Emily Henderson's Blog, page 178

The 6 Rules For Creating A Bedding Combo That Will Make Bedtime Even More Exciting (+ 16 Combos To Prove It)

In true Jess fashion, because I have officially decided to design my living room first, I can’t stop thinking about my bedroom. I could honestly get a doctorate in avoidance, that’s how much I excel at it. But hey, the great thing about this particular character flaw is that I can still use it as blog material. Everyone but my living room wins. I beat the system!!

So yes, I’ve been thinking about bedding A LOT lately because I think I want it as the main source of pattern in the room. A way to still have a calm, peaceful space that’s got some excitement in the sheets (aka not all-white/neutral bed linens). And since quarantine is bound to last for a good while longer, that’s the only excitement those sheets are seeing for the foreseeable future. Mixing it up will be necessary.

photo by tessa neustadt | from: scott’s bedroom makeover with leesa + get the look

But the question is how and how much pattern are we talking here? Well, there are a few ways to attack this depending on the level of “excitement” you want. Here is what you (and I) should think about before shopping:

Boldness Of Color Pallete: In the photo above, Scott kept his color palette neutral but with lots of contrast and textures. It says, “Hey, I’m not like those other simple beds. I’m a ‘cool’ bed.” While in the bedroom below, it has a variety of saturated colors that say, “I’m very cool, very fun, and do it with freaking ease baby.” Or you could do something in the middle with a soft color palette and bold pattern, like in the opening photo. It’s like Goldilocks but instead of beds, it’s bedding.How Many Patterns??: How “exciting” or “loud” do you want to go? Are you someone who is good with two patterns or five? And don’t forget that a blanket or a pillow’s texture can be considered a pattern… like with a chunky knit! Material Options: Speaking of texture, you should think about what materials are on your bed (ie linen, cotton, knits, etc). Are you like Brian who doesn’t like sleeping on linen sheets? Or do you enjoy their weightiness and LOVE how they look? The right amount of material/textures will give your bed added (quiet) visual interest. Pick Interesting, Not Neutral Combos: Go for something like a peach and dark olive green combo, or clay and salmon. Don’t be afraid to play with color. design by oliver m. furth | photo by douglas friedman | via architectural digest

Ok, I left one topic out of that above list because it might be the most important when mixing exciting bedding and that is PATTERN SCALE VARIATION. This is what you want to have:

photo by tessa neustadt | from: sylvia’s makeover: ricky’s bedroomHave At Least One Component Be A Solid Color: Unless you want it to be a non-stop visual pattern party in your bed, you are going to want at least one solid (two is fun if you want to play with colors). This could be any component – your duvet, comforter, sheets, end of bed blanket, etc. I do think that having a solid color as one of your larger pieces will help the patterns shine more though:) Mix Pattern Scales Like Your Life Depends On It: We talk about this A LOT on here but that’s because we mean it. Make sure that you vary your pattern scales. If you have say, a small-scale pattern on your sheets, then pick a larger pattern scale for your duvet or end of bed blanket. Or visa versa.

Basically have at least of solid, a small scale pattern, and larger scale pattern in some configuration on your bed. And like I said before a “texture” like a knit can be considered a pattern.

photo by veronica crawford | from: our bedroom update (also how I feel about having a tv in the bedroom)

Now that you have the idea down let’s get into these bedding combos shall we?

1. Dusk Linen Sheet Set With Pillowcases + Gwendolen Coverlet + Light Gray Chunky Knit Bed Blanket | 2. Grape Leaf Linen Sheet Set + Estela Black and White Duvet Cover + INGABRITTA | 3. Organic Washed Cotton Percale Sheet Set + Quilted Sham Set + Linen Duvet Cover + Terracotta European Flax Linen Classic Stripe Box Stitch Quilt & Shams | 4. Peach Linen Fitted Sheet + Flounced Duvet Cover Set + Kahelo Quilt Set | 5. Clay Washed Linen Solid Sheet Set + Blush Washed Hemp Solid Pillowcase Set + Anholt Stripes Duvet Cover + Clay Chunky Knit Bed Blanket | 6. Pencil Stripes Linen Sheet Set With Pillowcases + Linen Dijon Duvet Cover + Ivory And Black Woven Cross Rylan Quilt | 7. Slate Percale Sheet Set + House No. 23 Marlo Duvet Set + Solid Herringbone Throw Blanket | 8. Navy Imperfect Plus Sheet Set + Luxe Duvet Cover + Lightweight Quilt

Again, I don’t hate all-white bedding but these are SO much more interesting to look at. I love #1 even if it’s not the look I’m going for in my room. But #3 and #5 are really intriguing. They are bold in color but still have a pop of pattern that I think makes them way more interesting. Special shout out to the quilt in #3. It might be my favorite! I kinda have a thing for striped as you are about to see…

design by three birds renovations

This bedding combo by Three Birds Renovations is making my eyes sing. I LOVE that horizontal striped top sheet and vertical striped duvet cover combo. Simple but interesting and the slight color difference is magical. Then you have the slightly smaller scale but different euro shams (again in similar but different tones). To top it off you have had the unexpected but grounding choice of the green bed blanket and bold gold pillowcases. This is a neutral color palette that is anything but boring.

So with all that drooling done with, let’s move onto some more combos…

1. Cedar Stripe Linen Sheet Set With Pillowcases + Cedar Linen Duvet Cover Set + Kenzie Oversized Throw | 2. Natural Flax European Flax Linen Classic Stripe Sheet Set + Dusk Linen Duvet Cover Set + Coyuchi Pismo Organic Blanket | 3. Olive & Peach Stripe Linen Duvet Cover + Cream Linen Duvet Cover + Cosmos Quilt Set | 4. Tic Stripe Organic Cotton Sheet Set + Dark Clay Heavyweight Linen Blend Comforter & Sham Set + Natural Chunky Knit Bed Blanket | 5. Printed Flannel Sheet Set + Neutral Micro Texture Comforter Set + Dark Clay Heavyweight Linen Blend Quilt | 6. Mist Linen Fitted Sheet + Carter Duvet + Ian Oversized Throw | 7. Lua Floral Sheet Set + Wendell Dusty Pink Quilted Duvet + Winter + Summer Cotton Coverlet | 8. Terracotta Linen Sheet Sets + Moderna Linen Quilt + Natural Chunky Knit Bed Blanket

I love that #1 and #3 have a soft but exciting look to them and I think those striped sheets in #1 are my actual dream sheets. But I really love how playful #5 and #7 are. Who would have thought delicate floral sheets would be something I would ever have loved past the mid-’90s?? 2021 is WILD y’all!

So that’s it! Now that we are in a new year and maybe you are shifting a little bit of focus away from your home office (?) and you wanting to freshen up your bedroom a little? Are you also wanting some more color and pattern to inject some excitement? I know all I want is my bed to look cool, inviting, and calming. Is that too much to ask?? You tell me!

And in case you want a little reminder sheet of what we learned today (and our favorite way to make a bed), here’s a graphic for you! Pin it so you’ll have it forever:)

Love you, mean it.

Opening Image Credits: Design by Three Birds Renovations

The post The 6 Rules For Creating A Bedding Combo That Will Make Bedtime Even More Exciting (+ 16 Combos To Prove It) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Malcolm’s Bedroom Intro: How He Plans to Mitigate Anxiety Through Design

It definitely goes without saying at this point… but 2020. Phew. The last year has been tough for just about all of us. And for me personally–a Black and gay man living with challenging anxiety in today’s America–things have been difficult in particularly nuanced ways. But! It’s a new year! And while we’re still feeling a lot of lingering DRAMA, the new year presents a great opportunity to reflect and shift focus (while remaining socially responsible as long as it’s appropriate). 

Throughout my life, design has both mitigated and underscored my anxiety. On one hand, there is something wildly therapeutic about the design process. Problem-solving, backward thinking, hands-on production, and satisfying results all lend themselves well to positive and productive trains of thought. On the other hand (and very ironically, in my case), being a design thinker tends to cultivate seemingly endless possibilities, which happens to be one of the overarching features of my anxiety. Perhaps that’s why I’ve always been drawn to design…? At any rate, during quarantine, I’ve made it a priority to give greater voice to the former. Renovating my home–currently my main bedroom–has become a source of calm through the process of designing/crafting it, the intent of creating a space that helps me establish a routine, and as a reflection of some of the anxiety that I’ve confronted and largely overcome over the last year.

Process and Production

Over time and through a lot of introspection (particularly during this crazy era of more-than-usual alone time), I’ve learned that my anxiety grows exponentially if not directed into some positive action. Idle hands are the devil’s playground! Consequently, I paint a lot of doors. I shine a lot of hardware. I stare blankly into rooms and let my overactive mind run wild in productive directions instead of letting it ruminate over negative thoughts (for both myself and clients), and now I’m setting my sights on my primary bedroom.

Here’s what I am starting with:

This, by far, is the biggest bedroom I’ve ever had the privilege of having to myself. It’s the perfect space to establish distinct zones in, and if you read my deck series, you’ll know how much I appreciate good zonage. I love the little alcove where you see the bed frame above (fun fact: I haven’t owned a headboard my entire adult life, mostly because I’m all about interesting DIY headboard solutions…I’m also all about foreshadowing ;)). The room gets the BEST natural light in the afternoons/evenings, and I have some great window treatment ideas for the window wall!

I have a graphic design background, and I’ve always drawn inspiration from the intersection of graphic design and interior design (continually learning about environmental graphic design has always been a passion of mine). Along that vein, I’ve looked to hospitality design as a main source of inspiration for this project. My goal is to create a space that is soothing, handsome, and genuinely feels like a staycation every day and night. A space that is on-trend, but not trendy. Classic, but not stuffy. Traditional, but unique. Will this be a study in oxymorons? Probably. But I’m up for the challenge. Let’s dive into some inspiration:

photo by heidi’s bridge | design by jersey ice cream cophoto by dylan james | design by builder collective | styling by northcote stylist

The idea of a “no-headboard” headboard has sent me on a WILD DIY journey that I am veeerrryyyy excited to share with you. Interested in a dedicated article about it? Let me know!

Establishing Routine

I’ve found that establishing a consistent routine has been a crucial way for me to keep my anxiety at bay–the biggest of which is my nightly “pre-bed” routine. One could argue that I spend…entirely too much time…getting ready for bed, but it’s my favorite part of the day! I’m unashamed! I pick out my clothes for the next day, iron them, and gingerly put them on display so that they’re ready for me in the morning (that’s all step one. Step two involves a lot of grooming products that I recommended in my holiday gift guide, which I recommend checking out. It’s good year-round!). As such, redesigning this closet to be conducive to my lifestyle has become my NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN LIFE.

The previous homeowners built this contraption inside the existing closet. Hey, if it worked for them, it worked for them. No judgment, as One Direction’s Niall Horan famously sings. For me, though, there is a TON of wasted space on either side of the closet, and there is a real opportunity to create a showstopper that’ll make my nights end better, and my days start better.

Here is the general concept for the exterior of the closet, which I conceptualized back in March 2020 before I even moved into this house:

And here is the inspiration that sparked this journey. I mean. What more could you ask for? 

photo by kristofer johnson | design by claes dalén and johan pråmell | styled by anna leena leino karlsson | via residence magazine

I’m being VERY mindful about balance in this bedroom. A balanced design will help to underscore and reinforce a balanced daily mindset. I asked Emily for some advice about the balance of the space, and she had some SUPER helpful feedback that helped me refine my plans:

From Emily: “I would make sure to choose a black that has an undertone that is interesting to give it some movement. I.e. blue or green (still black, but not stark black. It seems the one you are inspired by has some blue in it as well). Could you do window treatments in a tone? Even a grey? I think the wood will help but yeah, I understand your concern about the balance and I totally agree. I think one of the reasons it works in your inspo picture is because the whole room is dark, not just the closets so it feels seamless. I think finding some inspiration photos of a closet that is really dark when the rest of the room is light will help you make that decision. I just fear that if the closet is black and the rest of the room is light that the closet is all you’ll see visually.”

As expected, she had great feedback! The closet doors will be very saturated, so I’ll make sure to mirror their blackness with dark window treatments on the opposite side of the room, while introducing lighter elements (natural wood tones and metallic accents) throughout the space to create a nicely balanced symphony of saturations (I won’t lie…I’m very proud of the alliteration there. “Symphony of Saturations” might be the name of my eventual memoir).

photo by ragnar ómarsson | design by joanna lavén | via pufik homes

While this closet system isn’t black, this space is great study in how color consistency makes the oversized closet feel seamlessly incorporated with the rest of the room.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | design by shaun crha | from: how this designer built a beautiful modern traditional guest home for his dad to age in place

Here, black lighting accents and black-and-white photography help to make the dark built-ins feel fully intentional. I’ll be writing a dedicated article about this closet remodel that will include some fun, easy, and inexpensive DIY solutions for a reach-in closet! Stay tuned! I’m excited!

Moreover, as I mentioned earlier, it’ll be important for me to establish zones in this space to underscore and emphasize routine-building behaviors. The closet in and of itself will be a dedicated zone in which I start and end my days, but I’m also planning to establish a little seating area (for journaling! I’ve only recently gotten into journaling and it is quite possibly the most therapeutic way that I’ve found to mitigate my anxiety), and a sumptuous space for my bed (duh). Here is the general layout that I’m planning…but I do have one question for you. Should the bed be centered on the overall width of the room, or be centered within the bed alcove? See below for a look at an overhead view of both options.

left: centered to entire wall | right: centered in alcove

I’m leaning toward centering the bed on the overall wall (and not the alcove) because it feels more symmetrical overall, and allows for plenty of space to navigate the closet area, but I do see the appeal in centering it within its nook. What do you think?

Focusing on Small (But Impactful) Details

“They” say that one of the most powerful ways to feel emotionally and mentally strong is by practicing gratitude, but I don’t think that I realized the true power of gratitude until this last year. I’m grateful for this home. I’m grateful for my amazing family and friends. I’m grateful for my health, and for having a reliable job in the midst of a global pandemic. And not least of all, I’m grateful for this platform that allows me to share, inspire, and communicate with such an amazing community.

As such, I shared more ideas with Emily for this bedroom makeover, and she had some CLUTCH input. For example, if you look at the design plan below, you’ll see a vintage sewing desk on the right side of the bed. It belonged to my aunt, then my grandmother, then my mother, and now it’s mine and I love it with my entire existence and feel very compelled to use it as a nightstand. However, I’ve had difficulty matching it with an appropriately-sized nightstand for the other side of the bed and lighting that feels balanced with both “nightstands” in tandem. 

Emily had some great suggestions, including incorporating lighting that makes the smaller nightstand feel less tenuous:

From Emily: “While I love that smaller accent table, I fear that it doesn’t balance out the sewing desk enough, but it might if you have a different lamp on that table than on the desk (something lower and more chunky?). The lamp feels too big for that table and because of its shape might feel a little vulnerable and tenuous if that makes ANY sense. Regarding bed linens. If you want some interest/contrast go with a pinstripe or a subtle windowpane, and a bed blanket that has some color, pattern, or texture.” 

Again, great advice, but I expected nothing less! I revised the plan (below) to reflect some of her awesome feedback:

Also… I generally can’t believe that I’m getting feedback from EMILY HENDERSON ABOUT DESIGN IDEAS. What is life? Gratitude. Gratitude is life.

The past year has forced me to grow up more than ever before, so it feels poetic that this bedroom is shaping up to be the most “grown-up” space I’ve ever created for myself. If you’ve made it this far (writing in brevity has never been my strong suit), I hope you don’t mind taking this strangely introspective and emotional journey with me. I’m certainly no expert on anxiety (and would never claim to be), but I’ve definitely learned a lot about how it affects me–and productive ways to mitigate it through design–during this unexpectedly wild time that we’re living in.

Comments? Questions? What have you learned about yourself in the last year? Sound off below! I’m excited for the dialogue.

Opener Image Credit: via Life Hou se Hotels

The post Malcolm’s Bedroom Intro: How He Plans to Mitigate Anxiety Through Design appeared first on Emily Henderson.

The Link Up: Jess’ First “Real” Clothing Purchase of 2021, Caitlin’s Self Care Splurge, and The New (Old) Design Show We Can’t Wait To Watch

Hi Everyone and happy Sunday. If we had to pick a theme for this link up, I think it would be self-care because clearly we’ve all been buying ourselves products to make us feel better (everyone should if you can!!) So if you’re wanting to make yourself feel a little extra special this week, then scroll on down and see our favorite things right now

This week’s home tour well, isn’t a home at all. It’s Tigmi Trading’s flagship store in Australia and it’s cozier than a lot of homes we’ve seen. Brought to us by The Design Files (our favorite), this store has all the right vibes and an effortlessly perfect curation of goodies.

We’re all well aware of the lack of diversity in the design industry, now here’s something we can do about it: Fireclay tile and the Architects Foundation are sponsoring “The Desiree Cooper Memorial Fund— a Diversity Advancement Scholarship supporting Black women earning their degree in Architecture.” Fireclay is matching donations, so if you’d like to donate click here!

From Emily: Remember Design Star?? You know, the show that I won that launched my career? Well, IT’S BACK and better than ever. We can’t wait to watch it (and see Carmeon Hamilton thrive). Watch the trailer and get ready… I’ll be tuning in for sure. Maybe even do some fun posts about my thoughts?? Yikes, I’m pumped.

From Caitlin: Behind the scenes tidbit – every Friday afternoon I get a nice Slack from the person on the team assembling that week’s Link Up being like, “can I grab that link from you? :)” which I can only assume actually translates “Woman, I have asked you every day this week both over Zoom and via message, PLEASE just give me your blurb so I can finish my work!!!” But this week, I turned in my link THREE DAYS EARLY because I watched this quick video on paint tips from @verygaypaint and it made me laugh so, so, so hard that I knew I needed to share ASAP. Hope it also brightens your weekend

Also From Caitlin: Last week, my self-care splurge floodgates opened. I started by buying this expensive shimmering oil as recommended by Em – TBH I was kind of wary, but it turns out that it was SUPER worth it and that it makes me feel awesome. (You know how you feel when you’re like, freshly showered and styled and ready to go out for a fun night? And you’re somehow not tired and FOR ONCE you’re not secretly praying that someone cancels so you can just stay home? Like you’re just feeling READY and filled with true, genuine excitement? It’s like THAT feeling, which is saying something!!) But once I started ~ feeling myself ~, I was like “AHHH what else can I buy to extend this temporary joy???” and I want to share my two other favorite finds: this $8 bar of underarm soap, which will knock out any weird armpit smells (yes, I was suffering from extra weird armpit smells this week, let’s keep it moving) and these $4 silicone brushes, which you can use to apply face masks/serums/oils/moisturizers/lotions/potions (no more fingers in cream! No more precious moisturizer trapped uselessly under your nails!). I’m like a whole new gal!!! (PS. I justified these purchases by declaring myself as my own valentine, which is an excuse I will continue to make as I add things to my cart for the next 6 days.)

From Jess: So if you’ve been paying close attention to my purchases this past year (jk, no one has), I’ve purchased maybe two (?) non-loungewear pieces of clothing. I mean I haven’t felt my best physically and well… WHERE AM I GOING THAT I NEED NON-LOUNGEWEAR CLOTHES??? However, I nearly fell to the floor when I saw Elaine Welteroth in this knit cardigan dress from a brand called Hanifa. Granted she looks like a model but I swiped up so fast that it was practically an out-of-body experience. It’s kinda the best of both worlds in that it looks luxurious but is basically a knit robe. I got it in the emerald green color and it will forever be my house dress. I can’t freaking wait. And on top of all of that, Hanifa is a Black-owned business. Literally a win-win-win.

From Mallory: I bought myself some flowers the other day while at the grocery store (and called it self care because they were not cheap), but they are SO pretty and SO unique so it’s worth it. I googled the company called Gilly Flowers when I got home and their stuff is so cool! If you’re a flower person, definitely check it out. They’ll make you very happy

From Albie: My dad was an avid record collector which instilled in me an appreciation for vinyl. Unfortunately, when my father passed, a lot of his records were lost as we moved and they were spread out amongst this one and that one, all wanting to borrow. I’m a product of the generation that’s smack in between digital and analog, so this record player speaks to me big time — I can play the classic records (as soon as I can get my hand on my dad’s records) but also send bops from my phone via Bluetooth. Who knows… I might even start my own vinyl collection because any excuse to decorate with things we actually use is never a bad idea.

From Ryann: One of my favorite makeup products as of late is this lip and cheek stain by Noto. It is a gorgeous color and works as blush or lipstick or both. I also apply it on my eyelids sometimes for a subtle eyeshadow look so yes it’s VERY versatile and lasts a long time too!

Thanks everyone for reading this week’s Link Up. We hope you feel inspired to buy yourself some flowers or skincare and take good care of yourself this week. See you next time

Opening Image Credits: Design by Timigi Trading | Photo and article via The Design Files

The post The Link Up: Jess’ First “Real” Clothing Purchase of 2021, Caitlin’s Self Care Splurge, and The New (Old) Design Show We Can’t Wait To Watch appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Grief Gifts… A ‘Roundup’ of Some Things and Some Free Ideas To Help The People You Love Who Are Going Through It

Velinda, back again to talk about fun ways to make moody pillows work in a layered space!…. strike that. I LOVE a moody pillow and swear by a layered space. But this year, shit.got.real. And while I’m so grateful for the distraction of design projects, I’m finally truly playing catchup on the LAYERS of grief that I (and I’m sure many of you) have been facing. So why not make a ‘roundup’ of it? Round….down? Round-and-round-and-round… If you’re here with me in this state of ‘day-by-day’, you get it. We’re all unwilling participants in this pummeling process. Or….

Maybe you aren’t. Maybe you scaped by unscathed… still, I’m 95% sure you probably know someone who is caught in a whirlwind this/last year. Honestly, this post is probably MORE for you, my lucky friend.

I’m writing as a not-thrilled-to-be and yet ever-grateful expert on the topic of “Grief Gifts”… here to assist you well-intended Helpers who just Googled something like, ‘how to support a friend whose dad had a psychotic break after having seemingly recovered from Covid’. Okay, that’s not even a joke… That truly was a search of mine last night. What the ACTUAL ‘F’?

So a quick summary of why I’ve become the expert…

#1: I have the most amazing friends/support system who have SHOWN me what has helped, what has ‘cheered’, and what has been simply life-saving.

#2: Life handed me some SHIT the last few years… and I know I’m not alone.

Since this post isn’t intended to be about my lessons/life/loss, I’ll provide just a quick summary. (and that, ,my Loves, is an excuse made by a writer who STILL can’t actually write about the loss of her mom now two years later). For three years, I watched my mom endure the knockdowns, many surgeries, and eventual withering that comes from a diagnosis of stage 4 ovarian cancer. And then she finally died. Exactly a year later, the weekend we were sprinkling her ashes in the ocean as she had requested, my wife and I had to put my diaper-wearing, 18-year-old best friend down. He was a Lhasa-Apso mix with a severe need for orthodontics who had been with me from leaving high school through getting married… Which brings us to the most recent blow…. This pandemic year has, seemingly, ended that marriage. My wife and best friend let me know I was no longer her truth. But considering that happened just a month ago, you can expect more details ‘soon’ when I’m able to finally write about that in, oh let’s say, 6 years from now? So, stay tuned. But truly, the grief is deep, layered, current, and probably too depressing for a design blog.

Instead of diving in there, why don’t we focus on something hopefully a bit helpful for any of us Googling how to help our friends through some really dark times. There are so many ‘what to get for Christmas/baby showers/weddings….’ But all in all, when it comes to loss, well, we’re a bit at-a-loss.

So, here’s a rundown of the support and gifts that I found incrediblyhelpful during the (please, Lord baby Jesus) worst of it:

Cleaning The Refrigerator/Sending A Cleaning Servicedesign by velinda hellen design | from: velinda’s first freelance client reveal: molding the ‘builder-grade budget’ + where they saved & splurged

We had incredible food-support in the final weeks with my mom, but making room in the refrigerator and knowing when a dish may have expired was a job… one taken on by lovely friends, who sorted, repackaged, and labeled food with dates. That ‘simple’ task was a mountain for us to climb at the time… which can be the same for keeping up with cleaning. Extra support here can be pretty hard to turn down.

Massage/Pampering/Bath Gift Cards Or Gifts (Hygge… Slippers, Robe, Candle Etc Etc)photo by veronica crawford | from: velinda’s budget diy bedroom and bathroom makeover

Trying to cope/heal can take a serious, physical toll. Any physical comfort can add just a bit of relief. In these Covid-times, massages may not be readily available, but bath teas, candles, and other cozy-softness may help make your grieving friend breathe just a bit easier. Oh! And weighted blankets actually seem to help anxiety… at least they do mine.

Here are some I recommend:

1. Organic Bath Bombs | 2. Dr Teal’s Pure Epsom Salt Soothe & Sleep Lavender Foaming Bath | 3. Weighted Comforter | 4. CBD Jasmine + Rose Bath Tea | 5. Weighted Blanket | 6. Glacier Candle | 7. Slippers | 8. Kush Queeb Black Magic Relax CBD Bath Bomb

A ‘Badvent’ Calendar… For The WIN here she is!

This was a stellarly-creative idea from one of my friends. She made it. It’s basically an ‘Advent’ calendar, but for the darker times. Each little drawer had a treat and a small note of encouragement, which gave just a little bit to look forward to every day for a month. And it’s a gift to keep giving, the idea is to refill it and pass it along to the next friend in need, when the time comes.

The Anti-Anxiety Notebook

This was a recent gift from another friend and I’m loving it so far. It’s a short, journal prompt each day with the goal of identifying thought patterns and reframing narratives over time. It’s created for very easy use by a couple of therapists. I’ve been a ‘let’s dig in’ journaler of late, but I find I use this book on the days I’d ‘like to be’ journaling, but find myself busy (or too emotionally-avoidant) to do so. It’s quick and easy.

A Schedule (Regular Hang/Calls/Support Group) – Something To ‘Look Forward To, Count On & Anchor The Seemingly Endless Week

THIS! Don’t have funds? Showing up is free… doing it regularly is life-saving. I have a few women in my life who have started a weekly check-in/accountability group since my separation. Knowing that regular meeting is there helps fend off fears of isolation. I also have a few friends who plan (even remote/distanced!) weekly hangouts/games/walks with me. A weekly or even bi-weekly, scheduled ‘date night’ or other plan puts much-needed markers & joy in the slowly passing weeks of grief.

Food (Duh, But SO Helpful)photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: soup saturday: homemade bone broth & chicken meatball veggie soup

This may not seem like a creative idea, but EVERY single time someone has shown up with food through these series of events, it wasn’t only something appreciated, but usually necessary! Ordering groceries became impossible at times…. Much less planning a balanced meal & preparing it. Many times, I forgot to eat, unless someone handed me something. One thought, IF there is a meal train in place/multiple people providing ‘comfort food’, consider offering something lean/fresh/healthy as an alt. It may not sound as exciting, but a clean meal can be a good break from the ‘southern comfort’ menu. But also, donuts never hurt a thing in times like these! So, no hard-and-fast rules here.

Oh! And don’t forget you can send meals via Apps. DoorDash, Postmates, GrubHub, etc are a great way to remotely feed your friend a meal of their pick!

Hand-Written Bits

My mom lined her walls with cards and letters in her final days. They meant so much to her. I still have a simple, hand-scrawled note left by my Seattle-bound sister on my fridge, telling me ‘how strong I am’ and ‘how loved I am’. And my adult neighbor HAND-DREW a card with vegetables planted in the ground ‘rooting’ for me. The extra time/thought of a hand-made/written note can exceed the sympathy text/social media likes unimaginably-so!

A Walk To Accompany Your Visit (Move That Body… Masked And Distanced Options Still Avail During Covid Times!)

Only in the last knock-down have I discovered how easy and healing this added, physical layer of a conversation can be. Obviously, it can be helpful to talk through trials with friends… But doing so while taking a stroll outside (even an easy one) soothes the brain/body and, at least for me, restores hope in a new, ever-evolving world so much more than sitting on a sofa can do.

An Air Mattress/Sofa/Place To Which To Escape photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the coziest upstairs cuest “bunk” bedroom

Your friend may need a fortress and/or a ‘babysitter’ at times. A change of scenery can do wonders when grief has you otherwise stuck. Just opening up your home for a night or weekend, even if you don’t have ‘plans’ or ‘things to do’ can be more than plenty. Sitting on a different couch may be the only relief needed at times.

Now, I get this tip may currently be limited only to people in your ‘pod’, but brighter days are coming. This pandemic will end! So, have those cots for your friends ready!

A Playlist Of Songs

It’s so easy, thoughtful, and (pretty much) free. A great way to help your friend feel-the-feels, dance it out or just have something new to discover!

An Endless Supply Of Receiving Calls & Checking-In

Hot Tip! Grief lasts so much longer than we realize. Socialmedia love is always nice, but an antiquated call (or Marco Polo… or whateverapp the kids are using) is a stand-up way of being a caring ear. Extra pointsfor listening to the same story 10 times because you call so often.

Avoiding The Question, ‘What Can I Do/What Do You Need?’

I still fall into this, so don’t shame yourself too hard when you do ask… But if you can avoid the question and just TRY something, you’re alleviating work for your grieving friend. Or ask another friend of the family/make a point person. For the griever, it can be too much to manage/they may have NO idea/they feel too burdensome to be honest to begin with… If you don’t ask anyone and just take a swing, it’s somewhat unlikely to be a strikeout!

A Commissioned Piece Of Art

…Only if said person is ready to CRYYYYYY. But as a designer, I have to encourage a ‘piece’ like this. I have one of my own thanks to my best friend. Seriously, MonstrKiwiArt somehow captured my furry-friend’s SPIRIT. I. Love. It.

Calendar Reminders To Check In On Important Dates… Far Beyond The Crisis

Remember that ‘Hot Tip’ about grief lasting longer than we realize. Well, your friend is going to look ‘okay’ eventually. They’re going to tell you they’re ‘okay’ eventually. And then BAM, a birthday, death-day, holiday, or used-to-be wedding anniversary (etc) swings past just to give your friend an ANNUAL punch in the face. ‘Okay’… no longer. If you’re there to have their back in ANY way for these lingering smack-downs, kudos to you… you could be one of few!

A Potted Plant/Succulent! photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: emily bowser’s “refreshed for function” small living room makeover

I personally have loved every ‘non-living’ flower too (goldstars will still be granted for those)! But I learned from a family member thatflowers can be oddly-upsetting when they start to die. So, perhaps, thinklongevity. I still have an indoor, potted plant and succulents in my garden(that came nestled within some cut flowers to be planted!) now two years afterreceiving these gifts.

Contributing To A ‘Meal Train’ (Apps Available)

…And extra points for starting said train. There are apps to make this easy. Want to make sure your family/ friend has a steady flow of food without waste or repeated nights of ravioli (though is there anything wrong with that? Never)… get coordinated. Give in Kind, Meal Train, and Take Them A Meal are a few of what I’m sure are many app/site options to aid the effort.

Videography Services… These Don’t Have To Be Fancy And You Don’t Have To Be A Pro

This one may be tricky/potentially non-universal. I don’t recommend you shove an iPhone in the face of your crying friend. But if there’s a subtler or permissioned way to document final moments/life celebrations, etc. it could be worth an offer or quick capture. You may even save these to share MUCH later. I had a friend offer to come record footage of what we knew would be our last Christmas with our Mom, which turned into a bit of a final QA session as well. My foggy, stress-filled survival-brain would have NEVER remembered the stories behind each family-made ornament she gifted me that night or the questions we made up on a whim. But we have VIDEO. We also have a video of the day we sprinkled her ashes in the ocean, thanks to a trusted family friend.

Have I had ANY desire to watch these yet? NO… have you not picked up on my avoidant tendencies? But I’m incredibly grateful they exist when it’s time.

‘Woo-Woo Stuff’photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: ehd’s day out: how we spent an afternoon in malibu

Rose Quartz is said to heal the heart. Ohm bowls generatevibrations to elevate meditation. Sage & Palo Santo can clean old energies.Energy healers/yoga sessions can help release the trauma the body stores etc,etc. These are fairly safe things to gift… but you can potentially get even bolder…your friend in transition may be more open than ever. Know a great tarot reader?Have you had a great experience with a psychic? Carrying some link to a vortex?Why not share. I mean, you know your friend better than I do and this may go againstcertain religions, so tread lightly, but I can tell you I have a tarot readingthis Saturday thanks to a reputable friend, so I’ll report back

Drugs & Alcoholphoto by veronica crawford | from: velinda’s under $20,000 diy kitchen (& laundry room) gut reno

When all else fails, bring the whiskey! Or… a safe sleepingaid/CBD sleep gummy, etc. Now don’t tempt your sober friends… But HOT TIP: I’mnot sober… someone please send the WHISKEY!

If you’re grieving right now, know you’re not alone. I’m here with you, and others are here with us… One day at a time, friends. Accept the love and support. It may soon be your turn to give it. If you aren’t grieving, give the love and support, it will eventually be your turn to accept it. Grief is a bastard-cycle, not just through stages, but one that eventually embraces us all. Let’s carry each other.

If you’re still here, I’ll leave you with a final gift togive… To me/To my Mama. Every year for her birthday, my love-spreading momrequested this from anyone who would listen: “Do a random act of kindness inher honor and only ask the recipient ‘pay it forward’. Love people.”

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria Tramp | From: How To Style Out Your Outdoor Space So You’ll Actually Use It (No Matter How Big Or Small It Is)

The post Grief Gifts… A ‘Roundup’ of Some Things and Some Free Ideas To Help The People You Love Who Are Going Through It appeared first on Emily Henderson.

The Top 25 Home Reno Trends That Are Based on ACTUAL Data… Caitlin Digs In

Every month at EHD is a blast, but January really stands out. We launch every year with a series of trend posts – catch up on our kitchen, bathroom, and decor predictions – and pulling them together is unbelievably fun. There’s a lot of Zoom conversations and Instagram DMs of inspirational spaces and “I’m noticing this…have you seen it anywhere, too?” messages peppered with like, a tiny splash of wild speculation. What a treat!

But like…what if I told you that I, the team’s resident data wonk/person most likely to wear a pocket protector, knew which trends people were actually installing in their homes? BECAUSE I DO, and I’ve been keeping it to myself quietly, but NOW I WANT TO SHARE.

So basically, the folks on Yelp’s data science team looked at all of the site’s searches and review mentions to pinpoint the home-centric terms experiencing the biggest growth. I love this because it shows the projects – big and small! – that folks at home have actually decided to invest in this year. It’s one thing to read a trend post or to pin new inspiration, but seeking out quotes or vendors signals real commitment. Let’s get started, yeah? (PS. I had literally never heard of one of the renovation trends on this list before and autocorrect STILL says it’s not a real word, so we’re gonna be doing some LEARNING together in this post.)

25. Up 13%: Solar Panel Installationphoto by sam frost | design by malek alqadi | via dwell

Our first renovation trend: renewable energy! This Joshua Tree cabin is one of my favorite solar-powered projects – instead of stacking panels on the roof (“there was no way we were climbing up twenty feet to put panels on the roof in the desert sun in the middle of summer,” said the designer), the design team installed a solar tree that’s simultaneously architectural and functional.

24. Up 30%: Stained Concretephoto by derek swalwell | design by auhaus | via oracle fox | seen in: 2018 design trends: kitchen

We’ve been singing the praises of concrete for a few years now (see: that 2018 trend post). It’s durable, affordable, and a real workhorse. (Concrete floors. Concrete countertops. Concrete islands. Concrete sinks. Concrete tubs. Concrete tiles. Is there anything it can’t do???) But if you’re tired of its traditional matte gray appearance, staining concrete can add new long-lasting color, depth, or shine – a dramatic change – without sending you into a full renovation spiral. I have deemed this a “make it work” trend (you’ll see even more of these below) and am preeeetty sure it’s pandemic-related.

23. Up 34%: Cabinetryphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: inside all our (super organized) drawers & cabinets in the mountain house kitchen

Plot twist: if you take millions of people and force them to cook almost every meal inside their own house, they will proooobably start coming up with some ideas on how to make their cabinet layouts more efficient and their kitchen organization more enjoyable. Who would have seen that coming??? Everyone?

22. Up 39%: Home Organizersphotos by tessa neustadt | from: our closets, designed and styled

The lone non-renovation trend and a real plot twist!!! HOW DID THIS GROW BY SO MUCH? I know that we’re all feeling clutter body (an EHD go-to term that describes the anxiety you get when you’re surrounded by stuff) but guys…people got hopped up on The Home Edit’s Netflix show and are hiring strangers to come into their house to help them organize! During the pandemic! WILD. All that said, I do love that a bunch of small businesses in this space are probably taking off and if you’re on the hunt for a side (or main?) gig, this may be something worth exploring.

21. Up 49%: Quartz Countertopsphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: it’s finally here: the reveal of the mountain house kitchen

Get lost, marble!!! There’s a new gal in town and her name is QUARTZ. She’s low maintenance, but you have to keep her out of the sun (she can be sensitive to UV rays) and keep her away from super hot things (she burns easily – me too, girl!). I actually re-learned both of these things just now by revisiting this 2019 post, which I’m 100% sure is the most internet’s most comprehensive guide to selecting stone countertops.

20. Up 51%: Glass Door Installation photo by carlos naude | from: tour this breathtaking minimal home – proving that windows and doors can truly make the space

Like most design blogs, we’ve been very bullish on the whole “EMBRACE INDOOR/OUTDOOR LIVING” messaging over the past year, so it’s exciting to see that we are all seemingly on the same page. I’ve long been obsessed with the scenic sliding door in Em’s family room (there’s a GIF in that post if you want to view it in action! It’s even better in real life, if you can believe), but the above house tour took it to a whole new level – the family chose to go super minimal on their furnishings so their splurge-worthy doors would shine.

19. Up 71%: Closet Designphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: sara’s closet reveal – the bold design moment she’s been craving

Closets: the unsung heroes of the home. They’re private, small, and the perfect place to flex some design muscles without fear. (I also feel this way about powder rooms, but that’s neither here nor there!!) Last year, Sara shared several of our favorite bold, beautiful, and functional walk-in closets before taking a stab at designing her own and to no one’s surprise, she did a GREAT job. You can learn more in the reveal post above about how she set about working with a closet designer and how she laid out zones for all her essentials. (And if you want to get REALLY in the weeds on your own closet, hop down to the comments for a long note from me about the IKEA Pax system vs. The Container Store Elfa system – the one Sara actually used – because we learned a lot!)

18. Up 80%: Home Officephoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: sara and mac’s office/guest room reveal – lots of function + even more color and style

My mom and I moved into my childhood home – or at least, the one where I spent my formative teen years – in the early 2000s. One of her first agenda items? Turning a random first-floor walk-in closet into an office for me. She fully decked it out with built-ins, two separate desk areas, and tons of drawer space and I loved it. (Trendsetter alert!!! Brenda originated the cloffice, pass it on!) Over the last few years, she’s been noodling on turning it (and her full-sized office in the room next door) into a secondary bedroom/bathroom suite, but 2020 threw all those plans in the garbage. Suddenly, having two offices – one that’s the perfect size for homeschooling two kids and the other that’s great for WFH – doesn’t seem like such a bad thing to have.

17. Up 83%: Kitchen Islandsphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: velinda’s first freelance client reveal: molding the ‘builder-grade’ budget + where they saved & splurged

My thesis: everyone saw this Velinda Hellen Design island and immediately felt compelled to update their own island. Creative storage, tons of drawer space, a built-in downdraft range, and still room to sit? VISIONARY. When the world reopens, you just KNOW so many good chats will be had standing around the thousands of new-and-improved islands being installed nationwide as we speak.

16. Up 84%: Kitchen Remodelsphoto by jess marés | from: a diy kitchen renovation in two parts (plus a diy pep talk)

So we’ve chatted cabinets and countertops and islands, but most people are just going ALL IN with all new kitchens this year. This actually tracks with the data I’m seeing on our end, too – our kitchen posts are performing at unprecedented levels and formerly esoteric posts are getting tons of google traffic out of NOWHERE. To that end, we’re going to have at least three new kitchen reveals coming your way early this year (Sara, Albie, and Rashida are all almost done!) so hopefully, we’ll be able to provide even more new inspiration as you undertake your own renovation

15. Up 85%: Outdoor Kitchensdesign by three birds renovations

After last year, I can imagine the value of having a place where you can be outside AND cook. Like, who hasn’t dreamed of a dedicated area where you can simultaneously make delicious treats while getting a temporary reprieve from spending 24/7 within 1,000 square feet of another person at all times? More importantly, outdoor kitchens add a ton of value to homes long-term – and they’ll be GREAT for future celebrations with friends and family.

14. Up 97%: Fire Pits photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the ultimate outdoor movie night and campout with intel

Ah, yes – we’re really jumping into the outdoor portion of the trend list here. If you missed out on a fire pit last summer (they sold out almost instantly everywhere), you may want to start budgeting for one now! New outdoor decor and accessories typically start dropping in March, but you can see some of our favorites from last year right here.

13. Up 111%: Gazebos & Pergolas photo by zeke ruelas | from casa soria reveal: orlando’s parents deck is done

Who doesn’t love a pergola? They’re DIY-able (I mean, if you have Shavonda Gardner-level DIY skills) and they’re an easy way to bring zones, definition, and a little bit of sun coverage to an outdoor space. The turn towards being more intentional about outdoor living isn’t just a Covid fad – it seems to be a permanent fixture in the design world that we’ll see throughout all of 2021.

12. Up 121%: Tuckpointingphoto by john storey | via traditional building

I TOLD YOU WE WERE GOING TO LEARN. Basically, tuckpointing is when a mason uses two colors of mortar to make your bricks look cleaner. So in the example above, someone slathered on a matching red mortar to patch corners and holes and then added a new white mortar line for definition. It’s the brick version of Emily’s schmeared fireplace – a total ‘make it work’ trend. Love it. Love learning. Long live tuckpointing!!!

11. Up 134%: Gutter Installationphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: two reveals, one post: the portland outdoor living spaces and a lot of styling tips

I honestly can’t explain the growth in this one. A lot of these trends are situation-based, with people making changes in reaction to the new state of the world. Gutter installation, though? Like, we’ve always needed gutters on our homes. Are you making them nicer? Just tired of looking at them? Would love to hear from someone who has taken on a gutter-related project this year!!

10. Up 172%: Sustainable Landscapingphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: 5 outdoor ideas & hacks that’ll instantly add style (& save you money)

Another encouraging earth-friendly trend! Instead of just looking for beautifully landscaped yards, folks are on the hunt for sustainable choices – think drought-resistant plants, native trees and flowers, and inspiration for at-home fruit and vegetable gardens.

9. Up 253% Chimney Masonryphotos by tessa neustadt | from: how we styled our living room to sell

This one hits home for us at EHD! In case you missed it, Em ran into chimney problems this year (you can read her full LA house update here). I have a sneaking suspicion that this growth is driven by the absolutely wild housing market, seeing as I’m sure that most normal people aren’t like “hey, I wonder how my chimney masonry is holding up, I should probably repair it.” Low mortgage rates = more homes being sold = more inspections being done = more chimneys in need of repair. The circle of life!

8. Up 272%: Decks and Patios photo by zeke ruelas | from: giving life to our old wood deck

SURPRISE. Just kidding…obviously this is a huge one. If you’re still on the hunt for some inspo, might I suggest Malcolm’s small-footprint multifunctional deck, Velinda’s full-of-zones backyard, or Em’s springtime patio?

7. Up 374%: Pool Installation photo by joe fletcher | via dwell

Not sure if anyone else tried to get a quote for a pool last summer, but y’all – it was IMPOSSIBLE. Pool builders nationwide were booked a year or two in advance. I was going to make a pun about it being ~time to take the plunge~ but uh, I’ll spare you.

6. Up 413%: Sauna Installation photo by brett boardman | design by carter williamson | via dwell | seen in: 2018 design trends for the bathroom

I have a sneaking suspicion that when most folks say “sauna,” they might mean “wet room.” (Unless you have the room and space to install a full-on steam room in your house, in which case…uh, hey, can I grab an invite sometime??) We’ve been loving on the freestanding bath + enclosed steam shower combo for years now, but they feel more relevant than ever. If it’s time to update, why not treat yourself to an actual spa experience at home?

5. Up 420%: Hardwood Installationfrom: the story of our herringbone wood flooring

Allow me to speculate wildly for a moment: people who spend all day at home make messes. Hardwoods are (a.) beautiful and (b.) easier to sweep and sanitize and keep clean. Who wouldn’t want to undertake a renovation that can make their lives easier and raise the value of their home? (PS. Em’s above post about picking and installing her LA home’s herringbone floors is enthralling, even if you’re not a homeowner. It’s a deep dive and a fun read with a full cost breakdown!)

4. Up 469%: Exterior House Paintingphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: my secret front yard is finally revealed

You thought I wrote a literal dissertation on picking exterior paint colors FOR FUN? Well…I kind of did (still trying to manifest my dream home by pinning future exterior colors, like a cool and normal person) but it was mainly inspired by an uptick in general internet search traffic. If you’re planning to paint your place this year, I’d love to hear about it

3. Up 473%: Plasterphoto by swiley interior photography | design by natalie saunders and louis litrenta | via sunset | seen in: the 9 kitchen trends we can’t wait to see more of in 2020

PLASTER. It’s not just for walls anymore! We’ve fallen in love with plaster cabinets, like the ones above, and the water-safe version called tadelakt. (Arlyn wrote that full-on 101 with tons of inspiration of plaster in use if you’d like to take a peek!) But never fear – if you love the look of traditional plaster walls, you can replicate it at home by using a special lime wash or roman clay paint like this one. Plaster for all!!!

2. Up 864%: Backyard Remodelphoto by virtually here studios | from: the house tour that took all our breath away – shanty’s japandi style oasis

No surprise here. We’ve seen outdoor kitchens, fire pits, sustainable landscaping, decks and patios, gazebos, and pools trending…but it seems like this year, the overwhelming majority of folks are hoping to finish the whole space at once. The backyard historically didn’t seem like a space to remodel – I mean, sure, maybe you’d have a patio to sit on and some landscaping with grass in between for playing – so this dedicated idea of installing something with new layouts and zones for activities is truly a HUGE shift. We’re all trying to make the most of the space we have, which is kind of nice to think about.

1. Up 2,000%: Tub Reglazingphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: portland reveal: creating the dreamiest of master bathrooms

TWO. THOUSAND. PERCENT. Tub reglazing is the ultimate “make it work” trend. Score a great deal on a freestanding vintage clawfoot tub? Reglaze it. Live in a 1930s apartment with a 1930s tub that has faded a lot more than the surrounding tile? (Just me?) Reglaze it. Have a classic white built-in tub that’s just looking a little worse for the wear? REGLAZE IT. It’s affordable, sustainable, and it’ll make you smile a little more every time you walk into your bathroom. Mother earth likes this trend and SO DO I.

That’s a wrap on the huge renovation trend list for 2021! Have you started on any of these projects, or any of them on your list? Are any of them surprising to you (i.e. gutters?!?)? Did you also learn about tuckpointing for the first time today? LET’S CHAT. xx

Opening Photo Credit: Design by Three Birds Renovations

The post The Top 25 Home Reno Trends That Are Based on ACTUAL Data… Caitlin Digs In appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Affordable Large Scale Art & How To Get It In Your Home

Large scale art is one of those things that makes your house feel like a home. We originally wrote this post back in 2018, but today we’ve REVAMPED it to make it bigger, better and perhaps even a little larger scale?? Ha, that was a dumb joke. Anyway…a good gallery wall or a breathtakingly huge stand-alone piece of art will never be dead, dated, or out of style and the time fill your wall with some has risen. The problem is good, large-scale pieces of art typically also come with large-scale price tags (whyyyyy??). So, as we like to do we decided to find a workaround for that and bring to you a post that was stocked full of options, ideas, and choices to fulfill all of your large-scale art fantasies (and ours).

Large Scale Art To Anchor Your Gallery Wallphoto by tessa neustadt | from: brady’s kitchen reveal

But before we get into it let’s talk for a moment about why large-scale art works so well in just about every room and every style. As you can see above in Brady’s dining room one large piece can anchor an entire gallery wall IN FACT, it’s actually our #1 tip when trying to arrange a gallery wall that most people forget. Find yourself a large piece of art and then let the gallery stem out from there so that not everything feels small and bitsy in your collection. The large piece commands and grounds the wall visually and then allows everything else to work around it creating a much easier job for you when you start filling in the rest of the wall with your collection. Genius, no?

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: how we designed our super kid-friendly family room

Emily did this too in her mountain house family room gallery wall. Birdie’s large scale art really makes a statement. Here’s a hot tip for parents: give your kid a giant piece of paper and one color (MAYBE two) and let them go to town. Voila! You have art and it’s sentimental, sort of.

Stand-Alone Large Scale Art photo by tessa neustadt | from: my house tour from good housekeeping

But large-scale art is just as beautiful and commanding on its own and need not be in a gallery wall to work in a room and be appreciated. And TBH, stand-alone large-scale art is what we are really loving, I mean who doesn’t?? A large piece like we had in our living room above, visually fills the space but it also keeps things from looking busy and chaotic like a gallery wall could.

Below we used this large bison print in Cup of Jo’s bedroom and the modern piece of art helps to elevate the more playful and bright textiles below bringing the whole collection (and room) together, all while filling a rather large blank wall space without cluttering it with a lot of smaller frames. Everyone always wonders what they should do to fill the blank spot above a bed…this my friend, is the easiest and often times the absolute best answer.

photo by ryan liebe | from: cup of jo makeover | the master bedroom

Unfortunately, large-scale art pieces like these often are not something that you can run to the store and buy and typically aren’t the most affordable either. BUT, that didn’t deter us, and we have some good news for you. The internet is filled with incredible big pieces at pretty affordable prices. You just have to know where to look and how to pull it together. Or you can scroll down and see that we did all the work for you. You’re welcome in advance

Large-scale art typically gets high in price point for three reasons: 1) the artist is well known and rightfully wants to charge a fair amount for their piece due to the time and creative process it took to create it (understandably so), 2) the printing or material expenses for a large piece is higher than those of a small piece (also makes sense), and 3) framing such a large piece is more labor-intensive and technically difficult so framers charge a higher price point (yes, yes, and yes). The first one we can’t do much about, and we also will always endorse supporting artists, creatives, and photographers but we can tackle getting the price points down on the second two. Which is what we have done for you in this roundup. You see, there are quite a few places that sell the digital files of a piece of art or photograph, that you can buy for around $20 OR LESS and then can have it printed whatever size you want. So although this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as digital art files that can be purchased online, printed and then framed on your own, it should be a good jumping-off point for you. Here are a few of our favorites:

1. B&W Minimal Square | 2. ‘Blue Desert’ | 3. B&W Mid Century Modern Abstract | 4. Botanical Poster | 5. Yellow Abstract | 6. ‘Ferris’ | 7. Beach Painting | 8. ‘Hello Modernism’ | 9. XO Prints Set of Two | 10. B&W Abstract | 11. ‘Woman Silhouette’ | 12. Lifeguard Stand | 13. Matisse Print | 14. Renee Illustration | 15 ‘Mountains BW’ | 16. B&W Window | 17. ‘Layers’ | 18. ‘I Like You Very Much’ | 19. ‘ Hollywood’ | 20. ‘Waves’ | 21. BLM Print | 22. Power Fist Print | 23. Woman Painting in Ink | 24. Seascape | 25. B&W Shapes | 26. ‘Palm Tree’ | 27. Abstract Art | 28. Gosling Island | 29. B&W Modern Abstract | 30. Beach Photo

Where & How To Print

As mentioned this is such a small curation of what is all available online, but we love all of these and they would all work so well in many different styles of homes. So now that you have some of the art picked out, it comes time to purchase the file, download it, and then send it off to be printed. There are so many places to print and you might have somewhere local that could do it for even cheaper than what we have listed, but here are just a few that we would recommend:

Artifact Uprising – They are known for their beautiful archival prints and linen covered books but they also do large scale printing and you can get something printed at a 40″x60″ size for around $150.

Aspen Creek Photo – This place was recommended by Juniper Print Shop, which is one of the places that we highlighted above in the roundup and have so many good options to download and print. They can print a 30″x45″ size for around $54

Fedex –  Your local chain copier also does large scale posters starting at $34.99. which if you are on a tight turn around is a great option as it is local and affordable.

Staples – The same as above, but a slightly more affordable price point starting at $9.99.

WHCC – Another online option that will print and send you large-scale prints at $6.45 per sq. ft.

Parabo Prints – These guys have so many great products but you can get large-scale 36″x45″ size in these options and prices: Color $25, B&W $20. They also offer poster rails if you don’t want to have it custom framed.

Costco – Last but not least and one of our favorites is Costco. Which will print a poster-sized piece of art starting at $6.99. The framing selections will vary by location, but we have always loved their quality and customer service.

As far as how to get it printed: abstract and fine art prints typically will look best on archival quality paper stock that has a matte finish and then photographs will look best printed on paper with a gloss or luster finish.

Framing OptionsOnline Framing

Once you have them printed it is time to get them framed, which is where you can start getting creative and custom. Here are a few of our favorite online places that do custom framing.

Framebridge: We love Framebridge and they continue to be our go-to online source for custom framing. They can do float framing, framing with or without a mat and also have a new solid wood collection that is beautiful. They can create and frame really anything and we’ve loved working with them over the last few years

Simply Framed: Similar in concept to Framebridge, but with some more creative options (like the neon plexiboys… woah) these guys offer online printing and framing options and can accommodate large sizes. Note, some of these frames can definitely get expensive, so we included lots of other options below as well. These prices are for custom framing up to 30″ x 40″, but some frames can go even larger.

American Frame: If you want to save a bit and are willing to print it yourself and then place it in the frame, American Frame has a large selection of frames that can be custom made to fit just about any size. The prices vary depending on how much you customize it (IE frame, mat, style, etc) but they are a great online option with a large selection.

DIY Framing

If you feeling handy and are willing to DIY then you can create a frame for an even lower price than the ones above. We haven’t attempted any of these personally, but each one of these has a great step by step guide for you to follow.

Hommemaker – D.I.Why? Making a Frame For Your Large Scale Art In 10 Easy Steps

Yellow Brick Home – The Easier Way To Make a Giant Frame

Apartment Therapy – How To Make a Magnetic DIY Frame For Artwork… In 10 Minutes

Apartment Therapy – How To Build a DIY Custom Floating Frame For Artwork

A Beautiful Mess –  Make An Oversized Frame For a Fraction Of The Price

In-Store Framing

You still with us? Yes, these might take a bit more labor than going out and purchasing a fully finished piece but they will save you a lot in the long run and also allow you to customize sizing and framing a lot more than you might with an already framed piece. But, if DIYing isn’t your jam and printing your own art sounds like a headache that you would rather avoid here are some of our favorites that sell the art, print it and frame it which basically takes all the labor off of you besides adding it to your online cart and fronting the bill.

Target: They always carry a good selection of large-scale art every season and if you find something you love be sure to buy it as they don’t stay in stock for long. One of my favorite pieces which I get the most compliments on is from them and it looks like such a high-end piece. We’re also huge fans of this piece.

Minted: Has a massive online selection of art and photographs from artists around the world and they also frame in a variety of sizes and options.

Urban Outfitters: They sell both prints and frames but they have a revolving collection of eclectic prints that work well for more boho or eclectic styles.

West Elm: They don’t always have a huge selection in store but they do have a good assortment online that changes seasonally.

CB2: They are expanding their art collection and have quite a few good options in larger sizes for more modern homes and apartments.

Anthropologie: They carry quite a large selection (not all of which are large scale) but they do have some good options and are always a good resource to look through.

Tappan Collective: These guys are a bit more expensive than the other ones but have a wonderful curation of photography and art.

Uprise Art: While pricey they have truly beautiful pieces of original art that would make any space absolutely more special (with little to no hassle:)).

Saatchi Art: They have a HUGE collection of original art and prints that range in price. Remember Brady’s diptych in his original living room reveal? Well, they are from here. You are welcome:)

All in all, we hope that this will be a resource for you moving forward, so let us know if there are any printing, framing, or art sources that we are forgetting that have large-scale options, and of course if you have any questions about the process or anything in relation to large-scale art let us know below, and we will try to get your questions answered.

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Tessa Neustadt | From: How We Styled Our Living Room and Kitchen To Sell

The post Affordable Large Scale Art & How To Get It In Your Home appeared first on Emily Henderson.

The Quest To Find OUR Farm-Fresh-Farm Style + What To Ask Yourself Before You Renovate To Get The Best For *YOU* Long-Term

While I hate holding you hostage for real design information, today’s post will be in the form of a long Uber ride where you’ll learn the proverbial life story of the driver (me) and you might be even entertained for a while. But unfortunately for you, you don’t have wifi, I have child locks on and this lady (me) seems eccentric AF and wants to take the long way if you know what I mean. So BUCKLE UP BUTTERCUP.

I used to write/joke for years that my style is a mix of “Kevin Bacon’s Footloose + Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette but in a more Wes Anderson way”. I more recently felt that didn’t quite encapsulate my truest love so I added “with a heavy dose of ’50 shades of Blue'”. I long to be as interesting as that, truly, but I’m only 27/41 years old so I’ve got time (and since you are stuck in the back seat until I take off the child locks, so do you). Listen, “Uptown Prairie” will always be in me – which in a way encapsulates both country (casual, plaids/leathers, utilitarian, a bit rough if not feminine) and Victorian (understated ruffles, princes sleeves, florals, and a hint of brass buttons). As you know I love “the good” of every single style, truly, but my preferences shift based on the style of home, the time in my life, and simply whatever I’m currently fancying (with some consistencies, obviously). It’s like all of life – the older you get the closer you become to knowing who you are and what you want. All the “trying on” of styles that is a super fun part of your teens. Then you see in your twenties and thirties what has worked and you can hone in more and more on what feels really ‘you’.

left: photo by bethany nauert, from: fdr chic – a dude’s mix of antique, mid-century and bohemian style

But, I’m not invincible to the zeitgeist and can definitely be swayed towards and away from styles or pieces based on what my eyeballs are being inundated with. And yet I have some consistencies that I haven’t really strayed from over the years (I still love my first few living rooms before Design Star, like this one). So when we were in the process of wishing we could own this farmhouse I was like, ‘Sure, I love country style, right?’ but meanwhile we are living in this pretty minimal neutral home full of straight lines, mid-century or contemporary furniture, NOT a lot of architectural quirk and frankly loving it. This house () was designed to be a retreat from city chaos and while we didn’t predict that we’d live here full time, turns out maybe designing your home to be your own retreat is not the worst idea – THESIS ALERT!!!! – maybe we should all be designing our home to be our own retreat. OH HELLO.

So when designing a long-term home as we are, how do you make design decisions you’ll love forever, while in a current, yet always changing season of your life??? Even if I do think I know “who I am” now, I still actually don’t (nor do I want to be done with that process – it’s FUN). How do you design for future needs and wants, and give yourself room and flexibility to change? Sadly I don’t think I have the answer for everyone, but I do have a strategy that has led us towards the style direction of this home to work long term. But it’s been a quest. A journey, with a lot of questions, wine, and pinning…

I had a ton of pins, but Anne (Arciform) asked Brian and I to conduct a family meeting with our kids, to answer the following questions:

can you tell we’re excited??Ask Yourself These Questions: What do YOU/WE love about this current house? The kids answered quickly, “I love my family”. While it might seem like they didn’t understand the question, I think they actually answered it perfectly. They are feeding off our energy and responding to how we live here. Unmistakably, the fact that we are out of the energy and pull of a large city is something we love more than we ever thought (and they sense I’m so much more present). So that is a decision that I’ll have to continue to make once we move – lots of social boundaries, rejecting the need to fill my and the kids’ schedules, etc., because while our property does feel isolated and ‘in the country’, it’s *dangerously* close to many friends and family and the city. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to balance some social interaction while still maintaining this calmness that myself and the kids have so desperately come to need and love from me. They get so much of us here and we all want to preserve that in this next house. How does this house make you feel and what do you like about that feeling? Elliot’s answer; “calm because there is a lot of brown and white”. Then when I pressed she said, “….Because when it’s calm it looks better”. This was the first time I had heard this as Birdie had been asking me “why isn’t there any color in our house?” for a while. So when I followed up she said that she wants color in her room (pink and purple) but not a lot in the main spaces. (I’m fully aware that she might be just regurgitating what I’m saying all the time, that this house makes me calm, but I’ll take it). She seemed genuinely earnest that she loved how calm the living room in particular is. What word do you want to describe the next house? Elliot’s answer: “Fun” (she is my daughter after all), “Calm” says Brian, “Warm” says me, and “Pretty, like, nice to look at” says Charlie. Once you have those adjectives you need/get to figure out how to bring in those feelings by way of design. “Fun” doesn’t have to mean color and pattern, I think Birdie actually means a place to create art with friends and have dance parties with us. “Calm” doesn’t mean neutral or boring, it just means stress-free and low-maintenance. And “warm” doesn’t mean beige on brown and upholstered everything, it just means physically warm and cozy = inviting and comfortable. And Charlie’s “pretty and nice to look at” I think means clean and pulled together (not messy, that kid doesn’t like living in a mess).

It should be noted that my kids ALSO requested the following:

“A small pool by the fireplace to stay warm,” (I mean, yeah, I want that, too).Charlie wants “A bed in the floor” and when I pressed, it was clear he meant inset into the floor or flush, with a hiding spot underneath. Birdie wants a shower in the bathtub (she doesn’t know this is a thing – so that’s going to be easy). They both want a giant patio so we can “bbq and party so we can buy flashing lights that when we turn them on they go different colors”. See? FUN (I left in the grammatical mistakes because how kids talk is just so cute).

While I love their adjectives here’s how I see it – There are reasons why we love living here and things we want to bring forward:

photos by sara ligorria-tramp | from: mountain house reveal: how we designed our super kid-friendly family roomWhat We Love About This House (And What We’ll Repeat)Simplicity in minimal design – With a “retreat” in mind 3 years ago, I challenged myself with fewer surface areas or shelving to style, opting for closed storage over open and negative wall and window space over pieces of furniture. The idea was to come here and not fall into patterns that led me all weekend to rearranging the house. I succeeded (for the most part). If there is a surface, I feel the need to put stuff on it, so less surfaces = less stuff = less stuff to put away every time they are moved. The result is this fantastic feeling of ease with a clear focus on the natural surroundings and so much comfort. There is a lack of ornamentation, of “decorative detail” that is very calming on your eye. Duly noted. While some rooms could have been more “designed” for photographs, they are honestly all just so pretty, simple, and warm. Easy to maintain, but still feel special. I will echo this style in our farm. Natural light through windows and skylights – If minimalism sounds boring to you I get that, but not with the natural light that flows in through all of the windows and skylights. Even in the rooms that don’t get as much light (like the family room because of the covered porch), the windows themselves become a cozy feature, with the pretty wood framing around it (all of ours are from Marvin and you can read about them here). So much natural, reclaimed beautiful wood – Without ‘decorative details’ then what makes it interesting? That beautiful wood grain everywhere, and my eye is NOT sick of it (all from Ross Alan Reclaimed – the loveliest people in town). It’s so warm, adds so much texture and a subtle pattern. And while the walls are just simply white (which gives my eye a great break) the wood pops as this subtle feature – everywhere. I definitely want to design with this in mind. It’s easy to clean and maintain (for the most part) – We are notoriously not organized people, but we designed this house to help us – with a lot of closed storage (in kitchen and baths) and wipeable (or dark) surfaces. And we learned about what is harder to clean or why a room is harder to keep tidy – so we are employing a lot of these tactics in our next home. So much warmth + comfort – Almost every piece of furniture is super comfortable and most rugs are super cozy. I’ve found (late in life) that the rooms that are the most comfortable get the most use – DUH. It’s obvious, right? And yet as a stylist/designer I still fall into the “but it’s so cool” emotional response to an uncomfortable but beautifully sculpted chair. For this home, while we might have some cool pieces in corners that bring my eyeballs joy, comfort and practicality will be highly prioritized so we truly live in every single room of the house. Oh and we use all three fireplaces whenever we are in those rooms. You BET I’ll be designing this farmhouse in rainy PNW with multiple fireplaces. Sense of expansiveness through amazing flow and layout – It just feels so airy and like so much room to breathe – this is likely due to the light and flow of the house (and tall ceilings). We LOVE having the kitchen be in the center of the home – with the living room on one side and the family/dining room on the other. For whatever reason, this ensures that all rooms get so much use and all of them have different purposes. While the view outside our kitchen window is to our lovely neighbor’s house, the location of it in the middle of the home has proved to be incredible to live in. Having two “family rooms” – one more for grownup hangs (or Brian and I just to read or work by the fire) with the other one being more of a playroom/TV room has been GREAT for Covid. Lots of texture and softness in fabrics and wood – While there isn’t a lot of “stuff” there sure are a lot of textures and the energy is SO GOOD HERE. So much soul and full of happy/calm energy – In short this house was made with love. This is the WOO WOO side of me coming out, but anyone who has hung out here says the same thing – this house has such amazing energy. It’s a happy calm house, and I think it’s because A. it was made with such love and good intent by me (and my wonderful team – big kisses to Julie, Emily B. Velinda, and Grace) and B. all the reclaimed wood that we used had 100 years of life in it before it came here. By embracing the nature around us and caring about every detail this home feels like eating homemade pasture-raised chicken soup. If you ever wondered how I was going to merge my two loves – design and soup – I think we just did it. There is a lot of original art, vintage pieces, and sentimental art from my kids. It’s simple in photos, but full of so much soul. I want that again.

But we can’t replicate this house, nor would we want to stylistically. Our goal is to bring what we love about this house to the next one – in a new and fresh way. Besides, this house isn’t perfect…

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: mountain house reveal: how we designed our super kid-friendly family roomWHAT WE LEARNED FROM THIS HOUSE (AKA MISTAKES WE WON’T REPEAT)We are all the more desperate for a mudroom + a laundry room – Not having one here means coats and boots just pile up at the back door (and it truly didn’t make sense anywhere to add one when we renovated). We only have the upstairs laundry closet right now which is fine because we turn the guest room that has no guests into the folding room… but obviously, it’s not ideal. We don’t need a huge laundry room but just a room would be nice With pets, we have to rethink textiles and flooring going forward – No more dark rugs (in the main areas) or dark sofas that collect hair. While we don’t know what these dogs are (the rescue we adopted them from thought husky-poodle) it’s clear that if there is any poodle in them, they didn’t get the “non-shedding” gene. The good news is that you can’t see their fur on this floor (they literally are the same color and tone variation as our flooring and sometimes we almost step on them because they are so disguised). However, our navy blue rug and even the dark sofa in the family room aren’t exactly disguising it (we swapped rugs around and put that one in the lesser trafficked guest room). Lesson learned. The kids want more color and pattern in their rooms and I think a little more “fun” in the main rooms – So for the farm, I want to bring in colors in a soothing way (likely blues, greens, rusts, rose, mustards and ochres, etc) but of course not try to predict their wants in their room. Brian and I do agree that because of the lack of bright sunlight year-round, some happy, more colorful pieces of furniture are a good idea (so excited to see our floral chaise lounge in this house!). More pattern, a bit more old-world charm through furniture and salvaged pieces.

I’ve been picturing our lives in all of our friends’ homes, including all of our past homes, and collating all the pros and cons of each to create a big document of “learnings”, while keeping in mind that our lives have also been changed, and fundamentally/permanently reprioritized. AKA it’s still hard to predict the future. It’s actually a GREAT exercise to do when you are starting a renovation.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: living room update – again – our new sofa, my dream floral chaise and the pop of red i always wanted in my lifeGET ON WITH IT. WHAT IS THE STYLE OF YOUR FARMHOUSE???

Right! OK! So we bought a mini-farm and we want to make it modern – therefore it’s a “modern farmhouse”, right? Well, perhaps it’s the ’90s rebellious anti-establishment girl coming out, but that doesn’t quite feel right. Listen, I love a modern farmhouse – they are extremely warm, comfortable, and casual to live in – I’m a fan. But as an interior designer and even more so a cultural style anthropology enthusiast, it’s always a great challenge to take what is popular and challenge myself to have a fresh spin on it. Of course, the real risk is how to design a 100-year-old farm in a fresh way, without being trendy or dating itself immediately NOR being boring and safe. But that’s why they call it a challenge And I didn’t win Design Star without trying…

Well, in the name of thanking all of you who have stuck with me thus far, I’m going to tell you the style right now – written in words, but not visually (that’s its own beast coming very very soon)…

It’s “Uptown Prairie” personified – but wait. Sometimes I think that “Uptown” is even wrong. More like “Downtown prairie”. But imagine if she (me) time-traveled through stones to the 1970s to grab a red leather hoop chair and a Borge Mogenson sofa. Paul McCobb makes a cameo. Yes. It’s Little House on the Prairie + Outlander + Steel Magnolias + Bridgerton + Marie Antoinette + Goonies + A big splash of Amish + the spirit of Wes Anderson (less artsy, more random) + a little dose of “eccentric PNW grandpa”. I think we all knew that I would land there eventually despite my “singular spouse” general philosophy. All set to a background of simplicity and calmness. I told Arciform this and Anne actually kinda acted like she got it (we are SO similar, it’s wonderful). As you’ll read in the next post – the foundation and the architecture will be calm and soothing, but the decor will take the risks and be more exciting and fun. Not a surprise as I’ve been touting this philosophy forever, but know that when you see something that seems “boring” I’ve only just started layering. And when you see something loud, know that it won’t be dominant.

Is hard to be someone who loves so many styles, so deeply. Thus is the plight of the stylist – aesthetics hit the serotonin parts of the brain before we sit down on a chair. Thank you for being on this adventure with me. I could cry, thanking those of you who actually read this whole post. But I did just have my first glass of wine in a month (dry January was long) so maybe that’s it

STAY TUNED FOR THE REAL ART DIRECTION (with the real label and lots of inspiration photos) POST COMING AT YOU V. SOON. (AND THANK YOU – seriously. xx).

Opening Photo Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Mountain House Reveal: Our Light-Filled Neutral & Textural Living Room

The post The Quest To Find OUR Farm-Fresh-Farm Style + What To Ask Yourself Before You Renovate To Get The Best For *YOU* Long-Term appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Ajai’s Neutral Living Room Refresh + How Her Design Choices Parallel Her Journey Becoming A Black Interior Designer

Hey there, Ajai here. It is so good to be back as I took a bit of a break after giving birth to my sweet baby boy. Last time I chatted with you all, I was rushing to put together a thanksgiving celebration over at my mom and dad’s (because my due date was also set for Thanksgiving). Happy to say that I was able to complete that thanksgiving table-scape and then later on, welcome our son Jack into the world on November 21st. However, I still missed thanksgiving dinner with the family, as I had an emergency c-section and spent several days in the hospital, so my husband (Jonathan), Jack, and I went straight home to rest in bed. Again, I’m happy to be back and excited to pick up where we left off. Let’s talk about design.

Wall Color | Pendants | Stools

Coming into the new year, I was looking for a bit of a refresh, but one that was more on the renter-friendly side. I got to thinking about colors and how impactful they are when they are working together. They tell such a beautiful story when you get the combinations just right. My husband and I wanted our living room to have more of a contrast, so incorporating more black was the first thing on our to-do list. After getting the go-ahead from our leasing office, we painted our bar area first. We chose a PPG Interior Flat Black paint (in the color Onyx). We even added a black outlet cover to transition into the black paint. To warm up the space and give it more texture, we added two woven pendant light shades over the already existing drop pendants. This would be the place we sat down to have intimate conversations with one another and feel like we were on vacation somewhere moody and exotic. To further play on the moody and textured elements, we used two distressed velvet bar stools we had tucked away in storage, the brass legs on these contrasted well against our black color-blocked wall. But the black wall alone wasn’t enough to transform the space. 

Our living room used to be so many different shades of white. White drapes, white sofa, white ottoman, white coffee table… you get the point. While this hue inspires serenity, in my opinion, it’s best when contrasted with darker hues and colors. Ironically enough, with the wall as the only black accent, my living room began to remind me of my journey to becoming an interior designer. As with much of my childhood, I was on a constant path where representation was not available to me. I’ve been crazy about interior design since my early childhood. It began with visiting model homes with my mother and imagining that we lived there. My mom would ask me what I’d do differently with the space, and we’d sit in those beautifully designed homes, daydream, and redesign in our heads (I’d even go as far as to move small items around the model home (like pillows, throws, and accessories… all that good stuff). I’d watch interior design shows on the sofa with my mom and read interior design magazines, but never really saw anyone who looked like me on any of these platforms. 

Chandelier | Bistro Table | Dining Chair | Curtains | Curtain Rod | Sofa | Ottoman | Chunky Knit Throw | Sconces | Wall Art | Pillows | Coffee Table | Nesting Tables | Patterned Rug | Jute Rug

Though I longed to be an interior designer, my journey began as a communications major, as I did not think someone like me could attain such a career as a designer. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in Journalism, interiors still called out to me. After ignoring the urge for a couple of years, I eventually gave in to my passion and enrolled back into school to pursue my master’s in architecture and interior design. During that time, I hardly ever saw another black woman or person in my architectural and interior design college courses or the design firms I worked in (I actually hardly saw any black people in these places – men or women… I was typically the only one). In addition, this is all in stark contrast to many of my colleagues who have fathers who were architects and mothers who were interior designers, and essentially, parents who were business owners who prepared and guided them to become the designers they are today. They had clear examples of what this looked like and how to achieve it. This actually reminds me of a video named “The Race.” This video is a great representation of life and how some have privilege and some don’t, yet we all still have to run the race. I started in the back, but through hard work I’ll make sure that my sweet boy Jack can have a head start.

Credenza (thrifted and painted) | Black Table Lamp

Back to the living room. These thoughts further inspired me to continue on incorporating more black and brown into the space. We have ceiling fan braces throughout our apartment that allow us to add our own lighting, so I found the most beautiful Stella chandelier over at Mitzi and it truly is a statement piece, continuing to add diversity to the room. I also loved incorporating my Vicky lamp along with a white one I thrifted with a pleated shade, because there is real beauty in the diversity of shapes as well – and these lamp shapes are beautiful and unique in their own right. To further warm the space I sourced a woven jute rug, just big enough to accommodate our 11 foot sofa. I love the texture of our new jute rug, and it works well being placed in such a large traffic area (not that we’ll be having many visitors over at this time, but it is fun to think about a time where we’ll finally be able to have all of our friends and family over without masks).

Sticking with warming the space and incorporating more brown and natural elements to ground the room, I went back and forth about whether I wanted to swap out the white drapes with these linen curtains. This became a real dilemma for me, and eventually led me to reflect on past moments… I thought of how insecure I felt when I’d begun working with clients on a regular basis. During my first job as an assistant designer for an interior design firm in Los Angeles (and as the only black woman/person in the firm), I noticed how almost anytime I suggested a design concept or idea to the majority of clients, my reasoning was questioned, following with questions about my experience and education. I also found that if I pitched an idea first, many clients were not on board, but if my colleague pitched the same idea, it was set into motion and without question.  

I could sense clients did not believe I knew what I was doing, and no matter how much time we spent together on the project, they just weren’t able to trust in my work. I noticed a drastic difference in how my colleagues were approached by these same clients and accepted immediately regardless of experience, knowledge, or their educational background. I would mention what I was experiencing to my colleagues, and was always told it was just in my head. This experience continued as I went on to work at the next two design firms, and eventually became the reason I decided to launch my own design studio. I wanted to be able to vet clients thoroughly, and only take on those that trusted me based on my work ethics and artistry – not physical appearance. Jordan Peele said it best, “part of being black in this country, or being a minority in this country, is about feeling like we’re perceiving things that we’re told we’re not perceiving. It’s a piece of the condition of being African American, certainly, that people may not know. They may not realize the toll that it does take – even if the toll is making us doubt ourselves.” To this day, I still have moments where I suffer from imposter syndrome. All that to say, I decided on the linens curtains. I also swapped out the brass curtain rod and rings and opted for a black rod. This led me to painting the plugin brass sconces matte black to make an even bolder statement in the space. These black accents go with everything, and add a sophistication and elegance to the room. 

While designing our living room, I kept envisioning how we’d be using the space in the new year. I knew we’d be spending time with our little one cozied up on our sofa. I imagined us toasting to our little guy’s milestones at the bar, and having intimate and quiet dinners at our bistro table (and chairs:)). I also envisioned how I’d be sharing the new updates with my Instagram audience. One thought led to another, and this thought led to the “influencing” aspect of Instagram and how minorities in the interior design industry are not valued the same as our white peers. A personal experience of mine sums this all up: I made a stop-motion video where I had all of my furniture move into the frame along with all of my throw pillows and throw blankets, then received compliments from a major brand. Only for this same brand to ask me for my video with no intent to pay me. This brand posted my video to their account, and then later paid a white home account to make the same exact video for them (a carbon copy of the one I’d created), in addition to gifting her items (valued at several thousands of dollars). All while never crediting me or mentioning where their inspiration derived from. They shouted her out on their page and in several newsletters – using my video and design concepts. 

Luckily there are some brands willing to fairly compensate regardless of a person’s appearance. I’m happy to work with brands like Juniper Print Shop, where I got my lovely 31 x 47 meditation print from (the one hanging over the back of our sofa). Mitzi is also a brand I love working with – they reached out when my following on Instagram was not large, and this is my second time working with them – it’s always such a pleasure. But back to the living room.

The living room is finally starting to come to life the way I envisioned it. There’s still a calming sense of tranquility provided by the white pieces and now with the additions of black and brown all tied in together via my layered Loloi II Layla Collection Area Rug, there’s a real pop (which I love). The black and brown pieces have joined in beautifully with the white pieces. My living room was starting to remind me of our neighborhood in Georgia. My husband and I were the only people of color that lived in our neighborhood. In fact, when we purchased our home in Atlanta in the North Druid Hills area, on several occasions were asked by our visitors (contractors, Amazon delivery agents, uber drivers, etc.) “I didn’t expect to see you all answer the door, they let you all move into this neighborhood?” What they were referring to was the long history of segregation and redlining (that still impacts people today) that would make it impossible to get a house in sought out neighborhoods if you were a minority (neighborhoods like the one we’d moved into). At first, we were put off by this question, but after being asked several times we learned to just smile and say “yes.” This experience was enlightening and further explained why it was so difficult for us to get this home, even with good credit, a sizable down payment, and steady incomes. 

The sellers were on board the entire way through (because the house sat vacant, as the sellers lived out of state) but after finding out from one of the neighbors that we were “colored,” buying from them became much more of a hassle. Nonetheless, we prevailed last year and purchased our first home. 

This year is such a unique one because it is my first time designing as a new mom, in the midst of a persistent world pandemic, and a time of heightened awareness about social injustices. As I spend a great deal of time at home, I’ve been provided a chance for reflection and understanding. I began this year as I always do; choosing a word for the year to define my actions and intentions. Last year’s word for me was “transformation” and boy did it come to fruition. My husband and I purchased that home in Georgia, redesigned and sold it, then moved back to Los Angeles (to be closer to family), became renters again, and first-time parents. This year the word I chose was “authenticity,” and in an effort to be more authentic, I decided to share a bit more about me and my journey. Though I was very reluctant to share these thoughts and experiences, I wanted to keep my promise to myself – I also wanted to shed light on how it can be to navigate as a minority in this field of work. I’m not blaming anyone for their privilege, it’s not their fault. It’s just moments like some of the difficult ones I shared that make me question my career choice and have me beating myself up over my passion and following my dream. 

In the end, this article is being posted to share pieces of a story of a black woman in the interior design industry and to shed light on the inequalities that still take place this very day. And yes, my living room inspired all of these thoughts. That said, I love the new black and brown additions to my all-white living room, and they all needed the other to create the perfect living space. My home decor friend (Aminah) said it best, “Black, white, and brown… are these colors great on their own? Yes, but honestly they’re much more impactful when combined. The sooner we learn to work together and stop segregating, is the sooner we can build a better nation for EVERYONE,” and build a better living room. 

**Design and Photos by Ajai Guyot

The post Ajai’s Neutral Living Room Refresh + How Her Design Choices Parallel Her Journey Becoming A Black Interior Designer appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Brian’s 5 NON-NEGOTIABLES For The Farmhouse (And What Made Him FINALLY Love The Design Process)

If you’ve ever read my stuff on this blog, you know I tend to ramble. I’ll usually meander around, like, deep mental-health-type things from a guy’s perspective, and go off on tangents that have nothing to do with the subject at hand before reigning it back in to prove a point. Well, rest easy guys. Today is different. I just wanted to pop in while we’re designing our future farmhouse to write a quick post about how I’m pretty much an expert designer now. Just a brisk little post about five things I’ve contributed to the design plan that Emily didn’t think of. This means I’m kinda better than her at being a design blogger. No meanders, no random tangents, just the facts. Promise.

I’ve never been much of a video game guy. My parents wouldn’t allow us to have them growing up, no matter how many times my brother and I hissed through clenched teeth, “You’re, like, so tight!”. The term ‘tight’ meaning strict and mean. And although my parents were neither strict nor mean, we would hurl the phrase at them any time we didn’t get our way. I can’t have the new hot pink Andre Agassi’s? Ugh! You guys are so tight! No Squeezits in my packed lunch like all the other fourth graders? Quit being so tight! But looking back now, I’m actually glad that my folks were, “Like, the tightest parents of all our friends! UGH!” because we never really had the opportunity to catch the addiction to the pixelated time-suck of video games (not to mention the tooth-rot that came from Squeezits). I mean, sure, we would body-check our friends out of the way when we visited their homes, and commandeer their Nintendo for hours. Sad, deprived creatures that we were, the 8-bit glow gave us a thrill we couldn’t get at home, so we nearly sucked the controllers into our mouths when we visited friends. Sleepovers were especially bad, a challenge to see how many of the 24 hours could be spent playing video games. I remember one night in a buddy’s room at 4 am, not being able to tell whether I was dreaming about Super Mario Bros 2 or still playing it. So I guess there’s something to be said about moderation. 

see how cool this is????? also it’s still a work in progress. no real sneak peeks yet:)old old version of the mudroom (and those tiles were just fillers). still no secrets revealed!

Well, I’ve been introduced to a new kind of video game and I’m kind of obsessed with it. It’s called ‘Whatever The Program Is That Anne From Arciform Uses’ and it needs to be on the cover of the next Game Informer magazine. It’s basically a program in which Anne has plugged our future farmhouse, all the exact measurements down to the light sockets, and is able to manipulate it in real-time. In 3D! …Kinda. It’s amazing. It’s like dressing your video game character up in any suit of armor you can imagine and spinning him around to see all the sides. Wanna take out this wall? Boom, here’s how it would look. Wanna pop out a bunch more windows? Bam, take a walkthrough. Wanna put in a secret fireman’s pole that slides down to a hidden mancave in the basement that even Emily doesn’t know about? Pow! That’s never gonna happen. But it could! Do you see all the exclamation points I’m using? That’s because there’s finally a way for me to be like actually excited about designing our future house! Which is pretty remarkable.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: a quick update: the changes i’ve made to my la living room

I wasn’t ever super involved in designing any of our previous abodes. I was in a deep depression for the Glendale renovation and just kind of stuck my tongue out at the whole thing. Which was really awesome for Emily, I’m sure. Then for our Los Feliz house, I tried to get more into it, but the whole thing was overwhelming for someone who isn’t that design-minded, so I took a backseat and threw in little ideas here and there. The Mountain House was always going to be a showcase for Em’s work and a content machine for the blog, but I was more invested in it because it was a cabin in the woods and I love that kind of thing. ‘Cause I’m a MAN, MAN! I started out strong – began filming all the design stuff, like I Design, You Decide. I gave lots of input, visited tile places, and made serious decisions like how we should clad everything in wood. But we had like three of Emily’s employees handling the design full-time so I got used to just kicking my feet up and letting them do all the work, and I just kind of let it go altogether. Frankly, when you’re married to a design expert, you don’t really feel all that needed when it comes to design input. And that’s not meant to be read in a negative way, I was never excluded from any discussions, quite the opposite, Emily always wanted me to participate more. But I’m not good at design and she had a team of pros, so what could I possibly contribute?

Well, it turns out, when you put a video game in front of me, I can contribute a ton! I’ve been hyper-involved since day one of designing our farm up in Portland. Maybe it’s the mental shift from a year of isolation, maybe it’s having an outside design team take on the hard work, or maybe it’s just that the property is that magical? Whatever it is, I’m super excited when we talk design these days. Like, who knew that I’d have an opinion on the amount of muntins should be in our vista window, terms that I definitely know and use now that I’m a pro designer. It’s been a blast to sit in on the weekly Zooms where we rotate and scrutinize all the nooks and crannies of the house. I even had a few big suggestions that may end up in the final plans (can’t say what they were yet, no spoilers!). And because I’m now an official design blogger with a huge audience that I grew myself and is reading this because I’m an expert, I want to highlight a few things that have come up in our process so far that were sources of disagreement for Em and me. I’ll let you decide who is the more expert designer. 

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the reveal of the mountain house kitchen

1. I don’t want paneling in the house. There seems to be an emerging pattern for what I like in our successive homes, and it’s a trimming down of the busy. Our LA house had lots of shelves and knick-knacks and doodads and it was awesome, don’t get me wrong I still love that house. But after spending months here in the Mountain House I realized why I feel so much peace here. It’s because there’s no clutter or busy lines everywhere. Yes, there is wood on the ceiling and all over the kitchen, but all the walls are just a smooth matte white with not a lot of colorful art. It’s kinda like a really professionally baked white cake. Why would you throw a bunch of sprinkles and messy glops of writing all over it? Those things don’t taste good anyway! Yeah, they’re great for a kid’s birthday, but if you want to sit and admire a cake on a quiet Sunday morning, you know how people just stare at cakes on Sunday mornings? Wouldn’t you want a clean, velvety smooth, white cake? Well, that’s why I don’t want paneling. I have enough chaos with kids and work and dogs and alpacas (let’s see if she catches that), so I don’t need any more lines to look at when I’m zoning out. 

left: photo by sara ligorria-tramp, from: mountain house master bathroom reveal | right: photo by tessa neustadt, from: our classic modern master bathroom reveal

2. I don’t want a shower room in our primary bathroom. I didn’t even know what shower room meant before our video game sessions, and maybe I’m not even using it right, but I’m a design blogger now so the rules don’t apply to me. But I think it’s a shower that’s enclosed by walls and tile rather than surrounded by glass. I like the openness of a glass surround. I know it seems like the opposite of what I guy would want, but I think our bathroom should feel like a hotel spa, big and bright and flowy. Maybe it’s because I spent my college years in a rental that had a tiled shower stall that was so small that the freezing cold tile would goose me every time I turned to a different side. My echoed yelps would make my roommates laugh, but it sucked! I know enclosed shower rooms are cozy, I know they’re private, but I just don’t like them as much as glass. I don’t know why! Maybe it’s because I like to fog them up and press my buttcheeks on the glass and laugh at how it looks like two giant cartoon-alien eyes peering into the shower. I mean, is that so wrong?! But seriously, I think it looks way more luxurious to have a glass shower surround when you’re looking at the bathroom as a whole. And I’m nothing if not luxurious.

photo by tessa neustadt | from: emily’s kitchen and dining room reveal

3. No auto-appliances. If the Terminator movies have taught us anything, it’s that robots will kill us all eventually. So why would you want to put your privates in the jaws of a bloodthirsty cyborg unit? When it comes to appliances, I want control. Manual control. I can’t deal with a faucet that doesn’t sense my waving hand or my chicken-slathered forearm. I need knobs. Also, if the power goes out I don’t want to have to use a bucket for my pee-pee. No robots allowed.

4. No added closet in the entry. Emily wanted a small closet added to the front entry because she is tired of seeing all our snow jackets hung and flung all over the place. Also, she said that when Barack Obama came to our dinner party, he would want a nice, formal place to hang his jacket. I said no! It was too cramped with the closet – Anne drew it up and we stood in the virtual entryway. And it took up too much of the room and was superfluous. I said we can do hooks and a coat rack. Besides, Barack is cool enough to hang his jacket on a rack. He’s super down to Earth. Sorry, number four is kinda boring. But it was a disagreement.

design by brooke and steve giannetti | photo via country living

5. This one doesn’t have anything to do with design, more with the farm in general – I Want Animals! I mean, what’s the point of having pastures if you don’t have any livestock grazing on them. I grew up with horses, but I don’t want horses, they’re too big and we have a love/hate thing between us. The amount of bites and kicks and bucks I’ve been on the receiving end of… It’s just too much. BUT I still want some animals roaming the land up there. My pick right now is alpacas because they’re so stupid looking in the best way. They make me laugh so much when they chew. And the fluffy fur, I mean come on. I’d be into goats for clearing brush, but I’ve been butted by some mean goat before and that would be a bummer. Also, their poop is hilarious. I would do a mini-thing, like either a miniature donkey or Shetland pony? Those seem like they may need more attention though. Which is Emily’s big protestation, that we have enough responsibilities already and we should see how it goes. Meh. We’ll at least get some laying hens and maybe split the coup up for a rabbit hutch. Elliot really wants a flop-eared bunny and I’m not going to discourage it. I want creatures! I don’t have a green thumb, like, I have whatever the opposite of that is. I don’t have the patience for crops, it’s just not interesting to me. But I’d shovel a lot of sh*t for some animals.

I’m sure there will be more disagreements as the process continues and I’ll come here to vent, so stay tuned. It feels good to know that as a successful design blogger I can get come here for support when I just need to get away from all the stressful work I’m doing on the farmhouse. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go see if Anne can add a man-sized whoopie cushion to the upstairs landing and let me virtually jump on it. 

Opening Photo Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Prioritizing Your Partner – In Design And Life

The post Brian’s 5 NON-NEGOTIABLES For The Farmhouse (And What Made Him FINALLY Love The Design Process) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Key’s New Office/Guestroom/Workout Space Intro (+ A Big Dilemna She Needs Your Opinion On…)

Hey guys! It’s Key, the EHD mentee (I love that that rhymes)! Yup, I’m still here, steadily surviving the EHD Design Blogger Bootcamp… I mean, school If there’s one thing I’ve learned these last few months it’s how much work, and time, and planning goes into growing a successful blog. Sheesh! Em & her team are powerhouses, and consulting with them on how to get my blog off the ground has been a godsend and saved me from several mental breakdowns. But enough mentee talk, let’s get to the business at hand — my makeover project!

Just to recap, as part of the mentorship program, in addition to having access to the EHD team to answer my blogging questions/concerns (which may or may not have resulted in me texting design dilemmas to Emily at 9 am EST when she is on PST time sorryyyyy.) I will also be making over a room in my house and documenting the process here, as well as on my blog (HERE).  

That said room is my home office. Well at the moment, it’s more of a catch-all room with a small makeshift desk shoved in a nook, which I begrudgingly call my “office”. Fancy, eh? 

I honestly can’t believe I work in these conditions. Someone call OSHA! And would you believe me if I told you this isn’t the only room in our rental that looks this bad? Well here’s some before pics to prove it.

from top left clockwise: dining room, bath 1, bath 2, master bedroom

Shameful, I know.

But why on earth would anyone rent a house this dated? Oh, I’m glad you asked!

I briefly mentioned this in my intro post, but I’ll elaborate a bit more here. You see, I love old homes, and I’ve always dreamed of buying and renovating a fixer upper and documenting the process on my blog, as design bloggers do. But like 42 million Americans, I’m a victim of student loan debt. And the thought of adding a home mortgage to that debt gives me anxiety and literally makes me feel sick just writing about it. Oof! 

So what’s a design-enthused, old home lovin, aspiring blogger to do? Wait eons until my student loans are paid off and then pursue my renovation and blogging dreams? ::scoffs::  Nay! 

Instead, I had the (questionably) brilliant idea to rent what I call a “fixer-upper rental”. Similar to how people buy and makeover an old home, I would rent and makeover a dated rental and document the whole process on my blog. I must say that writing that out and reading it back to myself makes me question my intelligence.

At the time, it seemed like the perfect solution for me to be able to pursue my passion for design and blogging, sans going into debt. Plus, I’ve always felt like renters were a forgotten population when it came to design content, and I was eager to fill that void. 

So when it came time for my husband and I to find a rental, similar to Jess’ rental search, I had a pretty detailed list of wants. Not so similar to Jess, my wishlist was comprised of things people typically don’t wish for (with the exception of #5). 

1. Older home 
2. Dated/needs work (and a landlord willing to pay for updates)
3. Ugly kitchen
4. Gross bathrooms
5. Great neighborhood 

And can you believe I found a rental that checked every box! Apparently, dated rentals with ugly kitchens and gross bathrooms aren’t in high demand. ::shrugs::  

design and photo by keyanna bowen (me!)

And here we are! 2.5 years into this (not so) brilliant fixer-upper rental idea, and the only room completed thus far is my kitchen. Originally, I thought every room would be finished by now. But whether it’s because of lack of time, lack of money, or sheer procrastination, there seems to be a huge discrepancy between the timeframe I initially set in my mind, and the timeframe it actually takes me in reality to accomplish a home project. And I’m not just talking about large projects, like updating the bathrooms. I’m mostly referring to those smaller tasks, like organizing the junk drawer in my kitchen, which has been on my to-do list since last January. Please tell me I’m not the only one with this human flaw. Everyone has home projects they keep pushing off… right? Everyone (except maybe Marie Kondo) has a junk drawer that needs organizing….RIGHT?!

Needless to say, I have plenty of ugly spaces that I want to make beautiful and document the whole process. Just like the legit (read: wealthy) homeowner design bloggers do…. except I’m a renter, and kinda broke. So this should be an interesting journey!

But I digress. Back to the makeover…

First things first, the blue walls and yellow trim has got to go! Unfortunately, that’s a little easier said than done because all of the trim, windows, doors, even the freakin’ door hinges are painted with oil-based paint, which means there’s some additional prep work (ie. sanding, special primer, etc.) that has to be done before I can slap a fresh coat of latex paint on. Needless to say, the paint job is going to be laborious and a HUGE part of the transformation. That’s why I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be partnering with KILZ for this makeover. 

I’ve used this KILZ Adhesion Primer in other areas of my home and quite frankly, it’s the only primer brand I trust now. If I tried to paint directly onto my trim and walls as they are now, it would come off in big sheets. I’m sure you can tell that changing the walls in this room is going to make a HUGE difference…but it literally wouldn’t be possible without first priming with KILZ, so I am so grateful to have them as partners for this project. 

Once we get the new, fresh, clean base up on the walls, I’m planning to go a little bit brighter and airier in here. Trying to go straight from this saturated blue to a lighter choice would have been a nightmare, so again…primer to the rescue:) As a bonus, KILZ also has their own line of paint products, so once I have a blank canvas, you know I’m going to be back here asking your opinions on which wall or trim color I should pick!

Spatially speaking, the goal is to transform this room into a multifunctional space, serving as an office, lounge area (read: girl cave) and guest bedroom if/when we can ever safely have guests over again. I also would like to leave some floor space for me to exercise (getting fit is another one of those “projects” I keep pushing off). Sounds like a lot, but the room is fairly spacious. It’s about 12×20. However, because the house is a cape cod style, there are awkward bump-outs from the dormers that eat up some of that space. But, it creates great nooks and crannies that will allow me to divide the room into a designated work zone, and a lounge zone. 

Here’s a 2D floorplan so you can get a better idea of the layout. And if you really want to see the room in all its glory, I made a before tour video on my IGTV that you can check out here. 

Now let’s talk design.

design by leanne ford | photo by amy neunsinger | via house beautiful

This is the part that makes me nervous for a few reasons:

I’m finding that the older I get the more my design style is evolving. Like, day by day, minute by minute, insta scroll by insta scroll evolving, which is making it hard for me to nail down a design direction for this space. I’ve done some calculations (based on recent purchases that I no longer like) and I basically have a three-month turnover rate when it comes to changing up my style. So from now on, I’m only purchasing items that have a 90-day return policy because who knows when my current love of California casual will be overruled by my fascination with the “Eccentric English Grandma” aesthetic that this blog so graciously introduced us to last year (here).

2. Prior to being the EHD mentee, my mom was pretty much the only person who read my blog (and what mom doesn’t think everything their kid does is great…even when it’s not). So this is the first time I will be showcasing my design and home to millions of eyeballs. And as kind and supportive the EHD community is (I love you guys so much), y’all can be VERY opinionated. It’s actually what I cherish most about this community, but it’s also a bit nerve-wracking to know that my design will either be loved or hated by the masses.

3. I’m an enneagram 3. So there’s that. #PerfectionistProblems 

Public scrutiny aside, “Organic Coastal Cottage” is how I (currently) describe my aesthetic and this is the initial inspiration board. It has a mix of modern and vintage decor. It’s light and airy with earthy tones and textures woven in, and a subtle coastal vibe. But let me not pontificate as if I’ve created some new design style. It mostly resembles the effortless and minimal California casual aesthetic that we all know and love, but I want to incorporate more of a cozy and collected feel (like a cottage). So California casual meets cozy cottage is the vibe I’m going for.

design by amber lewis  | photo by tessa neustadt

There are also a few DIY’s I want to tackle in this space. One is building some type of partition wall to create some privacy between the lounge area and office area. I love this DIY rope wall idea. Second, I’m a firm believer that every dormer deserves a window seat! So I plan on building one. It will be the perfect spot to curl up with a good book!

design by studio mcgee

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE…. I told you guys my design style has been in a state of constant evolution. Well, over these last few weeks I’m slowly finding myself being drawn to spaces that are layered with color and pattern, which as a self-proclaimed neutral loving minimalist makes me feel like I’m having an identity crisis. I’m not sure if I should stick to my tried and true “organic coastal cottage” roots, or lean into this more cheery and dare I say maximalist aesthetic. Since this is supposed to be my “creative” space, if there was a room to step outside my comfort zone and take more design risks, it would be this one. 

So I made a second inspiration board that I’m calling, “Understated Maximalist”. And the more I look at it, the more I’m falling in love with the vibe. But I would love to get your vote on which mood board you think I should implement. Remember a few years ago when Emily did the “I Design, You Decide” series? It’ll be kind of like that! Except there will be no fancy voting system. And you don’t get to stay here when it’s done. And I may or may not actually go with the design board you choose Okay so it’s nothing like the I Design, You Decide series, but it will be so helpful to get your thoughts and opinions along the way! So head over to my blog and take a look at the alternate mood board option and weigh in!

Opening Photo Credits: Design by Amber Lewis  | Photo by Tessa Neustadt

The post Key’s New Office/Guestroom/Workout Space Intro (+ A Big Dilemna She Needs Your Opinion On…) appeared first on Emily Henderson.