Emily Henderson's Blog, page 244

Living Room Mini Update: Can I Handle Bright Red in My House? An Analysis (& the Answer)

design by ioa studio | photo by tom ross | photo via yellowtrace

Now that the and revealed, I’m restraining myself (both physically and mentally) from starting a new massive project until I finish my book that’s due in December. But the stylist in me, the one whose mantra is “style play every day” loves to do just that, so I’m turning my attention back to our , ready to push it to the next level. Keep in mind I actually “borrowed” a lot of stuff from myself to bring up to Lake Arrowhead (or donated to our recent Flash Makeover recipient).

I like so much that is in the living room, but my home is my style lab, an alive organism for me to express my creativity, so in the spirit of such creativity, I’ve decided it’s time to embrace my true love of the color RED.

You’ll see where we are with the living room next week (before switching out too much or adding this bold color), but know that it’s still really eclectic, with a big dose of midcentury, ’70s, utilitarian/primitive and modern traditional and yet still and always casual and comfortable. But it looks a little too “designed” and I want to make it more exciting without making it too crazy.

I think that adding a small but very intentional jolt of red is going to push it in an unexpectedly good direction. Need some examples? Here you go:

design by studio robert mckinley | photo by nicole franzen | photo via coco kelley

Executing red is hard, but I really love it in painted metals OR in really luxurious fabrics. I have no idea why I think that is the rule, but for me and my space, I want it to feel chic in that midcentury French way, not just like a red and cream plaid blanket.

design by studio robert mckinley | photo by nicole franzen | photo via coco kelley

It just feels so exciting, modern and unexpected, but like I said, I think it’s easier said than done. Our house is really traditional looking and my window treatments are SUPER traditional so I’m a bit nervous that it won’t read as chic, and instead just wrong.

design by kingston lafferty design | photo by barbara corsico | photo via yellowtrace

But when done right, it can really add a jolt of boldness and fearlessness into a space.

design by maurice scheltens & liesbeth abbenes | photo by bart kiggen | photo via coffee klatch
design by studio gum | photo by filippo bamberghi | photo via archilovers

Red velvet chairs are like the flourless chocolate cake of the furniture world. SO rich and enticing, but if added to a full “meal” of a room (you know…something over stuffy or “designed”), you’re left feeling bloated or just…overstimulated.

design by arent pyke | photo via paper & stitch

I LOVE it on the edge of that table. It picks up the red from the super traditional rug, but the chairs, table silhouette and basically everything else in there is modern. Also, it’s so nice against the soft yet rich wood and caned chairs.

design by emmanuel de bayser | photo by erik melvin | photo via dore

I also love it in a pretty neutral room. It’s a nice POW to the eyes, but it has to be a fire-y, not-too-orange red. Like a maraschino cherry instead of a dark, sweet cherry.

design by sascha callaghan | photo by nikki to | photo via the design files

In an unexpected shape, it just comes off edgy and cool but still somehow…comfortable?

design by sabrina de sousa | photo by brian w. ferry | photo sight unseen

When I see it done right, I say to myself “they went for it and DID it,” followed with “this room is a total badass” just for having that one bright red moment.

Now I have dabbled in red in the past, and have always liked it; case in point:

The red cross really SLICES through the natural wood and wicker…plus I’ve always loved blue paired with red.

Remember this?!? My old Glendale house was much more mid-century than my traditional Los Feliz Tudor, but that didn’t stop me:

photo by tessa neustadt for ehd | from: our modern english tudor living room

This was the first iteration of this room (well, the first pulled-together “reveal.” I later swapped out the red rug with a more subdued blueish and white rug.

I’m obviously VERY comfortable wearing it, in fact it is my favorite color.

So I found myself shopping for and pinning so many red elements, toying around with where to bring it in.

At first, I felt confident I could handle one major piece of furniture, either a chair in the corner or even two matching chairs (#2 and #5 have pairs). I even thought to try #3…reupholster it and add a fringe trim.

But then I realized that more likely, what I’d do is bring in a modern lamp (like #1 or #3). A pendant could be cool like #5 or an unexpected sconce, but I’m not sure that’s what the living room needs.

I actually bought a pair of  #7 from Schoolhouse for the kids shared room (they both love red, too).

I think it might take a little playing around to figure out exactly what that red power piece addition would be for the living room. Again, I’ll probably just go the route of a punch accent piece like a lamp, but I still haven’t ruled out a rad vintage armchair, it’s just about finding the right mix with the rest of the furnishings and decor.

What do you guys think? Into it? I love it in my closet, so why wouldn’t I love it in my home? Do you think I should go big with a larger furnishing or go “home” with something small that I can test out and more easily swap out if I grow tired of it? As always, appreciate your thoughts. See you in the comments.

The post Living Room Mini Update: Can I Handle Bright Red in My House? An Analysis (& the Answer) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

The Link Up: Julie’s Mind-Freeing Vacation Read, A Killer Sara-Tested Pasta Recipe, & Ryann’s New Jeans Obsession

image via The Design Files | home of Barb Hyman styling by Annie Portelli

Welcome back, friends, to another installment of The Link Up. If you’ve been hangin out with us this week, welcome back. If you are just joining, here’s a quick recap: Bowser’s Bedroom Reveal went live on Thursday (and we are all obsessed), we celebrated two very special people’s birthday’s (Sara’s and Mallory’s), and Caitlin blew our minds with Friday’s very informative post on furniture buying and dealing. In other (perhaps) less important news, the team implemented a squat challenge into our daily office routine where we do squats (or wall sits) for one minute on the hour every hour. We’ve accomplished this three days in a row, so it is safe to say we are all extremely healthy and fit now. You know what they say…an office that squats together stays together. ANYWAY, as always we are here to share all the things that have been on our minds and in our shopping carts, so let’s get to it:

What Link Up is complete without a house tour that makes your knees buckle, and this one comes to us courtesy of The Design Files (one of our favorite Aussie shelter sites). If you’re into the warm yet minimal thing, head on over to check out this home.

Julie just recently bought The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself for her vacation read and she says it is amazing and will change the way you think. The author, Michael Singer, talks about freeing your mind from the constant thoughts that arise which distract you from the life that is actually in front of you. Do yourself a favor and prime this to your doorstep.

For whatever reason, the topic of deodorant comes up quite a bit around the office. I guess you can say we are a group of gals who like smelling nice (especially after squats, duh). From Arlyn: “I exclusively use natural, aluminum-free deodorant, but as a self-proclaimed ‘stinky’ person who is basically constantly sweating, there are a lot of products out there that just don’t cut it. One that does? Schmidt’s Charcoal & Magnesium deo. Yes, it kind of turns my armpits black, but I never wear sleeveless tops, so I don’t really care because it keeps me fresh smelling ALL DAY (even after a workout) with no need to reapply (my husband uses and loves it, too).” Evidently, Veronica also concurs with this rec. 

This video is one minute long, but Velinda and her wife Katie watched it on repeat…turning it into 10 minutes of laughter.

Veronica stumbled upon this Instagram account recently and loves it so much she can spend hours scrolling through it. It’s a beautiful curation of trippy and psychedelic imagery from loads of different artists all around the world.

We can all agree that graphic Tees can be SO difficult to find because they need to be comfortable, baggy yet form-fitting, and also say something that doesn’t make you feel like an angsty teen. This one from Topshop is Mallory’s new fav.

Caitlin has a bad habit of ACCIDENTALLY spoiling like, every episode from every Bachelor-related series, BUT she has actual PROOF that spoilers help people enjoy things MORE! Here’s an NPR writeup that sums it up, but Caitlin’s argument is that it’s way more fun to watch a crazy movie the second time around once you can actually pick up on all the nuances. (Fun fact: Alfred Hitchcock also agreed.) 

Carolina has recently been OBSESSED with watching anything “tiny homes” related and just discovered Tiny House Nation on Netflix. It’s safe to say she binge-watched the entire season in one day.

Bowser’s friend Stevie makes these Pocket Mantras (that are best-selling on Etsy). They are “a box of 52 little affirmations to inspire and spread positivity.” She does all the art and each card is different! Get them for yourself, leave random ones for your waiter with your check, or buy a deck as a gift for a friend. They are the perfect size for stocking stuffers (obviously already shooting holiday content over here—HOW?!). For $20 you can’t afford NOT to spread positivity AND support an independent artist. 

Ryann bought these jeans from Madewell to quell her seemingly never-ending denim cravings. She typically is a Levi’s loyalist (she mostly buys vintage Levi’s because the quality of the denim is better) BUT these jeans are really comfortable, good quality, and classic looking. She wants to wear them every single day.

One of Sara’s favorite things to do each month is cook her way through her new copy of Bon Appétit mag, and she just made this recipe from this months issue last night. It was KILLER.

That’s all for today, folks. As always, drop your comments, questions, and concerns below. See you around these parts tomorrow.

The post The Link Up: Julie’s Mind-Freeing Vacation Read, A Killer Sara-Tested Pasta Recipe, & Ryann’s New Jeans Obsession appeared first on Emily Henderson.

When A Look I’d Never Thought I’d Try Turns Out to Be a “Wait…I’m Into This”: A Trend Exploration

If there were one word/animal that I would historically not associate with myself, Emily Henderson, it would be “snakeskin.” I barely wear the more conservative animal prints like leopard and cheetah, so how did I jump from human to python so fast? Let’s explore. In this post, you’ll also get to witness current “influencer modeling” tips, which I like to call “touching the top of my hair as if I’m fixing it” followed by the even-more-popular stance we call “looking at my phone as if I’m reading a text.”

Let’s first discuss why I have historically not been attracted to animal prints. There is something about it that to me feels like is TRYING to be sexy, which is not my style and if you aren’t careful, it can look cheesy. For me, I need it to be more casual, more thrown together. Less leopard print body-con dress, more “I wear boots that happen to be made from pythons, but I barely noticed.” You gotta just throw them on, make sure that it feels effortless, either dress it down or lean into its weirdness. I think. I have no idea, this is literally the first time I’ve ever even liked an animal print.

Why now?

Here’s what happened: I saw it mixed with crazy patterns, colors and ruffles and somehow LOVED the insanity of the look.

images via Ulla Johnson: Left | Right
image via Refinery 29
image source: Left | Right

Not sure I’d pair it with an orange fur coat but I love it with those jeans and especially the plaid pants. So I borrowed these boots (below) and tried it…

Shop the Look: Sweater (similar) | Skirt (similar) | Boots | Bag | Necklace (similar)

I spent 2 minutes putting together this outift (that I already had) and we decided that leaning into the color was fun. I think it could definitely be dressed down, even with a T-shirt with that skirt, or long denim skirt and a boxy sweatshirt. Or go full ruffle, with lots of layered necklaces and messy hair.

Am I trying to prove that snakeskin is a neutral?? I think so. 

I know that I could have mixed it with a white prairie dress easily, or cropped denim FOR SURE. I think these boots are really versatile despite being “loud” and possibly “out there.”

But can one such as me pull off this reptilian trend? Does snakeskin exist in the “Uptown Prairie” look? Are there snakes on my prairie? Brian said absolutely not, but like most things that people have strong assertions about, I like to challenge this thinking. It may be too edgy for me, too severe, too extreme but when mixed with crazy fun patterns, colors and ruffles or dressing it WAY down, I’m actually pretty into it.

Those boots are nutty and likely not what most people would splurge on, so instead we found a pair that I actually would buy and love. These guys:

Shop the Look: Sweatshirt | Jeans | Boots | Bag | Necklace (similar)

This is my “running errands whilst casually wearing a snakeskin boot” look. I like it. Paired with my favorite ripped boyfriend jeans (that are on a huge sale by the way) and an affordable sweatshirt, it’s something I would wear in real life.

I liked these boots a lot and decided to keep them. Brian even approved and said “well, if you wear it like that, sure.” I especially love the length (they hit a few inches above the ankle) so they elongate my legs and pair really well with jeans.

I don’t think I am over exploring this trend yet, so I wanted to round up some more snakeskin boots that I am considering (and for you is this is something you are into).

1. Sadie Boot | 2. Armon Western Boots | 3. Vegan Going West Boots | 4. Yale Chelsea Boot | 5.Snake Marietta Heel Boot | 6. Snake Cowboy Ankle Boots | 7. Cormac Snake Knee High Boots | 8. Bel Bootie | 9. Clara Snake Knee High Boot | 10. The Regan Boot | 11. Knee High Boots in Snake | 12. Reed Heeled Ankle Boots | 13. Mike Snake Embossed Mid-Boot | 14. Elle Snakeskin Ankle Boot | 15. Caty Western Pointy Toe Bootie

Would you/could you get on board? Or are you already there, steering the ship? How do you style it??? Comment below, my reptilian loving friends …  xx

***photography by Veronica Crawford

The post When A Look I’d Never Thought I’d Try Turns Out to Be a “Wait…I’m Into This”: A Trend Exploration appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Consider This Post Your “Craigslist Hacks Master Class” for Buying Good Stuff Cheap (& Selling it For $$$)

In a recent team hang out session, we found out that Caitlin, our Partnerships Director, has had a side business/hustle buying and selling furniture for years and when we prodded, which we do, she threw down knowledge that left us all writing resignation letters to EHD to explore this gamble. But I accepted no such letters and instead asked her to write a post with all her secrets and tips on how she actually MADE MONEY from this hoarder’s game. Caitlin, please educate these readers in the ways of the side hustle:

Welcome to the LAZY PERSON’s guide to starting a successful furniture side hustle, complete with all my best tips for getting the best stuff for the least amount of money and offloading it with almost no work at all. There are some people who can find a dresser on the side of the road, drag it home, refinish it, and sell it for a profit. I am not one of them. My garage is a museum of unfinished DIYs full of intent and regret (and thus shame). If you’re like me—you know, the kind of person who greatly overestimates both their general crafting ability and their capacity for physical labor—sit tight, because I got you. 

I’m coming in hot with my top lessons I learned about sourcing very affordable vintage in great condition WITHOUT leaving your house (yes, it’s possible).

But real quick: How do I even know what I’m talking about? I started side hustling in 2016 with ONE RUG (that whole saga is detailed down at the bottom) and kept it up for 3 years…basically ’til I started working here at EHD! During this time, I un-retired from competitive figure skating while launching a startup (maybe proof that I’m not as lazy as I claim?) and somehow managed to pay my $2,200-month travel and training bills without accruing a lifetime of debt. Full disclosure: I know there’s not a ton of detailed posts online about starting something like this (trust me, I searched for one while I was figuring out my own best practices!) and I also know that my method is definitely not standard…but it worked without a ton of upfront investment (if any!) and so I’m just here to spread the word that like, hey. This is an option for you, too.

SO, over the past four years, I’ve survived hundreds of Craigslist meetups, back alley warehouse pickups, and precarious drives across Southern California with tables strapped to the top of my Subaru Legacy (photo proof below). I walked so y’all could run. (And also not like, waste a ton of money in the process…because hey, I’ve been there.) 

How to Source (i.e. Buying the GOOD Stuff for CHEAP) 

These tips are good for EVERYONE, whether you’re looking to buy stuff for yourself, or to sell for profit, FYI. Anyway, you know how your local vintage store finds a majority of their stock? Estate sales and auctions. You know who doesn’t always have the time or money to compete with a vintage store in an estate sale or auction? Me. 

If you live in a market outside of a major city, consider yourself lucky (and you get your cute lil’ butt to your local auction house, scoop up all the goodies, and open a Chairish shop, like, immediately!); the rest of us are settling down for a quick overview on…

Craigslist Best Practices

I’m proud to tell everyone that not even Emily knew some of these, so read on for the TOP SECRET goods that only someone who did this for a legit living (sort of) would learn along the way.

Tip 1: Master the “presets.” Open up a new tab right now, hit “For Sale” (you never know what goodies are hiding in “general,” “garage sale,” or “antiques”), then pound in your new presets on the left: “owner,” “has image,” “bundle duplicates,” and…the holy grail, “include nearby areas.” 

To the left is the Domino Mobler bookcase I scooped by off Craigslist for $50; to the right is a VERY similar one for $1,300 MORE…

“Include nearby areas” opens up a whole world (both literally and metaphorically). I recently found a $1,300 Domino Mobler hutch on sale for $50. You know why? It was located in Pomona (not far from me) but had accidentally been listed in Orange County (very far from me). Granted, I did not actually sell it for $1,350; I offloaded it for $400, but I’ll explain why if you keep reading.

Once you have these parameters in place, SETTLE IN! Pour yourself a glass of wine and get cozy, you’re about to get REAL in the weeds. It’s time-consuming but worth it.

Tip 2: Dumb it WAY down. When it comes to the hunt, I need you to remember that pivotal scene in Legally Blonde when Elle asks Warner what kind of shoes she’s wearing and he responds with, “uhhhh…black ones?” That’s your new thought process. Like, yes, it’d be incredible to type in “Milo Baughman” and find a smattering of $20 pieces…but people who know what they have tend to price accordingly. Your sweet spot will be the vague listings. Some of my greatest finds have been this Baughman bar cart listed as “metal table on wheels,” a burl dresser listed as a “wood closet,” a 1970s chaise listed as a “settee chair,” and a beveled lucite coffee table listed solely as “plexiglass.” So, yes, dumb it down and think about the most basic ways to describe what you’re looking for.

Exhibit A to the left is a seller who knew what they had. Exhibit B to the right is someone who just figured it was “mid-century” and selling their piece for 1/3 the price.

Tip 3: Try alternate words and descriptions. My best-performing terms in LA are “armoire,” “hutch,” and “buffet.” True to form, I’d say that about 60% of the listings are appropriately titled and the rest are dressers, bookcases, and credenzas, respectively. 

Tip 4: Try HORRIBLE SPELLING. This one is actually from Emily, but it’s real. People do NOT KNOW how to spell (especially if English is not their first language…sometimes even if it is) so try slightly changing the spelling. Great example? Dinning table. That’s right, not dining table with one “n”, but dinning. Add a few extra letters, a random “e” thrown in. You’ll be surprised what you dig up.

Tip 5: Go bilingual. Search in Spanish (or any other language that’s spoken near you). Pop over to Google Translate and figure out your basic keywords—“vestidor” is a favorite of mine (so many good dressers)!

Tip 6: Search by function. “Rolling” and “swivel” are personal favorites and deliver everything from chairs to carts to lamps. 

Tip 7: Remember your apostrophes. Because even though it’s 2019, somehow the terms “80s,” “80’s,” “1980,” and “1980s” all produce different results. (Can you tell I do this search every day? For what it’s worth, when you get into decade searches, you may want to restrict yourself just to the furniture section.) 

Tip 8: Break out the color wheel. If you’re on the hunt for a piece that fits in with existing decor, time to break out that thesaurus. “Blue,” “navy,” “turquoise,” “cerulean”…it’s like a treasure hunt and your goal is to find the weird post that no one else has seen. (This tip can also apply to materials—if you’re on the hunt for a lucite piece, try “clear,” “acrylic,” and “plexiglass.”) 

And now that you’re a Craigslist pro, a few other things to note: 

These tips work just as well on Facebook Marketplace, Letgo, and OfferUp. 
If your local thrift store posts inventory on Instagram, turn on your post and story notifications. Fun fact: I have an entirely separate IG account that just follows local vendors. It comes in handy when you’re sourcing for a specific person (a point we’re about to get into!) AND you can get first dibs on some crazy deals. (And a localized tip for my fellow LA residents: turn on your post notifications for @sonofavet_thriftshop_la_. Sometimes you’ll swipe on a notification and find an ancient Dinosaurs VHS. But sometimes, it’s a $100 13′ semi-circle sofa that is now being sold for $3,000—not a typo—at a beautiful vintage furniture store downtown.) Turn on those notifications, people. 
Set your budget. It doesn’t matter how much profit you can turn if you go into debt with your purchasing. 
Be mindful about negotiation. My most commonly used phrase (both online and in-person at the flea market or vintage store!) is, “do you have any wiggle room?” Jumping in and offering a price 10-20% less than what someone’s asking can often be insulting, especially if there’s a lot of interest. Ask and let your vendor come down in price first—shockingly, you can respectfully still negotiate the price down from there. My follow-up go-to: “Thank you so much for trying to work with me. I LOVE this piece but only have X amount budgeted. I’m happy to pay cash and pick up ASAP.” This is by far my most successful negotiating tactic.
But on the subject of pickup, think about transport. This is the trickiest one for me (and my aforementioned Subaru Legacy, which is unfortunately NOT AWESOME for hauling large pieces of furniture). Y’all, renting a car or hiring someone to move things can cost a lot. Keep this in mind when you stumble on something huge, like an armoire.

I’m going to use the topic of transit to segue into the next section…

Obviously, Emily’s living room but with lots of small things I think would def move well.
What Sells Best (& What to Avoid)…From Experience
Best-sellers

It logically follows that your best-sellers are going to be things that people can fit in their own cars. Pretty simple, right? Kinda. Your best bet for online sales on platforms like Craigslist, Marketplace, retail apps, etc. will be things like coffee tables, end tables, nightstands, dining chairs, and lamps. (For those with the itch to source things a little larger…don’t worry, I’ll get to you.) 

Less-sellers

Meanwhile, smalls—our EHD-term for decor and ephemera—can be a little trickier. If you’re down to put in the effort to brand yourself with a great Instagram (I’m not, but some incredible examples of people who have done this include @oddeyenyc and @abigailbellvintage, both in NYC), you can move some well-curated decor products. 

But also, buy SMART. Take a look at what’s moving in your local market. In LA, it’s currently fairly easy to turn over postmodern and mid-century pieces. (A favorite Rose Bowl vendor of mine recently joked with me that “everything with tapered legs isn’t good, but everything with tapered legs somehow sells.”) It’s WAY HARDER—at least for me, since I only sell online and never put effort into any branded distribution efforts—to move anything rustic, faux-finished,  or “whimsy-patinaed.” The latter is the descriptive term I just invented for an ancient, paint-chipped book-shaped end table that I bought years ago and literally have never been able to sell. It sits in my apartment and taunts me.

Today, with my newfound knowledge, I would have stalked my local vintage vendors’ Instagram accounts so I could see the items that turn over quickly. I would have limited my buying to things that I know I could move, not things that only one person in a thousand will like. It’s HARD to find these types of niche buyers if you don’t have time to put effort into actually like, marketing yourself like a real business. So basically, if you’re starting from scratch, stick to things that appeal to a lot of people, things that you (or your future customers) can move solo, and things that fit comfortably in a sedan. Additional benefit: this takes up less real estate in your house. At my prime, I had filled up my garage and was parking my car on the street…until I discovered the method that actually made my hobby sustainable. I’m about to share my ultimate secret…

How to Actually Sell What You Bought (& It’s Not What You Think)

Here’s my ultimate secret: I realized that anyone can become a picker. 

Pickers are basically the middlemen: you do the sourcing and you let the seasoned professionals with established customer bases do the selling. Let’s use the aforementioned semi-circular sofa as an example (and these are real numbers!):

Son of a Vet posts this sofa for $99.99 on their Instagram feed. 
A picker sees it, sends a photo to the high-end vintage furniture store, and asks if the owner would be interested in buying the piece.
The vintage store owner says yes and offers $400. 
The picker arranges transport straight from the thrift store to the high-end store and pockets 300 bucks. 
Since the vintage store has “cred” and a bevy of pre-existing customers, they’re able to offer the piece at $3,000—an amount that the picker would have never been able to command on their own. (This is a similar scenario to the Domino Mobler bookcase from earlier, which is why I sold it for so much less than I knew it was worth, but still profited $350.)

The catch: you have to be social. Now’s the time to slide into the DMs (or like, approach in person, if you’re the type to actually leave your house…I’m not.), tell your local vintage/antique store that you have a few pieces that you’re looking to sell, and see if you can get an offer. Once you’ve established a relationship, you’ll have an open line of communication to send pics of your finds ALL. THE. TIME. 

Something this price would be a great “picker” piece to sell for double to a vendor.

Picking is the ultimate lazy dream life. You know a really fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon? Coalesce with your couch, fire up Craigslist (using my aforementioned tips, duh), and send pictures straight from listings to your new network. Not everyone will be a bite, but guess what? If you get an offer from a store, you’ll have guaranteed a sale BEFORE YOU PUT ANY MONEY DOWN. AND you won’t even have to store it. 

This is a great solution for anyone who has a gift for finding the big stuff, like bookcases or credenzas. While it never made sense for me to hire someone to move furniture from a sale site to my house to a final destination it DID often make financial sense when I was moving something straight to a store. My philosophy: I don’t need to sell it for the most, I just need to sell it. I kind of like that in my scenario, three people (the original seller, me, and the final retailer) all get to turn a profit off of a sustainable product.

But what if I don’t HAVE any vintage furniture retailers near me? Don’t worry because there’s an avenue for you, too, and it involves your friends and family. Ask around and see if anyone in your network is looking for any pieces, either furniture or decor, and clarify if they have a budget they’re trying to stay within. I’m sure you know what to do from here…it’s sourcing time. When you have the internet sleuthing skills that I’ve hopefully helped hone, finding pieces for friends can be EASY. Shoot them a pic, confirm a price (that builds in a little profit margin for your efforts), and again, you’ve managed to confirm a sale without any upfront investment. 

Picking in action. A vintage bamboo rocking DUCK bassinet (please don’t put your baby in this) sold on Chairish for $425. I sourced the one in the car seat behind me for $20. Full discloser: I did not sell this to Chairish, but I was able to use that listing to know what this thing could go for and priced accordingly.

If you’re the refinishing/repainting/repairing type, I salute you. If you’re the “up at 3 am to style out my flea market booth” type, I salute you. If you’re the “I solely sell online and I’ve built out my own customer base” type, I salute you. But if you’re the “I just love home goods and would probably spend my free time cruising Craigslist for furniture anyway, so I may as well figure out how to monetize it while I sit on my couch with a glass of wine while The Office plays in the background” type…this is a side hustle for you. 

Again, not my actual goods. Had I known I’d be writing this post years later, I would have hoarded images, but in the off chance you don’t know what a Beni Ourain rug is, it looks like this one from Brady’s living room.
BONUS STRATEGY: The Dropshipper

Here’s a bonus that I won’t dive too much into, but it is how I got my start in the world of furniture and decor retail…

In 2015, I was PINING after a vintage Beni Ourain rug, but I couldn’t afford it. Long story short, I found my dream carpet online from a shop in Marrakech and realized that you can barter online (Like, what?! Why didn’t anyone tell me this before?! A LIFE CHANGING TIP!) and ended up negotiating the price down by nearly 50%. After securing a few rugs for friends at similar prices, my vendor asked if I’d like to lock in wholesale pricing and started sending pictures of his incoming inventory. I’d list these rugs on Craigslist, Etsy, Chairish, Letgo, Offerup, etc. with his photos, detailed dimensions, and keywords. 

When a rug seemed like it would sell or if I’d locked in a buyer, I’d make the purchase and have him send the rug over so I could complete the sale (or, in Etsy/Chairish customers’ cases, I’d have him send the rug straight to their home!).

I’d pay anywhere between $250-$600 per carpet (which included customs and shipping and trust me, this was an INCREDIBLE STEAL at the time) and I’d retail each for anywhere between $400 and $1,200. Shockingly, I don’t have any horror stories to report—rugs arrived in one piece, on time, and were always as pictured. Only once did I have a buyer back out after I had purchased from my vendor…but it was okay, because I really liked the rug and ended up keeping it. C’est la vie.

Carpets had incredible margins, but I did get tired of playing middleman across the ocean AND offering things up nationwide. It takes time and effort to post listings, communicate with potential buyers, clarify questions with vendors, and honestly, I realized I just had more fun looking for vintage furniture. I sold my last rug in 2017, but let’s be real: the hustler in me is still always down to source for a friend.

WOW. You made it. If you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of any hustling that can be done while I’m wearing pajamas…and apparently, I can talk about vintage furniture ALL. DANG. DAY. Perhaps this job is the right one for me. I’ve spent a long time optimizing this for my own work style, but would obviously love any of your flipping tips. Are you a refinisher or a picker? What does your side hustle look like? Any pro tips I missed? Sound off in the comments, please. I’d love to hear more about your scores or horror tales…

DIY How-To: A Step-by-Step for Making Emily B.’s Wrap-Around Velvet Headboard

Emily Bowser here with the DIY headboard how-to I promised in the reveal of my bedroom from earlier today. This is what I’m calling “A guide for the person who poses as a DIYer but whatever, it gets the job done.” Enjoy, and let me know if you need any clarity or have questions in the comments.

Prep:

Step 1: A year before you actually do the job, buy the fabric. I bought mine from Mood Fabric and last I looked they were out of it (sorry!) It’s a burnt orange velvet and it was NOT cheap. I think it was $24/yard and I bought a lot because I wanted it to recover my burnt orange velvet chair in the living room. I live in a small space and I like keeping it cohesive! (Tutorial on that maybe coming soon—how’s that for commitment??). But really though, even though I didn’t construct the bed for entirely too long, it’s helpful to have the fabric so you can start pulling other things together.

Step 2: Assemble friends. You don’t need more than one person to do this and you definitely don’t need three, especially when you only own one staple gun but DIY with friends is more fun. Especially if wine and goss’ is involved.

Step 3: Go to Home Depot and spend entirely too long looking for someone to help you. You have a nagging feeling they don’t make cuts as small as you want but you ask a guy and he says they do. Wait 35 more minutes for the wood-cutter guy to have him let you know that they do not, in fact, make cuts that small. You have him cut as close as possible and leave knowing this for sure just got way more complicated because you only have a table saw and a jigsaw that you’ve used *kinda* once.

Step 4: While you’re there and waiting, send one of your three friends to pick up some French cleats. One for each panel. They look like this and come in all different sizes:

Step 5: I wanted four panels on the back, all the same size and then one on each side, both the size of the left wall. I’m in France and couldn’t tell you off the top of my head what those exact measurements were but the important part is 4 the same (these are 26-inches wide), 2 smaller but the same as each other (I believe these are 12-inches wide). They were all 48-inches high and ¾-inches thick.

Step 6: Buy batting. Comment to friends at least 485 times on HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS. WHY? You should have seen the math that was happening between two stylists, a designer and a v confused employee at the Joann’s counter trying to figure out how much was needed. I believe we got about 20 yards of one-inch thick batting but then realized we only needed maybe six? We were not math majors guys…

Assembly & Installation:

Step 1: Measure and mark plywood with a pencil. Do an okay job with the jigsaw, cutting the plywood down to the correct-ish size. It’s not exactly the right tool for the job, but it works. Kinda.

Step 2: Contemplate doing something fancy with the edges, like rounding them, which your friends quickly talk you out of after seeing your jigsaw handywork.

Step 3: Lay batting on floor, place plywood piece on top, roughly cut it 2-3 inches bigger than the plywood and watch Erik staple it around all the edges. Note: I invested in a plug-in stapler years ago and have NEVER regretted it.

Step 4: Watch Erik do the same to the velvet this time with wine in hand. He stapled the velvet layer over the batting. Comment on why can’t step 9 and 10 be combined? He tells you to shut up and to pour him more wine.

At this point, you’ve all collectively done like 10 minutes of work and 3 hours of waiting for things at Home Depot and Joann’s. But you are all FINISHED (wine may be a factor). We leaned the pieces of upholstered panels against the wall and shoved all the furniture against it and were V proud of ourselves. We all said at the same time that maybe it never needed to be attached to the wall after all? Probably just to make ourselves feel better about basically lollygagging through the day.

In a SHOCKING twist, I did, in fact, put the panels up, all by myself (3 weeks later and probably ONLY because of this blog post). It was somehow very easy and hard at the same time. Here’s how I did it:

Step 1: Pick an arbitrary number (as long as it’s less than the height that you want the top of the headboard). I wanted the panels to sit above the baseboard so it wouldn’t be pushed out at the bottom, so I measured 41” from the floor to where I wanted the French cleat to attach to the wall and velvet panel. I did not, though I thought about it, attach the panels to each other, and I’ll tell you why in a minute…

Step 2: Use a stud finder, pray it works (I MEAN. WHY??), and mark where every stud is in the area where the headboard will be, because…

The cleats have multiple areas where you can attach screws and basically SOMEWHERE on that cleat will line up with a stud. At least if your panels are as wide as mine where (studs are typically 16 or 24 inches apart). This way you don’t have to mess with anchors and you know that headboard will adhere to the wall FOREVER. Attach the wall side of the cleat to the wall at the determined measurement from the floor. (Note: cleats will come with all the hanging things.)

Step 3: Attach the other side of the cleat to the panel so that when you connect the two pieces of the cleat, the panel will sit where you want it. I learned after the first panel that I should do it a bit lower so I didn’t have to be all up in Erik’s over-stapled upholstery situation. So for me, every cleat was in a different spot. Again, it doesn’t matter where the cleats are, just that once they are connected, wall to panel, they hang at the same height as each other.

Step 4: Do it over and over until you are done with the panels. It’s that easy. Well, kinda. Quick note that again, done is better than perfect. My house is the most crooked house of all time, so getting those puppies to fit together is where I had a very hard time. Luckily, since each panel was separate, I could tszuj them until they looked more even than they were. I was getting very frustrated with this process until I stepped back and I was like, “Oh. That’s good enough.” Remember to step back, with French cleats or literally everything in life. It’s probably good enough.

As a reminder, here’s the finished product (go read about it all in this morning’s post):

Again, ask away in the comments if you need some clarification on anything. Thanks for following along friends.

Don’t miss other posts in this series:

Makeover Takeover: How EHD Stylist Emily Bowser Tackled Her Awkward Master Bedroom | MOTO Reveal: Emily Bowser’s Bedroom “After” Is unrecognizable From the “Before”

 

The post DIY How-To: A Step-by-Step for Making Emily B.’s Wrap-Around Velvet Headboard appeared first on Emily Henderson.

MOTO Reveal: Emily Bowser’s Bedroom “After” is Unrecognizable from the “Before”

Emily Bowser here again with my master bedroom reveal. Yesterday, I showed you lots of stunningly unfortunate “before” photos (catch up here) that would make anyone wonder why I even bought the house I now call home in the first place, but today I get to show you what (at least part of it) became to vindicate myself. Let’s jump right in…

But wait, first, a reminder:

Yup, that’s what we were working with.

Now…

Shop the Look: Nightstands | Lamps | Duvet Cover | Shams | Mattress | Bed Base | Linen Window Shade | Mixed Media Art | Art Frame | Wall Paint Color

There she is…my everything, my Daffy. Oh, and the bed I only thought about for 3 years before inviting EHDers Julie and Erik over to help/force me to make it. Nothing like an impending deadline for a photoshoot and the constant “are we good on your MOTO reveal date?” from Arlyn to get those gears churning.

Pro tip: If you want a piece of furniture from a big box store, search for the name of it on Craigslist first (considering you’re looking for a deal). That’s where I found this pair of West Elm nightstands for $150 (they are $299 each retail). They checked all the boxes: fit in the space, cheap and had a drawer. I’m easy to please when it comes to that one I guess. They’re metal which is kinda great because IKEA makes these magnetic strips with USB plugs on them that stick onto the back so that wires are hidden and we can plug in our phones and sound machine. YES we still sleep with our phones for alarm purposes but they are in airplane mode and we unplug our WIFI every night. I’M NOT A MONSTER.

My Maskor Table Lights by Gantri. GUYS. I love them so much. You know when Instagram does that creepy thing were you have been searching online or you say the word “tampon” in a sentence and then ALL you get is sponsored posts of Thinx and Cora tampons?? Well, that’s what happened with these lights but instead of tampons, I got modern, low, bubbly lamps. I spent maybe three hours searching for modern lamps that would fit here, went to Instagram to take a break and Instagram was like “OH, you mean THESE??” Yes. Yes, I did you creepy, creepy stalkers. I needed something modern to make sure this space was balanced with all the vintage and texture. After checking out their website and falling even more for this company because of their values, I reached out and they sent me two of these beautiful lights. I couldn’t love them more. They are green, the same color I recovered my IKEA storage bench, so they “talk” to each other, have texture but are made out of a corn PLA blend so they feel newer and modern. They also have a dimmer which is a MUST for us. Andrew and I are both weird about bright lights. On top of all that, they are sustainably made and have a business model that supports creators and makes beautiful lighting attainable for the average consumer. CHECK THEM OUT AND SUPPORT THEM.

I’m sorry to say, my rugs are vintage. Yes rugS. I found them both at the Rose Bowl Flea Market for $150 each and bought them without haggling because I’m THAT person when I love something. I would say my reaction to these rugs was similar to that of when I saw the vintage line buoys. GOTTA HAVE THEM GIVE ‘EM TO ME. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make the fact that they were slightly different sizes work, but I was GONNA. Funny enough, it ended up being the best thing about them. You see, I wanted a BIG rug. Like I’ve mentioned, the floor is tile and cold and I wanted to get out of my bed on either side and hit rug first. However, the bedroom door opens right next to the left side of the bed so most bigger rugs would constantly be stopping the door from opening all the way or the door would push the rug around. With the staggered approach of the top rug coming in more than the bottom, we have the benefits of waking up to rug on our feet while keeping out of the way of the door. The rugs are very much the same yet slightly different so I don’t mind the more hodgepodged look.

My bed, my sweet, sweet bed. My husband and I are celebrating our 10 YEAR wedding anniversary. I’m not sure how that happened, but if you could have taken a look at our old mattress you would have assumed we’d been married for 30. And had a bed wetting problem. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SLEEP?? It was so embarrassing that when we put the mattress out for the mattress recycling people, I made my husband go out and turn it upside down so that the whole neighborhood wouldn’t know our shame! My friend Lauren, who has now come up multiple times in my posts, had just bought the Mint Mattress by Tuft and Needle and like me, when she likes something, she becomes their spokesperson (Bulletproof what?).

When we did the Velux bedroom makeover, I told Julie to reach out to them because I heard great things about their company, the service, and the product. They were a dream to work with for that shoot so I figured I may as well ask. They were very kind to send through their mint mattress (queen), a mattress protector (THANK GOD), two of their pillows, a set of sheets (not seen here), a linen duvet cover and linen shams. Now, mattress comfort is a bit of a personal thing, so obviously take my word on that with a grain of salt (I know they will work with you to donate if you don’t like their product) but I found this bed SO comfortable. It’s a memory foam kind of construction which means the bed doesn’t move around a whole lot if you or your partner (or cat) does. I like a firmer mattress but am a side sleeper so a bit of softness is nice to support the shape of my body (that was a weird thing to write but I’m not sure how else to say it??) and I found this style perfect for me.

The pillows are heavenly. I had not found “my” pillow until I slept with these. The sheets were buttery soft. Unfortunately, they were almost the exact color as the rug but like, not exactly, so they didn’t work in this space though I am excited to use them in the spare bedroom reveal that will be coming up soon. I LOVE the duvet cover and shams. I am a card-carrying member of the linen duvet club. There’s a lot of division in the office about how people feel about sleeping with linen but I personally love it. I don’t want it RIGHT against me but I love it on a duvet or on a pillowcase that I use between my legs (also a weird sentence to write, sorry). This duvet, in particular, is the soft linen. It feels like it’s been washed with rocks a million times, if that makes sense. The duvet and pillowcases are in charcoal, btw, not slate. It looks a little bluer here than it does IRL I think. Overall, A+ for this company from me. Yes, I didn’t pay for that stuff but my friend Lauren DID and if you knew Lauren you would know that this is a trustworthy recommend. Haha, that should be a Yelp review option, “I’ve never been here but Lauren has and you know what THAT means.” Side note: the extra long lumbar pillow you saw in earlier photos is a DIY I’m afraid as well, got the fabric from the Rose Bowl!

Let’s move on to the other side of the room! The dresser! I finally found something that would work under the window: I bought two IVAR 3 Drawer Chests ($95 each), stained them black, bought 3-inch wood legs, sprayed them black, and screwed them together haphazardly. Spent maybe a $220? It’s nothing fancy, not even worth a DIY post, but it works. I could upgrade by adding pulls but technically you don’t need them and “FINISHED IS BETTER THAN PERFECT.”

The bench hiding in the corner is vintage and was gifted to me by a friend. I sprayed it green. I use it when I need to put makeup on because this area has the best light. I move it in front of my (also) vintage mirror that was orange-ish when I bought it at Long Beach Flea Market for $20. I painted it with the Cracked Pepper by Behr paint that was leftover from my old bedroom (and those old side tables I showed you yesterday).

Let’s touch on some of the decor here:

Ladder: This is vintage, has the most perfect patina, complete with rusty metal wire wrapped around it for no reason at all. I bought it at the Long Beach Flea Market a few years ago for $80 and actually didn’t put it here until the morning of the shoot when that wall looked a little bare. I LOVE it, it will live there forevermore! Sometimes inspiration comes while you DO. There are two Target blankets on the ladder, the pretty fabric is vintage, of course, bought at Long Beach Flea Market, as well. I have plans for it to become pillows for the living room but it does look so nice with the rug in here so…?? The beads hanging are vintage, too (SORRY). 

Shop the Look: Dressers | Dresser Legs | Lamp | Terra Cotta Planter (no longer available) | Linen Shades | Tray

Hanging planter: Also vintage. I bought it from my friends at Taylor + Taylor who are closing their warehouse. I got a sneak peek and grabbed that, the tiny vase on the left nightstand and the awesome wooden canister on the tray. Go follow them to find out the details of when they are opening the warehouse sale to the public (I think it starts this weekend!) Because I know you are going to ask, the plant is an asparagus fern and does well in indirect bright light.

Lamp: From West Elm and I’ve loved it since we used it in the Invitation Home Atlanta shoot. The color ties in with the off-whiteness of the rug and shades and makes that feel purposeful next to the white walls (Polar Bear by Behr for those who definitely will ask).

Window coverings: Let’s talk about the shades real quick! I can’t explain how important sleeping in a completely dark room is to me. Almost as important as dimmable lights and blue-blocking glasses. I have lived for three years with cheap, white, blackout rollers because it was the FIRST thing I put in the house. They worked but they were NOT cute. I knew shades were the only way to go in this room, the windows were just too skinny and awkwardly placed to make curtains work. I had reached out to Barn & Willow about another project that hasn’t come to fruition yet, but in my dialogue with them, asked about my house. They were kind enough to send blackout shades to me and can I just say: window treatments complete a room. We put these up ourselves in an hour (maybe) on a Saturday and I was like “NOW I’m officially a grown-up.” It elevates everything. I got the Relaxed style in Flax. It’s a linen shade and it feels and looks very high-quality. You customize the fabric, style, size, inside or outside mount, the lining and cord style and side. On top of that, they were easy to install and work. Complete darkness for me.

Shop the Look: Oil Diffuser | Ring Holder | Marble Tray (actually just the top of a box) | Lamp | Tray

Tray: To the right of the lamp is the most perfect tray in the history of the world. If you live in LA or plan to visit LA or Ojai, you must go to deKor&Co. My friend Isabelle is the owner of the store and she is also an amazing interior designer. I proudly #paidforthis, it was not the cheapest thing in the world ($170) but that’s because it isn’t the cheapest thing in the world. It’s leather, green, and has beautiful hand stitching around the outside. It is the perfect size and color for the room and good, special trays are SO hard to find. DESIGNERS!! PLEASE!!

Shop the Look: Bench | Art | Cat (ha, jk)

Ah, the ole Stocksund IKEA storage bench ($249). I’ve owned it since we moved in and I needed more storage. Emily has a similar one from Target that she recovered and that inspired me to do the same to this one to upgrade it a bit. It’s something that maybe could have been a DIY but personally, wasn’t worth my time as I don’t have much of that these days. The upholsterer only charged me $90 and I bought the canvas downtown from Pacific Blue Denims. It was cheap, $4.75/yd and I only needed like 3-4 yards ($20). I used the same canvas in my dining nook that will be revealed soon so I bought more than that, but that was the amount I needed here. 

The accordion hook is vintage, from, you guessed it, the Long Beach Flea Market. It was $5 and it’s a great way to store your necklaces and make some wall “art.” The bag on the wall is also a flea market find. It’s become a little too fragile to use but it won’t stop me from turning it into something textural for my walls.

Both pieces of “real” art (that’s a loaded statement. What is real? What is art?) are from MaryAnn Puls. I bought the one to the right of the bench from her when we were in Portland. I don’t recall the price but I do recall it being way too low. I assume she was being kind because I was the one to reach out to her about getting her work in that project. I framed that gorgeous piece of art in a Target frame and guess what?? No one has ever commented on the frame, only the gorge art. The other piece is to the right of the bed. That was a gift from Emily to me. She got a piece of art for each of us for Christmas last year and I LOVE it. I happen to know that that frame is from IKEA. haha…runs in the company. 

Before we briefly get into the closet, I want to touch on the floors because it was a big gripe of mine in yesterday’s intro post. For a quick catch-up, the house originally had three different flooring types. This room was a carpet that looked like it was “prepped” for a horror Netflix original film. We decided on this black hex quickly because it was the only thing in our price point that I didn’t hate. Because the tile was black, we went dark with the wood floor stain everywhere else (including the closet there) so it all blended more seemlessly. It turned out okay.

For a long time, we didn’t have a rug in our bedroom so that was a little chilly but now that there is a rug in there, I don’t notice it too much and I think that it’s worth it to have the floors be more similar. I will say this now though and with conviction: dark floors are NOT for the faint of heart, especially if you have the most magically perfect white cat. I vacuum every day. Every. Single. Day. I mop once a week and the only time the floors truly look clean is the 15 minutes after the moment I wring out the mop. It’s fine though, as with everything, just know your threshold. Your threshold for cleaning AND your threshold for being fine with good enough. I’m one of those people who is weirdly both of those things. I’m a clean freak that’s also like “meh, it’s fine, I tried.” Luckily, vacuuming 863 square feet takes…6 minutes? Invest in a Dyson. That said, I really like the way my plethora of vintage brown wood furniture pops off the dark floors and ultimately wouldn’t choose anything different for myself. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Shop the Look: Dressers | Perfume Tray | Felt Boxes (top of closet) | Rug

If you remember from the intro, this room originally had two closets. We stole from the larger one for the actual square footage of the room so making this small walk-in work for both my husband and me clinched on my mad org skills. We brought in varying heights of MALM dressers from IKEA (the white helps to “blend” them into the wall), then it was about maximizing what was left of the floor space with a shoe rack, and overhead (with plenty of space left over for two cats). 

The larger hanging mirror I found at Sunbeam Vintage on Figueroa and the smaller one on the dresser is vintage from Taylor + Taylor’s warehouse sale.

And that’s it! Puck is here to kick usher you out of the room. Come back later today for a tutorial on the bed DIY if you think you can muster the courage to do it yourself (I promise it’s way easy) and stay tuned for the world’s smallest bathroom reno reveal coming to a blog near you.

The post MOTO Reveal: Emily Bowser’s Bedroom “After” is Unrecognizable from the “Before” appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Makeover Takeover: How EHD Stylist Emily Bowser Tackled Her Awkward Master Bedroom

image credits: top left via apartment therapy | top right via studio ashby | bottom left via archilovers | bottom right via sarah sherman samuel

Emily Bowser, lead EHD stylist here with some Makeover Takeover (MOTO) realness! If you read my first post about buying my income property, you know that that whole ordeal left my husband and me pretty strapped financially from the process, so getting around to actually decorating and furnishing has been a LONG process. If you haven’t read it, I bared my soul (and personal financial information) in a dissertation-style post about the woes of home buying/ownership/renovation in Los Angeles. Candid is my middle name so I figured I would approach my master bedroom/bathroom Makeover Takeover just as frank and open.

Quick recap: 

Bought our tiny two-on-a-lot circa 1930 income property in late 2016 for $600,000 with $22,000 down (FHA).
Knew we had $100,000 of work that needed to be done to the property (which we cobbled together via a renovation loan, family personal loans, work bonuses, and some savings).
Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Classic “I bought a lemon with no real backup plan” situation. $230,000 later, the houses are livable (but we still have very pressing issues to tackle that we’re putting off.

Considering all of that, you may be surprised to know that I am in Switzerland with my husband to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. There was an all too brief period after our refinance (and before my husband lost his job) that we felt like we weren’t in financial ruin. During that time, we bought this trip, so here we are! Luckily the trip included a lot of meals and it’s a bike trip so no rental car needed! However, you’re likely not here to read about my trip, so let’s keep going. 

About a month before we bought the place, I started working for EHD on a freelance basis. I’ve been a part of pretty much every major shoot you’ve seen for the past 3 years. So, even though you may not know me well (I try as hard as I can to stay BEHIND camera), I’ve actually been around for a minute (do the cool kids still say this?). I’ve been working on this room for that entire 3 years; that’s a long time for a space that is maybe 120 square feet (in an 863-square-foot house). Granted, it’s been a crazy few years but also A. Despite what you may assume, MOTOs are expensive (things add up fast even with some gifted items). B. I am the busiest I’ve ever been in my life. MOTOs take TIME; C. I have a thing where I take something to 80% and then halt. Good enough? Fear of failure? Decision paralysis? In this issue of Bowser Is In Over Her Head and Can Only Blame Herself, we’ll hit the numbers, the hours and the real emotional toll that even a professional, at least THIS professional, goes through. Instagram and blog photos can make it look easy, but I want to pull back the curtain and show you that it’s okay if it takes a while to design and style a space because of any/all of the aforementioned reasons. I’ll have the reveal for you tomorrow, but today, I’m walking you through the “intro”: i.e. all the insane, unknown issues we had to fix to get to the “after.”

It’s hard to know where to start because a lot of the problems I had in this house that cost real $$ were throughout the whole house (electrical, foundation, plumbing, flooring, venting, roofing, drywall, paint…you get the point) and a lot was done at the same time so breaking it down to just this room is a little tough, but let’s just go with…

Flooring

When we bought the house, there were three different types of flooring—original wood in the living room and spare bedroom, tile in the dining, kitchen, laundry area, hall and bathroom, carpet in the master bedroom. Worse yet, the tiled spaces were separated. You would walk into the living room with wood floors and to the right, dining, kitchen, laundry (all connected) were tiled. You would go through the living room to the hall where the hall and bathroom on the right were tiled, the spare bedroom on the left had wood floors, and the master at the end of the hall had carpet.

Cute pic of the hall headed towards that gorge carpet sitch.

Here’s the carpet in this room close up. You can see why this room wasn’t even on the Redfin listing for the house.

The finishes were in terrible shape, but beyond that, the fact that they were all DIFFERENT finishes was almost too much. It made the space feel disjointed, which is funny because I live in a circle. You can walk from living room to hall to master to laundry to kitchen to dining to living and round and round you can go, all circling my teeny tiny bathroom (you’ll see that in the coming days, too). In the beginning stages of demo, we realized there was original wood under the dining room tile and the severely termite-damaged wood floor was actually save-able. I would have preferred to have the same flooring throughout the whole space with maybe tile in the bathroom and laundry room. It would make the small space seem the most cohesive. However, with wood in the living, dining and spare bedroom, I would save money by giving them a little love and keeping them original. After we were able to pull up the carpet in the master, we found out that not only was there NOTHING under the carpet (no padding, only subfloor) but it was not original to the house and probably added at some point in the mid-century.

There are two doors into and out of the master—one to the hall, one to the laundry (that we assume used to be a small patio). You would think if the living and spare (and I guess ONLY original) bedroom had original wood, the hall that connected them would be wood. Nope. Nothing but subfloor under that tile. For obvious reasons, it made sense for the kitchen, laundry and bathroom to be tile. To save money, we thought briefly about just replacing the carpet in the master and continuing it through the hall, which made more sense than trying to either match the original wood of the living and spare bedroom or making it the same floor as the bathroom. We still had the problem of three different flooring finishes though which I was not excited about (particularly in a home this size) so we came to the decision to make the master and hall tile, as well. This way there were only two different types of floors.

Expansion

My master bedroom isn’t large, but before we took two closets out, you couldn’t fit a full bed with nightstands in this space. Where the headboard now sits were two, rather large, closets. One was for the spare bedroom, the other for this room. There was a weird but large (for the room) closet that was added on even later than the bedroom (’70s?). It’s about 5’x6′ and around the same size as the one in our former apartment (a space I knew we could make work). Two closets for the master seemed like overkill, but because each closet on that wall was a square, only taking out one closet wouldn’t give me meaningful space. Like most things in this house, it didn’t feel like we really had options, either live in a bedroom the size of a small nursery or lose two of the four closets in the house? I trusted my organizational know-how and got rid of the closets.

Here’s the former closet on the left. Yes, I’m very aware of how creepy this room looks even though it’s in the middle of the day, and white. Note how the closet door had to be shaved down.

This was the other closet with a weird ’70s accordion sliding door. 

This is facing the former closets after demo (the two squares on the ground covered up huge holes so no one fell through), because, turns out, the floor under the closets was very compromised and by compromised I mean falling into the abyss. I would like to say this was the first set back we had but we had already found out that the roof that was only a few years old was severely damaged (installed incorrectly) and rainwater was pouring into our already termite-infested walls and that the kitchen we were going to “live with for a few years” had water damage and we would have to do an entire kitchen renovation we weren’t planning on. No, this was maybe the fifth or sixth big thing in the (maybe) week of owning this house. At this point, we were laugh-crying at the new revelations that awaited us with every passing day. The damage? I believe it was $6,000. EVERYTHING that went wrong was $6,000. Down two closets and $6,000 invisible dollars.

Walls & Windows

There’s a waterfall effect whenever you open up walls. BEWARE. Opening up one corner near some termite damage that we found after the former tenant moved out and moved their furniture turned into the photo above and basically having to replace everything in the house. At this point, every wall was opened up. One positive to having to replace all the original electrical and every window in the house? New drywall. Most of the house was the original stucco and it made it feel like the walls were caving in on you. It would be gorgeous in a bigger house with more character but in this little bungalow, it was aggressive.

All the windows, sans the laundry room window, were replaced. They were put in some time in the ’50s and not put in well. Almost all of them had water damage and then the termites had come in and destroyed the wood framing. We kept the windows in the same places and I think all the same size in this room (that’s almost always the cheapest route). Something kind of funny about this house is how low the windows are. In this room, they are only 26 inches from the floor. They are also on three of the walls and awkwardly in the middle of them, this made finding furniture, specifically storage furniture that we desperately needed after removing two closets, very hard.

Former closet, small window with old AC window unit (fun fact: used men’s tighty-whiteys used as insulation for that unit); bigger window to right.
Here’s the low and largest window next to the closet we kept.
This room has two “entrance” doors. One, to the right of the window, goes to the laundry (which I presume used to be a patio). The open door goes to the hall.
Storage Problem-Solving

Removing the closets fixed our first problem: where to put a bed. Initially, we had an IKEA storage bed in there because we could not, for the life of us, find a low enough dresser to fit anywhere in the room without blocking a window. We also bought an IKEA storage bench to hold all of our extra sheets and blankets to free up space in our hall closet.

The bed was a little too high and clunky for our tastes, so we eventually replaced it with a very cheap and simple Overstock bed that I knew would eventually work with the headboard I had ideated but didn’t have the money to execute at the moment (inspiration below). The nightstands above are vintage and I’ve had them since 2011(?). They were too shabby chic for my tastes now but again, they fit in the space, had a lot of storage, and didn’t require $$. I painted them that dark charcoal when we lived in our last space, which made them feel less cottage-y. The marble light on the right used to be in our living room a few years ago and it was our only light other than the ceiling one until literally last week. I know everyone is going to ask about the wall hanging. I’m sorry to say that it is vintage. I found it in Seattle and it is part of a buoy line? I think that’s what they’re called. Like lane dividers in pools but cooler and not plastic. When I saw them, I had a physical reaction. My friend Lauren lent me an old bag so that I could check them and get them home. They are the muse for what the space is now (tomorrow!) but you should know I had them for a year and a half before the room actually came into fruition. I like to muse a lot, what can I say?

Speaking of musing, this was the bed I was originally influenced by on Pinterest:

image via apartment therapy

I liked the built-in feel of it with the wrap-around. I thought it would make the space seem more expansive and custom. Originally, I was going to do it with raw plywood and go all the way to the ceiling which I still think would be really cool but ultimately wanted something that felt softer. From there, the idea became: “what can I actually easily do?” Shorter, not ceiling height, and in panels (which would make for easier install). Turns out Sarah Sherman Samuel had a similar and obviously more professionally done idea for Mandy Moore’s bedroom:

image and design via sarah sherman samuel

When I saw this, I did think I should scrap it all (in the name of “originality”) but ultimately it was the idea I liked the most for myself SO HERE WE ARE. I guess Mandy Moore and I have one more thing in common: two cats. We both have two cats.

Before I wrap this up, I wanted to share something I’ve found interesting about myself that might help anyone who feels “stuck” with a room design. Coming into styling, it was very very important for me to learn from Emily that you just need to start, to put the pen to paper and create. I procrastinate, possibly because my natural state is more of a muse-r and less of a do-er. Styling is DOing. Sometimes you come into a completely empty space in the morning and that space better be ready to be photographed by EOD. You cannot wait for inspiration to strike. Don’t have that completely perfect vase? Make the less than perfect options work. Or maybe put a lamp there instead. Or a decorative object. Or a glass of water. Funny thing is, when you start, inspiration generally comes. “Finished is better than perfect” is something Emily says a lot and something that was freeing for me with work but when it came to my own space, I had stopped dead in my tracks. Knowing it was going to be on the blog, that I couldn’t hide behind the brand or the camera and that this space would be just ME, that was a lot for my blend in and disappear (enneagram type 9) personality. You could say I over-mused this bedroom. Sure, I was broke, sure, I didn’t have a lot of free time but I was waiting for perfect and perfection wasn’t going to come. Perfect is boring anyway, right?

On that note, I’ll leave you with a little (black and white) sneak peek, Emily Henderson style because that lady loves a “sneak peek”. Come back tomorrow to see how this all played out in the master bedroom.

 

 

The post Makeover Takeover: How EHD Stylist Emily Bowser Tackled Her Awkward Master Bedroom appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Too Many Closets & Not Enough Space: How EHD Stylist Emily Bowser Tackled Her Awkward Master Bedroom

image credits: top left via apartment therapy | top right via studio ashby | bottom left via archilovers | bottom right via sarah sherman samuel

Emily Bowser, lead EHD stylist here with some Makeover Takeover (MOTO) realness! If you read my first post about buying my income property, you know that that whole ordeal left my husband and I pretty strapped financially from the process, so getting around to actually decorating and furnishing has been a LONG process. If you haven’t read it, I basically bore my soul (and personal financial information) in a dissertation-style post about the woes of home buying/ownership/renovation in Los Angeles. Candid is my middle name so I figured I would approach my master bedroom/bathroom Makeover Takeover just as frank and open.

Quick recap: 

Bought our tiny two-on-a-lot circa 1930 income property in late 2016 for $600,000 with $22,000 down (FHA).
Knew we had $100,000 of work that needed to be done to the property (which we cobbled together via a renovation loan, family personal loans, work bonuses, and some savings).
Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Classic “I bought a lemon with no real backup plan” situation. $230,000 later, the houses are livable (but we still have very pressing issues to tackle that we’re putting off.

Considering all of that, you may be surprised to know that I am in Switzerland with my husband to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. There was an all too brief period after our refinance (and before my husband lost his job) that we felt like we weren’t in financial ruin. During that time, we bought this trip, so here we are! Luckily the trip included a lot of meals and it’s a bike trip so no rental car needed! However, you’re likely not here to read about my trip, so let’s keep going. 

About a month before we bought the place, I started working for EHD on a freelance basis. I’ve been a part of pretty much every major shoot you’ve seen for the past 3 years. So, even though you may not know me well (I try as hard as I can to stay BEHIND camera), I’ve actually been around for a minute (do the cool kids still say this?). I’ve been working on this room for that entire 3 years; that’s a long time for a space that is maybe 120 square feet (in an 863-square-foot house). Granted, it’s been a crazy few years but also A. Despite what you may assume, MOTOs are expensive (things add up fast even with some gifted items). B. I am the busiest I’ve ever been in my life. MOTOs take TIME; C. I have a thing where I take something to 80% and then halt. Good enough? Fear of failure? Decision paralysis? In this issue of Bowser Is In Over Her Head and Can Only Blame Herself, we’ll hit the numbers, the hours and the real emotional toll that even a professional, at least THIS professional, goes through. Instagram and blog photos can make it look easy, but I want to pull back the curtain and show you that it’s okay if it takes a while to design and style a space because of any/all of the aforementioned reasons. I’ll have the reveal for you tomorrow, but today, I’m walking you through the “intro”: i.e. all the insane, unknown issues we had to fix to get to the “after.”

It’s hard to know where to start because a lot of the problems I had in this house that cost real $$ were throughout the whole house (electrical, foundation, plumbing, flooring, venting, roofing, drywall, paint…you get the point) and a lot was done at the same time so breaking it down to just this room is a little tough, but let’s just go with…

Flooring

When we bought the house, there were three different types of flooring—original wood in the living room and spare bedroom, tile in the dining, kitchen, laundry area, hall and bathroom, carpet in the master bedroom. Worse yet, the tiled spaces were separated. You would walk into the living room with wood floors and to the right, dining, kitchen, laundry (all connected) were tiled. You would go through the living room to the hall where the hall and bathroom on the right were tiled, the spare bedroom on the left had wood floors, and the master at the end of the hall had carpet.

Cute pic of the hall headed towards that gorge carpet sitch.

Here’s the carpet in this room close up. You can see why this room wasn’t even on the Redfin listing for the house.

The finishes were in terrible shape, but beyond that, the fact that they were all DIFFERENT finishes was almost too much. It made the space feel disjointed, which is funny because I live in a circle. You can walk from living room to hall to master to laundry to kitchen to dining to living and round and round you can go, all circling my teeny tiny bathroom (you’ll see that in the coming days, too). In the beginning stages of demo, we realized there was original wood under the dining room tile and the severely termite-damaged wood floor was actually save-able. I would have preferred to have the same flooring throughout the whole space with maybe tile in the bathroom and laundry room. It would make the small space seem the most cohesive. However, with wood in the living, dining and spare bedroom, I would save money by giving them a little love and keeping them original. After we were able to pull up the carpet in the master, we found out that not only was there NOTHING under the carpet (no padding, only subfloor) but it was not original to the house and probably added at some point in the mid-century.

There are two doors into and out of the master—one to the hall, one to the laundry (that we assume used to be a small patio). You would think if the living and spare (and I guess ONLY original) bedroom had original wood, the hall that connected them would be wood. Nope. Nothing but subfloor under that tile. For obvious reasons, it made sense for the kitchen, laundry and bathroom to be tile. To save money, we thought briefly about just replacing the carpet in the master and continuing it through the hall, which made more sense than trying to either match the original wood of the living and spare bedroom or making it the same floor as the bathroom. We still had the problem of three different flooring finishes though which I was not excited about (particularly in a home this size) so we came to the decision to make the master and hall tile, as well. This way there were only two different types of floors.

Expansion

My master bedroom isn’t large, but before we took two closets out, you couldn’t fit a full bed with nightstands in this space. Where the headboard now sits were two, rather large, closets. One was for the spare bedroom, the other for this room. There was a weird but large (for the room) closet that was added on even later than the bedroom (’70s?). It’s about 5’x6′ and around the same size as the one in our former apartment (a space I knew we could make work). Two closets for the master seemed like overkill, but because each closet on that wall was a square, only taking out one closet wouldn’t give me meaningful space. Like most things in this house, it didn’t feel like we really had options, either live in a bedroom the size of a small nursery or lose two of the four closets in the house? I trusted my organizational know-how and got rid of the closets.

Here’s the former closet on the left. Yes, I’m very aware of how creepy this room looks even though it’s in the middle of the day, and white. Note how the closet door had to be shaved down.

This was the other closet with a weird ’70s accordion sliding door. 

This is facing the former closets after demo (the two squares on the ground covered up huge holes so no one fell through), because, turns out, the floor under the closets was very compromised and by compromised I mean falling into the abyss. I would like to say this was the first set back we had but we had already found out that the roof that was only a few years old was severely damaged (installed incorrectly) and rainwater was pouring into our already termite-infested walls and that the kitchen we were going to “live with for a few years” had water damage and we would have to do an entire kitchen renovation we weren’t planning on. No, this was maybe the fifth or sixth big thing in the (maybe) week of owning this house. At this point, we were laugh-crying at the new revelations that awaited us with every passing day. The damage? I believe it was $6,000. EVERYTHING that went wrong was $6,000. Down two closets and $6,000 invisible dollars.

Walls & Windows

There’s a waterfall effect whenever you open up walls. BEWARE. Opening up one corner near some termite damage that we found after the former tenant moved out and moved their furniture turned into the photo above and basically having to replace everything in the house. At this point, every wall was opened up. One positive to having to replace all the original electrical and every window in the house? New drywall. Most of the house was the original stucco and it made it feel like the walls were caving in on you. It would be gorgeous in a bigger house with more character but in this little bungalow, it was aggressive.

All the windows, sans the laundry room window, were replaced. They were put in some time in the ’50s and not put in well. Almost all of them had water damage and then the termites had come in and destroyed the wood framing. We kept the windows in the same places and I think all the same size in this room (that’s almost always the cheapest route). Something kind of funny about this house is how low the windows are. In this room, they are only 26 inches from the floor. They are also on three of the walls and awkwardly in the middle of them, this made finding furniture, specifically storage furniture that we desperately needed after removing two closets, very hard.

Former closet, small window with old AC window unit (fun fact: used men’s tighty-whiteys used as insulation for that unit); bigger window to right.
Here’s the low and largest window next to the closet we kept.
This room has two “entrance” doors. One, to the right of the window, goes to the laundry (which I presume used to be a patio). The open door goes to the hall.
Storage Problem-Solving

Removing the closets fixed our first problem: where to put a bed. Initially, we had an IKEA storage bed in there because we could not, for the life of us, find a low enough dresser to fit anywhere in the room without blocking a window. We also bought an IKEA storage bench to hold all of our extra sheets and blankets to free up space in our hall closet.

The bed was a little too high and clunky for our tastes, so we eventually replaced it with a very cheap and simple Overstock bed that I knew would eventually work with the headboard I had ideated but didn’t have the money to execute at the moment (inspiration below). The nightstands above are vintage and I’ve had them since 2011(?). They were too shabby chic for my tastes now but again, they fit in the space, had a lot of storage, and didn’t require $$. I painted them that dark charcoal when we lived in our last space, which made them feel less cottage-y. The marble light on the right used to be in our living room a few years ago and it was our only light other than the ceiling one until literally last week. I know everyone is going to ask about the wall hanging. I’m sorry to say that it is vintage. I found it in Seattle and it is part of a buoy line? I think that’s what they’re called. Like lane dividers in pools but cooler and not plastic. When I saw them, I had a physical reaction. My friend Lauren lent me an old bag so that I could check them and get them home. They are the muse for what the space is now (tomorrow!) but you should know I had them for a year and a half before the room actually came into fruition. I like to muse a lot, what can I say?

Speaking of musing, this was the bed I was originally influenced by on Pinterest:

image via apartment therapy

I liked the built-in feel of it with the wrap-around. I thought it would make the space seem more expansive and custom. Originally, I was going to do it with raw plywood and go all the way to the ceiling which I still think would be really cool but ultimately wanted something that felt softer. From there, the idea became: “what can I actually easily do?” Shorter, not ceiling height, and in panels (which would make for easier install). Turns out Sarah Sherman Samuel had a similar and obviously more professionally done idea for Mandy Moore’s bedroom:

image and design via sarah sherman samuel

When I saw this, I did think I should scrap it all (in the name of “originality”) but ultimately it was the idea I liked the most for myself SO HERE WE ARE. I guess Mandy Moore and I have one more thing in common: two cats. We both have two cats.

Before I wrap this up, I wanted to share something I’ve found interesting about myself that might help anyone who feels “stuck” with a room design. Coming into styling, it was very very important for me to learn from Emily that you just need to start, to put the pen to paper and create. I procrastinate, possibly because my natural state is more of a muse-r and less of a do-er. Styling is DOing. Sometimes you come into a completely empty space in the morning and that space better be ready to be photographed by EOD. You cannot wait for inspiration to strike. Don’t have that completely perfect vase? Make the less than perfect options work. Or maybe put a lamp there instead. Or a decorative object. Or a glass of water. Funny thing is, when you start, inspiration generally comes. “Finished is better than perfect” is something Emily says a lot and something that was freeing for me with work but when it came to my own space, I had stopped dead in my tracks. Knowing it was going to be on the blog, that I couldn’t hide behind the brand or the camera and that this space would be just ME, that was a lot for my blend in and disappear (enneagram type 9) personality. You could say I over-mused this bedroom. Sure, I was broke, sure, I didn’t have a lot of free time but I was waiting for perfect and perfection wasn’t going to come. Perfect is boring anyway, right?

On that note, I’ll leave you with a little (black and white) sneak peek, Emily Henderson style because that lady loves a “sneak peek”. Come back tomorrow to see how this all played out in the master bedroom.

 

 

The post Too Many Closets & Not Enough Space: How EHD Stylist Emily Bowser Tackled Her Awkward Master Bedroom appeared first on Emily Henderson.

These Unique Beds & Headboards Will Make You Want to Rethink Your Bedroom Style

design by studio shamshiri | image via architectural digest | photo by stephen kent johnson

Despite the complete lack of any final designs, I have been thinking, dreaming and getting hard, random pangs of headboard ideas for my bed nook . Yes, someday (hopefully in the not too far future), you will see where I rest my head and the headboard I WILL design. Our office was closed the last week in August, and over our break, I whispered the first whims of a custom headboard to my father and you could visibly see the fear in his eyes. But because he is truly the greatest and most likely forgot what a pain in the butt I was during my other MOTO projects (check out my DIY-filled living room and kitchen here), he restrained himself from instantly running away and instead talked me through one of the top design contenders. My goal? Something wooden, “cool,” simple but interesting and easy “enough” (for my dad) to make. No problem and will most likely not result in the end of our otherwise great father-daughter relationship…right?

right: image via domino | design by phoebe nicol | left: image via remodelista | design by studio shamshiri

The headboards above and below have all been HUGE inspirations for me. The predictability of my love for squiggles is stupid at this point. BUT the curves, interesting details and the attention they demand are (once again) proof that getting a little “risky” with your bed (like we proved with sofas and accents tables) gives your bedroom personality and uniqueness. That is really what I want.

image and design via chzon | photo by karel balas

In my long and vast headboard research, I was seeing a ton of really awesome headboards and beds. Wonderful products that don’t cause you to risk your family’s happiness and instead you can just BUY. Like click, purchase and install…all in a completely reasonable timeline. An obvious foreign concept to me. So I thought to put my madness to good use by rounding up 62 of my favorite “not your average” headboards and beds if like me, you are searching for something outside of the rectangle.

styled by nc interiors and greenhouse interiors | image via nc interiors | photo by armelle habib

I want to kick it off with my headboard crew. Whether you prefer just a headboard or have no other choice (like me), there are a lot of great, cool options that are actually very reasonably priced. To break up the price points, let’s start with the most affordable with the under $400 category (FYI a lot are under $250).

1. Paloma Metal Retro Headboard | 2. Curved Headboard | 3. Arched Headboard | 4. Palmera Fan Headboard | 5. Natural Woven Wingback Headboard | 6. Headboard in Beige & Navy Blue | 7. Upholstered Channel Stitched Headboard | 8. Mid-Century Wood and Synthetic Rattan Wrap-Around Headboard | 9. Peacock Rattan Queen Headboard | 10. Linen French Yellow Tufted Headboard | 11. Noctis Headboard | 12. Lynette Headboard | 13. Duke Metal Headboard | 14. Imelda Grey Headboard

If I had to pick my favorites, I would go with #1, #2, #8, #14. The first one is a pretty killer and a crazy affordable dupe of an Anthropologie bed you may have seen. The second is a beautiful, modern and simple shape that looks awesome in that velvet pink. #8 looks like a great affordable canned headboard option but can also be purchased as a full bed if that works better for you. Lastly, I really like #14 because of its simple shape. However, if I were to buy it, I would paint it a deep jewel tone color to modernize it a bit. Don’t forget that you can always DIY if something isn’t exactly what you want.

Onto the more expensive bunch…

1. Bed Head | 2. Antique Pine Queen Size Headboard | 3. Slipcover Headboard | 4. Buchanan Headboard | 5. Sera Headboard | 6. 1970s Vintage Polished Chrome King Size Headboard | 7. Stella Bedhead | 8. Paxton Headboard | 9. Boho Chic Rattan Full Headboard | 10. Velvet-Upholstered Headboard | 11. Camden Untufted Headboard | 12. Lempi Headboard | 13. Mid-Century Modern Italian Faux Bamboo Gilt Metal Queen Headboard | 14. Zane Headboard

I love LOVE #1 and #2 for the same reasons: Raw wood, simple and special. I think #6 is just sick. It’s vintage from Chairish so it’s incredibly unique which makes sense why it’s on the pricier side. Lastly, I really love #8 because the shape is interesting and that Kelly Wearstler fabric is one of my favorites.

Now that we have headboards pretty much down, let’s move onto beds…

design by amber interiors | photo by tessa neustadt

It’s probably no surprise but beds are usually more expensive than headboards and “unique” beds also come with a higher price tag than your average bed. However, I searched the internet to find the best “less conventional” looking beds that range a decent number of budgets. I also want to say there is NOTHING wrong with a simple rectangle headboard bed. It’s all about what speaks to you and what you love. There are millions of ways to show your personality. But maybe some of you will find your dream bed now…

1. Ava Pink Bed | 2. Bobila Cane Bed | 3. Black Wrought Iron Queen Size Sleigh Bed | 4. Southwick Farmhouse Queen Size Metal Canopy Bed | 5. Landscape Live Edge Bed | 6. Isabella Platform Bed | 7. DELAKTIG | 8. Irving Iron Bed | 9. Lana Upholstered Bed | 10. Ria Rattan Bed | 11. Camila Bed | 12. The Emily & Meritt Shell Upholstered Bed | 13. Paxton Bed | 14. Aria Metal Bed | 15. Camille Bed | 16. Thalia Bed

Man, this is fun to look at these beds but my favorites (I think, it’s so hard): #1, #3, #4, and #11. #1 looks like the most luxurious hug in the world. #3 is such a cool, modern traditional vintage bed that I would absolutely own if I could. #4 kills me! I think everyone should buy this bed now before Target realizes it’s way underpriced. #11’s style is very much what I am currently into and would highly consider it if I could. I think I’m really making my bed nook design sound cryptic at this point. You’ll see what my challengers are in due time.

Our LA Playroom Update With Solutions That Work For Us + Another DIY Fail

There is no room that I apologize for more than this one. And while I know we are all done apologizing, I physically can’t help it because I’m TRULY regretful that I can’t seem to figure this one out. When new people walk in I immediately distract them to the left, into the living room with a ‘nothing to see over there!’ vibe. It’s gotten better, thank god so today you are going to see where we are at now, and how I’m stuck and another epic DIY fail.

When I started this playroom, the kids were 2 and 4. They are now 3 1/2 and 5 1/2 and if I don’t start speeding this up I will have two tweens no longer interested in playing ‘horsies’ or ‘inventor’. But I was distracted by the mountain house and at such a loss of what to do here that I just couldn’t.

Here’s where we started:

BEFORE:

When we bought the house, it looked like the above photo. Sure, easy enough. It would be the playroom, er, TV room, er both…

But I’d make it cozy…paint it really dark, not realizing that it would chop up the house so much and make it feel so much smaller.

That was makeshift, obviously, with leftover furniture, not actually designed, but you get the idea.

So we painted it light and got a sofa that was better scale for the space, but it was still a TV room with some toy storage in the back. (The sofa now lives in the apartment of our last Feel Good Flash Makeover.

But then we realized that the kids really needed a playroom, a space just for them. We nixed the sofa and TV and brought in a bunch of toy storage.

We made the same mistake that a lot of new parents make—too many toys, not enough that they actually play with or engage with for a long time. Bins of balls, action heroes and garbage that they pull out all day every day but they don’t really engage with. They liked the play kitchen, but the rest was mostly for other kids to be enamored with, not them. As much as I begged them to play dollhouse with me, they weren’t old enough. Even that adorable workbench that we got for them for Christmas sat totally untouched unless we did it with them. What they love are two things: arts and crafts and building things (think Legos).

THE CHALLENGES:

It’s a long skinny room that needs to function as the playroom (for now) but you see it IMMEDIATELY when you walk in. I actually wanted to put in some glass doors and somehow figure out how to decrease its importance and give it its own space (because someday it would be a great home office) but Brian wasn’t on board as he thought it would break up the space too much and make it feel smaller (it would).

It has an architectural break in the wall, almost creating two different spaces, but it’s awkward.

You can see it from many rooms on the first floor so it can’t scream TOYS and instead, should look pulled together. You know, as if an actual designer lives here, but I still want it to be playful and fun, you know, as if it’s an actual playroom.

Additionally, the lighting felt too big. It doesn’t look like it in the photos, but I just wanted to simplify it a bit.

After trying a million different layouts, I drew inspiration from, well, our preschool and had the idea that maybe where the wall juts out should be its own “room,” with cubby dividers creating walls and a sense of privacy for them. Not because they need privacy, but because creating zones seems like what little kids like, and areas where they can imagine and play felt right for their age. I was right and this was a huge hit with them.

The good news:

MURAL: I love that mural so much. I ordered it from Rebel Walls and you can size it exactly to your wall so it fits perfectly. And yes, we put it over the plaster wall because we didn’t want to skim coat over the original pretty plaster as we knew that someday we would likely remove it and then we’d have one flat wall. We customized the color to be a nice muted navy blue and white. It’s graphic yet exciting, as it’s not too busy and it’s playful in an old-world way (matching our 100-year-old English Tudor).

LIGHTING: I switched out the lighting so that the sconces matched the living room (we stole two from the living room over the bookshelves and instead put in horizontal art lights—I’ll show you soon). They project less into the room but still provide nice lighting (the house has no can lighting and we didn’t put any in except for in the kitchen and bathrooms during the remodel). We switched out the ceiling fixture to be glass (from Rejuvenation) so it took up less visual space. It is raw brass so it will age really nicely. I love them both.

RUG: The round rug really helps that space feel brighter and more playful. Obviously a round white rug in a playroom seems a bit nuts, so I bought an inexpensive one in hopes that if it only lasts for a couple of years, I’m at least not wasting too much money. The other options we considered are a darker round rug (which might have been a better choice long-term) or using Flor tiles. But out of desperation on a Saturday morning, I pressed “purchase” and you know what? It’s been TWO months and it still looks this white. It’s cheap, 100% polyester or rayon and for some reason, maybe that it’s such a high pile, it hasn’t stained at all. I came up with a genius rule that there are not paints in the craft room, which they don’t miss (remember we can play/paint year-round outside in LA) so it’s actually GREAT.

ART TABLE: I bought the table a year ago and put on the taller legs that came with it so it’s a great height for them (and us) to sit at. I used Target stools that come with a different table that was too small, but we had leftover from another project. I wish they sold them on their own. Elliot sits here for HOURS a day. She spends more time drawing than I ever knew a child could. It’s amazing.

BOOKCASES: I used that architectural break to divide the room with bookcases. They each take a side. On Charlie’s, he has his Legos (the kid is SUPER into Legos, guys) and he displays them on the top shelf. Birdie has a ton of beads, treasure boxes, princess crowns and horses. I already had these Pillowfort bookcases/cubbies from Target that were functional and great but the back of them had a wood/white detail that was too busy to be seen from the back.

So here were our options:

Make it look more “built-in” and cover it with with the same white as the molding and even add trim pieces like a baseboard and a trim piece against the wall to make it look “built-in.” That is a lot of work though for two pieces of furniture that are definitely NOT built-in.
Make the back of the shelves functional (as in create some sort of feature for them).

The Pottery Barn shelving (from the “befores”) is now upstairs in their room (not all of it—some is in storage).

After thinking about it for a while, we realized that we would be spending way too much time/money trying to make a piece of furniture look built-in. If it were something we could do ourselves (Brian and I), that would be different but paying someone (our handy PA, Shade) to do it could take hours and add up to hundreds.

So instead, we had this idea that we would put a pegboard on the back that could be a few different interactive things, such as:

Rubberband art:

images: left via instructables | right via kara paslay designs

Marble run or tubes that you snake around the pegs:

images: left via frugal fun 4 boys | right via frugal fun 4 boys

You can use cardboard tubes like they did on the left, or really bendable tubes, or PVC pipes like they did on the right.

We do need more art storage for more maker supplies so we also thought that one of them could be styled out more like this:

image via cup of jo

This is where it all started going/rolling downhill.

Because we are perfectionists, we felt that we couldn’t use something readymade. WE don’t just buy pegboard, no, and certainly not a system from IKEA that would, well, create the most perfect and functional art wall. NO, we have far too much time and money to waste to do a simple solution!

Instead, Shade would buy some plywood, cut it perfectly to size and drill each hole INDIVIDUALLY, then attach it to the back of the shelves (after bolting them together).  Sounds easy, but this did, of course, take time and time is money. I think he spent a day and a half on it, which is about $350 in labor (not including materials). We ordered some marble run stuff and attached the pegs to them so they could move it around and create their own creation.

The problem is by customizing our own holes, it fits no art system because they aren’t spaced apart in a standard way.

I’ll remind you what it looks like:

We found these raw wood marble run pieces and glued pegs into them, with the hope that they can be rearranged on the peg wall and be an interactive game that our kids will spend hours quietly playing with.

The kids came home that first day, got excited then realized that they are VERY hard to take in and out and went back to Legos and art. Even when I sat down to do it, I got frustrated. It could be that they are too young, but it’s frankly just more annoying and the payoff (a marble rolling) isn’t worth their frustration.

Admittedly, it does look fun, but for whatever reason, they don’t like it. It’s kinda hard and again the payoff isn’t worth it.

Around the same time, we bought an art system for the play attic at the mountain house that was awesome (update on that space with photos coming soon). I then realized that we had gone through all this trouble to create a custom system that already exists readymade and affordable, only better and more functional! It would be like spending months designing a chair that already exists.

Cool. Sure, it’s white and plastic and ours is raw wood and pretty, but I actually think that white would work better in here anyway. Why didn’t we just do this in the first place? Honestly, because I haven’t been to IKEA in years and didn’t know it existed. I was hasty. Too busy to research. Preferring instead to spend time and money customizing something that doesn’t work.

Additionally, after ours was done, I thought we couldn’t find pegs that really fit easily because the ones that we bought for the marble runs were too big and tight. Then last week, I decided to, you know, measure the holes. From there, I Googled pegs that size, ordered them and boom. The morning of the shoot, I set up the rubber band activity and it looked cute. I couldn’t find rubberbands so I used Birdie’s hairtyes to show you the function.

PLOT TWIST:

When the kids came home from school on Thursday (when we shot this), they started playing with the rubberband wall and proceeded to play for a while (I’d say around 25 minutes which is a long engagement time for a 3 and 5-year-old). Birdie wanted rubber bands on her side so we took out the marble run and they put the pegs in where they wanted them, moved them around and made patterns, letters and shapes with the hair ties. We then found our actual rubber bands, started playing with those and guess what? It’s a really fun guitar wall and they played with that for a while.

So now I’m thinking that maybe it wasn’t an epic DIY fail but only time will tell. Part of me wants to fill the holes and paint it white and then attach the art organization system I mentioned we already have at the mountain house.

I did, however, buy them a cart full of garbage to play with in the meantime.

We call it the “makers cart” or the “inventor cart.” It’s full of recyclables (plastic containers, cans, paper towel rolls, newspaper), different tapes (I need to buy stock in 3M or Scotch because the amount of tape we buy for them to make things is INSANE), magnets, screws/bolts/brackets, strings, pipe cleaners, etc. Hell, we put all takeout materials in there—chopsticks, plastic forks, etc…

Like I said, LITERAL GARBAGE, but it makes us feel way less bad if they at least get some creativity out of that waste. Charlie LOVES it. Birdie is much more into art and coloring, but Charlie loves inventing things and our neighbor (my best friend’s son) tortures her with bringing home his “inventions” daily (riddling her house with our garbage).

So there’s one success.

I also LOVE this art wall. Like nothing makes me happier than when they finish something and ask me if they can put it on the wall (not sure why they ask).

So the next challenge is making a big bulletin board that is actually pretty. Here are my ideas:

Put it in an interesting shape, like a house. Have it lean or start on the floor so that they can reach and add their own finished pieces.
Use masonite (a soft composite) and cover in a fabric (likely a pretty linen or maybe a subtle pattern).
Mount a thick roll of cork to plywood then paint it a color or white.
Frame or trim it out with thin wood.

Like so:

image via live loud girl

I’ve tried to think about different shapes that make sense, to try to reinvent this but I haven’t come up with something that would be easy to execute that makes sense for art. I love the graphicness of the house, and remember that we have a big moment, the mural on the opposite side of the room.

Okay. This room also needs to kinda function as the kids mud-room. So we brought in that bench that has great storage, but also provides a great drop place for the kids’ bags and shoes, as if they put them there, EVER. HA. They are getting better, but the first week of school they dropped them within inches of the door, on the floor.

The drawers right now hold more art supplies and paper, but will be great for either shoes or homework stuff later. We had it at the foot of our bed for a while (which we loved) but we needed it down here more.

I was going to get a bigger mirror, possibly pill-shaped because its 2019 and evidently we DON’T do rectangles in 2019, but then I found this vintage Thonet mirror at a thrift store near the mountain house and couldn’t not buy it (I think it was like $45) and so one day I put it up on an already existing nail and realized that I actually might love it here.

Side note: I never bought or installed nice grate covers. I meant to. I have had it on my list for 2 years now. It’s a long list but above it are things like “raise children” and “stay alive” which are taking more time than I had predicted, so the bottom of the list sits there unchecked. Instead, we have the $3 ones that I feel like you could buy at 7-11. I really need to replace them and will, I promise. (I have a personal assistant now so maybe it will happen before 2025!).

Now I need to decide if I want to add hooks for bags and make it look like a proper Pinterest-worthy mudroom or just call it and let them put their bags on the bench because that is more likely to actually happen.

So I’d love any and all opinions on what to do in here. I know I want to create a more awesome art wall. I know that Birdie would like easier access to art supplies, but we could just do another cart full of supplies and tools and keep the rubberband art. Also right now she is super into colored pencils because that is what is in front of her, why do I need to add more? Less is more with kids, right?

Resources:

Toy Cubbies | Table | Stools (similar) | Rug | Bench | Wall Mural | Ceiling Flushmount | Sconces | Supply Cart | Marble Run Set | Play Kitchen

***Update photos by Veronica Crawford

The post Our LA Playroom Update With Solutions That Work For Us + Another DIY Fail appeared first on Emily Henderson.