Emily Henderson's Blog, page 205

Introducing My Never Been Seen Basement Bathroom (And My Plan To Make It Awesome With Basic Pieces + A Lot Of Vintage Styling)

I’ve been sitting on a secret bathroom that we haven’t touched since we bought the house three years ago and it’s time to fess up and show you (obviously I have no secrets. I just realized I don’t think you’ve ever seen it because it’s just meh). It’s in the basement of the guest room/office and it was VERY low on the list of priorities to design. I rarely saw it, never went into it and when Brian was down there working I gave him that space as ‘his’. Well here it is:

It was super generic but functional and since it wasn’t gross or offensive we just left it for years. Brian certainly didn’t complain and he wasn’t going to add to my workload to have a better bathroom.

The challenges are as follows:



SUMP PUMP ACCESSIBILITY – Wake up. DID SOMEONE SAY SUMP PUMP?? Holla. This is exciting stuff. Inside the vanity, under the floor is the sump pump that the previous owners put in to make this bathroom usable, and just in case it needs repair we would need access to it. So no cute pedestals for us and the size of the vanity needed to be very specific, with easy access to a big square hole in the ground that housed something I want nothing to do with ever. Weird angle near vanity – see overhead drawing below. Odd Cement “bench” – I’m sure it’s purposeful, but it makes it awkward and I for one do not want to hang out and read on that “bench”. Sure, all the finishes needed to be changed, but that’s not really a ‘challenge’.

So last year, after the mountain house was wrapped we decided to tackle this little bugger. We had a fantasy about turning the main space into a podcast studio, and listen, our list of podcasts guests included Dax and Monica, Matty Matheson, Lin Manuel, Oprah, Michelle and Barack, Beyonce, and we needed an impressive thrown for their use before our hour of laughter and unhinged honesty.

No. It must be redone. At first, Brian and I were going to “do it ourselves” (talk about unhinged laughter) and I think I even made a big speech about it to my team – how “I want to be more hands-on”, I want to “learn to tile” and Brian chimed in with his desire to demo something. Also, we truly didn’t want this bathroom to turn into something insanely expensive – sure, KB might make an appearance, but we didn’t need to spend $25k on this. YES. We would save money.

Then it sat there for 3 more months. Meanwhile, the entire basement flooded due to those epic flash floods last year so Brian moved his office into Birdie’s old room. We forgot about it, (we had to tell Lin-Manuel to cancel his flight), even though this space was one of the best selling points of the house – a separate guest suite/office is HUGE in LA (and likely even more now so).

So knowing that this wasn’t something that Brian and I could DIY, I shifted gears (while slammed with shooting the book) and thought it would be “fun” for Julie to take over the design. My bandwidth was strapped and she is looking for more portfolio work. No pressure. Just design your boss’s gross basement bathroom – on a budget – for millions to see. So she came up with this plan:

Let’s break this design down:



Walls – Roman clay. YES. A pretty texture on the walls in a soothing moody blue. Vanity – We would do a custom floating vanity and engage that weird corner (aka more counter space) and made from one slab. Flooring – Zellige Octagon & Buchon from Cle in the same color as the wall tile. I just asked her what was her solution for the sump pump and she said that at the time of drawings she didn’t know where the access panel was (because it was under the vanity that hadn’t been demo’d yet) so she hadn’t planned that in, but we would have likely tiled a removable access panel on the floor. Shower surround – We had enough leftover Zellige from Cle (that we used in the kitchen and master bath) so we wanted to use that to save money and not create more waste. Lighting – Right now there are just overhead cans so she planned two sconces – one on the mirrored wall, the other on the sidewall with a pretty mirror in between.

It was all a go. I loved it. GREAT! We thought it would cost about $15 – 18k for mostly labor (guys, it’s always labor) and since we didn’t feel that we could do it ourselves, at the time seemed like a good investment for this house. We started the demo a few months ago and then guess what happened? Miss. Car. A. Rona came to town, and all of a sudden the demo’d basement bath that no one ever used anyway became priority #12560.

So it sat there for months without me knowing how to proceed. And now spending $15k – $20k on this tiny little dark number felt, well, highly unnecessary and indulgent. The world just feels too unsteady to be throwing around that in a BASEMENT even if you are an IFD (internet-famous designer – I hope you realize that I’m making fun of myself when I say that – it’s definitely just different.)

Then a month ago I thought to myself, What if I did this AS INEXPENSIVELY as possible? With the least amount of labor, subs, and materials possible??? What if I made it cool JUST through the styling??? Lord knows I’m not the only one with a basement bath that needs an upgrade. Plus it would be so fun for me to do something super basic that I amp up through styling – what I love to do most, anyway.

So let’s see how little we could spend and how fast it could be done.

Here was the plan:



We’d extend the same Cali Bamboo waterproof vinyl flooring from the bedroom into the bathroom. Keeping it simple and not buying hardly any more material. No tile floor. Just good old wood-looking vinyl that looks GREAT for being totally waterproof. We’d LEAVE the acrylic shower surround but take off the glass door with the chrome handles and instead install a cute shower rod and curtain. You heard me – that acrylic molded wonder is staying. Is it offensive? Well, that really depends on your definition and your taste level. It’s acrylic and has hilarious ‘grout’ lines between the ’tile’ but it somehow doesn’t offend me as much as it should – it’s just white and maybe 15 showers a year will take place in that acrylic hug. To replace it we would need to demo it out, see what lies behind, likely waterproof it all, wet mop the floor, put in a damn, order tiles, and then tile the walls. This hardly-used-shower didn’t deserve that kind of time and expense. We could simply put a really pretty curtain in front of it and call it a day. We’d switch out the shower faucet and the sink faucet trims for something with the exact same specs as was currently there, just changing the style and finishes. I’d shop for something super inexpensive that looked as good as possible. And save a lot of money by not replacing the valves – the plumbing pieces in the wall.We’d put in an inexpensive readymade vanity that could cover the footprint of the sump pump. This was after weeks of me trying to find an awesome vintage wall mount sink that I could put a little skirt around to hide the removable panel. But ultimately being up in the mountains gave me little ability to find that sink unless it shipped from across the country and while buying ‘new’ does create waste, flying a 60 lbs sink from upstate New York seemed unnecessary, too (wasting carbon and way more expensive). If times were different I would have thrifted to find a piece that could be retrofitted into a vanity, but without in-person shopping, I was just so limited in the used/thrifted sink department. By the way, if I could go back in time I’d just paint the one that was there, but it was given to Habitat for Humanity months ago and not a possibility. We’d just paint the walls! No tile, no wall treatments, no paneling – just good old fashioned MF paint. We would put down a primed waterproof baseboard to paint and that’s it. No new electrical. We’d work with the cans and instead, I’ll style out a cute plugin sconce or swag a pendant – but no hardwired sconces or new pendant lighting. I’d style it out with fun art, vintage accessories, and a lot of quirk.

The idea was no need for plumber, tiler, or electrician – we’d just be swapping out fixtures (using the old toilet) and change as little as possible.

At the time of publishing aka today (I really should start with that sentence every day – we are breaking news journalism!!) we are ALMOST DONE. You Insiders will get a sneak peek on the community platform. The only bad news thus far is that we DID need to hire a plumber to move the faucet because the center of this vanity is different than the original (even though I checked measurements like 9 times). So I didn’t succeed in not hiring any subs.

As far as what we are using, product-wise? Here you go. All of it is super affordable and seems FINE in person.

1. Kingston Brass Faucet in Matte Black | 2. 30″ Vanity in Gray | 3. Clare Paint in Good Jeans | 4. Moen Shower Set in Matte Black | 5. Baseboard Moulding| 6. Cali Vinyl Longboards Flooring in Seaboard Oak

It should be done in the next few days and then I get to style it out which I’m INCREDIBLY excited to do. Again, without much in-person vintage shopping or thrifting I’m going to pulling from what I already have, but I have a lot of cool art, smalls, shelves and even stools that I think will be cute, and I’m even toying with the idea of sewing together scraps of vintage plaid for the shower curtain.

It’s 2020 designing and while there are a lot of limitations (HAHAHAHAHAHA IS THERE EVER) the budget ‘make it work’ mentality is contagious and frankly inspiring. I like to style. play. every day, and that’s what I’ll do.

Questions. Comments. Concerns?

The post Introducing My Never Been Seen Basement Bathroom (And My Plan To Make It Awesome With Basic Pieces + A Lot Of Vintage Styling) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

93 Dining Chairs that Meet All Your Comfort Needs + Rules for Picking Them Out

Today’s post has been in the works for a while. It’s a topic that has been talked about many a time in the EHD office, requested by more than a few of our readers and that one piece of furniture that Emily had been on the search for years til she found them here. That’s right. It’s time for a comfortable dining chair roundup! As someone who has truly never owned or had a comfortable dining chair growing up, I feel your pain (especially in the buttocks region) but fret no more since we have 96 chairs with and without arms for you to choose from at all different price points. Plus, some very useful tips to consider when choosing the right chair for your own dining area.

Before we get into all of those pretty and more importantly comfy dining chair options below, let’s first take a moment to go over some of our tried and true ‘rules’ (aka guidelines) you can implement in your own space. Even as a trained interior designer I am constantly referring back to all of our design rules posts because let’s be honest sometimes design can be a tad overwhelming and very subjective so it’s nice to go back to the basics of why a space will visually work better than others. It all comes down to measurements which is something that makes sense to me. Not really the math aspect since that is not my forte…shhhh, I know it’s used a lot in interior design (hello best friend aka my calculator). But proportions and spatial planning is ‘my thing‘, it’s probably the reason why I also love to organize and help others pack to move.

OKAY, enough about my odd hobbies, let’s get into those Dining Chair Rules…

Figuring Out Your Table Size & How Many Chairs to Buy



photo by tessa neustadt | from: griffith park formal dining room reveal

You can’t really pick out your dining chairs without first knowing the scale of your dining table. I mean you can but it will probably be easier to start with the larger furniture piece and then add in your chairs later. So what size table do you have and how many chairs will you need to purchase?

Here is a seat guideline for rectangle tables depending on size:

48″ long table: seats 460″-72″ long table: seats 680″-87″ long table: seats 892″-108″ long table: seats 10120″ long table: seats 12

And for round / square tables depending on size:

42″- 48″ diameter table: seats 460″ diameter table: seats 6-8

Keep in mind that no matter the size of your table you will want to leave approximately 24″-26″ width of eating space per person + an additional 6″ between the chairs to account for elbow room and ease of a person getting up, out of their chair from a fully occupied table. This will spare your guest (once we have those again) from an awkward moment of asking the person next to them to ‘scooch over a bit’ to be able to get out to use the bathroom during a dinner party. The width of most dining chairs will be between 16″-20″ with the ‘more comfortable’ ones in the 20″-25″ range.

Hot Tip

To make sure that the number of chairs will work with your table size, measure from the widest point of the chair and from the inner of the legs of your dining table instead of the top of the table.

Two other things to take into consideration – 1. If your dining table is on the smaller side try opting for a chair without arms to save on space. 2. If you buy additional chairs for when the table is extended to the maximum length be sure to figure out a designated spot for them to live since that might happen only a couple of times throughout the year.

Choosing the Right Scale Chair & Finding the Comfy Factor



photo by geneieve garruppo | from: a boathouse makeover with the frame + shop the look

Now, let’s figure out the right scale of your chairs for your dining table. Most standard dining tables range in height between 28″-30″ but there are some dining tables that are more counter height in the 34-36″ range so make sure to take a second look at the dimensions before you ‘add to cart’. We are going to focus on the standard dimensions today as they are the most common.

The seat height of a dining chair will be between 17-23″ and there should be about 12” of space between the top of the seat and underside of the tabletop or bottom of the apron. If your dining chairs have arms they should be able to slide under your table with ease so be sure to have at least 7” of clearance between the top of the arm height to the underside of the table or bottom of the apron.

Speaking of height let’s talk about your chair’s overall height in consideration to the scale of your table. Meaning that if you have a table that seats 4, approx. 42-48″ in diameter, steer clear of the chair that measures 48″ high overall and leave that to the larger more formal dining table sizes. It will just feel more proportional

6 Factors to Consider that Will Make Your Dining Chair More Comfortable:

Seat Width: 18”-22″ for more ‘wiggle’ roomOpt for an upholstered seat or sling seat (see the white director chairs in the photo above)Seat Depth: 20-24” for the lounging elementWhich brings us to the lean-ability of the chair, an angled seat back or upholstered back for those long post meal conversationsIf you have the space, dining chairs with arms will be much more ergonomic. If you are one to have long dinners it will allow you to truly relax because you can rest your arms making it easier to lounge.Materials Matter: It’s a simple fact that an all upholstered chair will be more comfortable, it’s like a sofa but smaller.







Hot Tip

On big box retailers websites take a look around to see if you can search by customer rating, that way you are starting with the furniture pieces that others have verified to be comfortable or to be a quality product.

Now that the school lesson portion of this post is over, let’s talk about the fun stuff and get into our comfortable dining chair roundups.

The Link Up: The Only Flip Flops Emily Will Wear, Caitlin’s Dream Shorts, The $26 Summer Dress and Julie’s Acne Cure

Happy Sunday folks. It’s been a VERY hot week so we hope that this weekend you were able to find some ways to cool off and enjoy a little bit of summer. We also hope that you enjoy this week’s link up:) Let’s jump right in…

From Emily: These are my favorite (and affordable) flip flops ever. Not sure why they are more comfortable and durable than others, but I guess it must be the fit in between the toes that is small enough that it just feels more comfortable than most. I love the rose gold color.

This week’s first home tour is the kitchen of Charlie and Kevin Dumais. And would you believe us if we said it was an Ikea kitchen?? Well, you should because this warm, textured kitchen IS!

From Caitlin: I’ve spent the past 4 months in pants with a stretchy waistband and I don’t think I can ever go back to wearing anything with a zipper or a button. I NEED TO BE COMFY…but it’s hot out now and I don’t think I can handle sweating in leggings anymore, so I grabbed two pairs of loose shorts last weekend. My verdict is in: I’M OBSESSED WITH BOTH OF THEM. First off, I got these linen-blend shorts with cute pockets that are truly a goldilocks length (not too short, not too long) and then these high-waisted pull-on shorts in a cheery rainbow stripe. They both feel like pajamas but they LOOK like I’m trying, which is really all that matters. They’re also at the perfect rise where they don’t rub and then get bunched up near my crotch (y’all, sorry to write this in all my shorts reviews, but there’s NOTHING more annoying than pulling shorts back down!!!) and I’m just in love with them. They’re both under $50 and come in a range of sizes and WOW, I hate wearing shorts so you know these are good!!!

If you love modern design and some outdoor content, look no further than Erin from Apartment 34’s newly renovated backyard. It’s so beautiful and her cedar soaking tub is what dreams are made of.

From Sara: If you love spending time sporting in the outdoors, then you’ll know the equipment needed can get expensive fast. Access to this equipment can really hinder who does and doesn’t participate in outdoor activities, like camping! Two passionate BIPOC folx have created a GoFundMe which is pooling donations in order to create and distribute basic camping kits for other BIPOC folx. They aren’t charging anything for the kits and are completely donor-funded. Your donations go towards creating kits that include a 2-person tent, two adult-sized sleeping bags, and a cooler! They’ve recently gotten a LOT of requests, and anything you can donate will go directly towards building and distributing more of these kits. Here’s a quick blurb from one of the folx involved about why these BIPOC camping kits are important: “As BIPOC we’re far less likely to have access to the beauty of our national parks, camping sites, and hikes. Access that is vital for those in need of freedom, healing, peace, and fun that comes with it.”

From Julie: I swear to you, I have really been trying these days to take better care of my adult acne riddled skin but despite my best efforts I still get those super cute and not inconvenient at all pimples on my chin. So I did what I hate doing and ‘splurged’ on some beauty products. I use the term splurged loosely since the one that I LOVE / will be buying again and again is only a $28 product. The Meltdown Blemish Treatment by Blume has helped my skin sooo much and it’s made from all-natural facial oils like black cumin seed (antibacterial/anti-inflammatory), rosehip oil (soothes/brightens), & chamomile (calms that angry pimple) so it smells so delicious!

From Mallory: I realized that I didn’t own a summer midi dress and I thought, what am I doing with my life?? Shortly after this realization, I found this one from Nordstrom Rack for $26 and I’m now living in it. It’s comfortable enough to wear when you’re at home all day but it’s also cute enough to wear to a picnic, dinner, or really any place where you’d see people. Plus there’s a cute lil leg slit so your leg can give the world a small, but classy “hello.” I’d recommend sizing one size down if you want it to fit tighter on the waist

Water Features: Dorky Decor Or Awesome Stress-Reducing Hack??

A couple of weeks ago Emily brought up one of her “maybe dorky but actually awesome” ideas that I hadn’t really considered . . . The Outdoor Water Fountain/Feature. Honestly, I have had a love/hate relationship with at-home water fountains. We had a plugin one in the entry of our house growing up and it sounded like someone who had consumed 10 Big Gulps and was finally “relieving themselves” 24/7. Sorry for the visual. BUT, after hearing Emily’s convincing argument for the soothing power of a water feature (she herself has a couple of fountains and a man-made stream), and then coming up to my dad’s house with a new and improved version of the fountain from my youth, I was on board.

Look, water is healing, and the sound of it is soothing. I don’t have the studies handy but it just is. Plus in a time when anxiety is collectively at an all-time high and we are spending (or should be if possible) a lot of time at home, we need to bring the sounds nature in. Well unless, of course, you live on the beach, or next to a river or any other body of water. If you do, please know that I am trying to keep my jealously at bay (pun intended), because man that sounds SO GOOD right now. But for those not living next to nature, I pulled together 36 of our favorite garden fountains so you too can bring a little water ASMR into your life. You won’t be sorry.

Actually, one more thing before we get into all the shoppable fountain options! I wanted to touch on the man-made stream. As I said, Emily has one in her backyard at the mountain house (it was already there when they bought it), and the whole family LOVES it. So I wanted to find a helpful article for those of you who might want to DIY one in your yard. Here is that article, and if you attempt it PLEASE let us know how it went!

But for those not interested in DIYing, let’s shop starting with some small tabletop fountains. These are great outside or inside. That means people without outdoor spaces (me) can benefit too!

1. Geo Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete Oval | 2. Amelie Bird | 3. Water Fountain Rock | 4. Ternary | 5. Toledo | 6. Cylinia

I really love the simplicity of #1. It’s the kind of fountain that could work in almost any style of home. Plus finding fountains for under $100 isn’t always easy. I also love the whimsy of #2. I mean how sweet are those little birds?! (And that’s coming from someone who has had a decent fear of birds most of her life).

Next up, wall fountains (both ground and hanging)

Bunge Fountain 2.0 (it’s a DIY by my dad)

Let’s say you have outdoor space, but not so much that you can plop a large fountain in the middle of it. Please let me introduce you to the wall fountain. First up, the ground version. It’s great for those who don’t want to hang a fountain up on a wall (and make holes) but want to, like I said before, save on space.

1. Tribus | 2. Barcelona | 3. Marais | 4. Auberge | 5. Colonna | 6. Closerie

This might be my favorite category because all of the fountains are simple but special. But if I had to pick my favorite it would be #5. I mean stop it with that arch!

1. Portico | 2. Mallorca | 3. Royal Lion | 4. Rusty Red | 5. Vintage French White Enamel | 6. Tristin | 7. Vintage French Cast Iron | 8. Dunnell | 9. Fountain in Zellige

Now while a hanging wall fountain does require a bit more labor, they are also SO PRETTY! Look at #1 for a classic European style, or #5 for that perfect vintage charm, or the heavenly masterpiece that is #9. All of them are so good.

Now let’s get off of the wall and into some other options . . .

This is the front of Em’s LA house:)

Yes, this is Emily’s front yard (which we’ve never officially shot, outside of some fashion shoots and some holiday doorway styling). And she loves this fountain. It was one of the high priorities on the front yard list when she was designing it. And listening to the water cascading down really just makes walking into her home (back when we used to do that) so magical. It’s secretly so soothing.

So let’s first talk about pedestal fountains . . .

1. Aurelia| 2. Carrera | 3. Caterina | 4. Jensen | 5. High Sandstone Outdoor Bird Bath | 6. Borghese | 7. Mission | 8. Relic Lava | 9. Europa Plinth

A pedestal fountain is such a classic and elegant type of fountain. As proven by my favorites, I am really into the more traditional styles so #1 and #6 have my heart. Also full disclosure, #9 is a birdbath so you won’t get the running water sounds but look at that shape?! Exactly. So pretty.

Ok last but not least we have our big kid fountains and some non-traditional options…

1. Beauvais | 2. 3-Stacked Tubs Under Faucet | 3. Henrietta | 4. Harpeth | 5. Borghese | 6. Tall Antique Vintage Sink

If you were drooling over Emily’s front yard fountain then you are in luck because #1 is that fountain. If you have the space and budget it’s a showstopper. But if you want something a bit more modest I really love #2. How cute would it look in a garden?! Plus at $84, it’s a total steal.

Well, that’s it for today. Since it’s the weekend I hope that even if you don’t decide on adding a fountain to your home that you enjoy some form of water to cool off (maybe like this??). I am the worst at making sure I take the time to do things like that, but when I do it’s like medicine for my soul. Hmm that got deep quick! So I bid you adieu, maybe fill up my kiddie pool, listen to my dad’s fountain, and wish you a great rest of your Saturday.

Love you, meant it.

The post Water Features: Dorky Decor Or Awesome Stress-Reducing Hack?? appeared first on Emily Henderson.

The 5 Elements You Need To Create Your Very Own “Backyard Beach”

I love summertime and look forward to it every year. I believe this is in part because I am a Gemini so summer is synonymous with my birthday and part has to do with fond childhood memories of going to the beach, camping trips, and sleepover parties. The nostalgia of summer forever has my heart (and yes – it beats Christmas by a thousand miles). So in the spirit of salvaging what is left of summer 2020, I’ve made a goal to make the most of what I have. Namely: my health, my home, and my backyard.

Having a backyard is something I took for granted growing up and the more I age into adulthood the more that fact becomes a tragic loss. Having an outdoor space, in sunny California no less, is a coveted privilege. In fact, a huge reason behind my boyfriend and I’s recent move was the opportunity to have a backyard. The option to simply be outside in my own private space has become essential to my mental health and I don’t think I would have appreciated this fact had I not been forced to spend so much time here these path few months.

So long as beaches are closed and vacation plans are foiled for the foreseeable future, envisioning my own backyard oasis has become a beloved past time of mine. It’s even halted some of my living room plans (for now) because spending any time outdoors is all I want to do nowadays. So, after searching for all the elements to create my dream “backyard beach oasis” I think I’ve come up with a pretty decent formula. But I’ll let you be the judge. Let’s get to it.

Step 1: Get a comfy chair

No vacation can begin without some comfort so let’s start with some great lounge chairs:

1. Wisby Reclining Chaise Lounge with Cushion | 2. Antonetta Chaise with Cushion | 3. Reni Brushed Taupe Lounger | 4. Grid Adjustable Chaise | 5. Sling Stackable Adjustable Chaise Lounge | 6. Terassi Chaise | 7. Astola Teak Single Chaise Lounge Frame | 8. Outdoor Beanbag Chaise Lounge | 9. Alvah Reclining Chaise with Cushion | 10. Cam Sun Lounger | 11. 2 Pack Acacia Wood Chaise Lounge | 12. Metal Lounge Chair | 13. Äpplarö Chaise | 14. Crescent Chaise | 15. 2 Pack Acacia Wood Foldable Chaise Lounge

I love #2. It is affordable and it folds up so it’s easy to stow away when the weather is less desirable. But if you like a chair that could double as a nap spot #7 looks comfy as hell. I am personally debating between either #1 or #2. Which do you like better?

I know not everyone has space for a lounge chair so for a smaller backyard or balcony, a nice outdoor chair can still bring the vacation vibes to you.

1. Paradise Outdoor Lounge Chair & Ottoman Set | 2. Jaxx Ponce Outdoor Bean Bag Patio Chair | 3. Numa Outdoor Chair | 4. Ellipse Rope Chair |5. Abstract Minimal Chair | 6. Bamboo Rattan Chair with Circle Sides | 7. Cabana Chair  | 8. Vernon Outdoor Rocker | 9. Molly Outdoor Wicker Standing Patio Chair with Cushion

Remember when bean bags were the coolest thing ever? My dreams of having one may finally come true as I was showing Rocky these options and he was drawn to #2. I love the striped pattern that is very reminiscent of a 60s beach cabana and I would definitely feel as if I was on vacation sitting on it whilst sipping a margarita.

As previously discussed here, we love a hanging chair. Nothing says “vacation” like it and if you have the space it definitely adds a pinch of whimsy. Here are some that I love:

1. Capistrano Outdoor Hanging Chair & Stand | 2. Boho Hanging Chair Hammock | 3. Boho Hanging Chair with Tassel | 4. Large Hammock Chair with Crocheted Edge | 5. Outdoor Hanging Chair | 6. Cotton Padded Hammock Chair Swing | 7. Black Nylon Hammock Swing Chair | 8. San Blas Hanging Chair | 9. Luna Hanging Chair | 10. Eliott Swing Chair with Stand | 11. 100% Cotton Hammock Chair | 12. Britanna Patio Hanging Egg Chair |

I would like to a have a quick afternoon nap in #2 thank you very much and EHD has on good authority that #12 is really cute and provides the perfect relaxing touch to an outdoor space. We love an egg chair like this and it’s also great because you don’t need to find a place to hang it up.

Step 2: Give yourself some shade

Once you’ve procured the perfect chair for you, you’re going to need some shade.

1. Classic Wood 9 Ft. Round Stripe Umbrella | 2. Eastport Striped Umbrella | 3. 9 Ft. Round Lighted Patio Umbrella | 4. 6 Ft. Round Umbrella with Eucalyptus Pole | 5. 9 Ft. Round Cabana Stripe Patio Umbrella | 6. Double Scallop 9 Ft. Tilting Umbrella | 7. Beach Umbrella | 8. 9 Ft. Replacement Umbrella Canopy with Fringe | 9. Maypex 9 Ft. Patio Umbrella

This lighted patio umbrella would be great in any backyard all year round. My boyfriend and I enjoy eating dinner outside when the weather is nice so an umbrella AND lights would be a great addition for us. But, I also love #7 and #8 for a more beachy ambiance. Which one is your favorite?

Step 3: Don’t Forget A Towel

Even though the sun isn’t my BFF (hello white Irish skin) I do like to “tan” from time to time with the help of a solid SPF 30. This has become a more recent hobby so I’ve been searching for some good beach towels to use instead of using my bath towels.

1. Marina Beach Towel in Blue | 2. Insomnia Beach Towel | 3. Seacliff Towel | 4. Mallorca Beach Towel | 5. Indigo Blue Tie Dye Delight Beach Towel | 6. Mediterranean Organic Towels | 7. Omo Bath Sheet | 8. Duo Striped Warm Beach Towel | 9. Linen Spa Towel | 10. Printed Terry-Cloth Beach Towel | 11. Vintage Linen Towels, Set of 2 | 12. Malibu Organic Beach Towels

Who doesn’t love a classic watermelon towel for summer?? It just feels right. I also think this the dye option is fun and basically screams “summer”.

Step 4: Grab a drink

Of course, a beach day is not complete without ice-cold beverages…

1. Cool Bag in White | 2. 77-Quart Beverage Cooler | 3. Ice Bucket | 4. Igloo Cooler | 5. White Picnic Cooler | 6. 80 Qt. Patio Rolling Cooler | 7. Grapefruit Cooler Tote | 8. Basket Print Insulated Cooler | 9. Royal Blue Retro Drink Cooler

Yes, you are technically at home at your very own backyard beach, so a refrigerator is likely close by. But because this is your beach now, why not have your drinks by your side for the ultimate relaxation experience? Many of these are also portable, so once the world opens up you can once again take your beverages to go.

Now that you have your beverage, the only thing missing is some water activities. Yep, we are talking about kiddie pools again

The True Cost Of Moving Into A New Neighborhood, Sorry I Mean Gentrification . . .

WHOA, that is a bold title. It’s also a really simplified snippet of an idea that is so much more complex. I’m sure there were some of you who were excited by the directness of it, and some of you who immediately felt your blood heat up a few degrees. I’ll start by saying this – I’m not an expert, a community organizer, or a city planner (though I did get a lot of research help for this post from friends who study and work within these topics). And, if while you’re reading this you feel like any of this is aimed directly at you, please know that I’m here to encourage self-reflection and critical thinking about some actions many of us (me included) may be engaging in. This isn’t an attack. Today is really about sharing what I’ve learned about gentrification, getting a conversation going, and sharing resources where you can keep that education going. So let’s jump right in.

WHAT IS GENTRIFICATION?

In the simplest of simple terms, gentrification is what happens when wealthy (and usually white) people purchase property in a low-income neighborhood, fix it up enough that other wealthy (and usually white) people want to live or invest there, and then increase property value so much that a majority of the original residents are pushed out. Now here’s a more eloquent and informed description. You know, the next level understanding:

Gentrification is a process of neighborhood change that includes economic change in a historically disinvested neighborhood by means of real estate investment and new higher-income residents moving in – as well as demographic change – not only in terms of income level, but also in terms of changes in the education level or racial make-up of residents.

UrbanDisplacement.org

BUT, gentrification is much more complex. Like so many things in our world, if you start pulling at this one little thread called “gentrification” you’re going to find it’s just one thread in a horribly knit sweater of racial injustice, redlining, white flight, capitalism, and political corruption all tangled together. WHEW. But, it is a really important topic for us to educate ourselves about, especially in the interior design field where many of us are renovating or “house flipping.”

In fact, I’ll go first.

ME, MYSELF, AND GENTRIFICATION

Pasadena, where Mac and I bought our home back in 2018, was once home to the Hahamogna Tribe of Native Americans. I think it’s important to start there, and just acknowledge that the land now known as Pasadena is stolen Indigenous land. But in more recent history, North West Pasadena is a historically Black neighborhood.

And it still is, with the addition of a large Latinx population. The majority of our neighbors (at least the ones we know) are Black and Latinx.

Mac and I are, without a doubt, “gentrifiers.” We were able to afford a house that cost half a million with the help of family money, and are raising the value of the home by renovating it with excess wealth (trust me, it doesn’t feel excess when I’m looking at our bank accounts each month). If we ever sell this home we will want to at least make back the investment we put into it, which will necessitate us selling it for more than we bought it. But just increasing the value of our property, even without selling it, increases the property value for the houses surrounding us (meaning that houses around us can sell for higher prices, and all our property taxes go up). All of these things spell out gentrification.

SOME QUICK HISTORY

A few of you might be saying “It sounds like gentrification is a money issue, not a race issue.” Well, gentrification is a money issue, but money is ALSO a race issue. For total transparency, Mac and I are both white (I’m white Latina). To understand why gentrification is a race issue there are three topics we all need to understand.

REDLINING

First up is something called redlining. So what is redlining?

“For decades, many banks in the U.S. denied mortgages to people, mostly people of color in urban areas, preventing them from buying a home in certain neighborhoods or getting a loan to renovate their house.”

Khristopher J. Brooks

And why would banks do that? Because the US Government agreed to insure the loans that these banks were giving out, but the banks could only give them to people the US Government felt confident wouldn’t be a financial risk. So they literally color coded maps, outlining entire neighborhoods in red where the US Government thought residents would be “too high risk” to receive loans. I’ll give just one guess as to who those people were.

If you guessed “literally anyone non-white, but definitely Black and brown people” you would be correct. So, redlining plays a huge part in what created these de-invested neighborhoods that are just now becoming gentrified. That’s not to say that BIPOC communities weren’t able to develop and prosper even with the government and banks working against them. White people have just always done their best to tear them down. Look up the Tulsa Massacre, or Bruce’s Beach if you live in Southern California. (Speaking of, has anyone else watched Watchmen?!).

So redlining meant Black folks were largely unable to get loans to buy homes, and even when they were, it was to buy homes in already Black and brown neighborhoods that were deemed low value simply because the people living there were deemed, by lenders, realtors, and the government, as inferior. And what happens when you can’t buy homes? You can’t build . . .

GENERATIONAL WEALTH

This is a BIG one when it comes to homeownership. At its core “generational wealth” is wealth that is built, maintained, and grown by families over several generations. And it should come as no surprise that the majority of generational wealth in America belongs to white families. One of the main ways that wealth is accumulated over generations, especially by the not-crazy-rich but middle class and upper middle class people, is through buying homes. Generational wealth has everything to do with the exploited labor of enslaved people in America’s earliest days, discriminatory practices such as redlining in more modern history, and the underpaid labor of immigrants right now.

That’s not to say that your family hasn’t worked for that generational wealth. But it’s important to keep in mind that, if you and your family are white, the color of your skin has 100% made it easier for you to create and maintain that wealth over the course of history. It may have even played a part in the initial creation of that wealth. To learn more about generational wealth and race check out this article (it’s meaty, but important facts we need to understand!).

The truth is, Mac and I would not have been able to buy our home without the help of generational wealth from our families. A large portion of the money we used for our down payment came from our parents and grandparents. I’m extremely proud to say that the largest amount came from my grandparents, who are both Guatemalan immigrants. But they had to work ten times as hard to build it, and be ten times as careful to maintain it. When my brother is ready to buy his first home, it will be Mac and my responsibility to provide him with help for his downpayment using equity from our home, in order to continue the passing of generational wealth.

Note: I wanted to add a note based on some of the comments – I’m not assuming that all white families have generational wealth (or any wealth). There are many white families and individuals in our country that live below the poverty line, or even just pay check to pay check without any family support. White privilege does not equally financial privilege (or conventional beauty privilege, or male privilege, or health privilege, etc.). However, it is important to recognize that for someone who is white, or perceived as white, the color of their skin is not one of the reasons why they do not have wealth.

WHITE FLIGHT

Again, I’m not an expert so I’m going to try and boil this down to a basic explanation. White flight is a phenomena that occurs when neighborhoods become “too diverse,” and the white residents move to areas that are still majority white. The biggest example of this our country saw was in the 1900s, when white residents of urban cities began moving out to suburbs in large numbers due to the increasing populations of BIPOC in the urban cities. Read this article to really get into the details of White Flight (and why it’s happening again).

And while you might think that “white flight” is the opposite of “gentrification,” just like with redlining, it’s important to understand the historical context of why modern neighborhoods are more or less desirable. What else makes a neighborhood more or less desirable? Things like how well funded a school district is, how much public recreation space there is, or how much access to fresh food there is – all of which are things that BIPOC neighborhoods have been historically denied. “Less desirable” neighborhoods mean lower property values, which in turn means cheaper property. Cheaper property upfront means more money can go into the property renovation, which means a higher resale value. And that means that only someone wealthier can move in. See the pattern?

WHAT IS GENTRIFICATION DOING?

Now that we’ve got some historical context, let’s talk more about what the effects of gentrification actually are. If gentrification means re-investing in areas and revitalizing them, why is it viewed as a bad thing?

Currently, cities like LA are investing in their neighborhoods with big-dollar projects intended to bring amenities to more people in the form of rail lines, sports stadiums, new parks, or shopping centers. Sounds great, right? Let’s take a closer look at one example:

The upcoming Crenshaw/LAX rail line will go through four predominantly Black neighborhoods (Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw, and Hyde Park). Already, just the start of construction of this line has caused rent to go up and resident displacement to begin because living close to a railway is a great option for commuting (check out an interactive map of gentrification along LA transit lines here). The sad irony is that the very transit investments that could help the livelihood of low-income people (who are much more transit-dependent) actually leads to their displacement by wealthy (often white) people who don’t necessarily rely on public transit.

What does the displacement look like? Oftentimes, landlords aggressively and illegally force residents out. Moving out of one’s neighborhood sucks! It causes dramatic negative effects from kids having to switch schools mid-year, to longer commute times, to destroying a family’s networks they rely on for social and emotional support, childcare, and more. Not to mention the extreme toll that stress of housing uncertainty can take on a family (can rent be paid that month, will an eviction notice come, can a new apartment be found on short notice?).

Sure, gentrification on one hand helps some existing homeowners. The value of their homes go up, meaning the equity they can take out of their home or the resale value of their home increases. If they choose to sell, they’re likely selling to newer, wealthier (and often whiter) residents, like Mac and I. And they can generally make a decent profit and move even further out of the city where that money goes further. But if they choose to stay in a neighborhood as it gentrifies, their property taxes are still going up, even if they haven’t made a single improvement to their home.

As property values go up, and the desire to live in an area increases, existing renters become at risk of being priced out of their apartments or rental homes in favor of new residents who can afford higher rent. Or for the demolition of existing buildings to make way for newer, fancier accommodations.

And thus begins a cycle. As residents either “willingly” leave to capitalize on their property value or are forced out due to financial constraints, existing store and restaurant owners lose their customer base. Especially as new businesses that the newer residents prefer to shop at move in. The local Latinx market (which provides culturally important ingredients) now has to compete with a shiny new Trader Joe’s. A Black-owned restaurant that has existed for decades is slowly losing its clientele as new residents instead go to Chipotle, poke restaurants, or Starbucks. And as more wealth moves into a neighborhood, the schools become better. But the children who are benefiting from it aren’t the kids of the families who have been suffering due to underfunded schools for decades.

It’s important to remember that when someone new moves in, someone else had to move out.

And listen, this all sounds awful, and if you’re anything like me, you’re probably pulling your hair out and screaming at the computer “WHAT CAN I DO?! DO MY NEIGHBORS HATE ME?” I can’t speak for your neighbors (or mine), but the people interviewed for this article, published by the Los Angeles Times back in 2015, said they aren’t hostile towards new residents who are gentrifying their neighborhood. They just want to be included in the come up and protected from being displaced. The article hit me like a gut punch because it’s talking specifically about my neighborhood. (If you’re ever in NW Pasadena, you gotta hit up Perry’s Joint for THE best sandwiches.)

Even Mac and I are seeing gentrification happening, though we’ve only lived here for two years. The house across the street from us was completely flipped last year, and is now being rented to a young white couple who drive a Tesla. The house across the corner from us recently sold for somewhere around $800k, and now there’s a newly built McMansion down the street with a “For Sale” sign up in the yard. I was speaking to our neighbor a few nights ago, who’s lived in her home for 16 years, and she was telling me about all the people who have moved out over the years. And yea, she sounded sad.

Here’s the really simple question I have (that I’m sure a lot of you now also have, especially if you’re looking to buy your first home) for a very complex issue: Where am I supposed to live?

Mac and I weren’t able to afford a home in a neighborhood that had already undergone gentrification, like Highland Park. And we definitely couldn’t afford a home in an upper class neighborhood like Los Feliz or South Pasadena. North West Pasadena is where we could afford a home (and barely at that).

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT GENTRIFICATION?

As individuals, it can be really difficult to act in a way that tries to solve a problem that is wildly big and complex. But here’s what you can do:

The biggest thing you can do is buy a home in a neighborhood you are ready to become an active community member of as it IS, not just how you hope it will be in 5 years. And plan to live there long term (you know, as far as anyone can plan ahead).When you’re looking for a home, research the history of that neighborhood and possibly the home itself.Once you move in, invest your dollars. Now that you are part of that community, you need to support that community. Shop at the local stores instead of driving out of town, eat at the local restaurants instead of franchise chains, and donate to local organizations that are making a difference in the lives of your neighbors.Get involved in local politics, and make sure that you’re advocating and voting in favor of legislation, laws, and elected officials who support anti-displacement policies, tenant protection laws and affordable housing policies (like this one), prioritize community reinvestment, protect existing businesses, and care about their school districts. It’s likely you have more time privilege than a neighbor who is a single parent working two jobs to keep paying rent on their home (especially now that the school districts are likely getting better and they want to keep their children within the district). Use your time to get to know your City Council member, what committees they sit on, their positions on affordable housing and tenant protection, how much campaign funding they receive from luxury developers, and whether they advocate for anti-displacement strategies. Attend city hall meetings, read about legislation your city is voting on, and email your representative. Advocate for the community you moved into!When your neighborhood gets new investments, find out what developer is building it & if there are any anti-displacement strategies coming. Many politicians receive campaign funding from developers who, frankly, don’t have an incentive to build affordable housing. Some cities have begun implementing anti-displacement strategies like providing financial incentives to developers to build affordable housing, giving grants to small businesses located near new rail lines or changing zoning codes to allow more apartments (higher density housing – meaning more room for affordable housing, versus low density housing which is big expensive houses with large yards all spread out) in all neighborhoods.Learn from and support local organizations fighting for affordable housing and tenant protection with your time! (Check out Inclusive Action and Investing In Place if you live in Los Angeles.)Get to know your neighbors! It sounds so simple, but I think it makes a huge difference. If you truly want to be a better neighbor and part of a community, you need to know the people around you and be aware of their issues and concerns. For example, in North West Pasadena one of the biggest concerns is over-policing. I speak Spanish, and I use it all the time living in a neighborhood with a large Latinx community, but don’t let a language barrier stop you from saying hello

Introducing Our Brighten Up Any Room Winner + Their Space (It’s EHD’s Next Makeover!)

Hi, friends! Happy Wednesday. I’m SO EXCITED because today, I’m going to introduce you to the recipient (…or recipients?) of our next makeover. Y’all, I cried while learning about this person and then I cried some more while I was putting this post together — in a good way, though — so I hope that you’re ready to read about who we selected, why, and how we’re going to design this room while travel is out of the picture. 

In case you’re new here, let me catch you up to speed really quickly: earlier this year, we announced our second-ever Brighten Up Any Room giveaway in partnership with our friends at VELUX. The concept for this giveaway is pretty simple: show us your space, tell us how we can help, and Team EHD will swoop in with a custom-designed room and two VELUX No Leak Solar Powered “Fresh Air” Skylights with solar-powered blinds. 

AND BOY, we found someone (…a few people, actually!) who deserved some brightening up.

Meet the Winner(s)



CONGRATULATIONS, DINA!

After looking over hundreds of applications, we unanimously decided on one from a woman named Dina. She lives up in the Pacific Northwest, she’s a working mom of 3, she loves to quilt, and y’all, Dina has HAD a 2020. You can read on to learn more about her story, or meet her via video below…

Back in January, Dina was just about 8 months pregnant when she sat down to play Legos with her 5 year old son, Clark. She felt something pop, stood up, and saw a pool of blood on the floor. She was home alone with the kids — her husband had just gone to pick up some takeout — and she rushed to the bathroom, where she continued to bleed profusely.

Dina calmly told Clark that she needed him to get her a phone so she could call 911. He did, and as paramedics sped her way, Clark — to reiterate, he is five — unlocked the front door, turned on the porch lights, and let in the responders. In the meantime, Dina’s sister, who lives within walking distance, put on shoes and sprinted over. She shuffled the kids into a back room as Dina was loaded up into an ambulance (now with husband in tow, though he wasn’t allowed to ride in the back with her). She couldn’t feel the baby. 

By the time she arrived at the hospital, doctors and OBs were scrubbed up, waiting, and ready for Dina’s crash emergency C-section. They delivered her baby — a girl — but the room stayed silent. Dina’s doctors launched into 2 straight minutes of CPR — the longest 2 minutes of her life, she says — until thankfully, the baby began to cry. Dina thought her newborn would be placed on her chest, like her previous two children had been, but she was immediately rushed away to the NICU. Dina couldn’t hold her baby for five days.

At this point, Dina had lost two-thirds of the blood in her body. Her baby, Ada, spent 17 days in the NICU. And now, 6 months later, since both mom and baby are home and healing, we wanted to give the whole family a fun distraction to focus on. To honor her kids for their heroism during this tough time, we’ll be brightening up the attic bedroom shared by all 3 of her children. To that end, meet EHD’s newest (and cutest, honestly) clients: Clark, Holly, and Ada. 

Look at these sweet siblings!

Emily and Julie recently had their first design consult with Dina, so they got to take some peeks at this shared room while meeting all the tenants. (I got to watch the screen recorded version after the fact and I basically cried the whole time, because I am a giant baby.) Clark, at 5, is brave. He loves the color red, riding (and jumping!) his bike, and playing dress up. Holly, at 3, is independent. She loves to read and her wish is that the room will have a “purple sky.” (VERY CUTE, YOU GUYS.) And Ada — y’all, ADA IS THE COOLEST BABY. She can hang. Girl is a natural at Zoom calls already. She’s calm and very loved by her two older siblings. 

The Room

So now that you know the who, let’s take a peek at the space we’re working with. Dina’s hope is that this space will feel like “a cloud with a rainbow,” — “if that makes sense” (girl, it does!) — and we are READY to deliver. 

First off, we’ll be adding two VELUX No Leak Solar Powered “Fresh Air” Skylights on this north-facing wall above where the twin beds and crib currently are, so they’ll be providing soft, diffused light all day. It’s an ideal placement for keeping the space cool and bright. I’m sure y’all can already tell — this is gonna make a huge difference, especially with these sloped ceilings. 

Next up, EHD is planning to tackle three big things: the beds, the storage, and the play space. As you can see, there are A LOT of beds in this space. Clark and Holly both have twins, Ada has a crib, and there’s a spare king for parents to crash on when necessary or for family reading and cuddle time. We want to make sure that this is a space that works long term for this family — not just for a year or two while Ada is still in a crib — so we’ve got to figure out the best configuration and plan for these kids. (Will bunk beds work with the sloped ceilings? Stay tuned!) 

There is one closet up here, but we’ve got to figure out some more options. Dina’s currently also using a dresser and an IKEA unit for clothing storage, but as kids get bigger, clothes will get bigger! We’re going to need to brainstorm some solutions (maybe beds with drawers underneath?) so everyone can have a dedicated space for their belongings. 

And since the kids love reading, we want to make sure we’re keeping books (and some toys!) available. Will this little book nook remain? Will Team EHD install a different type of shelf? I have no idea, since I’m just the partnerships person! But you know that whatever Julie and Em come up with is gonna be great. (I mean, have you seen this kids’ room?!?!) 

The Plan

OK SO, as a blog reader, I was always interested in timing and process and so I wanted to share that information with y’all, too. Here’s the deal: when we originally planned this with VELUX, the goal was to have Emily and Julie fly up to Seattle for an in-person consult earlier this year and then for an in-person install…around now. We hoped to reveal this whole room in August!

But Ms. Rona had other plans, so we’re adapting! IT’S GONNA BE FUN, and I think you’re gonna be able to see more of our process, which might be…better? (THOUGHTS?!) Anyway, like I said earlier, Em and Julie performed an online consult late last month and since then, Julie’s been pulling inspiration and putting together pin boards and mood boards. Soon, we’ll be able to show Dina our direction to get her sign-off, but we’re going to keep a whole lot of the actual products a surprise.

OF COURSE I’m gonna show you another CUTE baby pic!!! What a Wednesday treat!!!

Traditionally, we’d have all the furniture and decor arrive at the house at once so we can install and have that ~magic reveal moment~, but since travel’s off the table, we’re starting to figure out how we can design virtually. (A process we’re starting to get the hang of, as we’re doing something similar for a friend here in CA!) There’s still a whole lot for us to figure out — like, if we wanted to hang a ceiling wallpaper, how would we do it? If we needed to repaint everything so it’s not orange, is there a way for us to manage that process from down here? How do we keep the ~magic moment~ from thousands of miles away? Some extra creative thinking will be involved with this one.

Either way, we’ll make sure Em gets up there in late 2020/early 2021 (fingers crossed!) so we can style it out, sprinkle a lil fairy dust on it, and shoot it so we can show y’all the finished product. Whatever happens, it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be beautiful, and I know that Julie will keep us updated with some freaking AWESOME process posts. If nothing else, Team EHD LOVES A SKYLIGHT in a kids room!

Let’s see it again!

And if you’ve been reading this and you’re like, “hey, I’ve been inside for 4 straight months” or “wow, I’ve seen these skylights in so many projects and they always look good” or “maybe I should just go to the website and price one out,” then BOY. I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU. (Also same, same, and I guarantee they are more affordable than you think!)

Y’all, VELUX is now offering virtual consults. You can pick whether it’s audio or video, you can ask all your burning questions, you get pro feedback on what kind of skylight works for you (like, VELUX helped Sara decide on sun tunnels for her coming-soon closet reveal — they have a tiny footprint and make HUGE difference!), and best of all, IT IS FREE. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while and you’ve seen all the posts where we sing the praises of skylights, why not just check and see if there’s an opening available that works with your schedule? 

So this is where I’ll leave you. WHAT AN UPDATE. Say hi to Dina, her husband, and our three newest clients. Do y’all have any initial ideas on what layout plan we should pursue? Any product recommendations so we can help make this a “rainbow on a cloud” space for a boy who loves red, a girl who loves purple, and a very cool baby with TBD color preferences? We can’t wait to get started and I CAN’T WAIT TO TALK TO YOU in the comments. Let’s chat and plan so I can send Julie a million screenshots with ideas from y’all, ok???  

Opening Photo Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Portland Reveal: You’ll Never Guess What This Bookcase Is Hiding…

The post Introducing Our Brighten Up Any Room Winner + Their Space (It’s EHD’s Next Makeover!) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Budget Outdoor Lounge Agony: Help Mallory Choose A Design Plan

At this point in my life I think I’ve mastered the art of picking up “trash furniture” from the side of the road. Every day it seems I’m hauling some piece of garbage down the street and into my apartment or my parent’s house, and now I’ve officially added my boyfriend’s parent’s house to that list. This skill has really come in handy this summer especially because when you can’t leave your house that often, there comes a sudden motivation to rearrange, redecorate, and improve your living space. However, we all know that updating anything costs money (and usually a lot of it), so when we decided we wanted to upgrade Chase’s parent’s backyard by adding an outdoor lounge, we thought…well how much would it really cost if we go the Craigslist/free roadside furniture route?? When we were first talking numbers, we got an idea in our heads that we could do the entire thing for as close to FREE as possible.

And guess what?? We craigslisted our way into the basic foundation of an outdoor lounge. Is it functional? Yes. BUT does it look good yet? Hell no.

So we found out pretty quickly that our budget was highly unrealistic because we don’t want our free garbage furniture to look like an actual collection of garbage. So now we’re in the mindset of let’s see how we can make it look actually good and last for $1,000 total. This is a design blog after all, so now it’s time to style. play. everyday. I came up with 3 design directions for our outdoor accessories and I need your help deciding which one we should go with…

The Outdoor Lounge

First, let me tell you how we achieved our initial $100 outdoor lounge foundation (the $100 was the cost of the string lights). We started the project with a collective goal in mind that this area could be a little happy hour and hangin’ spot. I initially wrote about it in this post (alongside the rest of this amazing team and their yards) so check it out if you want to see a really sick illustration made by our photographer/HR department/head of production/EHD president, Sara (she does so much we still don’t know what to call her).

Anyway back to the yard. Here’s a little birds-eye view floor plan of their yard so you can see what the heck we’re working with:

See that massive side yard? Well, it’s been nothing but a storage spot for this rusty trampoline for 20 years. We spend a lot of time in the other sections of this yard, but this side yard has been heavily neglected by everyone but the dogs. Here’s what it looked like before we embarked on our outdoor lounge journey:

BEFORE

LOOK HOW MUCH SPACE AND POTENTIAL! Let me fill you in on what’s happened since this photo was taken 3 months ago. We picked up a small IKEA sofa that a neighbor had put up for grabs on the side of the street. It was small, uncomfortable, and was missing cushions (plus the cushions were a wildly weird size), but it gave us the spark we needed to get this thing together. A few days later, I posted on the blog about our backyard plans and boy oh boy I couldn’t believe what happened next. I received an email from an insanely wonderful reader named Kisha (check out her website and IG account –– she’s a very talented designer!) and she offered up this massive outdoor sectional that she was about to list on craigslist. There were some minor issues that she warned me about… the cushions had been stained by a redwood tree and looked a little bit like a murder scene. She wasn’t wrong. The other catch was that she lived in Santa Barbara so we would have to drive 3 hours each way. VERY WORTH IT.

We rented a truck and retrieved the sofa. Now, this is a very EHD scenario and we got really lucky –– but before anyone that’s doing a budget backyard feels discouraged I have to say: check craigslist and facebook marketplace! People dump their free “garbage” there all the time and all you have to do is look at the bones of whatever they’re giving away and be hopeful that you can make it less disgusting. Also, check your neighborhoods and keep your eyes peeled for free curbside furniture because I promise awesome deals are out there if you just look

12 Tips To Make A Spec Home, Special…With Max Humphrey

We would love for you to officially meet Max Humphrey! You might already be familiar with his work from Apartment Therapy’s Small/Cool Event that both he and EHD got to be a part of earlier this year. And in case you missed it, check out his fun-loving “Inner Child” space here. He has been one of Emily’s favorite designers for some time now after instantly falling for his effortless PNW eclectic style. Anyway, this is how he describes that style…“My style is a lived-in, layered look and I think every room should show signs of life. I believe style is about knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.” Emily and I completely agree and is a reminder to “Style, Play, Every Day” because why not, it’s fun, who cares! 

Today, however, I am excited to give you the grand tour of the home below that he transformed from a spec house to a very special home. In case you are not familiar with the term “spec home” this is typically referred to as a new build house that is constructed with the intention to sell to a speculative buyer (get it?). This project however was slightly different, the homeowners actually purchased the house before they broke ground in November of 2017 which allowed them to customize it during the 2 years of construction to their own personal style.

The project is located in a suburb just west of Boston which is a, “really old New England town with lots of historic homes” he said. Luckily enough, Max was already familiar with the area and style of homes having previously attended college in Boston. Since he takes on clients all over the US working on a project from the other side of the country wasn’t really new to him. But this time he had a strict schedule from the builder with due dates for all the specifications of the home. So to adjust they worked backwards from that list as they were designing. When I asked him how they communicated the design plan Max said, “The clients wanted their house to be different than the others in the neighborhood – even if they all had basically the same floor plan. They have two young kids so there were the normal client requests about nothing being too precious. I definitely didn’t have to fight for any ideas – my clients Greta & Bill were super fun to work with and both were totally on the same page and there was a ton of communication between all of us. We basically designed the whole house together over a year-long group text. I’d text ideas and they’d both weigh in with yes/no/maybe. A lot of clients need to see the ‘big picture’ before they make a single decision but I don’t really design that way, like with fancy mood boards and stuff. They trusted that each decision we’d make would work in the grand scheme.”

What I was really curious to know was what the design limitations were working on a spec home so here is what Max had to say, “The contractor said we could do anything we wanted cosmetically as long as we didn’t try and change the original floor plan. So no moving walls. I did add and widen a few doorways but that’s it in terms of the layout. Beyond that, we had a set of specs from the builder with things like what kind of windows and moulding they had planned and then allowances for all the spec materials (tile, flooring, plumbing fixtures, etc) so we were able to choose all that stuff as long as we kept within the basic budget parameters. If we went over by choosing some super expensive marble countertops or something that would be something the clients would have to pay for on top of their initial agreement with the builder. Everything else was up for grabs and I was able to design all of the kitchen cabinetry and built-ins everywhere and bathrooms and stuff. I added wall moulding details where there was only sheetrock in some spaces and was able to select the exterior siding finishes.“

Honestly, sometimes the hardest part of a new build is figuring out the floor plan so if the flow of the home works then this sounds like a designer dream to come and add in all the fun stuff aka the materials, light fixtures and furniture.

So how did Max help them customize the home you ask? Well, come on in and take a look for yourself!

Non-Traditional Cabinetry



pendants | counter stools | sconces

Let’s begin in the heart of the home, the kitchen. This is probably one of the easiest yet expensive rooms in your home to customize to your heart’s desires.

So in terms of customization, let’s just talk about the non-traditional uppers in this space for a minute. I am a big fan of the countertop cabinet or cupboard, as one of my favorite kitchen companies deVol refers to them. That moment combined with the more modern open shelving really helps to touch on both the old and contemporary styles Max mixes together throughout the home.

Unexpected Cabinet Color



rug | backsplash tile

Before you ask in the comments below the color of the cabinets was custom and so unfortunately we don’t have a name to share with you but we do have some others paint colors so stay tuned. In my opinion, it is the perfect gray-blue that doesn’t feel like it belongs in a nursery. I’m currently holding my paint deck to the screen to try and match it, yes I am that designer.

Special Details



cabinet knobs | drawer pulls

It’s the little details in this space like using a more elongated textured subway tile, two statement pendants over the island, adding a pot filler for the stove area, and having a beautiful yet very functional farmhouse sink that gives the kitchen that upgraded feeling without going over budget.

My favorite addition in the space is that additional storage over the doorway which not only makes it feel custom but that way the fridge doesn’t look like it is ‘floating’ off on its own. Plus now there is an en-TRANCE to the formal dining room where we are headed to next.

Adding Modern (Wide) Wainscoting



paint color| pendant | dining table | table lamp

I’ve already mentioned my love affair for a well-designed chair in this post here so you better believe that when I laid my eyes on this photo of the dining room my jaw literally dropped. Now, this is a dining chair that is both beautiful and looks so comfortable (but no longer available!). Dear Greta and Bill, I am more than happy to come over in the future for a long dinner party, just saying. Is it about time that we pull together a comfortable dining chair round up?

Those chairs combined with the blue boxy wainscoting that Max added is color combo perfection. He opted for a wider moulding than the standard size which helped to add that traditional architectural interest to the walls that we all crave in a house while keeping it current. As Max would say, “Otherwise they’d just be big drywall box rooms and drywall has no soul.” Agreed. 

Quiet Playful Patterns



roman shades | blue vases | wallpaper | sconce | sideboard

There are three other great additions in this space that really put the room over the top and tie it all together. First is the custom roman shades (which is a staple you will see throughout the home) the tiny dot pattern is so playful juxtaposed to the other wonderful wallpaper addition. Adding wallpaper to a space, especially when paired with some custom millwork, will really make a room feel complete. The pattern he chose for the space is subtle but effective and adds that warmth to the walls to balance out the large black dining table. Lastly, consider adding in sconces to every room you can instead or in addition to can lighting. Even though can lights are functionally great a sconce will add a touch of your personality. If the only thing that is holding you back is the height placement then we have you covered in this post here.

Our Go-To Cabinet Hardware Placement + 60 Of Our Shoppable Favorites

Imagine this, you’ve just spent the last year or so working on your home renovation, putting in countless hours and (more importantly) money into the project. You’re in the final stages of the project which should be the easy part. Just needing to complete the finishing touches like installing your light fixtures, figuring out furniture placement, and placing your cabinetry hardware. Then you go to actually install said hardware and you think, but wait where should it go?? Emily always refers to hardware as the “jewelry” of the home, like the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae. Basically it should be fun, not stress-inducing. But this simple task can even make a pro stop and question themselves. So today we are here to give you all the rules on where to place your cabinet hardware, let you in on some tips and tricks, and tell when to throw all those rules out your kitchen window (and of course a roundup of all our go-to favorites).

For all you renters, or those who are just looking to update your kitchen without having to go into full-on demo mode, one of the easiest, cheapest, and most rewarding hacks is to simply swap out that dated hardware for something shiny and new (aka not from the 90s). Choosing the right style of hardware can truly transform the space. However is you are in a full-on reno, you have to ALSO think about things like placement because if it isn’t quite right something will inevitably feel a bit off.

There are some overall general rules to help get you started and avoid that “off feeling”. What are they you ask? It’s pretty simple, put knobs on your cabinet doors and pulls on your drawers. Done! Post over, you are all dismissed. But really, every kitchen and bathroom vanity is different so sometimes you need to set the rules aside and learn when and where to break them which I’ll show you plenty of past project examples below. An easy example is if you have a drawer with a smaller face (the width of the drawer front) then opt for a knob instead of a drawer pull so it doesn’t take up the entire width making it look crowded.

In the end, the following are just guidelines to make the process as stress-free as possible but if you have an idea you love it’s your kitchen/bathroom after all, so do what makes you happy!

The 3 Most Common Styles of Placement for Your Knobs



Traditional Placement



photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: velinda’s tiny kitchen makeover takeover (with tons of smart storage hacks)

First up, the ‘Traditional Placement” which is actually one that EHD hasn’t really implemented a ton in past projects. BUT luckily Velinda showed us a great example of it in her tiny kitchen makeover. The trick is to completely center your knob vertically and horizontally to the face frame of your shaker style cabinet. This placement is great to use in a house that leans very traditional. However, as you can see by pairing this placement with a cleaner more modern micro knob like Velinda did it instantly makes the combo more modern. Very clever!

Hot Tip

Consider the diameter for your parameter: If you have a shaker style cabinet door, make sure to measure the width of the face frame (the vertical piece that sticks out from the rest of the door) to pick out the right diameter knob. Ideally, the knob's diameter is small enough so that you can see some of the frame on either side so the knob.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: portland reveal: how the bathroom i was most nervous about turned out to be my favorite

Now although this example above may not technically fall within the “traditional placement guidelines,” it shows the same idea if your face frame is much more narrow in its width. Placing them approximately 1″ inward and down from the frame will give more of a traditional feel.

Classic Placement



photo by zeke ruelas  | from: traditional eclectic kitchen: the big reveal

The more “Classic Placement” is to center the middle of the knob to the edge of the face frame. If you choose to have your kitchen cabinet doors be a partial or full overlay like the example above rather than inset into the cabinet frame (see Velinda’s cabinets above) than this is a great choice since the hardware will be lower on the door face giving your eye some breathing room.

photo by ryan liebe | from: my powder room reveal

In Emily’s powder bath they choose a pendant drop pull (yes, yes technically not a knob) which if it was placed centered horizontally as well would’ve lined up awkwardly. So instead, she used the classic placement which looks great and speaks to the metal grate on the door face. Perfect!

Modern Placement



photo by zeke ruelas | from: modern deco kitchen reveal

Last up, The “Modern Placement” which has been heavily used throughout our EHD projects. With this, you align the bottom (on upper cabinets) or the top (on base cabinets) to the edge of the face frame. This is one that you will want to measure more than twice before drilling a hole through your probably expensive cabinet door since the exact placement will be determined by your knob diameter instead of measuring (read: eyeballing) it on the face frame. A foolproof solution is to either make a cardboard template or you can get a cheap standard template since the hole is determined by your knob diameter. I also love this full tutorial by our friends over at Young House Love.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: portland reveal: creating the dreamiest of master bathrooms

Looking back to the master bath in the Portland House, I think that since the knobs were small in size it could’ve also looked great in the Traditional style as well but then again I wasn’t there when they were deciding on the placement so maybe it visually felt too far away from the pulls. This is why it’s a good idea to employ a friend to hold your hardware in different locations so you can step back and see how it looks overall. Just remember to buy them a drink after or they have to be a really good friend.

And if you still don’t see the subtle difference between the three, here is a full infographic to give you more of a visual aid and maybe save it for later a date (ahem, Pinterest, ahem)…

You might be thinking by now (or earlier) these rules all sound great but what if I don’t have shaker cabinets and instead just a flat panel, what then?? Well, in the Mountain House Kitchen we decided to place them about 1.5″ from the top of the door and 1″ inward. This is a bit closer than the 2-3″ standard recommendation because we took a few things into consideration. The knobs that we choose were micro which was more modern with a lower profile. Also, the cabinets were inset meaning the door faces were a bit lower than average so you could visually get away with them being a 1/2″ higher up.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: it’s finally here: the reveal of the mountain house kitchen

While we are already on the subject another design dilemma that we ran into in the was where to align hardware of different sizes on the same wall. As you can see above there are 2 different size handles on our cabinets so we started with the pulls on the glass cabinets which were placed 8″ from the bottom of the door to the bottom of the hardware. Then we aligned the rest and centered the larger fridge appliance pull since it was a couple of inches longer.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: all the what’s, why’s & how much’s of the portland kitchen (+ big reveal)

Latches are like the cousin to the knob. You may not see them often but when you do then the whole family is back together again. For the Portland kitchen, we decided to place them 4 – 5″ from the bottom of the face frame, there is some wiggle room with these as they work better higher up than a knob.

Now Where to Place Your Drawer Pulls



photo by zeke ruelas | from: traditional eclectic kitchen: the big reveal

The placement of your drawer pull all really depends on the style of the pull itself. There are many options to choose from but the most popular are: bar pulls, bin pulls, finger pulls, ring or drop-handle pulls & recessed pulls. The example above used bin or sometimes referred to as cup pulls, typically you will want to center them vertically and horizontally to a drawer face.

photo by zeke ruelas | from: the casa soria kitchen reveal (+ 5 things i would have done differently if it were my kitchen)

If you have a drawer that is 24″ or wider you can split the drawer into thirds and double up on your hardware centering them in the left and right portions of the drawer. Orlando has a great example of this in his parent’s kitchen renovation, he already had a few styles of hardware mixed throughout so instead of adding another size he kept it streamlined and doubled up on the wider drawers.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: all the what’s, why’s & how much’s of the portland kitchen (+ big reveal)

Although, this more traditional approach can mean that you are now spending twice the amount of your hardware budget. For a more modern and hopefully budget-friendly approach you can find wider pulls like the ones we used in the Portland Kitchen.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: it’s finally here: the reveal of the mountain house kitchen

Or use a longer finger pull instead and center it along the top of your drawer. Do note that sometimes with finger pulls you may need to have your contractor make a divot along the top so the drawer sits flush to your hardware like we did above. Otherwise, your drawer won’t shut:) Thanks again to our patient GC, Jeff Malcolm.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: it’s finally here: the reveal of the mountain house kitchen

When it comes to integrated (panel-ready) appliances don’t forget about the all-important appliance pulls. You could probably get away with a regular pull on some appliances like we did with the ice machine but ones that are heavier like the fridge drawers require hardware that is very strong and made to last.

If you are one to skip over all my jibber jabber (I don’t blame you) to get on with your morning and just want the spark notes version of the post then we have all the info below, enjoy!

Some Rule Exceptions

I have to admit that I love when designers take a risk and break all the rules like the kitchen below and it just WORKS.

photo by david tsay | from: styled: secrets for arranging rooms, from tabletops to bookshelves

It seems so simple to use the same exact style and size hardware throughout but this had to have taken some forethought to make sure it would not only work functionally but visually as well for each cabinet. Bravo! To be fair this is the kitchen of Schoolhouse Electric owner, Brian Faherty so he knows what he’s doing:)

Other Exceptions (Bathroom Edition)



photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: moto reveal: emily bowser’s 32-square-foot bathroom is packed with small space hacks

I think you can generally follow the rules above when it comes to bathroom vanities but sometimes they just need to be adjusted and end up looking really good. Or you might buy a vanity that has pre-drilled holes for your hardware so the decision will be made for you. Above, Emily B. opted for two knobs instead of pulls which was the right call in her tiny main bath, saving on space and a little money.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: mountain house reveal: the upstairs guest bath that used to be a closet

In the upstairs guest bath of the Mountain house we decided that two micro knobs was the right choice instead of mixing up styles. But as you can see neither are in their “correct” location. Why? Well, it would’ve looked a bit strange had we not aligned them to one another since they are on the same unit.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: mountain house reveal: the riskiest bathroom i designed—with a “how i’m feeling now” update

For the kid’s bath in the Mountain House, the wood hardware was such a contrast to the white and those square knobs would’ve looked too crowded higher up so instead we again opted to align them to the drawer pulls.

Ok now that we have ALL of that covered, let’s shop a little huh?

1. Rectangular Cast Brass | 2. Brushed Brass | 3. Brunswick | 4. Classic Hardware 6″ | 5. ENERYDA | 6. The “Morrison” | 7. Massey | 8. Larkin | 9. Luna | 10. Mission | 11. Wood Drawer | 12. Card File

1. Brass Center to Center Finger Pull | 2. Ledge | 3. Center to Center Finger Cabinet Pull | 4. Bravo | 5. Large Drawer Edge Pull | 6. Dina

1. BAGGANÄS | 2. Knurled | 3. Link | 4. BORGHAMN | 5. Black Beech | 6. Elroy | 7. Deep Gold | 8. Mission | 9. Modern Solid Brass Gold | 10. NYDALA | 11. Brass Backplate | 12. Beckett | 13. Walnut Beech/Brass | 14. Mills Pull | 15. Large Massey

1. Dish | 2. Trask | 3. Boulevard | 4. Vernon Mushroom | 5. Cassidy | 6. T-Bar | 7. Brass BAGGANÄS | 8. White Marble Notched Cylinder | 9. Mid-century Modern Cabinet Wood | 10. Bark Aster Marble Ball | 11. Black BAGGANÄS | 12. Knurled | 13. Solid Brass Round | 14. Tolson | 15. Sprocket

1. Pacific | 2. Kennaston| 3. Serene | 4. Knurled | 5. Bremen | 6. Brass Mackinaw | 7. West Slope | 8. Kane | 9. Brixton | 10. Wood Mackinaw |11. Edgecliff | 12. Victoria Falls

If you still have questions about where to place your hardware in your own home that is completely understandable. This is meant to act as a guide but not the end all be all rule. Do what you think will work best visually (and functionally). If you are still stumped then come on over and join our EHD Insider Community and share your own space, there are plenty of people (including the EHD team) that will be more than happy to give our two cents about your conundrum. See you over there or I’ll talk all things hardware with you in the comments below!

Opening Photo Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: All the What’s, Why’s & How Much’s of the Portland Kitchen (+ Big Reveal)

The post Our Go-To Cabinet Hardware Placement + 60 Of Our Shoppable Favorites appeared first on Emily Henderson.