know? First: THE BED. I went cognac, y’all!!! I know the lighting on my iPhone isn’t the greatest – and these aren’t edited at all – but it’s such a luxe, rich, rust-meets-gold shade (at least in here, with northeast light!). My wall is 107″ long and this headboard is 97″, so I love how it fills out the space – going from the world’s bitsy-est bed to something that’s appropriate for the scale of the room has been a game changer.

And second: HELLO, RUG! Once I saw the Grand Rug in Deep Blue, it was ooooooover for me. I literally cannot tell you how much I love this rug – it’s so plush and the color is out of this world (it’s saturated AND quiet? Solid but still dynamic? It’s a literal dream! They just announced new colorways and I’m trying to figure out if I can work one into my dining room because I love it so much). I actually cried when I rolled it out (not joking – this whole mold thing has been weighing on me for a long time and finally seeing this beautiful rug against my brass dresser BROKE ME. I really truly love it and I can’t wait to style around it!!!!).

This brings me to my next point – y’all, I’m expanding the color palette a little bit (from “cognac and desaturated blues” to “cognac and pretty saturated, uh, everything else.” The front of my house is going to be pretty restrained and a little more minimal – mainly lots of pinks, greens, neutrals, and texture – so I want to make a space in my home that’s a little more vibrant and energizing. (Everyone I know will testify that I have no problems sleeping, so my bedroom priority is more “WAKE UP, LET’S GO” than “WIND DOWN, RELAX,” you know?)

I ended up pulling two of my favorite vintage pieces in here – an Otomi pillow (a 2017 Long Beach Flea score!) and a Tobacco Leaf card case (there are two sets of printed playing cards in there, too!) – to serve as the jumping off point for the rest of the color in here. I’ve loved both prints for years and I’m really excited to have a bedroom that makes me feel as happy and energized as these two pieces do:)

Which brings us to our first debate: What color should the walls be? I thiiiiink my current frontrunner is the faux grasscloth wallpaper from Society Social in either citrus or sage – I love how the classic texture balances out the super-modern bed shape, and it’d be a great backdrop for the rust fabric – but to be fair, I also don’t hate how the wheat faux grasscloth looks in my little keynote mockup, either. I’m also open to just painting in here, which is obviously the easiest and most affordable option – what are your thoughts?

Next up: let’s talk nightstands, please! I originally wanted something square and campaign-y to tie in the brass dresser, then I thought that something really long could balance the visual weight of the 8’ headboard (!!!), but now I think I’m back to looking for something a bit more squat and plinth-y that could fit in the confines of the rug. (I have about 23″ between the edge of the bed and the edge of the rug, and I do want something with storage – maybe campaign nightstands were the right call all along?) Either way, I feel like I’ll know it when I see it. (Also on the hunt for a cute vintage perch for the corner so my cat can sit comfortably in the window – she loves people-watching!)

MOVING ON. I still cannot believe that I own this dresser (and that I did not have to like, go into debt to acquire it!). VINTAGE DREAMS DO COME TRUE (if you are very patient and prepared to wait forever, at least). This one is in incredible condition – it was actually in better shape than the one I wrote about in our 2021 “if money were no object” post – and scale-wise, it’s almost like it was meant for this wall. Design-wise, I’m just planning to hang a few of my favorite art pieces up here (and I’m also on the hunt for a good vintage jewelry box to adorn the top of the dresser, if anyone has any fun leads!).

The last two walls are giving me a bit of design trouble, so stick with me for some external processing. The facts: there’s 3.5′ feet between the foot of the bed and this wall – it’s a super comfortable walkway, and I’d almost rather not clutter it with a bench or stools or baskets. That said, I am going to need to suck it up and figure out a location for a new full length-mirror (I don’t know if y’all can see that one, but it’s broken and it drops shards of glass every time I move it, so it’s probably time to call it and recycle her, hah).

I’m leaning towards placing it on this wall – a bit to the right of where the TV is right now, but I’m worried about the rest of the wall/walkway feeling sparse and empty. (Maybe it’d be a good use case for the huge famous Rejuvenation arched mirror?) I’m also worried about putting so many reflective items next to each other – will it be too much? Beyond that, will I regret not opting for an end-of-bed bench or baskets or even a narrow storage solution on the wall? I’ve only owned twin or full beds and am planning to celebrate this upgrade with some very liberal pillow usage, so I guess I do need to put them somewhere at night – if you’re currently a king bed owner, what works for you?

Moving on! First – if anyone wants a free IKEA Tarva bed frame in LA, please leave a note – it’s yours 🙂 I feel like the size of this wall is better scaled for a mirror, but the 5′ distance between the bed and wall have me considering some sort of vintage armoire or chest here. I originally thought it’d be a great place for a vanity or desk, but I like doing my skincare near a sink (because I’m messy, and I also because need water), my makeup near the window (better lighting), and my work from…well, not in my bedroom, I guess. I’d like the extra storage (and honestly, I’m not crazy about waking up and staring straight into my own eyes every morning), but maybe a smaller mirror closer to the hall door on the left would be nice?

Last but not least – let’s talk WINDOW TREATMENTS. I’m torn here – on one hand, I want to go with bamboo shades because I love the texture they bring to my home (I just hung these $48 cordless ones in my living room and they look just as good as the $600 versions!), buuuuut they don’t have awesome blackout functionality (which is okay in my living room when they’re layered with curtains – that’s just less of an option here, considering that a curtain would make that closet door on the right annoying to use). Light leak doesn’t really bother me, but I also don’t want to buy multiple window treatments if it ever does, you know?

My alternate option: go with a patterned shade. And while I love this idea now, I worry that any pattern (outside of something simple, like a neutral stripe or dot) will really lock me into a certain color palette or direction. Right now I love that the bed, rug, and dresser are functioning as such a versatile base layer – every piece I’ve brought in here has looked awesome against this backdrop. (I mean…I knew saturated blue with warm leather and brass is one of my favorite combinations to build upon – very classic EHD! – so of course, this cognac fabric is a great substitute for leather!) I’m excited about the flexibility to mix things up in here, and I can’t wait to figure out if I should optimize for texture or pattern. It’s a fun problem to have, at least. (FINALLY.)

That brings us to the end of your schadenfreude-y rollercoaster ride – another saga in the books. (Like literally, in the books – my apartment passed inspection yesterday at 10:50 AM and it’s officially a closed case with the city!) As a reminder, I’d welcome your thoughts on paint/wallpaper, nightstand shape, mirror placement, end-of-bed necessity, chest/armoires vs. desks, and window treatments. And if I can help answer any mold questions…or if you’re in the market for an IKEA bed frame…well, I’ll see ya down there. Happy Wednesday 🙂 xx

The post Caitlin Bedroom Update! – The Disaster That Caused A 3-Month Delay And The 3 Design Questions She Needs Help With appeared first on Emily Henderson.

My New Prop Room At The Farm And Why I Hold On To So Many Beautiful Things

This post is best read while listening to the problematic The Little Mermaid song “Part of Your World,” which I will, unfortunately, get stuck in your head right now by even prompting it. But seriously, look at this stuff, isn’t it neat? Chefs might have a lot of different knives and painters a lot of different paintbrushes. As a stylist and content creator, having an inventory to pull from is not a requirement but it sure does make you better at your job, and honestly, it is simply part of the reality. At this point, I really only buy and keep (and move states with) anything that is A. Not replaceable – i.e. vintage B. Sentimental or very special to me (most vintage, handmade, or from travels) or C. So good for whatever reason that I use it over and over and over (like a good soap dish, tray, or vase). Most of this stuff I’ve had for years and years. Right now the inside of our house is not accessorized at all – I can’t bring myself to put one hole in the walls except the guest room but I’m sure much of this will end up inside when I’m ready. I gave away SO MUCH when we sold our house in LA and moved up here, but still! Look at this stuff!! Unpacking it really was like Christmas because so many of these things I hadn’t seen in 2 years and they brought back memories as well as hope that our home will, if nothing else, be full of pieces we have collected over time and love. The spiders occupying this building must have been highly entertained as I did my one-woman show, squealing, narrating each thing and where it could go, etc. I always loved show-and-tell as a child (which fits well into blogging).

Wait, Where Is This Room?

Our property has a few outbuildings and one of them is the original farmhouse from the 1850s that I’ve barely shown you. It’s SO CUTE (as you can see) but yes, totally falling down, mostly dirt floors, super wonky, no electrical or plumbing, etc. We aren’t even letting ourselves think about it until we wrap up the landscaping so we aren’t sure to what extent we’ll fix it up and use it (but likely we’ll invest in it for long-term purposes once we have the budget for it). We did have a meter installed, the sewer line extended and a water line trenched for the future. So, in the interim we are trying to use a few of the rooms for our current needs – a prop room for me and a writing space for Brian (away from us shooting inside).

This room was full of boxes for a year, so we recently unpacked everything to really understand what our needs were. I had that big shoot at Anne’s bay house the following week so I was desperate to see what I had to bring so I didn’t overbuy for it. So I quickly ordered these shelves that would arrive in two days and then hired a few guys to put them together. Speaking of which – I cannot find PAs in Portland (people to do heavy manual help). So I basically had to hire a moving company to come and help me rearrange furniture (from the garages into the house, put down rug pads, take furniture upstairs, etc). They were hourly (so expensive) but I had them put these shelves together while I was running an errand. I came back to realize that they were super janky as they just kinda rest on the vertical pieces (no screws or anything) which makes them super hard and wonky to move into place. They threw away the packaging so I couldn’t return them. If I could go back in time I would buy IKEA shelving that is wood and pretty at least. I did want 24″ deep to maximize the space and now that they are all in place they are TOTALLY fine.

Choosing The Paint Color

Before we brought them in, I hired Renee from Some Kinda Landscape to paint the whole room a fresh color. I know that there is still a huge likelihood of spiders and dust in here, but at least a fresh coat makes me feel like my pretty things are going to be kept a bit cleaner – they deserve a fresh room! I couldn’t decide what to paint but figured it was a great time to test out a color that I’m excited about, without committing to it in our house.

We knew we couldn’t go too dark because it literally doesn’t have any electricity right now, which is fine because I mostly pull during the day but when I want to play at night I have to bring a flashlight. And I’m so obsessed with our mudroom color (SW 9641 Dew Drop) that I wanted to try another version of that sweet pastel. I chose SW 6211 Rainwashed which has more green in it (not minty- but not not minty). We had to of course wipe down everything before painting. She painted the walls and ceiling (including doors/windows and nob and tube wiring). The goal was fast and dirty, but it still took a day to prep, a day to prime, and then a day to paint.

We kept the floors unpainted as it didn’t bother us at all. We organized everything in a visually pleasing way – not necessarily by room or even by function…

Before we left the mountain house I packed up a small box of my favorite things from that house that I would be super sad if they got broken or disappeared (my leather-wrapped rock, my MQuan sculptures, etc).

In case you are wondering why you need so many “props” for photo shoots, here’s why. For instance those wooden dice – like what do you do with those? Well, our children’s toys look like garbage – plastic pieces of garbage that they love and there is no shame in that. But when we go to style and shoot their rooms I don’t necessarily want the nicely designed room to be filled with ratty-haired plastic horses and pokemon cards. If you don’t have kids you might think this is monstrous – but moms know that the garbage that they accumulate on their shelves (and legitimately love) is simply not photogenic. And that’s ok. I’ll show you that on stories – I’m not trying to pretend we are somehow cleaner or cooler than others, but no I’m not going to keep old pokemon tokens in shots where I’ve invested in a photographer to professionally shoot, and will be all over the internet. So these are kinda the runway accessories that you wear to walk during the televised fashion show, but not necessarily the ready-to-wear.

Having these photos on the internet is actually fairly helpful to shop my own prop closet before or during a shoot. We don’t have anything “inventoried” so these photos could be helpful if something isn’t working while we are shooting. I’ve really got to figure out how, in the future, to bring thrifting or vintage into our business more. I could either have a booth in an antique mall or produce fun quarterly flea markets…I went shopping last week at the Rose City Flea market and at a thrift store and saw so much that I loved, but so few things that I knew I would put in the house so I passed on a lot (I did get some stuff I’m excited to show you, though). Anyway, that’s my show and tell for you 🙂 I hope you like my stuff. xx

*Photos by Kaitlin Green

The post My New Prop Room At The Farm And Why I Hold On To So Many Beautiful Things appeared first on Emily Henderson.

8 Things Happening In The Design World That Have Us All Real Excited…So You Should Know Too

The design world has been pumping out great news nonstop and it’s all too good not to make sure all of you know too! It’s especially exciting when new collections come out because while you or I may not be in the market for anything new, it’s so incredible to see the love and creativity these designers pour into their new work. We also figured that today might be one of those fun/hectic days given that it’s Halloween and a fun quick post might be the most appreciated:) So grab a piece (or two) of candy to eat while you stare at some really good eye candy.

Carmen Ellis Studio’s Illumination Seriesdesign by julie rose | photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: julie’s huge (and diy packed) bedroom upgrade

You may remember Carmen Ellis from Julie’s MOTO bedroom a few years back. Carmen is the designer of that incredible footed planter. It’s so fun and unexpected while still being beautiful and clearly handcrafted. Actually, every piece is made by hand in Los Angeles! Well, last week she announced her new collection, Illumination Series, and it’s stunning. I mean just look below.

Footed Candle Holders | Flora & Fauna Lamps | Face Lamp

I love that she’s working with brass now. How incredible is that table lamp?! And it’s much bigger than it looks. They are almost 3 feet tall! So while not budget-friendly, what a special piece to own if you can. Go check out the rest of the series here!

Max Humphreys’ New Book, Lodge: An Indoorsy Tour of America’s National Parks

Our friend and co-designer of the River House (update coming soon), Max Humphrey, wrote another book! This time it’s all about 10 historic lodgings in different National Parks. What a cool idea to go into these beautiful old lodges and get inspiration from how they look in 2022. Below is a teeny tiny sneak peek.

This would be such a great holiday gift for anyone who loves the outdoors!

Nate And Jeremiah’s New Living Spaces Collectionvia living spaces

I know. I can’t believe it either. Did Nate and Jeremiah crack the code and find more hours in the day?? In our last design news post earlier this month, we feature two things they designed/created. Their taste is impeccable so you know when you see their names attached to something you won’t be disappointed. Let me prove this to you by showing you some of my favorite pieces from their newest Living Spaces collection…

via living spaces

Yes! The large pieces of furniture in the picture above are from their line and because it’s Living Spaces they are at real affordable price points. I really appreciate when designers like this share their talents and collaborate with companies that really try to make and sell reasonably priced decor. Let’s see what else they’ve got…

Lyon Console Table | Gustav Buffet | Lyon Coffee Table

Love that chunky console table. So pretty and really versatile style-wise. Then that buffet cabinet is so stunning and reminds me of the Athena Calderone Cabinet in her Crate & Barrel collab. Do I smell a trend or are they just great friends that have similar taste?? Oh, and that coffee table is cool! Again, could easily go with a farmhouse or rustic-styled home but with the right accessories could look chic and modern.

Gustav Adjustable End Table | Blakely 32″ Accent Chair | Marion 2 Piece Sectional With Right Arm Facing Chaise

Ok, this stool is dope. Not only is the shape just cool but the seat has an adjustable height! So it can be used as a side table or stool. It comes in a light wood too:) Moving right along. I love the clean shape, color, and fabric they chose for that chair. It’s perfectly Nate and Jeremiah. Then what I love about that sofa is the simple modern shape, but also that wide chaise. I would happily lounge there all day.

Anthropologie’s House Of Hackney Collaborationvia anthropologie

This collab was announced only days after our other design news post but boy is it exciting. If you appreciate the neutral tones of most collaborations these days but are yearning for color and pattern, this is your remedy. We love House of Hackney over here. Emily’s chaise was reupholstered in one of their fabrics. So let’s dive in!

Organic Sateen Duvet Cover | Opia Fringed Velvet Pillow | Jacquard Throw Blanket

There is just something about those blue and white sheets that I really love. I think it’s the scale of the pattern and the simple yet moody color palette. It’s a 10/10 for me. Then the gold in this pillow is SO good. And that fringe?? Also almost too good. That blanket may have a lot going on in the pattern but the tonal blues really calms it down while still making it totally interesting to look at.

Coupe Glasses (Set of 4) | Flora Fantasia Jacquard Lampshade | Ice Bucket

Pretty glassware gets me every time and these coups are classic Anthro but with that moody House of Hackney twist. Then they have a bunch of fringed lampshades so this is just one of them! And lastly, how cool is that glass tortious shell ice bucket?? I think Caitlin needs it for her bar, right? 🙂

Colin King’s New Book, Arranging Things

Colin King is absolutely one of my favorite stylists so you bet I’m going to pre-order this book. I really appreciate his textured, minimal, moody vignettes. So if you love beautiful decor books, this should 100% be on your list.

Sarah Sherman Samuel’s SSS Atelier Furniture Collection

You might have seen on Instagram that Sarah Sherman Samuel has launched her own atelier and man is it good. I believe she started with art and now she added furniture which is also verrrry good. Take a peek!

Fort Credenza | Skimming Stones | Ledge Dining Table

That credenza has been on my mind from the moment I say it. Everything about it is perfect but can we talk about those legs and how she placed them?!!!! The other two tables are also just perfect. The scale, the shapes, the little details! I’m really excited to see how she expands:)

deVol Kitchen’s For The Love Of Kitchens Is Coming Back!!!

This was the best news ever! I actually only watched the first season a few months ago and didn’t want it to end. It’s the most lovely, sweet, and inspiring design show out there. No drama, no fighting, just people who love what they do and do it so well. It’s a MUST-WATCH in my opinion.

Amber Lewis’ Visual Comfort Collaboration

I watched Amber’s instastories when she announced this collab and it was so sweet. She told a story about how one of the first nice lights she bought was from Visual Comfort and that this meant a lot to her. I think those type of stories are the best and are only made better when the collection is also great. And as you will soon tell this is a great story…

Bernard 14″ Pendant | Griffin Grande Linear Chandelier | Cyrus Medium Articulating Wall Light

Simple, elegant, but approachable. Most of the light fixtures have at least one additional color option but these are all my favorites:) That wall sconce is so pretty and simple, yet still looks a bit utilitarian.

Dume Large Arched Floor Lamp | Ruby Medium Table Lamp | Laken Small Desk Lamp

How cool is that giant floor lamp? She took something so simple and elevated it by exaggerating the curve and using a big shade. The other two table lamps are so versatile and pretty that they could go in almost any room, in any style. They are keepers for sure:)

Ok, that’s all the news we have for today. Any thoughts on any of these collections??

Love you, mean it.

Opening Image Credits: Home and Design by Ben Medansky | Styled by Velinda Hellen & Erik Staalberg | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

The post 8 Things Happening In The Design World That Have Us All Real Excited…So You Should Know Too appeared first on Emily Henderson.

The Link Up: The 3 True Crime Podcasts Em Loved, The Cleaning Tool Caitlin Wish She Got Sooner, And The Free App That Might Change All Of Our Minds About Running

Happy Sunday and almost Halloween:) Hope you’ve got some great costumes ready to go and some good candy coming your way. If you missed it on Instastories, Em shot THE FARMHOUSE KITCHEN this week so if the candy doesn’t do it for you, hopefully this big reveal in a couple of weeks will! November is going to be pretty sweet if you ask us. But until then, let’s get into these links.

This week’s home tour is yet another stunning project from Jake Arnold (not shown above:)). Aside from the incredibly special pieces that he and his team always seem to find (shoutout to those 1940s Swedish folding dining chairs around the breakfast nook), this home is a little different for Jake. While beige and browns are still the primary color palette, this home has a lot of other colors! There’s a purple room, a blue room, a green room, and a light terracotta room. All on the more muted side but it’s still fun to see how they work with color. Check it out here!

From Emily: I’m a true crime podcast binge-r and went through a lot this week while I was staying up late prepping/styling the kitchen. I finally finished Sweet Bobby. I gave up on it earlier because honestly, I couldn’t believe that someone would fall for a catfish for so long (8 years) but the twist was insane. So much compassion for this situation and such a well-produced podcast. I also binged Bone Valley (excellent, sad, upsetting in regards to the criminal justice system) and Looking for the Todt Family (disturbing – IYKYK). I can’t do any about missing kids, so I like the true crime that feels a little more like it would never happen to us sort of thing…Cults, major manipulations, double lives, etc. In between my mornings with Armchair and Brene, of course. Also, did anyone else see Adam Grant’s Instagram post about 3+ hours a day of video games being good for kids? I felt like it was April Fools or something…

From Caitlin: I have wanted a little green machine for SO LONG (since Jess mentioned it to me a year or two ago when I asked about everyone’s favorite cleaning tools!) and I am thrilled to say that it was worth the wait!! My boyfriend got me one for my birthday (he went deep in my post history to figure out what I really wanted :’) keeper material!) and y’all, I LOOOOVE it. It pulled an incredibly stubborn, bane-of-my-existence, Cheeto-colored cat vomit stain out of a tan runner almost immediately (TMI, but also not TMI in this case) and I’ve loved using it to freshen up other upholstery around my apartment. It’s so tiny and lightweight that storage is easy and I am genuinely blown away by its efficacy – if you have pets OR upholstered pieces (or both!), this is truly the best cleaning tool to have in your back pocket. It rules, I swear:)

From Mallory: Ever since Caitlin introduced me to Farm Rio I’ve been very obsessed and it’s the only thing I want to buy or wear. It’s a sustainable, Brazilian brand that plants a tree for every purchase + is full of AWESOME tropical patterns and bright colors. I just ordered this dress and I am IN LOVE. I can’t stop looking at photos of it…I’ll be sure to give ya a full rundown once it arrives!!!

design by albie k. buabeng | photo by ellie lillstrom | from: albie’s kitchen reveal

From Albie: Funny story — I bought this book last year to stage the kitchen reveal and ended up loving it and keeping it, convinced it was gonna be a go-to resource for my gardening girl goals. Here’s the thing though — I never opened it… not until the other day, over a year later, lol. The Cook’s Herb Garden: Grow, Harvest, Cook (local & Kindle) is truly the cutest little gardening book that is as gorgeous as it is informational. I opened it a few weekends ago as I’ve been inspired to tackle gardening again, starting with some indoor herbs. As I finally began flipping through and reading the pages — once I removed the tape we placed on the inner pages that kept it open during the reveal photoshoot lol — I was blown away by how detailed the information was… without being overwhelmed. I was super geeked to also find out that Ashley of Heirloom Potager also has, uses, and loves this book. 

From Ryann: I always say that I don’t like to exercise because I find it incredibly boring but I always try and find ways to get my body moving in the name of health. Lately, it’s been tough getting to the gym so when my friend told me about the Nike Run Club app and how it got him to actually enjoy running I was obviously intrigued. He sold me on it after telling me about the guided runs for beginners, where the head coach of the Nike Run Club, Chris Bennett, talks you through the runs and essentially teaches you how to enjoy it and build stamina. So I tried it and I REALLY did enjoy it if you can believe it. I am doing the “Get Started training plan” and I am finding it very motivational. It’s only 20 minutes and he really encourages you to run SLOW which I love because I tend to beat myself up when I exercise if I feel like I am not pushing myself enough. So if you are looking for something to get you up and moving, I really think it’s worth giving this a try. The best part is it’s free!

From Jess: I’ve recently purchased a few new things from Sephora that I really love and since their members-only Holiday Savings Event started on Friday for Rouge (11/1 for VIB, then 11/3 for Insider) this felt like very serendipitous timing. Here we go. First off is this Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder. It gives such a pretty perfect light to medium coverage which is my favorite. Also, this is an awesome Black-owned brand that has a ton of beautiful products so go check out her whole line! If I want a little glow, I’ll add the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter on top of the face balm. I also bought THE PRETTIEST lip gloss from Rare Beauty called Stay Vulnerable Glossy Lip Balm in Nearly Neutral. I got it because I saw my friend wearing it and loved it. It’s one of those that would look beautiful on everyone. Highly recommend!

my very temporary bedroom design with what i already had | the fan that shall never return (at least while i live here:))

Also From Jess: If you read my post from Friday you know my dad was in town. He may have done a couple more projects for me around the house and taking down the ugly fan in my bedroom that I never use because it’s too shakey for my liking when it’s on, was one of them. We replaced it with my beloved Akari Noguchi pendant lamp. I forgot how perfect it was, the soft beautiful glow it gives off, the incredible texture and quality you can see just by looking at it. If you’ve been considering it or need a pendant light I can’t recommend it enough. It comes in a bunch of sizes so you also have options!

Thanks for stopping by and see y’all tomorrow. xx

Opening Image Credits: Design by Corbett Tuck | Styled by Velinda Hellen, Erik Kenneth Staalberg, Emily Edith Bowser, and Julie Rose | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: 10 Bathrooms Design Risks – How To Break The “Rules” In A Way That Works

The post The Link Up: The 3 True Crime Podcasts Em Loved, The Cleaning Tool Caitlin Wish She Got Sooner, And The Free App That Might Change All Of Our Minds About Running appeared first on Emily Henderson.

We Found The Best Faux Christmas Trees, Wreaths, And Garlands To Kick Start Your Holiday Decor

Does it feel a little odd to be thinking about holiday decor as Halloween is just creeping around the corner? Of course. But folks, year after year this decor sells out faster than we can all say trick or treat, and if you are looking to add to your decorations we don’t want you to miss out. As a major procrastinator myself, I think being over-prepared is a virtue. And honestly, I am on team do-what-brings-you-joy and if the coming holidays bring you joy, then let’s get into the spirit sooner rather than later, yeah? If you happen to be all set with decor and are just eagerly awaiting for it to be the appropriate time to start decking your halls, then we hope this post will give you some inspiration. Let’s begin.

The Treephoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: jess’ berry-infused, cozy modern holiday apartment

If you are more of a real Christmas tree person, I totally get it. As a kid, I loved our family tradition of going to the Christmas tree lot and picking out the perfect one. It’s a great way to start the holidays off and create family memories. But if a real tree is not the right fit for you this season, then this section is for you. The fabulous thing about going the faux Christmas tree route is you can put it up as early as your heart desires and don’t have to worry about the constant maintenance required to keep it fresh. And ideally, a faux tree will last many many years so it can be more economical in the long run. So if you are in the market, here are some options that have glowing reviews:

1. Faux Norway Spruce | 2. 7.5 ft. Norwegian Spruce Tree | 3. 6.5ft Pre-Lit Flocked Forest Fir Artificial Christmas Tree | 4. Pine Artificial Christmas Tree | 5. 4 ft Pre-Lit Kincaid Spruce Christmas Tree | 6. Pre-Lit Portland Pine Faux Christmas Tree, 6.5′ | 7. Isenhour Lighted Artificial Pine Christmas Tree | 8. 7’ Frosted Tip British Columbia Mountain Pine Artificial Christmas Tree | 9. Faux Noble Fir | 10. Faux Potted Hemlock Small Pre-Lit LED Christmas Tree | 11. 7’ North Carolina Spruce Artificial Christmas Tree | 12. Lighted Artificial Pine Christmas Tree

I really love the natural look of #1. All of the reviews say that it is incredibly realistic so if you are easing into the faux tree idea, this one would be a great fit. A lot of these are pre-lit which is really nice if you don’t want to fuss with untangling lights for hours. I personally love #10 because it is pre-lit and comes with the matte black pot, but it is only 4′ so it would be best for a small space or kid’s room.

Hot Tip: check the measurements before you buy! Some of these go up to 7′ and some are on the smaller side, so make sure you measure your space so you can get the right fit.

Whether it’s real or faux, your tree needs something to cover up the less-than-aesthetically pleasing tree stand. Tree skirts fan around the base of the tree stand and spread across the floor, providing a place to put presents on whereas a collar is like a band that wraps around the tree stand. Here are some fun options:

1. Woven Seagrass Tree Collar | 2. Luna Rattan Tree Collar | 3. Clara Tree Skirt | 4. Natural Seagrass Woven Tree Collar | 5. Prisha Linen Tree Skirt | 6. 48″ Chenille Christmas Tree Skirt Red | 7. Velvet Christmas Tree Skirt | 8. Linen-blend Christmas Tree Skirt | 9. Bash Gold Christmas Tree Collar 27″ | 10. Handmade Scalloped Christmas Tree Skirt | 11. Skei Wood Natural Christmas Tree Collar 24″ | 12. Cozy Knit Ivory Tree Skirt

#2 is a really cool handmade rattan tree collar that would be perfect for a bohemian-style home. As for tree skirts, I love the cozy look of #12 and #10 is really sweet and also handmade. I also love #6 because a pop of red is never a bad thing.

Wreaths photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: how sara created her first traditional but youthful christmas

If you aren’t ready to commit to a tree yet, a wreath can be the seasonal decor that doesn’t scream “I am ready for the holidays!” There are a lot of different colors and styles to choose from so here are some of our favorites:

1. Faux Hemlock Pine Pre-Lit LED Wreath 28″ | 2. Faux Pampas Taupe Wreath | 3. Snowy Village Light-Up Wreath | 4. Pre-Lit Faux Eucalyptus and Pine Wreath, 28.5″ | 5. Faux Sparkling Pine Wreath w/ Ornaments | 6. Pre-Lit Faux Flocked Wreath | 7. Needle Pine & Snowberry Seasonal Faux Wreath Green/White | 8. Faux Oregan Juniper Wreath, 24″ | 9. Faux Cypress Mixed Berry & Pine Wreath & Garland | 10. Afloral Real Touch Norfolk Pine Wreath – 24″ | 11. Faux Larch Wreath | 12. Faux Cypress Wreath 26″

If you want to go for more of a “winter season” look, #8, #9, #10, #11, and #12 are all great options that look really natural. On the other hand, if you want to lean into the holiday spirit, we love #3, #5, and #7. The white snowberry and hanging brass bells on #7 are really sweet.

Garlandsphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: how we decked our halls for christmas

Garlands are one of the simplest holiday decor pieces known to man but they are super impactful. They can be draped over credenzas, curtain rods, tables, and pretty much any other surface you can dream up. They add a beautiful touch of greenery and there are many different styles you can choose from. Here are our top picks:

1. Faux Cypress Garland 72″ | 2. Pre-Lit Faux Silver Dollar Eucalyptus and Pine Colle Garland, 10 Ft. | 3. 108” in. Lighted Faux Pinecone Garland | 4. Faux Cedar Garland | 5. Faux Hemlock Pine Pre-Lit LED Garland 74″ | 6. Real Touch Spruce and Pine Cone Garland – 48″ | 7. Hemlock 72” in. Faux Angel Pine Garland | 8. Long Needle Pine with Artificial Juniper Garland | 9. Afloral Real Touch Norfolk Pine Garland – 60″

If you are looking for a garland that will cover a lot of surfaces, #2 is a pretty eucalyptus and pine version that goes up to 10 ft long. For a pre-lit option, we love #5 but if you want to go with something that looks more natural, you can’t go wrong with #9 or #1.

What other holiday content would you like to see from us? Let us know down below. Happy Saturday! xx

Opener Image Credit: Photo by Tessa Neustadt | From: At Home With Ginny for Christmas

The post We Found The Best Faux Christmas Trees, Wreaths, And Garlands To Kick Start Your Holiday Decor appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Jess’ DIY “Free Spirited” And Storage-Heavy Closet Makeover She Has One Month To Complete

I hope through my writing it’s apparent I truly love my apartment. It’s by far the most aesthetically special home I’ve ever lived in. However, with old special apartments come some “special” quirks. For me, it’s the fact that the first thing you see when you walk into my home is my toilet. Granted, it’s a really cool toilet but still, that’s not what I want my guests or myself to see upon arrival. And you’d think it’d be pretty convenient if you needed to rush to the bathroom as soon as you got home but not exactly. My front door needs the deadbolt to stay shut. So if I were to run straight to the bathroom and sit down before locking the front door, there’s a very high chance that my front door would slowly open, exposing me to the building. Like I said, special. But here’s what I’m actually going to talk about today. Before you enter the bathroom from the hallway entrance, there’s a pass-through wide closet that is lacking any kind of “design” and is simply a boring storage space (FYI this is my secondary closet which I’m super grateful for). I think when they were making this single-family home into apartments they had to make interesting choices and this small space/closet was one of them. It’s part dress/occasional clothing closet, part linen closet, part toilet paper storage, part large household necessities storage, etc. And it’s all visible all of the time! So while I love the idea of designing all closets/storage spaces to be really beautiful, it’s almost always been at the bottom of my priority list. Areas like living rooms and kitchens are first:) But my dad was recently in town so I may have accidentally roped him into making my closet situation muuuuuuch better. Let me show you how.

Here is the view from my front door. It’s not horrible but I don’t love it. Likely the door into the bathroom will always need to be open because that’s only one of two dim sources of natural light in the main hallway. At least the tile is awesome!

Here is the view from the inside of my bathroom. It needs some personality, right??

For fun, here’s a better view of the clothes and the storage above. The fact that the only board game I own is Monopoly will forever be a mystery.

But it’s this area here that both bummed me out the most and where I felt had the most potential. You see, I use my drying rack and step ladder (hello, 5’3 3/4″) all of the time. I need easy access to them and there just isn’t anywhere else in the apartment that works as well. I also had a handful of power tools and workout accessories shoved under my clothes on the other side. It has worked out fine but I hate that they are annoying to access and look messy.

So my original thought was to ask my dad to build some kind of built-in sliding door thing. But with all of the crazy mouldings and wildly uneven walls he wasn’t as enthusiastic about the project (aka it was a hard no). That original conversation probably happened 1 year ago if not longer. But while he was in town for work this past week, I mentioned how I hated looking at my drying rack and tried to see if maybe he had softened to my original idea. He had not but also assured me it was going to look bad trying to work with the mouldings. FINE, DAD. Instead, we came up with a plan together that was going to look great and was much much easier.

The Design PlanNew Storage Plans

TADA! It’s a little shelving unit with a cute curtain to hide everything I don’t want to look at daily but still need to access almost daily.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I hadn’t thought about a curtain but I’m annoying and always want to harder to do option. But once I let that go, I was pumped about this plan and knew I wouldn’t need much more help once my dad left. So as you can see there’s a top self that will likely hold art since I want it to look styled since it’s so visible to the front door. Then behind the curtain, the first self is for my small workout accessories and small laundry tools like my steamer and fabric shaver. Lastly, on the bottom shelf, are my power tools. The shelf is much wider than the tools are so I’m not worried about them falling off. Oh and of course, there’s enough room for the larger items below. But wait there’s more:)

This little closet is getting A BIG makeover. Think color and pattern but all done by hand. Painting a pattern has been something I’ve been really wanting to do in this apartment. Watching people like Carmeon Hamilton, Liz Kamarul, and of course, Hopie Stockman Hill has really inspired me. When I was little I wanted to be a painter and a Shamu trainer (back before I knew everything we know now) so that little painter is still in me (or I at least hope so). I want to bust out some brushes, turn on some music, and go for it. I mean what’s the worst that could happen? I have to paint over it because it looks like trash?? I’m willing to take the risk. It’s time I put my time and money where my mouth is. This is the biggest reason for my one-month deadline. I have a *big* tendency to overthink well, everything, and since this doesn’t require any lead times or collaboration negotiations, I’m going to do my best to release it all and have fun, the only thing making me wait is me.

The Color Paletteleft: via casa di lavalle | center: via pierre frey | right: via bien fait

I don’t have any patterns for you to look at yet but I know it’s going to be more abstract. If you know me at all, you know I can’t get enough of a fun, simple shape:) But what I do have are two color palette worlds I’m playing with.

First up is what I’m calling the warm-toned (or “warmer” toned) palette. I love the sophisticated burgundy, cream, and dark mustard paired with the more playful sienna and light pink. Then to add some contrast and bring in the blue tile from the bathroom, we have a beautiful dark blue. I think these will also blend really nicely with the tones in the living room without being too matchy-matchy.

But on the other hand…

I also love the idea of cooling it down a bit with this palette! I have a soft spot for the right mint tone which could find its way into the bathroom for something. But I mean, adding more blues, in general, will lend itself to the bathroom. I just want it to feel like this closet “belongs” to the house and not just the bathroom.

These palettes will likely get tweaked but this is where my head is at:)

The Flush Mount

Decor! While I love an abstract shape, lighting is another love story. They are such great opportunities to do something unexpected and really fun. But of course, if you have a really loud design (like a colorful handpainted pattern) you don’t want the lighting to compete. So here are some of my initial ideas for the flush mount I want to replace.

Murano Ceiling Light | Tatum 1 Light Flush Mount | Capistrano Wood and Glass Flush Mount Light

Ooof! I would LOVE this vintage Murano glass light but my fear is that it might need to drop down too low and hit the door. I could maybe get it rewired but that might push me over my $250 budget. Then look at how fun this white cutie is. It would totally bring in the theme of circles my “bench” has in my living room and since I’ll probably paint the ceiling a color it will really stand out. But that wood light not only brings in that nice warm wood tone, I love the brass detail. Plus I’m from a town called San Juan Capistrano…it could be a sign.

Pendant Light “Cylindus” | Cruz Flushmount | Caplet Outdoor Flushmount Light

All three of these are bold, simple, and really chic. The “Cylindus” is vintage so it would add instant soul and looks really cool. The angle on the Cruz flush mount is so good! But at 15″ mint be too big. Then that little modern cutie on the right is sweet, modern, and is only $35 on clearance so…

French Deco Brass Ceiling Light | Givoni Polished Brass Flush Mount Light | Brass Flush Mount Light

The French Deco light is absolutely a top contender. I just love the shape, the size would totally work, and that brass tone is perfect. The details in the Givoni are really awesome and unexpected! Ugh, I love them all. And then the final one on the right is also a stunner. The base is wide and pretty flat so it would take up more ceiling space in a great way and it’s also just really pretty! I guess we’ll have to see once I create a pattern and design which one of the 9 lights will look best.

Progress (AKA Proof I’ve Started And Keeping Me Accountable)

We started this project at 6:30 at night so hopefully, the neighbors weren’t too mad. Naturally, we headed to Home Depot, and picked out the wood I liked best from their selection. I’m pretty sure it was red oak but I might end up staining it later. Not sure! Then we came home to our workshop (aka my kitchen), measured again, and started cutting.

We troubleshot a couple of ideas but decided that cutting smaller pieces for the sides was going to act perfectly as brackets and make it easier to secure everything together. He even made a cutout for my lightswitch:) Thanks, dad!

The Current State

So here’s where I am right now. Dad’s work is all done which I am sure is a relief to him. Now, I need to take it apart to sand and maybe stain it all. I also need to come up with some kind of moulding piece to put on the front of the top self so I can make room for a curtain to hang down from it and lay flat. Someone forgot to factor that in when cutting the bottom two shelves…

Ok, so Nov 28, 2022. Let the countdown begin.

Love you, mean it.

Opener Image Credit: Design and Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Sara’s Closet Reveal – The Bold Design Moment She’s Been Craving

The post Jess’ DIY “Free Spirited” And Storage-Heavy Closet Makeover She Has One Month To Complete appeared first on Emily Henderson.

The Official HVAC 101 Post: The Do’s And Don’ts Of Heating, Cooling, And Water

In my attempt to learn the ins and outs of the entire renovation process (and pass it on to you), I recently did a deep dive into how we can get the most energy-efficient HVAC and water heating system. Learning all the new technology was a beast. It hurt my brain, and I was frankly pretty frustrated with myself for not easily grasping exactly how heat pumps can work for both the heat/AC and water. (Turns out there are two different types of heat pumps – we’ll break it down below).

Gas furnaces are easy to understand, and electric heaters, I get. But these heat pumps are a little more complex. Their genius lies in being SUPER efficient and if you are renovating right now, you REALLY need to keep reading. I wish I had known all of this when we renovated the Mountain House, so this time around I’m doing it RIGHT. To better understand Heat Pump technology, we had meetings and calls with Rheem experts and Electrify Now (an energy-efficient nonprofit in PDX) as well as with our local contractors. I took all the notes and even recorded the meetings in hopes of distilling them down for you in a way that would help us all become experts. And y’all, I FINALLY GET IT. So today, for those of you who are renovating or really just like to learn about HVAC and water heating, I’m breaking down all the dos and don’ts that I learned.

DO: Choose Electric (Like A Heat Pump) Over Traditional Gas. Here’s Why:

Well, as homeowners who have the privilege to renovate, Heat Pumps are simply a better way for our earth, our home, and our wallets.

1. We are trying to reduce our dependence on natural gas as a fossil fuel energy resource and we live in Oregon, which is quickly changing its energy reliance over to green energy — solar and wind. Because we want to reduce our carbon footprint, this is a good switch to make while renovating.

2. Rheem heat pumps will save you money long term by reducing your energy bill. They are just much more energy efficient because they use heat energy from the air (which I’ll explain below).

3. Simply put, the variable-speed heat pump system and Hybrid electric heat pump water heater I selected (which I go into later) will give you a better, more comfortable home. So for those of you wary about anything too new/green, or if you just don’t want to spend the extra bit up front, understand this: Heat Pumps will not only save you money long term but you’ll like being in your house more. A Variable-speed heat pump will efficiently adapt to your air needs and help lower humidity while Hybrid Electric Heat Pump water heaters cool and dehumidify the surrounding air without producing nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide emissions. Pretty awesome.

Natural gas is inexpensive, I know, and I’m not saying that if you have a perfectly good gas furnace or water heater you should scrap it (because that is so wasteful in itself), but IF you are installing a new system, seriously think about getting the better, newer, more energy-efficient product. It’s like the range debate — don’t throw away your old gas range, but if you are getting a new one, think about induction.

DO: Opt for Rheem’s Products And Their Smart/Advanced Technology

Yes, this is a sponsored post, but I sought them out and pitched to THEM after researching, asking around, and consistently being told that Rheem’s heat pumps, smart technology, and products are the best in the business.

1. They’ve been making these heat pumps for years, and they have a solid product that isn’t new to the market. Moving forward, this will be the product builders will use because of the high efficiency and smart technology.

2. With regards to heating and cooling, Rheem’s system recommendation is way more accurate because they use a software called Design Star (lol), which bases the heat load off windows, layout, and humidity. Most basic HVAC contractors just do a basic square foot calculation (every 500 square feet requires 12,000 BTUs).

3. Rheem’s more thoughtful system recommendation process means that no energy is wasted and that the home will be comfortable for years to come. I was EXTREMELY excited about this.
4. One of the biggest selling points for us was the EcoNet® app — you can manage your HVAC and water heating in one place. Plus it can flag leaks, check system health, remind you of maintenance, and WAY more. Other companies don’t have a complete air and water solution, so we were excited that a brand could be a one-stop solution for all the nitty-gritty details.

…Wait, So What Exactly Is An “Electric Heat Pump”?

Here’s the best way I can simplify it for an average homeowner like me: It’s an advanced way to heat and cool both air and water by using the heat energy from the surrounding air and reduced electricity. Heat pumps have been around for decades and are far more energy efficient than other air and water solutions. Heat pump installations are quickly becoming the norm and are even a requirement in new builds in many states. If you want to get into the really nitty-gritty stuff, this is how the process was described to me verbatim: 

Essentially, to heat water, the heat pump water heater’s fan pulls in air over its evaporator coils. Because the refrigerant in the evaporator coils absorbs the heat energy from the air, the exhausted air is cool. Then the super-heated refrigerant transfers heat to the water in the tank and returns cool refrigerant back to the evaporator. This all just keeps repeating. To heat and cool air, the heat pump transfers heat from one space to another (similar to the water heater). For example, in the summer a fan pulls indoor air over indoor evaporator coils. The refrigerant in the evaporator coils absorbs heat energy from the indoor air and exhausts cool air. Then the super-heated refrigerant moves to the outdoor coils where heat transfers to the air. Then the cool refrigerant returns to the indoor evaporator where the cycle repeats. I tried to get my mind to understand the science, then realized that I don’t really need to. It’s a better, more advanced, and efficient product, with a ton of advantages, full stop.

Let’s First Talk AC And HeatingDO: Consider a Variable-Speed Heat Pump System for Your HVAC — Keep Reading!!Traditional standard “single-speed” furnace and HVAC systems can be wasteful, as they are either ON or OFF — they may produce more heat or AC than you need and use way too much energy, plus you aren’t getting precision comfort. A variable-speed system is smarter and more nuanced, fluctuating based on your home’s needs all the time, to the point that you barely notice it’s there because you are simply very comfortable.A Variable-Speed Heat Pump is like how driving on the freeway is so much more fuel efficient than driving in a city — it’s the starting and stopping, the perpetual ON and OFF of it that wastes so much gas (or in this case, electricity). Once I heard this, I finally understood! A variable-speed heat pump system self-maintains instead of overcorrecting.Here’s how it works: Rheem’s variable-speed systems are flexible — a little bit of heat will come out if you need a little, and a lot of heat will come out if your house is super cold. Not only does it adjust the temperature on its own, but it also adjusts the amount of airflow — it adjusts to 1/4 of a degree, so your house is the perfect temperature for you, ALL the time.

Rheem systems maintain your desired temperature with as little waste as possible. This tech is getting more and more affordable, because of scientific improvements, but also because of regulation. It’s great to see this proliferate because it’ll mean that it’s an accessible choice for everyone. 🙂 Many states will be moving to require all new construction to have electric heat pumps — it’s like electric cars. It’s coming FAST to mass market, and Rheem has been doing it for years.

DO: Find An HVAC Contractor Who Is Versed In Heat Pumps And Cares About Energy Efficiency

Not every HVAC contractor will suggest this newer technology, because not everyone is educated in it. YET. So make sure that whoever you or your GC is hiring knows how to do this. (Rheem has a “Find a Pro” database to help you.) Many still want to recommend gas furnaces, because that’s what they have installed for decades, and sometimes it is the right choice. Here are some things to think about when hiring:

1. Ask for a “load calculation.” If they just do it based on square footage, it likely isn’t as advanced or as good as you want (especially for a home over 1,500 square feet). Ask to see previous load-calculation work, as this is a good indicator that they are the kind of person who thinks the way you want your HVAC contractor to think.

2. For big projects like ours, look for a contractor who presents multiple options…“a good, better, best” type of scenario, which directly correlates with your budget. If they only offer one, they should be able to thoroughly articulate why they are recommending it over others.

3. Another critical thing to look for is a contractor who is recommending a “zone solution,” and if they are not, ask them to explain how it is going to evenly heat and cool your space throughout the year.

During our research, we came across Rheem and GreenSavers, our HVAC contractor. I had multiple calls with a few energy-efficiency experts in Portland, and they all recommended this company (Hi, Craig! :))

DO: Have Your HVAC System “Zoned”

For those of you ready to nerd out on our HVAC zones, we got you. I actually feel so empowered to know all of this now.

Zones, zones, zones…this is one of the most critical ways to optimize efficiency and comfort. For example, if you have a two-story home with bedrooms on the second floor, you need that space comfortable primarily at night, for sleeping, but not so much during the day. With a zoned system, you can program each zone separately based on how you use the space throughout a 24-hour period. It makes so much sense because you won’t be overheating or cooling rooms when they aren’t being used.

Craig with GreenSavers looked at the layout and unique characteristics of the space and decided four zones would work best for the farmhouse. Each zone has its own thermostat, so they can all be controlled independently of one another for maximum comfort and efficiency, an all-around WIN!

Zone 1: The main living area, including the kitchen, living room, and family room

Zone 2: Upstairs

Zone 3: Primary suite and mudroom

Zone 4: Sunroom

Zones 1 and 2 work off of the same electric heat pump compressor on the side of the house. The electric furnace is in the basement and feeds to the ducts that run under the main floor and up the chimney chase to the second floor. Since the ducts are connected, dampers have been installed so the upstairs and the downstairs can be set to different temperatures throughout the day… AMAZING. Our primary suite and the mudroom are the third zone, controlled by a mini-split installed in the new basement. Since the ducting doesn’t extend long distances, it helps minimize the loss of heat and cooling, making it more efficient…YAY. The sunroom is an addition with A LOT of windows, plus it’s set down from the great room, so Craig from GreenSavers thought we should treat it like its own microclimate, which it will have. On hot, sunny days (yes, we do sometimes have those in Portland) with all the exposure from the skylights and windows, it will likely be hotter than the great room, and in the winter it will be cooler, which is why I will love those radiant-heat floors warming my tootsies while I type away. There is a second mini-split and ducting for the sunroom in the crawl space under the room, and both mini-splits run off of the heat pump compressor on the back of the house. Now a lot of folks hear mini-split and immediately think of the boxes mounted to walls (which they often are), but because we created this plan from scratch, GreenSavers was able to design the system so the mini-splits are BEHIND the walls, not ON the walls…brilliant! Now you might ask, why not do mini-splits for the whole house? They are a fantastic option, though it doesn’t make sense for a space as large as the whole house. But for a situation like this, it is brilliant!

DON’T: Get Your Duct, BTU, And Unit Sizing Wrong

Obviously, rely on your local expert/contractor, but I always feel empowered when I know what I’m talking about. 🙂

So you’re going variable speed — you gotta make sure the sizing is done properly. If it’s too big or too small, you’re going to have problems. You want your BTUs to line up with your needs, neither too high (wasteful) nor too low (inefficient).With too big of a unit, dehumidification won’t happen — it’ll put too much cool air into the system and then turn off. With too small of a unit, well, your home just won’t be too comfortable everywhere. 🙂A properly installed system provides a comfy AND healthy environment — we’re shooting for 40% to 60% indoor humidity. This helps prevent allergies, asthma, dust mites, static, and floor warping. Our variable-speed system is designed to maintain the level of humidity, which will protect us AND our investment. 🙂Get your ducts in a row (sorry) — size and location of ducting are also super important. Now your HVAC contractor should know this, but after our calls about it, I learned this is one of the most common problems. Y’all, get a good contractor who knows their stuff. DON’T: Get A Dated System — New Smart Tech Is Here

While we only renovated a few years ago, up at the mountain house our contractor wasn’t versed or interested in energy efficiency, and we now have a dated system. The smart technology is awesome and has been around for years, so you aren’t getting the first version. As I wrote above, Rheem has the EcoNet Thermostat, which can be controlled from an app, and it has all of your HVAC and water information together. You can see your usage, your temperature, has easy voice control, and you get important equipment alerts that are sent directly to your phone or email.

Oh, and you even have remote access via the EcoNet App and on top of all that, the scheduling is simple with one-touch energy savings. “One-touch energy savings” means that you can save energy by adjusting your thermostat with one touch on the screen. This also means you can schedule your temperature settings ahead of time – for example: 74 during the day. 69 at night. Love how easy and efficient it is.

DO: Be Thoughtful About Vent Placement (+ Make Sure There’s Enough)Do evenly space the vents throughout a room and house. This is common sense, but can be easily overlooked.Do place vents under windows — you’ll be blanketing the heat loss/gain with warm or cool air, and it’ll circulate through the room better.Don’t put a vent or return under where you think potential furniture will be. We put one big return under our kitchen island because it has legs and everyone agreed it was fine. But essentially, walk your house and imagine where furniture and rugs will be, then try really hard to avoid putting any vents or returns under them.Do make sure that if you are replacing your flooring, you order wood vents to match, so you can install them to be flush. I’ve made this mistake three times now (not on this house!) and had to put in aftermarket vents, which is fine, but less pretty.Do put your returns where you’ll be able to easily change the filter (should that be your system). At the mountain house, one of ours is 16′ off the floor (in the loft) and requires a terrifying ladder scenario.Do place your thermostat in the middle of a room (they can’t be hidden in a closet, as much as we all want them to be).

While we haven’t lived here yet, we are going to do a follow-up post to show you how it works six months in. I just feel so grateful and taken care of, knowing that we have an excellent system and product that can meet our needs year-round and for a LONG, LONG TIME. Lastly…

DO: Mix and Match If It Meets Your Needs

It may not be tenable for you to go all-in on electric right now, but you can still mix and match. Rheem also offers gas furnaces, which may make sense for you depending on kW rates, gas rates, etc. We went all-electric because we’re trying to reduce gas dependency in this house, but if you live in a climate where you’d feel more comfortable having a gas backup for emergencies, you can still work with Rheem to find a solution that works for you.

Now Some Info About Heat Pumps And WaterDO: Consider Going With A Hybrid Electric Heat Pump for Water, Too

This is the same thinking as the HVAC — to reduce electricity or gas consumption and to be more energy efficient. With a standard gas water heater, you’re getting about 50 cents of heat for every $1 you spend on gas. Standard electric water heaters are more energy efficient than gas water heaters – usually, you’re getting between 90 and 98 cents of hot water for every $1 you put in. (As an added bonus, you don’t have to worry about carbon monoxide or venting exhaust out of the house when you’re dealing with an electric water heater.)  

Then, you have hybrid electric heat pumps – that’s what we’re getting – which are the most energy-efficient water heaters on the market. (And like the standard electric water heater, there’s no need for venting out combustion gasses.) We ended up opting for two 80-gallon hybrid electric heat pumps, which are INCREDIBLY efficient – we’ll be getting about $4 of hot water for every $1 we’re spending on electricity. Consult with your local plumbing contractor to find the optimal heat pump water heater for your household.

As an added bonus, this hybrid electric heat pump model can effectively act as a small air conditioner. A lot of people in hotter, more southern climates will install these in the garage, which will cool down the space – it basically sucks out the hot air, uses that air to heat your water, and blows out cool air. (Again – these heat pumps are kind of like an AC in reverse.) The two hybrid models we chose will save us nearly $1,000 per year combined in water-heating costs (compared to two 80-gallon standard electric water heaters), and lots of states offer BIG additional rebates to accelerate the adoption of these more high-tech solutions. We believe these will pay for themselves in less than two years, which is amazing.

Final ThoughtsDO: Save Money Long-Term

I really wanted some hard data on how much a hybrid electric heat pump water heater and variable-speed heat pump system cost and how much it will save you, so we did some digging. (Keep in mind costs and rebates are super dependent on your region, your contractor, and your usage, but this may be a helpful baseline.) 

For Water: Although the Hybrid Electric Heat Pump Water Heater we opted for costs more upfront, homeowners may save up to $315 per year on 40 and 50-gallon models or up to $491 per year on the 80-gallon water heater. With rebates available up to $1,000 and an average HPWH (that stands for “Heat Pump Water Heater, btw) rebate of $500, the hybrid electric heat pump water heater pays for itself in 2 years or less.

For Air: This is awesome. The Variable Speed Heat Pump provides cooling efficiencies up to 54% higher and heating efficiencies up to 58% higher than typical heat pump designs. On top of that, you can expect to save more than $7k in lifetime savings (based on DOE calculation for estimated national operating costs for a 3-ton 10 SEER vs 20 SEER, 6.8 HSPF vs 13 HSPF, and a 15-year life expectancy). I know that last part is a lot of info you might not understand yet but here’s more info to help! Also for even more help with saving money, you can check out their rebate center for both air and water:)

We are so excited and feel so empowered (ha) knowing more about the ins and outs of HVAC, water heating and energy savings. Again, a lot of this might be specific to your house (you’ll need to be sized by a local contractor to fit your air and water needs) but if you are nervous about getting a heat pump because you haven’t had one before, you’ll come to find it’s the most energy-efficient option on the market.

Thanks to Rheem for sponsoring, as well as Electrify Now, GreenSavers, and Northwest Natural for helping make this house as energy efficient and yet comfortable as possible.

*Photos by Kaitlin Green

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The Farmhouse Landscape Design Process – Stage 1 (The “Property Assessment”)

Today’s post is for people like me who really want to nerd out on “design processes,” specifically in the landscape design realm. We are just so lucky that we are working with Cali (Studio Campo), a reader who reached out when I posted about needing to hire someone. She was just starting her firm, Studio Campo, after years working at larger firms. Now, a year and a half later, she is slammed with awesome projects. However, at the time she was looking for a big, fun project to showcase her creativity/talent for a residential property. Her family has a winery near Newberg (Shout out to Left Coast!) and aesthetically and vibe-wise we were an instant match (you’ll see why today). For those of you scratching your head because you thought we were partnering up with Yardzen, you are right – it’s both (and that’s not it). Basically, Yardzen reached out really early on to partner on the design and execution of the farm, wanting to show people how they can do a variety of styles (we’ve LOVED working with them). They would design (not execute) for social/pr/photography trade. Great! But the property is large and we loved Cali too (who we met at the same time) so we divided up the areas so that Yardzen just does that south side (which you’ve seen the progress of) and Studio Campo designs the rest (and weighed in on the kitchen patio, being local), while both projects are being executed by a third company, our landscape contractor (who is also a designer). So does this mean we have three different design teams for the landscape? Yes. Is it complicated or a “too many cooks in the kitchen” situation? I mean, not really because we love all of them for different reasons (but sure, it could have been more streamlined). We chose to do it this way because Cali (designer) doesn’t have a crew to execute (and she lives half-time in Colorado and was pregnant with her first baby during Covid so we knew that traveling back and forth would diminish once the baby was born). So we asked around and found an awesome landscape contractor (Dan’l, who I’ll link up when we get closer to finishing the project) who came highly recommended to us and is filled with a whole different set of experiences and expertise. But Dan’l was too busy at the time (a year and a half ago) to design the project, so we figured we’d work on the design with Cali and when Dan’l’s team could do it (after most of the exterior of the house was complete) his team would execute. Cali would oversee the design, Dan’l (contractor) would execute both Yardzen’s plan for the south of the house (kitchen patio) and Cali’s plan for the rest of the house as well as bring in his wealth of design experience. Cali would send through presentations, like the one you are about to see, that are SO WONDERFUL that even if there is overlap and even if we are paying more in design fees to both companies to execute, we feel really lucky to have so many pros involved. So what you are seeing today is from Studio Campo (Cali) not Yardzen or Dan’l’s company. *And yes, we feel incredibly grateful to have this help and be in the position to hire experts on this.

So when we first hired Cali (who offered a discount in exchange for PR, social media, and photography), she spent a couple of hours walking the property and a week later sent this through. This was before we even lived in Portland but about 1/2 way through the renovation.

Site #1: South Meadow

I know it’s a lot to read, but we LOVED the education and it made us feel like we were in great hands. This area (what she calls the south meadow) I think might be more accurately named the West meadow and is likely where we’d have goats/alpacas and chickens. We aren’t tackling it yet at all (besides we needed to put in that split rail fence and get rid of some invasive hawthorns and Holly first).

She collected all these different species from the farm and took that pretty photo. I’m honestly not sure if this is a normal part of the landscape design process, but it’s just so thoughtful.

Site #2: North Meadow & Entry Road

I’m such a sucker for this stuff. This property is so sentimental to us, obviously, as our home so to see someone think and care so much about it in what felt to be such a personal way made me incredibly happy.

Site #3: House Periphery & Sports CourtThe Animals 🙂

While we are holding off on livestock for a bit (spring? summer?), we still really want some livestock (and when Cali did this presentation it was when Brian really wanted a rag-tag gang of the below). A “gentleman’s farm” or a “ranchette”. Basically (and it’s embarrassing to write this), it’s more of the idea of a farm rather than us actually pretending to be a farm. Do I have fantasies of working with a local restaurant and low-income non-profits to provide vegetables? You bet. Might we even partner with an Oregon winery to grow grapes for them in the lower pasture that is totally unused? Maybe. But with animals you “just” have to keep them alive, feed them, etc. I’m happy to report that right now our slower lifestyle would work to do this (we think).

We have shifted away from the miniature donkeys, BTW. We visited an Alpaca farm a year ago and found our “alpaca dude” who proposed that we adopt two alpacas – one lady who is pregnant and one non-pregnant (genders don’t mix I guess). When we were like, “oh we don’t know how to birth an alpaca” he assured us that he would come to us and teach us and our kids how to do it. I know this all sounds so nuts but yes, that does sound pretty darn awesome. Growing up we had goats for blackberry control and a sheep that I absolutely hated (because she would knock me down every day) and we had to take care of them. We still badly want chickens but a lot of people in our neighborhood who have them have a rat problem so when we go to build the coop I’ll definitely ask y’all how to avoid a massive rat infestation:) Anyway, you get it – we want a petting zoo because we are lucky enough to get to have one, and we and the kids will have to pick up poop in the pouring rain six months of the year to keep us all from being too spoiled (Fun Fact: Alpaca poop is worth a lot of money as fertilizer and weed farmers will pay handsomely for it).

The Initial PlansConcept #1:

So much of this has changed but it’s fun to see where we started.

Concept #2:

I want to jump in real quick and say that I think we might be really annoying clients – I love literally all of the plans that she sent through – some more manicured and formal, others totally loose and wild. We’ve gone back and forth so much because in the winter it can look pretty gross if it’s not taken care of, but Brian and I both love a more “natural” wildflower look – which really only looks good in the summer. It’s so hard to decide when everything is so beautiful in her plans! We also keep using words like “natural” and “organic” but then have decided to put in a plunge pool which isn’t exactly farm-like.

Yes to all of that. I think ultimately we just want it to look like a natural, sweet farm that is grown in and it’s not going to look like that for 5 years (maybe less since it’s Oregon). But we also have and love our sports court and want a plunge pool. We want meandering grass growing into shrubs, no clean edging and yet we want it “low maintenance”, to have it look good year-round and be easy to maintain – which is all contradictory. We are learning a lot (about landscaping and ourselves) and again are just so grateful for all the experts who are helping:) We “knew” what we were getting into, and yet you never really know what you are getting yourself into and maybe that’s best. I have a theory that if we all knew what the true cost of our finished renovation would be before we start that most of us would be like, “oh, hell no” and back out. But once it’s done, added up and paid over time, the pain/budget spread out, accumulating over a year or two you are so grateful that you did it and maybe even secretly happy that you didn’t know what you were truly in for…

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