Emily Henderson's Blog, page 14

From Gross to Good: 21 Standing Desks You’ll Want To Use In Your Home Office (Some You’d Never Believe Were Adjustable!)

There comes a moment for many of us when we’re decorating our homes, when we have to choose between form and function. Do we go with the pretty version of what we need or the one that works the best/is the most comfortable? Well, as I established in the first part of this “From Gross to Good” series on recliner sofas, we increasingly have more options (maybe “Gross to Gotta-Have-It? I’m still workshopping here…) so we aren’t stuck with a Rosemary’s Baby-type choice.

This week, we’re tackling something I myself am possibly on the hunt for: an adjustable standing desk. Earlier this year, I established in this post that I really wanted to incorporate a compact vintage secretary desk into my bedroom in order to use a big open space in there as an occasional office when I need more quiet. But after some more thought on the matter, I wondered if I should take a different approach entirely. A standing desk is tempting to me as I try to get more movement into my life in as many organic ways as I can. A friend of mine has a walking pad under her standing desk, and I liked the idea of doing the same.

the branch four leg standing desk gets its lift from the bottom of the legs, rather than under the working surface.

While some of this is anecdotal, people I know who have a sit-to-stand desk claim the following pros:

More alertnessBetter productivity and creativityImproved posture

Some things *have* been studied, and if you have the patience to read through this one from the National Institute of Health, the conclusion is, at the very least, a standing desk can help with acute lower back pain, though it could aggravate lower extremity pain, such as knee pain. Guess we can’t have it all.

Keep in mind, though, that if you’re using a standing desk at home, where, say, you normally work barefoot (like me…or in slippers), it’s important to have supportive footwear. I recently bought an indoors-only pair of training sneakers for my workouts I do in my bedroom, so you may need to consider something similar unless you’re not a shoes-off household.

while most desks that go from sit to stand at the push of a button, are over $1,000, this one from fezibo is less than $300.

The promise of less back pain might just be enough for anyone who has ever suffered from it ::raises hand:: I’m sure increased blood flow from going from sitting to standing often throughout the day would also be beneficial to those of us (again, raises hand) who constantly have parts of our bodies tingling from falling asleep.

One of the biggest “cons” of a standing desk? The cost. While I did find a handful, including the one shown above, to be south of the $500 mark, most were $1,000-$2,000, or even upwards of $4,000-$5,000 for more executive styles. The mechanism to lift and lower the desks has to be slow, smooth, and adjustable for different worker heights, which equals $$$. Oh, and don’t be fooled by some of the pretty styled room photos you see on product listings. If you don’t see a power cord, they’re just not showing it to you. Adjustable standing desks need a power source, so they must be plugged in. That’s fine for anything flush to the wall, but if you have a floating desk in your home office, you’ll need to account for that.

the lincoln desk from room & board in the sitting position. it has the option to add drawers, and comes in a few different sizes and plenty of wood tones.

Curious how these look “open” and “closed”? This desk above is from Room & Board (don’t worry, I linked it below in the round-up), and below it’s engaged in its standing position. It takes just a few seconds to go from sit to stand. Most of these desks raise the working surface up via a lift mechanism, while a few lift solely from the bottom of the legs (these tend to look less high-tech).

the lincoln desk from room & board in the standing position.

While this article is “gross to good” in terms of style, the main intention was to find adjustable standing desks you wouldn’t look at and immediately think of Silicon Valley offices, but I did include some more contemporary versions in case that aligns with your home’s modern style. I split up the round-ups into decorative and utilitarian, depending on what you were looking for. Let’s start with the pretty stuff.

12 Great-Looking Standing Desks

All but one of these go from sit to stand with the push of a button. These are great for anyone who wants to fit a desk into their home that looks more like a traditional desk. Yes, you’ll have the cord to deal with, but for the most part, you get something that doesn’t scream I PLUG IN!

Top row, from left:

Geiger Leatherwrap Sit-to-Stand Desk, from $3,995 at Design Within Reach: Fancy materials like walnut and leather often mean fancy price tags. The details on this one are likely much better in person. You can pick between three wood finishes and a multitude of leather color options (the green is so sharp). It has four concealed motors and you can choose to get it with no drawers—like shown here—one drawer, or two (you’ll see that one below).Tate 50″ Walnut Wood Standing Desk with Drawers, $500 at Crate & Barrel: The only non-motorized standing desk of the bunch, so you’ll have to commit to standing here. It almost looks like just a pretty bookshelf, and would work great in a bedroom or living room as an occasional work surface.Louise Mid-century Modern Electric Adjustable Standing Desk with Wireless Charging, $1,699 at Hulala Home: The more I look at this one, the more I think it kind of looks like E.T. BUT it’s also a cute E.T. It has integrated charging so you can just plug your devices into the desk, and also has a flip-top charging port in the back to hide the outlets.

Bottom row, from left:

Athena Standing Desk, $1,732 at Rove Concepts: The fluted legs on this one are beefier than a Taco Bell Chalupa, but in the right room, it’s a cool vibe. It’s also just big in general, at about 63 inches wide and 31 inches deep. The top has cable management holes to organize desktop and monitor cords, and the buttons are easy to find right up front.Soan Adjustable Desk, $370 at Fezibo: Look, I’ve never heard of this brand, and I do wonder why this desk is so vastly less expensive than all the others, but the reviews were good so I’m including it for the price point. You can get it in two different sizes and choose between white and black legs.Wright Natural Wood Adjustable Desk, $995 at Living Spaces: This one is a little bit of a mullet. Business at the bottom, party at the top, but I still think it’s a good option. It has a drop-down keyboard key and the drawers have lots of options for dividing into compartments.

Top row, from left:

OE1 Sit-to-Stand Table, from $1,545 at Herman Miller: It’s like a little bistro table but with sit-to-stand functionality! So clever and cute. Pick between several top and base colors; it’s even available square. I love this for a home office that’s not shut away behind a door.

Mid-Century Adjustable Desk (36″), $649 at West Elm: This mid-century design is a best-seller for West Elm, and I love to see it in an adjustable desk. It’s super compact (one of the smallest in my findings), which is perfect for fitting right next to a bed or just for general small-space living. The top comes up manually, unlike the other electric ones here, but under that work surface is storage for all your office supplies and laptop to tuck away at the end of the day.

Veritas 360-Degree Rotating Desk Electric Adjustable Standing Desk with Flip-Top Lid, $2,499 at Hulala Home: Similar to the other E.T. desk I showcased earlier, but with a side component for anyone who needs tons of tabletop space. It swivels 360 degrees to adjust to your needs, has a sedentary warning to remind you when it’s time to stand, and has a big storage cabinet for books, printers…anything you’ve got.

Bottom row, from left:

Lincoln Adjustable Standing Desk, from $4,499 at Room & Board: This is a proper, beautiful executive desk that also happens to be an adjustable standing desk. It’s THE most expensive one on the list, but Room & Board makes a very high-quality product, so if it’s in the budget and you have a need for something of this nature, I’d bet it’s a worthy investment. It was designed in collaboration with renowned architecture firm Gensler, and as someone married to an architect, I can tell you that those brains really think through the most minute of details…

Geiger Leatherwrap Sit-to-Stand Desk, from $3,995 at Design Within Reach: Here is the two-drawer version of the first leather-wrapped desk I showed you. Pricy, but very snazzy and handsome.

Lincoln Adjustable Standing Desk-No Drawers, from $3,799 at Room & Board: This is the same desk as the bottom left (I didn’t even realize when I was making the graphics) but basically, it just has no drawers. I love how sleek and modern it looks.

9 Streamlined & Modern Standing Desks

Alright, we’ve reached the less decorative section of this post, but honestly, I’d consider any of these. Maybe not for my bedroom where most would clash with my existing furniture, but certainly for a proper home office.

Top row, from left:

Branch Four Leg Standing Desk, $1,099 at West Elm: If you’re serious about a standing desk, definitely check out Branch, because they specialize in cute, cool office furniture. They also sell through West Elm, like their popular Four Leg Standing Desk. I can always appreciate a standing desk that doesn’t have those splayed feet, as it looks more like a table.

Copilot Standing Desk, $999 at Burrow: I didn’t know Burrow, the flat-pack furniture darling of the internet, had a standing desk, but alas, they do at a fairly competitive price. It’s even won a handful of awards from CNN Underscored, Business Insider, and Esquire.

Duo Standing Desk, $549 at Branch: Love the color options on this one from Branch. It’s utilitarian but happy and friendly. And at the price, it would also work great in a teen or young adult room.

Middle row, from left:

Steelcase Height-Adjustable Sutton Desk, from $1,919 at West Elm: Four sizes, three tabletop finish options, veneer or laminate (with laminate being the cheapest option). It’s contract grade and can work in a commercial office as well as a home office.

Spout Sit-to-Stand Table, from $2,300 at Herman Miller: Here’s another one with plenty of sizes to choose from, and tons of color (like this glacier blue and even a punchy red). The design feels more traditional with four legs, but the discreet cable management system is innovative. You’ll also find tons of add-on options like bag hooks, drawers, and more.

Aedric Electric Adjustable Standing Desk with Drawers, $1,899 at Room & Board: Very similar in design to the Burrow one, but with all the size and finish options you’re used to from Room & Board.

Bottom row, from left:

Motia Sit-to-Stand Desk, from $1,035 at Herman Miller: Super compact and streamlined, but with some cute colors to choose from. It’s from Herman Miller, so you know it’s made to take the beating of working life (it comes with a limited lifetime warranty).

Heidelberg Adjustable Desk, $250 at Fezibo: I couldn’t decide whether to put this one in the decorative category or here, but I had a hole in the grid, so here it went. I love the brass knobs and the slate color, though keep in mind it has to be assembled, and the top is laminate, not wood or veneer.

Tenon Smart Adjustable Desk, $2,899 at beflo: This one looks simple, but I think it has more than meets the eye. At least according to its description: “Meet the Tenon luxury desk: The first-ever modular, sit-stand smart desk for your home office. We’re talking a touch screen, companion app, power and USB outlets, all standard with the desk, plus add-on accessories to maximize your productivity and minimize your clutter.” Any wood-look desktop is a scratch-proof, water-proof hardwood veneer with a beveled edge (it’s better for your wrists and forearms). Pricey, but top of the line.

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Welp, this whole exercise certainly made me want an adjustable standing desk, especially with the added benefit of there being so many great-looking versions on the market (not to mention being able to put a walking pad under it).

Stick around because I have some more in this “Gross to Gotta-Have-It” series. If you have any requests, be sure to pop them into the comments below because I’m open to doing the work for you all where you need it!

Until next time…

Opening Image Credits: Design by Emily Henderson and Julie Rose | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Mountain House Reveal: How I Transformed an Awkward Space Into My Dream Work Loft

The post From Gross to Good: 21 Standing Desks You’ll Want To Use In Your Home Office (Some You’d Never Believe Were Adjustable!) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Repairing Our 150 Year Old Garage (An Update) – We Have Walls Again!

I shouldn’t be so excited about this, it’s just a garage and I don’t even like to drive or know what my own car looks like in a full parking lot (it’s called “car blindness,” and yes, I have gotten in many similar cars that aren’t mine). But as someone who owns probably 19 hammers and can’t find one, I’m desperate to have a real project space to organize my life and transform my personality (LOL). We all have our strengths, and clearly this isn’t mine. So we are updating our garages, investing heavily in making them functional and safe, due to their “100-year-old falling-down-dumpiness”. Today I finally have an update for you – real progress!! As a reminder, here is what they looked like the first year we lived here until we redid the gravel (we used re-grind versus asphalt for all those who are curious).

There are four openings – three “garages” likely done in the last 80 years, what seems to be the carriage house (the two smaller doors that open) and then the random door on the far left was the sheep’s barn. They were ROUGH inside. Let me show you.

So we kept putting them off, getting quotes near or well over $200K to redo them. Y’all, this construction inflation is a real thing right now, and we just couldn’t do it. We put it off for years, but with product lines coming out and us wanting to start DIY’ing the other house on the property for really fun blog and YouTube content, we needed to clear out all the props from there and store them safely. In short, we really really need proper storage for the business, so instead of investing heavily in storage units, we are building them. We finally hired my brother’s company, Afore Construction, because the ease of working with him offsets the stress of what will end up still being a hefty investment. He gets what I like to splurge on (here, almost nothing) and what I’m willing to go super builder grade on (in this case, everything???), and most importantly, he was aligned with repairing versus a full demo/rebuild. He and his business partner, Nick, were willing to work with what was good about the existing structure (the posts were strong, the pretty ceilings were actually in good condition, and some of the foundation was salvageable). We updated it (A LOT), without changing much about the structure.

But first, two summers ago, we had a really inexpensive painter give it a coat of white paint (you can see the regrind here, clearly in fall) to just make it look less depressing while we figured out the next step.

Here’s Where We Are Today…

YAY! As a reminder, we are designing these for our use – personal storage, holiday storage, project space, and most importantly, prop storage, while also thinking about any future owner who might want that coveted “four-car garage”. Again, I want to be very clear, we have zero intention of selling or moving until kids are well past college, but this structure is SUCH an investment that we are thinking short-term use and long-term flexibility. They will look like garages from the front, but inside will be a new version of me – the organized, “put everything away where it belongs” Emily Henderson. I’m so excited to meet her.

At one point, we were going to do two large garage doors instead of four smaller ones, but decided to work with the original posts/engineering and keep the four openings (two slightly larger to get larger cars in). I also think this will look the most charming. What I didn’t predict is that most people actually enter the property through our back entrance near here, so while these aren’t street-facing garages, they get far more attention than we originally thought they would (like WAY more than our front porch, which essentially is a box graveyard). Afore (my brother’s company) poured new foundation, re-sided the whole thing (using Hardie siding), repaired the framing to be safe and sturdy, re-roofed (adding insulation on top of the pretty ceiling), and did some very basic electrical. Very few bells and whistles in here, folks (all of that will be added with the storage and styling).

OOF. We ended up getting rid of all the totally broken windows to save money (instead of replacing them) and to allow for more wall space for storage. This is the first project where I haven’t sacrificed function for natural light (although I thought hard about skylights). I just want simple walls, and instead, put glass in the garage doors.

They had to demo out the flooring and pour a whole new cement foundation. They salvaged what framing they could, scissoring together some beams and clearly replacing what was rotten.

YAH GIRL. They convinced me that cladding the walls with pine would not be that much more expensive than Sheetrock, and would allow for a sturdier structure for hanging anything. The outlets were placed high enough to clear any future counter space (I haven’t laid it out yet, just made that call).

I was originally going to paint the wood, but now I’m considering staining or just doing a clear coat in here. I need to design them all (cabinetry, staining or painting the flooring, lighting, etc). Which is FINALLY the fun part.

We have a pedestrian door on the side of the “prop” garage, and we’ll likely have more lights than just the one you see. Lots of decisions I need to make asap.

The new foundation looks GREAT, and now I’m wondering if we should stain or paint it – even just a blue or green tone, not any sort of fun pattern this time. But something that makes it feel a bit more designed and fun.

That there is Brian’s sad future carport for his vintage truck (his mid-life crisis mobile that he tracked down for his 40th birthday because it’s what he owned in high school). This will eventually get a simple, cheap roof (you won’t be able to see it as it slants back) and we’ll put regrind on the floor in there (a gravel that is made out of recycled asphalt that we have around the rest of the property). This will not have a garage door, mostly for cost/budget purposes. We will also likely put our trash cans in here, and if we ever need to do a super messy DIY (like with a big spray gun or a lot of fumes), we would likely do it out here.

For the garage doors, I’ve hired a local company, Ponderosa Garage Doors, to install them (after a lot of research, they came HIGHLY recommended and I’ve been so pleased with their customer service thus far). They recommended Clopay garage doors to me and I found a style that I really love (that I can even customize the color of), so I reached out to see if featuring could swing a discount. More to come on that, but they would look like this:

photo by laurey glenn | from: southern living 2019 idea house

These look like carriage doors, but they still are automated up and down. Of course, choosing the paint color is my next job – it feels like a good opportunity to paint a color that makes this whole area of the property feel happy and “designed”. For lighting above each garage door, we chose more of the Carson copper sconces that we have on our house. So classic and pretty.

They are hoping to install the doors in a few weeks, so I need to get on designing or choosing all the cabinetry/shelving inside. One of my favorite quotes is “Without systems, there is chaos,” so this is my opportunity to create systems that are so easy to stick to. Hoping to have a designated “hammer” drawer by the end of the summer

*Unless Otherwise Noted Photos by Kaitlin Green

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Get The Look For Less: The Colorful Modern Traditional Living Room We All Loved, Now On A Budget

I’ll speak for myself in saying that my jaw hit the floor when I first saw these reveal photos come through. It’s so colorful yet not overwhelming, cozy yet refined. However, what this room is not is budget-friendly, and that’s ok. We all have different budgets, but that most definitely does not mean we all can’t have incredibly beautiful spaces. It just might take a little longer or a little more imagination:) Now, I will say I am pretty pumped with what I was able to find to create this room for A LOT less than what the space actually totalled up to be.

I want to show you multiple angles again to remind you of what it looks like, so when you see my new options, you can really be blown away lol. Also, this room should be celebrated as much as possible — it’s so good!

Now, I do want to remind you that this is a “look for less,” not a “look for zero dollars”. I absolutely did my best at finding the most similar pieces for the lowest prices. However, someone might scoff at a $70 pillow, which I totally get. Just remember that one of those $70 pillows is more than half off the price of the original one used. It’s a wild and expensive world out there, so hopefully you will find some things you love that are within your budget or have a better direction on what to look for as you’re shopping for yourself. Ok, ready???

Furniture: Blue Sofa | Wood Side Table | Coffee Table | Black & White Side Table | White Chair | Rust Loveseat
Lighting and Wallpaper: Wallpaper | Semi-Flushmount | Horse Table Lamp
Textiles: Green Rug | Black Leather Pillow | Velvet Striped Pillow | Wool Plaid Blanket | Geometric Lumbar Pillow | Blue Throw Blanket
Decor: Large White Planter | Red Marble Tray | Candle | Wood Coasters

Not too bad, right!? It’s hard to know where to start, but I will say that having a rug in our line that was such a perfect, affordable dupe was so exciting. That’s the first piece I pulled. Sure, it’s not that really pretty hide material, but it has a very similar striped look and is much more affordable. For the 9×12, there’s a savings of $1,679! Now, while it’s hard to match anything from Farrow & Ball, we also love Spoonflower when it comes to wallpaper, and I think this wallpaper is so pretty and gives the same feeling as the original (which per roll is $380 per double roll as opposed to $99 for a single roll). I also liked this one a lot. It was pretty impossible to find a dupe for the large ceiling light, so this one is clearly much smaller, but style-wise is definitely in the world. Just check the sizing before you buy because it’s too small for a really big room. Now, I do want to shout out that extremely cute accent chair. The original is vintage and was reupholstered, so yes, it was pricey. But this one is super affordable, comes in other colors, and has great reviews! And speaking of seating, I kept the same loveseat because it’s pretty affordable (even a very similar IKEA version was the same price) and was told it was SUPER comfortable.

I do, of course, want to talk about the pièce de résistance, the blue sofa. The one I chose is from Lulu & Georgia, and while it’s still a very pretty penny, I have yet to experience an uncomfortable sofa from them, and I’ve sat on a few (and own one I love). Plus, it’s stunning, so I feel really good about recommending it. The Sarah Sherman Samuel sofa from the original room is at least triple the price of that one for context. But don’t worry, I did find a few more options that are in the same world and are a little more budget-friendly:

SÖDERHAMN + Sofa Cover

This is an option that actually Mallory talked about with her hand-me-down SÖDERHAMN sofa. However, there is a little DIY element in that you need to buy the sofa from IKEA and then buy the cover separately. For this version, you are looking at $619 for the sofa and $566 for the cover, which comes to a total of $1,185. That’s a much better price point, but I can’t vouch for how comfortable it is.

HYLTARP | Shelby 82” Upholstered Sofa

Now, the sofa on the left is also from IKEA and looks more comfortable than the one above, but I can’t say for sure:) It doesn’t have the ruffled skirt look, but it does give you the general feel. This is also the most affordable option at $1,099. The cool thing is that if you have an IKEA near you, you can likely go sit on them in person. Then the one on the right is a little shorter but has a slightly more pleated look. That one comes to $1,799.

Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to leave out the other parts of the room. I really love this corner on the left. There aren’t a ton of pieces, but the visual impact is so good! Plus, the mix of styles is what really makes it sing, if you ask me. Even if an airplane photo isn’t your thing, an oversized piece like this is such an intentional and cool move.

Furniture: Pedestal Bistro Table | Velvet Ottoman | Arched Hutch
Lighting: Spotlight | Wall Sconce (set of 2)
Decor: Downloadable Airplane Art Print | Large Vase | Faux Tree | Roman Shade

Well, I guess we should start with the airplane print. This is a wildly affordable digital print from Etsy that you can get blown up and printed at any size you want! Of course, I don’t know how much the print or frame will add up to be, but at least the art itself is super budget-friendly. From there, I really tried to find an affordable black stone table, but no dice. If you really want the stone, you can either head to CB2 for the original and pay $1,699 or keep an eye out on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, thrift shops, etc. You could also just go for a similar silhouette, like this pedestal table for $170, and call it good:) Now, you CAN get the exact velvet ottoman because that’s an affordable $130 from World Market! That beautiful black arched hutch Emily chose was $4,200, but I found this one for only $431. It’s also really pretty and has some closed storage and a drawer. This roman shade only comes in one size, so you might need to do some digging if it doesn’t work for your window. Finally, I’m super happy with both of these lights! They are pretty and so affordable (just always make sure to check those dimensions).

Now for the final vignette. Like the rest of the room, it’s beautiful! I think choosing art to go over wallpaper can be really intimidating. Not only do you want it to look good, but you also don’t want to make any unnecessary, unfixable holes due to changing your mind. The trick to this specific situation is that the piece itself is large, so it can hold its own against the large-scale pattern behind it. It’s also a contrasting style and colorway, a colorful abstract against a light, neutral “more realistic” floral design. So so good. But let’s get into the affordable alternatives, shall we?

Wallpaper and Lighting: Wallpaper | Gold Sconce | Black Table Lamp
Furniture and Curtains: Curtain Panel | Curtain Rod | Dresser
Decor: Downloadable Abstract Print | Glass Modern Sculpture (set of 3) | Ruffle Bowl | Black Vase

I added the wallpaper in again because it’s pretty, and this graphic needed it:) But let’s truly start with the curtain rod. For $44, you get a rod that can go from 28″ to 150″, which is wild! The curtain isn’t exact in color, but it’s very pretty and in the same world for sure. Now, if I’m totally honest, I am extremely partial to the original lamp that Emily used. I’ve seen it in person, and it’s truly so awesome and commanding. However, it is $279, and this perfectly great one I found is $127, which is a hefty price difference. Either would look real good. The piece of art is another digital download from an EHD favorite, Juniper Print Shop. They have options for them to print and/or frame then send to you, but that is obviously more expensive. I also really like this one! The dresser that is in their home is one they’ve had for years, so we don’t know where it’s from. But I do think this is a pretty great dupe for under $350. It’s not as wide, which could be either better or worse for your home. So if you need something longer, this one from Article is so awesome (but not as inexpensive, FYI).

So what do y’all think of these? Would you want more? Do you want more from this particular home? Let me know!

Love you, mean it.

*Decorated by Emily Henderson (me!)
**Photos by Kaitlin Green

The post Get The Look For Less: The Colorful Modern Traditional Living Room We All Loved, Now On A Budget appeared first on Emily Henderson.

My Biggest Design Splurge That Ended Up A Total Shameful Horror Story (11 Years Later)

So here’s a sad, shameful story that I think I never told you (due to the sad and shameful nature of it). It’s about that ficus tree, the beloved, magazine-friendly ficus tree. I wanted that tree so badly for the Glendale living room for reasons you can see – it was INCREDIBLE and the room really benefited from its beautiful sculptural shape. But I was an irresponsible plant lover, careless and reckless, and ultimately almost killed her dead. But not before it tortured me for years (as it should – it was a very toxic relationship). Now that I think of it, it was a terrible relationship, but as the person in power, I take full responsibility for this one. So here’s what happened…

In 2014, I bought the tree from Mickey Hargitay Plants in LA – a pretty famous exotic indoor plant store. I honestly don’t remember how much it was – but $1,200 is coming to mind (it could have been more, unfortunately). I’m sure I also had to pay for delivery and the pot, so I’m probably now in at least $1600. The details are all murky because it was so long ago, or perhaps because I repressed it all. All I know is that we were scheduled to shoot the house for a magazine, and I felt that I NEEDED that plant to bring so much life, color, and visual interest to the room. It should also be said that I loved it, but if I didn’t have to publicly show-and-tell my life to an audience, I likely wouldn’t have spent that then (we didn’t have that kind of extra budget at the time). I brought it home and it was instantly incredible. Until…

photo by mike garten for good housekeeping magazine | from: my house tour from good housekeeping

About a year in (or so, no idea), it started losing some leaves and looking sad. This is likely due to my neglect, but could also have been because this plant didn’t want to be inside, or perhaps was too warm in the summer (our living room got so hot in the summer due to huge west-facing windows and no insulation). Regardless, it was sad and I didn’t know what to do. I googled, called plant people, and even had someone come and look at it when they pointed out to me that it had aphids.

photo by tessa neustadt

Aphids definitely sounded gross to me, and I still don’t fully grasp what they are, but the symptom was tiny black things on the leaves. I’m pretty sure we tried to treat it with something, and then of course I learned how to properly water it on the cadence that it wanted (which sadly I don’t remember now). But then it got worse…

photo by stephanie todaro | from: for the love of the muu muuSAP SO MUCH SAP…

What you can’t see is the sap that was dropping from all of the sick leaves, all over the furniture and floor. The sap ruined everything underneath it (which is why I didn’t have that rug anymore). Charlie couldn’t crawl around there, and when Elliot was born, we had to avoid it. We would clean it and clean it and scrub, but we couldn’t keep up with it. It just became the corner that no one could go near, and I had to steer guests to sit elsewhere. I’m pretty sure we had to refinish the floors before we sold (or maybe not, maybe we just almost did).

photo by tessa neustadt

I felt so dumb and stupid. It was all my fault, but I didn’t know how to fix it (I even tried to be really kind to it), but I started really resenting it (pretty sure this is a toxic relationship analogy). I wanted it better or gone, but being faced with my own shame/mistake/splurge all day made me so mad at myself and it.

photo by tessa neustadt

Here you can see it looking sad (and this was before it lost even more leaves). By the end, when we had to move, I believe I actually paid someone to take it away – no one wanted it even for free. That was until I asked Tessa Neustadt (my friend and photographer at the time) if she would take it (if she didn’t have to move it herself), and I believe she planted it in her yard. I have no idea how it’s doing, but I’m going to tell myself that it’s thriving now and so happy to be away from me and in the earth.

So What Did I Learn?

I didn’t deserve to just buy something willy-nilly without understanding how to care for it. This kept me from buying and keeping houseplants for years (I would buy for shoots, then give them immediately away to my team).

I can be really hasty when it comes to emotional design elements, not really thinking through the consequences (this is not the last time I’ll also make this mistake.

Exotic plants are a huge investment and you should find out before taking them home what type of environment they need. I can’t speak to what this needed, I don’t remember, but I really don’t think I did my due diligence thinking it would “be fine!” which is typical for me and one of my worst personality traits.

Why Am I Telling You This?

I stumbled on these old photos recently and was blown over with both nostalgia for that house (and the tree, and the toddler kissing my tummy) and shame of what I had done. I figured I’d share to remind you that things aren’t always what they look like in pretty houses on the internet, and so many mistakes are being made behind the scenes. Hoping to not get cancelled because of this, but perhaps the statute of limitations will protect me since it’s been 11 years

Opening Image Credit: Photo by Tessa Neustadt

The post My Biggest Design Splurge That Ended Up A Total Shameful Horror Story (11 Years Later) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

The Link Up: Em’s New Space Saving Pots And Pans, Mal’s Awesome Decor Book, And The Perfect Matte Lip Product

Happy Sunday, everyone! Em got to shoot her new outdoor kitchen this week, which means it’ll be coming to this here blog in a couple of weeks! Aside from that, we wanted to give you that friendly reminder that Mother’s Day is coming up quick, and in case you missed it, we did a little idea post for you yesterday:) Ok, now for the links!

This week’s house tour

From Emily: This week, I shopped for the outdoor kitchen (I honestly feel like the luckiest person in the world and I’m so impressed with RTA, BTW), and I needed some pretty (but not too crazy expensive) pots for the shoot. On a prompt from a reader, I went to Kitchen Kaboodle for the first time in perhaps my whole life (??) and LOVED it so much (vetted, curated, and the salespeople were such experts). I found these pots and pans by Joseph Joseph and wanted them for the color (a beautiful slate blue with chrome squared off handles) but the space-saving “gadgetry” of them is what really sold me. The pans’ handles fold into themselves in such a genius way. Now, space saving isn’t something I needed, but I wanted to share if that resonates with you at all (I’ll do a video on stories if you want to go see what I’m talking about). And apparently they conduct heat perfectly, making really great fried eggs (“just need a paper towel to wipe afterwards,” the salesperson said), and can be for induction or gas ranges.

From Marlee: I wandered into a Madewell last weekend and picked up these sunglasses and I’m super happy with them. I have a very difficult time finding sunglasses that feel cute – 95% of the time, when I try some on in a store, I am genuinely shocked at how goofy they look on me. Oval sunglasses are usually way too small on my big head (they look like children’s sunglasses), but these seem overall a little bigger than most sunglasses of the same shape. I’ve worn them every day since I got them. They also come in some other cute colors – I love the red too!

From Gretchen: Last week, I had the pleasure of exploring Newport Beach with Mallory while we were both in town to work on an exciting shoot with Em. We found ourselves with a free half day to explore the area a bit. Mal is an awesome tour guide (who has seemingly lived…everywhere in California?) and showed me around some very cute spots in OC. We took a ferry over to Balboa Island–which might just be the cutest beach town ever–then stopped for lunch at the Restoration Hardware Ocean Grill, the same spot Jess recommended last week (delicious, btw), and finished up the day exploring Laguna Beach before she dropped me at the airport. Of course, we had to pop into a few cute stores, where I found a top that Mal simply convinced me I needed. She wasn’t wrong! But I had a feeling I could just find it online, so I wouldn’t have to squeeze it into my already-busting-at-the-seams suitcase. And luckily, I did–for half the price it was in store! It’s a long-sleeved knit from We The Free with a cute, funky pattern that sort of chops up and changes along the arms. It has the perfect, slight turtle-neckline and crops just right at the hips. The fit is nice and relaxed across the body, but tighter in the arms. The color and pattern are just too good, the material is snug but stretchy, and the price was RIGHT! I think I’ll be grabbing this mostly to layer over a cute mini dress or pair with some cut-off shorts.

From Mallory: I have a design/coffee table book addiction, and my latest add was this book by the late Paul Fortune called Notes on Decor, etc. I just started reading it and truly am a huge fan! I was doing some more research into the famous designers that built Los Angeles style so naturally I came across Fortune (who decked out the Sunset Tower and created his legendary Laurel Canyon home) so I decided to snag his book to add to my collection and it’s perfect for design lovers.

From Arlyn: I’ve been eyeing the Sunday Slipper by Bombas for maybe a year now, as they go in and out of being fully sold out. While I was never really a house slipper kind of person, I really need the support and cushion now as my feet often ache from either age or some kind of random foot pain. I got these for my birthday back in February and it took me a minute to decide if I fully recommended them but after a few months, I am happy with them…with a few caveats. First off, they are fairly narrow and took me a solid few weeks to stretch out properly. I had to order up a size because they run a little small—I’m normally an 8 and I got the 9—but then they ended up feeling kind of clunky. I’ve since gotten used to that. The insole is VERY cushy, which is fantastic, but because the sole is pretty high, they’re a little wobbly on plush carpet like we have. I tend to leave them downstairs where we have hard floors and go barefoot upstairs on our carpet. All in all though, they’re very comfortable and a great luxe gift for someone (including to yourself!). Mother’s Day is around the corner, after all!

From Jess: After months of being super marketed to, I finally bought the BISOU BALM Sheer Matte Lipstick by VIOLETTE_FR, and the results are in…I LOVE IT. And look, I’ve been duped before, buying something I was heavily marketed, only to be unimpressed with what I got. But not this. It’s a perfectly pigmented (for me at least) matte lip balm that gives you that effortless chic “French” look. What’s even better is that your lips don’t dry out! That’s been an issue for me with the matte lip products I’ve used in the past. Anyway, I love it and the shade I bought was Bêtise, which they call a “neutral berry”.

From Caitlin: My Dwell subscription is really paying for itself lately – do any of you subscribe? They’ve been knocking it out of the park lately with deep, well-researched, timely pieces on all things home. My favorites this week? A piece on response rebuilding mid-century homes in the wake of the LA fires (a must-read for any renovator, builder, or buyer in a fire-prone area – it’s written by a man whose house survived thanks to his smart fire hardening; even I didn’t know some of these solutions existed!) and this piece on the impact of Trump’s tariffs on the building and remodeling industry (spoiler: “This could cause material costs to soar to as much as $45 billion per year from today’s $4 billion expenditure.” WOOF, HUH?) Anyway. GO DWELL TEAM! You’re doing amazing, sweetie!!! 

As always, thank you for being here and see y’all tomorrow. xx

Opening Image Credits: Decorated by Emily Henderson (me!) | Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: My Friend’s Moody Dark Green Dining Room (You Should See The Before)

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4 Really Good (And Thoughtful) Mother’s Day Sentimental Ideas

The first Mother’s Day post I wrote was six years ago, and to this day is one of my favorite posts I’ve written. I know that saying a bona fide gift guide is a favorite may sound a little odd at first, especially given how many posts and personal reveals I’ve done, but it was in that one where I got to really talk about my mom. She passed away when I was 23, and while she’s never not a part of me, it’s never not at least a little hard. Grief is a riiiide. However, getting to share a piece of her was such a privilege. There’s a chance you might tear up if you read it, but I promise you will smile and maybe even laugh! I know it doesn’t sound like a comedy, but I definitely added my own spin;) So not only do I talk about the one and only Julia, but it’s filled with really great, thoughtful gift ideas that I still wholeheartedly think are truly awesome. I read it again before writing this post and thought, “Wow, these are really good!” Not to toot my own horn or anything, lol. So I look at this year’s post as more of an addition to that first one. We all have different ways/abilities of expressing our love and appreciation, and our moms/maternal figures in our lives also receive love differently (yes, I’m talking about love languages). While I love and recommend giving experiences if you can, not everyone lives near their mothers. So in that case, you have a couple of options — you can gift them their own experience without you, or send/make a thoughtful material gift. Both are wonderful when it’s from the heart, so it’s up to you (and let’s be honest, your budget) to decide what the mom in your life would like best.

These ideas and products listed below came from Emily herself (with the exception of a great Mallory rec). Unless you have a particular type of mother who wants to be showered with only physical gifts, I believe that most just want to feel appreciated and seen. I truly hope these help.

“Travel” Gift Cards

AirBnb Gift Card

An Airbnb gift card is still one of Emily’s favorite gifts to give and receive. Especially if your mom has a trip coming up and she prefers a house over a hotel, what could be more useful? Maybe to personalize it a bit more, you could find some homes she might like or things to do in the area she’s headed. Airbnb has experiences, too! Or if she doesn’t have a specific trip planned, maybe there are some fun driveable destinations she might like that you could suggest with a little itinerary. I know gift cards can be thought of as a “lazy” gift, but we know people love to get them. Plus, with the added effort of some planning suggestions, it’s a slam dunk.

Of course, if your mother is more of a hotel lover, well, I’ve got that covered too…

photos by sara ligorria-tramp | from: our visit to the proper hotel in san francisco

Hotels.com Gift Card

When we did an Instagram call out a couple of years ago asking what moms actually wanted for Mother’s Day, a staycation (even just one night) was the #1 requested gift. A little luxury for the woman who has or continues to make sure you are good, safe, and happy sounds like a very wonderful idea. I linked Hotels.com for a gift card, but if you know of a hotel they love or there’s a hotel group you know she’s a fan of, I’m sure they all have gift card options too. If you have the budget, maybe throw in a spa treatment;)

Family Lore Gifts

Photo Book

From Emily: Listen, I’ve done them all and in a lot of ways I like other photo books better, aesthetically (the linen covers, the big lay flat pages, etc). But this one promised to take “5 minutes,” and when I was trying to pull together multiple books for all the families from our annual camping trip, “affordable and fast” fest like the best route. So I gave it a go and was/am so shocked by how easy it is – after starting the project, you scan a QR code with your phone and select from your phone and it AUTOMATICALLY POPULATES CHRONOLOGICALLY into the book (you can do the same from your laptop, too). And then check this out – you send that same QR code to your friends/family who shared the same event or trip, and once they click on it, they can select their photos and those photos also automatically populate chronologically into the book. AI lays it all out and yes, at times there are two that are so similar that you might want to delete or maybe AI will put a photo as full page that maybe isn’t your favorite (also easily editable), but if you can release control in the name of ease and speed, I’m telling you – these are awesome. For Christmas, I made 5 different books in less than an hour – one for our family reunion for all my siblings and parents, 1 for Brian’s dad 80th birthday weekend (for all the cousins and parents), 1 for “lockdown years” (the missing years that I didn’t make any photo albums), and 1 for our Costa Rica trip. They come in 10 days, they aren’t crazy cheap (the thicker they are, the more expensive), and you still have a lot of upgrades that you can make. But for me, it’s “done is better than perfect” because photo books can feel so daunting and then I push them off forever. You can make one for your mom in 5 minutes (should you have easy access to photos) and get it in like 8 days. This is totally non-spon, just so fast and easy that I had to share.

Mini Photo Album Keychain

From Emily: This year, I had a partnership with Etsy, which I obviously have loved forever and tend to get all my personalized/customized gifts from (think house portraits, pet portrayals, house/pet ornaments, all my vintage Boro fabric, etc). So I chose these tiny photo keychains to give my parents because as a mom I got a kick out of them and would totally show them off to strangers (when provoked). These were $23 each, including custom engraving on the box and the leather. They came in 9 days from placing the order, and there are a lot of different colors to choose from. Sure, you can buy her a scarf, but trust me – most mamas would think this is so cute and sweet.

Fill-in-the-Blank Gift Journal

When we were talking about our Mother’s Day post and what should be in it, Mallory insisted that this $9 book she got for her mom should be included! Here’s what she said about it.

From Mallory: Procrastination gets the best of us all sometimes – and that’s where this story begins. Two years ago, I was in a real time crunch to find my mom something good for Mother’s Day…I had two days to be exact, so I went onto Amazon and found the sweetest book (but I do think they might sell this book other places as well if you’re not in a time crunch, FYI). It’s small and affordable, and it took about 30 minutes to an hour to fill out (there were some tears of love shed during the process because it’s so sweet). The book has some fill-in-the-blanks like “___ was one of my favorite memories together” or “I love how you ___” and it was so special because that book is full of things I always think about but might not say to my mom as much. It brought her to tears reading it (and again brought me to tears writing it), and it’s literally $9 so it proves that sometimes the best gifts aren’t about the price tag.

Customized Necklaces

We know a necklace may sound a little cheesy, but all the moms in my life LOVE their necklaces that have their kids’ names or initials on them. Emily is a big fan too and wanted to make sure this idea was in the post. There are truly so many different styles and price points that this is a gift that so many people could pretty easily get. It’s thoughtful, not over the top, and just sweet. Now, as with any custom gift, if it’s made to order, you’ll want to order asap to make sure it gets to your mom on time.

Dainty Initials Necklace

This was the one Emily really loved from Etsy. Here’s what she said about it:

“I love how this one has a vintage vibe and is really subtle – plus that cross latch (not sure what it’s called) is my favorite vintage style. And this one you can add more and more if they/we have more kids, LOL.”

Brook & York Custom Monogram Herringbone Toggle Necklace

After Emily sent that first one through, I went on an initial necklace search for some other options and really thought this one was cool and special. It’s slightly bolder than your average initial necklace, but that may be perfect for the mom in your life! A hint of art deco, if you will. Plus, it also has that easy toggle clasp, which makes getting it on or off so much easier!

14K Gold Name Necklace | Sideways Initial Necklace

I’d say these styles are the most popular amongst my friends. I got a single initial one for my best friend, and she still wears it every day, four years later. But my cousin has her baby’s full name and it’s equally as sweet! The full name version above only comes in gold but has a lot of different font options, while the sideways necklace has different metal options. It’s up to you!

Letter Necklace

The two I already showed you are a bit more budget-friendly, while this single initial option is from Mejuri and a bit pricier. I just wanted to show you another option for a brand we love.

Lockets are another Emily Henderson favorite, so here are a few we love:

Oval Locket

A modern classic! Simple, sweet, and timeless if you ask me. Not everyone is a heart-shaped person, so this oval option is such a great alternative. Add that with a custom letter? If you’re mom is an everyday necklace wearer, this could be a great addition to her stack.

Heart Locket

But let me be clear that there’s obviously nothing wrong with a heart-shaped locket, especially when it looks like this. I love that it comes in either silver or gold, and you can add a complimentary engraving to the inside or outside. The handmade look of it makes it feel special, but not too fancy for everyday wear.

Experience Tickets/ Gift Cardsphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: ehd at-home spa diys with culligan

I think a lot of people are in agreement that cool experiences are incredible gifts. So much like the Airbnb/hotel gift cards, a paid-for experience is top freaking notch. That, of course, could be anything, and you know your mom best. And obviously, an experience together is the best:)

Concert Tickets

Emily loves going to concerts with her kids. So if you found a concert they would want to go to, I’m sure she’d be so excited and down. In LA, they have these cool instrumental candlelit concerts in a church where they have themed nights like Taylor Swift or Queen vs ABBA! I know that’s specific and not everyone lives in LA, but you might be able to find something a little more out of the box like that! I also think that a new restaurant, a spa day, a class of some kind, or even a hike would be so much fun. Well, that hike would need to be a group outing with you because telling your mom happy Mother’s Day and to go take a hike might not be super well received lol.

Regardless of your gift, a card expressing your appreciation goes such a long way. While I know good relationships with our mothers aren’t something everyone has or can have, if you have the gift of a living, supportive mother, just know you are lucky, and getting to show her that is extremely special. My guilt trip is now complete:)

Here are three other Mother’s Day posts (including the one I talked about in the beginning) for even more ideas:

Your Mom Deserves a Thoughtful Gift for Mother’s Day—Here Are 10 Tear-Inducing IdeasWhat Moms REALLY Want For Mother’s Day (Seriously, We Asked And You Delivered)The Mother’s Day Post We Needed/Wanted! Real Mom Requests To Guarantee Gifting Success:)

Love you, mean it.

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kailtin Green | From: Meet The Newest Members Of The Henderson Family – Our Pet Alpacas

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We Found A Way To Save On Everything From Blu Dot To Kohler – Here’s The Secret

HEY THERE. For the last five years, I’ve been spewing out budget-friendly ways to design your home. I’ve taught you how to change up your furniture for free by working with your local vintage store; I’ve shared the credit card hacks I use to optimize my spend; I’ve revealed my top secret sources for brands that won’t break the bank. But today, I have something I need to shout from the rooftops: IT IS SO FREAKIN’ EASY TO GET 5% BACK AT WAYFAIR. Did you know?! Did you have ANY IDEA?!

Because until last week, I didn’t. But now, I DO – and I need to spread the word. (Red Card who? Never heard of her.) Here’s the deal: for only $29 a year, you can earn 5% back on EVERY ITEM ON WAYFAIR. And as long as you hold your membership, your reward dollars will never expire! If you’re planning to score anything over $600 within the next calendar year, the membership will pay for itself. That means you can score huge discounts on brands you love – with free, fast shipping to boot! Now that you’re in the know, might I suggest a few EHD-approved brands to check out? (A bunch of these brands are already holding sales, too – you can save A TON. It’s a great deal that I had to share!)

Furniture & DecorBlu Dotleft: photo by sara ligorria-tramp, from: our upper deck reveal | right: photo by laure joliet, from: bri emery’s new living room

That shot on the right ring a bell for any other long-time readers? Over the past decade, we’ve turned to Blu Dot for fresh, sculptural, high-quality pieces. Indoor? Outdoor? Office? They have it all – and it’s all designed by two architects and a sculptor from good ol’ Minneapolis.

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TOV Furniturephoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: a refresh of our favorite “child client’s” bedroom

On the hunt for a budget-friendly, on-trend piece? TOV Furniture is one of our secret resources. (Their proportions are so good that a once-major vintage store here in LA – I will leave them unnamed – tried to sell reupholstered TOV sofas as “original designs”! We can dish in the comments.) Anyway – if you’re looking for scallops, fringe, glam, or fun…welcome to TOV.

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Hawkins New Yorkphotos by sara ligorria-tramp and veronica crawford | from: how to throw an elevated garden party

COOL GIRL ALERT. Hawkins New York makes and curates a selection of beautiful entertaining essentials – everything from glasses and trays to napkins and tablecloths. The quality is top-notch; the aesthetics are even better. Even the pricing is fair! Mix-and-match your way to an effortless tablescape.

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Crow Canyonphoto by kaitlin green

You all remember Max, right? (Humphrey, for those not initiated.) His newly-launched Crow Canyon collection is to die for – how sweet is that gingham? I’m a longtime fan of the brand, though, and love that their pieces are sturdy enough to camp with AND chic enough to use indoors. In a world where we’re trying to make the most out of what we have, what could be better than such multifunctional dinnerware? (PS. My biggest shopping regret is that I didn’t score a full set from last year’s collab with The Get Out. If anyone has any leads, I will be eternally grateful.)

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Farmhouse Potteryleft: photo by terilyn fisher, from: reader question: props and shoots | right: photo by kaitlin green, from: our farmhouse pantry reveal

Don’t let the name fool you – Farmhouse Pottery does WAY more than just pottery. Sculptural cutting boards, artisan-crafted placemats, beautifully carved spoons…it’s all just gorgeous. If you’re looking to capture that simple, effortless, homebuilt vibe, Farmhouse is here for you.

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Furbish Studiophoto by sara ligorria-tramp, from: caitlin’s mostly thrifted living room

I’ve had that needlepoint Furbish Studio pillow for over a decade, and it STILL took center stage in my living room reveal. Know why? Because Furbish is FUN. If you love a bit of whimsy – or a home that doesn’t take itself too seriously – then you need to add this one to your bookmarks. (Their products make slam-dunk gifts for your quirkier friends around the holidays, too – their ornament selection is phenomenal.)

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Jungalowleft: photo by veronica crawford, from: mal’s 500 square foot studio reveal | right: photo courtesy of jungalow

Oh, how I love thee, dear Jungalow. The Justina Blakeney-helmed juggernaut is our go-to when we want to add a little spice, zest, and life to a room. Pop in an accent pillow, like Mallory did on the left, for a little hit of personality. Or you could, you know, go wild. Turn it up to 11. Mix your shag rug with your orange sofa and pull out every patterned pillow in your place. It all works!

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RugPadUSAphoto by sara ligorria-tramp, from: the mountain house kids’ room reveal

Hear us out: we stan RugPadUSA. Seriously. In addition to winning the contest for “cushiest carpet underlay” – I’ve bunked in the room above and will be the first to admit that walking on this carpet is a divine treat for your knees and back – they also took home top honors in our recent rug pad review. The memory foam is life-altering. I’m not joking – you will never be able to go back to a normal rug pad. Proceed with caution!

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Updating & Remodeling Smegleft: photo by sara ligorria-tramp, from: jess’ rental kitchen reveal | right: photo by sara ligorria-tramp, from: a 49 sq ft kitchen makeover

What’s cuter than a Smeg appliance? LITERALLY NOTHING, THAT’S WHAT. If you’re working with a small space constraint – like Jess on the left, or Velinda on the right – then Smeg’s sweet, vintage-inspired appliances (with perfect petite proportions, might I add) are just what the doctor ordered. (I guess she’d be a Design Doctor in this scenario, which sounds like it’d be a pretty fun gig. She’d diagnose your design issues and fix them with beautiful, appropriately scaled pieces. HGTV, are you listening?!)

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Mitchell Blackphoto by kaitlin green, from: a quick river house guest bath reveal

What isn’t to love about Mitchell Black? TRICK QUESTION – it’s all great. The selection? Fantastic. The quality? Even better! And guess what – you can feel great about supporting them, because Mitchell Black is both woman-owned (hell yeah!) and minority-owned. I’m proud to support such a great small business (I mean, especially one that took this guest bath to the next level!), and I hope you consider them for your next wallpaper project!

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Kohlerleft: photo by kaitlin green, from the river house primary bath reveal | right: photo by sara ligorria-tramp, from all the details of my primary bathroom

I LOVE that so many Kohler products are available at Wayfair – it simplifies the design, sourcing, and shipping process. Gone are the days of schlepping to your local big box retailer and choosing an arbitrary fixture off the wall – now, you can choose from a huge selection AND have that selection delivered straight to your house (often within 2 business days – far preferable to loading and unloading the car, IMO). You can grab everything from tubs to hardware, too – it’s a great time-saver for a busy designer.

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Bedrosiansphoto by sara ligorria-tramp, from: all the what’s, why’s, and how much’s of the portland kitchen

Bedrosians, we love you! Your wall tile. Your floor tile. Your trims; your accents; your penny rounds; your zellige; your porcelain; your marble; your ceramic – they’re all top-notch. (So top notch, in fact, that we can’t stop sourcing Bedrosians for our own projects – you’ve seen them in nearly every renovation project we’ve completed over the past 8 years.)

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Hudson Valley Lightingleft: photo by sara ligorria-tramp, from: arlyn’s bright & happy living room | right: photo by sara ligorria-tramp, from: arlyn’s bedroom reveal

No one does a sconce like our pals at Hudson Valley Lighting. Their pieces are timeless, refined, and so thoughtfully designed – check out that leather-wrapped cord on the right! And if you don’t just want to take my word for it, note that Arlyn – our design guru and discoverer of well-made pieces designed to last – opted for HVLG lighting in both her living room AND bedroom. They’re that good, folks!

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OutdoorPolywood photo by kaitlin green, from: an epic pnw patio reveal

An admission: it took us longer than it should have to warm up to Polywood, a long-lasting, made-in-America outdoor brand with a 20-year warranty. Who knew that durable outdoor furniture could be so beautiful? They carry Adirondack chairs, of course, but Em just brought home a handful of stools for her new outdoor kitchen! (Reveal coming soon – take a peek at her decision process here, ICYMI.)

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Neighborleft: photo by sara ligorria-tramp, from: jess’ communal patio reveal | right: photo by kaitlin green, from: our soake pool review (and reveal)

I mean. Neighbor‘s outdoor furniture is stunning – there’s no other way to say it. Sturdy framing; smart materials (yes, that is Sunbrella on both Jess’ sofa and Em’s lounger, thank you for noticing!), and world-class design. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by upholstered outdoor seating – there’s an infinite number of options out there, all at varying quality levels! – you can rest easy in knowing that Neighbor’s product is tried, true, and well-loved by the EHD team.

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Fatboyphoto by kaitlin green, from: our outdoor living room + firepit area

Not familiar with Fatboy? You will be. They’re a 20-year-old Dutch brand that specializes in quirky, distinctive, indoor/outdoor pieces. They really broke into the American market last year, and they’re a welcome addition to our current world of beige and gray. And, I mean…what kid doesn’t love a big balloon dog bench? With Fatboy’s outdoor pieces, you’ll absolutely be the gathering house on your block.

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Veradekleft: photo by sara ligorria-tramp, from: bowser’s front yard edible garden | right: photo by sara ligorria-tramp, from: bowser’s back unit’s yard reveal

I had to leave you with two stunners from Emily Bowser’s house, powered by our friends at Veradek – get a load of that drool-worthy patina! Whether you’re in the market for box planters, hanging planters, lightweight pots, or – you guessed it – even Corten steel dividers, Veradek’s got you covered. (If the patinated look isn’t your thing, never fear – there’s way more where that came from.)

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Thank you, Wayfair Rewards program, for giving me something to dream about. What would you score with your 5% bounty? I’d splurge on something big, like a sofa, and then I’d use my rewards cash for some pillows and blankets. Maybe even a tray! What say you?

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: The River House Primary Bathroom Reveal (Including A Sauna!! And Mirrors In Front Of The Window)

The post We Found A Way To Save On Everything From Blu Dot To Kohler – Here’s The Secret appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Getting Started With The Family Promise Playroom (It’s Going To Be FUN In Here)

If you’ve been following along closely, you’ll know that we’ve been connected with an incredible shelter called Family Promise for a while now. They’re a non-profit organization in Portland doing wonderful work for our community, providing housing and support for families experiencing homelessness. They took over an old motel, transformed it into a 70+ household shelter, and have been operating at capacity for at least as long as we’ve been working with them–all while undergoing a major renovation!

It’s quite impressive what they’ve been able to do–completing the work in strategic chunks, tackling wings or floors at a time, so the facility could/can still operate throughout the construction chaos. We signed on to help them with their design/decor needs way back when, but the renovations have made our process a slower one, as function is simply more important than form at the moment. The last thing we want to do is further complicate a renovation with our suggestions when it’s already pretty disruptive on its own. But they’ve made some amazing progress and have a few finished spaces now ready for the EHD touch! For right now, we’re mainly focused on their communal room needs; the playroom, the lobby, some of the offices, etc.

We’ll be starting with the playroom–it’s newly finished, actively in use (as you can see here) and functioning well as-is, but could definitely use a little razzle dazzle. Before they began the overhaul of this west wing, the original playroom sat next to the dining room in the east wing. Now that the east wing renovation is underway, the playroom has found its permanent home in the completed wing, taking most of the old room’s belongings with it.

This was the brand new playroom just before they moved in with all the things. Many of the larger renovation design decisions were made by the architecture firm on the project, and while we weighed in where we could, so many choices just had to be made FAST and without our input, to keep the project on track. The new spaces are SO much better than what they had been, but being a large, commercial-grade project, it can be hard to translate the feeling of home without adding in that layer of design/styling after the fact.

But that’s where we come in! The space is brand new, but it’s not without challenges. The new playroom feels like it’s doubled in size from the old one (awesome) with fresh carpet tiles (not our favorite look tbh, a choice we knew we’d have to design around from the jump), a new coat of paint (again, not our color choice but an easy thing to update), some textured ceiling tiles, a very unique layout, and of course all the bells and whistles required to bring this space up to code.

The room has two entrances from the main hallway and another door that connects to the laundry space, with a window between the two areas for parents to keep an eye on their little ones. Two big windows along the back walls let in a decent amount of light and a funky center support wall and beam situation cut through part of the space, creating various zones within the room…and definitely carving out an opportunity for some fun and intentional design!

To me, this beam/wall/walkthrough combination looks like it was destined to be a playhouse. Even the ceiling is given a different treatment that reads something like a roof. It’s one of those funky, unchangeable structural elements that may just end up providing a lot of design direction for the rest of the space. It’s what first had me so excited to dive into this space and get to imagining. But it does create a bit of a division in the room…

So What’s Next?

First and foremost this room needs to function best for the shelter’s needs. As you can see, it’s fully in use at the moment! It has found its current rhythm and systems and our goal now is to work with the flow, not disrupt it, meaning we want to change/update/swap the tired pieces that we can, without rearranging or reconfiguring the room too much.

There’s already a pretty clear play zone, couch/TV zone, teen/storage zone, and a zone for working and reading at tables. The sofa needs to stay underneath the laundry window for various reasons, and the storage cabinets and teen zone (aka foosball table) are best tucked in the back. There is some flexibility with the remaining “zones”. But really they just have a lot of stuff, and have discussed wanting to remove a few things that aren’t seeing as much use–likely the train table in the play zone and a good chunk of the books (just to store somewhere else). To get a better feel for the space as a whole, you can watch the video below (just wait for a couple of ads to play).

So far Family Promise’s only other asks for the space have been for some blackout roller shades (for movie nights), more rugs to soften up the play areas (and help cover the messes that are already taking over those dang carpet tiles), and more art on the walls to liven up the space. We’ve ordered some very simple roller blinds and will be installing them this week. The rugs and art will be coming soon! But we’d like to give them a whole lot more.

Making Some Swaps

It’s hard to look at the leather couch in this room and not want to swap it for something better. It would be so awesome if all of the chairs at the taller homework table (heck, the smaller one too) matched, and even better if they stacked to store out of the way. The small fold-up table and clunky corner storage against the wall would do well to be replaced. And the kid’s art on the wall deserves more presence! The clunky, plastic play structure could be so much better if it were somehow integrated into the funky center wall so it didn’t just shove into the gap, eliminating the fun of having a pass-thru. These are some of the things I’m thinking about!

They recently purchased some very large storage cabinets that look very…uhh…school-grade. Again, not something we had a say in design-wise, but a functional element that was crucial to their systems and storage needs, and so we need to find a way to work with the cabinets! Same thing goes for the larger, fold-up work tables. They definitely aren’t the prettiest, but they’re durable, functional and adaptable to the space–they’d like to keep them.

The rest of the furniture is quite flexible in terms of what stays/goes, but we also want to be sensitive to maintaining a sense of familiarity in the space for the kiddos who have come to enjoy it as it is. With the addition of these large, wood cabinets, it makes sense to me to bring in more of this tone/material so that it feels cohesive and grounded. And while bright, fun colors are perfect for a playroom, we want to be intentional with the palette we choose so that everything vibes.

Big Ideas

Please bear with my crude sketch/mockup–but I’d love to get in touch with a carpenter/woodworker to give this weird wall the FULL play zone treatment! It would be amazing to integrate a custom jungle gym, complete with a slide and hideout space underneath. If you’ve never checked out Groh Playrooms, go take a look at their work right now! Their amazing, out-of-the-box design is what I’d love to channel here.

I picture a play structure built into the support beam and wall, maybe disguising the beam to look like a tree, and treating the wall in some way to feel more like a house (wood siding? scalloped shingles? fun, bright paint job? obvious ‘roof’?) with maybe a whiteboard “window” to draw on or a magnet board or something!

The slide would face the laundry room window (as the plastic structure does now) so parents could keep a safe watch. Space up top would have classic jungle-gym gadgets, like a steering wheel or some kind of busy board. There would be room underneath for a puppet show theater, or it could just serve as a cozy, protected hangout zone with tons of pillows and stuffies. But something fun needs to happen here, don’t you think?? If you know someone who would be an ideal fit to help execute/build something like this with us, feel free to send them my way (gretchen@emilyhendersondesign.com)!

The opposite side could receive a similar treatment or could be reimagined entirely! They do have a decent kid-size kitchen (and I’d like to snag a laundry play set too, so kids can act like mom/dad next door) but a play set they don’t have is a storefront, which I think could be fun over here! What really excites me are all the potential pass throughs and imaginative play possibilities that could happen through this funky wall.

Kids could look down from the jungle gym balcony above, maybe there’s a chalkboard on the other side to give the store a name, and of course, the passage underneath and the doorway to the side. The “doorway” is about 15″ thick and I think it’d be fun to paint or do something fun here too. The wall could house some shelving for books or act as grocery shelves. But what is the right move for this side? If you have ideas for how either side of the funky wall should look, drop them in the comments!! I want to hear them!

Furniture And Finishing Touches

We’re working with AllModern to jumpstart furnishing the space. Their pieces are durable, ship FAST and look great, so they’ll be just perfect for this playroom! They have a pretty stellar kid inventory, too, with play sets and rugs I’ve been eyeing for a while. We recently ordered these low bookshelves from AllModern in a wood tone similar to the “school” storage cabinets, to replace the IKEA bookshelves that have seen better days.

We’ll also be looking to AllModern for a leather sofa replacement, something that reads more design forward but is still durable and wipeable. This should be easy to narrow down–they have so many good options! They also carry some great plastic stacking chairs, which we’d love to snag to replace the work table chairs that are pretty clunky. We’ll probably need additional storage units and surfaces as well as cute storage boxes/bins down the line. Family Promise doesn’t have much of a budget for this space at all currently, but Em will be contributing toward elements like the “playhouse” and all other styling/finishing touches.

Speaking of finishing touches…I think a mural somewhere in here would be incredible!! Don’t you? Maybe we recruit Banyan Bridges back to the blog so she can give this room her magical touch? Like she did so well for Em’s art barn? Either a mural or at least a paint color change in here or both! The bright teal accent wall is fun for now, but it’d be nice to shift gears once the room design takes better shape.

We will DEFINITELY be adding art, rugs, and textiles to the space to liven it up, but another thing Family Promise asked for is a better way to display the kids’ art. You know we love a good corkboard moment–why not designate a wall to go full corkboard? Then there’s the ceiling tiles. Should/could these be painted? Each one in a new color? Or is that overkill? I remember painting a ceiling tile like this in high school, so I know it can be done. But I was chatting with Mal about the project and she suggested swapping the ceiling tiles out for a fun decorative version–something like this–I want to look into similar options!

It’s going to be a REALLY fun project, but clearly we’re still in the early stages. I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas, if anything genius comes to mind! Maybe you know of a local woodworker who could help us dream up an awesome, custom playhouse/structure for a good cause? Maybe there’s a play set that your kids LOVE that you think these kids would love too? Or maybe you see something missing from our plans and you just can’t hold your tongue. Well, don’t! I want to know what you think:)

Just keep in mind, our budget for this project is minimal, and there’s a level of trauma-informed design that needs to be considered. If you’re curious to learn more about their great work or are feeling inspired to contribute, check out Family Promise! We feel so fortunate to be a small part of their awesome world and can’t wait to share some of ours with their community soon. Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Gretch

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IKEA Is Not Messing Around – This New Collection Is SO Good

IKEA really deserves more flowers than we typically give it. It’s been there for us through college, our first apartments (and beyond), but it also never stops evolving, which keeps us coming back. It’s a quiet evolution, if you will, but they keep raising the bar and this new drop is total evidence of that. Their newest STOCKHOLM collection is so good. I didn’t realize that this collection first came out 40 years ago and is now in the eighth edition. The shapes are cool but classic, and there’s just a general elevated feeling with these pieces. So in this post, we chose our favorites from the STOCKHOLM drop but added other new pieces we just loved. Just because it’s IKEA doesn’t mean it can’t be a forever piece. Come see!

Rug | Sofa

Rug | Sofa

The sofa is a huge piece in this collection, and I get why…it’s COOL. That shape is awesome and it’s modular, so you can make it smaller/break it up if you want. That brown velvet (look at the styled photo to see the sheen) is extremely pretty, and guess what?? Those are removable covers that are washable. What’s not to love? Well, it’s not necessarily cheap, but it does have a 25-year warranty so at least that’s nice. There are three other colors to choose from. Now, that rug is awesome. Bold and exciting, but the colors are neutral enough not to totally take over a room (unless you want it to). Since it’s a flat weave, we do recommend getting a rug pad for comfort and no slippage. We did a big in-person review of a bunch in this post.

Shelving Unit/Bench

If I had a place for this shelving unit/bench I would be driving to IKEA as we speak. I love the low profile, the simple but cool joinery, and just the overall look. Good design doesn’t have to be complicated:) Plus, I love how they styled it behind a sofa in another shot on the site. So pretty!

Armchair | Bench with Pad | Black Side Table

Armchair | Bench with Pad

And it keeps getting better. This chair, sold almost anywhere else, would be double the price. It’s not a super loungy chair, but it looks comfortable to sit in and is so darn chic. Then my absolute favorite detail of this bench is the corner joinery. These two would also be coming home with me if I needed them.

Black Side Table

For under $70, this is SUCH a cute side table. It’s so versatile style-wise, too! It could add a modern edge to a more traditional space or just be a fun chunky side table with any other style. Simple but special, as we say;)

Side Table on Casters

Here’s a similar light wood version, but it’s on wheels! It’s a little more expensive than the black one, but it’s also a little bigger, and again, it HAS WHEELS. I also love that the two tiers are two different sizes.

Pillow | Sofa

Pillow | Sofa

Ok, as soon as I saw this pillow, it immediately made me think of one of Emily’s favorite throw blankets from Lost & Found (an incredible lifestyle/design shop in LA). She’s used it a bunch, but here it is in the primary bedroom at the mountain house. But this pillow is cozy and has a fun but kinda neutral color palette. Big fan. Then the sofa is so chic and minimal. It also has the same joinery as the bench that I’m obsessed with. And from what I can tell from the description online, it seems that the wood base is a solid pine!

Coffee Table

If you are looking for an affordable gold metal coffee table that I can work with almost any style, this one is under $100 and so cute!

Wall Mirror

And how fun is this wall mirror!? It’s so playful while still being sleek and modern. 10/10

Wall Shelf

If you need a wall shelf, I would choose this one in a heartbeat! And it’s under $30!!! Plus, it’s solid oak. What’s not to love? It’s perfectly simple but not even a little boring.

Glass Door Cabinet

So this piece isn’t new, but the color is! If you want to create that warm, eclectic English vibe, I think this would be perfect. Paired with a pop of red (maybe a lamp with a red shade?) and other fun patterns in the room, you’d nail that style.

Pendant

Boy, do we love a vintage-inspired light fixture, and this one is definitely giving a Rejuvenation vibe too! For only $50, you get this handblown pendant that will give you the ideal diffused light.

Floor Lamp

Honestly, IKEA has been doing just great things in lighting for some time now. So while I’m not surprised and am DELIGHTED by this floor lamp (it also comes in a table lamp version)!! The base is stone, y’all. It’s such a chic lamp that could work in almost any home.

Table Lamp

And because this was too cute not to include, here is an incredible table lamp that has a vintage vibe, too. It also comes in white and a bright yellow, so you have plenty of great color options. It’s clearly great on a bedside table or on a shelf, just somewhere that you don’t want or need a lot of ambient light.

Dining Chair

I’m sorry, but these chairs are so great. They have that curved back that Emily heavily advocates for in a dining chair. Modern but classic, and also comes in a black frame option.

Dining Chair

This dining chair won’t be for everyone, but I love it. It’s playful, cool, and if black isn’t ideal for your style, it also comes in a light birch and bright yellow!

Table + 6 Chair Set

Not only is this dining set so pretty, but it’s also under $350! That’s right. For a dining table and six chairs, that’s an insane deal. It looks so much higher-end than that price and not even a little cookie-cutter.

Glassware

If you are a glassware lover on a budget, welcome to your dream! These dreamy stemmed glasses are only $25 for all four glasses. Perfect for displaying, for drinking, and everyone being able to easily track their glass throughout the night:)

Glass Mug

And another winner enters the chat. Glassware and mugs that look like this are typically so pricey. So when I saw these were $6, they were immediately added to this list! I mean, they would have been on the list regardless, but the price just made it better:) It also comes in the reverse colors!

Candlestick Holder Set

Remember that incredible dining room reveal you saw on Monday?? Well, the table had brass candlestick holders that were wildly similar to these but likely for a much heftier price point. Love them in either the black or the gold.

Step Stool

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate a cool-looking step stool. And this one also has some added function! Of course, it has a place for a towel, but for people with not the best balance (like me), the higher hand rail is a dream. $30 well spent if you ask me.

Convertible Crib

Well, this is a beautiful crib! I love the varying spindles. If they were all carved ones, it might be too visually overwhelming, so the mix is perfect. Then a drawer underneath? Yes, please. And then as your babe grows, it turns into a toddler bed. 1000/10.

Duvet Cover Set

And finally, I just really liked this duvet cover set. It’s simple but fun, the blue color is happy without being too bright, and it’s easy to mix and match with other colors and patterns. Plus, it’s extremely affordable, which in the world of pretty bedding these days is not easy to find.

So what do you think? Are we all headed to IKEA this weekend? Just kidding…but am I? Regardless of where you go, I hope this was fun but the rest of your week is even more fun:)

Love you, mean it.

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My Kids Rooms Through The Years (Bring On The Nostalgia)

Dear god, that sweet boy is now 11, which is not what this post is about, but a reminder that you were all right. When I first had Charlie, all you moms before me said it would go by so fast, and while I knew you were right (it is the universal sentiment) I’m still shocked that he’s going to be in junior high next year (she writes while crying on a plane). Today’s post isn’t about how much I love my kids (too much to say) nor how desperate I am to keep building my connection with them before they leave for college (8 years left and YOU BET I’M NOT SQUANDERING THEM), but about their rooms that I’ve designed over the years. You see, my thesis is unsurprising – that like choosing their outfits or Halloween costumes, baby rooms are much easier to design than kids’ rooms (as shown through these photos). This is more of a show and tell, with perhaps some new insights for you long-time blog readers (thank you, always, thank you).

Glendale HouseCharlie’s Nursery – 2015 photo by david tsay | from: charlie’s circus-themed nurseryphoto by david tsay | from: charlie’s circus-themed nursery

Year one, with the cutest wallpaper that I know he might have not liked forever, but my goodness it was so perfect for this room – light and airy, graphic, big pops of color. A solid design that has dated pretty well, if you ask me. Sure, it might scream 2013, but not in a way that I don’t like; it feels almost time-capsule-y.

photo by david tsay | from: charlie’s circus-themed nursery

A reminder that you can use a vintage dresser as a changing table – I have so many videos of Brian making Charlie laugh on this dresser.

Birdie’s First Nursery – 2016photo by tessa neustadt | from: a baby girl’s blush and green nursery

One of my all-time favorite rooms ever — to both stare at and be in. This house (mid-century in Glendale) was so special, and stylistically I was really aligned with it (it was so light and bright with huge pops of color throughout). That vintage rocker (shout out to MidcenturyLA) and the daybed (from Elsie Green) were epic. And while this white fluffy rug might seem impractical, it was just so unbelievably soft and we still have it at the mountain house in our bedroom (far less white, but it strangely aged really well, just looks more taupe now LOL).

photo by tessa neustadt | from: a baby girl’s blush and green nursery

The X and O artwork pieces by Jane Denton are at the mountain house (guest room) and are just so sweet. But the tree wallpaper mural is my favorite – I know we’ve seen it a lot, but in the right space, it really works and packs a huge punch.

photos by tessa neustadt | from: a baby girl’s blush and green nurseryLos Feliz HomeCharlie’s Room – 2017photo by tessa neustadt | from: charlie’s big boy room reveal

This version of this room is nicely designed, but I never really LOVED it. Totally cute, and most things in it are fine, but just didn’t feel like me (and likely not Charlie either, but he was 3-4 when we moved in here). TBH, I had to pull it together really fast for our Real Simple feature and Target, who was my main sponsor at the time, who wanted me to use as much Target as possible (which I was happy to do, but it felt a bit pulled together rather than designed).

photos by tessa neustadt | from: charlie’s big boy room reveal

I think that was when Pillowfort had just launched (their in-house kid brand) and was so cute. I still have all those vintage paint-by-numbers and wish so badly that I hadn’t framed them in black (wood or white would have been better) because I’ve wanted to use them over and over, but the harshness of the black frames always made them not work.

Birdie’s Second Nursery – 2017photo by tessa neustadt | from: elliot’s nursery reveal

Another favorite of mine — but instead of a green tree mural, I opted for this pink one. What I think I never wrote about is that the old plaster walls couldn’t hold the weight of the blackout curtains very easily, and they were always a problem. We tried reinforcing them behind the walls, but it was a big old problem (I honestly don’t remember how we fixed them or if we did anything at all besides trying to be careful).

photos by tessa neustadt | from: elliot’s nursery reveal

But these rooms just scream so much nostalgia to me — when I had two toddlers. But Brian was gone often at night doing plays and the business was unmanageably busy (in ways that I would never want to publicly complain about, but let’s just say I “shower-cried” often). Life changed pretty abruptly after that, what with lockdown, then the move up here to Portland, and I can happily say that the years of overwhelm are in my past. Now I just miss when the kids were that young – they were such hard years, but my god they were so freaking cute and fun and their obsession with me could never get old. I’m just so happy to have so many photos and videos of those years (and time at the mountain house, which felt like we could just be us four every weekend, away from the chaos of the city).

photo by tessa neustadt | from: elliot’s nursery reveal

I always wondered if I shouldn’t have done a wallpaper in the bathroom AND her bedroom, but TBH they were both cute (and since hers was a mural, maybe that’s ok?). That bathroom had no natural light (I wish I had put in a skylight), so it needed some action on the walls to not feel dead.

The Mountain House

Remember the years when the kids shared a king bed? Well, that’s not how it started…

Mountain House Shared Bedroom – 2019photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the kids’ mountain house room reveal!!

How cute is that safari tent? A big shout-out to Emily Bowser and Julie for figuring that all out. And the reason for that big white headboard was that it housed the mechanism for the steam shower (I believe), which we didn’t know we had to build a space for until the house was all laid out.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the kids’ mountain house room reveal!!photos by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the kids’ mountain house room reveal!!

The thing about rock walls is that they are more of an invitation to play. The kids certainly got use out of it while doing other games (war, fort building, etc), but it’s not like they have rock climbing sessions. I would 100% do it again, and it just made the room so cute and fun.

photos by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the kids’ mountain house room reveal!!

I love that their vanity in their current bathroom was their dresser here:)

A Refresh of the Kids’ Room in the Mountain House – 2019photos by sara ligorria-tramp | from: a refresh of the kids’ room in the mountain house

So here is where it got weird – when the kids were 3 and 5 we did so many family reading sessions at night that we ended up shoving the twin beds together so we could read them the same book as a family. So I figured I’d redesign it to make it look good, which I did. They shared a king bed for all of COVID, with me often sleeping in the middle of them until I transferred myself at midnight (something I often still do, but not on purpose).

Los Feliz Shared Bedroom – 2020photos by sara ligorria-tramp | from: our boy/girl, 2-twin bed shared kids room

Meanwhile, since they loved sharing the bedroom at the mountain house, we realized they also slept so much better. So Elliot started sleeping on the floor of Charlie’s room in LA, thus me redesigning his room to have two twin beds. I started this process before lockdown but didn’t finish till we needed to sell the house, and I wanted every room to be “finished”. So the kids only slept in here one or two nights, right before we moved to Oregon (which was so weird to them TBH).

photos by sara ligorria-tramp | from: our boy/girl, 2-twin bed shared kids room

Also while I loved that polka dotted comforter, the kids HATED it – they didn’t like the textural difference and in the middle of the night they thought it had bugs all over it (the polka dots) so I while I hoarded them for a while, they were pretty impractical and very unpopular in my house.

The Farmhouse

We moved into this house when the kids were 7 and 9 – full-blown children now. I have one kid who wants to redesign her room every day, and the other who really doesn’t want it to be touched – he loves it.

Charlie’s Bedroom – 2023 + Updated Headboard – 2023photo by kaitlin green | from: the ikea headboard hack for charlie’s room that only took emily one day to make

This room doesn’t feel finished to me, but it’s really hard for me to get motivated to think about it when he loves it so much. Recently, he said that he wants curtains because he thinks it’s hard to wake up when the blackout shades work so well. So we might do that so that the natural light can wake them up during the year (but not in the summer when the sun gets up at 5 am up here).

photo by kaitlin green | from: charlie’s room update/progress with a thrifted 80s vibe

Its such a tween bedroom – part kid, part desperate to be a teen. The green bookcase is now in his closet replaced by his electronic drum set. The huge round sofa situation is perfect for sleepovers (for now).

photo by kaitlin green | from: charlie’s room update/progress with a thrifted 80s vibe

All he wants are more and more posters all over his walls (same with Elliot now), and let’s just say we are not aligned. There are so many Minecraft or video game memes that he wants that I just don’t get (but I allow, obviously, wanting him to have full expression). I tried to explain the “Rodeo” print to them over and over and they are like “what?” – clearly my poster preferences are different than Gen Alpha. Although he does love the red crab one by David Shrigley because it has to do with gaming

photo by kaitlin green | from: charlie’s room update/progress with a thrifted 80s vibe

Right now that stuffy closet (which was just for the shoot) is where all of his clothes are and I wish I had done drawers so badly. We just have bins that get super messy. And currently, his desk is full of so much organized chaos, like any 11-year-old. The collections are out of control, in such a cute way.

Birdie’s Bedroom – 2023photo by kaitlin green | from: birdie’s bedroom reveal

I recently wrote about Elliot’s room and how she already thinks that her wallpaper is too young for her It’s such a cute room, though!!

photo by kaitlin green | from: birdie’s bedroom reveal

UGH I just can’t with her growing up.

photo by kaitlin green | from: birdie’s bedroom reveal

Listen, even though she identifies as a tween now (at 9), this room is so objectively her, and we designed it together. Right now she wants to be a designer with me when she grows up (as well as a baker, musician, and artist) and she even has my vocabulary, talking about “peppering pops of color” around the room. I mean…

Birdie’s Closet Reveal – 2024photo by kaitlin green | from: birdie’s closet reveal

Those scallop stickers are still so clever and affordable. You cold frame out doorways or windows or use them as ceiling trim. They come in a billion colors and sizes, FTW.

Article Bed Update – 2024photo by kaitlin green

We recently switched out her creaky vintage bed for this solid one from Article, which is overall so much better. And as you can see, she is adding to her collection of posters as well.

Well, that was fun for me (if not so sad – they are getting older). Quite the reminder of how short life is Regarding their rooms, from here on out, I’m letting them take the lead – if they want to engage in any sort of design of their rooms or change anything, of COURSE I’ll be the first one to raise my hand and help. Seeing them care about their style is super fun and I think natural considering they’ve heard me talk about it so much over the years. Thanks for listening

Opening Image Credits: Photo by David Tsay | From: Charlie’s Circus-Themed Nursery

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