Emily Henderson's Blog, page 5

My Big Announcement (Hint: First Time In Emily History…)

Today is an exclusive sneak peek for you readers before it’s blasted to the world. You see Sean Lowe, yes, the most likable former bachelor, and I have something to tell you. We’ve partnered up to launch my first line of sofas next week, called Room Service…with Wayfair, all made in America. First time in Emily history (sorry it took me a minute:))

A backstory feels necessary here – how did we get here exactly? Sean and his business partner, Clay Silver, started a furniture company 10 years ago. You see, right after he finished The Bachelor (how cute are he and Catherine on social?), he asked Clay, his long-time best friend, for his dream pit-style sectional as a wedding gift. Clay’s family has decades of furniture manufacturing and selling experience, and they have been very successful in this really challenging space. The sectional went viral, so with that success, they built a really robust line and company of their own (I had no idea, TBH). They were ready to expand so they approached me with a very clear pitch – I would design the furniture (with help from my talented team), with full creative control, while he and Clay would handle all the factory contracts, operations, logistics, fabric procurement, manufacturing, inventory, and customer service – all the stuff that is outside my expertise/experience or desire, frankly. My interest was piqued enough to jump on a call with them, which went really well. They seemed honest, nice, smart, experienced, and again, willing to give us full creative design control while taking away our stress. It just felt natural and easy. I still was unsure I had the bandwidth to do it, but my team cheerleaded around me and convinced me it was the right time and that they were the right operations partner (they were right!). A year and a half later, we have a line of sofas that we are so proud of. I love each of them so much. I’ll go more into what is so great about them all next week and why we designed the exactly the way we did, I promise (but know that my team and I – led by Jess) really obsessed over the comfort, quality and being the right level of stylish (not too trendy, but not basic!). A true EHD collaboration on all fronts – I’m continuously so grateful for my team.

And get this…We partnered with Wayfair on this line because they are a trusted company that has mastered the science of logistics and delivery – they can get our pieces into your home within a couple of weeks at minimal delivery costs. It’s a real love triangle. A furniture industry throuple (using real restraint here, not to use more “final rose” puns). Our collective goal is to help you have stylish and comfortable furniture, quickly, so you can enjoy your home more, now. The whole thing has been so fun and fulfilling.

A First Sneak Peek…

So here they are – and there are more sizes and colors available. Everything is live on Wayfair’s site and purchasable as of today. The reason I wanted to give you, my loyal blog readers (THANK YOU), a heads up is that we fear some will sell out (they can’t stock 100 of each SKU). Wayfair has a massive catalogue feature and big marketing and advertising campaign going up soon. So if you are in the market for a sofa, you have over the weekend before it gets blasted on social and I start telling the world about it. But the good news if any should sell out, they can be made and shipped quickly (no 10-12 week lead times) because we are made in America and have a fantastic factory in Texas (of which I’ve visited twice to sit on my babies and make sure they are good enough for my own family/home – they are). We tweaked the design a lot (ask Sean), and I specifically obsessed about the comfort and family-friendliness of them all (the perfect foam/padding combination for each sitting experience). More to come on Monday, I’m so excited. But if you are in the market for a sofa or just want to see what me and my team have been up to, feel free to check out Room Service here. It’s been a real journey:)

*Photos by Kaitlin Green

The First Tour Inside Our 1850s Carriage House – Let The Restoration Begin!!!!!

When we first found our farm property in 2019, I knew that our main house (that we now live in) had a ton of potential to be beautiful and the perfect place to raise our family, but this house, this is the one that my heart screamed for from day one. Today you’ll see why, folks. We are finally embarking on the restoration of this house this year, and I will absolutely be learning about its history and sharing it with you. And while I could blab about it for 5 paragraphs (and will), I know you want to just skip to the photos and see the sweetness for yourself, so here you go… (she says with a giddy excitement never felt before)!!!! Oh, and if you like to play the “Every time she says the word ‘charming’” drinking game, I might suggest using water or something ABV. IT’S A LOT.

If watching a video is more your style…check out our latest YouTube to see the empty “befores” in motion, plus some quick and dirty facts from our history-savvy inspector:

The Main Floor – The Original “Family Room”

While we are still learning about the history of this house, we believe this room specifically to have been built first in 1850 by whoever ran the homestead, which we know very little about (more to come soon!). It’s oddly cute/charming with a ton of wood paneling (this is before drywall, and we were told that the Pacific Northwest didn’t plaster walls back then, so paneling was just what was done).

The original kitchen was to the left (where the wood-burning stove is), and then the “kitchen” to the right was likely added after the turn of the century (1930s -1950s). Can we talk about the colors and the scalloped trim everywhere???? I mean, it’s painfully charming.

Walking into this room, everyone is in awe of how stinking cute it is – the wood ceiling (in fantastic shape), the scallops (not in great shape, but replicable), and the paint tones. See below…

The green paint inside the old “kitchen” is so beautiful, the blue stairs, the light blue door – I mean, they nailed these tones (and yes, the paint is full of lead paint – more on that later.) This room has one huge window and the big sliding door (light when open, dark when closed). The vibe is 10/10 (says me, I think my kids and Brian have very different opinions on the creepy factor of this house).

So as you walk in, the turn of the century kitchen is to the right, the old wood burning stove is straight ahead, the stairs to the bedroom floor are in front, the “canning room” is through that dark doorway straight back, and our old prop room (light blue) is to the left. It just occurred to me that I want to do a floorplan for you or maybe even one of those real estate videos where you use an arrow to move you through a house – ooh, that would be so fun!!

The main room is big enough for a little kitchen, dining table, and sitting area, but we are going to wait til the next post to tell you what are plans are (also because maybe we don’t have them yet, lol). That blue hutch was bought online from Sweden – don’t get too excited, it sadly didn’t come with the house, just too heavy to move for the shots, and clearly looks good in here, so we left it. That interior window was likely an exterior window once, but they added the second room (that light blue room), so they just added on without taking it out. Remember, this was before general contractors did residential homes – everyone just built their own, at least that’s what we were told in this region.

The Old Prop Room

This is the room that we painted a fresh coat of paint before I made it my old prop room (I tried to match the original color, actually, called Rainwashed by Sherwin-Williams, and it’s very serene). It’s awesome – please note the beadboard from floor to ceiling going a million different ways and the original knob and tube electrical (more on that later).

There is a chimney (for the upstairs fireplace) that is right in front of that window. They just added and added, before codes or regulations or any real knowledge of how to do things – all just passed down or taught by learning.

It’s hard to properly express the slope of these rooms (we were told it’s 7″ slope from one side to the other – it’s sinking badly!!). I almost worry that Kaitlin tried to “straighten” these photos too much, so it’s hard to get the full extreme diagonal line. Trust me – these rooms are WONKY as heck. Not a 90-degree angle in sight. It’s like my own personal carnival funhouse!!! Which way is up??

But so sweet. Such potential. Such fantasies.

The “Canning Room”

 We think this room, “The Canning Room,” was added in the 1940s or 1950s (which is now 75 years ago) for them to can the fruits and vegetables grown in the orchard and in the garden. You know, before processed food, when most people had to grow their own (I know we can’t go back in time, nor do we want to for a million reasons, and I don’t want to get all Ballerina Farm on us, but what and idea, to just eat what you can grow, can for the winter and not have our lives/bodies inundated with ultra processed foods that our kids are so easily addicted to that become a daily battle). We canned a lot growing up (Mormon), and while I don’t do it, I sure do plan on it every single year.

I doubt this “canning room” was for a business, just a necessity to feed your family. One of the cabinets served as a fridge with dry ice. I guess I just find the history of it all enriching, interesting, a piece of a time that is gone, and yet it’s still here. Remember I am a history (and English) major, so I really really love history and anthropology, and having this property right in our backyard, picturing how people lived here, is incredibly fun for my imagination.

Looks like someone added a piece of drywall at some point – I think a former owner used this room as a photo studio with a flat (and an extension cord from the main house).

This room is rough, for sure. But we are getting it inspected to see what level of shape it is in. The discoloration on the walls seems to be spray paint, FYI (and that’s another hutch that is mine, not left here sadly).

Through that door you’ll get into the next room – which is definitely the most rustic.

The Paint/Garden Shed

This room was added on even after the others, but we don’t know when yet. It doesn’t even have a floor. We think this might have been the original gardening/potting room as the original kitchen garden was right outside that door.

That work table was left in here for us:) This room has super high ceilings and again, all the wood paneling (old growth, super clean and long – high quality stuff!!!)

This room mostly houses our firewood that is drying out, and 1 million families of spiders:) They live happily here with other cute furry creatures that scurry. I’m going to call them bunnies…

The Upstairs

Let’s head upstairs to what we think was the family bedroom? Did families all share a room back then? Or maybe someone slept down here, too? Regardless, the stairs are ridiculously sweet (and each rise is a different height – not exactly to code, but we’ll see if we need to rebuild or if we can be grandfathered in).

At the top of the stairs, which are again all covered in thin paneling, there is a little landing with the “bathroom” right in front and the “bedroom” to the left.

This room is so awesome, and if it didn’t need all the things to keep it safe, it’s almost livable as is (I think most people would disagree with me on my definition of “livable”). That interior window is so cute, all the paneling (again) and the wood floor that needs some refinishing, sure, but it’s in good shape!!!

Sure, it’s hot as Hades up here in the summer and cold in the winter, but it stays super dry, and besides the 9 mud-wasps nests and the critter poop (bunnies, I swear!!??), it’s not too far from me working up here.

And no, the knob and tube wires certainly don’t work, but I love them (this is how they added lighting after electricity was invented and brought to residential homes – they put it on the outside of the walls, not inside). We believe there was gas lighting before they installed these, probably in the 1940s…Isn’t that wild, that 80 years ago (EIGHTY!!!) most people in rural America didn’t have electricity and now here we are, so overwhelmed by technology that we do everything we can to get away from it, desperate to unplug and just be with our family without the fear of tech addiction???? – Again, not going back, but what has happened in the last 100 years is truly WILD STUFF.

Speaking of tech, that stove was one of two sources of heat (the first one being the cooking stove downstairs that let warm air up through that vent, called a “gravity vent”). It’s the cutest stove of all time. Let me show you!!!

STOP IT. What a magical little wood-burning stove that I must figure out how to keep, use, or just feature.

The room is big, gets great light (and heat apparently) and is begging for me to make it our office. It also has two closets:

One of these closets is more terrifying than the other for sure (talking to you, left). I’m 200% excited about this room if you can’t tell.

The “Bathroom”

At the top of the stairs, right in front of you, get the world’s cutest little wash station.

Right??? I mean, she’s not in perfect shape, but the shaving mirror, the soap dish, the window – I’m here for all of it.

Here you have a better view of how it all interacts – the “bedroom” on the right, with the “toilet” and “shower” down those hallways. I use those terms lightly, you’ll see.

In the bathroom “suite”, you have the toilet stall at the end and the shower stall first. You simply must see…

The shower is wood clad, likely not the best material, LOL. But this was probably done early the early 1920s – 1940s, and these people weren’t fancy, so they just built with what Oregon had a lot of in their own backyard – wood. On the right, the toilet is mysteriously missing, which is fine… we likely would buy a new one anyway. These are the rooms that most people dub as “creepy af,” but I don’t know, I love them. It just shows a way of living that is so foreign to us.

There is a lot more to tell you, even more for me to learn. I know you have a ton of questions – like what are we going to do with this house? But all in good time, folks. We know we are embarking on a restoration that is going to teach me and therefore you SO MUCH about restoration, remodeling, history, and probably the lengths I can push my marriage and my team. We aren’t hiring a GC as of now, because we aren’t in a rush as we don’t plan on living in this house.

This house, this project is way more about learning and telling, doing as much ourselves, certainly on a budget, and sharing the entire process on all the platforms – here, on social media and YouTube (where you’ll get way more visual tours, of course).

WAIT WE NEED HELP

I am looking for a few people to help:

A paranormal investigator – You read that right. Rumor is that this house is haunted and while I am hesitant to open that door (literally) If anyone knows anyone in the PNW who we could hire to help us better understand if it is haunted and if so by whom, and then help us through whatever the next steps there are (Also possibly very fun content, no?? But am I playing with fire here???)A restoration coach – someone who we can consult on this project that has done a lot of historical restorations – on a budget. I know that most GCs think we should absolutely demo this house, and we are not. We would love someone to help us figure out the best way for us to do lead abatement, or the best way for us to add electrical without opening up all the walls. This could be someone local (ideally), but we’d also fly someone in every few months to give us the best advice. While I know we can’t do everything by ourselves (i.e., foundation) and we will get everything fully permitted, I want to learn how to refinish flooring, tile, and install basic lighting. But I need a restoration coach!!

Excited to start!

*Photos by Kaitlin Green

Want To “Hack” Your IKEA Without The DIY Headache? These 13 IKEA Hack Companies Do Most Of The Work For You

The Internet at large is full of ideas for how to “hack” IKEA furniture. Some are unbelievable in a good way. Some, in a bad way. Others make you go “well…as long as you love it.” But anything that requires power tools or even a sewing machine might prove too much for some of you out there—I get it…DIY can often feel more like WDIDT, “why did I do this?!?”. Sure, you can turn a sidewise bookcase or kitchen cabinet box into an upholstered bench, or create a custom design using wooden dowels on the door fronts of an IKEA armoire, but there’s a much easier way to make an enormous impact on your Swedish imports thanks to the plethora of companies out there offering their third-party “after market” products.

I especially like this option for those buying second-hand IKEA or trying to breathe some new life into what they already have on hand (a kitchen being the exception!), as there is a part of me that winces just a bit at buying something new and full-price just to go and spend even more money to make it “better.” In some instances, the math totally works out, but in others, not so much. IKEA pieces are a dime a dozen on peer-to-peer marketplaces, so be sure to check those out if you have something specific in mind and know that there are things you can buy to refresh them if needed.

So, from cabinet doors for kitchens, bathrooms, and closets to “I can’t believe this is IKEA!” slipcovers and even very cute and cool legs, I did some work for anyone who has ever wanted to put their stamp on their big-box purchases without the hassle of true do-it-yourself. Here’s what I found:

sarah sherman samuel doesn’t miss with her collection for semihandmade. this is her new paintable option, in her quarterline and beaded designs.The Best IKEA Cabinet Doors

We’re starting with the grande dame of IKEA after-market products: Doors for their cabinetry systems and storage units (typically the Besta, which I have four of and love). Cost-conscious but make it custom-looking—that’s what many of these companies that sell doors and drawer fronts sized to fit Sektion boxes (etc.) offer with their product. I find that most of these places sell very similar looking product with the exception of some specialty things like Plykea (see below), so find the one that matches your budget and time window best, has a design system that you find easiest to use and gives you the option for custom colors or DIY paint if you are after a specific hue or finish.

Semihandmade

What They Sell: Doors for Sektion & Akurum kitchen cabinet systems and Besta storage systems, drawer faces for Godmorgon bathroom vanity; one-stop-shop offerings of Caesarstone countertops, floating shelving, and hardware, as well.

Why We Like It: Semihandmade has possibly the most visibility when it comes to IKEA after-market door fronts likely because they tend to work with a lot of designers and content creators. We’re fans of all things Sarah Sherman Samuel, and her line with them is beautiful. They also recently released their painted collection where you can opt for a custom paint job instead of one of their signature brand colors, as long as it’s a swatch from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams or Farrow & Ball.

What We Like:

Walnut Slab Drawer for Sektion (Vertical Grain) | Custom Painted Slim Shaker Door for Sektion | Black SSS Beaded Front for Besta

Fronteriors

What They Sell: Doors, drawers, sides for Sektion kitchen systems, Pax wardrobes, and Besta storage systems

Why We Like It: Fronteriors is woman-founded and run with some super chic design options we don’t see elsewhere. We also love that they have door fronts for the Pax wardrobe. I personally Pinned many of their products for years before they started selling in the US, at which point I went through a deep exploration of their Besta doors to upgrade my living room media cabinet.

What We Like:

Burgundy Curved Loop Single Door for Sektion | Oak Door for Besta | Linen Textile & Oak Drawer for Besta

Plykea

What They Sell: Bespoke plywood door and drawer fronts (even plywood countertops) for Sektion kitchens and Pax wardrobes.

Why We Like It: Plykea definitely has a modern look (very Domino or Clever AD), but a great avenue for anyone wanting something different that is still warm and friendly feeling. You can’t really get a sense of individual products on their website, though, as you have to work with them for quotes to buy a full bespoke kitchen package.

What We Like:

Bespoke Pax Wardrobe Doors w/ Regular Semi-Recessed Grab Handle 400mm | Half Arc Grab | Bespoke Plywood Sektion Cabinety Drawers & Doors

The Cabinet Face

What They Sell: Door and drawer faces for Sektion (including for panel-ready appliances), Pax and Godmorgon

Why We Like It: Much of what you’ll find in kitchen door markets is MDF, but The Cabinet Face also offers solid wood (and wood slab veneer). As I highlight below, the red oak and the quarter sawn oak are beautiful! But yes, you can also opt for their DIY paint grade MDF for your own finishing. For anyone daring enough, they also have high-gloss, metallic gloss or matte finish acrylic slab and Shaker if you prefer that look.

What We Like:

Red Oak Slab | Quarter Sawn Oak Shaker | DIY Shaker Paint Grade

Nieu Cabinet Doors

What They Sell: Sektion and Akurum kitchen system doors, Pax wardrobe doors and Besta storage unit doors

Why We Like It: Nieu sells a good variety of Shaker profiles (I like the stepped or skinny Shaker, below) that you don’t see elsewhere—a flat Shaker, skinny Shaker or slab are the most common across the board. Plus, their lead times are great, with raw MDF taking only 3-4 weeks (note that their painted orders could take 6-7 weeks, however). Another great selling point for anyone looking to get their doors painted themselves: You can order primed doors, as well, to save you a step in the process.

What We Like:

Stepped Shaker in SW2851 | Bevelle Skinny Shaker in SW7015 | Wood Grain Slab – Vertical Grain Door in Natural Oak

Modern Twig

What They Sell: Doors for Ikea Sektion, Godmorgon, Besta, and Pax

Why We Like It: Modern Twig’s wood offerings are fantastic. You can pick between beautiful wood veneer slab doors, solid wood Shaker varieties and faux wood laminate if that’s your thing. But don’t worry, they also hate matte painted in a handful of popular modern colors and two unfinished designs.

What We Like:

Clay Outline Door for Sektion | Solid Wood Walnut Shaker | Marine Blue Shaker 4-Drawers for Godmorgon

Our Favorite IKEA Sofa & Sectional Slipcoversbemz’ hyltarp 3 seater sofa cover in picnic check sun yellow simply linen

Honestly, after virtually shopping around for slipcovers for this post, IKEA sofas have gotten a lot more alluring to me. I have never owned one, so I cannot speak to the quality of the cushions or frames, but if your old Kivik or Ektorp has seen better days, one of the below companies definitely has something to make it look fresh again without having to throw in the towel and get a whole new sofa.

Bemz

What They Sell: Slipcovers for IKEA sofas, sectionals, dining chairs, armchairs, footstools and beyond.

Why We Like It: There are plenty of companies doing the IKEA slipcover game well, but Bemz takes it to the next level with some very cool designs. Some of them can get pretty pricey, so keep that in mind if budget is top of mind for your new couch cover. Everything is made to order so there is no overproduction, and they’re also B Corp certified!

What We Like:

Hyltarp 3-Seater Sofa Cover in Recycled Linen Micro Stripe | Söderhamn 3-Seater Sofa Cover
Megamalist Fit in Simply Linen Vintage Blue | Färlöv 3 Seater Sofa Cover w/ Long Skirt in Recycled Linen Block Stripe, Sun Yellow

Comfortly

What They Sell: Covers for 62 IKEA upholstery collections in at least a dozen fabric types (pet-friendly, stain-proof, linen, poly, velvet, etc.) in a variety of colors

Why We Like It: Comfortly holds a 4.8 rated on Trustpilot from over 2,000 reviews, so you can trust there are plenty of satisfied customers. Their covers are handmade in Europe, come with a 3 year warranty and a 14-day return window if it’s not just right for you. Oh, and don’t forget to peruse their Outlet, too.

What We Like:

KIVIK 3 Seat IKEA Sofa Cover in Tiffany Dark Green | NOCKEBY 3 Seat IKEA Sofa Cover in Como / Blue | KARLSTAD 3 Seat IKEA Sofa Cover With Long Skirt in Pure French Linen / Moonstruck

Soferia

What They Sell: Slipcovers for all the usual suspects of IKEA sofas, chairs, ottomans and beyond.

Why We Like It: Another Trustpilot favorite (has a 4.9 rating), I find Soferia has a vast offering but at a bit of a lower price point than others. Another pro? They have 12 fabric types for indoor furniture and three for outdoor, with a ton of colors and even some patterns thrown into the mix.

What We Like:

IKEA EKTORP TULLSTA Armchair Cover in Stewart Beige Pattern | IKEA STOCKHOLM 3-Seat Sofa Cover in Premium Cotton Grey | BERGMUND Chair Cover Long in Kaya Cognac

Comfortworks

What They Sell: Slipcovers for nearly all IKEA upholstery items, as well as for other brands such as Pottery Barn, Article, Crate & Barrel, West Elm and Restoration Hardware.

Why We Like It: All the fabrics offered by Comfortworks are OEKO-TEX certified and machine washable, and sofa cushion covers have a non-slip lining to stay in place (though note this means you can’t flip them over without removing the cover).

What We Like:

Vimle 4-seat Corner Sofa Cover in Everyday Cotton White | Poang Armchair Cover in Signature Microfibre Silver Sage | Ektorp 3 Seater Sofa Cover in Care+ Linen Natural

Masters of Covers

What They Sell: IKEA covers, Pottery Barn covers, and even armrest protectors

Why We Like It: While Masters of Covers production lead times are very reasonable at around one to three weeks not including transit time, they also have an in-stock section and outlet if you need something *right now*.

What We Like:

Fagelbo Loose Fit Left Chaise Sofa Cover in Premium Cotton Olive Green | Karlanda Bench Cover
in Premium Velvet Dusty Rose | Harnosand 1 Seater Sofa Cover in Premium Cotton Grey

Where to Buy Cool Legs & Accessories for IKEA Furniture

A good amount of the aforementioned cabinetry and slipcover companies sell legs, hardware and other accessories for your IKEA systems and upholstery, but nothing is overly worthy of its own mention like Pretty Pegs below, and even Etsy.

Pretty Pegs

What They Sell: Furniture legs, hardware, IVAR DIY Hack collection

Why We Like It: Most of the removable legs on IKEA furniture comes with an 8mm thread, and that’s what Pretty Pegs sells. That’s not to say you couldn’t use non-IKEA marketed legs, you just have to check the thread size. Pretty Pegs has been in this game for well over a decade and have some very distinct designs we love.

What We Like:

Hedda 100 Dark Wood Finish Furniture Leg | Otto 80 Ash Natural Furniture Leg | Barbro 100 True Blue Furniture Leg

Etsy

What They Sell: Well…basically everything, but you’ll find a plethora of hack-friendly products under search terms like “IKEA hack”, “IKEA accessories” and simply just “IKEA”, though you’ll have to filter out vintage and second-hand products.

Why We Like It: Again, you an find anything on Etsy. Decals, cool legs, add-ons to make something like a peg wall turn into a giant spool holder for quilters…you name it, you can probably find it. I leaned into some more kid-leaning things below, but search, and you shall find.

What We Like:

IKEA DUKTIG Play Kitchen Decal Set in Green Tile | IKEA Trofast Storage Bin Ziggy Striped Decal | Legs for IKEA Kallax Bookshelf – Set of 4

—

Phew! What a selection, huh? I used to write about IKEA hacks all the time when I was at Apartment Therapy, and let me tell you, the things they are selling now to make your DIY life so much more seamless are far and above what used to be around. Chic, design-forward and high-quality…what more can you ask for?

Go forth and make your IKEA newer/better/cooler…and as always, I just ask you come back and post some pictures so we can all marvel at what you’ve done.

Until next time, friends…

Opening Image Credits: Design by Arlyn Hernandez | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Arlyn’s Moody Dining Room Reveal Is All About the Insane Power of Paint

Our 2025 Summer Landscaping Reveal (With Full Process)

I’m currently caught in the “why would anyone live anywhere else” fever dream that is “Oregon in The Summer”, and while I intellectually know there is no perfect place to live, right now, up here, it’s magical (and has been since March – 2025 was a real pretty one). This backyard is certainly serving up some particularly beautiful vibes, and we are in full hosting season. Today I wanted to do a full documentation of the backyard landscaping process, and get into the details for all of us landscape design nerds. Like most things in design – it looks a lot easier than it is, and the more expertise and experience involved, the better product you get. As you know, for this project we hired Dennis’ 7 Dees, a local (and booming) family landscaping company that now manages all our landscaping maintenance as well (besides Charlie mowing the lawn…when we are in town). They designed, planned, executed, and now care for our yard with total seamlessness – not once did I feel like I didn’t know what was happening, when, or that they were too busy with other jobs to take care of us. (Read til the end for some hot tips on working with design professionals.)

January – OOF IT WAS SAD

Of course, there are more “before befores” from 2019 (when we bought the property) and 2021 (aka the year of the mud before phase 1 began). But this was in January 2025, which is always a sad time of year (and before we had proper maintenance because we thought we could handle it, so the leaves were clearly a problem).

As you know, the sports court was way too big – I even mentioned this in the reveal 2 summers ago. And then the area underneath the cherry trees was fine in the summer, but just not working as well as we wanted (that’s the area between the flagstone path and the sports court). So this was the main area we were working to make better, along with the outdoor grill area (which was done by my brother’s company).

The Overall Landscaping Plan

We worked with Eric Hagberg from Dennis’ 7 Dees, whom we loved – he had so much experience, expertise, and was so flexible – listening to us, and editing as things came up. He came up with the first plan and accompanied budget, and presented it to us (I believe this was in November).

Landscaping Plan Number #1

We really loved it, but needed to scale it back for budget purposes. So we reduced the amount of trees, plants, stonework, and lighting (all the pink), and totally nixed the back area near the paddock, seeding for clover instead. One thing we were more sensitive to this time around was planting enough evergreen plants, not just perennials. I love echinacea and all these gorgeous wildflowers, but winter can be really sad here (sadder than my former California lady brain knew), so this time we asked for 70% evergreen plants, 30% perennials.

Plan #2 – Reduced Plants, Lighting And Square Footage

He sent through the edited plan, which reduced the scope by almost in 1/2. Sure, we still had demo, prep soil, irrigate, run lighting lines, but the scope of planting, stonework, irrigation, and lighting helped reduce the cost substantially. I mean, it’s obvious, but the less you do, the less it costs.

The Plant Palette

Here was the palette they had planned, which I was in love with and all came from their garden centers (which have an incredibly robust selection). While in the past I have been picky with plants, needing to love each one and feel like stylistically it was “me,” this time around I shifted my mentality. My goal was to have a cohesive color palette, sure, (no random pops that didn’t make sense), but otherwise all I wanted was for the experts to choose things that really thrived easily here, in Oregon, under our conditions. I didn’t want to make suggestions that would override the expertise. For instance, I never thought that I, Emily Henderson, would choose hydrangeas (I had wrong judgements about them, ok?), but as you can see below – they are all over our yard and so beautiful. I am a full hydrangea girly now!! I really, really trusted Eric that they would plant plants that loved living in Oregon and would be easy to manage/tend to and beautiful year-round. They understood that we like a less manicured look, less structure, lots of levels and layers (I said no to orange, sorry, and nothing oddly tropical or like red roses). I really let them do their job because everything they showed me was so aligned with what we wanted. We were speaking the same language, which is really what you want from any designer.

The Schedule

From Eric: “Originally, we were thinking this would be a 4-week project. But because we’ve doubled the crew size to 6 guys, it’s likely to only take about 2 weeks”. OK!!!! Let go!

Concrete Demo: Feb 17-20Green Demo: Feb 21Stone Patios/Paths: Feb 24-25Soil/Grading: Feb 26Irrigation: Feb 27Plants: Feb 28Irrigation: March 3Lighting: March 3Bark/Clover Lawn Seed: March 4 (we’ll come back in April, after freezing to apply the seed) 

They ended up extending it a bit, which worked better for us so that we could be around to capture more of the content. But we were seriously thrilled with the speed and manpower that went into it. Again, this whole “booking in fall and starting in winter” strategy strangely sped things up because it’s the slowest time of year, and a company of 7 Dees’ size has multiple crews they employ – more manpower and time to spend on us!

The Prep Work

This clearly wasn’t a DIY situation, at least not for us. They moved fast, and that chunk of the sports court was gone in a matter of days.

The Hardscape – Flagstone

Next came the laying of the paths and landing pads (which they drew out with water-soluble spray paint). If you think it’s just putting down stones (like we did), it’s clearly not. So much prep work underneath the stones as well as leveling and grading. But still, they were so fast.

The dirt/puddle areas are where the plants would go. Then, we had the landing pads and the stepping stone paths to the sports court.

Now, if you haven’t done flagstone before, know that this is a massive investment (ours cost over $20k). We could have used pea gravel, but it’s a lot messier and we wanted it to be cohesive with the rest of the walkway around the house. In Oregon, due to the rain, you really want solid hardscape to walk – you can’t use DG like you can in CA. So this was a massive investment and something we knew we needed the experts to execute.

The Planting Phase

Eric, our designer, created the plant selection that we tweaked together. Again, it’s a combination of perennials and evergreen plants and in all the tones that I love. One of the perks with working with them is that since they also have three garden centers in Portland (well, one in Vancouver), they call pull from them as well as place the bigger orders. They are also great resources as a home gardener without a designer – their inventory and selection is huge and so well cared for.

The plants went in so fast, I couldn’t believe it. Brian and I were watching from inside like it was a movie – every day there was so much progress. So many people working so hard to make our yard beautiful. We felt so grateful. After planting, they added irrigation and the lighting, as well as a French drain with river rocks along the sports court because it was flooding a lot (remember that disturbed soil doesn’t drain as much as established soil – a fun fact I’m learning over and over).

The June Reveal – 2 Months Ago

We shot the first round of reveals in June because, well, it was done and looked so beautiful. Check out this post to see that full reveal. We needed to shoot the outdoor kitchen, so we did a tour of the landscaping as well. But little did we know that over the next six weeks things would pop and grow in the most beautiful way. It’s honestly so stunning, I can’t even tell you. Magical, enchanted, already so grown-in (thanks to the Monrovia plants that are so healthy and thrive so well). We have been hosting like crazy back here. We had another big 75-person multi-family school fundraiser here last Saturday – I love sharing it (read: showing it off :) so much). P.S. The theme was the pig’s birthday party, i.e., the “Wine and Swine,” which I need to show you photos from – Barb and Alicia were the belles of the ball in party hats!!!

The Newest Update! Mid-July 2025

It’s incredibly beautiful. The panicle hydrangeas are incredible – all from their garden centers (Monrovia has very healthy, high-quality plants that are locally grown, which helps), and the layering, textures, and colors feel so natural but not messy.

Here you can see how the whole yard works – the stone pathways with the picnic tables surrounded by all the greenery (designed to be full but not grow too high) and with the trees that will eventually create shade for the seating areas.

We are hoping that greenery will eventually take over the grout lines in the stone (left just as soil, unplanted for budget reasons). We love how organic it feels and know that once it’s fully grown it we think it will look like it was always here.

They did a great job specifying plants that would be ball barriers from the sport court but not too fragile or thorny. Here you can see the river rock that covers the French drain to keep water from flooding the plants or the new pickleball court.

It’s just incredibly beautiful.

Over the weekend, we put umbrellas over the picnic tables to create shade, which was wonderful (and made me secretly want big comfy upholstered chairs or a sofa + 2 chairs for the middle one to be more comfortable). The entire yard gets used when 80 people come over, and it’s incredibly delightful.

Dennis’ 7 Dees did such a great job of making it look like a park-like area, casual but still elevated and appropriate to the farm vibe.

Jess asked where the umbrellas went, but we just couldn’t get them all straight for the photos and videos at the same time – there is SUCH a hole in the market for long-lasting umbrella stands that actually keep umbrellas perfectly vertical. But I love that you can see the full garden without them.

These hydrangeas keep changing color – first bright white, then blush, and now these sweet pastel pink. I’m here for all of the shades and love seeing the yard change.

The pops of these hotter pinks from the agastache surprised me a bit, and while I love them, I want to add a few more to make the other areas more balanced. All of the echinaceas (perhaps my favorite flowers) are that bright pink, so holistically the yard works together really well.

The lighting is perfect. It’s mostly path lighting for nighttime without it being lit up super bright. I know that most people like more/brighter landscape lighting, but we love the string lights on the fenceline and roofline and don’t mind that the garden area is more subtle. We had some uplights in LA and didn’t really love the vibe and prefer less (as of now).

I love this view – seeing the sunroom through the trees and flowers is just so pretty. I really want to add wisteria to the back porch, to grow up those posts, so stay tuned on that (although I’m not ready for a phase 3 yet, folks).

A huge thanks to Eric for the design and his wonderful crew at Dennis’ 7 Dees for executing it so professionally. This project was so seamless, and caused us zero unnecessary stress, which is saying A LOT. We got all the plants from the 7Dees garden centers (one in Lake Oswego, Vancouver and Cedar Hills/Beaverton). They source a lot from Monrovia for their garden centers, who grow such healthy plants (thank you). And always Kaitlin for all the beautiful photography. The rundown pickleball wall is getting replaced today, so we are about to do a full backyard tour with the kids in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait to show you how it all flows together.

A Special Reader/ Follower Offers From Dennis’ 7 Dees

For all of you in Portland, they are extending some pretty sweet deals. Check these out:

Offer #1: Free Landscape Design with Installation, like ours below

If you mention my name, “Emily Henderson” when requesting a residential landscape consultation, you’ll get a free AutoCAD landscape design (a $2,500 value) when you move forward with an installation contract of $15,000 or more. Essentially, you’ll pay the design fee upfront, but it’s fully credited back on the final invoice if you move forward with the full design (saving $2500). This offer would be good for contracted projects through August 31, 2025 (so act now!).

Additionally, they wanted me to mention that right now they have fast install timelines available, which will change as fall approaches. They also offer flexible financing options to fit your budget

*Reminder to use the landing page link we sent you guys for any website links. 🙂

Offer #2: 20% Off at Our Garden Centers

For any Portland followers that are more into plants + DIY, Dennis’ 7 Dees Garden Centers are such a gem if you’re looking for gorgeous, high-quality plants and fun DIY inspiration. They even have the cutest indoor plant shops—like their Bridgeport Village location that’s all about houseplants. You can get 20% off any in-store purchase with the code EMHENDERSON through August 31st (in-store only at any of their 5 locations). I love the Lake Oswego store (it’s such a lovely shopping experience), but I usually pop into Cedar Hills because it’s closer—plus, their Vancouver location is supposed to be huge and beautiful too!

Thank you, Dennis’ 7 Dees, for your landscape magic. I’m just so grateful and proud to call this ours.

.slider-info-378085.bafg-slider-info .bafg-slider-title { font-size: 22px ; } .slider-info-378085.bafg-slider-info .bafg-slider-description { } .slider-info-378085.bafg-slider-info .bafg_slider_readmore_button { text-align: center; } .slider-info-378085.bafg-slider-info .bafg_slider_readmore_button:hover { }

.slider-info-378094.bafg-slider-info .bafg-slider-title { font-size: 22px ; } .slider-info-378094.bafg-slider-info .bafg-slider-description { } .slider-info-378094.bafg-slider-info .bafg_slider_readmore_button { text-align: center; } .slider-info-378094.bafg-slider-info .bafg_slider_readmore_button:hover { } Here Are My Tips For Landscaping:

Be realistic about your budget up front. I still fall into this dumb mental trap – not wanting to say what I can spend for fear that I’ve just played my card and lose leverage. But consistently, it has wasted people’s time. Our first quote for the first design came in so high because they didn’t know what our parameters were, so once we cut it by 1/2 or two-thirds (which was realistic for our budget), they had to edit and essentially redesign it. I should have said at the beginning what we really couldn’t go over on the project as a whole from the beginning.

When it comes to landscaping, while you want your artistic vision to be executed (farm! natural! wildflowers!), what you really want is for an expert in your region to choose plants that they know will thrive in your yard, based on your conditions, sun location, etc. Like I said below, I weighed in on the color palette but wanted them to use their expertise to choose the right plants that would help the yard look pretty year round (crucial, as we use it and stare it at allllllll year long).

Plan early for spring/summer usage. Most landscapers are slow from October/November – February, and then they get SLAMMED. The second that we start fantasizing about using our yard (February/March), they get inundated with new work, so do what we did – reach out in late fall, and then you could be ready by spring!

*Landscaping by Dennis’ 7 Dees
**Plants from Monrovia
***Pretty Photos by Kaitlin Green

How We Made Our Old House Charming Again – A Front Of House Tour

The other day I realized I’ve never shown you the full front of the house – nor did you get the play-by-play of the 10 million decisions we made to get here (a huge shout-out to ARCIFORM – my goodness, do they know how to nail classic design so well). Every time I drive up, or anyone does, really, it’s hard not to be impressed with how truly pretty this view is (far more of a grownup house than I ever imagined I’d own). But it wasn’t always beautiful or charming. Like many 100-year-old houses, it started simple/basic, then over the years people made repairs and judgment calls – both good and bad. So today I’m very excited to walk you through what it looked like when we bought it, what we did to it to make it this classic, charming home we have now (PLUS, what two things I have yet to add to it when the budget magically arrives, lol).

These were all of the things we knew needed some help with the house and curb appeal…

…and these were all of the things we did to achieve that:) Now, come read alllll about it!

The Addition – A New Sunroom

First things first, ARCIFORM designed my beloved sunroom to help the house look like it had a wraparound covered porch. It looks incredibly original. Thank you, Anne! The house was totally fine, a classic 4-square (where the main living areas are on the first floor, all bedrooms above). Of course, they had added a wing in the 60s, so already that style had changed, but the addition of the sunroom created the sense of this wraparound porch, which just added so much charm.

I designed the sunroom windows to marry the original diamond windows (upstairs) with the newer classic grid. The only reason we didn’t do all the new windows like this was due to design and budget constraints. The sunroom windows are absolutely gorgeous, IMHO, and so having these and the entry window be custom-made felt like the right move.

The Hefty Porch Railing

We went round and round about the porch railings. Classic white wood railings felt basic and, dare I say, boring to me, but I couldn’t find an alternative that made sense (that wasn’t going to be custom welding metal work, which is crazy expensive). Ultimately, I trusted ARCIFORM that this was the appropriate thing to do for the age and style of the home. As far as the size, we wanted them to be a height that people could rest their butts on (we landed at 28″ high), but I thought that these were going to be too chunky, thick, bulky. I was so wrong. ARCIFORM kept telling me that with the scale of the house, we’d need big posts and big railings. They were right!! I love how they look. Our railings are 6″ wide on top with 3″ vertical square railings and 7″ square posts.

Ceiling Beams And Rafter Tails

I learned a ton about classic porches thanks to ARCIFORM. We chose a tongue and groove ceiling with beams that were 18″ apart, with custom rafter tails to match the original roofline rafter tails (which we tried to replicate on the gazebo but were floored by the pricing – $$$$$$). The pretty carved detail at the end is, of course, gorgeous, but very expensive. Here, you’d have to do it to match. Now I thought we were leaving these rafter tails exposed (so you could see them from the front of the house, with the gutters going on top of them) but they were covered with a piece of wood (is that called skirting when it’s up there, too?) that covered them and then they attached the gutter to that piece of wood. Ultimately, I didn’t have them redo it, but it was something that bummed me out at first. They said that the gutters worked much better this way, and with the rain in Portland, I respected that as we want the best water management here. Now I’ve gotten used to it and heck, maybe all the exposed rafter tails would have been too busy throughout the entire property? Just Google “exposed rafter tails” if you want to see what I’m talking about – it’s a different look.

Cement Stairs And Black Metal Handrails

Another two details that I sweated over were the cement stairs and the black handrails. We were told over and over that we can’t have wood railings or wood stairs exposed to the rain – they are sure to rot (maybe not for 10-15 years, but still!). So I looked on Pinterest for hours/days/weeks of what we could use that wasn’t wood, and I either found crazy decorative custom stuff (too $$$) or just simple/boring. I was both overwhelmed and underwhelmed, so I designed them to be thin and wide and hoped that they would just go away. I hoped that the house was so pretty that these didn’t need to be anything special. Thank god, I was right about this because even though they were simple, they still cost thousands of dollars since we needed 10 of them around the house at every entrance/exit (by code). Same with the cement stairs – cement is so boring! But because we had so many entrances (front door, mudroom, our bedroom, and the kitchen), we couldn’t really do brick or anything special due to budget. Just the cement was $10k, so imagine had we chosen to do real masonry…ANYWAY, that’s all to say in retrospect. These are the things you don’t notice – the house is so pretty, and these simple and classic elements just disappear in a good way.

Vertical Wood Skirting + Horizontal Siding

We chose real lap siding (not hardy board), which I think we did because it was a more authentic thing to do, but we did our garages in hardy board and you can barely tell the difference, TBH. Our siding is a 5″ reveal (so I’m assuming it’s 6″ lap siding, where the top of the first inch is covered by the next board). Super classic. Now, the vertical skirting underneath the porch threw me at first, but it makes sense as it contrasts with the horizontal siding nicely.

What About Copper Gutters?

Oh, you bet we thought about copper gutters, but the price difference was pretty nuts. Now I don’t remember for sure, but I think our white vinyl gutters were around $5k and the copper ones would have been $30k (or something like that – a CRAZY Difference). And the more we thought about it, the more we actually felt that our bright white house didn’t want copper gutters – that they’d get too much attention. I love seeing them on Chris Loves Julia’s house (and they broke down the process so well) as their house is so classic and moody and their patinated gutters look so good. But for our white house, having you not notice the gutters really works. Of course, the copper sconces really pop in a way that I love (and I love how they work so well with the brick landing pad, which is an architectural call back to the kitchen patio).

On Mixing Stone And Brick Hardscape

The hardscape gets complicated, but the reason we did a herringbone brick anywhere on the property in the first place was because of the covered walkway on the north side of the house, which was long and skinny. It felt like it needed to be a linear pattern (not organic like flagstone). And doing a rectangular flagstone didn’t sound pretty enough to me. The reason we didn’t do herringbone brick everywhere was due to the extreme cost of both the material and the install (which is saying a lot because the stone is also shockingly expensive). So we decided to mix the finishes – a more formal herringbone brick and casual/rustic bluestone. My philosophy was and remains that with older houses like ours, there is something charming about not having all the finishes match or be the same. My feeling is that over time, people in different eras added on different style choices, and that as long as they are all high quality and well executed, the hodge-podgeness of it is actually charming and feels collected over time. I think I’m right for this house, but I wouldn’t do this for a contemporary house – I would likely curate all hard finishes, with some custom details, but I wouldn’t do organic flagstone next to herringbone brick just anywhere.

The Landscaping

While the house is gorgeous, it’s still simple (white on white, pops of copper/brick but nothing too whimsical). At times, I was so worried that it would be boring (should the windows have been a color? The trim a color? The whole house a color?), but I kept reminding myself that once the landscaping grew in, it would be surrounded by different tones of green and darker aubergine/pinks. Cali (Studio Campo) originally selected the plants/trees for here and they have already changed a lot since install (those amarlylis just showed up this year and I should probably get rid of them before they take over). I added the hydrangeas from Dennis’ 7 Dees), but that statement cherry tree (thanks to Big Trees Today in Oregon) and all the plants really added a ton of color.

Two Things I Want To Add (Eventually)

I truly love our home, so much. But if I could snap my fingers and add two things, I’d add blue shutters on the bedroom second floor and custom corbels (like we did on the gazebo). I know we went round and round about shutters, here, and it was very polarizing, but I really think that this house can handle real shutters (NOT these renders, they would be the right size and REAL), with pretty black hardware in the same blue as the garage doors (Sherwin-Williams Dutch Tile Blue). And it’s not abnormal to have them only on the second/bedroom floor (since they wouldn’t work on hardly any of the first floor windows). When I had them quoted before, they were $25k (!!!), and I was on the fence, so we didn’t do it. But I do wish we had them, and I might play the lottery and go for it :)

And then re the corbels, Purl made the most beautiful corbels for our gazebo, so I’m going to hire him to add some to our porches ($400 each + install, so not nothing but architecturally worth it to me).

Anyway, we’ll see if I get around to either of these things (both financially and time-wise). The corbels feel easier to execute (and I love supporting Purl and his artwork), but the shutters feel like a lot. I’ve got other fish to fry (i.e., a carriage house to restore). Thanks, ARCIFORM, for helping us make such classic decisions on the architecture of our home. Everyone thinks that the front was original, and they can’t believe that we didn’t have a porch or the sunroom. Ask me questions in the comments!!

.slider-info-378284.bafg-slider-info .bafg-slider-title { font-size: 22px ; } .slider-info-378284.bafg-slider-info .bafg-slider-description { } .slider-info-378284.bafg-slider-info .bafg_slider_readmore_button { text-align: center; } .slider-info-378284.bafg-slider-info .bafg_slider_readmore_button:hover { }

*Design by ARCIFORM and Emily Henderson (me!)
**Photos by Kaitlin Green

The Link Up: Em’s Surprisingly Good (And Affordable) Sweatsuit Jumper, Gretchen’s Dust Eliminator, And Some Great Ballet Flats

Happy Sunday, everyone! All we have to say is we hope you are ready for A LOT of really exciting content coming your way. We’re almost too giddy about it:) And those who signed up for the newsletter know about a big one. Anyway, until then, here are this week’s links…

This week’s house tour was co-designed by EHD Simon Haag and Studio Manifold. It’s a warm but stunning midcentury modern farmhouse in Australia’s Yarra Valley. A perfect blend of organic materials and modern design. Oh, and Jess dream floor lamp she talked about in our 2023 “Best of Decor” awards post:)

From Emily: I was giddy when I put on this sweatsuit jumper that fit so well, was so comfy, and oddly flattering. I have been slow to the recent resurgence/love for Abercrombie (TBH I couldn’t afford them the first time around, and this time I just at times feel too old for some of their viral pieces), but while trying on this viral dress (Emerson), I ordered this jumper and LOVE the cut. The legs are wide, without being too voluminous or baggy. The waist cinches without being too tight or feeling like you are overflowing the elastic. The arms are bat-like, allowing a lot of space and creating volume there, which in turn makes the waist look smaller. I know it’s still warm, but at night and mornings I am wearing this and feeling very cozy and cute.

Oh, and in case you missed the most satisfying (and fun) YouTube video, here you go:)

From Gretchen: My home seems to be a dust war zone these days. No matter how many times I break out the feather duster or vacuum, the bunnies always return. And they’re BAD bunnies. It’s a problem I must fix because I’m just getting too grossed out every time I find a new one. I moved my bed into the larger of the two rooms the other day, and HOLY COW–it looked like I’d been collecting years of dirty dryer lint under there. No thank you! The internet told me that an air purifier might be my best solve, so I bought two that came highly rated (one for my bedroom and one for my living area). I haven’t had enough time to really see if they’re the dust defiers I’m looking for, but I will say so far I’m impressed with their simple design, affordable price point, and overall quietness. I’ve just been leaving it running and forget I even have it on most days. I’ll have to come back with an update after it’s had enough time to work its magic and will let you know if the dust settles or scurries away–hoping for the latter!

From Marlee: Let me admit something that I’m not proud of – for a majority of my life, I rarely drank water – only at restaurants (when someone is filling it up for me) or when taking medication. My life has changed twice since then. First, when I was gifted a Hydro Flask with a straw in college (I guess you drink more water when you don’t have to unscrew a lid). Second, (and most recently), when my BF gifted me a Yeti 42 oz tumbler (similarly, I guess I drink more water when I have to fill it up fewer times throughout the day – he knows me so well). I KNOW THIS ISN’T REVOLUTIONARY. Obviously, drinking water is very important, and I’m generally more hydrated in my mid-twenties than I was at 18. But if you’re like me and always thought you would never fall for the adult sippy cup MASSIVE water bottle with a straw and handle propaganda, I’m here to tell you that the tumbler-obsessed side of the internet was onto something there. Waking up and chugging ice water in the middle of the night has never felt more refreshing. On a serious note, I feel like the Yeti does a pretty good job of keeping water cold and it does fit in cupholders – it’s not completely leak proof, but the most it ever leaks is the amount of water that can be held in the straw which I don’t mind – I just don’t keep it in bags (it’s too big for that anyways. I also got a Yeti mug because I drink my coffee incredibly slow and it goes cold before I’m halfway done with it. Now I’m fully hydrated AND fully caffeinated:)

From Arlyn: It doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of summer or the dead of winter, I am someone who needs to sleep with air blowing on my face and body. That said, I take my room fans very seriously. In our move two years ago, our fairly good tower fan was tragically lost (R.I.P.) due to a tumble, and we had been using some cheapo $30 version that used to be in our guest room. When that one started making weird clicking mechanical sounds, I quickly retired it to a neighbor willing to take a look inside for this amazing upgrade. After tons of research, I landed on this one from Dreo. It’s been about three months of ownership, and I feel comfortable recommending it genuinely. It’s strong without blowing you away, has tons of bells and whistles that you can control from your phone or via the provided remote, and it looks decent enough (it even comes in a pretty coppery color, but I just went with silver). If you’re tired of sweating in your sleep this summer (or upcoming winter haha), this is IT.

From Mallory: I initially put a white rug in my living room because I desperately needed one upon move-in, and didn’t know the design direction of the space, and I always figured I could just layer a rug on top of it. But the area is SO high traffic (like you literally walk from the street straight onto the rug because there’s no real entryway), and it was getting real nasty. So I remember Caitlin and Arlyn had raved about The Little Green Machine, so I thought I’d give it a try. YOU GUYS, IT WORKS SO WELL. I have a wool rug, so I try not to get it soaking wet, but you can control the sprayer and it suctions the water right out. I could not recommend it more!!

From Jess: I’m sure a ton of you listen to Good Hang, Amy Poehler’s feel-good podcast, but in case you haven’t, this past week’s episode was maybe THE MOST feel-good so far. The guests were Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer. Their show Broad City was Amy’s production company’s first real project, so the closeness and admiration are very real and very apparent. It felt impossible not to smile and laugh the whole time, which, my god, is a real gift right now. Anyway, I might listen again:)

From Caitlin: I was looking at yesterday’s post (of Abercrombie’s viral Emerson collection, ICYMI) and I realized that I’d never sung the praises of my favorite Mary Jane-style ballet flats. I grabbed these last year (in blush tan, though I wish I’d also grabbed them in black!) and they’ve become a staple in my wardrobe – they’re preternaturally comfortable, didn’t require a ton of breaking in, and that strap is just too freakin’ sweet. I wore them this week to dinner with Jess, Mal, Arlyn, Velinda, Veronica, Julie, and Bowser (yes, we EHD gals are actually the best of friends in real life too!!!) and felt super sturdy on my feet, even after a few glasses of wine. If I were going to invest in one ballet flat as we head into fall, this would be the one I’d pick!

That’s it for today and again, get ready for a VERY good design week coming up. xx

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: My New Prop Garage Reveal – Including IKEA Shelving (Non-Spon) And A Lot Of Vintage Collections

5 Women Reviewed Abercrombie’s Viral Best Selling Dress…Here’s What We Think

Earlier this summer, I stepped into an Abercrombie location at the Christiana Mall in Delaware. This was not the Abercrombie of yore – there were no dark lights, no overpowering scent of cologne, no ear-splitting bass. Nary a shirtless teen in sight! On the contrary: this was the new Abercrombie. The 2025 version. The transformation was made evident when a young tween, dragged in by her early 40s mother and wholly uninterested in every dress in front of her, gestured to me, a 33-year-old woman minding my own business, and said, “This store is for people like her.”

“Her,” in this case, means adults. Grown-ups. (The horror!!!!) We grew up, and Abercrombie grew up with us. Gone are the layering tanks, the popped collars, the micro-shorts, the air of exclusivity. Instead, you’ll find your local Abercrombie stocked with modest midi-length dresses, comfortable jeans, athleisure with built-in bras, and easy throw-on-and-go basics at wallet-friendly prices. WHO KNEW?! Well, I did – and that’s why I forced the team to try on and review Abercrombie’s Viral Best Selling Dress, the Emerson collection. I’m convinced that this style looks good on everyone (you can be the judge below!) and it’s offered in a variety of shapes, cuts, lengths, and patterns, meaning that there is an Emerson for every body. (I mean that literally, too – sizing runs from 000-24 and regular, petite, and tall lengths are offered. They’re not perfect, but Abercrombie is far more inclusive than other major brands out there today.) ANYWAY – you ready to see what these grown-up adults think of their new dresses?

Emily

The A&F Emerson Linen-Blend Puff Sleeve Midi Dress | Flats

Dress Size: Small/Regular
My Height: 5’4″
Thoughts: When things go viral, I’m curious for sure – is it really that good? Would it work on my body? Since I have larger ladies and a short torso, I really thought that the fitted bodice would crawl up and make me look pregnant (true story for all the Reformation dresses designed like this), but I was so pleasantly surprised by the structure of this dress! I really love it (with one caveat). It’s comfortable, drapes really well, obviously the sleeves are flattering, and the bodice slimming and just so easy to wear (shout out to the alllllll the various patterns). My only issue is that I only have one bra that has wide enough straps and a low enough back to not be seen. I actually think it’s best to not wear a bra with this dress, but I’m not terribly comfortable doing that. The square neck is very wide, and it’s not that the back is super low it’s that my supportive bras just have a thicker strap that does ride up higher. I bought these cakes, but they didn’t arrive in time. So I’m keeping this dress (I bought it in the poplin, too, but prefer the linen, so I returned that one). I know we are in mid-July, so buying a linen midi dress might feel “end of season,” but the sale price of this is an incredible deal (and it’s too hot to buy fall right now!). I’m sure the other ladies will say this, but if you are in between sizes, size down – I’m in between small and medium in most things right now (I really wish the world would get itself together and agree on a universal sizing), and bought a small, which fits great. I was prepared to say “cute dress, not for me” but I’m excited to announce that even if you are apple shaped, with a bigger bosom, this dress is very flattering and makes me feel good (just beware of the bra needs).

Gretchen

Sunglasses | Purse | The A&F Emerson Poplin Puff Sleeve Midi Dress | Shoes (similar)

Dress Size: Large/Tall
My Height: 5’9″
Thoughts: Consider me a fan of Abercrombie’s resurgence! Gone are the days of me rocking a moose-embroidered, long-sleeved babydoll top to 3rd period (thankfully). Now, I’m wearing puffy sleeves and flowy skirts to wine country, baby! We’ve graduated, and I like it. Especially this style of dress; big puffy sleeves, a square neckline, and a tiered skirt that hits just right at the waist. I was smitten with this cute wine and cheese pattern on the fabric, which is admittedly a little too on the nose to wear wine tasting (what I’m doing in this picture), BUT so many strangers (okay, two) came up to me and told me they loved the dress! So I consider that a win and have plans to wear this piece other places, too. I wasn’t totally sure about the sizing, so I tested a variety, and really I just wish they sold a medium-and-a-half. The medium fit me super well in the waist/ribs, but squished the girls down in a weird way. The large fit best in the chest but is looser than I would like in the waist. I went with the large tall (I’m 5’9″) over a regular because I think a longer midi skirt looks better on me. Overall, I’m pretty pleased with this dress and think the quality is great, especially for the price point.

Jess

The A&F Emerson Tie-Strap Mini Dress | Jelly Flats

Dress Size: Small/Petite
My Height: 5’4″
Thoughts: What I will say first is that it is an extremely cute dress that doesn’t require my size C-cup breasts to wear a bra, and since it doesn’t have a fitted skirt, I can wear whatever style underwear my heart could desire (granny, duh). The pattern is so sweet, it’s lined, and overall, the quality feels so good. I chose a petite length since it’s a “mini” dress (though, I don’t think it’s all that mini) and was afraid the regular would have hit me in an awkward spot. Oh, and it was a bit of thing to get on because it’s a pullover, but once you’re in, it’s so comfortable and you feel secure! But as truly cute as it is and think it looks on me, it’s just not my style. I sort of figured as much when this style was chosen, but as my mother always told me, “Just try it on, you never you and you might be surprised.” However, since I know I just wouldn’t wear it enough, I’m going to return it. This is a dress that’s much more “Jess”:)

Caitlin

Left: The A&F Emerson Linen-Blend Puff Sleeve Midi Dress + Flats | Right: Mila Dress + Sandals

Dress Size: Large/Regular
My Height: 5’8″
Thoughts: I’ve been screaming about Abercrombie for TWO WHOLE YEARS, and it’s about time my team started paying attention!!! The Emerson line is a total breeze to wear – it’s the epitome of the “throw on and go” dress to me. Everyone looks good in it, they’re appropriate for nearly every occasion (church! Antiquing! Farmer’s market! Parent/teacher conference! Thanksgiving dinner!), and honestly…they’re pretty fun and princess-y to wear. I love the pockets, I love that my 36Fs fit inside (I’m bra-less here, with room leftover!), and I love the variety of cuts and patterns. If none of the current pieces are doing it for you, never fear: they drop new pieces every season.

And while we’re talking Abercrombie: here’s the Mila dress I’ve been yappin’ about all summer! ICYMI, I’ve been on a “shop small or not at all” kick in 2025…and it was going great, until I tried this dress on. It’s simultaneously structured-yet-breezy, supportive enough up top that I can still go bra-free (praise be!!!), and I ADORE the cut of the straps – it covers up my armpit folds, or lumps, or whatever those weird pieces of skin between my boob and my armpit are called. I wear this one at least once a week – it’s just SO easy and flattering. If the Emerson cut isn’t doing it for you, give the rest of the dresses a look – they have some great basics at rock-bottom prices.

Mallory

The A&F Mila Stretch Midi Dress | Sandals

Dress Size: Small/Regular
My Height: 5’7″
Thoughts: Imagine how confused I was when I opened up this blog post in the backend and saw everyone’s Abercrombie dress that did NOT look like the one I ordered!! Caitlin raved about this dress, which is how we came up with the idea to do an Abercrombie dress try-on, so I thought we were going with that one, but JOKES ON ME!! I don’t know what happened. But this is what I ordered and I LOVE IT, so I’m gonna review it anyway (lol this is the funniest thing that’s ever happened to me on the blog). Let’s get into it, though. This dress comes in a few different simple colors, and this really fun pattern too. The quality is shockingly good – there’s a bodice that’s super flattering but isn’t tight and uncomfortable (I don’t know how they do it). I was super impressed with the fit (I got a small). But wait – I saved the best part for last – IT HAS POCKETS! I’ll be wearing this all summer. Thanks, bye!

Marlee

The A&F Emerson Cap Sleeve Mini Dress | Sandals

Dress Size: Small/Regular
My Height: 5’8″
Thoughts: I am not a huge fan of puffy sleeves on myself, and I don’t really wear midi or maxi dresses casually, so I was unsure about reviewing this line when the team first proposed it (didn’t feel super me) – but I was happy to see the Emerson Cap Sleeve Mini Dress as an option in the line! I ordered a Size S in the black (regular height). My biggest takeaway is WHY am I not wearing square necklines ALLLL the time? It’s so cute – combined with the little cap sleeves, I ended up liking this dress much more than I thought I would. From a sizing standpoint, it felt pretty true to size, and I liked that the back area where the zipper has ruching, so it’s pretty stretchy. Lengthwise, it hit at a good point on my legs but is on the longer side for a mini dress – I do have a shorter torso, but if you’re worried about the length, I think it’s totally fine/appropriate. I went braless and felt totally fine, but if you need more support or feel most comfortable wearing a bra, I do think you would have to go strapless (unless you don’t mind a little peekaboo strap) – the neckline did go basically all the way to my armpit. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this item, and I think it will be a great, simple staple to have in my closet!

There you go! Let us know what you think. Do you like the kinds of reviews? Are you going to try an Abercrombie dress now? Have a great weekend, pals!

15 Items On Sale That Will Elevate Your Home Instantly

In an age of 24-hour room makeovers and perfect homes on social media, I want to remind you it’s okay to decorate slowly, wait for things you love to go on sale, and not feel the pressure to rush to make your entire house feel finished. And yes, this might sound hypocritical coming from the girl who’s doing a one-month living room makeover with AllModern (which I’m SO excited to show you) – but this makeover led to a great conversation with my roommate about our decorating mentalities, and it was super eye-opening to me. I realized there are two major camps when it comes to decorating…let me explain.

As designers/design enthusiasts, many of us spend years shopping for things we love and collecting them in hopes we’ll find a spot for them later (because we usually do). So, for me, when I moved into a space, I already had a fairly large inventory of vintage, home decor, furniture, and art. And these collections can grow FAST since it’s our hobby and our life’s joy (well, other than family, friends, and those kinds of important things). I can only really speak for myself, but I know many of you will relate to this: generally, my approach to decorating is to put up the things I’ve collected and love – even if it’s not totally right for the space. I just know that I could (and will) swap anything out later if and when I find a piece that’s more perfect. And then, in order to make the existing pieces I have work in the room (even if it’s just for now), I’ll likely purchase more pieces to make the room cohesive because I just want the room to feel finished. And thus, the home decor collection grows, and random pieces start flying in and out of the house at a rapid pace. I personally struggle to relax in my home if it feels like it’s unfinished or lacking personality – so while I’m partially this way because of my job, there’s also a lot of incentive for me beyond my profession that makes me want to decorate quickly. If this sounds like you, welcome to the fast decorators club.

photo by kaitlin green | from: river house guest room reveal

Now I’m sure you can guess where this is going, but the other group is comprised of the slow decorators. And there might be some crossover here: slow decorators also collect items over time and decorate their spaces to be livable when they move in, but the mindset from there on is a bit different. This group can include people who might not be as invested in design, people who love design but just might not want to invest in the space they’re living in yet, or people who really love design and want to invest in their space but are more intentional about doing it the right way. So many people I know fall into this camp (and it’s because it makes a ton of sense). This group likes to be intentional and slowly collect the perfect pieces, for the right prices, and they plan out exactly where it will go (which means in the meantime they might be living without art on the walls, a side table, etc). They don’t want to invest and go through the hassle of bringing stuff in and out if a piece isn’t totally right or if they don’t see longevity in it.

Now don’t worry – you don’t have to choose one group. There’s a lot of crossover between these imaginary camps of people I just made up – so don’t think you have to be boxed into one camp or the other – but generally, this is where I realized my roommate and I differed. Since this is my job, I will always invest in furniture, decor, or art pieces I genuinely think are awesome and love because I don’t mind the hassle of swapping them if they don’t work out (as long as it can be done sustainably). I know I can always sell the pieces, put them in another project or give them away to friends or family (plus as a designer/decorator/content creator it’s good to have a lot of variety in the styling of your projects – so why not take a risk, try a trend or do something that might not end up living in your home forever?) And especially when you create content, you want to give the people something fresh! new! risky! fun! scroll stopping! It’s a very specific mentality to have – I know – so this conversation with my roommate was a good reminder for me and hopefully for you too that it’s okay if every single detail in the house isn’t fully done and perfect right this second (which I know we all can feel that pressure from the internet, clients, people coming over, or whatever factor it may be). Decorate on your own timeline and do what feels right to you.

photo by kaitlin green | from: my best friends living room reveal

Thanks for reading my rant. Let’s get to the part where I share some pieces that can make your space feel more dialed in. AllModern’s Black Friday In July sale is REALLY GOOD (they have up to 70% off select items), so I’m sharing the picks that I think are awesome for both the fast decorators and slow decorators. Whichever camp you’re leaning into right now (because yes, it can also change depending on your mood and time in life), it’s always great to get good design for a good price, and these pieces will really make your home shine and give it the upgrade that you might be looking for. I’m breaking it out by price point so you can choose your adventure on how much you want to invest in your home at this time. And since my living room makeover is in partnership with AllModern, I’m excited to share some of the pieces I recently received and can give you my genuine thoughts and reviews on (and everything came super quickly, which is a bonus for the fast decorators like me!)

Small & Simple Home Upgrades

A drink table can save you the daily annoyance of sitting on your chair or sofa that’s slightly too far away from the coffee table – trust me, it makes a big difference in the livability of your space! The best part is they’re generally pretty affordable, so you can make yourself more comfortable for not a lot of dough. I love this table that’s on sale right now. Plus, I personally just got the Walt end table, and I am so impressed with the weight and sty

Drink Table

Here’s an example of a skinny drink table styled out in Brady’s old apartment:

design by brady tolbert | photo by zeke ruelas | from: brady’s living room reveal

End Table

This end table is really great for the same problem, but it’s specifically great with a sofa because it can slide under the bottom of the couch!

photo by david tsay

Fluted Tray | Black Tray

Another fun piece to add (that I’m also currently shopping for) is a tray for a coffee table. They make your little trinkets look more intentional and your home look less messy. This one is awesome (I have actually one that’s super similar), and this black one is also really sleek.

Medium-Sized Home Upgrades

This next category is full of items that are great quality and really feel solid and take up a bit more space. In my living room makeover, I’m using a good amount of stone and marble materials (shoutout to my dream coffee table for pushing me in this direction although it is unfortunately not on sale currently – sorry!!!), and they’re SOLID. Like, so heavy but in a really good way. I also snagged this travertine side table, and I just love setting stuff down on these tables because I know they’re not going anywhere. They’re certainly not cheap because marble and travertine are expensive materials, but I found this awesome end table which comes in a ton of colors at a pretty reasonable price point.

Marble End Table

photos by kaitlin green | left from: our kids’ art barn | right from: my niece’s bedroom reveal

Sometimes all your space needs is a little bit of fun to give it more personality and make it feel more like you. Here are some fun, whimsical pieces we’ve used before – Em put this bench in her niece’s bedroom makeove,r and she put this floor lamp in the art barn (see below!)

Floor Lamp | Bench

photo by kaitlin green | from: the river house kids’ shared bathroom

And if you want a fun bench with some simple, cleaner lines, here’s the more “streamlined version,” which is on sale now too. We’ve used it in the river house and the quality is awesome.

Bench

Desk

For this price point, I’d recommend grabbing a larger furniture piece in need of updating. Want to upgrade your home office?? This desk is pretty affordable (and it’s so cute).

Recliner

Maybe a comfy club chair like this or a secret recliner (my boyfriend has two recliners that look super similar to this one).

Chair

You guys also love this chair (we know because you purchase it through us a lot, actually!) It seems super comfy and streamlined too. If you’re looking for something like this – it comes in a ton of colors :)

Big Home Upgrades

Sofa

This is the big ticket item upgrade! I just grabbed this sofa to replace my older IKEA sofa. The reviews were excellent, so I figured it would be great, but I highly recommend it if you’re in need of an upgrade (and it comes in a ton of configurations). The fabric is soft and it’s low but not too low. It’s also pretty deep, which I love, so someone can comfortably sleep on it if need be (or if I want to personally nap on it).

Leather Bed

Obsessed with this leather bed – what a star piece. This is so timeless and would work in so many different bedrooms :)

AllModern has a lot of sofas and beds all year (obviously), but the sales are just so good right now – if you’re thinking of upgrading any large pieces, check out the full sale here.

So I hope you found something you love, and/or I hope you take away that slow decorating and fast decorating can both exist, and it’s all about how much time, effort, and money YOU want to spend and put in in order to make yourself comfortable in your own home. It’s your timeline and your space – not anyone else’s. I can’t WAIT to share my living room makeover with AllModern now that it’s almost finished (because boy was it bare bones and as a fast decorator, that was very stressful to me lol) but hope you all take it as an inspiration for what you can do in your space and not a timeline you need to follow. We’re shooting the room in August, so stay tuned!! And okay fine…you twisted my arm. Here’s a sneak peek of the new sofa!

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: My Brother’s Kitchen Patio With AllModern

My New Prop Garage Reveal – Including IKEA Shelving (Non-Spon) And A Lot Of Vintage Collections

I am a new person. Transformed! The fact that there aren’t more before/after shows for the “chronically disorganized” (me!) is a real missed TV opportunity. Now, I do give myself grace because the amount of stuff one has to have to do this job, run this company, and create so much design content so frequently is extreme (occupational hazard – just the way it is). And even with a team of people, it’s impossible to keep it organized unless you have what we now have – a dedicated space, with IKEA shelving and cabinets, labels, color-coded shelves, THE WORKS. Without systems, there is chaos!!!! And Houston, we now have systems. For those of you who want to jump to the reveal, you can watch our latest YouTube video right here. I couldn’t love it any more.

2019 – The BEFORE before

When we bought the property, this was the garage – full of potential and spiders/dampness. We always knew that one of the perks of buying the property with so many outbuildings would be that we could have prop storage within reach (crucial to running the business), but not when they looked like this…

She was in rough shape. A slab had been poured in the last 20 years (we think), but otherwise it was “vintage”. So my brother’s company, Afore, set to restore and repair it, using the existing footprint and structure (and slab). They reinforced the framing, scissoring where they needed to, replacing other boards, but we really tried to save money by using the original wood. We opted to get rid of the broken windows, choosing functional wall space over a weird fence view. We updated the simple electrical and panneled it all.

January 2025 – Construction Progress

As you can see, the four bays remained the same, just fixed for new garage doors. The two on the left would be furniture store, holiday, and “Henderson life stuff”, while the two on the right would be smaller props, tools, supplies – all the stuff that needed a true dedicated space. Brian’s truck would go on the far left (and to save money, we made it just a covered carport without a slab, electrical or garage doors, and just a corrugated roof).

Initially, we were going to leave the original ceiling (it was pretty!), but we ended up cladding over it just to keep it as clean, insulated, and simple as possible. We needed to add recessed lighting so the paneling covered up the wiring, and honestly, we just didn’t want to deal with spiders and the potentially ickiness ever again.

The Old Prop House – Carriage House

As a reminder, we had everything on shelving in the only “not-totally-damp” room in the carriage house. Things were not staying in great shape, and we needed to start restoring this house, so it was time to fix the garages so we could have safe, dry storage.

June 2025 – DONE!!!! And I’m So Happy

Garage Doors | Garage Paint Color | Garage Doors Paint Color | Sconces

Last week, I showed off the prettiest garage doors ever (by Clopay, installed by local company Ponderosa) that we are legit obsessed with. Head over to this post to read alllllllll about our doors and the color, etc.

Once open, those doors really create this indoor/outdoor workspace which we all love being in (besides the fact that there is spotty wifi out here – fixing that asap). It’s a huge garage, extremely functional and tidy, and I spend far more time in here than predicted.

The After After…My New Favorite Space

Shelving Units | Cabinets | Table (vintage) | Chairs (vintage) | Rug (vintage) | Bins

It’s so much space, and so organized with the right dedicated storage for every type of thing. We have three sides of storage – the shallow shelves on the left, the deep closed storage on the back, and then deep shelves on the right. I mapped it all out beforehand, and I think I did a fantastic job if I do say so myself!

In front of the PAX units (which I want to discuss more below), we have our old vintage kitchen table from LA that I have been hoarding, and my beloved Cherner chairs (which admittedly shouldn’t be in a garage, but they aren’t comfortable enough for our day-to-day chairs – so squeaky!). We use this table to pull props and pack them up, but also we have been meeting out here while the kids have been running feral all summer. It’s oddly peaceful and quiet out here. While it’s likely not our year-round “studio,” it’s reallly nice not to always work in my sunroom and have some separation (we are hybrid, so unless we are meeting or shooting, everyone does computer work from home).

Are The IKEA PAX Units Good Enough For Garage Shelves??

I saw a lot of comments after I posted about how we had installed the PAX units. A few of you mentioned they aren’t strong enough for true garage storage (based on your experience). So before you do what I did, do more research (than I did). So far we are fine, but as you can see, we do have some stacks of dishes which are rather heavy, and I think I’m going to disperse based on your advice. For the most part, what is in these units isn’t heavy, but if you have heavy bins of garage “stuff,” then based on the comments, you’d want to get the kitchen cabinetry from IKEA.

Dish Rack | Labels

This is our tabletop cabinet as you can see, pared down and super organized. The labels are my boss!!!

Vertical Drawer Organizer | Horizontal Drawer Organizers

In the other prop house, these were stacked in a bookshelf and were a total disaster. Here they are stacked perfectly and dust/spider-free. I bought the IKEA organizers for inside that work fine for the flatware.

Wall-Mounted Organizer

On the left is oversized art and mirrors (which I organized in that cute little wall-mounted art organizer).

More IKEA Shelving!

Shelving with Closed Storage

This is my favorite wall – so many pretty things that we pull for shoots, rotate in and out of my house, and I think I have a story about every single thing (not saying it’s healthy, just giving the facts). Most of this is vintage or one-of-a-kind (with a decent amount of really useful Anthro, CB2, and Target mixed in here).

I had so much fun organizing everything by color – forcing Marlee and Gretchen into a personal show-and-tell monologue about each thing that had a story. Yes, I’m a hoarder of pretty things, and I accept this full accountability (I also purge a lot – and trust me, you want to be friends with “purging Emily”).

I’m glad that most of you are likely design enthusiasts and aren’t judging but instead admiring (but it’s ok if you don’t get it, too!)

Let me be clear, this is post-purge. As in this is the stuff that made the cut, either because I use it a lot, or it’s somehow special to me, or it’s new and I haven’t found its permanent home yet.

On the other side is “Lamp Land,” which houses (you guessed it) all the lighting, as well as art and fabric.

Shelving | Soft Storage Bins

How can a photo of shelves of stuff make me so happy???? I guess I see years of collecting (dopamine burst after dopamine burst) mixed with excitement for future projects.

Now that I can see everything clearly, I can really place them in future projects (that I know of). I’ve gotten pretty great and knowing what I should keep versus what I really don’t think I need to store any longer. All of this made the cut.

Lamps, baskets, small inside pots, and large vessels – everything has a place, and it’s visually so clear.

Soft Storage Bins

On the bottom row lie row after row of fabric bins that I bought specifically to fit in here side by side, and with a vinyl window to show me what is inside. Admittedly, they look squished, but they do the job assigned to them so well and can fit a LOT.

Art Dividers | Art Dividers with Wheels

I’m pretty obsessed with these art dividers (pot lid organizers work, too). I bought these from Amazon, with the larger rolling ones here and the smaller art dividers here. These make me feel on top of the world, TBH, and I’m so excited that my art will stop getting damaged by being thrown around.

Art Dividers with Wheels

How smart are these rolling art carts? Very specific to my needs (not an every garage staple), but they work so well for our needs. We keep them in front of the door, which we aren’t really using (we might in the winter) because the garage doors open so easily and quickly.

It’s such a dream. And a big shout out to the Clopay garage doors that open and close so quietly and, as you can see below, honestly look pretty lovely when closed (the windows help a lot).

We’ve been leaving the doors open while we are in here, and it really stays cool (no direct sun, north facing) and is just so nice to get away from the free rein kids running around our property all summer.

It’s also fantastic that cars can pull right up to it, so even in the winter we have very little excuse to not put things away (but we can also just stack everything on the table if we are in a hurry – a dedicated staging spot).

We put in a cadet heater that is behind the art, leaning on the floor, so we’ll see if we use it in the winter. I think at minimum I’ll set it to keep it 50 degrees so that it doesn’t get too cold in here and warp the art.

That white door leads to the other garage, which is full of samples of something I’m very excited to show you, but can’t yet. So more to come from that garage soon…

A huge thanks to my team for helping me with this. I know that it’s technically part of their job, but reorganizing your boss’s life (while also shooting a YouTube series about it) is definitely both hard work and very personal. And thanks to my brother’s company, Afore, for making these garages so beautiful, safe, dry, and polished. They are such a dream. Now go watch the fun/fast YouTube to see the full tour (including what is in the other cabinets).

.slider-info-377940.bafg-slider-info .bafg-slider-title { font-size: 22px ; } .slider-info-377940.bafg-slider-info .bafg-slider-description { } .slider-info-377940.bafg-slider-info .bafg_slider_readmore_button { text-align: center; } .slider-info-377940.bafg-slider-info .bafg_slider_readmore_button:hover { }

.slider-info-377943.bafg-slider-info .bafg-slider-title { font-size: 22px ; } .slider-info-377943.bafg-slider-info .bafg-slider-description { } .slider-info-377943.bafg-slider-info .bafg_slider_readmore_button { text-align: center; } .slider-info-377943.bafg-slider-info .bafg_slider_readmore_button:hover { }

*Photos by Kaitlin Green

5 Wayfair Things I Have And Love (Introducing My New Storage Shed)

I’m not sure what is more peak adulting than a lady excited to show off her new storage shed. Today, I have for you a few show and tell pieces around my house and another sneak peek into two new rooms in my brother’s river house. They are all from Wayfair, which has the largest inventory of fantastic pieces for the home, across all categories (sheds to sectionals, folks). It’s become a really easy go-to for most things when I’m shopping, and everything comes really quickly.

The Green Sectional

This sectional has proven to be pretty dang awesome in the art barn. It’s so comfortable (squishy on top but firm) and the wide whale corduroy is really soft. The kids have been out there a lot this summer (mostly because I kick them out of the house during the day) and it holds up soo well to all their shenanigans. I never showed you the last piece that came with it, which can act like an ottoman, how I have it today, but also can be put on either end of the sofa to be modular. We have a little table here usually, but it’s a great option if you have more space.

I come out here to work when the kids are in the house because it’s so dang peaceful (and stays cool). The green is more olive than hunter, and the modular pieces stay together pretty well.

I should have shot it so you could see how you can add the ottoman to either end. See it below to get an idea of how it can be arranged. We love it for that low 70s vibe.

!function(d,s,id){
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';
if(!d.getElementById(id)) {
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + '://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/widget.js&...
d.body.appendChild(e);
}
if(typeof(window.__moneyspot) === 'object') {
if(document.readyState === 'complete') {
window.__moneyspot.init();
}
}
}(document, 'script', 'moneyspot-script');


[image error]
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Our Durable Storage Shed

I had to really babysit myself here to ensure that I chose the right storage shed for our needs in Oregon – durable resin, not wood. Of course, all I want is a pretty wooden shed, but I don’t trust any to be fully waterproof during our long, rainy winters. I wasn’t worried about it rotting necessarily (which can, of course, eventually happen with wood), but more that everything inside would get wet, mold, and be destroyed.

It does the job really well. I bought the storage shed and the sports organizer inside both from Wayfair, separately (way before this post, actually). I was obsessed with what would fit perfectly inside it (rounds of measuring ensued). It came well reviewed and would be big enough for all our sporting equipment. The shelving inside fits all the balls, rackets, pool toys, and even our corn hole and bucket golf (with extra room for the scooter). But you could also buy a yard-oriented shelving system (for rakes, blowers, etc).

!function(d,s,id){
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';
if(!d.getElementById(id)) {
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + '://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/widget.js&...
d.body.appendChild(e);
}
if(typeof(window.__moneyspot) === 'object') {
if(document.readyState === 'complete') {
window.__moneyspot.init();
}
}
}(document, 'script', 'moneyspot-script');


[image error]
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.



!function(d,s,id){
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';
if(!d.getElementById(id)) {
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + '://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/widget.js&...
d.body.appendChild(e);
}
if(typeof(window.__moneyspot) === 'object') {
if(document.readyState === 'complete') {
window.__moneyspot.init();
}
}
}(document, 'script', 'moneyspot-script');


[image error]
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

The Pedestal Dining Table

For my brother’s game room, we bought this 47″ game/dining table in a darker wood stain that they have loved and used more than they thought they would. Here they are playing Rummikub, but this table stands up to a lot of crafting, puzzles, and drinks without any marks. I can’t wait to show you more of this room – it might be my favorite in the house.

!function(d,s,id){
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';
if(!d.getElementById(id)) {
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + '://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/widget.js&...
d.body.appendChild(e);
}
if(typeof(window.__moneyspot) === 'object') {
if(document.readyState === 'complete') {
window.__moneyspot.init();
}
}
}(document, 'script', 'moneyspot-script');


[image error]
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.



!function(d,s,id){
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';
if(!d.getElementById(id)) {
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + '://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/widget.js&...
d.body.appendChild(e);
}
if(typeof(window.__moneyspot) === 'object') {
if(document.readyState === 'complete') {
window.__moneyspot.init();
}
}
}(document, 'script', 'moneyspot-script');


[image error]
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

We went round and round on which stain we would choose. The white oak went well with the whole house, which is full of white oak. But we felt that the darker tone would add depth and richness to the room.

The Pretty Credenza

In their family room, we styled this low credenza (with similar style/tone to the dining table) under that incredible Maryann Puls piece that they bought from the original Portland project. It slides open and closed for storage and works perfectly here, scale-wise, but could also be great in an entry or under a smaller TV. Wayfair’s collection of more modern pieces can sometimes be harder to find, but its solid and they have a lot of them.

!function(d,s,id){
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';
if(!d.getElementById(id)) {
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + '://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/widget.js&...
d.body.appendChild(e);
}
if(typeof(window.__moneyspot) === 'object') {
if(document.readyState === 'complete') {
window.__moneyspot.init();
}
}
}(document, 'script', 'moneyspot-script');


[image error]
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.



!function(d,s,id){
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';
if(!d.getElementById(id)) {
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + '://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/widget.js&...
d.body.appendChild(e);
}
if(typeof(window.__moneyspot) === 'object') {
if(document.readyState === 'complete') {
window.__moneyspot.init();
}
}
}(document, 'script', 'moneyspot-script');


[image error]
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

The Poolside Lounge Chairs

While I probably need to oil my Neighbor pool loungers, they have grayed out to be so pretty and I love them the way they are. Don’t forget they have these pull-out side tables, and please note those rounded legs and wheels.

I love Neighbor because it’s super design-forward and high quality. Wayfair’s inventory for outdoor furniture is huge and comes so fast if you are still in the market (watch for sales now). I just bought this table for near the sectional that felt super flexible, and we needed a surface for food and drinks.

!function(d,s,id){
var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';
if(!d.getElementById(id)) {
e = d.createElement(s);
e.id = id;
e.src = p + '://widgets.rewardstyle.com/js/widget.js&...
d.body.appendChild(e);
}
if(typeof(window.__moneyspot) === 'object') {
if(document.readyState === 'complete') {
window.__moneyspot.init();
}
}
}(document, 'script', 'moneyspot-script');


[image error]
JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

We have an exciting announcement that has to do with Wayfair in a couple of weeks, so I’m happy to give them some love during this post. For a huge inventory of great home everything, delivered quickly, you know where to shop. xx

This post was sponsored by Wayfair but all of the words and thoughts are mine:)

*Photos by Kaitlin Green