Emily Henderson's Blog, page 135

Why After A Year Of Wedding Planning I Am Opting For A City Hall Wedding

The first wedding venue I visited was 7 hours and 425 miles away from where I live. At the time, I was picturing a simple (but expensive) wedding on a beautiful but not kitschy ranch with 150 guests. The nearest hotel was 10 miles away, there was no cell service, and no Ubers. Oh, and it cost $20,000 to rent the venue.

I spent the following days visiting other wedding venues in Northern California, each one more beautiful and more expensive than the last. The tipping point was the $80,000 venue, with the average cost of a wedding there being $150,000. I think it was then that I realized I wasn’t going to enjoy wedding planning. While some parts are fun and exciting, most of it makes you painfully aware that the wedding industry is a billion-dollar business and it shows.

2021 was full of me coming up with wedding plans that never came to fruition. Either the venues were way out of our budget, they were booked until 2023, they were too far away, the list goes on. I had spreadsheets, my maid of honor had spreadsheets, and we each looked at hundreds of possible wedding locations until our eyes bled. At the end of 2021, we landed on a venue that was well within our budget. I should have been relieved–even excited. Instead, I was exhausted and hated wedding planning but part of me felt like “this is what you’re supposed to do”.

Our initial wedding plan was going to cost us around $25,000 and to keep that number low, we were sacrificing a lot on aesthetics. The venue we chose was a community center in Danville, CA that costs $1,500 to rent (a huge saving!). We liked it because it is surrounded by trees and the lawn would be the perfect place for a ceremony. The inside, however, was just a typical rec center with fluorescent lights, shiny hardwood floors, and maroon moulding. It reminded me of a basketball court but I tried to look past it. What it lacked in aesthetics we would have to make up with florals, drapery, and rented furniture. I was even considering renting indoor trees to distract from the interior. So all the money we saved with the venue was going to make it up with the cost of decorations. It felt like we couldn’t win and the worst part was I wasn’t even excited about my own wedding.

Pretty quickly I realized the type of wedding I was planning wasn’t what I really wanted. I wanted my wedding to be closer to home, less extravagant, more us, and I didn’t want us to spend the amount of money that it was going to cost. I had a feeling my fiancé Rocky was feeling similar. So I looked at him one day and asked, “Do you want to just get married at the courthouse?” We both sort of laughed, then immediately realized. Oh, that is what we want.

image sourceSo, Why Are We Having A City Hall Wedding?

To us, it is perfectly romantic, intimate, and has a similar spontaneity to eloping. For months, I would tell Rocky (sometimes with tears in my eyes from wedding planning fatigue) “I just want to marry you.” It feels true, simple, and earnest for us to do it this way.

Trying to plan around close family and friends who are also planning to get married in 2022 was frustrating and hard. I wanted to accommodate everyone so badly that I actually was making things really inconvenient for myself and Rocky. I was making a lot of decisions based on other people which felt wrong. Now, we are getting married the way we actually want to.

HOT TIP: Check in with yourself and your partner often. A lot of the plans I was making in the beginning were based off things I was told we should do. It’s easy to get caught up in the Pinterest-perfect wedding, but that’s not for everyone.

We want the most important moment of our lives to be with the people who mean the most to us. The max amount of people allowed at a city hall ceremony in LA is 25 – and that info is likely pre-Covid. We are choosing to spend this part of our nuptials with the people closest to us so we can be really present when we commit to each other.

After we are legally husband and wife, we don’t have any immediate obligations to other people. We don’t have to go around and thank every guest for coming or act any certain way. We just get to soak in the commitment we made to each other for a whole day. We will go out to dinner in lieu of a rehearsal dinner with our best friends and family. This is honestly my favorite detail and it’s something we came up with it because it sounds fun. We know it’s not traditional but it feels right to us.

Aesthetically speaking, we think it’s cool. I will still wear a wedding dress and Rocky will wear a tuxedo even though our marriage will be made official in a government building in Downtown LA. It feels perfectly stripped down and puts more focus on our style as a couple.

left: image source | right: image sourcephoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: ryann’s moto reveal

The future Trombetti’s (that’s us) will cordially invite friends and family to a small reception the following day. We are not completely opting out of a fun party because I am an enneagram 7 after all. We will be having a backyard reception at my parent’s house and at the end of the night, my wish is for everyone to jump into the pool.

At our reception, we will have our first dance and father-daughter dance. Also at the reception, we will recite our own written vows to each other in front of everyone we love (because you can’t recite your own vows at city hall). I will cry hysterically and Rocky will keep his cool. We will dance, eat, and laugh a lot and then when the night is over I’ll be married to the love of my life.

So How Much Will Our Wedding Cost?

With the average cost of an LA wedding in 2022 being $36,890, I’d be lying if I said part of this plan isn’t about saving money. When we realized we didn’t want a big wedding, it made the decision to have a very small one pretty easy. For two introverted folks like us, a small wedding makes sense and saving money is just another perk.

So, how much will our wedding reception cost? I know this is the question on everyone’s brains (and trust me, it’s on mine too). Our vendors aren’t solidified yet, but these are estimates based on average costs in my area.
City Hall Ceremony ~ $25
Catering ~ 1,000
Alcohol ~ 2,500
DJ ~ 1,000
Photographer ~ 2,000
Florals ~ 1,500
Lighting ~ 1,300
TOTAL ~ 9,525

If you think it is insane that a small reception like this still costs that much, you are not wrong. We could completely opt-out of a reception, making our grand total $25. But we do want a reception, and that’s truthfully all that matters. This is our wedding plan and it is one we are actually excited about. Isn’t that something?

And that is truly it. Now I want to know, what made your wedding day special? What do you remember most? Any wedding industry folks out there have any insider tips to share? Tell me everything. xx

Opening Image Credits: Design by Ryann Miller | Styling by Emily Bowser | Photos by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Ryann’s MOTO Reveal: A Moody Multi-Functional Living And Dining Room With A Lot Of Soul

The post Why After A Year Of Wedding Planning I Am Opting For A City Hall Wedding appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Albie Is Making The Design World Better (And Team EHD Can’t Wait To Attend)

Last fall, I publicly shared one of my big crazy ideas on my IG stories, after reacting to news surrounding a few different industry events. I am beyond words excited to share that this summer that big idea is coming to life — The Meridian Experience Weekend. This 4-day inaugural event is an in-person conference that I will be hosting in Bellevue, WA, gathering 100 designpreneurs across interior design & content creation. This is the culmination of all that I’ve observed & experienced in this space & I am excited to share my story with you!

If you know nothing else about me, then by now I’d like to think you at least know that I’m an idea machine. For as long as I can remember, I have been someone who sees a creative need and concocts a usually elaborate idea to fill the void. I think a lot of this is attributed to my general “scrappy” disposition that I inherited from my parents, because while they’d always encouraged me to pursue a more “traditional” career path, they’ve also long subscribed to the “be the change you want to see” way of life.

design by albie k. buabeng | photo by ellie lillstrom

I would be remiss if I didn’t also credit being a millennial to my over-the-top big scary goals. 

I graduated in 2008 with a degree in Advertising & Public Relations, with a minor focus on Psychology. Even with a mountain of education & academic experience by way of internships, I couldn’t get a solid job. Before I knew it, I was teaming up with friends to start an entertainment & lifestyle blog – this long predates Albie Knows. Along the way, this blog evolved into all facets of marketing, with a huge focus on event production. During our short 2 (maybe 3) years together, we produced a few small events – a coat drive with Sean John 5th Avenue, an HIV/AIDS fundraiser & education workshop, a music showcase for upcoming singers, photoshoot sessions for aspiring models, a college basketball game halftime show in honor of a passed classmate, and – our largest endeavor – a runway & trunk show highlighting local talents in music & fashion. Thankfully these all predate what we’ve come to expect from social media these days so there’s also no proof any of it happened because not everything ages as well as we’d like to think. 

baby albie c. 2011?

I recently listened to “We Should All Be Millionaires” by Rachel Rodgers and in one of the chapters she talked about tapping into your zone of genius & that there are likely clues in our childhood that could help define exactly what that is. While I never saw any correlation between the events at the time – I simply saw them as finding ways to keep myself busy & hopefully get the attention of a permanent employer – in hindsight I was always leveraging my skills to bring awareness to issues near & dear to my heart. 

Fast Forward Over A Decade…

In the summer of 2018, I got a wild hair (is that how the idiom goes?) about how, as an e-designer (aka online interior designer), I constantly felt like an outsider in this space. Even though today online interior design is a hugely accepted part of the industry – especially in a pandemic – this wasn’t always the case. In fact, lots of designers & trade professionals didn’t take this subset of interior design seriously. Needless to say, there were little to no resources for e-design… and definitely no community. 

Be the change you want to see. 

I came back from High Point Market that Spring after speaking on a panel about the emergence of e-design as a valuable business model… and in June I launched a virtual conference – The E-Design Experience – to help people tap into their digital potential. Just because other people didn’t take the digital landscape seriously, I knew there was an opportunity to help designpreneurs be better online.

spring 2018 high point market e-design panel

If you were to listen to any of the podcast interviews I did during the conference “press tour” from that summer, you’ll hear me say over and over that that conference was designed to be the beta for an in-person conference that I was convinced I’d launch in 2019. I wanted the 2018 event to be the testing ground for what I envisioned for my online design community. That fall I went on two co-host two High Point Market events – a speed mentoring event with the Black Interior Designers Network & a walking tour of Furnitureland South.

All of these initiatives were pretty massive for someone like me – no capital, no team… just me, my big ideas, and industry friends who believed in me. 

fall 2018 high point market mentor & mingle

In 2019, my husband was deployed so the idea of hosting a conference went right out the window – there’s a lot I can do on my own, but hosting a conference while working outside the home and taking care of a toddler was not one of those things… and I was okay with that. 

Enter 2020…

BTW…is it okay if we officially called this decade the roaring 20s as well… but like not in a good way? Just saying.

Be the change you want to see. 

There’s no need for us to rehash the hot mess express that is 2020. What did, however, come of it was my adaptation of the #ShareTheMicNow Initiative for the home industry, which brought together hundreds of industry personalities to reach millions of audiences for conversations on the intersectionality of race & design. 

That initiative meant a lot of things to me for a lot of reasons, however, what I didn’t expect was how much it brought back those feelings I had 2 years prior… almost to the date BTDubs! This massive Instagram takeover initiative was a space for those who are typically unseen or unheard… a chance to shake things up & maybe even change the narrative around so much of what we’d come to expect (and accept) from our industry. My feelings of being an outsider in 2018 weren’t just because I was an e-designer… that was only a small part of it if we’re being honest. The STMN initiative was the beginning of me unpacking a lot of that baggage while also helping my peers do the same. It was then that I slowly began replotting an event, however, it was through a different, more evolved, more mature lens.

I spent the next year watching as long-standing establishments in the industry would try & regain their footing after a year of virtual events & calls for diversity – what a year 2020 must’ve been for all the folk that never thought they’d have to change! 

As event after event returned to their in-person programming, it became obvious to me that all that “listening & learning” in 2020 didn’t really amount to much. Once again, we witnessed whole sectors of the designpreneur community going unseen & unheard. Now nearly four years after the original conference, I came to the realization that maybe you really can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Many of the spaces we’ve become accustomed to just dunno how to be better because they’ve never had to be better. They dunno where to even begin to create organically inclusive & diverse spaces because for years the bare minimum has been acceptable. 

And to clarify – when I say “diverse & inclusive”, I mean everything from race & sexuality to education & business model…

…diversity of thought
…diversity of experience
…diversity of expertise
What spaces in this arena actually speak to the self-taught designer? 
The millennial designer? 
The creators & designers of color? 
The digital creator who is also an interior designer? 
…and every iteration in between. 

Be the change you want to see. 

While other industries have done a pretty decent job of adapting to a new era of creativity & community, the home industry has seemed determined to keep things as it’s always been… at least below the surface. On the surface – supes progressive! In practicum tho… we’re practically dragging em into the “new roaring 20s” kicking & screaming. 

After countless frustrating conversations, I decided to just do it myself.

I can’t expect someone else to create something they’ve never needed for themselves. How’s the saying go? Necessity is the mother of invention? I decided to take things into my own hands, dust off all my old conference materials, and get to work on bringing my in-person conference dreams to life. Everything seemed to be pointing me in that direction anyway, and I was just too busy letting my own insecurities block the calling that was right in front of me. And thus bringing us to the present…

The Meridian Experience Was Born Out Of My Frustration With The Industry. 

Plainly and simply. Even in creating my conference nearly 4 years ago, there’s so much that I would’ve done differently had I not internalized a lot of the toxic messaging in this space. Time & experience have illuminated deficiencies that I wasn’t checking for back then – I just wanted to be in the room. Now, on the other hand, I want to be in the room, take the door off the hinges, and give everyone a seat at the table.
The Meridian Experience is the room… bring your own chair tho. Lol.

Meridian, which is also an acronym for Making Exceptional Relationships with Interior Design Influencers through Authentic Networking, is more than just a conference for me. As the name implies, it’s an experience that’s designed to bridge the gap between interior designers & home influencers for meaningful & intentional exchanges.

It’s a conference in the way that a conference allows you to network & learn. 

It’s a retreat in the way that a retreat allows you to recharge your battery. 

It’s a family reunion in the way that a family reunion allows you to connect with your people.

It’s an experience. 

some of the speakersBe the change you want to see. 

My frustrations with this industry weren’t just limited to the undeniable air of elitism & exclusion – lots to unpack there btw! – so if I could at least start to chip away at what contributes to that… well it’s a start, right?

Taking on such a massive passion project… well let’s just say this is definitely one of those times that I wish my friends would finally just tell me to sit down somewhere. In over a decade of big ideas, never have any of my friends even attempted to stop me. On this one… maybe they should’ve lol. 

I’m stepping into an arena that is largely dominated by people that look (and think) nothing like me. I’m not backed by any investors or coming in with any equity except my own grit & whatever is in my Albie Knows bank account. Everything else is heavily reliant on crowdfunding & sponsorships.

the post it donation wall

It’s a challenge I willingly accept though. As I previously mentioned, what I am hoping to do – to create – is something other industries have done a much better job at; and by comparison, the home industry remains pretty antiquated. As a self-taught multi-hyphenate millennial creative of color, I believe know I bring a unique perspective to this arena, not to mention sharing many of the same pain points as my target audience. 

We want to feel seen & safe in the spaces we occupy. 

We want to be mentored. 

We want equitable opportunities. 

We want to adapt with the times & redefine the norm. 

This Is M.E.design by albie k. buabeng | photo by ellie lillstrom | from: what happens when you design tour living room and then move?? you make it work… albie’s new living room round one!

See what I did there?

M.E. = Meridian Experience… but also… ya know… me. 

No? Okay moving ok lol

What Can You Expect From The Meridian Experience Weekend This Summer?

Whether you’re part of this industry or simply a spectator, my hope is that this event will touch you in some way. In the same way that I still have people tell me the impact #ShareTheMicNowHomeEdition had on them. It can be as simple as you reaping the benefits of your favorite home creators attending & putting what they take away from the weekend into action. 

I’ve spent the better part of the past 6-7 months pouring so much of myself into creating something that I hope will set a new precedent, not just for anyone who has felt like an outsider, but also putting existing establishments on notice that we can all stand to do better & be better. There’s a quote I heard in one of the live-action Cinderella movies that sums it all up way better than I could – “Just because it’s what’s done doesn’t mean it’s what should be done.”

Where Am I Now With Meridian?

I remember thinking to myself back in 2020 that I would never take on such a major undertaking again because – verbatim – “I am not the hall monitor for the home industry.” 

And yet here I am again. 

Last year I, thankfully, did a lot of heavy lifting in preparation – pitching sponsors, securing a venue, scouting lodging, market research, etc. After getting through the holidays – and COVID – I am not eyebrows deep in all things planning because *surprise surprise* there are a lot of moving parts to something this large, and yet here I am with yet another big ole crazy idea, pushing forward, and doing it scared. 

Because trust and believe – I’m petrified! 

Be the change you want to see. 

So much of what I’d already done laid the foundation for this event… and not just the work from last year. Components of the programming are derived from many of the events I concocted nearly, what feels like, a lifetime ago! A lot of the people who are now pouring into the event – either as sponsors and/or speakers – are from the relationships I forged during STMN & thereafter. Case & point – the EHD team! I first reached out to Emily for the takeovers, knowing that if I could get a yes, I would want to partner her with Shavonda Gardner. I got the yes… and now fast forward 18 months, both the EHD team AND Shavonda will be at The Meridian Experience sharing their insights, stories, and knowledge as speakers & mentors. It’s more to me to just “fangirl” over these women. Their careers – and their longevity in this space – are admirable so to be able to create a space where others can connect with them & learn from them… that makes my heart sing.

The other day I found myself having one of many panic attacks – brought on by self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and general fear – and kept thinking to myself, “Why did I do this to myself?” My own insecurities around being a young woman of color with no financial backing or long-standing in the industry. Over & over again I kept thinking, “Why did I do this to myself?” I repeated it so much that my tone began to change, and instead of questioning my sanity, I started reminding myself of my actual why. And so I keep chugging along knowing that even with some unexpected and/or unwelcome roadblocks, I got this. 

That was a lot of words so thanks for reading along, especially for something not as sexy & exciting as a reveal. 

If you’ve made it this far, I appreciate you deeply! I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced support like this before, as though so many people needed this just as much as I did. I hope you guys follow along with me the whole journey from now till June & then follow along with the weekend when the time comes. 

The Meridian Experience Weekend is being held this June in Bellevue, WA. General admission tickets are currently available, in addition to premium add ons for ticket holders. Donations are still being accepted & every dollar has helped towards speaker & attendee materials. All event details are now live on the new site that launched this week.

Opening Image Credits: Design by Albie K. Buabeng | Photo by Ellie Lillstrom | From: What Happens When You Design Your Living Room and Then MOVE?? You Make It Work… Albie’s New Living Room Round One!

The post Albie Is Making The Design World Better (And Team EHD Can’t Wait To Attend) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

The No-Tools-Required DIY Product Trend We’re Seeing Everywhere Right Now & How It’s Become The Ultimate IKEA Hack

Have you ever discovered something BIG and then a few months later you start seeing it everywhere? I came across this something a year or two ago and I’ve been keeping it a secret…until all the TikTok and YouTube DIYers figured it out & shouted it from the rooftops (and no I’m not mad about it) but now it’s time for me to come forward with the information I have. This thing I’m talking about is called Pole Wrap and it’s basically a bunch of slatted wood pieces matted together on a flexible, easy-to-cut, & very thin backboard. Pole wrap is awesome because it makes achieving the ‘fluted trend’ very easy + you can bend it any which way so it’s easy to use and wildly easy to cut. Did I mention it’s easy to cut? Yeah, you don’t even need a saw for this thing, just some scissors and an Exacto knife. So it’s perfectly designed for lazy DIYers (like me) who don’t have or don’t want to use saws or a lot of crazy power tools (although if you have power tools, it wouldn’t hurt to use them either).

I’ll start right off the bat saying the price can really vary depending on HOW much you need (anywhere from $60 for the smaller size to $220 for the big 8ft role) but if you’re trying to get a fluted look for a cabinet face, piece of furniture, or on your wall, the alternative is buying a TON of individual slats and putting them together which is both a money and time suck and not to mention would be extremely annoying. As I’ll explain more in this post, there are A TON of different things you can use pole wrap for, but this video will show you its intended use (hint: it will make a lot of sense why it’s called pole wrap), and it will show you how easy it is to use.

Now, let me back it up a bit and explain how and why I “discovered” pole wrap (well, personally discovered it…I’m sure a lot of DIYers had already figured this out a while ago). Basically, I was looking to cover up this tan tile I have in my bathroom that I just do not vibe with (I like a clean black and white usually so ‘tan’ is not normally a color I gravitate toward in design.

Tan Tile Troubles

So, to minimize the amount of tan tile happening in this bathroom (especially on the walls), my plan was to paint the walls a chic moody green (which I did) and then do a board and batten type thing halfway up the wall (covering the tile) but with the ‘fluted’ look. BUT I didn’t want to spend time and money cutting individual slats and then nailing them to a board (it sounded like hell) so I was desperate to find other alternatives…

design by malcom simmons | photo by keyanna bowen | from: malcolm’s bedroom reveal is here

After seeing Malcolm’s headboard DIY (above), I started considering looking for mouldings or some sort of larger piece I could put side by side like he did to avoid buying and cutting hundreds of individual slats. Unfortunately for me, most of the moulding options were too tall and too thick to work in my bathroom, so I kept on hunting online at Home Depot until I finally came across EXACTLY what I was looking for. Sweet, sweet pole wrap. I purchased a stupidly large amount of it (because I was sure I could figure out another use for it if it didn’t work in my bathroom). And I shipped it to my store so I could have them cut it down to size for me. When I got to there, I wheeled my $200 worth of pole wrap to the back and asked if they would cut it down. The man that was working there took one look at it and was like “uh, we only cut wood, wtf is this?” After a few minutes of me begging I finally took the L and wheeled my 8ft of pole wrap to my VW bug and shoved it all inside to bring it home (it was a miracle I got my trunk to close). I hauled it up to my apartment and threw the pole wrap on the floor, baffled with how I could cut this thing down as someone whose entire toolbox includes 2 screwdrivers and a hammer. “I guess I’ll try scissors????” I thought to myself, desperate to get this thing smaller. I had HEAVY disbelief when I began, but to my surprise, I cut the entire thing using a dull pair of scissors and it was very easy. Was the edge perfect?? Absolutely not but I was planning to put a little shelf on top of it so it didn’t matter. Let me show you first with a video, then with photos (make sure to watch through the ad to see the video

Here’s what it looked like on the left, and on the right was my rendering of how I was planning to paint it:

Ultimately, this design wasn’t wowing me and I grew less and less fond of the green paint color I picked after living with it, so I decided to retreat and not go with this design (but I’m THRILLED with what we’ve got planned for this space instead). So no, we’re not doing the pole wrap/paint situation anymore (although, it was a really cool solution that I still want to incorporate SOMEWHERE in my apartment). But, I thought it might be fun to show you what almost was (and to show off the cool and weird product I found in the process). The best part was after I put the pole wrap up, I started seeing it EVERYWHERE. So many DIY influencer people were using it and I am so excited to share it with you!!! So now that you know what pole wrap is and how I (almost) used it…let me show you some other creative ways to use it that will inspire ya (spoiler: there are a lot of cool IKEA hacks).

Drawer/Cabinet Face Hackvia abbey road home

Abby Road Home NAILED her entryway console by using pole wrap & extending it all the way around her credenza (giving it a curved shape). She absolutely killed the fluted trend and the curved furniture trend and it made this piece look so incredible. Watch the full reel to see it in action (it’s very fun!)

Then in the same kind of world, I love how this DIYer hacked this IKEA bathroom vanity using pole wrap…GENIUS. The fluted drawer faces give this IKEA vanity a modern touch and it looks so special (and not a lot of $$$) to pole wrap just the drawer faces. It was around $100 which is much more affordable than doing the entire credenza

via fall for diy

Here’s another great idea for the IKEA Kallax dresser. As a note, TikTok/IG have an ABUNDANCE of reels about pole wrap like this, so check there for other fun examples on how to use the stuff.

The IKEA Bookcase Hack

Lone Fox Home is one of my favorite follows because he comes up with super great DIYs and budget-friendly hacks. He did a challenge with AD to transform a billy bookcase and he nailed it by using pole wrap. It seriously looks so good!!

design and photo by lone fox home | via architectural digestThe Kitchen Backsplashdesign by jennifer maxcy | photo by petra ford | via the kitchn

Hands down one of the wild & coolest applications of pole wrap I’ve ever seen, this pole wrap backsplash might be my #1 favorite DIY. Jennifer has such awesome style, and this inexpensive hack totally transformed her kitchen. My only question/concern would be if it gets stained easily?? You would just have to properly seal it but there might have to be some maintenance here. Regardless, it’s certainly is cheaper than installing tile, so if there’s a little maintenance, the cost might make up for it

Table Base or Lamp Base

Cara Newhart is a pole wrap expert and absolutely nailed these table bases. I love the idea of giving a table a new life (or creating one from scratch) with this cool fluted detail on the base. Plus, IMHO it’s a great place to DIY because people notice it but don’t stare at the base of your table 24/7 so if you make any mistakes no one will probably know This one (the entryway table) was made from scratch and then her dining table was given a facelift. Both are great ideas!!

via never skip brunch

She also created these awesome barn doors using pole wrap and I couldn’t believe my eyes! What a fun, inexpensive idea for any wall, door, or surface. Speaking of using it on walls, this one from Bonnie Grolley needed to get an honorable mention. I love how she uses it right above her bathroom vanity!

Lastly, Lone Fox Home had another cool pole wrap DIY where he totally transformed this lamp. Love this idea too + it’s fun to see a darker pole wrap stain too

via lone fox homeUse It In An Archway

Jessie from Eye in the Detail is basically a pole wrap ambassador because she uses it so much in so many cool ways around her home. One thing I found particularly cool and fun was how she used it in the archways she created in her space. I mean how fun is that little wood detail??

via eye in the detailThe Stair Upgrade

Emily sent this to me on IG because once I told her about pole wrap, she started seeing it everywhere too!! This stair transformation by Benson Dwelling is insanely genius and inexpensive.

via benson dwelling

So that’s it for my pole wrap post. Have you heard about this weird DIY hack before?? Would love to chat in the comments!!

Opening Image Credit: Design by Jennifer Maxcy | Photo by Petra Ford | via The Kitchn

The post The No-Tools-Required DIY Product Trend We’re Seeing Everywhere Right Now & How It’s Become The Ultimate IKEA Hack appeared first on Emily Henderson.

How Ajai Transformed Her Kitchen In Just 2 WEEKS

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting about pretty and organized kitchens. I know a lot of us tend to strive for this utopia of a place (I’m guilty of this for sure) but now that I have a little one and am always making meals, bottles, snacks, cleaning up messes (after my little guy has rummaged through the cabinets), looking for pots and baby utensils, I’ve grown quite close to the kitchen. My relationship with the kitchen has evolved, as I’ve come to care more about function and durability. 

Would you believe me if I told you we renovated our kitchen in two weeks? Well hold onto your knickers, because that’s exactly what happened here. Last we left off, my husband and I were knee–deep in an infested kitchen with water damage and learning a new city. This kitchen renovation was very similar to our last one, so we understood the importance of sourcing materials for a kitchen with an emphasis on durability. Though I’m all for a beautiful kitchen reveal, I am a big believer in curating a space that will stand the test of time, and function well for normal day-to-day use.

BAR HEIGHT OR COUNTER HEIGHT?

Book Easel (vintage) | Scalloped Plates | Copper French Press & Coffee Storage | Egg Holder | Polished Brass Bars (vintage/antiqued) | Copper Pots and Utensils (vintage/antiqued) | Outlet Cover

In my experience, the key to completing a renovation or design project quickly is to be decisive, along with considering how you’ll use the space. Having product knowledge from previous kitchen renovations also helps a ton. When it comes to sourcing products, I love to use my past experience (good and bad) with appliances, fixtures, and flooring. Moreover, my husband and I are planning to rent this space out next year, so it was important that we think through how our tenant would utilize the kitchen, in addition to how we’d be using the space. One of the decisions we had to make early on, was whether we should keep the height of the breakfast bar or take it down to a counter height, so I took to my Instagram to ask people for their experience with this sort of setup. With 81% of people voting to cut the bar wall down (and for good reasons), we decided to go this direction and bring it down to a counter height. A special thank you to all of you amazing folks who shared why we should go this route. It was important for me to know what layout people typically prefer. Many shared how they loved the idea of cleaning one surface instead of breaking it up into two. Some shared that they preferred a counter height because it; creates a larger work surface, makes it easier for short people to sit up to the counter, feels more inviting, and it would be easier to see out into the dining area. Aesthetically, I love counter height for a cohesive and cleaner site line. Even though we went in this direction, I received some very good reasons as to why people love a bar-height situation for instance: if there is a sink in this area, having the backsplash up against a bar height sitting area really helps, hiding cooking messes from guests, and separating the counter space for keys and tchotchkes. Let’s get into the floors we chose.

THE FLOORS

Wall Color

To reiterate, we had to get rid of the laminate floors and kitchen cabinets because of massive water damage. The laminate floors were bubbling and they smelled horrendous. We discovered puddles of water under the floors once they were removed, and hundreds of roaches nesting in the cabinets. Everything was pretty much falling apart, except for the granite countertops, so we donated those to our contractors for them to use on another project. With the previous floors in such bad shape, I wanted to source a floor that could stand up to all knicks, scrapes, and puddles, so I chose a brick because it can withstand extreme conditions. There’s a good reason why we see so many brick floors all throughout Europe with these brick streets and homes lasting for hundreds of years. After install, to turn it up a notch, we had the floors sealed.

Before I get too far into the kitchen reno, I should mention that my husband and I were driving down to Las Vegas once a week from Los Angeles (one-day turn-around trips) to monitor the work being done in the rest of the condo. This was becoming a bit taxing on us, so we quickly decided to move into the condo. We figured we could manage the project easier that way (or so we thought… living in a renovation with a one-year-old was bananas). This is the primary reason we pushed to finish the kitchen sooner rather than later. I was exhausted with cluster feeding our little one and coming up with healthy family meals that didn’t have to be prepared on a stove. All that to say, it was time to get-er-done! 

THE CABINETRY

Cabinets | Cabinet Color | Cabinet Pulls | Cabinet Knobs

Cabinet Color

Our kitchen budget was pretty tight, and after seeing how the renter was living in the condo before we’d purchased it, I was okay with opting for non-designer cabinetry. In fact, I went for an option I’d used for a few other budget-friendly projects (one of those projects being our last home). These cabinets were sturdy in our Atlanta home, and allowed me to customize the space without splurging. I was able to go to our local store, select in-stock cabinets, end panels, kicktoes, soft pulls, etc., and have them delivered the following day. 

THE APPLIANCES +

Stove | Hood | Towels (unavailable) | Art (gift to me from my husband’s grandmother)

I ordered a black sink that I love and have used on other projects. It’s perfect for long-term use because you don’t have to worry about cracks, scratches, or discoloration. It’s a pretty large and deep sink too – great for housing and rinsing dishes (which we have plenty of) while prepping for the dishwater. The sink arrived the second to last day of the renovation (we understood our plumbing situation very well, so we saved plumbing for the end). Speaking of dishwashers, these are typically the item with the longest lead time (the stove is one too) so as soon as we closed on the condo, I took measurements of the existing appliances and ordered new ones asap! The current faucet is temporary and will be replaced with a more functional faucet with a spraying ability (this is just the one that had the best lead time, and we grew tired of washing dishes in the bathtub). 

The previous owner wanted to take the appliances (which we were completely fine with – seeing as how the originals were being occupied by creepy crawlers). As for the stove, we chose a convection electric range with a back panel. We cook a lot in our household, and we also noticed that every place we’ve ever rented came with this style of range. I should mention I love how quickly these ranges boil water, (makes for faster cooking) and I’m on board with its eco-friendliness. I’m also a fan of easy cleanup. 

Dishwasher | Paper Mache Bowl (similar) | Seagrass Baskets (unavailable)

Sink | Faucet

As pretty as no stove back looks, we were constant victims of food falling in between the crack of the backsplash and stove. I’d grown so tired of pulling the stove out and trying to clean behind it. So… feel free to smite me design gods, my husband says we’ll always have a stove with a back panel (he was really the one pulling the stove out all of the time haha..)

Now let’s get to this range hood. We wanted a hood that was simple enough to have a handyman come in to access and/or fix it. This one is a convertible range and doesn’t have any ducting. It’s similar to the one we had in our Atlanta home, which we loved.

Refridgerator | Faux Pothos Plant

We are avid meal preppers and tend to like a lot of space in a refrigerator, so we chose a 28.2 cu.ft. french door refrigerator (I could fit inside of it comfortably during the hot Las Vegas summers). I should also mention that we got a killer bundle deal during Black Friday and didn’t have to break the bank on these appliances, so we’ll be leaving them for our renter. The appliances arrived during the second week of the renovation. 

THE COUNTERTOPS

Now here’s where durability gets a bit tricky… we chose marble counters for this kitchen, but hear me out… marble is a strong/sturdy material and the cost of these counters was much more affordable than quartz and granite. I chose all of the salvageable pieces that had minor chips (which my contractors very easily cut around) and I also utilized my trade discount, so these counters were nearly free. When we were leaving the warehouse, I felt like we should have been speeding off. I understand that marble is porous, which is why the counters we chose are sealed. But honestly, I love good ol’ natural material and really don’t mind the aging of this. Given the amazing discount, the counters were the only area of the kitchen I was willing to sacrifice in terms of extreme durability. Nonetheless, the counters are very shiny and are holding up quite well.

THE PRETTY (BUT PRACTICAL) STUFF

Shelf (custom) | Brackets | Vintage Metal Wall Sconce

If you know me, you know that I love an open shelf, but I’ve come to realize just how important it is to have closed uppers for extra storage and food. Not everyone loves their ceramics on display. However, I love easy access to my everyday plates, cups, bowls, glasses, and bread jars. In addition, it was important to me to have a sturdy shelf with good depth to hold the previous items, so I drew up a plan and had my contractor create a custom shelf for me. I had the sconces hung a bit higher so that future renters would have to intentionally access them (less room for bumping this hardware and breaking bulbs). Adjacent to the shelf are upper cabinets, which house our food items. We also have a butler’s pantry off the kitchen/ behind the door. Further why I was okay with creating a long open shelf.

While we are on the topic of cabinets, let’s get into the cabinet colors. I’m a big fan of black cabinetry, especially in high-traffic areas. I was intentional about having the cabinets with all of the appliances next to them painted in“Blackest” by Clare Paint. As for the breakfast/coffee bar, I wanted a warm and light feel in this area, after all, we use this space primarily during the mornings. We took it up a notch with the gloss finish and chose Clare’s “No Filter.” The rest of the kitchen is painted in “Whipped”. 

THE BREAKFAST BAR

At the breakfast bar, I’ve repurposed vintage polished brass towel racks to hold our vintage copper pots and utensils (which we actually use to cook and make tea and coffee). I mean it when I say, I like to leave out the items we use every day (I’m all for a grab-and-go), especially in the morning. We’ve just got to cave in and get a toaster (we haven’t had one in years… we fry our toast haha). We also need to invest in a microwave – let me know if you have any good suggestions. 

A BREAKDOWN OF “FAST RENO” TIPS We’ve covered being decisive in terms of selecting productsResearching products in advanceChoosing in-stock cabinets and hardware that are ready to ship Ordering appliances in advance because they have the worst lead timesTry not to relocate the plumbing or cabinetry layout so you don’t have to go through permitting (but this varies from state to state).Having good contractors that are knowledgeable and can cut counters and do carpentry onsite to address custom needs in the moment/on install dayOpt for swapping out lighting instead of installing new light fixtures (in our case, we were able to speed things along with electrical because our contractor was buddy-buddy with the inspector). 

I’m still in awe of how quickly this became a place for me and my family to gather comfortably while we cook, laugh, and eat. Along with creating a durable kitchen space, I’m embracing the truth of everyday life. There is so much joy and happy moments that happen in this space, and my goal is to continue normalizing a lived-in kitchen, because that too is beautiful. I hope whoever moves into our condo after us can appreciate what we’ve done here. I believe this kitchen will have a long lifespan. I’ll check back in with you all in about 30 years with an update.

*Design and Photos by Ajai Guyot

The post How Ajai Transformed Her Kitchen In Just 2 WEEKS appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Our Farmhouse Bathroom Design Plan Is HERE! + And An Exciting Partnership Announcement :)

HERE WE GO. It’s finally time to tell you about A. One of our biggest partners on the farmhouse and B. Show you what this house is actually going to look like – starting with our bathroom.

Rejuvenation and I were both born in Oregon in the late ’70s, likely on a rainy day, both strangely in plaid, with a bird on top. I’ve been shopping here since I was a teenager – interested in their vintage, antiques, and salvaged anything. And in the last 20 something years we have both changed and grown-up (and yet kinda stayed the same), so after moving back to Portland it was time to properly reunite. It’s a real Hallmark movie – girl moves away, tries all the fancy city lighting, resists her roots, comes back, and has an unexpected moment with a sconce in the store on Grand Street, etc. While still carrying their carefully restored Antiques & Vintage collection, they have become a true resource for all things interior design – all hard fixtures, furniture, and decor. Everything from exterior lighting to cabinet knobs, bathtubs, ottomans, rugs, and pillows. It’s all high quality, classic/timeless, and stylistically they have such an incredible variety (industrial, mid-century, contemporary, classic). This is why I’ve bought and worked with their product for the last 10 years, but the reason I reached out about the farm – in addition to loving the design/quality – was three-fold – the customization, assembled/based in Portland, and the people/ethos.

The Level Of Customization In Lighting (And Plumbing) Is Incredible

What does customization even mean?? Being able to ‘customize’ your hard fixtures means that you can make your lighting (and plumbing and hardware) totally unique to your house and do something you haven’t seen before OR go with their many classic combinations that are guaranteed to look good (with an extremely wide selection). The Rejuvenation design and lighting assembly process (at their factory in Portland, making it easy for them to oversee quality) has it dialed in and is able to execute this level of customization and still be affordable. I love this because it makes it VERY easy to stay within the same ‘lighting family’ without using the same fixture in every room. We always say we want the lighting throughout to feel like ‘cousins’, maybe a quirky aunt or uncle here and there, brothers and sisters for sure, but you don’t want a bunch of matching ‘twins’ throughout the house (no offense to octuplets). And listen, using the same fixture throughout can work but signifies more of a ‘builder grade’ move where a designer wasn’t necessarily involved, but if the ‘twins’ are well-appointed, awesome and the matching minimalist look is what you want then go for it.

Dozens Of Metal Finishes, Countless Shade Options

We employed my ‘siblings + cousins’ lighting world throughout our house, and used the Fairview Collection because it’s super classic with a bit of a sweet industrial bent, and then customized it differently based on the design and function of each room.

You have options for the color, material, and shape of both the fixture AND the shade, which totally changes the vibe and light of the room. And not only that but many of the lighting collections come in a variety of fixtures, including single, double or triple sconces, a pendant OR chandelier and even a flush mount or semi-flush mount ceiling light. AND lastly, you can customize the length of the rod of the pendant – hanging lower over an island and higher in a stairway, for instance. It’s INCREDIBLE.

Their site makes it very easy to do this – and will render each option with a click of the button. It’s always great to come into a showroom and see the finishes and scale for yourself, but honestly, they are pretty darn properly represented online in the photos.

It’s A One-Stop Shop. Seriously.

Another reason I was excited to work with them on this project, our farm, is that they sell everything – lighting, faucets, sinks, cabinet knobs, medicine cabinets, vanities, toilet paper holders, pretty P-traps!, doorbells, pretty light switches, doorknobs, exterior lighting, not to mention every type of furniture, decor, and textiles. You can truly make your life so easy and work with one respected source for so many of your needs with less runaround and still customizable. Now getting your decor and hardware from a million different sources can certainly make for a really curated and special home, but as a professional renovator at this point, it’s also really, really lovely when you can reduce the runaround, have one point person, less coordination nightmare, and avoid the lost spec sheets.

We aren’t sourcing every single thing in the house from Rejuvenation but certainly could (we are mixing in vintage and custom:)). Again if they didn’t have such a wide selection of styles and finishes I wouldn’t recommend getting so many things from one place, but the sheer variety of pretty home products can make your house still look custom and thoughtfully curated (with the ease of one store). Now every house we do (including the River House) will have the right partners that we’ve selected and curated to fit the project. For this home – our home – we are so happy to be working with Rejuvenation.

The Lighting Is Made And Assembled In Portland

Lockdown shifted my entire paradigm on waste and sustainability. While I’m not going to be perfect, for our home I really, really, really want to work with and feature as many local brands and makers as possible. I know that not everyone has the luxury of living in a larger metropolitan city with a robust creative population, but being able to support and feature a locally based company deeply rooted in Portland (the store is a landmark, on SE Grand) with a strong ethos for its people is really important for our home (and they have antique/vintage lighting as well – win/win/win!). Locally based, local economy, local production and heck, I can even pick up from the store if I want to avoid shipping (or if I feel like shopping :)) Again, I’m VERY lucky to live near a large city where creative companies are based, but even if you aren’t near the PNW you can shop at any of their other 10 locations across the country.

They Do Good Things For People And The Earth – 60% Of Their Skilled Craftspeople Are Immigrants And Refugees

Big companies have a PR problem – it’s hard for them to tell the world how good they are in a not “look at us way” (I suppose this is a universal problem is it not?), so as a partner of Rejuvenation’s I get to help tell that story. So not only are they still committed to selling Antiques & Vintage (more on that later), for almost 40 years, they have partnered with local nonprofit the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) to employ immigrants and refugees new to the States looking for work (it was very lovely to chat with them briefly), and they are committed to offering competitive pay, extensive benefits, and the opportunities to learn a marketable skill or skillset and build a resume. 

NOW… THE MAIN BATH DESIGN PLAN

We love a fun orientation rendering – hopefully you can understand where we are in the house. This time around we aren’t doing these in SketchUp (which is so realistic you feel like you’ve actually seen the design) so these renderings that the wonderful ARCIFORM team (looking at you Anne and Stephyn) are paired back – less textures and less realistic (but still great information – keep reading).

The Material Board

She’s quiet. Calm. Inviting. And very us First off, the mood of this bathroom matches most of the rest of the house in that it’s paired back, more minimal. Not busy, without too many decorative elements, more textures (wood/stone) than patterns in the permanent finishes, soothing, big windows, and just easy to look at and be in. Not a lot of places to put clutter. We want it to feel airy (white tile behind the vanity, the rest just drywall), wood (white oak on the vanity and windows from Sierra Pacific) blue handmade tile (custom color from Pratt + Larson), brushed gold faucets (I love a wall mount), and classic honed carrera stone. I couldn’t love it more. The inspiration? Our mountain house bathroom (but in a more classic farm way).

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the final mountain house reveal (for now): all the details of my master bathroom

I LOVE this bathroom so much and when I asked myself ‘why’ it was easy to list the reasons: it’s grounded by a darker floor, with the tub as the focus (as it should be for professional bathers like me), with big pretty windows, and the rest is just simple – restrained and again, easy for your eye to understand. While visually it’s not as fun or wild as other bathrooms out there, I just want the farmhouse version of THIS. There is a real sense of calmness and space when you walk in there and my hope is that this is the same thing.

Introducing Our Faucets And Tub

1. Connor Cross Handle Wall-Mount Faucet | 2. Marella Cast Iron Soaking Tub | 3. York Floor Mounted Tub Filler with Handshower | 4. Round Contemporary Shower Head | 5. Connor Lever Pressure Balanced Shower Set with Handshower | 6. Modern Linear Shower Drain Assembly

Here we go. Another reason I reached out to Rejuvenation so quickly is how much we love the Conner plumbing fixture line. It has soft old-world lines, with that nice arch and sweet little cross handle with hot and cold (no confusion here:)). It says traditional/sweet/farm but with more elegance than something that could have gone more industrial. It’s perfect. We used the full suite in the showers, keeping it simple with just one overhead shower head and hand shower for shaving/cleaning.

As you can see they have a huge selection of faucets – many traditional like ours as well as modern (specializing in the in-between). And once you choose the faucets you can add on the toilet paper, hand towel, towel bar, toilet flushers all within the same suite and same finish. Even mirrors (including pivot) and medicine cabinets. And for those of you who know what a P-trap is (for exposed plumbing of which we have two in the house), you’ll want to have pretty supply lines and P-traps. They have you covered.

me, in the kids, clawfoot tub – not our tub (as it wasn’t in the showroom when we shot, but i’ve sat in it since and it’s amazing).

For the tub, we tried out a few of them and landed on what is the most ergonomic tub that still fit the space/style. Because of my bathing habits (frequent), I’m not a “pretty but uncomfortable” tub shopper. Comfort is my top tub priority but this one is also so pretty so win-win. I just love how it supports your back really well as the sides cradle you in a great way that isn’t too crowded or tight. It’s not TOO long because I feel that super long tubs are hard to reach with your toes unless really tall, so you are constantly sliding down and almost dropping your kindle. And while I like a wide tub, this fits us both nicely (together or separate) and fits the space. This is cast iron which means once hot it retains heat and feels so stable with its steel skirt. I have a lot to say about tubs, y’all. A LOT (I still love my tub from the mountain house FYI – it has a bigger footprint but the interior is smaller due to the jets).

Our Lighting Selection

1. Fairview Traditional Single Sconce | 2. Fairview Traditional Pendant

We chose the Fairview single sconce and went with three for ample lighting and because it looks pretty We went with the unlacquered brass because we like the patina over time, so yes we are mixing the unlacquered brass lights with the aged brass faucet and we are GREAT with it. As I wrote about here you really do have to maintain it and while I took that risk somewhere else (stay tuned) I really didn’t want to deal with that potential issue in all of our most-used spaces. We used the same line throughout – with a pendant in the hallway and a sconce in the WC (we tried a double in there and it was too big).

There is so much more to tell you – i.e. how we are dealing with privacy with that huge window? Why do we like a shower “room” versus a large glass shower? Why have a vanity niche if it’s not a built-in vanity? Where is the tile going to go and most importantly – will I ever, in my whole life have a medicine cabinet???

Stay tuned for post #2 on our bathroom – coming at you soon.

Thank you, Rejuvenation, for partnering with me on this project, our home. And thanks to you all for supporting the companies that support the blog and bring daily design content. More to come (including vintage lighting I found in their Antiques & Vintage department – I LOVE IT SO MUCH).

*Photos by Kaitlin Green

The post Our Farmhouse Bathroom Design Plan Is HERE! + And An Exciting Partnership Announcement :) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Erik’s MOTO Bedroom Reveal – Love Is In The Air

It must be a holiday today because I have finally completed my very first Makeover Takeover! As some of you may remember I am Erik Staalberg, your go-to maximalist and EHD alum! You’ve seen several pieces of my jewelry box apartment (see here and here) but today I am bringing you a piping hot MOTO featuring my bedroom! It’s sexy and sweet and every morning I wake up filled with love! So grab that Valentine’s chocolate and pour yourself a mimosa because hello, breakfast. This is gonna be a doozie!

You might remember a year ago y’all actually weighed in on which direction I should take this whole process and honey you did not steer me wrong. I used different furniture and accessories I had laying around the house and a major hand from our favorites over at Brooklinen. I basically made three different setups and had you all cast your vote! As an interior prop stylist, this was the best way for me to workshop the changes I wanted to see in my future bedroom. By just tweaking the dressings I could already tell which direction I was gonna go in and with your votes confirming it, I decided to head to a more streamlined vibe.

Now the whole idea behind redoing my bedroom stemmed from my relationship with my boyfriend Robert. Due to the fact that covid had limited a lot of our early date options, we found ourselves spending a considerable amount of time at my apartment. Now this certainly wasn’t a problem, my 1931 art deco flat has plenty of room and I enjoy hosting, but as Robert continued to make himself at home I realized there wasn’t a room that felt like both of us. An island in the sea of vintage tchotchkes, I wanted to carve out a space that reflected the happy medium between our two styles. Robert is very sleek and understated, I am layered and loud. He is classic and sturdy, and I am funky and delicate. He is Aidan Shaw and I am Bitsy Von Muffling. Which blended correctly the two styles could be truly delightful!

With a neutral foundation for the room, I knew he would feel connected to it and bring him peace from the vibrant hues that coat the other rooms and closets (yes, I paint my closets) throughout my place. Now my bedroom previously still had white walls but everything was high contrast. Tons of black and a rich wood color made it feel moody and distinguished. So step one was to eliminate all the dark tones. Bye rug! Buh bye dresser! I needed all the bigger elements to be as simple as possible. But in order to have that much white in a room, I made sure each piece had fantastic texture.

Rug | Pill Mirror | Tote Bag

The rug from Article was the anchor that made the rest of the decisions so much easier. It’s the coziest damn thing in the world, basically like having a chunky knit sweater your sweet great aunt Nancy knit you for your 11th birthday but in an 8’x10’. It’s visually stimulating with its grooves and isn’t flat white. Its color is slightly speckled and varied, which helps me from yelling anytime Robert walks on the rug with his Dr. Martins. I can say it’s very durable for being the softest element in the room.

Dresser (vintage)

Now because I am such a vintage die-hard I was nervous about not feeling connected to a room that was filled with new furniture. As grateful as I am for all the wonderful gifted items from all these amazing brands, I felt it was my duty as a granny to make a larger element second-hand. I don’t know about you but since the pandemic, I have been obsessed with Instagram vintage resale accounts. I follow probably like 40 but Out Of Stok is one of my ultimates. Based in Los Angeles, I knew if I kept my eyes peeled I would score the perfect piece. Well, I am a testament to the saying “Good things come to those who wait” because after gifting my old dresser away and storing all my clothes in Ikea bags for the floor for about 3 months, I found it. A 1980s plaster low boy dresser popped up on Out of Stok’s stories and I jumped! Curves and swerves, she is super sleek and solid. With push hinge drawers, it has really leveled up my storage game and I couldn’t be happier.

Side Tables (vintage/hand-me-downs)

Another dash of vintage… after inheriting a sweet little halved three-legged side table from an aunt I noticed that my Robert had been gifted one practically identical from a relative years before. After not much persuasion I convinced him to let me make a set with both of them! The perfect scale to use as nightstands. They were already different stain colors so I figured they would need to be stripped at a later date anyway, why not do a little DIY! I painted them each the same shade of white and Robert used his artistic capabilities to paint a black scribble on the lip to tie in with the other patterns in the room. A simple but effective transformation!

The next big decision was the bed. When Robert and I first dated there wasn’t much to experience because of shutdowns, so we would often have a staycation at a hip hotel in LA. It always felt special but we loved it mainly cause of the massive bed. Now I am 6’2” and Robert is 6’5” and my queen size just wasn’t cutting it. So I literally almost wept when our Tuft & Needle king-sized mattress arrived. The Hybrid is what we chose and it is so freaking delightful. Full confession but I often sleep 10+ hours a night (Flex) and Tuft & Needle is the perfect enabler to my addiction. 

Bed (no longer made in that fabric)| Mattress

The bed frame however wasn’t as quick of a decision. One thing I loved in my bedroom mock-up was the introduction of black lines in the Brooklinen bedding I sampled. It provided some good definition in an essentially all-white scene. So naturally, when I found this Lulu & Georgia stunning upholstered bed frame I melted! It was contemporary in shape but had an arty organic print that I knew would add a helping of spice in what could be an all too minimal room. Even the negative space between the black scribbles has a beautiful brushstroke print. Its pattern has almost a mid-century flavor that gives me “I Love Lucy”, the Hollywood years.

Bedding Bundle

With a more stimulating bed frame, I needed to turn down the volume with bedding. An all-white bed just felt right if I was recreating a hotel suite fantasy. Brooklinen was beyond gracious and sent me a whole set of their yummy Luxe Sateen sheets and even included the best down pillows and comforter that I have ever had. After working with this brand last year I can’t get over the quality of their product. It’s worth investing in your bedding!

The last thing to bring this bed to life was some BOLD accessories. Now there is no way I would ever have an all-white room in my house. Color is what drives me and there isn’t a color that I don’t love. So if I was gonna use that power of mine I knew I had to keep it measured and specific if I wanted this bedroom to be a home for both Robert and myself. By using all the crayons in the box when it comes to the details, it has created a space that highlights individual objects while still being supported by a clean pleasing backdrop. Not unlike Robert and me.

Green Velvet Lumbar Pillow | Avio Blue Square Pillow | Pink Sheepskin Round Pillow | Light Blue Square Pillow | Sheepskin Throw | Green Quilt (vintage)

Article upped the texture on the bed with their decadent sheepskin throw that makes me feel so glam on winter nights that dip below 50 degrees. With an array of blue velvet throw pillows, it breaks up the white, the two larger from Rejuvenation and the smaller two in moss from an all recycled brand I recently discovered named Sabai. Again with a dose of sheepskin texture, Article kills it with this pink round pillow that perfectly pops. Rounding out all the bed dressings is a gorgeous 1960s green coverlet that I was lucky enough to inherit from a best friend’s grandmother. I absolutely cherish it and it’s the perfect weight.

Rounded Folding Screen

Because of the introduction of the printed bed frame, I knew there had to be something related to its sporadic design. So you can imagine my elation when I was talking to Minted about getting an oversized black and white print to lean in a corner, a stylist’s dream come true, when they mentioned they had just done a collection with West Elm. Upon reviewing the collection I found a chic and rounded folding screen that looks like it belongs in some starlet’s dressing room, with a fabulously fluid pattern that reflects the same energy of the bed. The addition of the mustard/ horseradish color keeps all the other hues from going to a place that’s too splashy.

Sconce

Like any true lady knows, lighting is absolutely essential, especially when we are talking about the bedroom. As much as I loved my old sconces I was ready for a fresh start and most importantly something with a dimmer. These two from Lulu & Georgia in blush add a whole new atmosphere at night and the perfect reading light. They flank a large black and white photograph that one of my oldest friends took of his family’s summer home where we grew up going to. Art absolutely needs to be personal and when I was looking for a new big piece I knew exactly what to do. Angular and graphic, it’s the first thing you see when you walk in.

Sticking with a rounded theme I was gobsmacked when the measure of good lighting design, Rejuvenation, was willing to send me something for my overhead. This streamlined modern fixture captivates with its cherry-red high gloss. Its contemporary lines against the ornate moulding makes my heart sing! They always hit it out of the park. Wait, was that a sports reference?

Round Wall Mirror | Wall-Mounted Vanity | Vanity Mirror | Boucle Ottoman

One of my ultimate favorite additions in this makeover has been my very own vanity! I feel like Grace Kelly when I apply my moisturizer seated on my boucle stool from Article, gazing at my reflection in the astounding 48” round mirror from Rejuvenation. With the addition of a cheap shelf with drawers from Ikea I have created a deco style vanity that makes me think I am twice as beautiful as I actually am. What a blessing! When I saw a smaller version of the mirror at Target I knew I had to incorporate it somehow. I added two to either side of the bed to add some architecture and symmetry. And it just so happens they reflect my prized “layered” gallery wall from every angle.

Tray (vintage) | Vase (vintage) | Mugs | Plate

Black and White Leaning Print

In case you hadn’t noticed, I have an obsession with art. What can I say I like a full wall! The idea for this layered gallery came from pure necessity. What originally started as a regular 2D collection of three or four pieces, I soon started acquiring more and more works. Ultimately the only direction I could go, due to the door and the corner, was out! Using the longest nails I could find at the hardware store and strategically layering smaller pieces onto larger ones, it started to take shape. Occasionally having to use a wad of blue painter’s tape behind certain ones to make sure they hung flush against the other frames. Of course, I had to add my signature toppers throughout the installation, which are basically tiny trinkets that I balance on corners of art everywhere in my house. Making sure my art always relates to each other I stuck with a theme of black and white photography and found objects. I have a piece of coral from the beach, a fall leaf from my stays in New England, sliced agate, a set of ornate earrings… all bringing back special memories every night as I stare at the collection from bed.

Curtains | Framed Ceramic Art

I also love the symmetry of the ceramic knots from Tramp Ceramics I had framed in shadow boxes. They frame the black-edged white curtains from Ikea, that frame my folding screen and my latest daughter, that majestic palm. If there is one thing I learned from assisting Emily Henderson, it’s the power of a tree in a room. The palm adds personality. Potted in a large purple pot with a green moss, she certainly commands attention.

Leather Tray | Pink Glass Catch-All

If there is one thing I believe it the devil is in the details and that was number one when it came to this room. Being able to style with all bold contrasting bright colors was such a fun challenge. When normally I try and unify those items here they all could be unique! My favorites being from Graf Lantz with that leather and peacock wool tray holding some of my collection of vintage lighters. Not to mention that turmeric tote that is my new go-to shopping companion. The antique breakfast tray on my bed is a family heirloom and I have been loving mixing that old-world charm with my new hip handmade coffee cups from HAAND in a stunning celadon. All the little stuff matters! 

The last year has been thrilling and refreshing, required strong communication, filled with passion and excitement, and has been a decent amount of hard work. And I’m not just talking about my relationship with Robert! I can attest both experiences, building a life with him and building a room for us, have been true gifts that have made me a better person. I am so thankful for all the love and support from the man I love and support. xoxo, Cheers!

*Design by Erik Kenneth Staalberg
**Photos by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

The post Erik’s MOTO Bedroom Reveal – Love Is In The Air appeared first on Emily Henderson.

The Link Up: Emily’s Mood Boosting V-Day Rec, The $8 To-Go Cup Mallory Uses Daily, Plus Our Favorite Underwear Is On Sale for $4

It’s a big weekend. Superbowl today & Valentine’s day tomorrow WOWEEE! Who thought to plan those two back-to-back?? I mean what a way to start the week. If you’re throwing down today & having or attending a Superbowl party, hopefully, you’ll have enough left in you for a fun Valentine’s date. Enjoy the game today!! We’re (mostly) an LA-based team over here so we gotta throw in a #gorams. Okay before we get into sports and love day…here are some fun links

This week’s home tour inspired us SO MUCH. Illinois-based designer Candace Griffin updated their home (without turning the entire thing into an immediate construction zone because they had a baby on the way) and it looks BEAUTIFUL. Very sexy/CB2 vibes in the best way. Plus they made an awesome bar wall out of IKEA cabinetry you HAVE to see. Don’t skip this one!

Block Shop (and EHD favorite textile company) just came out with limited edition hand-sewn pillows with Paboy Bojang that are stunning. The chicest ruffle and fringed pillows you may ever see. I mean come on…we’re obsessed.

From Emily: Want something to get you in the mood for V day? My favorite marriage hack is romance novels – Yes, reading books about love/romance, etc does in fact warm you up. If you are new to this genre (welcome) I present to you a contemporary favorite, Beach Read (Kindle/Bookshop), followed closely by The Hating Game (Kindle/Bookshop) and The Roommate (Kindle/Target),  But if you can go full Bridgerton and like a Victorian romance novel (ME!) then start with the Evie Dunsmore series (Kindle/Target) or just dive into Bombshell (Kindle/Bookshop). Don’t be put off by the cover or titles – they are kinda part of the genre and are one big wink. If you have trouble getting in the mood (like all moms I know) and could use some external help, download these (I use my kindle for some of them because admittedly the covers can be cheesy) and I PROMISE your life will be changed.

Forbes Master’s wallpapers Zaire and Namolonga are now being sold on Anthropologie!! They’re so pretty, check them out

From Mallory: I bought these to-go tumblers last year to bring to our communal pool since you can’t bring glass and boy, oh boy I had no idea just HOW much I would use them (far beyond the pool!!). I’ve been trying to walk every morning and I use these for my coffee while I walk and they’re perfect because A. It’s insulated so your coffee stays hot or cold (I do love an iced coffee) and B. There’s easy access to the contents of your glass because there’s no flippy lid where you have to push buttons and stuff just to take a sip (critical if you’re on a walk). I bring them everywhere and for $8 a piece, it’s probably the most affordable insulated to-go cup (that actually works) on the market right now (I bought 4 but easily should have bought 6).

From Jess: I caved and bought my first pair of Lululemon leggings (a $45 gift card may have been the source of my inspiration:)). I have these buttery soft shorts which I love but had yet to go full leg (well 23″ inseam). I was just feeling like I needed a new pair to get me feeling good (plus I have worn a few of my others into the ground). It’s mind-boggling and dumb but don’t we all feel a bit more excited to exercise when we feel a little cute? Anyway, when I saw these electric blue leggings I wanted them to be mine. Technically they are made for running (which I have zero intention of doing) but walking is basically really slow running so it’s fine. But because they are made for running and lots of “friction”, they aren’t that butter-soft material. However, they are extremely supportive and have a little drawstring for those who do run and have “slide down” issues. I followed their size guide closely and got an 8 (again with the 23″ inseam) which is absolutely the smallest I could have gone. Em recommends usually sizing up and I get it. I do like the tighter feel but that’s just my preference. So if you see a gal in bright blue leggings walking the mean streets of Pasadena, it’s probably me!

Also From Jess: I just started following @westaylor and I highly recommend you do the same. His content is warm, calming but also fun. He describes himself as “plant dad, record collector, and occasional foodie.” What’s not to love?!

From Ryann: I’d say every year I find a new favorite pair of jeans and this year these are it. I love the fit, the length, and the fact that they are $30!! I mean what more could I ask for?

From Caitlin: I recently had to fly back to the east coast with a day’s notice and did an AWFUL last-minute packing job. (Like, I forgot to bring a funeral outfit – or anything black!!! – even though I was flying to attend a funeral. Classic.) I forgot undergarments, too (living the dream!!!) but luckily I keep a few pairs of this underwear in the dresser of my childhood home. They’re so comfortable that I went to order a few more and discovered that they’re currently on sale for $3.99 each, down from nearly $12!! I really, really love wearing them. (PS. They’re also Em’s favorite and we actually all reviewed them as a team last year! I gave them a 7/10 at the time but after a few washes, they fit perfectly and they’re now a 10/10 in my book. Highly recommend.)

That’s all we got for ya today. Thanks for stopping by!

Opening Image Credit: Design by Candace Griffin | Photo by Erin Konrath | via Domino

The post The Link Up: Emily’s Mood Boosting V-Day Rec, The $8 To-Go Cup Mallory Uses Daily, Plus Our Favorite Underwear Is On Sale for $4 appeared first on Emily Henderson.

What You Bought Last Month: Soft Towels, Winter Essentials, And A $600 (!!!) Self-Care Splurge

WHO ARE YOU? (Seriously. I’m asking.) Every month, our sales data surprises me in some huge way and LET ME TELL YOU – January was no exception. Before we dive into the top ten sellers of the month, I want to share a few things that alllllllmost made the cut (and then maybe you, too, will echo that earlier sentiment).

Example A of befuddling sales: coming in at #16, we had A SWIMSUIT. And sure, it’s Em’s, and it’s super cute, and it looks great on anyone, but it’s also THE MIDDLE OF WINTER. Where are we going, guys??? (Seriously – I’m asking again. Send me an invite, please.) But wait, there’s more! #19 was a sweet scalloped rug that Ryann linked up nearly A YEAR AGO on a random Sunday. And admittedly, most of your top 10 sellers in January do make a lot of sense (seasonally appropriate clothing! Fresh linens! Quality furniture!), but there is one thing on here that has blown me away solely because of its price tag. Wanna see??? Let’s begin…

10. Black And White Bath Towels

Towels

CUTE. In late January, Mal made a very compelling case for the patterned towel. (Distilled, it was as follows: patterned towels often look a little less gunky than their solid counterparts. There’s a great discussion in the comments about towel maintenance, too.) Mal actually owns these very chic, very classic, very highly-rated patterned towels, and well, the photos in her post kind of speak for themself. They look great in her space and they’ve held up for years – I’m happy to see this one on the list.

9. Lodge Down Duffle Coat

Down Coat

Fun fact: about 90% of our items sold are linked in blog posts (mainly because we don’t share a ton of shoppable links on IG stories – we normally link back to the site instead). This parka is an exception, though! Em got this piece for Christmas and ended up shooting a real-time review after a month of wear. Her thoughts: it’s lightweight, fleece-lined up top (so she only has to wear a t-shirt underneath!), and super warm (great for brisk days – may be too hot for those almost-spring afternoons). She’s a size 4-6 and grabbed a small, but suggests sizing up if you plan on layering any weighty pieces underneath.

8. Rapid Dry Lisse Hair Towel

Hair Towel

Hello, dark horse. Em shared a link to this hair towel in her blowdrying dissertation and wrote, “This hair towel is great and apparently reduces drying time 50%.” This was confirmed(-ish) by Arlyn, who agreed that the towel did make her hair dry faster, though she estimated that it reduced time by 30%. A great product to look at if you, like me, have room for improvement in your hairstyling routine!

7. Houndstooth Check Coat

Coat

Returning to the office can feel kind of nightmarish, but a cute coat sure may make the transition a little easier! (Or, uh, at least it could brighten your spirits, which may help? Maybe?) Anyway – Mal Gal linked up this great option and shared some more details with me: “I love this coat so very much because it’s the perfect houndstooth pattern (some of them get weird IMHO) and it can literally MAKE an outfit. It has a fun looser fit and definitely runs on the bigger side. I LOVE how it looks with a mini skirt or with tall boots!! It’s big enough to layer sweaters under but also light enough where you can easily transition it into spring.”

6. Oversized Faux Shearling Jacket

Jacket

Wanna grab a faux shearling jacket? Correction: want to grab a shearling jacket that won’t cost an entire paycheck? I hereby present to you an $18 option (yes, it’s currently on super sale!) discovered and vouched for by EHD’s finest (read: Jess Bunge. Yes, this is my new nickname for her. No, she doesn’t know about it). When I slacked her to ask about this jacket, she wrote back “I love how sporty and cool I feel in it,” which is really all that matters to me. SOLD.

5. Waterproof Knee High Platform Boot

Boots

DAMN, OK. The 90s have called and apparently, we have all answered the phone. Last month, Ryann walked us through the return of the tall boot, shared a ton of great outfit ideas, and rounded up some of the best and most comfortable options on the market right now. I’m usually more of a traditionalist when it comes to high boots – loyal to my 10-year -old Fryes over here! – but I could see myself coming around and learning to love a lug sole. Thoughts???

Update: Mal Gal previewed this post and she actually owns these bad boys! Here’s what she slacked me about them: “They’re waterproof, super comfortable, and have a slightly wider calf (but not too wide).” These are growing on me by the minute, pals!!!

4. Waffle Bath Towel

Towels

Ooooooh. Guys, these are GOOD – only $15, soft, quick-drying, and beautiful. I love the natural, graphic, organic texture that a waffle towel can bring to an otherwise cold or sterile space. Crawling into a dark shower at 5 AM on a cold winter morning isn’t so bad when you have something cozy to wrap yourself in afterward, you know?

3. Upholstered Swivel Chair

Chair

Three weeks ago, Jess Bunge walked us through the 18 best pieces from Studio McGee’s Target collection and this chair was a total standout – it’s shockingly affordable, super refined, and very versatile. Also, it swivels! If you’re craving the look of a Sixpenny chair but you’re working within a smaller budget, this is a great option.

2. Cabinet With Sliding Doors

Cabinet

Another Studio McGee x Target pick from our uber-stylish, always-ahead-of-trends editorial director! Jess said it best: “I love the sliding doors, the natural wood-toned shelves and paneling that contrasts the light exterior, the brass hardware. It’s truly special and looks so high-end. Granted, this piece is on the pricier side for Target but so much cheaper than anything similar on the market.”

1. Infrared Sauna Blanket

Infrared Sauna Blanket

COLOR ME SHOCKED. (Like, seriously.) This high-tech, splurge-worthy invention was our second-best selling item of 2021 and at this rate, I think it may end up topping the 2022 list, too. In case you missed it, catch up with Em’s sauna blanket review (spoiler: she’s a big fan) and then meet me in the comments to discuss – would you drop that much on a personal sauna? I’m starting to consider it…

As always, I love putting these posts together because it’s fun to lift the curtain a little bit – I like when you can see the information that we can see, especially when it’s this surprising and interesting! Sharing kind of makes it feel like you’re also part of our team, you know? (I know it’s mushy and earnest, but it’s also honest!!!) ANYWAY. Have a great weekend, OK? We’ll see ya back here tomorrow. xx

Opening Image Credits: Design by Jess Bunge | Styled by Emily Bowser | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: The Feel-Good Modern Romantic Bedroom Makeover Jess Did For Her Dear Friend (All Thanks To The Company Store)

The post What You Bought Last Month: Soft Towels, Winter Essentials, And A $600 (!!!) Self-Care Splurge appeared first on Emily Henderson.

EHD $150 Budget Closet Org Challenge Reveals – Did We Succeed??

The EHD team is back and ready to accept our awards for the Closet Org Olympics. This challenge truly tested all of us but we are better and our closets are more organized for it. To recap, our fearless leader Jess came up with the idea to have us each organize our closets for under $150 in 4 weeks. It turns out we all needed this challenge to kickstart our organizational skills and break the clutter spell. Now our day of reckoning has come so if you are curious how we each fared in this challenge, you are in the right place. I’ll start.

Ryann

I am awarding myself the status of partial success. I didn’t magically procure more closet space (weird????) and my “afters” are not the most satisfying, but I did my best to capitalize the space I do have. That was indeed the goal but I don’t feel 100% satisfied (and I did kind of cheat –more on that below). But let’s rewind and start from the beginning.

Before

Here is our dark and ominous before. To reiterate the pain points as if they aren’t plain to see, the top shelf storage was a dumping ground for sweatshirts, blankets, and old puzzles. The space wasn’t used efficiently and with a tiny closet, every inch counts.

This is a never-before-seen picture of the closet floor. The secret is out! Our closet floor is a mess and before this challenge, I hadn’t seen the back of our closet in a while. Oh, the closet shame is real.

Finally, we have this clothing rack because our small closet doesn’t come close to cutting it. It’s the first thing you see when you walk into our room and like I said in the intro post, it could be better. My main goal was to clean this area up so at least we have less of an eyesore to look at every day.

Now let’s see how I did:

After

I am pretty happy with this. I bought the fabric bins for sweatshirt storage and fit as many as possible I used these compression bags. I was able to fit 8 sweatshirts in each bin which is great but there is a catch. Obviously, they are not the most accessible so I had to choose what sweatshirts and other articles of clothing we want to keep but don’t wear as often. It’s not the best system in the world but it is the best system for the closet situation we have.

I bought the open stackable clear bins last minute as advised by Mallory who might as well be the spokesperson for these bins. They are expensive at $22 but they are the best solution for sweaters and long sleeve shirts. They are open in the front so everything is accessible and easy to grab and put back away.

So here’s where I cheated a bit. Rocky and I have big winter coats that took up too much space but we live in LA so we rarely need them. We don’t want to give them away so the solution I came up with is to store them at my parent’s house. They live 30 minutes away so anytime we are going somewhere cold we can easily pick them up. And if we do get a blizzard in LA I guess we will just have to live with this decision.

Once I removed the huge winter coats, clearing up the closet floor became a much easier task. I actually discovered blankets and shoes I had forgotten about as a treat for my hard work!! With this area, I really had to move things around and try my best to store things efficiently. Some items I was able to move into our dresser as that space opened up. I moved blankets into one of our bathroom cabinets (the struggle is real) and any lingering clothing I folded and put into this underbed storage bag. I felt like I was playing real-life Tetris for like a day and a half but the result is that my closet is at least 5 x more organized.

This is probably my biggest success story. I needed to maximize shoe storage and on a whim bought this shoe rack. It ended up fitting perfectly on top of the clothing rack, creating a 2 tier shoe storage solution. This helped alleviate a lot of the shoe clutter. Next, I bought these hangers so visually the rack appears more uniform and organized. We try to hang our everyday sweaters, pants, and jackets here so they are easily accessible and that way the rack doesn’t get overcrowded. I also replaced our laundry basket with a collapsable one that is a little more pleasing to the eye. Finally, I ended up folding and stacking my jeans on the side shelf which freed up an entire drawer in my dresser.

So did I fulfill the challenge?? I’d say somewhat but the truth is in the numbers:

Storage Compression Bag – $20
Shoe Rack – $32
Underbed Storage – $9
Fabric Bin x 2 – $20
Hangers – $22
Laundry Basket – $18
Clear Sweater Bins x 2 – $44
GRAND TOTAL: $165

Not the most satisfying before and afters this blog has seen but it’s a start. Perhaps I need a true professional to help me but at least our storage is functioning a little better for our everyday needs. Hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day, right?

Now let’s move on to the rest of the team, but first: a fun video

Jess

I highly recommend forcing your friends and coworkers into an organizing challenge. I am SO much happier now that my closet is organized, functions WAY better, and is simply nicer to look at. Let’s get into the process and details…

Before

As a refresh, this was the before. Not terrible but not as functional as I wanted. The “floor bin” was a messy bummer but housed items I needed every day (like underwear). I also had random things like lampshades that didn’t need to be in this closet and bins that didn’t really work well for what I needed (they were repurposed in another closet). Anyway, enough with the past and let me show you how it looks now:)

After

TADA! New year, muuuuch better closet. I did a little Marie Kondo action and took everything off those shelves (top and sides) to decide what needed to stay, what should go in a different closet, and what should be donated. I tried to be smart and cutthroat with myself about what I actually used and wanted to keep.

You might also notice that the shoe situation is a lot better. That’s where most of my “cutthroat-ness” came into play. It felt great to purge and one thing I decided to do for myself was take the shoes I was keeping that needed to be cleaned, reheeled, or otherwise fixed up to my local shoe repair shop. It was only three pairs with the added purchase of a shoe cleaner to save money cleaning other pairs myself. I think this is such a good reminder to take care of/repair the things we already own before they are unfixable. Especially shoes since we can wear them down to the point of no return. A new heel sole is a lot cheaper and more sustainable than a new pair.

If you were wondering where all those books came from, the answer is the cardboard boxes in the before photos. Much better right? Also, those hats were taking up PRIME real estate on that first shelf, so I just took some nails I had and hung those puppies up on the wall. I also LOVE those striped bins. They feel really solid for fabric bins and I decided to choose the smaller and non-lidded option (there are multiple options in this pattern) so that they are really easy to grab off and put back on.

I can’t tell you what this cubby system has meant to my life and back. Way less bending over:) The actual cubbies were easy to build and crazy affordable. Also, how cute are those round bins?! Are they maximizing the full extent of the cubby space? No. But I love how they look, mixing up those shapes, which to me was more important and still fit my needs. Lastly, the cubby cabinet was the perfect size/height to put my yoga mat and block on top with enough space to fit my suitcase next to it. Extremely satisfying.

Here’s how much this all cost:

Striped Fabric Bin x 6 – $78
Plastic Bin x 2 – $20
Round Bin x 4 – $40
Cubbie Storage – $28
GRAND TOTAL: $166 (oops! $16 over)

I did go a little over but I love everything I got so I’m ok with my rule-breaking behavior. I also thought it would be fun to show you what’s in these secret bins:

And here are a couple more before and afters because it’s fun to see. It’s not going to be featured in any magazines but all I wanted was a nicer and more organized space. Check and check.

Mallory

There was great success, but with a huge catch (and I apologize in advance)…

BeforeAfterOriginal Plan:

Laundry Hamper – $60
Hanging Shoe Storage – $20
Bins x 8 – $70
GRAND TOTAL: $150

Perfectly on budget, so well planned out. Everything was going to be great right? WRONG. SO WRONG. But we’ll get there…let me explain. So, the original plan was to get some new bins that were tall enough to cover the stack of clothes that truly went to the ceiling and bothered me so much but here’s what that ended up looking like:

First off, they didn’t fix the clothes stacked to the ceiling/over the bin problem, and second WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS IN THERE. Like it was just an abyss of clothes in each bin that would immediately get unfolded and wadded up and thrown around…I thought about labeling the bins, but it wouldn’t solve the problem where all of our stuff at the bottom of the bin would just never get worn bc we had no idea what was down there. It could’ve been anything. Plus, the bins were so tall (12 inches high) and were at the top of our closet already so we couldn’t even reach them. And we needed so many that they were shoved shoulder-to-shoulder and it was unspeakably hard to grab them and take them down/put them back up. Then Chase (my boyfriend) turned one of them on its side so he could actually see and reach for his clothes (understandably) and it got me thinking:

Maybe we could find some bins that open out to the side so we can access them?? I would have done shelf dividers, but I wanted to use my vertical space and be able to stack bins on top of each other (for example, light denim and darker denim stacked on top of each other, and not side by side in order save space in our closet) But what about the problem of the stack being too tall and us being not able to grab the stuff out from the bottom/middle of the stack?? Then I found EXACTLY what I was looking for via Pinterest:

Video Source

WHAT ARE THESE MAGICAL BINS??? I HAD TO KNOW. They’re from The Container Store (of course) and they’re not cheap. I repeat NOT CHEAP. I looked at this and thought “oh these are perfect” then looked at the price tag and I was like “oh there’s no way” so I scoured the internet for hours. HOURS I TELL YOU. I think I must have dedicated 6 hours to looking for bins before I just said screw it, what if I just find a coupon??? A $26 off coupon and my mental sanity was enough for me to finally add them to cart.

Before Before New BinsAfter New Bins

Now if you didn’t click on that bin link and figure out the price by now, I’ll drop the number. Each bin is $21.99 and I needed at least 8 to hold our clothes, so the grand total (with coupon) was $149 for the bins. Now a part of me is still mad I spent $149 on closet bins and therefore went drastically over budget (I mean the bins are the whole budget, I know) but I could literally find no other option that had the right dimensions & stackability for what we needed.

Now what we really NEED is a big dresser, like you guys addressed in the comments of the last post, but there’s no room for one in our studio apartment, so I made the decision to invest in nice bins since this would be serving as our dresser for as long as we live here. It had to be AS functional as possible. So, now that you know I went massively over budget due to some dumb bins (that actually work great though and solved a lot of our problems) here is the final price breakdown:

So Here’s What Actually Happened:

Laundry Hamper – $60
Hanging Shoe Storage – $20
Bins x 8 – $70 (then returned half of them) – $35
Bin Pivot/Money Dump: 4 Pack Stacking Sweater Bins x 2 – $174 (and then I used a coupon so -$26) – $149
GRAND TOTAL: $264 (BIG OOPS. I AM SORRY TO BOTH MYSELF AND THE READERS HERE THAT MY WHOLE BUDGET WENT TO SOME BINS)

Seriously though, if anyone has a version of these bins for cheaper (and not a shelf divider or a pantry size) please comment them below because it was a struggle & I’d love to help others find this kind of thing at a more affordable price. Okay moving on to the other problems I finally fixed (and for actually very cheap)!!!

The Shoe Problem – SOLVED

I have to give a HUGE shoutout to commenter, Ijeoma who gave me the idea to mount some of my everyday shoes on the wall. This has helped keep them off the ground in such a big way! Plus now it’s so much easier to just grab what we need and go. 10/10 love it, plus the over-the-door/wall mount shoe rack was only $20 so it was a VERY easy solution. Also a big shoutout to commenter, Allison who gave me the challenge of pairing down to only my matching black hangers – challenge accepted!! I ended up donating a bunch of clothes and shoes and I am SO happy to have less things. Now as a reminder here’s what our shoe situation looked like before:

And here’s what it looks like now!

Also, you might remember, all of my shoes were in this little hiding spot in the corner of the closet…well let’s take a look at where we’re at now:

No More Secret Messy Shoe Hiding Spot – Solvedbefore | after

Here’s the dealey-o. The shoe rack on the wall only holds 18 pairs of shoes (which is certainly not enough for 2 people) and it also only holds tennis shoes & sandals. AKA our more ‘everyday’ shoe items. SO WHERE THE HECK DO BOOTS AND HEELS GO? My answer: on a separate shoe rack in the back corner of the closet You might remember, I originally had 2 shoe racks side by side on the ground back here, but once we put the shoe rack up on the wall and the hamper in the back I had an extra one I didn’t know what to do with. I ended up putting one shoe rack behind the other for the ‘hardly ever worn shoes I can’t get rid of (aka fancy heels).’ It ended up working out perfectly because there’s room if I A. ever buy new pairs of shoes and B. it ended up lining up perfectly with the hamper. This leads me to my next exciting solution:

The Hamper And Bag Storage Problem – Solved

So you might remember originally, we had a hook situation that just wasn’t working out. It looked a little something like this:

Originally we had 2 hooks side by side: one for the hamper and one for bags, but the hamper got too heavy and the hook fell out of the wall so our laundry’s been living on the floor ever since (really cool, I know). We were in need of a hamper but just didn’t have the space for a big one, so we ended up doing some layout changes and I found a pull out hamper that I put in the back of the closet like so:

I love this hamper SO MUCH. The functionality of this works so much better and for only $60 it beats the heck out of doing a custom pull-out. I love this hamper for 3 huge reasons: 1. It has separate places for lights and darks so we don’t have to separate them out anymore 2. They pull out so you don’t have to see the top of the gross laundry and 3. They have a little shelf on top that was the perfect size for our weekender/duffle bags that we’ve had a hard time figuring out where to store. I AM IN LOVE. Oh and if you’re curious, yes the pull-out bags do pull all the way out so you can pick them up and bring them over to the washer/dryer which is awesome. This was probably some of the best $$ spent. It has made our lives SO much easier.

I know what you’re wondering…what happened to the rest of the bags???

See that lil bin in the corner? Those are all my bags!! Truly I rarely use these bags and they were renting some PRECIOUS real estate they could no longer pay. Well, they got evicted and we moved them to the back (which I am so happy about). Originally, I thought I would need to build a shelf for them but for cost reasons & the fact that I had so much more space once I got the clear stacking bins from the container store, this ended up being the perfect spot for them.

Emily

I’ll be honest that coming up with an organizational system for our rental closet is probably one of my lower priorities in life right now. Sure, the mess is annoying but I mostly wear athleisure (peloton + writing from home + site visits + dog walking = no outfits) so I’m not as annoyed with it as most people would be. I was more ashamed to show you:) So honestly I didn’t spend too much time on the front end ‘designing’ or coming up with a strategy. I’m sure there are ways this could have been done better, but the 2 hours of brain space that I could have spent on it was spent on much more pressing is

Before

I know that I’ve published myself in a bikini on the internet but this is far more embarrassing. No system = chaos. It’s a big closet, too so there is a decent amount of potential.

FYI I had shipped most of my ‘city’ clothes and shoes from LA directly up here (not to Lake Arrowhead) so I recently unpacked them and was appalled at the sheer amount of clothes and shoes I have right now. I did a quick purge (my sister is begging for hand-me-downs) and it helped.

Apparently, this is where Charlie keeps the soccer ball. Sure. So two days ago I went to Target and did some quick purchasing.

After

HOW SATISFYING. This is now Brian’s side (rod-speaking) with his T-shirts and sweaters in the hanging canvas shelf and his button-downs on the left. We have a dresser in our bedroom that is mostly his, so this is just a small amount of his clothes. I could certainly have folded his stuff better, but I simply didn’t feel like it. The jeans up top are the ones that I like enough to keep even though they don’t currently fit me. I figure I’ll give myself till fall to see if I can get into them again and if not, SEE YA.

I bought a couple more of those wood bins which I strangely love. They are half bin/half shelf, so they stack, are easily accessible, and keep the mess inside. I use these for my workout clothes (which I wear all the time because I also walk the dogs 2 hours a day). So from top left we have workout shorts, pajama sets, workout pants, and workout T-shirts. P.S. I think I’m the only person who bought a Peloton in 2022 (post-pandemic sales have plummeted) after using my neighbors since September and loving it. I’m trying out almost every instructor to do a post about ‘my favorite instructors with SPECIFIC class recommendations’ (i.e. if I’m in a bad mood I know I can do ________ and the music makes me so happy, etc).

ALSO, I stuffed my tall boots with rolled-up magazines and it changed my life.

I got an over-the-door shoe holder to get 1/2 of those “city shoes” off the ground. Such a quick/fast solution that took away my shoe shame.

The biggest difference is obviously the sweater storage in the hanging canvas shelves. I LOVE THESE and I’m so glad that I didn’t buy a piece of garbage dresser (fun design fact – cheap dressers are the one piece of furniture that I really try not to buy because they simply don’t hold up long-term). I scoured Craigslist and FB marketplace for a couple of weeks to see if I could find a small dresser for in here, but I couldn’t bring myself to buy anything ugly or expensive unless I saw myself using it at the farm. So these shelves are GREAT because I know that I can use them in a kids’, guest, or linen closet. Also, I organized by color which is ALWAYS satisfying.

I am VERY glad that the girls forced me to do this closet challenge. All it took was one stop (Target) for the hanging shelves, bins, shoe holder, and those black velvet hangers. It gave me an excuse to listen to a podcast (I started Broken Harts – OOF) and I now carry around less closet shame. I probably went over the budget, but who’s counting? (answer: Ryann)

Large Stackable Wood Bins x 4 – $80
Over The Door Shoe Organizer – $17
Hanging Fabric Storage Organizer x 4 – $48
GRAND TOTAL: $145

Ok, that’s all! Are you inspired? Got any more fun ideas? Would you like more of these “real-life” budget org challenges? Let’s chat.

Opening Image Credit: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: A Bedroom & Closet Reveal with Target’s Made by Design Line

The post EHD $150 Budget Closet Org Challenge Reveals – Did We Succeed?? appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Mel’s MOTO Reveal – It’s The Breath Of Minimalist, Uncluttered Air We All Need

Hi readers, it’s me Mel! (aka Melanie Burstin). I’m on the blog today to finally share my fully decorated first home. As a quick reminder, I’m an LA-based interior designer who once worked with Emily Henderson for a very fun few years and just recently (eek 10 months ago) bought my first home. It’s a TIC so if you want to go back and remind yourself what that is, and/or remind yourself what my plans were so you can see if I stuck to them or completely jumped ship…here’s my intro post. 

As I just mentioned, this project has taken me 10 months! I am going to go ahead and blame Covid for a lot of the delays but I’ll also blame some personal indecision as well. I’m definitely my pickiest client and man did I want this space to be perfect. Thankfully along the way, I’ve enjoyed every single second of living here and it really does feel like home. It’s perfect to me and for that, I’m grateful and excited to share. 

Sofa (custom) | Coffee Table (custom) | Pendant | Sconce (vintage)

So, let’s start with the living room and the amazing corner sectional I teased in my intro post. You guys, it is a big, big life move to have your first sectional. I would say it is ‘peak adulting’. Yes, we only sit in the same corner spot but man oh man is that corner spot comfy. I would be remiss if I did not thank my amazing OG mentor Rosa Beltran for helping me make the perfect sofa for this space. I wanted something that felt unique but also simple enough to not be crazy or trendy and I knew the perfect place to have a sofa like this made was with Clad Home. Clad Home offers the most custom options and the highest quality at the lowest prices. I work with them on pretty much every client project I have. They have countless sofa designs that I love, and then you can also just tweak everything for either style or personal comfort purposes if you so desire.

Lumbar Pillow | Solid Pillow | Striped Pillow (unavailable)

For my sofa, I went a bit off from the usual and skipped having an upholstered frame. It ended up being a fun little problem-solving exercise for us but I think it turned out great. I wanted the sleek look of a cushion right on the wood but I also wanted to make sure the cushion wouldn’t slide out every time someone sat down. I can happily say that does not happen and instead every single person (no exaggeration) immediately comments on how comfortable it is. I also just want to add that though I am so far from perfect in the world of sustainability I do try to be conscious about what I decorate my home with. For the most part, you’ll see I use custom or vintage almost exclusively. Yes, it’s because that’s often a hella stylish combination, but, it’s also the least gross? One thing I love about Clad Home is that their furniture is made in LA under ethical working conditions. Unlike most customers of Clad, I’ve even personally been to the factory and I can definitely attest that it’s true. This means a lot to me and I’m grateful Rosa cares enough to scale her business in a socially conscious way. Thank you Rosa for your help with this super comfy sectional of my dreams. And yes, I absolutely know that shopping consciously is a luxury not always available to consumers at all price points but I’m grateful I was able to take that into account and can encourage others to do the same if they’re able.

Frame TV | TV Art | Rug (unavailable) | Media Cabinet (custom)

As for the rest of my living room, I ended up keeping my old rug because it’s still one of my favorite rugs on the market and my custom-designed media cabinet came out exactly how I had hoped it would. It feels perfectly modern and warm to me. I love the scale of the wide doors and the fun open corners where I get to style my ever-growing book collection. I think we could say old Mel was obsessed with pretty pottery – current Mel is obsessed with pretty books. I also purchased my first frame TV which has been fun (especially when my neighbors and I try to connect to each other by accident) and I enlisted one of my BFFs and favorite artists/graphic designers Wyatt Carroll to create some tv art for me. He made a few others as well so my intention is to rotate them though I keep falling back to this cutie drawing I love so much. I also reached out to one of my favorite LA furniture makers Waka Waka and had a very simple custom coffee table made. I love their work. It’s chic, it’s simple and it’s warm (yes my three favorite things). Shin was also so so nice and the table was locally made to boot. 

Dining Set (vintage)

In the space next to my living room, we have my dining area. Now, this was a spot in my intro post where I said I really had no idea what to do. I did a bunch of layout tests with a folding table and thought I had maybe figured out a very specific table size I liked and then thankfully the solution found me… while I was aggressively hunting for it. So pretty much every morning during this decorating period I would search and search and search for vintage furniture and accessories. I’m an early riser so imagine my morning coffee spent in bed clicking between Etsy, Chairish, 1stDibs, and Instagram. Going to take another quick pause here to thank two of my BFFs, Wyatt and Remi, for whom I am so grateful for not dropping me to the curb when they had to wake up to 14 links from me every morning because I was up way before them and annoyingly sharing everything as I found it. Y’all are the best and I think it’s so funny that so many of my closest friends are from Seattle. Anyone up there want to hire me to help with their house so I can see what all the fuss is about?

Anyway, I digress, so that’s how I found my dining set. On good old Instagram. One of the many vintage accounts I follow posted my table and chairs and to say I responded in under 5 seconds was probably an understatement. It turns out they were posted by mistake but my quick intensity and over dm-ing sealed the deal anyway. They weren’t perfect but I knew I could make them be and I wouldn’t have to wait 11 weeks for them to ship across an ocean because they were already in LA. A fair amount of my indecision here was because I found my dream table in France and they just wouldn’t ship it to me because it would take too long and be too much money. I struggled to get over it. But anyway, I found my Alvar Aalto table locally and then I had the top repainted and the seats of the chairs changed as well. The chairs had this dark navy seat that wasn’t my style. I thought it would look fine to just paint the seats brown so I went to my awesome lacquering team and said ‘just match the tone of the wood please’ and then they airbrushed wood grain on the seat and now they look like real wood seats! I’m of course happy with the outcome but, I also think it’s hilarious. On top of the table, I placed a vintage Ikea table lamp from Etsy and then my favorite piece of flea market art that I have self-titled ‘Shirt Boy’ is gloriously shown off above. Cute, everything in this nook is vintage.

Shoe Cabinet (custom) | Ball Hooks

Right beside my dining area is my entry. I love the feel of having this big open sunny room but it does mean that once you walk into the space, you walk into the space. I’m a no-shoes-in-the-house girl and it is freezing in LA during the winter (I’m joking mom, I know it’s colder on the east coast!) so I needed somewhere to put my shoes and coats. Now this area is really small and apparently seeing clutter gives me anxiety so I knew I needed small closed storage; um yeah, in comes another custom piece of furniture! I feel like everyone knows the cool Ikea shoe cabinets that are narrow and somehow drop down to house shoes right? Well, I took that idea and tried to make it chicer. I sent my rough sketch to AD BUSCH, a custom furniture maker in Portland that I had actually found through Etsy last year, and asked if they thought they could make it happen (in my very very tight parameters). Aaron said he could definitely figure out the mechanism and then once renderings were approved, he quickly shipped me the finished cabinet and it was the first big moment that felt like I was close to wrapping up my home. No more piles of stuff by the door! AD Busch was super fun to work with, their drawings were clear and they truly worked really fast. I’m using a reception table they made for me in another project I hope to photograph soon and can’t wait to show y’all. Anyway, on top of this dope cabinet I placed a ceramic bowl I bought in Japan many years ago and a vintage mirror from Etsy (I do love you Etsy… sponsor me Etsy). For the final touches, I got these simple ball hooks and hung up my favorite jacket that I’ve been wearing almost every day all ‘winter’. 

Now, on the other side of the entry we have the space that I believe has gone through the biggest transformation; the kitchen. In my intro post you’ll see I was focusing on a lack of storage space, a lack of counter space, and a cute but not quite me ‘farmhouse vibe’. I had shown a mockup of flat face kitchen cabinets and thought that would be enough modernizing but, I ended up really going for it. Firstly I realized that living with butcher block countertops was not for me. I’m using them in a project that’s a vacation house because I think in a smaller usage they’re lovely to look at and totally usable, but for every day with me spilling water every time I use my fancy pitcher, I was just over it. Again, I don’t dislike butcher block counters, I think they’re so cute! Just wasn’t right for me and my everyday. So as I realized I wanted to change out the counters, I saw that I would then have a white on white kitchen which is super nice but again didn’t feel completely me. This is where the spiral ensued. I decided to change the countertop to a nice white pental quartz and… add wood faces to my existing cabinets to warm it all up. I had a custom island built for me that holds my dishes, as well as my pantry goods (another very adult move is dishes in a drawer right?), and I added a fun little shelving unit on the back to show off the aforementioned pottery and book collections. Thank you to everyone who commented on my intro post with all your ideas for how to switch out the cabinet faces! Between realizing I wanted wood (and therefore a very nuanced finish) and needing an Island (in very specific dimensions for my tiny kitchen), custom ended up being the only way.

Art

After my tiny reno, I then switched out the sconce to a vintage one I found on Etsy (I am in fact a broken record) and purchased a beautiful painting by artist Jack Paffett that I found on my morning internet dives. When Tessa came over to photograph everything I kinda realized that styling kitchens may be one of my favorite activities. (Call me Nancy Meyers.) I know there’s nothing groundbreaking about this kitchen facelift but it’s warm, it’s me, and man do I love it. As much as bold design choices are exciting, when a kitchen is open to the rest of the space I always think less is more. So that’s what I did.  

Chair (vintage) | Desk (custom)

The first room off of my kitchen has officially been transformed into my office and wow am I loving working at a big desktop computer with all my stuff and samples away in their specific homes. I hand sketched my dream desk and my amazing carpenters made a digital rendering and then made it happen. I love plywood and I hope one day I’m one of those cool people who live in a completely plywood box. I understand if you’re not for the vibe, but it’s a vibe I’m really into. My chair is vintage from Drosemod.com and Rarify.co who have really really nice quality vintage goods. I can’t remember how I first found them but now they’re a great vintage source for my projects. They also focus on sharing the importance of vintage pieces and the backgrounds of tons of vintage designers. I love the shape of this chair and I know a lot of people are sticklers for comfort in the office and I have to say, this chair is super comfy and I can use it for hours. 

Storage Cabinet (custom)

On the other side of my office, we have what some have called the ‘piece de resistance’. My gorgeous Reform custom storage cabinet. Nothing brings me joy like organizing. OK wait, that’s a lie but I did really enjoy organizing the inside of the cabinets as much as I enjoyed designing the outside. So first I found Reform online, immediately fell in love, made an appointment at their Santa Monica showroom, and went to touch and feel everything in person. I then designed a piece I thought would fit my needs (taking piles of crap off the floor) and had Reform help me confirm the correct pieces and details. A few weeks later I was so excited and home alone for the delivery that I then carried about 16 enormous boxes up the stairs by myself, broke into a huge sweat, and then immediately bumped into someone I wanted to think I was cool. It was a whirlwind 30 minutes but I was stoked to be one step closer to having it come together. Next up I had my amazing handyman (aka co-worker I spend the most time with), Edgar, come over to help me assemble it. We hit a few potential worry moments because my house is old and I would say not one wall is straight? But he did an amazing job and very quickly assembled the piece and attached it to the wall for safety purposes. 

Green Check Towels | Print

I really love the open cubbies I included (my surprise secret design element from my intro post). I knew I had a fair amount of styling bits to store so I thought it would be fun to have some open cubbies for my bigger pottery pieces to shine. But then ‘new me’ said no, you need books and that is how this beautiful little corner came together. The print next to it is by KJP Studio. I purchased it a few years ago (before the awesome Lisa Says Gah collaborations) but I hadn’t found the right place to hang it in my old house. The stool is from my trip to Japan (also a few years ago) where I brought an empty suitcase and then returned home with it completely filled with bowls, plates, trays, and the aforementioned stool. I had a lot of fun styling the desk portion of this room as well. You’ll see more cute books and um a lamp from Etsy, a lamp from Instagram, and a vintage Japanese radio from Etsy that I love way too much. Sorry, these aren’t linkable but maybe you’ll become a crazy person like me and start hunting Etsy every day at 6 am? 

Bed (custom)

Dresser (vintage)

Let’s move to the bedroom now. I love this room so much. It’s sunny, it’s bright, it’s happy…it’s also small and a little hard to photograph. There’s not too much different from my original plan but, I did have some things arrive that ended up not feeling right, so that was a bit of a delay/roller coaster. But first, let’s start with what went right. The custom bed I designed is exactly what I wanted. It’s slightly more off the ground than my last bed but it’s still low, calming, and comfy. My vintage dresser from Etsy has an amazing patina and I had a whole lot of fun styling it. Can you name the incredible/famous/world-renowned artist that’s accredited for the painting above it? Kidding. It was me. It was a DIY in my friend’s backyard. I wanted something bold but simple that added a small pop of color. Sometimes when you have something too specific in your mind all you can do is bring it to life. 

Nightstand | Rug | Table Lamp (vintage) | Art by Patrice Dworkin

My nightstands are also a huge success. I love having storage by my bed! Hello, easily accessible hand lotion, lip balm, and kindle. I mentioned this in my intro post but they’re by the awesome Domenic Fiorello Studio. The wood tone is so perfect. I feel like sometimes white oak can be too washed out for me (which is why I often go custom) but these nightstands are the perfect warmth. They’re also so well made and stylish to boot. Loving the open cubbies for my book problem and then I also styled them with some vintage lamps from 1stDibs that I am obsessed with. 

Bedding (off-white)

But before I found these amazing chrome and cream lamps, we hit problem number one for this room. The first pair of vintage lamps I purchased ended up feeling really small and just weren’t right. One of them also arrived shattered so though we (not perfectly) glued it back together I just already wasn’t feeling them in the space anymore. I still love the lamps though and that’s why the nondamaged one is in my office bookcase. Problem number two was the rug. I wanted a fun rug but unfortunately, it turns out I am not fun. Kidding. But, the first rug I purchased ended up really skewing my room a bit too 70s and though I was obsessed with how fluffy it felt, I knew it wasn’t quite right. I guess I’m not a shag girl. (By the way, this is not something I would do with clients but I was trying to take more left-field risks for myself). I then did another typical me thing where I had an exact idea of the perfect rug in my head that I was completely unable to find. I searched and searched and searched, and then found it on Etsy! But unfortunately, though I live and breathe Etsy, and I know there is an inherent risk with buying rugs without seeing them in person, this took the cake. In comes problem number 3. I purchased my dream rug and eagerly awaited its arrival. Except when the time came to unroll it and put it under my bed, I realized it was a completely different rug than the one I ordered. I thought I was going crazy because it had been a while so I barely remembered what I had ordered. I had a small inclination that I wouldn’t have bought this rug (because it wasn’t cute) so I went back and took screenshots of the listing just so I could do a side-by-side with the rug I physically had to see if there was anything off. Um, everything was off. Completely different texture. Completely different color. I of course then messaged the seller and said, ‘um hey, did you send me the wrong rug this isn’t right?’. They then said it was the exact same rug and that no one has ever complained before about it being different. And of course, guess what then happened…the original post was deleted. I then messaged back saying that I actually have side-by-side photos and you can see that this rug is grey and the one I ordered was cream (cough cough and a completely different weave and border and therefore a completely different rug). Eventually, I got a complete refund and I felt annoyingly guilty about it. I was duped! But, they managed to make me feel bad about wanting a refund from a small family-run company (not sure if that’s true but they did get me a little). Anyway, I do believe when you buy something that something is what should arrive. I eventually found exactly the rug I had been looking for all along from EQ3. My goal was something textured but not the kind of rugs that look like little pebble knots. That felt too similar to my living room and I wanted something softer. I’m obsessed with this one so all the hubbub is so far in the past. 

Wait, kidding we have problem number 4! Well, not really a problem but definitely something that took a whole lot of effort. As you know I am obsessed with the windows in my house. And even though I am an early riser I did feel like having no window treatments was too bright for me. My windows are quaint and small but unfortunately, that means that almost every company I reached out to said they were too small. Next in my saga of wanting something specific, I decided that since I had so many windows I really would need the treatments to be soft and lovely. So Japanese Shoji paper roll-up blinds became the goal. I scoured the internet but unfortunately due to covid apparently the one place everyone in the world gets them from wholesale was completely back-ordered in perpetuity. Thankfully I found someone in the UK who had some they could send to me. Unfortunately though, they were not the right size for my tiny windows but after some quick math and logistics I realized I could trim them down and make them work. The shades arrived, I purchased a Japanese hand saw (these things are amazing!) and had my favorite detail-oriented friend Wyatt come over to help (he is the actual best). First, we used an Exacto knife to carefully cut the paper down to the correct width and then we took the saw and carefully trimmed each end of the wood at the top and bottom. The first one took a bit of trial and error but from there things moved along and I am obsessed with how they turned out. Did I mention that every window was a slightly different size? That was fun too. 

Last but not least we have my little outdoor area that has turned out to be a dream. One of my besties has already copied it for her porch and as you know, imitation is the best form of flattery. Not too much has changed from my intro post since this was the first area to be pulled together. My cushions arrived, I put some throw pillows out, purchased some small planters on Etsy, and then added the plants. Moose is obsessed with her little outdoor area and likes to sleep out here in the sun some days. I may get one of those ugly door bug nets since she loves it so much so I could just let her hang there as much as she wants. That said, we do have a stray cat situation on my property. There is one in particular who thinks she is part of our HOA, but she is mistaken! Anyway, she has gotten a little too comfortable and has taken to naps on my bench. She scared me to death one night so I think my screams may have scared her down the stairs for good? But we’ll see. She doesn’t seem to respect the fact that this is Moose’s house after all. 

Well folks, here comes the end of my tour. Thank you so much for following along. I can’t wait to see what you have to say in the comments (perhaps my favorite part of sharing with the EHD world is you lovely people). As a typical outro I’ll say, check out my website, and follow me on Instagram please if you want to see Moose BTS and all the other photos of my house that didn’t make it to the blog today. 

And as a last note, I’d love to share something else new and exciting…I’ve started a Vlog! Over the last year plus, I have fallen in love with the medium and realized since my passion became my job, I wanted a new creative outlet. I’m having a lot of fun so if you want to see some daily vlogs where we run from project to project, or in a few weeks want to see the BTS of this shoot with Tessa, please check out my YouTube page and subscribe :). First episode is being released today! Thank you for all your support. And thanks Em for having me! Xoxo Mel Burstin 

*Design by Mel Burstin
**Photos by Tessa Neustadt

The post Mel’s MOTO Reveal – It’s The Breath Of Minimalist, Uncluttered Air We All Need appeared first on Emily Henderson.