Emily Henderson's Blog, page 218

April 18, 2020

Wanting a New Plant? Us too. Here are the 16 Best Online Plant Resources (Delivering Right to Your Door)

photo by zeke ruelas | from: modern art deco kitchen reveal

HAPPY WEEKEND, PALS. Earlier this week, Emily showed you her (not really) IKEA-hacked desk. The entire post is gold, but one line REALLY caught my attention: “I need a tree, guys – any online plant resources?”

As EHD’s resident plant owner (at least, I think I’m in the lead — I have 18 very live plants and only 1 very dead tree currently living in my 1 bedroom apartment) and as a compulsive internet window shopper and bookmarker, I was like, “HEY BOSS, YES, I DO HAVE ONLINE PLANT RESOURCES TO SHARE!”

And since we’re all kinda going through #TheBigQ together, I figured that maybe it’s not just Emily who’s on the hunt for a new plant friend — maybe a master list of the best tried-and-true online plant-shopping resources could be helpful for all of us. So today, I’ve pulled together 16 of my all-time favorite destinations (ranging in size from one-woman Etsy shops to West Elm), so you’ll be able to find the plant — and planter — of your dreams, within your budget, from the comfort of your own home.

But first — because I am nothing if not a broken record stuck on an unending loop of a track titled “support your local small businesses” — I’d urge you to research your neighborhood nursery and find out if they’re offering curbside pickup or delivery options! A few weeks back, I asked for help on what to do with my balcony and several of you suggested planting jasmine. (THANKS!) I DMed my local nursery, Mickey Hargitay Plants (#notsponsored, but highly recommended if you’re in LA), and they’ve been helping me turn my tiny outdoor prison into a scented garden oasis. Anyway, it’s great and important to keep money in your community!

But if your nursery is closed, or you want to send a present to a friend or family member (Mother’s Day is COMING QUICK, y’all), or you just want a beautiful plant delivered to your house in a cute pot with explicit care instructions and a money-back guarantee in case you accidentally kill it (yeah, some of these places actually HAVE THAT) — this is for you. (Or if you, like me, are a compulsive online window shopper and you just want to look at some beautifully merchandised websites… it’s for you, too.) LET’S GO!

The Sill

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Confession: I’m leading with The Sill because they’re my personal favorite. They offer monthly subscriptions (the best ones: this one for low-light plants, this one for beginners, and this one for pet-safe options), the best selection of pots, and affordable plant-care classes. They ship to the contiguous United States. (As a side note, if any gentleman callers ever want to send me a gift, I wouldn’t be angry to get something from the Sill in their Dolores planter. Just throwing it out there.)

Bloomscape (and West Elm)

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Bloomscape came up a few times in the comments of Em’s post and with good reason: it’s an incredible resource. They have a broader selection with plants of all sizes (I have my eye on this XL tree, which they label as “perfect for beginners”) and also offer up bundles of herbs alongside tomato and pepper plants if you’re looking for an easy entry to the urban gardening game. Orders over $50 ship free! (They also have a few offerings available over on the West Elm website.)

Terrain

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AH, Terrain. The literal Anthropologie of plant sites. This one’s more for the true, die-hard gardeners or backyard owners — you can grab a plant, sure, but what you REALLY wanna do on this site is poke around and look at the beautiful watering cans. And the beautiful chiminea. And the beautiful garden aprons. Ugh. In my next life, I want to be reborn as the type of person who needs a garden apron, instead of the type of person who accidentally forgets to water the tree I sit next to every day. BUT ANYWAY, they’re having a 25% off sale this weekend, so this is a great Mother’s Day pick if you have a mom with a green thumb!

Leon & George (and Williams Sonoma)

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I think Leon & George may be the OG plant startup — they’re the first one I remember, at least, and I’m kinda obsessed with tracking this stuff. Their offerings are clean and simple and mid-century (and TBH, the prices for a plant + a Case Study-style planter + free shipping are not unreasonable). Small and medium plants ship nationwide; anything larger is limited to white-glove delivery in San Francisco and Los Angeles. They offer a 30-day guarantee AND lifelong plant support, though, so you’ll have an actual pro to turn to if an edge of a leaf starts lookin’ a little funky. Leon & George also sell through Williams Sonoma.

Monrovia

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OH BOY, we LOVE Monrovia over here. This isn’t your traditional “online plant shop” — Monrovia is actually the nursery who grows all the plants that you actually find at your local nursery. We’ve worked with them closely before (like on the landscaping at the Portland project!) and guys, their stuff is top-notch. If you head to this website and enter your ZIP code, you can buy plants and have them delivered to you by your local garden center (and, as you recall from the intro, I’m A BIG FAN OF THIS OPTION). This is the ideal solution for all of you hoping to work on some bigger outdoor projects while you’re home!

Leaf and Clay

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HUNDREDS OF SUCCULENTS. And affordable ones, too! My favorite offering here is the $20 monthly subscription, which lands you 3 special succulents (including shipping!). They also have separate pages for their weird (the page is called “weirdos,” which somehow makes it MORE CUTE) and rare plants — both are great resources if you either want something special or if you’re looking for a gift for a super knowledgable plant-loving friend.

Etsy

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Annnnd now I’m gonna share my secret: Etsy is home of 2 of the most affordable plant shops on the internet. It’s always hard for me to share my sources, but it’s also my job, so I guess it’s fine. Tropical Plants of Florida has 2′ monstera plants (and a ton of beautiful flowering plants and trees) for under $50 — yes, that is a good deal — and HouseplantJunkie offers a ton of basics for under $10. Both offer free shipping for orders over $35. Please let me know if you have any other favorite Etsy vendors! These are just my two tried-and-true favorites.

Modern Sprout

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I just can’t. I’m lost for words on this one. Our entire team wants to buy EVERYTHING HERE. Seed lollipops! PLANTING YOUR OWN POPCORN. You can grow a flowers in a jar!!! Tree kits. Push pops to attract pollinators. I know my job is to distill the best products and tell you the best things on each site, but EVERYTHING HERE IS THE BEST THING. (The thing that I, personally, am most excited about is the self-watering herb kit, which apparently also got Oprah’s seal of approval. So basically, I have the same tastes as Oprah, which is a huge compliment to me. Also, this wall-mounted planter/grow-light combo that is actually beautiful.)

Lula’s Garden

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PRESENT TIME. Lula’s Garden is the best option for gifting — your order can come in a super cute sleeve with a message like “Just Because,” “Congrats,” or “I Love You.” You can buy one succulent (in a really beautiful, minimalist pot), but their best options are these Verdant Gardens. Each contains 3 hand-potted succulents and they can be shipped nationwide (or hand-delivered in LA). Bookmark this one for all future holidays!

Plantshed

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This one’s for our NYC readers only (I know, I know, but there’s enough of them that I gotta include it!). I’ll keep it quick since it’s pretty exclusive: flowers and plants with some same-day delivery available. If you live in NYC, click through for more details.

Zen Succulent

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I’m SO EXCITED to share this one with you. The Zen Succulent checks all of my boxes: a North Carolina small business with 2 retail locations that’s 100% women- and minority-owned. They’re currently offering a great collection of DIY Terrarium kits and I’m also very into their hand-made steel air plant stands.

Nature Hills Nursery

image sources

And you know I have to give one more recommendation for my exterior landscapers. Nature Hills has an enormous selection of bushes, trees, and flowering plants if you’re trying to tackle a backyard project or add some curb appeal. (Or, maybe you just like gardening for fun and it’s not about aesthetics, which is VERY COOL, too.)

Planterina

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If you already have your preferred pots on hand, Planterina is a great choice. They offer ceramics but they can also just ship a plant in a grow pot (the normal black/green plastic thing that plants normally live in), too, which can save a ton of money. Planterina also offers a great Daily Deals section AND free shipping on all orders.

ALRIGHT, Y’ALL. That’s all of my plant resource knowledge and it’s officially been bestowed on you. If you’ve had an experience with any of these companies or a review to share, I’d love to hear it. If you know a different site that I didn’t mention, let me know! And if you’re in a city or town with a nursery which is currently delivery, feel free to share the knowledge so your neighbors can help support, too.

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Published on April 18, 2020 07:51

April 17, 2020

EHD All-Time Favorite Books: The Comforting and Addicting Books We Couldn’t Put Down Edition

design by samantha gluck | photo by alison bernier| from: house tour: a warm scandi-inspired home

Today, dreams come true. Today, I get to talk about books and participate in what I hope will be an extensive group chat with all of you about your favorite books. I am thrilled. Can you tell??

If you’ll indulge me for a sec, I’ll tell you why I geek out about talking about books and hearing people talk about books. First of all, I am an introvert who loves connecting with people. I always, and I mean always, want to get deep. We just met? Great, what are your deepest fears and what was your father like growing up? This is abrasive and weird, I know, so growing up I was in my head a lot. I was constantly wondering what people were thinking and feeling. WHAT A WEIRDO. So, reading books was like getting into someone else’s head. It’s actually the only thing akin to “walking a mile I someone else’s shoes”. When you read, you find out what people (albeit characters) actually experience, feel, and think. Reading is how you learn empathy! If everyone read a personal story about someone they think they hate, all the world’s problems would be solved. True story.

All that’s to say, books are the sh*t. Even the ones we are embarrassed to love, like the Twilight series and yes, even 50 Shades of Grey. I studied English Lit in college (and no surprise here, LOVED IT) so of course I was once a snob that would only recommend Bukowski, Hemmingway, or Raymond Carver (notice that’s all men. ugh). But that’s boring. I want to know what books you read until your eyes felt like they might bleed. Especially now when we have been forced to slow down and stay home, these are the books we need right now.

Luckily EHD agrees with me so our mission for this post was to bring you not only our all-time favorite books but also the guilty pleasure we simply could not put down. This is no shame list where no book or genre is excluded. Never that! All books should be celebrated. These are the books we ripped through feverishly as if they were the oxygen that kept us alive. The official EHD All-Time Favorite (And Most Addicting) Book List is here, my friends, so prepare your Kindles and bookshelves. Here we go.

Emily’s List:

From Emily: My hope for the future is to be able to find more binge-worthy books that read like movies, but of which don’t make me feel like I wasted my college education. Like Ryann, I too was a lit major and used to read David Foster Wallace for fun, but lately devour 50 Shades or anything with a vampire because they are just so easy. But then I remember that they exist – good books that are actually very entertaining. I’m sure I’ve forgotten so many, but these were the ones that popped in my head:

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn: When this came out it blew my mind and yes it was very hard to put down. It’s about a very unconventional family and I forget almost EVERYTHING about this book except how much I loved it. I can’t wait to re-read.

The Secret History by Donna Tart: I’m so happy for all of you who haven’t read this yet. A mystery, set at a boarding school. You can’t put it down. I’m excited to read Donna’s other book that Ryann recommended.

Prep by Curtis Sittenfield: Curtis Sittenfield is one of my favorite writers of all time. Prep is a coming of age story, involving teenage love but written so beautifully and yet relatable. I’m so excited to re-read this book. American Wife, another book of hers, is a fictional bio-pic based on George and Laura Bush. Sounds boring and political but it’s a real American story, about young love, marriage, and a boy raised in a political family. (Do you remember when he was our president and we had so much to complain about?????? hahahahahahahaha).

Manhattan Nocturnes by Collin Harrison: Brian nor I could put this down. A thrilling mystery that moves so fast, set in a city that I think about far too often (we love you, New York).

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: I devoured all of Gillian Flynn’s books the same week, they are all that good and that hard to put down. It’s the same vibe as ‘The Girl on a Train’ which you should also read.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: If you can get past Jeffrey Eugenides’ pretentiousness, pick up this book. It did win awards, but I promise it’s hard to put down.

Under the Banner of Heaven and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer: Jon Krakauer writes non-fiction about outdoor sports, so I don’t know how I stumbled upon this but it blew my mind. It’s a true-crime story about extreme fundamentalists Mormons – you won’t be able to stop talking about it.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Brian and I read this series at the same time and we were both so excited to go to bed at night. You’ve likely seen the movies, but I couldn’t help putting them on the list because it was the first YA book I ever read (and up until today I almost exclusively read YA or self-help – BUT NOT AFTER THIS POST. I’m so excited).

Brain’s List:

Emily here again, Brian is homeschooling. He shouted these out fast and with confidence. I can say almost all of these are fast-paced mysteries that have male protagonists that he related to (except Geek Love). I’ve read most of these, too and LOVED them (especially Devil In the White City – that book was amazing)

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn, Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem, Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and Beat the Reaper by Michael Chabon (Brian read in two days), Devil in The White City by Josh Basel & 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

Ryann’s List:

The Secret History by Donna Tart: If we are talking all-time favorite, this is mine. I first read it years ago and whenever I can’t find a good book to read, I read it over again. The story is so completely intoxicating and it is hard to describe why, which might be why I love it so much. And if you’ve already read this, might I suggest The Little Friend also by Donna Tart. It’s dark and haunting and so, so good.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros: Technically a children’s book but it’s written beautifully and has some really dark yet beautiful undertones about growing up. I was introduced to it in college, and when I read it was in awe. I didn’t realize someone could write a book so perfectly tailored to children AND adults. It’s essentially poetic prose for all ages.

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling: Is naming a series cheating? I don’t care. I, like every other wonderful person in the world, tore through the Harry Potter Series. You know it by now, but maybe this is your reminder to download it to your Kindle right now and re-read it or get your kids on the bandwagon. It’s a more timely and needed series now than ever, as reading it is the best way to escape reality in my opinion. Oh! And if you are wondering, which I am sure you are, my favorite book from the series is Prisoner of Azkaban. Obviously.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut: Did I ever think I would love a book about war? No, not really. But at least now I have a war book recommendation for boys who only read books about war. Look at me! I am a cool girl. But really, Kurt Vonnegut is a fantastic writer and his ability to keep me reading is impressive. I am actually re-reading as we speak. Anyone want to hop on the train with me??

Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman: I haven’t read this in years but I remember in high school reading it about 5 times. It’s deeply romantic and it’s how I learned what real adult relationships were like: often messy, immature, passionate & dispassionate, and not unlike young teen love. The fact that adults don’t really grow up truly fascinated me.

And because I can’t! stop! talking! about! books! here are a few honorable mentions: Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion, Normal People by Sally Rooney, Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney, Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis, Prep by Curtis Sittenfield, Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari, The Polish Boxer by Edward Halfon, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, Nox by Anne Carson, The Host by Stephanie Meyer, & The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer (yeah, I said it).

Veronica’s List:

Love Does by Bob Goff: Okay, yes, this is a book written by a Christian author, but it is truly so much more than that. Reading this book opened my eyes to so many different ways to love and be loved, and just the overall message of spreading goodness and joy. It is genuinely such a good take on how to be better as a society. It definitely made me cry muuultiple times (guys, that’s a lot coming from me because it takes a real moving story to make this gal shed any tears).

Looking for Alaska by John Green: This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time!! A good ole’ boy-meets-mysterious-girl-and-wants-to-know-more tale and who doesn’t love a good teen romance with a little mystery?

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling : First of all, if you haven’t read this book already, what are you doing ????? Secondly, I was very much not into this movie despite Sirius being my favorite character (I read/listened to all of the books much later in life), and now it is my favorite of the series. The book gives so much background and rewatching the movie after? Simply beautiful.

Buckle your seatbelts, this one is a three-part, y’all! To All The Boys series by Jenny Han. These books had me on a freaking emotional ROLLERCOASTER, guys. I am a huge fan of teen romances, so they already had me hooked from the get-go. But seriously, you don’t know what you’re getting into with these babies. Also, where do I get my own Peter Kavinsky??

Okay guys, this one is very special to me. Although it’s not a book, it is a script written by my brother that has been one of my favorite things he’s written so far, and I would love for others to experience it too. THE LYING GAME is an international murder mystery/psych thriller, divided between three perspectives: A suspected assassin, his next victim… and a pair of special agents doing whatever it takes to stop him.

Julie’s List:

From Julie: Over the years I have been an off and on avid reader. I’ll go through 3 books in a month and then won’t pick another one up for 4 months. Although I have about 30+ books in my possession that are on my list to finally read I keep coming back to these. The first 6 I will read once a year or every other year cause they are that good and more importantly I take away new lessons from them depending on where I am in my life. They are like old friends at this point and I want you to meet them.

Many Lives Many Masters by Brian L Weiss, M.D.: I think this is the second or third time that I am mentioning this book to you all and if you haven’t already purchased a copy…what are you waiting for? Seriously, this book literally changed my life and helped me dramatically with my anxiety around death. It’s all about past life regression, a technique used in therapy that uses hypnosis to recover what he believes to be memories directly linked to past lives of his patient named Catherine. It sounds a little ‘out there’ but I found it’s explanation of what happens in the after wildly comforting.

The Glass Castle & Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls: Jeannette Walls is hands down one of my favorite authors. Her first book, Glass Castle, is a memoir about her unorthodox upbringing and if you’d rather skip the book then that’s fine with me cause Brie Larson was amazing in the movie. Half Broke Horses (her second book) is a “true-life novel” which is essentially a prequel to Jeanette’s own story. She writes about her grandmother’s life in the harsh southwest desert but takes some liberties with her story to fill in the blanks of the stories that were passed down to her. I read it in two days and that’s all you really need to know.

Running with Scissors: A Memoir or This is How: Surviving What You Think You Can’t by Augusten Burroughs:
Another memoir of a bizarre childhood by my other favorite contemporary author which has also been made into a movie. Augusten Burroughs voice is raw and brutally honest. He carries this writing style over to his out-of-the-box ‘self help’ book ‘This is How’. His advice is sometimes hard to hear but one of the most helpful books I’ve ever come across.

The Giver by Lois Lowry: I’ve honestly lost count the number of times that I have read this book. It was required reading I think in the 5th grade and it’s been a part of my yearly pile since then. This was the book that made me fall in love with reading and how it can help shape your life.

Honorable Mentions:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (all of them actually), every book ever written by Haruki Murakami but especially What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Into thin Air & Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, and for a little guilty pleasure: Sharp Objects & Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Jess’ List:

An oldie but a goodie. I could not put Bossypants down when I read it… back in 2013. I truly loved every minute and was genuinly sad when it was over. To be fair I am a huge Tina Fey fan and while I feel like the term national treasure gets thrown around a lot these days, but to me she is just that.

Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler is another super funny favorite. I guess I have a thing for autobiographies by female comedians (reading Ali Wong’s, Dear Girls now). I mean it’s also been a while since I’ve read it but it’s light, funny and who doesn’t love stories of debauchery?? Well, I do.

Ok, this is NOT about the lives of female comedians and it’s all thanks to Julie for letting me borrow her copy. Many Lives Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss M.D. changed/affirmed the way I look at death. I am not a religious person but I always believed in something greater. I personally just can’t buy that this is it. Anyway, this book gave me goosebumps nearly the entire way through and at the end gave me a sense of knowing that I had been needing. Even if you don’t believe in any of it, it’s an incredible story. (Jess!!! – Emily here – this is one of my favorites, too).

This was a very hip book to read last year and I got on that cool kid train (and happy I did). I am talking about Normal People by Sally Rooney. I am not a romance novel addict…yet, but this book set me on fire. It is so tragically beautiful in the most simple way.

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan. If you haven’t read this book yet (which I am sure a lot of you have) go now. It’s unreal, unbelievable, exhilarating AND a true story. There is also a movie now but I want to preserve the book in my mind so I haven’t seen it.

Now if I am allowed to go waayyyy back, I think Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul was one of my all-time favorite book series in my tween years and made me happy cry with nearly every story (yes, I have been a happy crier since birth). It’s been about 20 years since I’ve read any of them but in a time like now, wonderful stories about real people doesn’t sound like a bad thing and probably holds up? I am crossing all my fingers and toes that they do.

Sara’s List:

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: Is this a YA novel? Yes. Are most of my favorite books YA novels? Obviously. That genre just really feels like a giant warm bath for me, one that I never want to leave, the water never gets cold, and my fingers never get prune-y. ‘Fangirl’ hits a really, really personal note for me because it revolves around a girl who essentially writes Fanfiction about her favorite fictional series Simon Snow (i.e. Harry Potter), while following along during her first year of college, and one of the warmest romances I’ve ever read. ‘Fangirl’ was so successful, that Rainbow Rowell (the author) actually wrote a full-length Simon Snow book (it’s SO good, and the romance line is a Fanfiction dream). That one did so well that she turned it into a trilogy. The second one came out recently. Honestly, this whole series is an absolute gem, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Slutever by Karley Sclortino: This is an autobiographical fever dream and a page-turner from start to finish. I listened to it twice, back to back. The publisher’s summary says it best – “Slutever is a call-to-arms, a confessional memoir, a slut manifesto, as told by a sex-radical hedonist in a pink PVC mini dress. It’s a thoughtful, first-person account of a modern woman, navigating sex, love, casual hookups, open relationships, bisexuality, BDSM, breakups, sex work, sex parties, and the power of sexual agency, as told from the front lines.”

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: I read this book as part of a book club I was in once, and it really stuck with me. It’s a fictional book that follows the generations of two different families, starting with two sisters – one who is sold as a slave in America and the other who remains in Africa. It’s such an eye-opening, and beautifully written story.

Educated by Tara Westover: This memoir reads more like a drama, and it’s hard to remember that you’re reading about someone’s actual life. That they LIVED. It deals heavily with themes of abuse and religion, and there are definitely some depressing chapters. But overall, it’s compelling and a look into a world I can hardly imagine.

Shrill: Notes From A Loud Woman by Lindy West: I’ve got ONE more memoir, and this one kept me laughing the whole way through. It also forces us to take a hard look at our own perceptions and judgments about others.

Wicked & The Wallflower by Sara McLean: GUYS, I couldn’t leave this list without mentioning at least ONE really cheesy, but absolutely amazing romance novel. This was the first one I ever read, so I think that might be why it has such a warm place in my heart. Regency romance novels are not for the faint of heart – they’re cheesy, graphic, and by and large lean heteronormative (typical equation – spinster on the shelf intrigues society bad boy who sees her true beauty when no one else does, debauchery ensues, but it all ends happily every after with a tidy marriage bow). But I just LOVE a good romance. And I’m desperate for more slow-burn romance recommendations, so PLEASE leave any in the comments.

Caitlin’s List:

From Caitlin: A preface: historically, I’m a non-fiction reader, but right now my brain is mush and I don’t really have the bandwidth (or desire, honestly) to think critically in my free time. My picks are SOLID entertainment, I know it, and I’m ready to be judged. (If you are using this time to better yourself, some of my all-time favorites that actually required me to use my brain while reading are :

The View from Flyover Country by Sarah Kendzior
Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber by Mike Isaac
Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein

The books I’m actually recommending are like…the opposite of these.) ANYWAY. Here are my literary comfort foods:

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron: INJECT THIS STRAIGHT INTO MY VEINS, PLEASE. This collection of essays is light and joyous and messy and human but most importantly, it’s easily digestible. Sometimes — especially recently — I want to step back from my screen, but I don’t have the mental space or focus to hone-in on a full chapter of something. What I do have, however, is the attention span to read a couple of pages about the amount of money that we, as a society, spend on purses or haircuts. It’s actually laugh-out-loud funny. Bless Nora Ephron.

4 Fantastic Novels by Daniel Pinkwater: Daniel Pinkwater is my all-time favorite author. I’ve recommended his books on the site before, but ‘4 Fantastic Novels ‘contains both Borgel and The Worms of Kukumlima, which are two of my all-time favorite stories. (I did a fourth-grade book report on the latter.) The writing is silly and wholesome — each novel was fun to read at age 9 *AND* they still hold up 20 years later. I remember reading a review on Amazon that described his writing as “Chicken Soup for the Smart, Mildly Nerdy Teen’s Soul,” and I think that pretty much sums it up. (Also, I sent Daniel Pinkwater an absolutely fanatical email in the eighth grade to tell him how much I loved his books and he sent a measured, encouraging, lovely response. Is it weird that I’m still this much of a fan?)

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson: Jon Ronson is a journalist with crippling anxiety who decides to interview some diagnosed psychopaths (like murderers) and some undiagnosed potential psychopaths (CEOs). This book is kind of like a printed version of a My Favorite Murder podcast — it deals with an incredibly queasy subject in a really light-hearted and humorous way. If you’re normally a true crime fan (or if you’re just interested in human psychology), this one is easy to zip through. (An honorary mention has to go to one of his other books, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed

Origin by Dan Brown: I KNOW. I know. There are entire jokes about Dan Brown being cheesy and I get it. But you know what? These Robert Langdon books are fun to read and I like them and I don’t care who knows it. ‘The Da Vinci Code’ was a FUN BOOK, you guys. ‘Origin’ came out in 2017, so it’s his most recent installation in the series, and guess what: it’s also a FUN BOOK. (Also, if the next book doesn’t feature Robert Langdon sprinting through the streets of a locked-down Milan to find something, I will be really disappointed. We are all actually living through the perfect plot of a thriller right now.)

The Princess Bride by William Goldman: I still don’t feel my biological clock ticking and I’m in no rush to have kids, but if I did happen to have some right now, this is what we’d be reading. Out loud. And then we’d watch the movie afterward. It’d be SO SWEET, you guys.

Mallory’s List:

Let’s start with what I’m reading currently, Jen Gotch’s book The Upside Of Being Down (obviously). I was #emfluenced to buy this along with a lot of the EHD Team, but I can tell you sincerely and honestly, this book is FANTASTIC. And no, I don’t know Jen personally, but I LOVE HER SO MUCH NOW. Read it!!

You want binge-able? I’ll give you binge-able….The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a total oldie but SUCH a goodie. I don’t know how could I NOT include this. It’s my all-time favorite series, and the movies are so fun.

Along the lines of this, if you haven’t read Divergent by Veronica Roth, now’s the time. If you finished the Hunger Games and want basically the same thing but with different characters, here you go.

Okay now that we’ve talked about those two fun fiction and teen-romance novels, I have a confession. I’m not that hugely into fiction, but I’m an avid non-fiction reader. I also find non-fiction to be way less cliff-hanger-y than say, Harry Potter, but when I read I want to feel like I can conquer the world. I personally LOVED #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso, because I just can’t consume enough stories about women entrepreneurs. If you haven’t read it, it’s a non-fiction, business classic!

Chase recommended this book to me and it was such a fun and quick read. It’s called Damn Good Advice (for people with talent!) and it’s written by George Lois who is a real legit Ad guy. It’s super fun and interesting (and it’s a picture book!). Give this one a read if you want to learn how to *and I quote* “unleash your creative potential by America’s master communicator. It’s very MadMen if you’re into that sort of thing.

Ryann here again. This post officially cost me a lot of dollars but I am so excited to lose sleep reading for the foreseeable future, and hopefully, you are too. Now, PLEASE tell us, what is on your favorite books list?? Let’s make this the longest book thread of all time, shall we? See you in the comments section, my sweet friends. xx

Opening Image Credit: Design by Samantha Gluck | Photo by Alison Bernier| From: House Tour: A Warm Scandi-Inspired Home

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Published on April 17, 2020 11:00

New Kitchen Tour: How One Mom Designed and Organized Her Brand New Kitchen (and How It’s Holding Up)

Every once in a while we get an email about a potential house feature that immediately makes our heart rate go through the roof. We then frantically email back asking how fast we can get that puppy on the blog to let you all experience the same endorphin spike. Jamie Gernert’s new kitchen easily fell in this category. So while it’s hard not to get swept away by the beauty and wonderful little details of her kitchen (I see you island keyhole), Jamie is the mother of 2 young boys, making the organization essential. Naturally, we wanted to know how she planned out her kitchen to accommodate her family in the reno stage as well as her product hacks. She delivered, so please enjoy. So now Jamie, take it away…

When it was time to move into our new home, it was important for me to get the kitchen right and organized the minute we moved in. We closed on our home in January right after the holidays and with two young boys, it was critical to get the most used space in our house, the kitchen, in working order. A lot of our routines are based around meals (let me remind you I live with three boys) and in a brand new environment need to set the stage for our new habits. So when it comes to kitchen functionality and usage, I realize now more than ever that organization is so important. And it starts at the beginning.

When doing your cabinet layouts, already think about where things might go and tools/items that you might need in advance to round it all out. We worked with the folks at The Neat Method, like Emily did in her mountain house, and they were a massive help not only in the unpacking process but also gauging what products we should invest in to keep it all organized once it’s unpacked!

But prior to unpacking and installing, we did a walk of the kitchen and made notes as to where we think things might go, how my husband, kids and I will use the space and made note of items we use the most. Hello, our toaster is always out. We ended up putting together a list of items from The Container Store and ordered Exact Mats cabinet liners so everything would be here in time for move-in day (more on those below)

Before anything was put away, all of our kitchen products, pantry items, and glassware were spread across all the counters. Then we organized them by what was most important and then the Neat Method went to work. They were done in less than a day. What made this project so successful in hindsight was the necessary prep and materials readily available in advance. I highly recommend laying out all of your kitchen items even if you haven’t recently moved. It makes life so much easier to prioritize what you actually need/use all the time (and what you will want to buy to stay organized).

With some good hindsight, if I could offer any advice and organizing tips, it would have to be these 5 things:

Make the Cabinets and Drawers Work For You

If you’re designing a brand new kitchen – research the cabinet line’s capabilities. I truly appreciated Emily’s post about her Mountain House cabinet functionality. Maybe they offer really cool systems for spices, baking sheets, peg systems etc. that will come custom to your cabinets and really lend optimum storage capacity? These elements can go a long way.

Don’t Do It Alone (If You Don’t Have To)

We worked with The Neat Method on our kitchen and pantry and it’s an amazing service. For a lot of us juggling work/home/kids/school and a million other things in a day these folks will lessen the load and do it efficiently so it won’t impact your daily life. I can’t recommend them enough if it’s a possibility for you.

Magic Cabinet Liners

Note from Emily: I would (and might even) add these to my kitchen. They look great and are SO practical. Thanks for the rec Jamie

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Published on April 17, 2020 01:00

April 16, 2020

Mallory’s Jewelry Storage Problem + A New-Found Solution

Serious question: Why is jewelry so hard to store?? Jewelry boxes are too small to be actually useful and if you go BIG, jewelry armoire storage is generally too skinny and awkwardly sized to make a cool statement in a room (unless it fits PERFECTLY in some architectural corner or nook). Herein lies my current jewelry storage agony. So, should I hang my jewelry like everyone says?? And if that is the case, how do I make it look cool on the wall? If one more DIY site tells me to put a bohemian branch on the wall with dainty chain necklaces dripping off it, I might lose it. My necklaces are not leaves, and I want my wall space back. So if those options are out, then what’s left? Now what? NOW WHAT I SAY?!

Whether your jewelry is small and dainty or chunkier than a double chocolate chunk cookie, jewelry storage poses a problem for everyone. I didn’t understand the depth of my jewelry storage frustration until I started writing this post, so after days of tirelessly researching, I think I’ve figured it out for all of us.

THE PROBLEM

The reason I’ve been thinking about jewelry storage a lot more now than I do on a regular basis is because I just moved into my first real apartment that I care a lot about and I have nowhere to put my jewelry. It’s a studio apartment so I have minimal wall and counter (and floor) space, plus my jewelry is mostly just uninteresting, cheap necklaces & earrings that aren’t that awesome to look at (unless paired with a cute outfit, of course). So any exposed jewelry storage options are out for me (although if you have the space for it it’s great, keep reading, I linked the best ones below). Now I’m left with the question AGAIN: NOW-FRICKEN-WHAT? Excuse my language. Here’s what we want to avoid…

GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING. I cannot express the immensely traumatic feeling that overcomes my body when looking at the photo below:

Image Source

Shivers were just sent down my spine. I’ve lost hours of my life trying to untangle these monsters. Today it ends.

Now I’ve had LEGIT jewelry boxes with the whole necklace hanging compartment and the sides that open and whatnot. Trust me, this thing had ALL the bells and whistles. But you know what? Somehow, someway my necklaces always ended up looking like this. Unless you’re staring at your necklaces 24/7, you won’t even realize that over time this will happen whether you’ve stored your jewelry in a box, a tray, a bowl, drawer, etc. If you own any jewelry at all, this is your fate. In fact, it’s your destiny.

So why then has no one seemed to figure this out? I took matters into my own hands.

When I moved back into my parent’s house after a 6 month stunt “trying out” New York City post-college graduation (that’s a blog post on it’s own), I had no job and therefore, a lot of time on my hands to figure out seemingly meaningless (but also vastly important) stuff like this. For 21 years I had been trying to figure it out, and then one day I cracked the code. MY ART EASEL. YES. I had this art easel (from back when I wanted to be “an artist” in the second grade) that I think has so much potential to be an awesome piece in my still unfinished childhood bedroom. It’s unconventional –– I know –– but it really, really worked PLUS it’s meaningful to me.

photos by my sister, madi

When you get past the fact that it needs a lil sandblasting, repainting, art, not to mention the room in general needs a rug, more art, a different blanket, OKAY WE GET IT IT’S NOT BLOG READY AND I’M SORRY. But this is real life and is for the people. Basically, I thought I had it all figured out…then I moved into a studio with my boyfriend and now the problem has come back to bite me since my easel would take up too much of our precious square footage. In true EHD fashion, I turned my hunt into a blog post so we can hopefully all benefit from these jewelry storage solutions. May we never see another tangled necklace wad for as long as we live.

THE SOLUTIONS

EXPOSED JEWELRY WALL HANGINGS

photo by tessa neustadt | from: sara’s bedroom reveal

Wall hangings are solid no-tangle necklace storage solutions because you’re staring at them 24/7, so you can stop any necklace knots that might otherwise happen if you are storing them in jewelry boxes or drawers.

Hot Tip

If you don't have enough wall space for these in your bedroom, don't forget about wall space in your closet. Utilizing vertical space is KEY when you're organizing and this way it's hidden away!

These are some of the most stylish wall hanging jewelry storage options out there:

STYLISH ENOUGH TO PUT ON YOUR VANITY OR CREDENZA

photo by tessa neustadt | from: sara’s bedroom reveal

This is the cousin to the wall hanging jewelry organizer. The only major difference between the two is that these go on a flat surface like a dresser, vanity, or bathroom countertop. There is something VERY important to note with these (which is true for the wall hanging category too): they both typically work great for necklaces, bracelets, and dangly earrings, so if you own an excessive number of rings and stud earrings, opt for putting those in a separate bowl or tray OR going with an option like #2, which has a place for them already built-in. Another tip to note is that these exposed storage solutions work great for people with smaller jewelry collections. If you have A LOT of jewelry (especially a lot of big, chunky jewelry), head to the next section for some concealed jewelry options.

CONCEALED JEWELRY STORAGE

photo by tessa neustadt | from: our closets, designed and styled

So, like I said, although I understand the lure of a cool wall hanging option or a beautiful tray, those options don’t work for my current situation. I knew I wanted some concealed storage options, and after hours of searching, I think I’ve found the one. THIS IS THE ANSWER TO MY PRAYERS. MY PERSONAL JEWELRY STORAGE PROBLEM IS SOLVED!! I generally don’t want to look at my jewelry unless I need it because I have too many random necklaces and earrings that are not cute but are too sentimental to get rid of, so I have no choice but to hide it all away. As a reminder, the challenge is that I have no drawer space for #1 (below), which would be ideal, and not enough wall space for a jewelry box/full-length mirror-like #6, BUT I have some pieces of art I’m planning on hanging in my studio apartment (as one does). That’s why I’m planning to go with something like #3 which fronts as picture frame. I’ll probably take out the mat board (which has slots for a bunch of small photos) and just have one big piece of art instead, but that’s the basic gist. Here are all of the amazing concealed jewelry options if you’re in the market for secret jewelry storage:

Jewelry Trays + Bowls

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: a small, awkward bedroom makeover with a diy custom headboard

I’m no stranger to the tray and bowl life in fact, it’s what I’m using right now. It’s very ideal for the rings, earrings, and whatnot that you need to throw somewhere before a shower or while washing your hands 50+ times a day. Basically what I’m saying is even if you’re going to go with a jewelry mirror, wall hanging or whatnot, I HIGHLY recommend grabbing one of these IN ADDITION to any of the jewelry storage options. It will serve as a “catch-all” for those little jewelry pieces that lurk around the bathroom or on your nightstand so you don’t lose them like I do. But here’s a hot tip: don’t store too many necklaces in here if you’re also traumatized by the beginning photos. Here are the best lil trays and bowls:

If you have the space (and LOT of jewelry), don’t worry I won’t leave you high and dry. There are some super chic jewelry cabinets that will fit all your storage needs. Here are some of our favorites:

1. Rachel Zoe Jewelry Vanity Floor Tower | 2. Gallery White Jewelry Storage Cabinet | 3. Carson Carrington Nykobing Jewelry Armoire

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? Is my solution a good one? How do you store your jewelry? Is there a better way to fix this problem that I didn’t include? Please join this essential conversation in the comments. See you guys down there xx

Opener Image Credit: photo by Tessa Neustadt | from: Our Master Bedroom Reveal + Get The Look

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Published on April 16, 2020 11:00

Project Progress – A Community Center Kids Room + Nursery

As you know I started going to church last year with my kids, plot twist, which I wrote about HERE. So naturally, I had to insert myself into the design of the space. Like I said in the post, I’m nothing if not enthusiastic and like to be involved. Here are the facts – It’s in Silverlake (SLCC – Silverlake Community Church), it’s an older building with a ton of potential, run by a new pastor, Kyle and his wife Brittany who recently took it over, and has a small but growing congregation (with a little less congregating right now). The kids’ room was desperate for some design help and, since my kids were going to be in there it just felt like a really fun project that I felt very compelled to do. I figured if I helped design the kids room maybe a good trade would be eternal salvation for myself, husband and my kids? A VIP table in heaven? This church is also very much a community center, helping a lot of homeless families, hosting a lot of AA meetings and generally always trying to help those in the community. So while designing for a religious organization for free felt odd for me, helping make a community center happier for those they serve felt exactly like what I should be doing. I also really love a community project, where everyone helps and I remember loving this a ton as a child in the LDS church. So I suppose I was also trying to recreate something for my kids. I pitched the idea of a feel-good community makeover for the blog to the pastor Kyle and his wife Brittany and they were very excited.

Here’s how it looked before – kinda. I think that might have been a day when we were organizing, but you get the idea – an older building, with adorable vintage windows, painted a few different colors of blue pastel – most of which was chipping off. The floor was pretty gross and was the biggest and most expensive problem. Most of the furniture was leftover and while some of it was cute (those industrial school tables and chairs were great!) it needed cohesion and to feel fresh and fun (and just clean and more modern). Since it was a newer pastor and small congregation I was really hoping for the “if you build it they will come” and we could attract more local families, with young kids.

I wanted it to feel appropriate for a church and be fun for kids, but I didn’t really have a big design plan or even an inspiration going into it. This was a project that needed to be fast and affordable. And since there was no budget it was something that Brian and I would do on nights and weekends, with the help of volunteers (yay!). The hope was to make it really cute and work for the simple needs of two hours a week for 10 – 15 kids during Sunday school. It would be a down and dirty project, hopefully, done by easter (a real pipedream in retrospect).

Although I didn’t have a full design plan, I knew it needed to feel fresh and clean, happy and joyful, but simple and due to budget not overly designed. There are two spaces – one for the bigger kids that would be more for crafts and learning and one for moms and babies (more of a nursery).

The nursery (above) is smaller and the paint color was actually pretty cute and in way better shape, it was just the doors and windows that needed fixing.

So on a Saturday, Pre-Quar, a ton of us volunteered to organize everything and start putting together furniture, as a volunteer painter would come the next day. I had reached out to Target to see if they could donate product for this (thank you always, Target) and the next day ordered a lot of really cute Pillowfort furniture and storage for them. There were about 30 volunteers, including Brian and the kids. My team knows this but in case you don’t know my favorite saying its – MANY THE HANDS MAKE LIGHT THE WORK. Because it’s so true. I couldn’t believe how little time it took to put together all the furniture with that many people working helping.

But now to the flooring … on the big volunteer day, I pulled the trigger on the flooring. I went to Linoleum City and bought some click together laminate flooring that was strangely attractive (and in stock). But the problem was that the building is old and definitely not 90-degree angled so the attempted install was a disaster that I won’t bore you with. We wasted about 4 hours and likely a few hundred dollars of flooring that we opened. It was a case of “Emily just wanted fast results so didn’t do any research”. I want to give a huge shout out to Linoleum City for letting us return everything that same day and not charging us a restocking fee (and being unbelievably nice about it).

So what were our other options? We didn’t want to spend a lot on material OR labor and yet it needed to be durable and easy to clean. We needed something we could do ourselves and that would accommodate a lot of wonky walls and floor unevenness. I’m sure there were other options but when I asked Linoleum City what they would do that was fast and affordable they said “wall to wall carpet or carpet tile”‘. I knew that wall to wall would be harder for upkeep (both of these rooms had exterior doors) so carpet tiles would offer some flexibility for replacement and besides, tile doesn’t take a ton of experience to install. There are a lot of simple or dark affordable options out there, but I pulled some strings, reached out to Flor Tiles to see if they wanted to partner on this project (I had already picked out what I thought would look awesome) and they said yes (THANK YOU). Also, remember when we used them in our old studio?

This became the design inspiration for the room, this carpet tile. I thought it would reference “the heavens” but in a playful fun way that wasn’t overly JESUS, although I joked and threatened about more dramatic murals. The star pattern had this celestial star vibe, but at the same time was dark and busy – so super good for a commercial space to hide dirt and imperfections.

Since we were moving really fast (and only had access on certain days) we chose the paint colors in one day (the volunteer painter was only able to paint the next day). I wanted to do something I wouldn’t regret, but fun – which is a hard combo, guys. I have historically loved a blush and blue combo, but this time would be salmon + navy. And to not overwhelm the room we would only paint the salmon color up to the window point, then paint the window frames and the rest of the wall a white. The exact colors we used were Gracious Rose and High Reflective White by Sherwin-Williams.

I loved the painted doors (that we did in semi-gloss) and it was feeling SO FUN and happy. Just enough color to say “this is for kids” but not busy, plus doing the 1/3 or 1/2 wall treatment was super easy.

Now to the installation of the Flor tile. I need to give Brian Henderson a huge public thank you. He spent almost a full week, 3-4 hours each day installing the carpet somedays by himself, others, Kyle helped him. On these days Brian got to ask him all our secret questions about religion and Christianity which they both actually very much enjoyed. The install of the carpet wasn’t hard, but with that much square footage, it did take a decent amount of time. The interior tiles went in fast, just the cutting the tile around the perimeter, with our wonky uneven walls, had to be more exact. I was just so proud and grateful that he was willing to do this – like I didn’t even ask him, he just volunteered and really enjoyed it. A few of the days he would pick up the kids from school and they would all go over and help. Yes, I’m bragging about my husband and that’s ok.

So where are we now? Well, right before all this happened we had moved everything into the smaller room and planned on finishing them both the following week, when you know, God had other plans

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Published on April 16, 2020 01:00

Project Update – A Church/Community Center Kids Space + Nursery

As you know I started going to church last year with my kids, plot twist, which I wrote about HERE. So naturally, I had to insert myself into the design of the space. Like I said in the post, I’m nothing if not enthusiastic and like to be involved. Here are the facts – It’s in Silverlake (SLCC – Silverlake Community Church), it’s an older building with a ton of potential, ran by a new pastor, Kyle and his wife Brittany who recently took it over, and has a small but growing congregation (with a little less congregating right now). The kids’ room was desperate for some design help and, since my kids were going to be in there it just felt like a really fun project that I felt very compelled to do. Could I design a room in a Church? If so, does that make “God” my client??? And if God is my client then could my payment be a trade, for say, eternal salvation for myself, husband and my kids? A VIP table in heaven? We struck that deal and I got started. This church is also very much a community center, helping a lot of homeless families, hosting a lot of AA meetings and generally always trying to help those in the community. So while designing for a religious organization for free felt odd for me, helping make a community center happier for those they serve felt exactly like what I should be doing. I also really love a community project, where everyone helps and I remember loving this a ton as a child in the LDS church. So I suppose I was also trying to recreate something for my kids. I pitched the idea of a feel-good community makeover for the blog to the pastor Kyle and his wife Brittany and they were very excited.

The nursery (above) is smaller and the paint color was actually pretty cute and in way better shape, it was just the doors and windows that needed fixing.

So where are we now? Well, right before all this happened we had moved everything into the smaller room and planned on finishing them both the following week, when you know, God had other plans

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Published on April 16, 2020 01:00

April 15, 2020

The Vintage Design Cheatsheet – Names You Should Be Searching To Find The Pieces You Really Want

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: 7 tips for creating a unique home you really love

Right now, what do you miss most? For me, it’s the flea market. (Also, my mom. Hi mom!) Guys, I miss the Rose Bowl. I miss Long Beach. And it’s not even the looking, or the haggling, or the buying — it’s the million-mile trek back to my too-small sedan with whatever impossibly enormous and heavy item I’d picked up. I miss when I could write off “carried a ribbon chandelier half a mile” or “didn’t cry when the hanging wire from an oil painting cut into my hands” as my workout for the day.

But guess what: I can still exercise MY BIG OL’ BRAIN (which is good, because I absolutely have not exercised the rest of my body once in the past 5 weeks). I’ve been filling my vintage void with online vintage window shopping (paging Chairish, Etsy, eBay, et. al) but I figured that we could all use a quick brush up on what we should actually be searching for, right?

So here we go — I’m going to take this afternoon to introduce you to a few masters of 20th-century design. It’s a quick crash course in vocabulary so you can optimize your furniture sourcing, based on the styles you already love.

I’m sharing one sentence (-ish, because guys, I’ve been alone for a really long time and am feeling kinda chatty) about the designers you should add to your daily searches, plus the names of their most iconic pieces. You’ll recognize a few; it’ll be like putting a name to a face.

I’m also linking up some incredible vintage scores AND some affordable, modern alternatives. (Because let’s be honest: sometimes, vintage is cheaper…and sometimes, it’s just not. I’m on a budget. I need the look for less, and that’s okay! Sometimes I just wanna google “Kagan sofa” and click on the Crate and Barrel link for the similar, inspired-by piece. I’m human. Basically, if you can afford the real deal, please do that, but if not I don’t think you should be punished.) It’s a quick and dirty design dictionary — like 8-minute abs, but for your noggin. LET’S GO.

For Modern Glam Lovers

photo by david tsay | from: find your style: luxe and glam

You love: Lacquer. Bling from chrome or brass. Bright, contrasting colors. Statement mirrors. Luxe fabrics. Graphic wallpapers. Chandeliers. Velvet. Jewel tones.

You should search for:

Charles Hollis-Jones: The definitive search for lucite fans. These acrylic and brass coffee tables are all modern takes on Mr. H-J.Karl Springer: Do you love waterfall benches and consoles? Thank Karl. (I have a bench like this at my dining table and yes, I do love it. Thanks Karl!)Verner Panton: Panton is the OG mastermind behind those iconic plastic S-shaped chairs. The official ones aren’t wildly unaffordable, but this set of 4 “Panton-style” chairs cost less than the price of 1 brand-name chair and the colors offered are VERY CUTE. Milo Baughman: Baughman is prolific because he designed across a TON of styles (everything from mid-century to Memphis!), but he’s currently most popular for his Parsons chairs and brass cantilever dining chairs, which I’m sure you’ve seen on Instagram at least once. This is a good name to throw into Craigslist or Marketplace once in a while, just to see what comes up.

For Mid-Century Modern Lovers

Photo by mike garten for ehd | from: dining room rules

You love: Warm wood finishes. Geometric patterns. Molded plastic chairs or tables. Low, long credenzas. Bar carts. Tapered legs. Brass accents. Streamlined sofas.

You should search for:

Ray and Charles Eames: Gotta love a husband and wife duo, right? They’re best known for their eponymous Eames chair (our very own Bowser has an Eames-style chair in her living room!) but their hang-it-all (and it’s more affordable versions) holds its own as one of the cutest tiny entryway solutions of all time.Eero Saarinen: This guy was a NUT about table legs. I’m serious. Saarinen invented the pedestal (AKA tulip) base to address the “ugly, confusing, unrestful world” underneath chairs and tables. He also called it a “slum of legs.” I hope to one day care about anything as much as this guy cared about furniture legs. Saarinen tables are SUPER high quality — Em has one of his vintage coffee tables in the Mountain House family room — but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Ikea sells a similar dining table version for under 200 bucks. (Saarinen is also the mastermind behind the Womb Chair which did, in fact, have legs.)Paul McCobb: Okay, now I’m going to sound like the nut, but I can identify a McCobb in the wild by searching out the classic mid-century shapes with more “aggressive” and “angular” spindles. See this chair and this desk as evidence. You can see it too, right?George Nelson: Best known for the marshmallow sofa, but we’re most in love with his bubble pendants — Velinda has one in her living room. Affordable versions of these pop up on Craigslist all the time because honestly, it’s just confusing to identify lighting. Keep an eye out! Adrian Pearsall: If you wanted to find something like Emily’s OG blue sofa, you’d look for something “in the manner of” or “in the style of” Pearsall. You can spot his most popular work by the walnut bases and/or the gondola shape.

For Minimalist and Scandi Lovers

photo by kelly merchant | from: a greenhouse makeover with ‘the frame’

You love: White surfaces. Light toned woods. Clean lines. Wintry comforts. Streamlined beds. Spare floating shelves. Diffused light. Simple legs. Multifunctional pieces. Natural materials.

You should search for:

Arne Norell: If you’re in the market for a leather safari chair, throw an eBay alert on ‘Norell.’ There are slightly more affordable alternatives, but we’re loyalists over here: you’ve seen these chairs in this living room and in the Mountain House. (I’ve sat in Em’s Inca chair and can confirm that it is worth the investment.) Isamu Noguchi: Finally, a name for the coffee table with two wood pieces and a kidney-shaped top! Just an FYI: I see Noguchi-style tables on Craigslist all the time, but they’re usually listed as like, a “wood and glass coffee table.” He is also VERY famous for his paper lamps. Both Jess and Mel chose this beauty to light up in their homes. But if the price tag is too high then you can find similar options at places like IKEA.Hans Wegner: ICONIC. The guy behind the wishbone chair and the Papa Bear chair. (If you’re looking for a more affordable dining room option, this Target version scratches the same itch.)Alvar Aalto: If you’re ever on Jeopardy, Aalto is the inventor of bent plywood furniture. WHO KNEW?! If you see curved wood stools like this anywhere, it’s because Aalto figured it out (he had the patent and everything).

For Contemporary and Industrial Lovers

photo by tessa neustdt | from: eclectic traditional bedroom reveal

You love: Neutral, masculine color palates. Low, simple sofas. Glass tables. Chrome or nickel finishes. Simple pendants with exposed bulbs. Subway tile.

You should search for:

Le Corbusier: He’s best known for his leather sofas or chairs with a tubular chrome surround AND for his chaise lounge chairs. Sometimes they come in cowhide, too, which is fun!Mies van der Rohe: van der Rohe is the designer of the Barcelona chair AND daybed. These last two guys are BIG on leather seating and chrome bases. (Fun fact: when you google ‘Barcelona daybed,’ this Article daybed comes up. It’s 1/10th the price and it’s updated all-leather design seems like it could work in most homes — this is the value of knowing the names, y’all!)Harry Bertoia: The inventor of the eponymous Bertoia chair, AKA the chair that makes you look like a freshly-grilled hot dog when you stand up (it’s a grid pattern). Warren Platner: If you see a circular, metal base that cinches about three-quarters of the way up before expanding again, it’s a Platner-style piece. Example A: Emily’s old side table.

For Bohemian Lovers

photo by david tsay | from: find your style: global

You love: Earth tones. Texture. Teak, rattan, and bamboo. Hanging plants. Handmade accents. Worn rugs. Intricate patterns. Hand-dyed linens and fabrics.

You should search for:

Gabriella Crespi: If you’re on the hunt for pencil reed or rattan, no one did it better than Gabriella. (Someone please buy these headboards. They’re like the tropical version of Emily’s new wicker headboards and I love them.)Paul Frankl: This guy was actually an Art Deco designer, but most of his surviving pieces are very Boho — lots of bamboo, rattan, and pretzel shapes. You’ll definitely recognize one of these sofa bases from at least one neighborhood grandparent’s home (in the best way!) and I can almost guarantee that you’ve scrolled past one of these listings before. Diamonds in the rough, people!Franco Albini: Best known for his ottomans. Here’s a slightly more affordable version that you’ll feel comfortable throwing your feet up on. Lou Hodges: Lou worked a TON with oak and made a lot of fun cantilevered end and coffee tables. Original pieces are still relatively affordable and they’re about to have a huge moment — we wrote about it here — so it’s worth investing in now.

For ’80s and Postmodern Lovers

photos by genevieve garruppo | from: an epic gallery wall with ‘the frame’

You love: Organic shapes. Glass and brass. Pop art. Geometric patterns with an art deco bend. Rounded upholstered furniture. Luxe fabrics. Neon lighting.

You should search for:

Vladimir Kagan: Lately, Kagan is best known for his curved sofas (Bilbao) and chairs (Nautilus). It’s a great time to go on a Craigslist hunt…but like I said in the intro, there are some good modern options available that don’t require reupholstery. Sometimes going new is just easier, y’all.Joe Colombo: If you’re at a flea market and you see a storage trolley made out of plastic, it’s probably a Colombo piece. He also designed for Kartell (which produced all those fun, round, plastic storage nightstands you may be seeing all over design IG right now).Eero Aarnio: Think Saarinen, but FUN. (Read: Fiberglass and plastic, but in whimsy shapes like circles and screws. Aarnio invented the Ball chair, which I know you’ve seen!)Gaetano Pesce: Basically, the guy behind the Up chair series (I featured one in a post last week — look for red and white stripes) and a lot of exciting resin vessels. He also made a giant stool/chair/sculpture shaped like a foot that sells for absolutely INSANE amounts of money. Vintage is wild. Pesce is a delight.

OH BOY. That’s it for my cheat sheet. I hope this was helpful — maybe you’ve found some new designers to search for on Pinterest, or maybe you’ve finally nailed down the name of a piece that you’ve seen on the site a couple times…or maybe, you just needed a warm-up to get you back into your vintage hunting headspace (that’s me!). EITHER WAY, I’d love to hear from you — what designers do YOU search for? What’s your style? What other designers and pieces should we all know by name? LET’S CHAT, please!

Opening Image Credits: Design by Michael Keck | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: 7 Tips For Creating A Unique Home You REALLY Love

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Published on April 15, 2020 11:00

Using What I Have – My New Makeshift WFH “Desk” and the Most Hilarious IKEA (Non) Hack

Remember when I had this fantasy of that beautiful desk next to this massive A-frame window, looking at the trees full of snow? That fantasy ended this week as it was clear that I was far too “available” to our kids, and they were too distracting to me. The biggest issue was the zoom calls with the soundtrack of Annie BLASTING in the background, so I had to go into the guest room near the wifi and sit on the ground. But don’t worry because the garage was still full of decor and furniture options from the shoot last year, so I pulled something together, but it’s not good YET. Let’s start with “the desk”…

That table has a story. Last year I found it at a thrift store for $20 but it was orange-y and shiny (as shown on the left). We were attempting some fun stories on how to updated thrifted pieces – great idea. I was drawn to the clean lines and Parsons style, and it was solid wood. Also great. It could be a lovely entry table, sofa table, console, etc. So Emily B. and Grace (and myself) were just going to simply strip it to its original pretty wood, so easy. But then it started raining in the middle of our DIYing. So Emily took it to Ross Allen’s shop who gave us shelter. Then, for whatever reason, we didn’t finish it there (oh I think because we wanted to shoot the process), so she brought it back to her backyard where we shot the content (that we now can’t find). Hilariously, it started raining again so we had to wait till the next day to finish. I think Emily B. finished it on her own time inside, I don’t remember BUT THE POINT IS, HOURS – likely a day and a half of time was spent on this table and guess what it turned out to look like? A CHEAP IKEA TABLE. That’s right, hundreds of dollars of someone’s time to make a simple vintage $20 table look like an IKEA TABLE. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice, but considering it cost so much it was a fail. Keep reading and/or just watch this behind the scenes video (after the ad) if you want more of the story:

We meant to post about it on stories mostly because it’s HILARIOUS that a stupid design DIY blogger spent $300 in time + likely $100 in materials on a $20 “IKEA” table, but never did. I kept the table because thought it would work in the entry up here, but when it was a bit too deep so I shoved it in the garage where it became a shelf for props.

So last week I pulled it out and thought maybe it could be my desk but it’s not desk height. It’s 22″ tall when a normal desk is between 28″ – 30″ tall. BUT I came up with a genius hack (as a reminder I won Design Star for a reason) – you just put each leg on a paint can of your choice. It could be any color, any brand – so much flexibility!

So my options are as follows:

Live with the paint cans and maybe if I wasn’t a blogger/designer I would do that – I’m secretly janky like that, but the legs have fallen off a couple times…Duck tape the legs to each paint can – I love a good metallic accent.

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Published on April 15, 2020 01:00

April 14, 2020

Wake Up When You Want: Super Affordable Blackout Shades and Curtains

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: mountain house reveal: our soft yet secretly sultry downstairs guest bed + bath

We all love the look of a soft, light-filtering curtain or roman shade in our bedroom. That is until the sun rises and the blazing sun wakes you up WAY before your alarm clock. Especially if you are someone who can’t seem to fall asleep till 1 am it’s tragic (that’s me and I am working on it). I mean all we really want is a sensible, no light allowed sleeping cave, right? Fortunately, there is a simple and VERY effective solution to this life-disrupting issue…the blackout curtain (or shade).

Yes, there is a special kind of window treatment that will block out the sunlight, giving you the ability to sleep in longer and even have movie nights in the day time (aka no more sunlight glare). Plus they can help regulate the temperature in your home because its job is to block out the outside elements. I’m not mad about any of this:)

However, like most things great, they can be pricey thus potentially killing your dreams of properly sleeping in ever again (or tricking your children into sleeping in). So to help, we have rounded up our favorite and very affordable options. Here we go…

Curtain Panels

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

If you already have a curtain rod set up (FYI here is the right way to do it if you need help) then switching out your more sheer curtain panels for blackout ones seriously couldn’t be easier. Since finishing the LA house, Emily has installed them in nearly every bedroom in every house she has designed since. It just makes staying asleep longer so much easier (the dream – and many more REM cycles). And like I hinted earlier, it’s almost 10000% necessary for kids’ bedrooms (i.e. naptime and sleeping in). This way there is far less chance of them seeing the sunlight and thinking they are done sleeping. You need as much spare time as you can get!

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: portland master bedroom reveal (and how to pull together your own dreamy suite)

So if you are in the market here are our favorite affordable curtain panels.

If you are looking for color, I personally love #1 and #3. The texture of the fabrics with not only protect you from sunlight but will add extra visual depth to your space. But I am a sucker for a white curtain so #6 gets my vote. However, it’s pretty hard to resist the awesome and classic pattern of #4.

Now, if you aren’t into full-on panels, may I interest you in a roman shade??

photo by tessa neustadt | from: master bedroom refresh with parachute home

Roman shades are a big EHD favorite. You can find at least one in almost every project. They are clean, sophisticated and down right elegant. But what is important to keep in mind when buying blackout roman shades, is that you are going to want to make sure that you pick an inside mount. Why? Well if you mount the shade on the outside of the window frame, there is a high chance that the light you are so desperately trying to block will come pouring out. No good, if you ask me.

BUT, if you want the best of both worlds (window treatment edition) then you can always have a blackout roman shade with curtain panels on the outside. This way you can have a guaranteed TOTAL, NO LIGHT room situation. Or you can use more sheer curtains if you simply like the look but still want the blackout option for sleeping.

These are our affordable blackout roman shade picks…

I really love #9 and #10 but I also think that #4 could work in almost any room. But after I was done searching, I came across this one in beige and I think would bring a ton of texture to a room. Just wanted to share the wealth:)

So in conclusion, if you are looking for ways to help you sleep a bit better, or have a job with irregular hours, OR have children then I hope this little post helps. May a “no light allowed sleeping cave” be in your near future.

Love you, mean it.

How do you all feel about blackout window treatments? Any tips when shopping or personal affordable recommendations? We want them all:)

Opening Photo Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Mountain House Reveal: Our Soft Yet Secretly Sultry Downstairs Guest Bed + Bath

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Published on April 14, 2020 11:00

Mallory’s MOTO Intro + All of Her “Beginner” Design Questions Answered

design by martyn lawrence bullard | photo by jaime kowal | via the sands hotel and spa

Imagine this: you just moved into your first real adult apartment and you own zero furniture, and somehow you have to go from that to a fully-fledged, perfectly designed space that’s going to be posted up all over the internet for thousands of your closest friends to see. AND YOU HAVE NO INTERIOR DESIGN EXPERIENCE. Well, that’s precisely what I’m dealing with at this moment in time and it’s incredibly exciting.

Here’s my thinking. If your apartment is supposed to be a reflection of you and your personality, then how hard could designing your own space actually be?? The answer is really hard. Very difficult, in fact. If you’ve ever tried to design your living quarters you know this already, and if you’re on this blog reading this, you’ve probably tried to do it once or twice. The reason it’s so difficult is because when you have a blank canvas the options are ENDLESS. We run into all of these questions we so desperately wish a well seasoned interior designer could answer so they can just tell us what to do. That’s what I’m bringing you guys today. The answers we (my boyfriend Chase and I) so desperately want and need. Hopefully, they are relatable and can help you in your design process too.

My Naked Apartment

First, let me show you what we’re working with:

This is my boyfriend, Chase, and my studio apartment. It’s the first apartment that we both actually care about since prior to living here we lived in either college apartments, random New York subleases, or our parents’ houses. But this is our place which means we are real adults now. So let me tell you about our plan for this lil space…

Our apartment is located ON Hollywood Blvd, (yup, it’s above the walk of fame people) and so we feel like it’s our duty to lean into that at least a little bit. At first, we were thinking we should go full-blown glam. Full-blown. But after throwing our “glam” options into a google slide mood board, we realized it wasn’t “us”. So we went back to the drawing board. To start, we asked ourselves “what are some interiors that we both LOVE?” and this is what we came up with:

The Inspiration Photos

The place we collectively love most in this world is the Parker Palm Springs. When we saw it for the first time, our hearts dropped straight out of our asses. This. place. is. beautiful. Not to mention it’s designed by my favorite designer (and probably the only interior designer I knew for the first 15 years of my life ), Jonathan Adler. Luckily for me, Chase understands and respects my love for Jonathan Adler and in fact, he now has a STRONG love and appreciation of his style, too. So it’s our main inspiration and the basic gist of our style – let’s call it “chic palm springs hotel.” It suits us and we love it.

via jonathan adler

While we’ve been staying at home, designing our apartment has been our absolute FAVORITE quaran-tivity. We’ve been watching interior design classes online like Emily’s Skillshare class and Kelly Wearstler’s MasterClass to try to understand how we’re supposed to do this whole thing. After educating ourselves a little, we realized a critical flaw in our plan that was brought to our attention by Kelly Wearstler herself (well, in her Masterclass). The problem was there was no story. What she means by this is there needs to be a throughline, a reason behind the design that will ultimately make it feel more cohesive. For example, in the Santa Monica Proper Hotel design, she wanted it to reflect the feeling of being at the beach, so every material and piece of furniture she curated was something “you could find at a beach.” Genius. So if Kelly tells me I need a story, I need a story.

After days of thinking about why we were all of a sudden making this “Palm Springs themed,” we came up with it. Palm Springs was THE ultimate getaway for Hollywood celebrities in the 1950s, and we want our apartment to feel like our little “escape” from the wild Hollyweird below us in that same way. So we want it to feel like a vacation, with a twinge of Hollywood Bungalow to stay true to the location and vibe of where we are. Want to know what the heck I mean by all this?? If you missed it from the “Projects We’re Working On” post a few weeks back, here’s the general mood board I showed you guys over there:

The Basic Design Plan

Obviously, for someone like me that so desperately wants my apartment to look awesome, this mood board wasn’t gonna cut it. I need to see every wall, every detail laid out so I can KNOW FOR SURE what this will actually look like. I now have 2 google slide presentations (and over 200 actual slides) with different options for how it could look (stay tuned for more of those). Naturally, we still had questions (and some I was embarrassed to even ask). So luckily I work for an amazing interior design company and was able to show Julie this early rendition of my design. This way she could understand what I was even talking about when I asked her my “dumb” questions. (She also assured me there’s no such thing as a dumb design question. Julie is very kind.)

Okay, now that you’re all caught up, let’s get to the meat of this. After staring at blank walls debating all of our endless possibilities, here are the questions that arose and the answers from EHD lead designer, Julie Rose:

My Dumb (or Shall I Say Beginner) Questions, Answered.

design by jonathan adler | photo by nikolas koenig | via dwell

How do we make a small space feel bigger?

Make sure to vary the “visual weight” of your furniture pieces, there should be some with legs or open arms that can help make your room feel more spacious cause you can actually see more floor space. It’s all a mental game. For example, instead of a banquette bench seat where the base is fully on the floor, add some legs from Etsy to make the corner area feel more “airy”. Also, think about the materials and colors throughout the space. Too many upholstered pieces can start to feel “one note” or repetitive and make a room feel smaller than it actually is, so shake it up in the material department. Another misconception is that because you are in an apartment you should only buy pieces that are small scale but in actuality having a standard-sized piece can help ground the space and steers you away from over-cluttering with too many furniture pieces.

Do we want to try to make each space feel separate? Or do we want it to feel like one big space?

A little bit of both, you want the spaces to feel special on their own and yet cohesive. So instead of physically separating your space with a room divider try adding in a “special element” for each area. Try adding wallpaper in the living room and in the bedroom you could have a headboard feature wall or large scale art in the same color scheme.

How do we add texture? Do we create a feature wall where the bed is? WHAT THE HECK DO I DO WITH THE BLANK SPOT ABOVE MY BED???

via new york times

Creating a headboard feature wall is a great idea to make your space feel more custom to your style as a couple. Box paneling using a thinner lattice lumber will give you that added texture but at the same time will be easy to remove and repair when you find your next place to live. A great example of this is the photo above that we featured a while back in the “Add Character to Basic Architecture: Wall Paneling” post from 2017. But remember that texture can be brought into your design in a lot of different ways. Wallpaper, even though it isn’t “texture you can touch,” will add the depth you are looking for as well as other patterns in the space. Textiles are an easy and affordable way to add texture and layers. Also, different types of lighting like a sconce, table lamp, floor lamp, etc. will make the “boxy space” feel cozier. Basically, it’s not always about the physical texture but the visual as well.

Where should I add color?

In the same sense as adding texture to a space, the easiest way to add a dose of color is through textiles, art, and accessories. These are all low commitment and do the least damage to your bank account. Ideal.

I love wallpaper so much but I have no clue where to put it? One wall? Our bedroom nook? The whole thing? Where do we stop wallpapering in an open floor plan studio?

In this case, I would wallpaper starting from the wall with the door to your balcony all the way over to the cabinet that divides the desk and the kitchen. If you were to add wallpaper on the return wall where your bar cart will go then you don’t have a good stopping point and over time the wallpaper might come away from the wall on that corner.

How do I know how much wallpaper to get?

A lot of online wallpaper vendors will have a tool on their site to help you calculate the quantity. So simply measure the width and height of your walls.

Hot Tip

Our wallpaper installer advises to add 4-6 inches to the length of the rolls (or overall height of the wall) this makes it easier to have some wiggle room when hanging the wallpaper so the design properly lines up!

If we leave some walls white, should we repaint it to a different white? How do I know which white is good!?

If you weren’t putting up wallpaper with a primarily white background then I would say to skip painting your walls (and ceiling) essentially the same color. Paint adds up and it already looks great as of now. Wait until you get your wallpaper sample to compare it to the rest of the room, if it is drastically different then pick out a white paint color from this post or this one.

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Published on April 14, 2020 01:00

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