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A Lucky Reader’s Kitchen No-Demo Reno: The Challenges + Needs + Budget + Timeline

Rarely is there a post that does better on the blog than a kitchen reveal so THIS IS A BIG WEEK for you and me both! It’s what I think I just coined KRW: Kitchen Reveal Week. This time around, it’s a budget-friendly but non-DIY upgrade that I’m very excited to show you. You guys, there’s floral wallpaper, there’s dark green paint, there’s a newly blasted ceiling! SO. MUCH. GOOD.

A few months ago, we put out a call to our Portland followers for a kitchen that needed an update with some design and functional elements to make it better but in the “no demo reno” kind of way (truly my favorite flavor of makeovers). Most people simply want a kitchen with more function and yes, with elevated design, but don’t necessarily have the budget or time to do a full gut job. I know I don’t have to tell you, but y’all, a full kitchen remodel with custom cabinets can be SO expensive and often feels dauntingly impossible (speaking from experience on the other side of one—I made it out alive, but I have a ton of compassion for all future kitchen renovators). After so many good submissions, we found our reader-kitchen duo (shout out to Julie!) and this week, we will be documenting the process of how it all came together with the big reveal at the end. I know patience can be tough in this instant gratification world, but it’ll be worth it. Promise.

This kitchen project is in collaboration with Crate & Barrel as they launch a new line of kitchen islands and finishing touches. When they approached me with the partnership, I asked to see the photos of the product before signing on and was extremely impressed. It’s no secret that Crate is killing it in the design department—I myself have pieces from the Jake Arnold and Athena Calderone collections. They are extremely cool and beautifully made. It was a fast and hard “YES” once I saw the island selection. All we needed was a kitchen that checked the following boxes:

Could be completed in a quick timeline: It didn’t need to be faux-HGTV fast, but we had under two months and needed to be done by June (so no major permitting, engineering, etc).Stylistically worked well with the island that I loved: This island honestly could work in so many different styles but we wanted to make sure that it didn’t feel plugged into the wrong house design-wise.Had the right size and scale: We weren’t going to move walls so we had some size restraints for the product.Within a reasonable affordable non-DIY budget: This couldn’t be a teardown—there had to be good enough existing bones for an upgrade. We had a budget of $15-20k, not the usual $100k that kitchens require these days. I say “non-DIY” because we weren’t doing it ourselves and would hire out, but honestly, most of these things could totally be done by a handy homeowner (so it could have been a budget kitchen remodel).The existing island (if there was one) couldn’t have a sink or stovetop that we had to re-home. The island is freestanding with storage but no plumbing or electrical.THE BEFORE

Clearly, this kitchen had potential and was already pretty cute. But Julie, the homeowner gave us some insight into how old it was and how it wasn’t meeting their family’s needs. Julie also is a huge antiques enthusiast (and even had booths that I’ve bought from many times!), thus having cool pieces.

Julie’s Needs

The house was remodeled in the 1990s and it clearly wasn’t bad, but some of the design choices in the space could use a touch-up. Additionally, some of the cabinets were chipped and wonky. Her biggest grievances were as follows:

The appliances were old and not terribly attractive. (Although TBH, at least they were white and kinda disappeared). We split the appliance budget with her as this wasn’t an appliance partnership and those can add up.Her island was so pretty but there wasn’t anywhere for her boys to sit and hang, and she could use more storage for bigger items.She just wanted it to feel more designed and give it a point of view. Nothing is wrong with the current iteration, but it could have more color, pattern, contrast, impact, etc.THE ISLAND

Here is the beautiful island we chose for this project and after seeing it installed in person, I can tell you that it is STUNNING and extremely high-quality. It’s made from white oak with a solid honed marble on top. It comes fully built and has so many functions such as a pull-out garbage compartment on the left, storage for a stand mixer on the right, and huge deep drawers for pots, pans and large mixing bowls in the middle. And it has a 14.5-inch overhang that can easily sit three people.

This island truly looks custom-made, but again, it comes fully assembled, including the stone at $4,999. If you’ve done custom cabinetry before you’ll know that an island this size would typically be a lot more expensive, not including the stone. With this island, you are saving time and money. The slab on top is extremely impressive and beautiful (that veining is perfect, and mixed with the white oak looks so beautiful and classic and can go with so many styles.

THE DESIGN TEAM + Major Players

I hired Sarah Weldon (former PDX assistant, currently in design school) to be the design lead and project manager on this. I used to have an in-house design team but I don’t up here so I was SO HAPPY she said “yes.” We designed it together, but she was so instrumental both in ideas and especially in execution. After choosing the paint color, wallpaper and accent finishes, she went to town on the renderings and calculations.

I also hired my brother to be the contractor (he just got his license). This was a great first project for us because the scale of it was pretty darn manageable, but the timeline was fast. He was in charge of executing all the work, booking the subs, and being on-site for quality control, etc. It was SO FUN and pretty darn seamless working with him and Sarah. Emily M. and Gretchen (two of my Portland team) helped with content and the production of the shoot day.

We needed to create a labor and non-Crate & Barrel prop budget which is always hard without exact quotes, but we did our best. Here is what I initially mocked up:

Our Labor And Non-Product Budget: Appliances: $10-15k (our budget covered half and Julie was happy to pay the other half to get what she wanted.Demo: My brother did this in a day, so this was wrapped up in his fee.Refinishing the ceiling: $4-6k (you can see this in tomorrow’s post)Carpentry: i.e. shelving, any beadboard and trim work repair/replacement, and closing up the pass-through window.Paint cabinets: $4-6k?New cabinet fronts for new panel-ready appliances + upper cabinet above new fridge + new hood: $2-8k (I literally have no idea)Random non-Crate & Barrel necessities (appliance pulls, pot rack, new faucet): $2-3kContractor fee: TBD but somewhere between $3-10K (huge range, I know)Wallpaper + wallpaper install: $1-2k

All of these were very padded and I left a lot of room for nuance. We were under on some but went over on others. There were some additional unexpected costs (per usual) like needing to cut the stone behind the old range to fit the new one, and having to hire an electrician because there were some issues being an older home that we didn’t predict when we installed our new lighting fixtures. We ended up coming in at $23k (not including any of our time, including Sarah’s rendering and project management time) and not including the Crate & Barrel product. Even no-demo reno kitchens can add up because labor or anything custom is very expensive these days, but I think a lot of this could have been DIY’d by a handy and patient homeowner.

Timeline With A Firm Deadline

Nothing like a booked photoshoot with a huge crew flying in to light a fire under your hood. I don’t remember the exact date we started but I think we had seven weeks before the shoot. It honestly felt really doable and safe (and we had such a great kitchen for it). We wanted to do an excellent job and meet the deadline, so one of the reasons that some of our costs were higher than they would normally be is what I like to call a “desperation and urgency” tax. We didn’t have the luxury of time to get multiple quotes, so if our first felt a little high but they could start immediately, we booked them to check the box. It’s such a domino effect and some people couldn’t even quote for weeks. A huge credit to my brother Ken for having a lot of connections and being so friendly that people want to work for him, even on small-ish jobs like this.

The Design Plan

We had the homeowner’s wants and a rough (but firm) budget. In terms of everything we had to get done in just under two months’ time? Here’s what we were aiming for:

Refinish the ceiling. Ice blasting? sanding? Walnut blasting? Come back tomorrow and see!!Remove uppers to open up the space + install floating shelves.Hire a cabinet maker to make panels for the new panel-ready appliances. Fridge, dishwasher, hood, and upper cabinet above the fridge to look more integrated.Close up the pass-through window that they didn’t use. This would give us more shelving space.Repair and replace trim and beadboard where needed.Paint existing cabinetry boxes on site and all beadboard. All fronts were taken to a studio and sprayed.Source panel-ready appliances (and hood) with literally NO lead time. These needed to be in stock in Portland.Change out the faucet.Change pendant over island.Change out all hardware. This required new holes. Our painter patched the old holes before he painted.Order wallpaper and hire an installer. Timing was sensitive.Shop and style it all out.

It sounds like a mountain to climb but it really did feel so doable, maybe in even under a month. I’ve done this so many times, though, that I knew that if we didn’t pad the timeline, we’d be in trouble if we ran into any hiccups or anything needing the luxury of time to troubleshoot. So much of it has to do with labor availability and we aren’t in control of that. Again, kudos to Ken for pulling it off. We actually got done a week early and we had so much time to style and play before the Crate executives and photographers showed up.

The Design Board

This isn’t the final design plan because I want to keep it a secret until the reveal on Thursday, but here you can get a sense for the direction we were headed and get a peek into what you are about to see later this week.

The final design is full of color, so fun and modern, and with a lot of whimsy. The transformation is real and high impact, all in seven weeks.

Sneak Peek!!

You know it’s hard for me to hold onto final images for too long, so here’s a little look into the final design but not the full colors (YET). Tomorrow, you’ll read about the ceiling refinishing (it’s a thing and our first go around did NOT turn out as we had hoped so it’s worth a whole post). And then come back Thursday for the full kitchen reveal. We are OBSESSED with how it turned out. It’s honestly so sweet and full of personality (like Julie). It has such a point of view now and it seemed like the homeowner couldn’t have been happier with her kitchen. She was so fun and easy to work with and the whole process was so seamless. I CAN NOT WAIT TO SHOW YOU.

A huge thanks to Sarah Weldon and Ken Starke for all their work on this, and Crate & Barrel for giving such creative freedom. T-minus TWO DAYS before the reveal of this kitchen. I think/hope you’ll love it as much as we do. xx

The post A Lucky Reader’s Kitchen No-Demo Reno: The Challenges + Needs + Budget + Timeline appeared first on Emily Henderson.

My Recent Haul From The Rose City Vintage Market!

Oh, how I have missed the Rose Bowl (or Long Beach, PCC, etc) – the flea market scene is in the top five things of what I loved about living in LA. So I’m thrilled that the Rose City Vintage Market (with help from Left Coast Revivals) is here and so good!! The whole family went (but we divided up because I promised Birdie a girls’ day shopping so she wanted the boys to do their own thing) and it was incredibly fun. Here is how it all went down:

The market this year was big, mostly inside but with a pretty healthy part outside as well. It was a huge mix of super curated booths (which were very fun and huge respect to the vendors who clearly put in SO MUCH WORK). There were some clothes, jewelry and art, but it was mostly a big variety of different styles of furniture and decor – just how I like it.

Laura of Left Coast Revivals helped support it a lot this year (as far as I’m understanding) and brought a lot of vendors and people out. Y’all, I’m loving this PDX vintage scene. Such lovely people with good stuff that are working so hard to source and curate beautiful things. KUDOS to all these champs.

I ran into a few friends, Max Humphrey was there signing his book and Annie (Shop Wilma) was there shopping. She scored that dope stool that I wanted to steal from her – she’ll likely be selling it soon. My goodness, the lighting in this joint was not my favorite!!!

This vendor had so many good rugs! I loved this blue rug, but the size of it worked nowhere in my house so I had to leave it. So sad since I’m so picky about vintage rugs. Hope it goes to the perfect home.

My Jumper | Madewell Blazer

That dope ceramic lamp was $2,600 which I thought was very risky to bring to a flea market (it was awesome and a super famous midcentury potter, but I feel like it should be on 1stDibs for that price – don’t tease us!!). I almost bought that denim blazer, but I remembered I literally just got this one from Madewell that is excellent. Ha.

Snagged this seascape and it’s already found a spot in my house! It’s from Dry Goods Mercantile and those colors are incredible (and it was only $60).

I also bought a few pieces from this art vendor, Irving Street Trading Co. I am such an art hoarder and will never regret getting a great piece!

I almost bought that weird painting/mixed media over his right shoulder but it was so expensive ($750) and I couldn’t picture it immediately in my house. I’ve thought about it A LOT since then and of course, wish I had snagged it. The red/blue/white painting is AWESOME – thinking up the stairs mixed in with our family art wall.

I picked this ribbon candelabra (which I realized after the fact that it’s from SIN Ceramics so you can get one too!) and gold lamp from RestateD_PDX – both are so goooooood.

Charlie found this skateboard lamp, became OBSESSED with it and while it was overpriced IMHO ($220) the vendor, Coffee and Snacks was so sweet and had made so many things into lamps in such a fun way. Charlie doesn’t get as excited about decorating his room as Birdie does (she’s endlessly enthusiastic) so when he does really really respond to something I try to honor that (especially if it’s vintage and supporting a local vintage maker). So yes, we bought that, which then of course set off Birdie to want something that was also $200 (I tried to hide the price, but they can “read” now which is really a problem in cases like this). She immediately found a less-than-awesome super gaudy lamp (looked like Z Gallery from the ’90s) and almost threw a massive tantrum when I said no. It was hard to explain and she felt it was so unfair, but she just wanted something and didn’t even care what it was. Everything is a thing!!!

Lastly, I got an original painting by Purl that I think I could put most places in my house – the colors are so good and I’m just a big fan of his creative spirit!

It was all so fun and their next show is Oct 21st and 22nd. Below is a partial list of a lot of the vendors if you want to give them a follow (and buy some stuff). We should be getting the rest of the list shortly! These are people doing the good work, in a business that is almost impossible to scale because the nature of it is all one of a kind – so let’s support them 🙂

The VendorsAnderson Antique CompanyMoJo’s Vintage BoutiqueAntiques in the BarnNo Cash Value VintageAtomic AgeNomadic Vintage PDXBanditNorthwest ModernBe AntiquesOpert’s AtticBilly GalaxyOrmoluluBlack Book VintageQueen PaisleyBlue Mirror VintagePaloma AveBuysontheflyPicks and FlipsDiamond in the RoughPortland VintageDry Goods MercantileOpulence PDXEBK VintageTotal NonsequiturEndnotes StudioRare Bird StereosFull Upright PositionRestateD PDXGiltTripRetrorocketGo Jenny GoRonz WhimzicullsGot the Button VintageShogun’s GalleryHeavy Merchandise Co.Show & Tell ThriftHistoric Art and ServicesStair 11Homestead RelicsTateMod VintageHouse Of TwinkleThe Antique NomadIrving Street Trading Co.The Huntress Ltd.Junk EmpireTraveling Man TreasuresMacalistaire VintageType SpaceManipulator VintageWandering Fox ApothecaryMid.Mod.GrooveWest Coast Thrift JourneyMidtown ModWild Whimsy VintageMidtowners MarketMML Poubelle

*Pretty Photos by Kaitlin Green

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The Link Up: Em’s New (Very Cool) Sneakers, Arlyn’s Comfy, Quick Dry T-Shirt, And The Most Stunning Marble Floors We’ve Ever Seen

Let’s just say the EHD team had maybe too good of a time this past week in Portland (like a “sorry we didn’t post on Thursday” good time:)). But the great news is we did a lot of brainstorming and planning too so get ready for some great content! We hope you had a great week too and we promise another VERY fun week on the blog. But in case you missed the LIVING ROOM REVEAL last Monday or Em’s re-entry into YouTube-verse then we are in for an extra treat. Ok, let’s link up!

This week’s house tour is an Upper East Side modern gem. Modern design can easily feel cold but when you add enough vintage and let Ashe Leandro in charge, that will never be an issue. Go check out this chic yet playful apartment.

From Emily: I just got these Nikes and wear them ALL THE TIME. They are super comfortable and make any outfit I wear look cooler. Ochre, tan, and brown aren’t my normal go-to colors but they go really well with anything since they are all neutrals.

From Caitlin: Literally had my mind blown by these marble floors in a cathedral in Siena – I’ve never seen anything like it. (You’ll get what I mean when you click through to look at the photos, I swear.) Like…craftsman in the 1300s used marble and stucco to make that? The level of detail is extraordinary – I can’t even imagine how much care and thought went into making each cut of marble! (The floors are preserved under fiberboard for most of the year, but they’re on display through 7/31 and again between 8/18 and 10/18 for only $9! If you’re in Tuscany this summer, stop by and check it out for me, please!!!

From Mallory: If you have any fancy events or weddings coming up – these shoes are my absolute favorite heels to wear because they’re comfy and just so incredibly cute. I have them in green but am tempted to also get them in blush so they go with more. If you’re not a “heels person” (I shouldn’t be because I constantly sprain my ankle but I wear them anyway), then these are a good, less high option (and I’m in love with the velvet!!!)

Is anyone in LA next weekend?? Lone Fox (aka Drew Michael Scott) is lending his talents to Soho Home and partnering with them on a vintage pop-up at their Melrose store. It will be a collection of one-of-a-kind vintage pieces curated by Drew and if you go on Saturday, July 29th from 10am-11am he’s doing a meet and greet! We love both Drew and Soho so this is a very exciting partnership:) The collection will live in the front part of Soho Home from July 29th-August 26th.

From Arlyn: Over the past few months, I’ve been trying to get out and be more active, specifically by going on walks or jogs with my daughter in tow (jogger strollers are a Godsend). I have a weird thing about my arms, so tank tops aren’t really in my wardrobe vocabulary, but it’s been SO hot and I needed something lightweight and not suffocating. I found this crewneck active T-shirt at Target and it checked all of my boxes: comfortable, not hot, quick dry, available in an array of colors to buy a few, and cheap. Ding ding ding! I have it in three colors (the lilac is my favorite), and just ::gasp:: bought one of the racerback tanks, too. It’s a good length on my 5’3″ frame, so heads up if you’re taller, some of the reviews say it runs short. 

From Jess: I just got a new pair of mid-rise jeans that I love! They are cropped with a raw hem and are just super flattering. While I’ve been very pro high-rise, the mid-rise life is really growing on me.

Ok, go enjoy the rest of the day and see y’all tomorrow. xx

Opening Image Credits: Design by Emily Henderson and ARCIFORM | Photo by Kaitlin Green

The post The Link Up: Em’s New (Very Cool) Sneakers, Arlyn’s Comfy, Quick Dry T-Shirt, And The Most Stunning Marble Floors We’ve Ever Seen appeared first on Emily Henderson.

What’s In Our Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Carts (Warning: There’s A Lot Of CUTE Boots)

There are only a few sales every year that we seriously look forward to and the Nordstrom Anniversary sale is absolutely one of them. Why? Because the deals are actually really great and you can save some real money on pieces that you might be in need of for now or next season. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while then you know Emily loves to shop at Nordstrom so we are excited to show you what we love and or is in our carts from the sale. Most of us have cute boots on the brain but we of course dabbled into some other areas. Enjoy!

EmilyWalker Relaxed Fit Plaid Coat

Obviously, a plaid jacket is right up my alley – especially in climates/cities where you are walking around a lot (style on the outside, instead of just the inside).

Marysa Block Heel Platform Bootie

While I’m not grabbing for heels every day like I used to, these boots are AWESOME and look super supportive and comfortable for the height they add. Kinda wish I had them for Ms. Swift tonight 🙂

Ally Whipstitch Detail Mock Neck Sweater

UGH. This sweater is so good. Boxy and drapey, but with a cool structure. Oh, and the stitching on the sleeves and neck is awesome.

Georgiey Pointed Toe Knee High Boot

The pointed toe and tiny heel make these elevated, stylish, and yet I could still dress these down a bit (I’d wear them with my winter minis obviously).

Tori Lug Sole Combat Boot

So dope. Cool. Comfortable. Can wear these boots with sweats, jeans, dresses – it just turns anything basic into an OUTFIT.

CaitlinGeometric Print Cotton Sateen Duvet Cover & Shams Set

I love this bedding from Dusen Dusen – it’s a modern, geometric take on a classic quilting motif that feels fresh and fun. (It’s also exciting to purchase from an awesome small brand, especially at these prices!)

Perci Star Cotton & Cashmere Intarsia Sweater

Some of you may know that I tend to dress like a real-life Ms. Frizzle…and man, this sweater would fit perfectly into my wardrobe!!! I love the punchy graphics, drapey, oversized fit, and the stars are playful without feeling too toddler. (Also available in a light blue for those with more restrained color palettes!)

Franklin High Waist Faux Leather Wide Leg Pants

Grabbed a pair of faux leather pants last winter and they totally changed my perspective on fall/winter dressing – so many compliments, so warm, and surprisingly easy to style! At more than 50% off (under $60, guys!), I’ve gotta give this wide leg pair a try this year!

MalloryDiscoquette Genuine Shearling Slide Slipper

I’ve always been an UGG slipper fan and these are the coolest ones right now. The platform is SO cute (like you could wear these to the grocery store and it would be cool, not weird) and they’re such a great deal at $74 (originally $110). After seven years of wearing UGC slippers, I’m thinking it might be time for a replacement and these are gonna be it.

Ramson Western Boot

These boots are CUTE. I love the Western style (it’s big right now) and anything that’s high contrast black and white. I’d add these to cart if you’re in need of a cute boot for fall and I’d wear them with a dress or some light wash jeans (essentially they’d be great for summer/fall transition outfits!)

Le Pliage Neo 18-Inch Nylon Travel Bag

Longchamps are so classic and cool and make for the perfect work or travel bag. I have this one (I just brought it on our Portland trip!) and it’s super roomy so it’s big enough to fit a laptop and a small purse. Plus it’s over $75 off so…now’s the time.

JessOversize Corduroy Bomber Jacket

Since winter this year lasted until June in LA I was thiiiiis close to buying a cute bomber jacket. I love the shape, they have a vintage look, and most are a great weight for southern CA temps. So when I saw this one for under $75 it made me think it could be perfect. Thoughts?? I love the color and the fabric too!

Ria Wedge Chelsea Boot

Ok so these aren’t technically in my cart but I bought boots that look A LOT like this earlier this year and I can’t tell you how badass I feel in them. The heels are sculptural without looking too modern and that pointed toe is just sexy.

Siren Green Onyx & Diamond Stacking Ring

I’m a ring gal and like to wear a lot of them at once. The problem is most of them are chunky and I want one more that is thinner to balance them all out. I’ve been really wanting one with a green stone so was pretty taken when I saw this one.

Ok! We know the sale is winding down so if something you need is available we recommend getting it asap. Happy shopping:)

Love you, mean it.

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Veronica Crawford | From: A Fashion Review: New Clothing on My Body and How I Like Them (Or Not)

The post What’s In Our Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Carts (Warning: There’s A Lot Of CUTE Boots) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

This Content Creator Bought A Flipped Home That Turned Out To Be A Trainwreck—Does She Regret It?

Picture this: You tour a house that feels light, bright, cheery. You decide to take the plunge and put in an offer. Every space might not be exactly what you want aesthetically, but it’s move-in ready and will likely require very little work until you can save up and do some of the remodels you have in mind (the kitchen, specifically).

“We loved the character of this house, especially the vaulted ceilings,” says Deema Lopez of the home she and her husband bought in 2019. “It was ‘turn-key.’ The previous owners had done some renovations and painted it all white and made it look so pretty and it felt very happy. But then…DUN DUN DUN.”

a recent iteration of deema’s living room. she loves to tinker and move things around regularly, which is so fun to watch.

I’ve been following Deema of Pretty on Fridays on Instagram for about three years. Aside from being just a delight to watch (read: she’s hysterical), I’ve always been taken by her enviable creativity. There’s the “subway tile” she drew on with a Sharpie in her kids’ bathroom. And the window-pane grid “wallpaper” in her bedroom that was crafted with pencil. And of course, maybe her most famous DIY of tiny little flowers she hand-painted on the walls in her main hallway. I watched that come to life on Instastories across five full days. Oh, and how could I not mention the painted patio floor? What. A. Journey. For her and for her audience. 

left: the lines you see above are drawn with pencil! | right: subway tile? nah, it’s just sharpie.

“I faked everything. I did pencil and sharpie tile, faked a backsplash, painted our checkers outside, painted our ‘wallpapers’,” Deema tells me while we reminisce about how I first found her (the pencil wallpaper). “We did so many budget-friendly things like that until we could afford real stuff.” After all, when your walls are chipping, there are mysterious smells everywhere and your windows are leaking (ruining your wood floors you never planned on changing), you gotta save where you can.

Back to the DUN DUN DUN: “There were so many things wrong with this house that it’s hard to keep track,” Deema says, half laughing. “So many bandaid solutions that on the surface level looked so pretty and you’d have no idea about but once we got in closer, it was a train wreck.”

left: the handpainted “wallpaper” in the hallway, which is the project she gets asks the most about. | right: deema transformed her backyard patio with a painted checkerboard pattern.

For ease of reading, I’m going to list out in bullet points all the things Deema recounted to me that came up after they moved in. 

Plumbing issues galore. “They didn’t connect the pipes underneath the ground so we had a really bad smell near the laundry room and it all had to be rerouted which cost a few thousand dollars.”Air duct issues in the attic. “I don’t feel very well-versed in what happened there, but we had to pay a couple grand for that.”Toilets that weren’t sealed. “We noticed a smell around the ring underneath the toilets and called a plumber who told us the problem was they weren’t sealed. Just floating.”Fireplace detaching from the house. “All the previous owners did was fill the cracks with paint or some glue that wasn’t great.”Windows weren’t sealed from the outside. “When it rained, all the water seeped in under our hardwood floors.”Doors to kitchen cabinet drawers were falling off. “All they did was paint the kitchen cabinets horribly and add plastic hardware. The doors to the drawers would fall off constantly. I can laugh about it now. The caulk was coming off. Things were just uneven, outlets, plumbing…the kitchen was not great.”Entire house was painted without priming. “Everything was constantly chipping.”The divider between wood and tile flooring was not secure. “They just pop off all the time between rooms.”Spray-painted things to cover up. “Let’s see, they tried to cover up rust everywhere; all our hinges, and things in the bathroom. They also spray-painted the soot in the fireplace instead of just cleaning it.” Major electrical safety concerns. “There was one instance where we were installing a light and we found out our electrical was such a hazard that it could have set our house on fire. I’m not sure how that got past the inspection. It was on some setting that was too high and we only found it out replacing a light.”Subfloor separating. “This was a really big thing and held up our kitchen renovation for months. After removing our hardwood for the renovation, the contractor realized they had laid concrete on one side of the kitchen and a different concrete on the other and they didn’t connect them so there was a HUGE crack that ran under the whole house. We had to get an engineer and pay thousands of dollars to fix it. The old homeowners had to have known because it was new concrete. The engineer showed me where the new concrete was laid, so they didn’t disclose that even though they knew. If we didn’t fix it, it would keep separating, and ultimately, our floor would have busted open. It was so bad.” Even more subfloor separating. “My daughter has a dip in her room under the hardwood and I suspect the same thing is happening there that we found in our kitchen. We’ve been avoiding it because it’s going to be more thousands spent.” 

Whew. When she was going through all this, I just kept dropping “wows” and “ohmygods” and the occasional awkward laugh because that’s just who I am when someone is telling me their comedy of errors. You might expect these kinds of things in a fixer-upper, sure, but in a “turn-key” house you purchased? Not exactly. 

deema completely overhauled the kitchen in her family’s home to make it far more functional. faulty drawer doors not included. she used the existing fireplace to separate the kitchen cabinetry from the dining room built-ins. let’s hope it doesn’t fall off the house, right?

“I get pissed off every day when something falls off or chips or we find another thing wrong. There goes another couple thousand dollars, okay,” Deema adds. “It’s constant.”

After that laundry list of disasters, I ask her a provocative question I thought I knew the answer to. “Do you regret buying this house, considering all of this?” Preparing to hear an adamant “yes,” Deema surprises me. 

we love a dining banquette around these parts.watching deema acquire all her fun vintage and thrifted art has been a treat. she has a great eye and makes me constantly rethink things i’ve passed on while shopping.

“I don’t. I love this house. I don’t want to live here forever but I love this house. We bought it right before the pandemic so I’m so grateful for it. I regret not asking the right questions and what we didn’t do before signing the papers, but we probably would have still bought the house and maybe have the owners fix some things. I’m not really someone who has regrets, but I just wish I would have known what was waiting for us, what money would need to be spent.” 

As someone who has lived through what feels like all.the.things, I asked Deema her advice for anyone considering a flipped or owner-renovated home so that they don’t end up with the unexpected money pit she did. Learn from Deema. Ask the right questions or do a little digging, such as…

as dema mentioned, the bathrooms were aesthetically in good shape when they bought the house and apart from resealing toilets and uncovering spray-painted rust, they haven’t done much in here. 5 Crucial To-Dos Before Buying A Flipped Home (So You Don’t End Up Regretting It)Always—ALWAYS—check if the owners pulled permits for the completed work.

“We never checked to see if the previous owners had permits for the renovations. I could be wrong but I don’t think most first-time homebuyers think to check for this. I mean, we didn’t. In retrospect, we know they hadn’t pulled permits which is a huge red flag.”

Skip the traditional inspector.

“A lot of my friends have said that they have hired contractors rather than an inspector to walk through the home prior to buying it. From what I understand, many inspectors just have minimal training and really only look at surface-level stuff, but a contractor would flag a lot more. If I ever buy another home, I’m hiring a contractor to do the walk-through inspection for me even if I have to pay them more.”

Check when the owners purchased the home and then when they put it on the market. 

“I can almost guarantee that if they bought it, renovated, and flipped it back on the market quickly, there are going to be issues. Permits can take a while to get, so if something happened too fast, they maybe didn’t even get permits. It’s hard to mess things up if you have a permit and it’s inspected and approved. Our house, for instance, had been purchased by the previous owners, ‘renovated’, and put up for sale within a year’s time. I don’t think we’ll ever buy another home that has a similar story.” 

Ask more questions if another buyer takes back their offer.

“Someone had put in an offer before us and ended up walking away from the house. The realtor said it was because it was on a busy street, which it is, but knowing what I know now, it makes me wonder. You likely won’t be able to learn the real reason why someone rescinds an offer, but if you hear that information, you should probably go into things more cautiously. It makes me wonder if they had checked for permits, and realize there were none, and backed away. Do a bit more digging. I know there is a privilege of time to do all of this, especially in this market, but if you can, it’s worth it.” 

Learn what you can about the owners.

“We never got to meet the owners or know anything about them. Is that normal? They were very weird about the whole process and secretive. They were these mythical creatures that only spoke through their realtor. Maybe this is common, but in retrospect, it feels weird.” 

deema repurposed a dresser and made it look built in in her daughter’s room.

So there you have it. If you’re a seasoned homeowner or have gone through the buying process before, maybe you know a lot of this already. But even if you are, you might not have gone the route of flipped home. In supersaturated markets like LA, the flipped property is so commonplace, often purchased as an investment to make a quick return, that Deema’s troubleshooting is a welcome lesson that she and her family sadly had to learn the hard way. 

And because the EHD community is so knowledgeable with tons of home life experience, I’d like to open it up in the comments to add any of your own red flags or must-asks prior to signing on the dotted line. 

Thank you, Deema for chatting with me and pulling the curtain on your home’s woes. If you’re looking for a new follow and love vintage, thrifting, art and a whole heap of creativity (you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t), go check out Deema’s accounts (Instagram, TikTok, Threads) and sign up for her great newsletter that I’ve shared before on The Link Up. You won’t regret it!

Your friend in design, 

Arlyn 

The post This Content Creator Bought A Flipped Home That Turned Out To Be A Trainwreck—Does She Regret It? appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Everything I Learned About Stair Carpet Runners And What We Ended Up Installing (Including What It Cost)

This process could be a 500-page book. The most boring book ever, but for design nerds like me I’d read it. I have never done a stair runner before and learned SO MUCH, but it was a fairly arduous process as we went through so many options to be told “no” over and over and over. Here’s how it went down.

We pulled up the carpet, found that the wood flooring was totally fine (classic 2″ fir), and decided to paint instead of replacing them. Great. We always intended on a stair runner for comfort, slippage, and noise reduction. Should be easy, right? Not really. It was far more complicated than it looks. You see, our stairs are two different widths – at the bottom they are 70.5″ wide, then it turns and it narrows to 47″ wide. I had wanted to buy readymade runners and install them, but with the different widths, it became very complicated.

Idea #1: Runners + Then Wider Rugs In A Pretty Woven

Rug

I wasn’t necessarily phased by this size difference thing (that much). I figured I’d buy three runners for the length and a larger rug for the landing and the first three wider steps. I’d have the larger rug cut down and bound. I realized I’d have to have at least 9′ of length and the rug I wanted didn’t come in a 6’x9′ so I figured I’d order an 8’x10′ and cut it down to 4’x10′. I was going to run it straight against the stairs on the landing and stop it where the runner would start going up the second run of stairs (does that make any sense??). Great. I ordered the rugs and then called around to get them cut and bound. As soon as I started calling I got pushback about the rug that I had chosen, saying that it’s what “decorators like to do” but no installer will do it because it won’t last as a stair runner. I was admittedly annoyed at the mansplaining but I also tend to like to take expert advice. I sent photos/video of the rug so they could see the weave and they said that it was just way too loose, that it would give way too much when people step down with forward force and that this would make the stripes wonky. Those seemed like fair points. They, of course, wanted us to go the commercial route which I’m not opposed to but I wasn’t inspired by. I wanted pretty rugs!

Idea #2: Runner + Rug Combo In A Hand-Knotted Rug (Not Woven)

Rug

Still hoping to work with Rejuvenation I thought maybe one of their more bound and hand-knotted Persian-style rugs would work. I had one on hand from the pantry reveal and looked at them on the stairs. It was pretty, but since they didn’t sell 3’x5’s or 4’x6’s we would again have to cut down a much larger rug. Also, these patterns would be much harder to cut and paste, what with the border and the field pattern.

Idea #3: Enkay, A Solid With So Much Texture

Rug

Around the same time, Enkay sent our family room rug which was so stunning that I thought maybe we use them on the stairs. They sold runners that would work (or so I thought) but again we’d have to cut down a larger rug to fit the larger landing. I put the sample on the stairs and it was just so beautiful – calm, with so much color variation, and soft. But again, as soon as we started calling around we ran into the same issue (it’s too loose). ALSO, the binding wouldn’t match as they self-bind (with the same yarn as the rug). We could rebind all of them (runner included) to make the binding match but man, this was getting complicated.

Idea #4: Vintage Persian Rugs

While we didn’t want this rug to be loud or super patterned, of course, I love vintage/antique Persian rugs. Ok, I thought about collecting vintage Persian carpets and combining them. I didn’t explore this for long enough TBH because trying to find five that looked good together (three runners and two rugs for the landing) felt virtually impossible, or else I’d end up spending $15k. I’m VERY picky about my vintage/antique rugs and like them in cooler-toned colorways. We also didn’t want it to look like a carpet showroom and if this wasn’t perfectly done, it would. Another issue is that vintage runners aren’t all the same width – they are usually off by a few inches. Some rugs would be cut off at weird points, cutting the field pattern without the border, etc. This could all totally be fine but it felt like it was going to take months or years to collect the right ones, tens of thousands do get the ones that I want, then troubleshoot the install – the risk of it not looking good would be high. If I had an endless budget and time this is likely what I would have done, but to do what I wanted would have taken too much money and too much time. I could have bought a bunch and had them shaved and dyed to match, but again would it have been worth it? Idea, nixed.

Idea #5: Bound Wall-To-Wall Carpet – I.E. Commercial/Residential Grade

We finally started giving up on using a pretty rug and went to a carpet place in town. I was legit impressed with a lot of the options and we brought back samples. I didn’t love them as much as any of the other options above, but the carpet itself was fine. A salesman came to the house to measure and we bumped up against the issue of where to stop the carpet on the landing. I thought that the lower carpet would essentially meet the bottom stair on the landing – with NO Gap. The very experienced salesman said that this is not something he has ever done and advised against it – “It’s just not how it’s done”. Y’all I like listening to experts, people who have done one thing over and over for 20 years. While we might not often share the same style, their expertise is so valid. At that meeting, we finally decided to get a quote on a light blue, bound option and have the carpet make the turn to go up the stairs. Fine.

The quote came in around $5k and not only did I feel like that was a lot, but more importantly, I just wasn’t excited about it. I looked for HOURS on the internet for stair runners that I liked and almost none of them that I loved were bound wall-to-wall carpet – or at least didn’t look like it. It didn’t need to be a big statement but I didn’t want it to look like a commercial space. I talked to Brian about it and he supported me and said, “Just do whatever you want to do, whatever will be prettiest and make you happy”. Now, I don’t want to do something that will need to be replaced in five years, but I feel like we could still choose a pretty rug that would last 10 years (which is a decent time for carpet, no?).

I reached out to my contact at Annie Selke and sent them options, asking what they think would have the most longevity for stair runners. She sent me back these two options.

Malta Navy Handwoven Wool Rug | Denim Plaid Handwoven Cotton Rug

Idea #5: The Winner!!! Tight Weave Runner + Bound Rug

These felt durable and when you tried to stretch them they were stiff. Any of them could have worked but we ended up going with this one. We partnered with Annie Selke and ordered three 2.5’x8′ runners and two 3’x5′ rugs. We ultimately decided that the landing stairs only needed to be 6″ wider than the more narrow stairs. So therefore two 3×5 rugs would do it. Had we paid full price for this the rugs themselves would be $1,058. Keep that in mind as we add up the labor…

Time to Bind

After being told “no” and “impossible” a few times about binding our rugs together, Gretchen found a guy who not only would do it but documented the whole thing! He had to match the pattern and ideally make it look seamless. WAHOO!!! This cost $180 and was done in a few days by the great folks at Ray-Burt’s. He also suggested and cut our carpet pad to go underneath it which cost another $165. So at this point, we have spent $345.

Ready To Install

I finally found a team of installers that would do this carpet (they had previously said no to the woven one). They felt that it was tight and durable enough. They had to troubleshoot a bit (we ran out at the top, thus the gap that doesn’t bother me) but they were such pros and made it look good. They laid out the carpet pad (only on the treads, not taking it up the risers) and began expertly stapling them down. They matched the stripe pattern on the longer run of stairs. WAHOO. The install took four hours and cost $600.

Stair Rod

Then they added the stair rods, with the cute little finials (that don’t really have a function, but look so pretty and decorative and help it from looking like bound carpet). We realized that we were missing two 36″ ones that are now on order from Rejuvenation. We chose the black to be less blingy (Rejuvenation has all different metallic finishes) but brass could be so pretty, too.

The Reveal

We love how it turned out and I’m SO MUCH HAPPIER than if we had done a commercial carpet. We decided to take the bound 3’x5’s (so the 3’x10′ runner) and just have it go straight back, with a gap on the landing before the riser. We very much like how this looks, despite it not being the “norm”. I think it just looks more like they are rugs on stairs instead of commercial carpet if that makes sense and is more the look we were going for. While we like to listen to experts they are also often stuck in doing things the way they always have and I personally think rethinking perspectives can get you something more interesting.

I want to also recognize that this process took so much of my time (and my team’s time) – had I been charging myself (or if you have a designer) know that doing these troubleshooting moments in order to do “something interesting” can cost in the thousands in time. So I fully get how and why a contractor or designer would bring in their carpet guy with their samples and get it done in one appointment. I’m glad we went this way and I thought that it would be helpful for those at home looking to do something similar, but it certainly took a lot of time to troubleshoot which a lot of people don’t have.

Wallpaper

When walking on the stairs it feels extremely solid, i.e. not slippery at all. This is probably due to the staples and non-slip carpet pad, but if I had to guess I’d say that this would last for many many years. Also, it’s dark and super forgiving. This carpet itself is wool so it’s not this crazy soft texture but we knew that going into it and it’s still very soft. While we don’t allow shoes in the house we also know that at times kids will forget, so I love this is the first line of defense before they get to the landing (which will have a painted light pattern) and their light carpet in their bedroom (which does scare me TBH).

How Much Did It Cost?

Ok so the rugs would have been $1,058, the binding was $180, the carpet pad was $165, and the install was $600. So in total, it would be about $2k. Far less than the $5k quote for a product that I just wasn’t excited about. If I were to do this again, I would skip all those troubleshooting ideas and go for a very tight weave or hand-knotted rug + runner combo, have them bound (if necessary – the gap might hit at a riser and work, but ours was going to hit on the landing so we had to go bound), and call a smaller mom/pop install company that isn’t trying to make their money off of the sale of the commercial carpet. Now our landing was weird, but most of you probably have stairs that are all the same width, therefore, reducing this troubleshooting SO MUCH. I also want to clarify that nothing is wrong with commercial-grade bound carpet, but where I don’t love it so much are the “turns” of the stairs that can end up looking really corporate (IMHO) because they follow it almost too perfectly. I like the simplicity of it just looking like a rug on a stair, not a big overly designed install if that makes any sense.

Thanks for coming to my one-woman show on stair runners. Please if you have other insight for other people leave it in the comments. I’ve only done this once so have information only based on my personal experience in Portland. xx

Resources:

Rug: Annie Selke
Stair Color: Smoky Blue by Sherwin-Williams
Wallpaper: Scandinavian Wallpaper
Wall and Trim Color: Extra White by Sherwin-William
Picture Light: Rejuvenation
All Hardware: Rejuvenation
Wood Floors: Oregon White Oak by Zena Flooring

*Photos by Kaitlin Green

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The Dining Nook Restyled – An Accidental Style Move Back To Being Eclectic

With almost zero desire/intention to change this dining nook corner for the living room reveal, it already has a whole new personality (don’t mind the secret family room in the background, we can’t show you til the magazine comes out!). In case you missed it, I revealed the first iteration of the dining nook a while back and we have loved it. Then two things happened: 1. My friend Max Humphrey needed his pillows back to use them for promoting his Sunbrella + Pindler line and 2. The blue stools that were intended for the piano (and looked SO CUTE) were left floating since we moved the piano upstairs (I loved them down here). So the weekend before the big shoot I put them here at the nook and despite loving the vintage chairs I had, it was a quick and solid, “OH MY GOODNESS, YESSSS!” by the entire family. Then the styling took off in a new direction…and well…I’ll show you 🙂

Dining Nook Version #1 – All Sunbrella And Vintage Chairs

Left Art (vintage) | Right Art | Pillow Fabrics | Cushion Fabric | Large Sconce (vintage) | Small Sconce | Swithplates | Table (custom) | Chairs (vintage) | Candlestick Holders | Vase (similar) | Plantstand (vintage)

I genuinely love this version – it’s the more tame version of me but still with a lot of interest and fun. We had zero complaints and it just worked so well for our family.

When we shot this I really checked a box – dining nook, DONE.

And Yet…My Eclectic Side Came To Play…

Left Art (vintage) | Right Art | Blush Velvet Pillow | Lumbar Pillow | Leather Pillow | Blue Velvet Pillow | Cushion Fabric | Large Sconce (vintage) | Small Sconce | Swithplates | Table (custom) | Stools | Hand Chair (vintage) | Black Vase (similar) | Coffee Cup | Plantstand (vintage)

OK, KIDS HERE WE GO. It’s just so fun. Here’s why I love it – The stools really open up the space more (not that it needed it, but it is nice to not have the backs visually) and more importantly it shows off the table base joinery which we LOVE. Then once I had the stools there we needed something on the end and who doesn’t want to put their rump in Emily HANDerson (bonus points for commenters who know the reference and who named it that). I bought that hand chair over 10 years ago at Round Top Texas for $200 and she has been with me in every home since.

Obviously, a few other things changed – The Japanese Boro Fabric panel obviously really becomes a focal point and I think looks so awesome with the modern stools and the antique Irish chain quilt. I ended up putting the other art over the mantel and because the Boro plaid was so strong, I put my quiet and large framed Cy Twombly lithograph here instead. These pillows weren’t super curated and I still want to tweak them but I love them a lot. I am a bit concerned about these velvet pillows there so I want to make a few Sunbrella pillows (I finally got some of my own yardage of Max’s line) and then buy a larger leather pillow for the corner (I love how that leather looks in there with the blue and white – classic EHD). And then I went back to my crazy plant that I LOVE (and won’t stop growing tall instead of out, help!).

Right now I’m loving this version, but I also loved the other!!! It’s a real Sophie’s choice!

How The Whole Room Works Together

So as you can see it’s back in that corner of the opened living room and works pretty darn well if you ask me.

Round One Or Round Two????

I honestly love them both. Here are some initial thoughts:

I like the kitchen art in round one more – we actually had to steal the seascape for our seascape wall so that’s why I restyled it. I put these two Marianne Puls pieces there in round two which I like, but don’t hold the space with the same impact.

I like the light on the table in round one more (obviously) which is blocked by the Boro fabric in round two. BTW we totally open those to the sides and it’s really easy. I also love where the wall lamp is in round one versus round two (but that’s just a styling thing, we didn’t move it).

Here it is just clear to me that they are both super me and I love them equally. Round one is simply more curated and more perfectly designed, whereas round two is more young, fun, and eclectic. Since I don’t have Max’s pillows anymore I can’t even go back to round one if I want (unless I make them:)), but I do want to protect those gorgeous Rejuvenation velvet pillows and not keep them near my children with marinara, so I’ll likely merge the two. I’m thinking the stools, HANDerson but with some Sunbrella pillows and a leather pillow.

Genuinely curious which you prefer. You can’t offend me (well you can, but not about this). Round One or Round Two????

Resources:

Seat Cushion Fabric: Sunbrella (Back Cushion + Seat Cushion – similar)
Bench Seat: ARCIFORM
Upholstery: Raleigh Hills Upholstery
Table:  Dinihanian Design Build
Lighting and Outlets: Rejuvenation
Wood Flooring: Oregon White Oak by Zena Flooring
Windows and Doors: White oak, Aspen Casement by Sierra Pacific Windows
Art Framing: Limitless Creations
Wall Color: Mantra by Sherwin-Williams
Paneling Color: Extra White by Sherwin-Williams

*Design by Emily Henderson and ARCIFORM
*Photos by Kaitlin Green

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The HIGHLY Anticipated…Farmhouse Living Room Reveal – Let’s Get Into It:) + LOOK! MOM! I’M ON YOUTUBE!

Welcome back for the big “reveal” day. Also, I’d like to officially rebrand the word “reveal” and instead use “my-current-iteration-that-I-love-but also-might-change-because-a-house-is-a-living-breathing-soulful-space-full-of-family-kids-and-dogs-and-might-never-be-truly-done”. More importantly, (and seriously) I have an announcement: Y’all!!! We Are Showing Off This House On YOUTUBE!! That’s right – we have started to produce long-form non-spon videos documenting each room process and reveal. We have years of footage that we are collating and editing to tell the story of this house. I haven’t enjoyed being in front of the camera this much in a long time. You see, unlike Tiktok, I like long-form storytelling where I can talk and talk and talk, especially when I can be super myself and transparent (it’s my own house, I’m paying for these videos so I’m in charge!!!). After looking for a long time, we found a great Portland-based video producer, Michael Raines, that got my vibe, brought creative direction and experience, and made it fun from the first second (that is VERY important to me as an Enneagram 7 like me). He also takes hilarious family and pet portraits in the Lloyd Center Mall (coming to you soon over Christmas). This one is our first official video and while we are of course learning a lot as we go, I really like it:

So before you look at this room “reveal” (or later if you are at work) don’t forget to watch the video – I had so much fun and I really think/hope you’ll enjoy it. We also did a shorter version (literally 1/30th of the length) that will be at the end of this post as well (and a reel, and stories, and pins and Mal is making TikToks, a Thread, a tweet, YouTube shorts, FB post, and potential IG lives – social media is super easy you guys!!!!). But seriously I’m very, very excited so please watch it if you are interested at all and if you do end up liking it go ahead and smash that “like” and “subscribe” button 🙂

As a reminder, we are in the living room – the huge room in the middle of the house that at times felt almost too big. If you are just catching up, either watch the YouTube video or read the recap. It was a long journey to get here so I’m excited to show you where we are at today.

It’s pretty darn inviting, comfortable, and cozy. All our favorite players are here – blue, green, wood, a ton of vintage that I’ve collected over the years, and a heavy dose of texture and velvet. It is not exactly the “minimalist shaker” living room that I had espoused years ago, but things change folks 🙂

Sofas | Chandelier | Vintage Articulating Sconce | Single Sconce | Throw Blanket

The two matching sofas (from Lulu and Georgia) are super comfortable and deep (but not too deep), a great scale for the room, and bridge that gap between traditional and modern. This angle shows the lighting so well – all locally assembled by Rejuvenation – the ceiling light really helped center/ground the conversation area (which seems odd since it’s on the ceiling but you get it). Then we combined a vintage articulating sconce over the dining nook with a more traditional fabric shade sconce for great light. In this shot, you can see how the living room interacts with the dining nook and kitchen – it all works pretty darn well!! And those scenic doors from Sierra Pacific – it’s such a dream (but we keep them closed on hot days obviously).

BTW – look how the Mantra wall color (that slight pale blue) changes so much! So often it looks light gray-blue, but here it looks green-blue (dare I say Robins Egg?). Sometimes I think it’s almost perfect and other times it feels a little too green. But see below! Perfect!

Wall Color | Trim Color | Double Wall Sconce | Tall White Planter (unavailable) | Sideboard (vintage) | Art (vintage) | Black and White Planter (vintage CB2:)) | Spindle Candles | Black Cone Candle (similar) | Chair (vintage + similar) | Roman Shade | Outlet Cover

Lots of dead people you recognize I’m sure (Sunroom reveal coming later). We have this oil portrait from 1740 (how have I not named her yet??) that I bought at an antique mall, the sideboard I bought at Round Top, my Cherner chairs that I’ll hoard forever, and a new plant that I’m shockingly keeping alive! Shout out to Drake’s 7 Dees on Scholls Ferry for having such a pretty indoor plant selection.

You’ll notice that I did the curtains and the Roman shade on that side in the same fabric – but two different styles in addition to the Japanese Boro shades. She is getting feisty in her 40s! (I love the combination very much – and Decorview does such an incredibly fantastic job).

Drapes | Chair and Ottoman (vintage + similar) | Ball Pillow | Magazine Rack (vintage) | Ceramic Scultpure (vintage) | Stool (vintage) | Ceramic Wall Art (from Sara) | Abstract Art

I think my favorite area of the room is this random little vignette or the dining nook – it just feels so much like me. I bought that Papa Bear chair online from a “vintage dealer” for way cheaper than most originals are (they run about $15k). I bought it for under $3k thinking it was a steal and then found it all over the internet for $1,500. SOOOO… But I still like this vintage dealer a lot (I don’t think they were trying to scam me) so at least I was supporting them and not a knockoff company (she tells herself to make herself feel better). The art on the left by the curtains are two pieces of small pottery framed by one of my former EHD favorites Sara Ligorria-Tramp – a gift that brings me a lot of happiness every time I look at it. I miss you, Sara:) And I found a place for that weird Victorian ball and stick magazine holder! The MaryAnn Puls piece of art is on the right and I LOVE it in this room – it marries all of the colors.

Sofa “Throw” (vintage)

If you’ve been following for a while (thank you) you’ll see so many things that I’ve collected over the years and it was so fun to finally style them in the house and make it feel like home. I have no idea which of these pieces I would buy again if I saw them with fresh eyes (I think all of them) – they are just kinda part of me at this point and I love them so much. The blanket on the back of the sofa is another vintage Japanese Boro quilt (I like how it pops off the green) and that blue velvet chair from Soho Home is excellent.

Velvet Chair | Sqaure Pillow | Drink Table | Rug | Wood Side Table (vintage) | Black Table Lamp | Coffee Table (custom) | Leather Wrapped Rock (similar) | Ruffled Tray | Rust Vase (vintage)

The most beautiful coffee table here is in full view (read this post if you want to see how we had it made). That tray is from Spartan Shop (a splurge for sure, but the most gorgeous ruffle tray on the planet by Dina No). The vintage vase is from one of my favorite PDX dealers, Shop Wilma (‘sup Annie), and what stack of books is complete without a leather-wrapped rock?

Floor Lamp | Log Holder (unavailable) | MCM Cabinet (vintage) | Tiny Drawer Storage Piece (vintage) | Black Vase

The Saturday before the shoot I was finalizing every single room when I decided to rearrange everything. I put the electric piano on the landing upstairs, put my primitive blue/gray sideboard where the piano was, and then this wall was empty. I didn’t want another surface to style or anything too open and busy. So I went on Facebook Marketplace and found this mid-century modern piece, asked the dealer if he could deliver and within two hours it was in my house. It wasn’t cheap ($600) but I actually really love it. As you might know, strong-lined Mid-century pieces are coming back and this teak wood tone looks soo good in here (especially with the island nearby). The top tiny drawer situation is separate – I just threw it on there to add more of a structured sculptural shape. I gifted myself that Noguchi lamp after wanting it for 10 years. It makes me very happy.

Throw Blanket

Here you can finally see how the living room, kitchen, and dining nook all work together (through that door is the family/TV room which will get revealed once the magazine is out!). The space works so well – I’m extremely pleased/relieved. It feels super cozy and connected, but having the two-facing sofas makes it feel separate in a really good way that I hadn’t predicted.

Scenic Doors

Y’all – we brought in the light and opening it up to the backyard is heaven.

Sling Chair | Lady Portrait (vintage) | Picture Light (unavailable ) | Plaid Bolster Pillows | Kava Bowl (vintage) | Popcisle Stick Planter (vintage + similar) | Small Art on Mantel | Large Art (vintage) | Abstract Wooden Sculpture (vintage) | Black Vase (vintage) | Wooden Scultpures (vintage)

I didn’t want a million pillows in here so I searched for very long bolsters – and y’all there are so many great ones on the market right now. These are from Schoolhouse and brought in some quirk and pattern. I had also bought two long faux leather ones from Target that actually looked really good, too, but these have so much more personality (and are a lot softer).

So how do I feel about this room? Y’all, I’m not about to sit here on a reveal day and pick apart my own design. I love everything in here, AND at the same time yes, I have some things that I don’t feel are working as well as I thought they would. Is that possible? To love everything and yet know that if tones were tweaked or depth was added it would be better? Sure! But that’s for another day. I truly love being in here and I really really really like it. I am really proud of what we’ve done and how this looks (I’ll tell you my thoughts soon I promise, but not today). Today, however, we celebrate these before and afters because I love and am grateful I’m living in this super comfortable, pretty, and cozy room for a while before I attempt any changes.

Oh and if you haven’t watched the full YouTube video yet (what are you waiting for??) here’s a little teaser to convince you:)

Outfit: Blouse (different color) | Jeans (old Levi‘s) | Sandals

Living Room Resources:

Sofas: Lulu and Georgia
Lighting: Rejuvenation
Accent Chair: Soho Home
Custom Coffee Table: Purl Samoheyl and Billy O
Rug: Amber Lewis For Loloi
Wood Flooring: Oregon White Oak by Zena Flooring
Windows and Doors: White oak, Double Hung by Sierra Pacific Windows
Drapes and Roman Shade: Decorview
Wall Color: Mantra by Sherwin-Williams
Paneling Color: Extra White by Sherwin-Williams
Stairwell Color: Smoky Blue by Sherwin-Williams
Lighting and Outlets: Rejuvenation
Table: Dinihanian Design Build
Bench Seat: ARCIFORM
Stools: Schoolhouse
Upholstery: Raleigh Hills Upholstery

*Design by Emily Henderson and ARCIFORM
*Photos by Kaitlin Green

The post The HIGHLY Anticipated…Farmhouse Living Room Reveal – Let’s Get Into It:) + LOOK! MOM! I’M ON YOUTUBE! appeared first on Emily Henderson.

The Link Up: A Makeover Emily Loves, Arlyn’s Cute Packable Summer Hat, And A House Paint That Could Help Reduce The Need For AC

Happy Sunday! So while we are still enjoying our weekend, we are all pretty excited about tomorrow. That’s right! No Sunday scaries over here. Why?? Well if you’ve been following along this week then you know Emily is revealing the FARMHOUSE LIVING ROOM!!! It’s been almost exactly four years since she and Brian first looked at the property. It always feels so slow until all of a sudden it’s done and you can’t believe it. And actually, we are so excited to show you that we wanted to reveal Emily’s YouTube vlog-style video a WHOLE DAY BEFORE the post goes lives. Check it out HERE then come back for all of the links!

Wait first here’s a sneak peek of the video. Can you tell we’re excited?? (Just wait for the little ad to run)

This week’s house tour may be the prettiest tiny house we’ve seen yet. On an idyllic farm in Malibu, this 120 sq foot home is full of organic wood, vintage accents and a lot of light! Go check it our here🙂

From Emily: I LOVE this giveback makeover that Yellow Brick Home did for an addiction and recovery nonprofit in Chicago. The before and afters are incredible and that shade of blue is PERFECT. Many cheers for blogs that are prioritizing giving back into their schedule – I know it’s not as easy or effortless as it looks. Thanks, Kim and Scott for being an inspiration.

From Jess: So I guess I just buy everything Emily and my coworkers recommend because I bought the red swimsuit that Emily loves from Andie Swim. But first a review of a previous purchase. While I definitely liked the Ta3 swimsuit I bought, it just didn’t feel like “me” when I put it on. I also probably could have gone for the “short torso” option instead of the regular. Sadly, it just wasn’t a “hell, yes”. But I’ve seen friends (like Caitlin) in them and they look INCREDIBLE!!! On the flip side, when I tried on the Andie suit, it was the first one-piece I think I’ve ever truly loved and felt cool in (and sexy depending on how many snaps I choose to undo;)). I’ve always been a bikini gal but having an awesome one-piece is so great.

Also From Jess: I will be making this recipe ALL SUMMER LONG. It’s so unbelievably delicious. I’ve already made the “tomato vinegarette” part for some salads. 10000/10.

Shea McGee’s first solo design book is available for preorder and let’s just say it’s so beautiful. It’s no secret that Shea knows how to design a beautiful home, so if you love her style and would like some expert guidance she will take you through every room in a home. Then when you’re done getting all her wisdom, it’s the perfect beautiful coffee table book. Form and function:) Again, it’s available for preorder now!

From Arlyn: I’ve been trying to be a hat person for the greater part of my adult life but I’ve just never had the confidence to leave the house in one unless I was going to the beach. Hat culture is so strong in LA and every time I see someone in a fabulous chapeau, I get inspired to try again. Especially now that it’s SO SUNNY and HOT, and I take my daughter on many walks a day. So when I saw how cute Molly Madfis from Almost Makes Perfect looked when she shared this Wallaroo sun hat she bought on vacation, I decided to take the plunge. AND I LOVE IT. It’s packable (!!!), lightweight, comes in tons of colors, adjustable on the inside to get a good fit, and low-key enough that I don’t feel super try hard. Like, I can literally just throw it on with my leggings and a T-shirt and feel fine, but also it would look very cute with a sun dress. Not bad for under $50, if I say so myself. 

From Caitlin: Did anyone else happen to catch the “HGTV is making our homes boring and us sad, one study says” article making the rounds last week? The sample size is pretty tiny, but I can VERY MUCH relate to the sentiment (and since you’re a design blog reader, maybe you can, too?). On one hand, I’m super familiar with the pressure of wanting your home to be appealing and inviting to the masses – I’m definitely the type who will not let anyone into my home if I don’t feel like it’s good or “ready” enough (and even when it is “designed,” this is still me in the hours before anyone arrives). But on the other hand, I’m grateful for so many mass-market design resources because they’ve helped me find and explore my own style! My IRL friends are not as interested in design as I am and so I’m dying to hear others’ opinions – what say you???

Also From Caitlin: Um, hey, PEOPLE ARE SO SMART. Scientists at Purdue have created a paint so white that it can reduce the surface temperature of a roof, thereby cooling the building beneath it significantly and reducing air conditioning needs by up to FORTY PERCENT. The kicker: if this “ultra-white paint were to coat between 1 percent and 2 percent of the Earth’s surface, slightly more than half the size of the Sahara, the planet would no longer absorb more heat than it was emitting, and global temperatures would stop rising.” Naturally, there are a few major roadblocks (c’est la vie) – the necessary materials need to be mined, which still contributes to climate change…but man, can you imagine how incredible it would be to cool your entire home by 8 degrees in the day and 19 degrees at night by simply painting your roof? Extraordinary.

From Mallory: This is the only water bottle that actually makes me drink water and after having it for a year I can successfully say I’m getting my daily amount (and then some lol). It’s on sale now if u wanna snag one! I highly recommend getting the one with the straw lid for ease. Like an adult sippy cup 🙂

See y’all tomorrow for the beautiful photos and more of Em’s thoughts on the living room reveal! xx

Opening Image Credits: Design by Emily Henderson and ARCIFORM | Photos by Kaitlin Green | From: The Farmhouse Entry Reveal (+ How To Hang A Gallery Wall On Wallpaper)

The post The Link Up: A Makeover Emily Loves, Arlyn’s Cute Packable Summer Hat, And A House Paint That Could Help Reduce The Need For AC appeared first on Emily Henderson.

We Searched The Internet And Found 16 Of The Best “Throw On And Go” Casual Summer Dresses Under $150

Summer really snuck up on me this year. In LA it was just so overcast and “chilly” until basically two weeks ago. So while sure, I could have “prepped for the inevitable 95-degree weather,” I simply wasn’t in the right headspace. But ya know what quickly gets you in the right headspace??? Overheating, sweating, and only having maybe two clothing items that will prevent you from melting onto the sidewalk. I’ve gone through some body fluctuations since last summer so I am in desperate need of some new pieces I feel good in. I’m not willing to suffer which is something I would have done in the past. So in order to have a suffer-free summer and wanting to also look mildly put together, I went on a “won’t totally break the bank” causal summer dress hunt and found some pretty great options for all of us. Here they are in case anyone else is in need as well:)

100% Organic Cotton Tiered Maxi Dress

Had to start with this dress because it’s the same (exact?) wonderful shape as the dress that Emily is wearing in the opening photo but at a fraction of the price! I feel like this is such an easy, flattering shape and is from one of the shops, Quince, that we recommended in our “More Than Madewell” post you all loved so much. I love that bright orange but if you prefer cooler colors it comes in a few other options. I am really excited to get more into this brand!

Poplin Ruffle A-Line Midi Dress

Man, this one is cute! The pattern is fun yet simple and you can easily wear it with a strapless bra (or no bra if you want!). I do find that this cut is a little hard on me since my boobs are a bit larger and they tend to tent out more than I’d like but that’s just my preference. Regardless, it’s fun and easy!

The Daytripper Shirtdress

While I don’t go into an office anymore, I think this is such an easy yet breezy option for those hot days when you still need to look professional but don’t want to overheat, obviously. Now, what’s great about this dress is that you can also dress this down with a simple sandal and woven hat or even transition to a cute night look with heels and some fun jewelry. Basically, it can work for a bunch of different occasions. If white isn’t your thing, it also comes in a couple of cute stripes and a solid black.

Cotton Voile Cover-Up Mini Dress

If you loved Em’s blouse from the farmhouse entryway reveal then this dress/cover–up might be for you! The fun pattern and the beautiful blues are stylish and happy. I also love that there are TWO ties on the v-neck so you have options in terms of how much skin (or cleavage) you want to show off. I’m not a big fan of when dresses only have one tie at the very top because when it’s tied up it looks VERY conservative but also can show too much boobage because of the gap. WHO IS THIS HELPING?? The reviews say it runs large so maybe size down but this cutie can take you to the pool and to a fun lunch.

Short Sleeve Shirtdress

This is another WINNER that depending on how short it is on you it can be another work/play dress! Emily bought the navy blue strip version for a shoot and had this to say about it:

From Emily: I found this super cute striped shirt dress at Target last week for the Real Simple shoot. The thicker stripes make it look expensive and there’s a cute shoulder detail. When I want to give myself a little more shape, my new thing is to just tie a sweatshirt around my waist. Also, it’s not thin like poplin, it holds its shape well. But the shape is definitely oversized so don’t size up! Such a good spring/summer dress!

If you want to see it on her head here!

Embroidered Eyelet Tie-Back Cami Midi Dress

1000/10. Do I own this dress? Not exactly but I have this one which is the same but in a different color that sadly doesn’t have those cute cutouts. I love how it fits, and not that this matters, but it’s also just really flattering. But the real gift is that even with my full D-cup boobs, I don’t need to wear a bra with it. Cue the trumpets! I know my boobs aren’t that big, but finding summer dresses that have cute skinny straps and also don’t require the need for a bra is not easy. Now, I haven’t tried the white version on so there might be a need for pasties to avoid wondering if everyone can see your nipples. However, it is lined so you might be in the clear!

Eyelet Tie Front Maxi Dress

I had a working lunch with Arlyn earlier this week (y’all she now lives 10 mins from me and it’s the best gift ever) and I asked her opinion on what I had picked. There was just one plus-sized dress that she wasn’t in love with so she suggested this one and per usual she was right! This is the perfect dress-up, dress-down piece that you could get so much use out of. It also comes in two other colors too!

The Poplin Caftan Dress

This one is for my gals who want to look cute and stay very covered. Does this not remind you of Em’s old The Great dresses (but for way less $$$)?? I think this is super chic and versatile! How cute would we look strolling through the grocery store in this little number or window shopping on our summer vacations? Well, on my imaginary summer vacation:)

Sleeveless Tiered Maxi Cotton Dress

As I was searching, I found this awesome clothing company on Esty! I loved this one because it’s a fun and easy, comfortable dress (with pockets:)) you can throw on. They have a lot of other great options as well like rompers, tops, etc. Has anyone bought from them? I love finding cool clothing brands on Etsy.

Ruffle Off-The-Shoulder Gauze Dress

One word. ROMANCE! Get outta town with how pretty this dress is. I LOVE the ruffled off-the-shoulder, the billowy sleeves, and the overall loose fit. But as you can see with the model in the teal version, you can easily throw on a belt to give yourself a little more shape if you want to mix it up. I just want to pretend I’m on a Greek island falling in love with a man named Kostas and this dress would really help my Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants fantasy:)

Camella Floral Print Minidress

Another easy dress to throw on and feel cute in. I love the long yet lightweight sleeves and the fact that you can choose to chinch the waist or not! No belt needed:) Also, those tassels are so sweet and add an extra layer of playfulness. This cutie is only $85 during Nordstrom’s Anniversary sale so if you like it you are going to want to get on it asap. It also comes in black!

100% European Linen Button Front Dress

This dress looks like it was made for strolling down streets in beautiful foreign cities. It’s conservative enough that you should be fine to go into most temples and churches but breezy enough that you won’t overheat. It’s also another great summer office dress if you are looking for one! Oh, and it’s only $50 and comes in seven other colors!!!!!!

Printed Flutter-Sleeve Babydoll Dress

Are you going on vacation, to a wedding, a fun dinner? This dress can do it all! Those sleeves are so cute (very Emily), the body is nice and loose for comfort, and the length will keep you cool. I think this dress would look great on so many different body types and comes in four other colors and prints.

Agi Natural Colour Block Mini Dress

This dress is definitely one of the ones I’m highly considering adding to cart (well TBH the maxi version really has my heart but was over $150). I’m trying this “new thing” that a stylist recommended on The Deep Dive podcast about describing your style in three words and only buying clothes that fit into that description. Not a new idea, obviously, but has been helpful! Of course, I’ve bought some pieces that are slightly outside of what I said (chic, simple, architectural…you know I love a shoulder pad). To me, this dress and this whole brand, DISSH, really hit those descriptors. Their sizing sucks and only goes up to 12 but hopefully with some pressure (LIKE THIS POST) that will change.

Relaxed-Fit Short-Sleeve Baird McNutt Irish Linen Shirtdress

J. Crew nailed this linen shirtdress. How effortless does this woman look? Can I be her?? I don’t know if there’s much to say other than we know that their quality is great, those cuffed sleeves are perfect, and if “flax” isn’t your color they have four other options to choose from:)

Cutout-Back Empire Midi Dress

I think this is SUCH a sweet dress that not only has pockets but it appears to be bra-friendly!! Thick shoulder straps AND a wide band in the back. What a dream! I just love the color and how casual it is.

Ok, that’s it from me today! Hope this was helpful if you too are in the market. If you have any other dress recs under $150 drop them in the comments!! Oh, and never forget the thigh magic of Thigh Resue chaffing stick…we don’t have to always suffer in shapewear either:)

Love you, mean it.

Opening Image Credit: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: 5 Flattering Dresses, 1 Cute Matching Set, And A Romper That’s Actually Comfortable: Emily’s Warm Weather Wardrobe Review

The post We Searched The Internet And Found 16 Of The Best “Throw On And Go” Casual Summer Dresses Under $150 appeared first on Emily Henderson.