Emily Henderson's Blog, page 89

3 Years In The Making Then An Unexpected Move: Arlyn’s Bedroom Reveal Is A Lesson In The Beauty Of “Unfinished” Design

I’m just going to go ahead and rip off the bandage here early: This is not your traditional room reveal. If the story of my primary bedroom design were an HBO series, it would be White Lotus and this is the first (and last) episode where I show you the ending and then build my way back to how it all happened. While there is no murder (phew!), there is a bit of heartbreak, but thankfully also plenty of joy. Buckle in, this is a long one. {For anyone here to pin photos of peach walls and yellow velvet beds, go ahead and skip down here.}

You see, this space was three years in the making—three of the most pivotal, life-altering moments of my life. A life-altering injury (that I’ve considerably improved from). A life-altering pregnancy (because all of them are). A life-altering new baby. All of that…and four days, yes DAYS, to enjoy the finished space before…::drumroll:: we had to move. 

I never designed this space with the intention of leaving it behind, but in the tricky world of Los Angeles real estate and landlord drama, we didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. During the pandemic, the ownership of our 1920s Mediterranean quadplex changed hands from the world’s greatest landlord to, well, the family who bought our building. There’s a lot I could say here but probably can’t legally (darn). But the short of it all is we were offered a lump sum of money to vacate our apartment to avoid the process of a no-fault eviction. 

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: reveal: arlyn’s bright & happy rental living room makeover

Our new landlords wanted in on our unit after buying the building (who could blame them? It’s so dreamy). The first time they came to us with this, there was a city-wide eviction moratorium, so we had the upper hand. We fought tooth and nail for a “cash for keys” offer that felt far more fair than what they were bringing to the table. They wouldn’t budge, so we walked away. I was six months pregnant at the time, and the idea of moving late in my pregnancy or with a newborn baby was nothing myself or Charles wanted to deal with without a considerable buyout sum to make it seem worth it (which we were not getting). 

We shut down the conversation of owner occupancy once and for all (we thought) and carried on with our lives. We welcomed our glorious little Evelyn last February. We settled into newborn and new parent life. We slept very little. We cried a lot (nearly as much as Evelyn!). We oohed and awwed and admired the perfect little face and hands and feet of this human we created. 

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: reveal: arlyn’s bright & happy rental living room makeover

After six or so months, the fog of post-partum started to lift and I finally started to feel like a real human again. I was ready to get back to the bedroom I embarked on designing in 2020 (it was now 2022). A week before giving birth, I put up half the gallery wall around the TV as my mother stood by nervously making sure I didn’t fall from the step ladder. I left some blank spaces for photos of the baby, because duh. Most of the furniture—except for the armoire that I chronicled here—was in place, the walls were painted, the window coverings were up, and the sconces were plugged in. I kept reporting back to Jess that the room was “almost done” while I took inventory of what remained to be done, including moving an infant out of our quarters and into her own. Our bedroom was part adult space, part nursery, which I was actually originally going to reveal. But then, like I said, I found *the* armoire, and that changed the plan. 

And then life happened and altered the plan again. This brings us to the here and now, 2023. Our landlord’s lawyer circled back in January, dropping the “bomb” of an email just as the city of Los Angeles was about to lift the moratorium. After several conversations, more tears, and a lot of frantic apartment hunting later, Charles and I decided to accept a buyout offer we weren’t 100% happy with just to gift ourselves peace of mind and some control. Sitting and waiting for an eviction notice to be taped to your door is no way to live considering we’ve never missed a rent payment and were only losing our home because the owner wanted it. Their right, yes, but so much suckage for us. 

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: arlyn’s moody dining room reveal is all about the insane power of paint

What does all of this have to do with a design blog and some pretty pictures of a bedroom, exactly? Nothing really, besides transparency and a life update of sorts for anyone who recognizes my byline. And also maybe a little lesson in that pristine photos on the internet aren’t always what they seem (this is usually the case). 

I love how my bedroom room turned out. It’s what my soul wanted before my head could get to the idea and put it down on paper. 

That heartbreak I mentioned in the first paragraph? That’s what I felt the day we turned over the keys. It’s also what I feel now, knowing this was just a little blip in time. C’est la vie, friends. C’est la vie. I’ll always hold a large spot in my heart for our Mid-City apartment. But we’re about a month in now at our new place further east on a tree-lined street so picturesque, I literally squeal every day on our walks with Evelyn “I CAN’T BELIEVE WE GET TO LIVE HERE.” It’s not all tragic first-episode-of-White-Lotus drama. It does have a happy ending, even if—another spoiler alert—my beloved armoire is back in the garage…

So now, 900 words into a “room reveal” post, I can finally get to the reveal part as well as all the juicy design details because I would have been living a lie without the backstory. For anyone who jumped to this portion, welcome. Let’s get into it.

The Part Where She Finally Talks About Design! 

Bed | Sheets | Linen Duvet | Linen Shams | Green Pillow Fabric | Wall Paint

My vision for the space changed and evolved over the course of the three years I was putting it together and I’m so glad it did. For anyone who knows my style, I’m drawn to the dramatic, the colorful, the personality-filled. That’s not what I actually ended up doing here. If you missed my plans shared early on (or want a refresher), you can see my post with my original mood board here, as well as the post where I explored changing courses and pulling back some of the color. (You can also see everything I wrote about this room as it came together over on my own blog here.)

for anyone not clicking through to past posts, here’s a quick reminder of my room before I got started. Just a hodgepodge of old furniture that didn’t go together and very boring, beige walls and beyond.

Originally, I was going for a rust and peach color palette, but then I saw this Lulu & Georgia bed and it was game over. We wanted to scale up to a king bed from a queen, but knew a king would feel very large in our room visually. The fact that their Zien bed was low profile (the headboard is only 43 inches off the floor) really balanced the bulk and drama of the piece. It’s such a beautiful, well-built bed. I’ve only ever had less expensive build-it-yourself type beds or DIY headboards, so a fully finished to-the-floor headboard and sturdy rails really feels like a luxury. After almost two years in and out of bed with a bad back and aching legs, a little luxury is very welcomed.

Every time I tell people who haven’t seen it IRL that my bed is mustard velvet, I can see the fear pulsing in their eyes. But friends, we don’t have to be afraid of color if it tempts you. It’s all about finding balance.  

It’s funny because I look at these images and I don’t see “color.” It reads quite neutral to me. To the point that a few months before we had to rush to photograph the room, I had the idea of adding a ribbon-like, one-inch border in a deep mulberry along the crown molding, baseboards, and in the corners. It would have brought to life the Greenwich Village boutique hotel vibe I was hoping to land. Ultimately, though, I ran out of time and energy as I juggled packing up the home we lived in for five wonderful years, an energetic toddler, and deciding to leave my full-time job as a marketing director to have more time with my daughter and try my hand at launching my own agency. I’m nothing if not a magnet for major life events happening all at once. 

Sorry Sara for the quick and dirty Photoshop job on your beautiful image to show you readers what I was going for. It’s not quite right here, obviously, but this was the idea:

Blush Lumbar Pillow Fabric | Quilt

Now that I see it, I actually prefer it the way it is, without the border. It feels a bit cage-like here, though, in some world, it could work. Alas, I’ll never know. 

You’ll notice in this photo that the lumbar pillow is different. It’s not, actually! I sewed it myself because I couldn’t seem to find a pillow that was as long as I wanted it to be for our king-size bed. Everything I found was better suited to a queen, so out came my sewing machine. In the process of finding the right fabric, I stumbled upon a more traditional block print from Spoonflower, and right before checkout, they showed me this painterly abstract graphic fabric that I also fell in love with. So, what does one do when you can’t pick between two things? Well, you pick them both, of course! Now, depending on my mood, I can flip the pillow around and get two different vibes entirely. 

I touch on this later, but to me, this setup is “unfinished” because I really wanted a vintage quilt or tapestry to hang above the bed, but something like that is not to be rushed. Living in California (i.e. earthquake territory) leaves your options for above-the-headboard decor very limited. It was something soft that wouldn’t bludgeon us or bust. It’s a good thing I didn’t find just the thing because, in our new place, our bed is up against a window. I couldn’t handle any further heartache.

The Most Beautiful Nightstands I’ve Ever Owned

Nightstand | Sconce | Glass Carafe | Rug

The more spaces I design, the more I’m learning about quiet beauty. I have a tendency to overdesign (and overwrite…) wanting everything to be a “moment” but now, I’m very much a fan of leaning into beautiful materials and letting them do the talking. These nightstands—the Atwater nightstand in walnut from Hedgehouse Furniture—are probably the nicest pieces of furniture in my entire home. These are heirloom quality. Handbuilt in the midwest, dovetail joinery, satiny finished solid hardwood that’s sustainably harvested. My goodness, are they stunning in person. The original size of them (28 inches wide) was a bit too large for my room, so I worked with the lovely people at Hedgehouse to scale them down a bit. I landed on a top surface of 24 inches with a full width of 25.5 inches. This customization option is something they’re known for, which is so helpful in avoiding the heart-sinking feeling of finding “the” piece only to realize the size is all wrong.

Jewelry Box | Custom Embroidered Art

Most days, the tops of our nightstands do not look like this, but I figured a 32 oz Hydroflask and Charles’ many electronics were not exactly photoshoot ready. I pulled out some books, Bowser brought over flowers, and boom, internet-worthy styling. A slight tilt of the camera on any given day and you might see that that vintage blue and white bowl I bought many years ago at a ReStore is actually full of pacifiers (#momlife). 

Because I had closets from the early 20th century (read: tiny), I keep my jewelry in this stackable box from The Container Store in my nightstand cubby. To the right of it is a brass mouse candlestick Jess bought me as a gift for the baby’s nursery. 

Before moving on from my sleeping area, I want to bring attention to these plug-in sconces from Hudson Valley Lighting. I worked with HVL for the sconces of my living room because I was so impressed with the quality of their pieces. Wall lights that aren’t hard-wired are few and far between, especially of this caliber. The unfinished brass is already patinating beautifully, and I love how the raffia wrapped around the pole strikes down the glam factor. (Fun fact: I thought that was leather when I ordered them and was surprised when they arrived…but it was a pleasant “whoops”.) 

It’s so nice to be able to reach over at night to turn off my light without having to stand up on the bed to pull down the chain of the ceiling fan. Upgrade!

A not-so-pleasant whoops was my miscalculation of rug size. I had long admired the Stripe Break rug by Sarah Sherman Samuel for Lulu & Georgia, and I finally got to use it in my bedroom. With a king bed, a 9×12 rug is really the ideal size for having enough space to the left and right. Given that there wasn’t much room between the window wall and Charles’ side of the bed, I just eyeballed it (dumb move…not professional, don’t try this at home). When I rolled out the 8×10, I immediately knew it was going to be eaten up by the large bed. This was two days before Thanksgiving, I was going away and didn’t want to be bothered with having someone move the very heavy bed and mattress to pull it out, return it and get a larger size. 

Do I regret it? Yeah, a bit. But it’s also one of those things I’ve gone blind to. 

Building The Gallery Wall

If my old dining room is any indication, it’s clear I love a gallery wall. A big top to bottom, side-to-side gallery wall. Something absolutely clutch to me, however, is that the art isn’t just pretty to look at, but has meaning. It doesn’t all have to be handed down to you by your third cousin twice removed, because yes, sometimes some things can just be eye-catching and that’s that, but in my bedroom, I opted for all-in sentimentality. 

This is the heart of this space, 100%. Starting from the bottom left, the maternity shoot Veronica (of EHD fame, of course) took in December 2021. Above that is a scroll and ink drawing Charles brought me back from China when he studied abroad in Japan. It was something he gave me “casually” before we even started dating, and I never quite found the right spot to hang it. Well, artwork from circa 2008, it’s your time to shine. The walnut frame from Framebridge really brings it to life, IMHO. 

The next spot sat empty for well over a year, as we have thousands of photos of our girl to pick from. We both loved our little bird in this shot, so up on the wall it went. The small mixed media by MaryAnn Puls was a gift from Emily when I worked there. And there, behind the kumquats I demanded Bowser bring to the shoot (very nicely) is a print entitled “Together” by Mkoby that means a lot to us. I purchased it during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. It depicts a black hand, a brown hand and a white hand all in line, with what I interpret as a rising sun. It feels positive, and hopeful to me, which is something I need to see and feel as we raise our beautiful mixed raced daughter.  

Over on top of the TV is a series of black and white photos of our Evelyn. Some of her little details like her hands and her feet (and of course her crying face because Charles and I look back now on it and chuckle. So dramatic, so cute…very much like her personality now).

The image of the sunkissed cacti was taken by Charles at the Huntington Library here in San Marino, a place that brings us so much joy and is so otherworldly beautiful that they used it while filming the show The Good Place to represent heaven. Not too shabby. 

And finally, a gold embossed watercolor by artist Britt Ford of the island of Manhattan, where Charles and I got engaged (in Central Park, to be specific). Something so special also needed to be framed by Framebridge. Everything else is in a frame from IKEA.

Yellow Glass Vase | Bi-fold Frame | Curtains (Similar) | Curtain Rods

Before moving on, I should probably discuss this dresser. It’s a 1960s walnut piece I found on Craigslist for about $700. More than I wanted to spend, actually, but considering I had my eye on very pricey white oak pieces from brands like Room & Board and EQ3, this was a steal. I’m so glad I went in this direction rather than a new piece. It adds so much warmth and soul to the room and plays wonderfully off the (new) nightstands and the vintage armoire. Something to remember though, when buying older dressers and case goods: the drawer space is not up to snuff. I can barely fit three (large) bras and a week’s worth of underwear in one drawer. I thought this would be enough for both my and Charles’ unmentionables and whatnot…I was wrong. 

In our new home, I’m working on finding a highboy or chest of drawers to increase our clothes storage as our closets aren’t that big, and, well…the armoire is a story for later on in this post.

Bamboo Clock | Cable Management Strip Cover

Hot Tip: This is probably a very “duh” moment, but just in case, I wanted to share how easy it is to visually downplay ugly cables as a renter who can’t run wiring through their walls. I buy these stick-on raceways to house the cords of the Chromecast, Firestick, power adapter, etc. and then just paint it the same color as the wall.

It’s Time To Discuss The Armoire

We made it to the armoire talk (finally). I won’t go too deep into the backstory since I wrote a whole post about it already, but it’s so good in here. Or rather, it was good in there…for four days. Since I bought this armoire last year, it has sat in our garage, waiting for its place. Evelyn’s crib was against this wall until the weekend before this shoot. Once we broke that down and brought it to the new place, I hired a TaskRabbit to help Charles bring it upstairs. That was…not easy. This thing is BIG. It *just* fit through the hallway that led to our bedroom. People who move furniture for a living are magicians, I tell you.

The wood tone of it works so well with the vintage dresser and new nightstands. Everything is rich and warm with slightly orange (in a good way) undertones. That’s my tip for mixing woods in old and new pieces: match the undertones! That, or just go with contrast such as a blonde wood with black-stained wood. 

And while the right door doesn’t exactly stay latched without taping it, my hope was to eventually get that fixed as well as retrofit it with shelves to house my shoes, handbags, and the like. 

But the day we moved into our new home, all my dreams were shattered. The movers couldn’t get it up the stairs. It couldn’t clear the low ceiling near the landing up to the second floor. They said they could try, but they looked…very doubtful. We had already been working for 10 hours at that point and I had no fight left in me. “Just put it in the garage, I guess,” I said to them, as deflated as a balloon two weeks after buying it. Sad. Stretched. Flat. It felt like I lost a piece of my soul when I uttered that sentence. A few tears rolled down my cheeks.

There’s a wall in my current bedroom that’s begging for that armoire. It’s like a missed connection. “Me: Empty wall in need of love. You: Robust armoire I crossed paths with on Facebook Marketplace.” Charles and I aren’t giving up hope. There’s a chance we might be able to take the thing apart, bring it up piece by piece, and put it back together. The question is…is it worth all of that? OF COURSE IT’S WORTH THAT, WHY DID YOU EVEN ASK?!?

Velvet Glider | Side Table | Pillow Fabric | Throw | Mirror (similar)

Obviously, I’m dramatizing this all quite a bit. We are happy, healthy, fortunate people. This is not an actual tragedy, just a design tragedy. The 400 days or so I got to spend in this very Living Spaces glider holding my daughter reminds me of that, of course. Plus, I can always go down into the garage and visit my armoire. Pet it, rub it, say hello. Make sure it’s doing okay. We won’t live here forever, so…until then…we wait. 

A few quick notes on the rest of the items above: The paint color was a journey (I chronicled it here) but I eventually picked English Scone by Dunn-Edwards. It’s a bit pinker than I was going for but I grew to love its warm, rosy glow. This is a great side table from Target. It’s gone in and out of stock numerous times in the past two years and for good reason. The floral fabric pillow was something I thought the room needed to give it a touch of English charm (I sewed this one, too). And the curtains I found for a total steal on Nordstrom Rack online. Sadly, they do not have them or anything similar anymore but don’t forget to check stores like that for curtains. These are lined Belgian linen and if my memory serves me correctly, I paid $25 a panel for them…possibly less. It’s been a while. 

A Much-Needed Good Night’s Rest

Mattress | Mattress Topper

Before finishing up (I can feel the wrap music starting to play here for me…sorry Academy, I have a lot to say), I want to briefly chat about my mattress. Going from a queen to a king bed meant a new mattress. Prior to this, we had a very cushy and pillowy memory foam mattress. I loved it. It slept like a literal dream. That is until I severely injured my back and legs and I wasn’t getting the support I needed. Every morning, I woke up worse. Tossing and turning felt like a marathon. I hunted for a firmer mattress that still had high ratings for comfort, and I couldn’t avoid the Avocado brand. It had top marks from nearly every website I researched, including Consumer Reports. We tested their full line at their Santa Monica store and had a Goldilocks moment with their Avocado Green Mattress and a separate latex topper.

As expecting parents, we loved that it was certified organic, and made without flame retardants or other icky chemicals. They offer a wool version (the one we have) and a vegan option, as well. It is a firmer mattress than I’ve ever slept on, so it took a week or two to get used to it but now we love it. I can get out of bed without feeling like my legs are made of lead.

The Details Make The Whole (& Home)

At the end of the shoot, while we were all gathered on my sofa finishing up lunch and gabbing like old times, I asked Sara if she could go back in and shoot some little details. In my eye, the design of my room is not a “showstopper” in that everything is a big statement. Sure, there’s a mustard velvet bed and fleshy pink walls and a large and in charge wood armoire, but it all still feels quiet. Peaceful. Simple. The small moments fill the space with whispers of mine and Charles’ life.

There’s the glass tray on my bedside table I bought from Erik (also of EHD fame, of course) when he was selling some of his own treasures (same with the marble egg bookends!), left out front of my home in a “contactless” delivery he made because #covid.

There’s the paper crane card pinned above Charles’ nightstand I gave him when I told him we were going to be parents. Inside, a whole story is written about how much paper cranes mean to me, and the hope they represent. 

This peacock mirror isn’t necessarily my style anymore, but I could never part with it as it represents a time in my life when a huge splurge financially was a $200 piece I had been eyeing for a year or two. I had just begun my journey in the design world, and the peacock mirror was the utmost of sophistication and taste, so when I saw this one on mega clearance at Pier1 Imports, I had to find a way to make it mine. 

And of course, our Evelyn. Photos snapped by Charles of our girl. Photos filled with so much love I’m teary-eyed just typing this sentence. 

my sweet, funny girl! it’s such a treat having her in my life.

I know this space—and our new home–will evolve over time. New things will be added, other things might shift to different spaces (or maybe even different owners). To me, a personal space is never truly finished. A room that breathes in and out, molds to where you are in life…that’s my version of beautiful. I look back onto this bedroom we left behind with a full heart. Memories of the last few years flashing in my mind (the good and the bad), dotted with paint color decisions, sleepless nights holding a tiny baby, and knee-jerk “GOTTA HAVE THIS NOW!” second-hand purchases off Facebook Marketplace (Charles is such a trooper, I tell ya). 

I’ll miss it. Dearly. But I’m excited for what’s next for us, and for me. New home. New room. New neighborhood. New career. You’ll be hearing far more from me around here in the coming weeks and months as I’ve signed on to be a regular contributor.

Until you hear from me again (probably next week!), I’ll leave you here. Enough words written to fill the script of the entire next season of White Lotus. If you made it down to the bottom, thanks for sticking with me. If you didn’t, well…you’re not here to read this anyway but I appreciate you for stopping by (if only half-assedly…we’re busy, I get it). If I left anything out, feel free to ask away in the comments. I’ll be there hanging out with you. 🙂 

Onward and upward, friends. 

*Design by Arlyn Hernandez (me!)
**Styling by Emily Bowser
***Photos by Sara Ligorria-Tramp 

The post 3 Years In The Making Then An Unexpected Move: Arlyn’s Bedroom Reveal Is A Lesson In The Beauty Of “Unfinished” Design appeared first on Emily Henderson.

Pattern Ideas For People Who Are Scared Of Pattern (We Promise It’s Easy!)

Like many of you (I’m assuming “you” since you clicked on this post and probably relate), I struggle with committing to “BIG pattern” in my home (like wallpaper). I adore looking at it in photos but once I dream up my own room with lots of pattern, I freeze, afraid the patterns might actually come alive and eat me whole. I recognize that’s ridiculous. However, I am currently dealing with this as I pick out the final details for my living room. I want to expand the color palette a little and create a greater sense of “coziness”. What is an easy way to achieve that?? Pattern! But, to not overwhelm the space and still make it feel like “me,” I’m finding smaller ways to bring it in — floor pillows, vases, a throw blanket, etc. It’s kind of incredible the effect a little bit of pattern can have on a space. You don’t have to spend tons of money on wallpaper or a huge rug. You can start smaller (like me) and I promise you’ll be amazed.

I decided that I would have a little Photoshop fun to show you eight different types of home decor accessories that can truly transform a space. Plus some pretty cute shoppable picks should you want to add some pattern to your home right this second:)

Lampshadesdesign by jess bunge | styled by emily bowser | photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: moto reveal: jess’ home office

Since I was just talking about it (well the side you can’t see), let’s start here in my office/living room. I was lucky enough to get to borrow this incredible black and white striped ceramic lamp from Ceramicah for the reveal. As you can see in the non-photoshopped photo on the left, that subtle pattern has such a powerful impact without it being overpowering. But even for me, I didn’t realize the full impact until I blacked out the base and saw what a solid color would have looked like. It’s still a stunning lamp, but because everything else in the shot is solid, it doesn’t create the same interest as the patterned option. While I had to give that lamp back, I did replace it with a vintage striped glass one because I loved the stripes and thought this area needed that pattern. It just feels more alive. (FIY I know that the photoshopped items lack real texture but I still think it gets the point across:))

Now you can totally go for a lamp with a patterned base like I did, OR you can make potentially less of a financial commitment and just add a fun shade! One is not better than the other but a shade is a little easier to swap out if you want to change up your room’s style.

1. Bespoke Coolie Lamp Shade: A classic pattern in a very cool and organic material. A little unexpected!
2. Lampshade Reina Moss Navy: Not only will this pattern add a bold moment in a room, but the shade is also an oval shape!
3. Floral Lamp Shade: A moody but fun color scheme in a great classic shade style.
4. Geometric Indigo Blue Lamp Shade: The large-scale pattern and colors are awesome.
5. Lamp Shade-Beige Navy Floral Pleated: Not interested in color? This is a perfect neutral option that’s both classic and on-trend.
6. Lampshade Thalassa Classic Blue: This one is just insanely cool! Less of a pattern and more of a piece of art. And that fringe? Get outta here.
7. House of Hackney Scalloped Lamp Shade: We LOVE House of Hackney and Anthro has a ton of beautiful options like this one.
8. Vintage Pleated Table Lamp: I still adore a pleated paper shade and this is giving modern ’00s shabby chic.
9. Leighton Pleated Lamp Shade: Another classic shade and pattern in such a happy blue.

Vasesphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: living room update – again – our new sofa, my dream floral chaise and the pop of red i always wanted in my life

Vases are even less of a commitment than a lampshade (more easily added and removed) but still pack a pattern punch. Is the solid black photoshopped vase pretty? Of course. Does the space feel happier and more playful with the stripes? Yes. Here are some really pretty options for you:

1. Hermosa Vase: Ooooh baby I LOVE this vase. It’s colorful but not loud and you can see it in action in Bowser’s recent reveal (the wide shot from the living room into the dining nook).
2. Mari Glass Vase: I love that this pattern feels really organic and that there’s a touch of color.
3. Ziggy Double Vase: Perfect for someone who wants to make a statement without color.
4. Lorena Planter: This is such a good pattern with a ton of great detail.
5. Diamond Planter: A patterned take on a traditional terracotta planter.
6. So Nouveau Vase: The colors, shape, and abstract pattern is a 10/10 for me.
7. Kaya Striped Ceramic Cup: Small and simple but would bring a perfect splash color and pattern.
8. Papillion Vase: I’d call this “colorful romance” 🙂
9. Terrafirma Vessel: A great option for a neutral-toned lover!

Traysdesign by jess bunge | photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: makeover takeover: jess’ long awaited (small space) living room reveal

This example is admittedly subtle but that’s also kinda the point of this whole post. Now I know I also photoshopped the striped pillow to be solid too but notice how the tray and that pillow in the unedited photo add such a nice layer! I know I’m biased given this is my old living room but don’t you agree?? If a patterned tray is something you might want to add to your home, here are my picks:

1. Sama Blue Color Blocked Tray: Pretty colors, chic pattern, and those natural woven fibers give it that added texture to make it a knockout!
2. Handpainted Oval Floral Tray: Great pops of color, fun pattern, and handpainted.
3. Pattern Enamel Trays (Set of 2): Can’t beat the price, great neutral colors, and a 2-for-1.
4. Large Graphic Printed Tray: Definitely a trendy option but such a great color and perfect for a fun, modern style.
5. Coffered Inlay Tray: I have always loved these. Not cheap but if it’s in your budget, SO pretty.
6. Terrafirma 9″ Canape: In my early days at EHD Emily owned a version of this tray/plate and I’ve honestly never forgotten it. I’ll love it forever.
7. Chaz Tray: I recently almost bought this and still might! It also comes in wood and red.
8. Famille Rose Tray: Orante, colorful, and so pretty. Plus those handles make it even more functional.
9. Angelica Natural Patterned Tray: Loud and quiet all at the same time! This piece would work with so many styles.

Candles

Ok, so I don’t have a visual example of this but you get the point by now, right? What’s great about patterned candles is that you can seasonally switch them out, they can be super affordable (I actually made some using a DIY from this post), they aren’t large so they don’t take up a lot of visual real estate, and if you get sick of them you can’t literally burn them! I’m absolutely considering some of these for the candelabra in my living room.

1. Striped Candles: LOVE the colors and the stripe pattern.
2. Etnic Pattern Taper Candle (Set of 2): SO sweet and delicate.
3. Stripe Candle: The ones I made were in this color scheme so I have a soft spot for these:)
4. Striped Candle (Set of 2): Such a great pop of color.
5. Bands Dinner Candles (Set of 2): Bold, classic, and simply cool.
6. Yellow Tapers With Brown Flowers: Love these colors and design! I believe Mallory just bought these too:)

Pillowsphoto by tessa neustadt | from: the design milk family room reveal

Back to Photoshop! As in all of these examples, there’s nothing “wrong” with the photoshopped version on the right…BUT isn’t the real photo SO MUCH BETTER??? The whole space is more alive with the three patterned pillows (and a patterned vase:)) Here are some other great pillows if you’re in the market:

1. Woven Silas Indoor/Outdoor Pillow: Colorful, fun, feels very “happy modern farmhouse”.
2. Tiger Round Pillow: New pillows from Lulu and Georgia x Sarah Sherman Samuel! Great print and pretty color. Also always love a round pillow:)
3. Textured Tufted Square Throw Pillow: Super textured with great colors. Will absolutely make a statement.
4. Striped Linen-blend Cushion Cover: A classic pattern in an on-trend color. Great! That price is also pretty great.
5. Anaconda Velvet Pillow: If you want a saturated color but not a solid, this is a perfect option for you.
6. Nayali Stretch Yello Throw Pillow: Gorgeous color with a good but subtle pattern.
7. Block Print Lumbar Throw Pillow: Another classic (but on-trend) pattern in a fun color combo.
8. Multicolor Abstract Checkered Lumbar Pillow: Colorful but not too bright and in a super versatile pattern.
9. Stonewalk Pillow: Organic, beautiful, and colorful but still neutral.

Throwsphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: mountain house reveal: how we designed our super kid-friendly family room

If you know Emily you know she loves a patterned throw blanket. They are so versatile, functional, and since they are large, can create a heavy jolt of visual pattern interest. See what I mean from the example above? And yes, the photoshopped version would be more interesting if it had texture but it’s so clear that the patterned blanket brings this beautiful but quiet room a little more to life (oh, and the patterned pillow in the corner too:)) Here are nine great options for you:

1. Clipped Stripe Dobby Throw Blanket: You simply can’t go wrong with a blue striped throw blanket. So pretty and versatile!
2. Eleanor Pritchard Dovetail Throw: Oh I love this moody, modern beaut! Definitely not cheap but Schoolhouse doesn’t mess around when it comes to quality.
3. Louise Throw: It’s a little hard to see in the graphic but there’s a faint blue stripe in that pattern and it’s sooooo pretty.
4. Nomad Throw: Warm brown tones bring me so much comfort and this broken stripe blanket is perfect.
5. Abstract Throw Indigo: Beautiful, fun, and on-trend but I think this blanket will be cool for a long time:)
6. Geometric Patterned Chunky Woven Throw Blanket: Love the bold jewel tone color and large-scale print.
7. Double Cloth Plaid Throw: If there was ever a spring/summer throw it would be this one.
8. Lineage Woven Striped Throw Blanket: Love that this feels very mid-century modern.
9. Square Square Knit Throw: Perfect if you love color and really want to make a visual statement with your throw.

Curtainsphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: new reveal: a colorful, happy home makeover for an incredibly deserving family

To be honest, we don’t have a ton of examples of patterned curtains but if you look at social media that is not the case on the internet. Patterned curtains, whether bold or quiet are a great option if you want to create a bigger moment with pattern that isn’t more permanent. It can be a little more expensive depending on which curtains you want and how many windows you have. But as proven in the example above, it can be more than worth it:)

1. Hadley Curtain: A really beautiful option and one that isn’t a huge pattern commitment.
2. Blackout Palm Frond Chenille Jacquard Window Curtain Panel: This one is a pattern commitment that when done right would be so worth it.
3. Striped Ikat Curtain: Subtle but great organic lines that make it feel more organic.
4. Light Filtering Charade Floral Window Curtain Panel: Love this on-trend, classic pattern and that color is so happy!
5. Jacquard-Woven Burke Curtain: A great “bolder” pattern but the light natural color makes it look much softer.
6. Rowena Curtain: A little moody in the best way but aren’t blackout curtains so they don’t look heavy and harsh.
7. Blackout Window Curtain Panel: Classic: Check! Classic but fun pattern: Check!
8. Striped Velvet Curtain Panel: Another product from the new Lulu and Georgia x Sarah Sherman Samuel collection. So rich and beautiful! The pattern is subtle but adds a ton of depth.
9. Textured Luxe Stripe Linen Curtain: Super versatile and has the impact of a bold pattern without being one.

Are you thinking of how you can add pattern to your home now? I hope this helped! See it’s not that hard:) I say that as I stare intently at my living room dreaming up what my best options are. We can do it together <3

Love you, mean it.

Opening Image Credits: Design by Jess Bunge | Styled by Emily Bowser | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Moto Reveal: Jess’ Home Office

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Our Custom Farmhouse Dining Nook Reveal (And What Makes It So Incredibly Durable…And Pretty:))

If every seat in our house competed in daily musical chairs, all of us would fight to land in our new dining/homework nook. I am so pleased with how it turned out and it’s making me love this room and home even more (like exponentially so). It’s so inviting, comfortable, and almost totally worry-free because all of those beautiful woven and highly durable cushions are Sunbrella, (more on that below). This corner really anchored this almost too big living room and created some much-needed function (sitting as a small family) AND beauty in here (the fabric, texture, pattern, mix materials – all of it). I love it so very, very, very much and on rainy writing days I often end up here because it’s so comfortable and cozy, (especially on the grayer days when I don’t want to necessarily see the rain all day in the “sunroom”).

But before we get into all the details and pretty photos here’s a fun video! (As always just wait for the ad to play before the video starts:))

But first, where are we in the house? This was a last-minute add to the floor plan (over a year ago, but after the layout was finalized). We had planned to float a kitchen table somewhere in the room (we’d just “figure it out” once the island came in). But after spending more time in the room (during construction) I thought, “Surely we can fit a more intentional, small dining situation in here for our family“. Everyone loves a cozy booth – both visually and while sitting, and I was going to try my hardest to get one in here. We have the island of course (for breakfasts), but we like to face each other for dinner and the sunroom was too far away for every night causal dinners (which we had predicted, the sunroom is more for work/dinner parties/gatherings). So we moved the door opening to the family room towards the kitchen and attempted to shove a little booth/nook into that corner. It was tight. There were naysayers. But BY GOLLY IT WORKED.

Instead of it feeling forced, it actually solved a lot of problems in the room.

We decided to wait to design the nook until we knew for sure that it would work – flow, color, etc. We lived with a round and then rectangular table there for months while I figured out how to make it work. What I hadn’t remembered is that ARCIFORM had designed the trim work so that at the bottom of the window, the sill sticks out and tops off the paneling (by over an inch). This actually gave us a great place for us to end the height of the booth – it would butt right up to the sill that wrapped around.

It was nice to A. see how often we used it (daily) and B. be able to visualize what colors/finishes we would want as well as C. to maximize the space and figure out the exact depth, length, etc.

I spent hours designing a seat and back that would be so simple, but really special – with cool lines, pretty wood grain, floating with the base angled back toward the wall, blah blah. But once we got it priced out it was far more than we wanted to pay (over 8k for materials + labor/install, pre-upholstery). I’m sure I could have gotten other quotes or reduced the amount of wood/skipped the back. But one morning I thought, “why not just build a frame/base, clad it with leftover paneling, paint it, and make the upholstery, table, chairs, and accessories the star?” It could look like it was always there, built-in to the paneling/window sill and so sweet. Jamie, from ARCIFORM, is a master carpenter and they thought it could take two days on-site, with no drawings necessary (and “no drawings” is really my specialty). I had already commissioned Nate Dinihinian to make the table because it needed to be very specific (narrow, long, racetrack shape top, trestle base). I probably should have waited to commission that til the bench was in because it could have been 6″ longer, but it actually works really great with the sofa placement, putting one chair at the end.

Sunbrella Fabric For The Win

Back Cushion | Seat Cushion (similar)

I chose two different Sunbrella woven fabrics, highly contrasting but in the same color family. The navy blue is actually a blue/black small check pattern and the light gray/blue is such a pretty weave. Sunbrella is no joke – literally made to withstand hurricanes, so the durability and stain resistance is HIGH. And the woven fabric I chose looks like beautiful interior fabric, not a canvas or something that you might associate more with patio furniture.

I hired Raleigh Hills Upholstery to customize the cushions. They came and templated, we talked through the tufting cadence, piping, etc., and installed it two weeks later (they did an incredible job, totaling $1800 not including fabric just to give you a cost reference).

The cushions and back had to fit perfectly into the corner and the tufts had to be spaced appropriately. I hadn’t even thought of tuft placement so I was very grateful that they made it look PERFECT. The cushions were upholstered onto plywood to weigh them down and secure them more (or they might have moved around too much since they aren’t huge nor thick). To finish them off they secured them to the seat and wall with heavy-duty velcro. They aren’t going anywhere.

I love that the darker base color pulls your eye over to that side of the room, while the back is lighter and quiet. In the context of the whole room, it works really nicely and I wouldn’t have done it any other way. Doing them both the dark color could look good but less interesting and doing them the light color I think wouldn’t be as powerful. Oscar agrees (as you can see up there).

It is pretty darn comfortable and easy over there. We always knew that this booth wasn’t going to be for long lounging dinners, but y’all I spend hours a day here writing, and the 18″ seat depth (not accounting for the cushion) works!

I added some of Max Humphrey’s pillows (a collection with Pindler and Sunbrella) which have such a sweet farmhouse vibe. He stole these back to take to Highpoint last week and I have missed them a lot. So you might see it styled differently soon, but only with Sunbrella as I want ZERO worries over here.

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)

The whole nook works so well, honestly. It’s close to the kitchen making it so easy for meals/cleanup. It can seat up to eight (kids) but is more comfortable for six. But since it’s just for the four of us we are super pleased. The chairs are vintage Swedish from Etsy that has a really heavy round seat and has proven to be far more popular to sit in than my vintage Cherner chairs that everyone is scared to sit on.

The vintage light fixture is from Rejuvenation (their antiques and vintage department) and one that I spotted and have hoarded for two years. It marries the two finishes in the house (black and brass) so perfectly.

If you watch the video at the beginning of the post (or some social) you’ll see different paintings up there, but as we shot the photography they were bugging me a little (tonally and with the sconce intersecting them). So I moved this painting that I had over the mantel here and it was an obvious “YES”. It’s just perfect (vintage, sorry!). The art on the right is by Kirill Bergart, an artist in LA that I love.

The table that Nate built is so pretty and well made, from reclaimed Oregon white oak and we were able to customize the dimensions to make sure it was narrow enough for the space (30″) and with a trestle table to avoid legs in the corners that would block flow. He is now selling this table and you can customize it as well. He’s a lovely, talented Portland maker 🙂

I’m just so happy with how the whole thing turned out – with literally zero changes I would make. We are going to add a cafe curtain so stay tuned for that.

I can’t stress enough how un-stressful this corner is due to the fact that we used Sunbrella. When I was talking to my upholstery team they asked me if I wanted a stain treatment and I said I was using Sunbrella and they quickly responded, “Oh no you don’t need anything then, that stuff is impossible to stain”. Now that is NOT a direct quote from Sunbrella, but it is a pretty big endorsement from some experts.

We painted the drywall in the whole room this extremely pale blue called Mantra SW 9631 by Sherwin-Williams and it’s so calm and soothing – in a barely there vibe.

Sunbrella in Action…

We thought it would be fun to show you how we use the space and really highlight the ease in which life can be with Sunbrella fabric. I joke that I should turn it into clothes so I never have to worry about literally any fabric in my life (I’m joking but is that actually possible?).

Team lunches happen here (with Shake Shack or soup) on shoot days, in addition to our family dinners most nights.

The kids use it for arts and crafting. And I even let them paint in here on rainy days instead of in the sunroom (uh, no). Of course, we use paint that is ideally washable, but even if not we are fine because it’s Sunbrella, and everything just literally wipes off.

Sunbrella Is Pet-Friendly (Of Course)

We try to eat dinner with our pups at the table (this is a growing trend?). I’m joking, but we certainly did encourage them up on the dining bench for these photos and they happily obliged (because they are the sweetest pups on the planet). The point is, you do NOT need to worry about this fabric with animals – it’s extremely pet-friendly and durable. If I didn’t want velvet so badly on our sofa I would absolutely have used one of these Sunbrella woven fabrics. I hope more major retailers design more interior sofas with this fabric because it’s really beautiful, soft, and appropriate for all pieces of furniture.

Too bad we don’t live in LA anymore – these pups could absolutely have a career in Hollywood. (make sure to watch the reel of them up there – the reason we put them up there in the first place)

A huge thanks to Sunbrella for making a product that makes our life less stressful, more manageable, and worry-free. And of course, thank you for partnering on this project. We have a few more coming up that I can’t wait to show you as well (the kitchen patio coming at you soon!). It’s my favorite corner in the house, I love every element in there, and it’s really informed the design of the rest of the room. Cheers to checking a big box. 🙂

All dining nook resources are below and ask any questions in the comments. xx E

Resources:

Seat Cushion Fabric: Sunbrella (Back Cushion + Seat Cushion – similar)
Pillow Fabric: Max Humphrey for Pindler and Sunbrella
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
Wall Color: Mantra by Sherwin-Williams
Paneling Color: Extra White by Sherwin-Williams

This post was sponsored by Sunbrella but all words and opinions are all mine🙂

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

The post Our Custom Farmhouse Dining Nook Reveal (And What Makes It So Incredibly Durable…And Pretty:)) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

The Link Up: Em’s Mother’s Day Gift Rec, A Shower Filter To Protect Mal’s Blonde Hair, And A Highly Reviewed Travel Backpack

In case any of you missed our VERY exciting reveal this week, Ms. Caitlin Higgins made our lives a lot better with her beautiful living room and maybe even more so with her vulnerable words. If you haven’t read her reveal post, I promise now is the time and your day will only improve. So maybe start there and then come back for some really great Mother’s Day gift ideas and other fun recs:)

made us speechless. It’s the kind of home that you could stare at again and again and still find new things to love. Designer, Nina Farmer, created a stunningly warm, layered, and elevated home for her clients. We actually don’t want to say anymore because you just need to go look for yourself. Enjoy!

Two years ago we put together an EPIC Mother’s Day post where we went to social media and asked moms (y’all) what they actually wanted for their special day. We got so many wonderful responses with a lot of crossover and timeless ideas. So if you need some ideas take a peek (or send it to someone who might need some help:)) and for an Emily rec and Aryln’s Mother’s Day wishlist this year keep reading…

From Emily: Carley Summer’s new book, Sacred Spaces: Everyday People and the Beautiful Homes Created Out of Their Trials, Healing, and Victories is just so beautifully written that I found myself tearing up during two of the stories told by the homeowners she featured. It’s a book full of beautiful images, of course, but her story and some of the others are just so soulful and add so much depth. You can feel all the hard work and emotion (and vulnerability) that went into it. It’s a great gift for anyone in your life that loves beautiful design with a big side of spirituality…maybe your mother?? 🙂

From Arlyn: This will be my second Mother’s Day. The first was a blur at the time with a two-month-old in tow, but I still remember how the day felt. However cliché, it just felt…special. Or at least *I* felt special. Like a new calendar day was unlocked for me I only had an outside view of previously. This year, I have a little more perspective and have been asked numerous times by numerous parties what a good gift would be for me or another young mother. I came up with a few ideas:

Ivy Name Paperclip Chain Bracelet by Oak & Luna: I’m still at the point where jewelry engraved with my daughter’s name or birth date is a novel gift and I have my eye on this one. There’s a more affordable gold vermeil version as well as a solid gold option if your budget allows. A “Voucher” for Family Photos: There’s always something to spend money on, so splurging on family photos is easy to sidestep in place of fixing your car brakes or buying diapers in bulk. We recently got one-year photos taken at the same location as our maternity shoot (this is actually my Mother’s Day gift this year from my husband!) and I can’t imagine anything better than having these to look back at over the years. Prices vary by location and photographer, but anywhere from $300-$700 is pretty standard. Anything to Give a Mom Back Time: Just like there’s always something to spend money on, there’s always something that needs to get done around the house (with or without children). Honestly, either the offer to take the kids off your hands so you can focus on a task you’ve been wanting to tackle or a gift card to a site like TaskRabbit would be a game-changer. You can find someone to do nearly everything on your home-related to-do list on there—cleaning, packing or unpacking, hanging art, TVs, or light fixtures, and even breaking down boxes and cleaning out the garage. It’s genius!

From Mallory: I’ve been bleaching my hair for years (at the salon, I’d burn my hair off doing it myself), but since living in my apartment it’s been harder and harder to bleach due to what we think is hard water. Plus it now turns green and copper after a while which is something very fun and new to me! I ordered this shower filter to try to soften my water because it was highly rated, removes chlorine (my last filter didn’t), and is apparently very effective (I’ll let you know). But there’s one major issue: it’s ugly af hahaha. If anyone knows of a shower filter that ACTUALLY works please help bc I cannot have my hair keep turning weird colors it’s the worst!!!

From Ryann: After much research (on my husband’s part) this is the backpack we bought for our trip to Japan. We are both packing light so we don’t have to check a bag, so we wanted a backpack we could use to pack some clothes and possibly shoes and also one small enough we could use for day trips. This one checked all our boxes and is much more affordable than others we considered!

From Caitlin: It’s no surprise that I am LOSING MY MIND over the updated IG photos that designer Sasha Bikoff has been posting of her work at Flex Mussels, an NYC seafood spot. It’s a FASCINATING take on nautical that perfectly threads the “themed, but not too themed” needle. I love the Royere-style banquette (ocean, but less obvious), the on-the-nose lighting (seashells and ship sconces, but still so elegant!), the incredible window treatments (okay, these are very themed, I’ll concede), and this new fantastic mural (scroll through her feed – every area has a new character to admire)!! The entire restaurant is just so fresh and warm and exciting – I WANT TO GO! Anyone down for a group trip?

From Jess: This one is for the cat owners. As someone who has never owned a cat, this link may seem like it’s coming from an unlikely source but when I was at my neighbor’s house I couldn’t help but notice her kitten’s fascination with this cat toy/scratcher! My friend confirmed that she’s obsessed. Plus it’s very cute to watch them play with it. Could be a great and affordable gift idea too!

Hope you have a beautiful rest of your day! See y’all tomorrow. xx

Opening Image Credits: Design by Caitlin Higgins | Styled by Emily Bowser | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: The Reveal We’ve All Been Waiting For! Caitlin’s Mostly Thrifted, Postmodern Regency Deco Living Room

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WAIT. Why Is It So Much Harder For Designers (ME) And/Or Creators To Design Their Own Homes? A Journal Entry…

There are times in the middle of the design process when I’ll show Brian, say, two different blue paint swatches, two different molding profiles, or even two different photos of dining tables and to him they are indecipherable. Brian has learned not to point out how similar they are (because they aren’t) but it’s at times hard for both of us not to laugh because they are virtually identical and I’m spending so much time obsessing over which is “right”. Many of you have commented similarly – that I’m clearly going a bit nuts during the design decision-making process and that I need to “calm down,” “take a step back,” etc. And it’s TRUE! I was/am losing it, but there are good reasons why, reasons I don’t apologize for. So let’s dive into it today: WHY is it so much harder for us to design our own homes?

But first, what got me thinking about this (again)… We started a new project recently – a transformative kitchen update that I’m excited to share with you. I hired Sarah (who was my assistant last year and left to go to design school) as the project manager to help me design/execute the partnership. Granted this is not a full kitchen remodel – it was meant to be fast, affordable, and not move any plumbing, electrical, or walls, but I kid you not – we made all the design decisions in 3-4 hours together (and then of course probably 40 hours in renderings/logistics/coordination/ordering, not including execution, project management, etc). And I’m legit so excited about the design. We didn’t phone it in, it feels fresh and beautiful. We chose the paint colors, the wallpaper, the hardware, the shelving style, etc all so quickly and it’s going to look pretty darn great. But it made me think, why, WHY does it take so much more time for me to design my own rooms? Why can I design someone else’s kitchen so quickly (and again, it’s going to be unique and special) and really belabor my own so much??? And I know I’m not alone.

We Have To Live Inside Of It – Including Our Mistakes/Regretsphoto by tessa neustadt | from: charlie’s big boy room reveal

Imagine a musician being told that they were only able to listen to their recent album, or a chef being told they can only cook from their latest cookbook. What if a filmmaker could only watch their own movie over and over in their home? It’s not just the outward appearance of it all as “your work” to show the world, it’s being surrounded by it daily. Design is an art form, a creative expression, etc, not unlike many others – but the difference is that as the designer/homeowner you have to live inside it, every day, every hour, for likely years. I honestly don’t stress too much about decorating it because those things are easier to move around, but with the hard finishes, you bet I obsess. Do I want to stare at my own regret for years and years? Do I want to get sick of looking at something that I spent a lot of money on? Does a musician want to listen to an off-key note in a song over and over? Does an athlete want to watch a losing free throw over and over? NO. Sure, we might get over it (and have) or change it (and have) but the best thing you can do is to avoid this feeling in the first place. However, to do that you HAVE TO OBSESS ABOUT EVERY DETAIL. And watching someone obsess about details from afar, can seem like they are going nuts and eyes get rolled by those who don’t understand. But, like all other creative careers, it’s their craft, their creativity, and their job.

We Get Sick Of Things/Trends Fasterphoto by kaitlin green | from: the farmhouse kitchen reveal

As designers/stylists/content creators, we see so much design both in person and on the internet that it’s easy to get sick of things faster (at least I do). We’ll see a new trend and it immediately EXPLODES, it’s everywhere and then it feels like it’s done (even if it has 2-4 more years of mainstream-ness). Same with colors/patterns – it makes committing to something bold far more difficult and playing it safe far easier. It makes me way more careful to ensure that in two years I’m not going to be like, “Well, I can’t look at that any longer”. This is why I play it a bit safe with my own home with the permanent finishes, that I might not in others (especially if who I’m designing for wants something bolder). I don’t want to look at a room and say “It’s so 2022”. This is why I love trends for furniture/decor (nothing is wrong with a trend and no one is immune to them) but I’m so much more careful with tile/flooring and plumbing.

We Want To (And Are Expected To) Take Risks And Do Something New But It Also Really Needs To Function Well Because We Are Using It Every Dayphotos by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the riskiest bathroom i designed—with a “how i’m feeling now” update

This is why many designers get into hotels and restaurant design – these spaces are meant to be more “of the moment” and need to function as temporary spaces for a specific type of enjoyment. You don’t stay there long enough to be annoyed that the table is too high for the chair, or that there isn’t enough storage in the hotel room. You have more creative freedom because the expectation is a one-time experience, so doing something that feels “now” and not necessarily timeless is the fun part (and is often the expectation with a new hotel or restaurant). But since this is our home and we have kids/pets, it’s just harder because this has to work for our daily family needs. And yet this is our opportunity to push the boundaries, and do something fresh and original. I feel like I did this in some ways (our sunroom, the tile in the kid’s bathroom, our vanity wall) but for the most part, it’s just really pretty and timeless – not necessarily full of these big design swings. But the line between timeless and boring/generic is very thin and I found myself close to it many times during the design process. Obviously, I am very privileged with my budget and partnerships so I could invest in things like more laborious tile installs (sunroom and our bathroom floor) but many designers don’t actually have the budget that their clients do. I know I didn’t when I had clients – it’s a luxury service and the chances that an interior designer has a million dollars to remodel their own home is extremely low. So you have to find more creative ways to take risks, which is honestly a really fun challenge, but also if those risks don’t work for your family then what? For instance, I had collected all of these vintage plaids for like two years, and I had around 30 yards in total. I thought it would be so fun to do a sectional in them – all patchworked, but as I got closer to executing the idea I just knew that it wasn’t going to be as functional as I wanted (the fabric is old, worn, tears easily, and it wasn’t soft either). It would also be such an expensive risk to take (10k to customize a sectional with my plaid upholstery, not to mention using up all my vintage plaids which are irreplaceable). I wanted it for photos so badly, and I knew that I could style it to be so special – but it wasn’t going to function as well for our dogs/kids and I could see myself apologizing for it to guests as they sat down to ripped up upholstery… So the big swings that we want to take are harder to do in our own homes because striking out can be a really expensive bummer that again, you have to either live with or fix. All good stuff – excellent challenges, but it leads to a lot of time obsessing about the small stuff.

The Expectations Of A Designers Home Are Extremely Highphoto by zeke ruelas | from: introducing my living room

I remember in 2011 when I had a literal design TV show but very little money, I invited some new friends over to our apartment (they were in a higher economic bracket in Hollywood). I had just won DesignStar and they knew about the show, so when they came over I could see the palpable disappointment and confusion on their face when they looked around. We lived in a small one-bedroom in LA (on Los Feliz Blvd) and most of my stuff was vintage or IKEA. I wasn’t embarrassed before that moment – I liked my stuff (and it shot well), and then one of them said, “Oh I see, you are like the thrift store girl”. They weren’t being snarky, but instead more like they understood. They didn’t have the eye to know good vintage over just “used stuff,” so to them, that was what it looked like – fun and thrifty. I obviously remember this well and it didn’t make me feel good (they weren’t dicks, just surprised). The disappointment around the expectation that I would have an incredibly dialed-in designer home was just so palpable. I wondered if I would ever meet any future guest’s expectations. People will say they don’t care if our house is messy. People will of course say they won’t judge, but y’all – everyone does. Not because they are assholes, but because it’s human nature! It’s similar to going to a dinner party at a famous chef’s home – your expectations of getting a delicious meal are higher than other friends’ cooking, even if it’s just a BBQ. It’s just part of moving through this world while having this job, and that’s ok, honestly! But yes, it increases the pressure (and I think makes us all a bit agoraphobic). We are considering having some fundraisers for our school next year once the property is done (outdoor movie night!) and already I have anxiety about it – and let me be clear – this house is objectively very pretty, I know this intellectually. I have a nice house with pretty things in it, but still opening up my home (and work) to so many people feels incredibly vulnerable to their judgments and the gossip that will absolutely ensue. Somehow doing it on the internet is so much easier, but I know that when I mess up it’s a gossip storm – which is absolutely OK, but to pretend it doesn’t add pressure is false.

It’s A Representation Of Our Creativity And Skills -AKA It’s A Living Resume For Future Workphoto by kaitlin green | from: our mudroom reveal: a dog + storage-focused space that is possibly my favorite room in our house

Besides the emotional fear component, it’s literally our livelihood and how we support our families. There is this feeling that when it comes to our home there is no excuse for a bad design. You can easily excuse away a bad client choice and say, “Well they really wanted this weird color, but I tried to persuade them against it” or “They already had that sofa and I was forced to work it into the design”. But when the designer is the client, you theoretically have free reign creatively. Of course, you do NOT always have free reign with budgets (which again, is another expectation that is wrong). But creatively, your home is your laboratory and each room is a song on your debut studio album (I just finished reading and watching Daisy Jones & The Six, FYI, thus the band analogies). For me, since we don’t currently do client work outside of partnerships, this home HAS to perform well for our partners in order to get the next round of partnerships to keep the company going. The skylights have to be highlighted well, which means I’ll panel the ceilings. The furniture has to be showcased inside an architecturally interesting space with excellent natural light so I’ll add a window that we might not have otherwise. You simply can’t put a partner’s product in a mediocre environment (at least not at this level) or else you will disappoint them, the world will see the mediocrity, and future clients/partners won’t come after you. So you have to spend a lot more to create the environments to ensure that your home, your portfolio, sings on so many levels.

photo by tessa neustadt | from: the finished patio (with the tile!)

It’s all good stuff, and frankly, I’ve gotten pretty used to the stress of it (it’s “challenge stress,” not the bad stress). But that doesn’t mean I don’t get super frustrated with myself when I know I’m taking too long to make a decision, or very disappointed with myself when I make even a minor infraction. And that’s ok! I give myself more breaks by framing it like other artists – i.e. a band putting out their debut album, a writer and editor obsessing over every word in a first book, or a chef producing a follow-up book to their #1 selling cookbook. Caring about our jobs is a great thing and obsessing over the details is a by-product of the creative careers we are fortunate to be able to do all day. While the word passion gets wildly overused, that is what it is – obsessing has a negative connotation, but passionately tuning into every detail is exactly what it is.

Once again going through this process gives me so much compassion for literally everyone else trying to pull together their home. People might think that I would judge others’ homes if I came over, y’all, I know how much it takes to pull together a home and it’s just so much. I have a team of people, and I get to spend a lot of time on my own home, I have partnerships and resources and even then I still have so much to do and so many excuses for what’s not done yet. If you have a job, kids, and a tight budget that task is so close to impossible to do quickly. So no, I honestly don’t judge and at times am very relieved just to be around friends in a home where the design isn’t the focus and we can all just hang.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: our light-filled neutral & textural living room

So if you are a designer (or want to be) or a content creator (or want to be) or both, I hope that you can relate to this and it can make you feel a bit better about your indecision or the times when you feel like you might be losing it. It’s ok to almost lose it in the pursuit of creativity. It’s part of the job. I also think that since this is a female-dominated world that this “obsessing” has more of a negative connotation. Does an accountant obsess about the numbers on the spreadsheet being accurate? Of course! Does a lawyer obsess over the transcripts of a deposition? Yes. But if it’s a creative career, specifically in the domestic space, there is this outside perception that I’m just being nutty and need to get pulled down to earth, that it’s not “that big of a deal”. So from here on out I’m going to frame my “obsession” more as “passion” (while it’s hard for me to use that word) and yes, we as designers/content creators are very, very, passionate about every design decision in our home. I, personally, love seeing other designers think over and over and over their own home details, and pivot or change when things just don’t hit the mark. It’s all good stuff and part of the fortunate creative career that we are lucky enough to be pursuing every day.

photo by kaitlin green | from: the family room update + the case for a dark moody room

Ok. That is all. I’m off to hang a seascape gallery wall and passionately obsess over it 🙂 Thanks for reading my journal entry – it’s something I’m going to be doing more and more here. Our new comment policy (of moderating and not auto-publishing the hate/mean stuff) has given me and my team more freedom to write what I/we want to write knowing that there won’t be a firestorm of toxicity if we look away for one second – which is usually just 2-3 people, BTW. Kind criticism is always welcome – I love a good dissent and dialogue – I learn so much from you, honestly, but if you find yourself constantly wanting to write something negative here in hopes of derailing our day, simply don’t read this blog as it might not be the right fit for you. I have missed just being able to write in a safe space and have so many personal drafts unpublished (the internet seven years ago was totally different), so I’m excited to do it more for those who are interested. Thanks, per usual, for reading. xx

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Styling To Sell: How We Staged Our Dining Room And Kitchen (With The Changes I Should Have Done Years Ago!)

The post WAIT. Why Is It So Much Harder For Designers (ME) And/Or Creators To Design Their Own Homes? A Journal Entry… appeared first on Emily Henderson.

New Series Alert: Get The Look For Less – Emily’s Glendale Living Room

Do you have a favorite room on the internet? If so, have you ever wanted to replicate it, even slightly, so your home can feel the way you feel when you look at that photo? I think we design enthusiasts all suffer from a little design envy. We are bombarded with perfectly styled rooms daily which can be inspiring but perhaps at times, a little disheartening. I have definitely asked myself, “Why can’t my home look like that?” too many times to count which is of course AMAZING for my mental health :). If you have ever felt that way, now you know you are not alone.

If you’ve been following Emily for a while you probably recognized the above living room immediately. It is Emily’s Glendale home living room and one of it’s those spaces that is warm, calm, and inviting while still being eclectic and fun. It has been an EHD favorite for years and years and it’s not hard to see why. So today’s post is for anyone who has ever wanted to shop straight from this room – but on a budget. We scoured the internet for similar pieces that are also affordable so you can essentially replicate this exact room if you so please. Ready to see what’s in store?

Before we get to the shopping portion of this post, I think it is important to dissect what makes this living room so successful. The white walls and wood flooring lay a light, warm base for the furniture to remain neutral and inviting. In addition, with the focal point being this large natural and rustic-looking stone fireplace, the space could easily become overwhelming or confusing with brightly patterned furniture. To create a cohesive space, the furniture pieces are variations of gray, wood, and leather (but all have special details so they are anything but boring). With light tonal furniture in place, there is so much room for color and pattern to be layered in.

This living room is one of the best examples of mixing styles by sticking to a consistent and cohesive color palette. The colors are gray, blue, navy, white, and wood, with some hints of lighter-toned pinks and even some green and light coral accents. And you might notice that there are many different shades of blues and even pinks and that’s okay, because they are all tonal and calm. A bright pink pillow might look out of place, but a light and calm pink blends in effortlessly. The clean lines and neutral gray tone of the MCM-inspired sectional allow for ample color and pattern to be layered in with pillows and throws, in a way that is not visually overwhelming. While we are on the subject of sofa styling, always remember to mix different sizes, shapes, textures, patterns, and styles (again, in the same color palette).

You may have also noticed that the furniture styles are quite different. The sofa leans MCM, the vintage chair is more bohemian, the coffee table is rustic, and there is even a modern side table to top it all off. The key, as I said above, is that they are all neutral, inviting, and within the color palette so they don’t clash with each other. Instead, the mix of styles provides visual interest and personality to the space.

With all of these elements backed by gorgeous natural lighting, the result is an uber-inviting, warm, and lived-in room that has a ton of style.

Now are you ready to get the look?

1. Oliver 2-Piece Chaise Sectional: This is a great, affordable, and comfortable 2-piece chaise sectional that is 79″ wide. If you are looking for one a little bigger, we also love this one (that’s 112″ wide). If your budget allows, the original Burrand sectional Emily used is also still available!
2. Handmade Studio Leather Dorotheia Modern Leather Rug: This textural hide rug with scallop detail looks almost identical to the original one Emily used and comes in various sizes (the largest being 8’x10′).
3. Mid-Century Modern Walnut Dining Chair: This wood and gray dining chair could be a great accent chair for a small space.
4. Live Edge Coffee Table: Especially when mixed with straight Mid Century Modern lines, a live edge coffee table brings movement and warmth to a space.
5. Morrocan Pouf: This classic Morrocan pouf instantly adds a bohemian vibe.
6. Faux Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant in Pot: Fiddle leaf plants add so much vibrancy and movement to a room.
7. Bianca Striped Seagrass Tote Basket: We love putting potted plants in woven baskets for added warmth and texture.
8. Marla Vegan Leather Armchair: While Emily’s vintage safari chairs are obviously awesome, this vegan leather armchair is a great alternative (and also comes in black).
9. Marble Pedestal End Table: This black and marble side table brings in just the right amount of modern flair.
10. Grady 6 – Drawer Dresser: Adding a dresser to your living space provides extra storage and can exude a very relaxed and welcoming feel. Plus it’s a great place to display vases or other accessories.

1. Cozy Teddy Faux Fur Oversized Pillow Cover: This 30″x30″ boucle pillow cover would be a great companion to a gray sectional sofa.
2. Blue And Ivory Geometric Indoor Outdoor Throw Pillow: This blue patterned pillow is suitable for both indoors and outdoors.
3. Global Tufted Throw Blanket with Tassels: This is a nice, large (60″x80″), and affordable blanket with a lovely texture – not to mention it’s almost identical to the one in the Glendale living room.
4. Yucatan Terracotta Stripe Euro Sham: I love how Emily added so many colors to this room using throw pillows. This white and coral sham has such a pretty pattern and the soft orange hue blends beautifully with the blue, green, and pink colors throughout the space.
5. Vintage Blimp Aircraft Illustration Digital Art: Emily’s blimp art is an iconic piece that works with so many styles. If you are into the vintage drawing style art, this is a very cool one but please note it is a digital print so you would need to have it printed 🙂
6. Custom Frame: Once you have your art printed, you are going to need it framed. We love Framebridge for their quality and service.
7. Wood Coat Hooks: These wood coat hooks which are also perfect for hanging things like ceramic bells, will bring a warm, MCM flair to any space.
8. Stripy Ceramic Bell: We are forever fans of MQuan’s ceramic bells but if they’re out of your budget, these are great.
9. Pettini Vase: This is such a pretty vase that would add texture, movement, and color to your space.
10. Euro Woven Stripe Decorative Throw Pillow Blue: This is a high-quality pillow for the price and we love the grid pattern.
11. Sage Green Colorblock Pillow Cover: I love the calm sage green color of this handmade color block pillow cover.
12. Pink Pillow Cover: To complement the other pink hues in the space, this pillow cover is your guy.
13. Angeleta Woven Throw Blanket: This is a solid, affordable throw blanket that would work well with a variety of styles.
14. Onslow Tray: A woven tray will provide warmth and a hint of bohemian flair to your space. If you want, you can place it on the floor next to a chair (as Em did) to provide a place for extra magazines or books.

1. Saqqara Pillow Cover in Albatross: This playful pattern pillow cover is available in a wide range of sizes so you can tailor it to your specific needs.
2. Ivory and Grey Grid Pillow Cover: Mixing pattern scales is essential to styling your sofa like a pro. We love this grid pattern that pairs so well with smaller patterns.
3. Knitted Throw Blanket: This throw blanket will add a nice pop of blue to your sofa or chair.
4. Solid Cotton Fringe Throw Pillow: We love when a solid color pillow has a fringe hem that adds texture and style.
5. Oversized Cotton Striped Square Throw Pillow: A classic stripe pillow looks good in any room.
6. Ceramic Candlestick: This totem candlestick holder is a really solid piece for the price and we love the speckled off-white detail.
7. Brice Mid-Century Ivory Ceramic Table Lamp: We love the wood accents on this Midcentury-inspired lamp.
8. Turquoise Speckled Round Pottery Bowl: This is a one-of-a-kind turquoise pottery bowl that would look good styled on any shelf.
9. Handmade Japanese Bowl: How stunning is this handmade Japanese bowl? And you cannot beat the price!
10. Button Fern: This fairly low-maintenance plant is pet-friendly and comes in this gorgeous turquoise pot.
11. Bonnie Grey Pillow: It is so important to mix and match different size pillows. This one comes in various sizes and has a lovely woven texture.
12. Priya Throw Pillow: Here is another neutral pillow with a ton of texture.
13. Periwinkle Blue White Lumbar Throw Pillow Cover: I love the blue paint splatter pattern on this pillow cover.
14. Elsa Reversible Woven Striped Chenille Square Throw Pillow: This pretty pink pillow has a subtle and oh-so-lovely stripe pattern.
15. Faux Bradford Pear Branch 50″: We are big advocates for going outdoors and foraging for branches but if you want an easier route, you can also buy faux branches like this one.
16. Black Terracotta Vase: This vase ties in the other black accents in the room and grounds the space.
17. Styled: What’s a coffee table without a GREAT design book?
18. The New Design Rules: One design book is never enough. Have you picked up Emily’s new book yet?
19. Suzanne Kasler Gourd Lamp: To complement the other light blue tones in the room, we love this lamp.

And there you have it, folks. Please let us know if you enjoy this type of post, and if you would like us to start a series. If so, what room would you like to see next? xx

*Photos by Tessa Neustadt

The post New Series Alert: Get The Look For Less – Emily’s Glendale Living Room appeared first on Emily Henderson.

This “Happy Moody” Craftsman Home Is A Vintage Lover’s Dream (We Can’t Stopping Staring At This Kitchen)

When a home and a homeowner(s) find their perfect match, you can tell. There’s a visible energy that both are there to care for and protect each other. I think this is especially true with old homes. And look, sometimes an old home is too far gone – too many homeowners before either weren’t able to properly care for it while others made quick, trendy fixes that simply didn’t pay respect to the original structure. Today we have a happy story. A story of a young family who was in love with their wonderful 1910 craftsman, wanting to preserve as much of it as possible while needing to update for modern living.

When I was pitched this project by the incredible Jamie Haller (remember this craftsman she and her husband restored?) I was blown away. In that previous post, I called them the “soul keepers” and baby, that title remains intact. As we move through this home you will not only get to soak up an almost endless pool of vintage details but see how with careful and thoughtful design choices, old and new can beautifully coexist. I think that if you love this “happy moody” style there are some key elements you can incorporate into your home. But first, let’s hear how it all began and the biggest challenges Jamie faced.

What was the conversation about the color palette and style with your client? Did they have a style they said they specifically wanted or did they just want you to lean into the style of the home and run with it?

Jamie: “The direction was to embrace the authenticity of the home and create a modern and functional space that inspired them.”

Ah, the magic words for a historic home-loving designer, right? But before we get into the more extensive parts of the renovation let’s have some fun dissecting why the living and dining rooms are so special and why they nail the “happy moody” style.

First, let’s take about the choice of white paint. Jamie was told by the homeowner that they wanted to keep it a warmer shade which was absolutely the right call. It works with the dark warm woods in the room and makes it feel brighter but still cozy. Then to bring in that depth, it’s all about the patterns. Notice the scales all vary, bouncing your eye around but all are in darker moody tones so they don’t feel too overwhelming.

HOT TIP: Adding a bright decor piece that works with your established darker color palette, like that yellow table lamp with the burgundy shade, will help to bring out those colors elsewhere making everything pop a little more.

Another pillar of this look is vintage decor and florals. When vintage pieces have decorative elements in darker metals and wood tones it adds a cool playfulness. And of course florals, whether in textiles, art, or actual real flowers, also add a needed energy/joyfulness for a moody space.

Wallpaper

Speaking of florals, this wallpaper by House of Hackney was a really important element to Jamie because it was meant to be a connector to the kitchen in terms of style and colors. She presented a few wallpapers in connection with a kitchen palette and this was the one they all decided on.

Clearly, a beautiful choice. What I also love is the use of a light (but not bright white) linen curtain and a vintage warm white tablecloth. It gently lightens the space to keep the vibe cozy and not too dark.

Chandelier (vintage)

Here’s a better view of how the light linens highlight the light tones in the rug and the wallpaper. And what is always important to remember when designing a vintage space is to still incorporate modern decor pieces to help visual balance. They also just add an inherent freshness. You can see that in action with those modern vases that have been placed on the back built-in. Contrast is always important:)

I had to include this shot because just look at all that original woodwork. It’s so stunning!!

But now it’s time to talk about this home’s beautiful kitchen renovation…

Cabinet Color | Pendant | Faucet | Countertop Material (soapstone)

Jamie: “For the kitchen, there were a couple of original cabinets in the room, and we knew we wanted to use that as a North Star. I also wanted there to be a color relationship between the dining room and kitchen. I wanted the glimpse of the kitchen at the dining table to have a connection to a wallpaper we would use in there. I wanted the home to tell a story as you went room to room.”

The original cabinetry she spoke of is that large built-in. Its specialness remained intact because of all the love and care that was put into it. Jamie explained what it took to bring this beauty back to life:

Jamie: “The kitchen had a few original cabinets in the space, however the only one worth keeping was the large built-in armoire. It was a little low and we had the box drawers rebuilt so they had a smooth and soft close. So many times it’s the heavy clunky drawers that kill a vintage piece. We corrected that here. We also added stone and wainscot to the piece to tie it into the kitchen flow.”

This would be my dream for my kitchen cabinets. I love the way they look but they are so heavy, overpainted, and hard to open. While this is not an affordable thing to do, if you have a vintage home and can afford to do this, it will only extend the kitchen’s longevity.

But wait, the other cabinets aren’t original too? NOPE! The time and care that went into this project makes my heart so happy. Here’s how she made the new cabinets look cohesive:

Jamie: “We did reuse the original doors from the cabinets we decided to not keep. We recut them into new doors in a new box configuration at the sink. We essentially remade new boxes for an improved layout, used all the doors and original pieces we could, and then fabricated matching doors as needed. You can’t really tell the difference between the old and new at this point.”

One thing I was curious about was if they talked about integrating the appliances, mainly the fridge and dishwasher. It’s no secret that it’s a VERY popular thing to do when getting to renovate a kitchen. But Jamie had a case against it and I agree:

Jamie: “There is something beautiful and industrial about seeing the stainless steel in such a painted and paneled room, I liked having the appliances be present and not hidden.”

Wall Tile

I also wanted to know more about those sweet toe kicks. Creating a thoughtful toe kick is such an impactful way to bring character and uniqueness. I was curious why Jamie decided against matching the base of the built-in with the new cabinets. Here’s what she said:

Jamie: “I wanted something playful incorporated into the space so incorporating the beautiful toe kick was a way to add femininity to the space. The shape balanced out the utilitarian feel of the tongue and groove.”

That’s such a good point! Those curves are a beautiful contrast to all of the straight lines in the space.

Fun fact about that sconce – From Jamie: “We looked at probably 100 sconces for over the stove before landing on this one. It was actually a combination of two different sconces, both vintage from the era of the home. You would not believe how many months we discussed this sconce. It’s a good thing sourcing vintage lights is one of my favorite things to do.”

Knobs (similar)

You can also see how she incorporated some other curves with that little peg rail shelf and original hardware (well, as much of the original as possible). This is when having a client that cares about a vintage home restoration as much as you do comes in handy…

Jamie: “Half of the hardware was there, original, and half were matched. We had a few knobs and some beautiful butterfly hinges. My client actually took it as her project to source almost identical hardware. I think there were many nights of eBay deep dives involved.”

Well, those late nights most definitely paid off. Now let’s talk about the bathroom.

So I don’t know the state it was in pre-renovation but I can guarantee a masterful upgrade. Now that you’ve had a sneak peek let’s dive on in…

As Sara and Bowser will agree, the white subway and black hex tile mix is a classic. However, this white subway tile is a little extra special given that it has that beautiful tumbled look we all love. Also, the small scale size of the black hex makes it feel more original and vintage.

However, what I really wanted to talk about with Jamie was the marble window trim. While technically on trend, this is a modern use of a classic material – meaning it’s going to age beautifully with this home. When I asked why they decided to go for it this was her answer:

Jamie: “It was a solution to a problem. The window extended into the shower area a bit and the marble was used as a casing and sill so that it wouldn’t be damaged by water overspray. It came out so pretty and I ended up loving the detail.”

What a gift!! While I don’t know the cost of doing a stone trim, if you have excess pieces from a counter or want to buy offcuts from a stone yard, I think it’s worth asking. Such a pretty detail.

Another pretty detail? This vintage vanity.

From Jamie: “We wanted to use a vintage piece of furniture for the bathroom vanity. There is a beautiful curved shape to this one. It was a 1960’s secretary. Not of the era, but beautiful lines are beautiful lines.”

Mirror

If you know us, we are very ok with mixing vintage eras if it feels right and this vanity feels right in here. All the vintage touches in this bathroom make it impossible not to love.

Bed | Velvet Curtains | Linen Curtains | Shams (no longer available)

To finish off this wonderful home tour, we have this wonderful bedroom. I believe this room just got a decor upgrade but man is it a good one and there are a lot of great style tips to grab!

I think this room is a great example of “happy moody”. The walls are light and soft while the furniture is dark and the textiles are colorful but a little muted. Then for added “happiness” there are florals galore!

As someone who also mixed vintage nightstands in a bedroom design, I love the playful shapes and how they are both dark but not the same color (ps I’m in LOVE with that chair). Then mixed with the black wood bed, your eye is able to bounce around the different dark tones and shapes without getting visually overwhelmed.

For the linens, this color palette is so pretty and the pattern scales all vary perfectly. They also work so well together because that solid light duvet keeps the patterns from touching which also gives your eye a chance to take it all in. As for the rug, choosing this one that hones in on the neutral colors of the room as well as ties in the green of the curtain makes the whole space feel wonderfully grounded.

In case you couldn’t tell, I love this home and how Jamie cared so deeply for it through her thoughtful design. When I asked if there were any specific challenges on this project this is what she said:

Jamie: “It went pretty smoothly. I would say that old homes aren’t straightforward. Figuring out which elevation of the wall to use where those cabinets and closets were was tricky. Communicating the slightly complicated cabinet design, using old original doors as material isn’t what cabinet makers are used to so it can be challenging to get people to work outside of their comfort zones. But they killed it! They did an amazing job and it was also refreshing to know we reused so much of what was original in the home.”

They completely killed it and goes to show how much time and expertise goes into a kitchen restoration like this. I hope all of your design tanks are full for today and if “Happy Moody” is your design style and you were needing some inspiration I also hope this helped! If you don’t already follow Jamie you are missing out. Before I leave you here are some before and afters of the kitchen:)

In case you were also wondering what was that small door on the right used for…

Jamie: “There was some storage of various depths along that wall, some extremely deep, think an overly deep boom closet, and some extremely shallow.  There is a hall closet on the other side of the wall, as well as an office. Some of the space was given back to the hall closet so it wouldn’t be dead space.”

Ok, now I’m done:)

Love you, mean it.

*Design by Jamie Haller
**Photos by Jenna Peffley

The post This “Happy Moody” Craftsman Home Is A Vintage Lover’s Dream (We Can’t Stopping Staring At This Kitchen) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

This “Happy Moody” Craftsman Home Is A Vintage Lover’s Dream (We Can’t Stopping Starring At This Kitchen)

When a home and a homeowner(s) find their perfect match, you can tell. There’s a visible energy that both are there to care for and protect each other. I think this is especially true with old homes. And look, sometimes an old home is too far gone – too many homeowners before either weren’t able to properly care for it while others made quick, trendy fixes that simply didn’t pay respect to the original structure. Today we have a happy story. A story of a young family who was in love with their wonderful 1910 craftsman, wanting to preserve as much of it as possible while needing to update for modern living.

When I was pitched this project by the incredible Jamie Haller (remember this craftsman she and her husband restored?) I was blown away. In that previous post, I called them the “soul keepers” and baby, that title remains intact. As we move through this home you will not only get to soak up an almost endless pool of vintage details but see how with careful and thoughtful design choices, old and new can beautifully coexist. I think that if you love this “happy moody” style there are some key elements you can incorporate into your home. But first, let’s hear how it all began and the biggest challenges Jamie faced.

What was the conversation about the color palette and style with your client? Did they have a style they said they specifically wanted or did they just want you to lean into the style of the home and run with it?

Jamie: “The direction was to embrace the authenticity of the home and create a modern and functional space that inspired them.”

Ah, the magic words for a historic home-loving designer, right? But before we get into the more extensive parts of the renovation let’s have some fun dissecting why the living and dining rooms are so special and why they nail the “happy moody” style.

First, let’s take about the choice of white paint. Jamie was told by the homeowner that they wanted to keep it a warmer shade which was absolutely the right call. It works with the dark warm woods in the room and makes it feel brighter but still cozy. Then to bring in that depth, it’s all about the patterns. Notice the scales all vary, bouncing your eye around but all are in darker moody tones so they don’t feel too overwhelming.

HOT TIP: Adding a bright decor piece that works with your established darker color palette, like that yellow table lamp with the burgundy shade, will help to bring out those colors elsewhere making everything pop a little more.

Another pillar of this look is vintage decor and florals. When vintage pieces have decorative elements in darker metals and wood tones it adds a cool playfulness. And of course florals, whether in textiles, art, or actual real flowers, also add a needed energy/joyfulness for a moody space.

Wallpaper

Speaking of florals, this wallpaper by House of Hackney was a really important element to Jamie because it was meant to be a connector to the kitchen in terms of style and colors. She presented a few wallpapers in connection with a kitchen palette and this was the one they all decided on.

Clearly, a beautiful choice. What I also love is the use of a light (but not bright white) linen curtain and a vintage warm white tablecloth. It gently lightens the space to keep the vibe cozy and not too dark.

Chandelier (vintage)

Here’s a better view of how the light linens highlight the light tones in the rug and the wallpaper. And what is always important to remember when designing a vintage space is to still incorporate modern decor pieces to help visual balance. They also just add an inherent freshness. You can see that in action with those modern vases that have been placed on the back built-in. Contrast is always important:)

I had to include this shot because just look at all that original woodwork. It’s so stunning!!

But now it’s time to talk about this home’s beautiful kitchen renovation…

Cabinet Color | Pendant | Faucet | Countertop Material (soapstone)

Jamie: “For the kitchen, there were a couple of original cabinets in the room, and we knew we wanted to use that as a North Star. I also wanted there to be a color relationship between the dining room and kitchen. I wanted the glimpse of the kitchen at the dining table to have a connection to a wallpaper we would use in there. I wanted the home to tell a story as you went room to room.”

The original cabinetry she spoke of is that large built-in. Its specialness remained intact because of all the love and care that was put into it. Jamie explained what it took to bring this beauty back to life:

Jamie: “The kitchen had a few original cabinets in the space, however the only one worth keeping was the large built-in armoire. It was a little low and we had the box drawers rebuilt so they had a smooth and soft close. So many times it’s the heavy clunky drawers that kill a vintage piece. We corrected that here. We also added stone and wainscot to the piece to tie it into the kitchen flow.”

This would be my dream for my kitchen cabinets. I love the way they look but they are so heavy, overpainted, and hard to open. While this is not an affordable thing to do, if you have a vintage home and can afford to do this, it will only extend the kitchen’s longevity.

But wait, the other cabinets aren’t original too? NOPE! The time and care that went into this project makes my heart so happy. Here’s how she made the new cabinets look cohesive:

Jamie: “We did reuse the original doors from the cabinets we decided to not keep. We recut them into new doors in a new box configuration at the sink. We essentially remade new boxes for an improved layout, used all the doors and original pieces we could, and then fabricated matching doors as needed. You can’t really tell the difference between the old and new at this point.”

One thing I was curious about was if they talked about integrating the appliances, mainly the fridge and dishwasher. It’s no secret that it’s a VERY popular thing to do when getting to renovate a kitchen. But Jamie had a case against it and I agree:

Jamie: “There is something beautiful and industrial about seeing the stainless steel in such a painted and paneled room, I liked having the appliances be present and not hidden.”

Wall Tile

I also wanted to know more about those sweet toe kicks. Creating a thoughtful toe kick is such an impactful way to bring character and uniqueness. I was curious why Jamie decided against matching the base of the built-in with the new cabinets. Here’s what she said:

Jamie: “I wanted something playful incorporated into the space so incorporating the beautiful toe kick was a way to add femininity to the space. The shape balanced out the utilitarian feel of the tongue and groove.”

That’s such a good point! Those curves are a beautiful contrast to all of the straight lines in the space.

Fun fact about that sconce – From Jamie: “We looked at probably 100 sconces for over the stove before landing on this one. It was actually a combination of two different sconces, both vintage from the era of the home. You would not believe how many months we discussed this sconce. It’s a good thing sourcing vintage lights is one of my favorite things to do.”

Knobs (similar)

You can also see how she incorporated some other curves with that little peg rail shelf and original hardware (well, as much of the original as possible). This is when having a client that cares about a vintage home restoration as much as you do comes in handy…

Jamie: “Half of the hardware was there, original, and half were matched. We had a few knobs and some beautiful butterfly hinges. My client actually took it as her project to source almost identical hardware. I think there were many nights of eBay deep dives involved.”

Well, those late nights most definitely paid off. Now let’s talk about the bathroom.

So I don’t know the state it was in pre-renovation but I can guarantee a masterful upgrade. Now that you’ve had a sneak peek let’s dive on in…

As Sara and Bowser will agree, the white subway and black hex tile mix is a classic. However, this white subway tile is a little extra special given that it has that beautiful tumbled look we all love. Also, the small scale size of the black hex makes it feel more original and vintage.

However, what I really wanted to talk about with Jamie was the marble window trim. While technically on trend, this is a modern use of a classic material – meaning it’s going to age beautifully with this home. When I asked why they decided to go for it this was her answer:

Jamie: “It was a solution to a problem. The window extended into the shower area a bit and the marble was used as a casing and sill so that it wouldn’t be damaged by water overspray. It came out so pretty and I ended up loving the detail.”

What a gift!! While I don’t know the cost of doing a stone trim, if you have excess pieces from a counter or want to buy offcuts from a stone yard, I think it’s worth asking. Such a pretty detail.

Another pretty detail? This vintage vanity.

From Jamie: “We wanted to use a vintage piece of furniture for the bathroom vanity. There is a beautiful curved shape to this one. It was a 1960’s secretary. Not of the era, but beautiful lines are beautiful lines.”

Mirror

If you know us, we are very ok with mixing vintage eras if it feels right and this vanity feels right in here. All the vintage touches in this bathroom make it impossible not to love.

Bed | Velvet Curtains | Linen Curtains | Shams (no longer available)

To finish off this wonderful home tour, we have this wonderful bedroom. I believe this room just got a decor upgrade but man is it a good one and there are a lot of great style tips to grab!

I think this room is a great example of “happy moody”. The walls are light and soft while the furniture is dark and the textiles are colorful but a little muted. Then for added “happiness” there are florals galore!

As someone who also mixed vintage nightstands in a bedroom design, I love the playful shapes and how they are both dark but not the same color (ps I’m in LOVE with that chair). Then mixed with the black wood bed, your eye is able to bounce around the different dark tones and shapes without getting visually overwhelmed.

For the linens, this color palette is so pretty and the pattern scales all vary perfectly. They also work so well together because that solid light duvet keeps the patterns from touching which also gives your eye a chance to take it all in. As for the rug, choosing this one that hones in on the neutral colors of the room as well as ties in the green of the curtain makes the whole space feel wonderfully grounded.

In case you couldn’t tell, I love this home and how Jamie cared so deeply for it through her thoughtful design. When I asked if there were any specific challenges on this project this is what she said:

Jamie: “It went pretty smoothly. I would say that old homes aren’t straightforward. Figuring out which elevation of the wall to use where those cabinets and closets were was tricky. Communicating the slightly complicated cabinet design, using old original doors as material isn’t what cabinet makers are used to so it can be challenging to get people to work outside of their comfort zones. But they killed it! They did an amazing job and it was also refreshing to know we reused so much of what was original in the home.”

They completely killed it and goes to show how much time and expertise goes into a kitchen restoration like this. I hope all of your design tanks are full for today and if “Happy Moody” is your design style and you were needing some inspiration I also hope this helped! If you don’t already follow Jamie you are missing out. Before I leave you here are some before and afters of the kitchen:)

In case you were also wondering what was that small door on the right used for…

Jamie: “There was some storage of various depths along that wall, some extremely deep, think an overly deep boom closet, and some extremely shallow.  There is a hall closet on the other side of the wall, as well as an office. Some of the space was given back to the hall closet so it wouldn’t be dead space.”

Ok, now I’m done:)

Love you, mean it.

*Design by Jamie Haller
**Photos by Jenna Peffley

The post This “Happy Moody” Craftsman Home Is A Vintage Lover’s Dream (We Can’t Stopping Starring At This Kitchen) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

How Shavonda Made This Small Guest Room/Office Functional, Beautiful, And BRIGHT

Hi everyone! It’s been a little while since I was last here with the EH community and I’m SO EXCITED to share this project with you all. I was honored to take over the reins as VELUX Brand Ambassador and host of the Brighten Up Any Room Giveaway and I’m thrilled with how the space came together. So let’s meet our winner and take a look at the space they nominated for the makeover.

BUT FIRST! Holy wow! We had SO MANY amazing entries and it was really, really difficult to decide on just one. In the end, we chose Viet as the winner! Viet lives in Los Angeles with her husband, David, and baby, Ocean. How cool is Ocean’s name, right!? He’s also the coolest little toddler, but I digress. Viet and David purchased their first home and gave birth to their first child around the same time during the pandemic and quickly realized the room Viet was using as a work-from-home space also needed to function as a guest space as well. Shortly after moving in they discovered the room was likely the original primary bedroom and they also unearthed some pretty amazing original hardwood floors hidden under the carpet. We love an old house original detail discovery! While the floors were an amazing find, the room itself is pretty tiny coming in at right around 100 sq ft. After returning to work from maternity leave, Viet had to rely on the space a bit sooner than she thought and was at a loss for what to do with it. They painted it a sunny marigold yellow color and she envisioned a “feminine cozy library vibe” but it fell just short of her vision. My job was to get her closer to that goal, but also make it a workspace AND a guest sleeping space. Challenge Accepted.

A VELUX skylight installer did a site visit to determine if the space was structurally a good candidate for skylights and with their green light, myself and the VELUX team headed to L.A. As someone who is passionate about small-space living and designing bold color-filled small spaces, I was so excited to see this room nominated. I LOVED that they embraced its small size and wanted to maximize its potential to be a workhorse for their family. I also LOVED that Viet and David love colorful and bold spaces! So often I’m trying to convince folks to be daring and lean into color, but Viet’s home is full of color and playful patterns from the moment you step in the front door. This was already shaping up to be a bit of a dream project for me! Ok so now that we have a bit of the back story let’s have a look at the space we are working with.

The room wasn’t bad, but it could be better. 1. It relied heavily on artificial light as the two windows in the space are on the smaller side and one them faced a fence so it didn’t get the most ideal light streaming in. 2. Viet’s book storage wasn’t quite giving off those cozy library vibes. 3. The trundle bed didn’t exactly scream “hi guests, I hope you have a good night’s sleep”. 4. Her work area (hello amazing mid-century desk!) could use a bit better storage and streamlined organization.  

The one thing we all loved about the space was the wall color! Viet was open to anything we wanted to do with the room and said we could either keep the color or go with something different, but there was no way I was getting rid of this color! I actually had a plan to really lean into it, and if you know me you already know that meant taking it all the way to the ceiling and on the trim too!

After visiting with Viet and getting a sense of the space and her overall needs I came up with a plan to help transform its small footprint into something dual-use, functional, and beautiful. Here’s how it turned out.

Skylights | Room Darkening Shades | Paint Color

So much to break down here, but let’s start with the skylights, of course! The VELUX Solar Powered Fresh Air Skylights are the real hero in this space! When the installer realized we could basically replace most of the ceiling with them we said, “Let’s do it”! And boy are we happy they did!

They flood this room with much-needed natural light and fresh air, and provide such amazing visual impact in the space. The room-darkening shades give Viet total control over the light concentration and allows her to adjust them according to how much (or little) natural light she wants to experience in the space, which is ideal for an office area with multiple screens. Viet really enjoyed having her desk placed nearby the window so we kept it in its existing spot and with the limited footprint it was the best choice overall.

Murphy Bed | Art (left) | Art (right) | Bedding | Orange Pillow (similar) | Lumbar Pillow (similar) | Rattan Wall Shelf

The key to really maximizing this small space was bringing in a Murphy bed with side cabinet storage that spanned the entire length of the back wall from pretty much floor to ceiling. It allowed us to bring in a queen size bed for guests, storage for all of her books, and a new place for her work files to tuck away. Murphy beds really are the secret weapon in a tiny space that also needs to function as a sleep area. I wanted this piece to feel like a beautiful piece of built-in furniture so we selected a pretty walnut finish that complements her vintage desk and other midcentury pieces they have throughout their home.

Gold Desk Accessories | Desk Calendar | Desk (vintage)

Rug | Baksets

On the wall that used to have the bookcases, we created a mini gallery wall of some of their family photos and beloved art pieces, and brought in a couple of small benches that serve as both a place to sit when the space is being used as the office and a place to for a bag or personals when it’s being used as the guest room.

To complete the room we brought in some art from Minted to complement her existing pieces, beautiful bedding from Brooklinen, the gorgeous rug from Jungalow, the benches, pillows, and accessories are from Home Goods, baskets and planters from West Elm, the arched rattan wall shelf is from World Market, and of course, several plants. I always try to infuse as much of a client’s own things into a newly designed space and Viet’s gorgeous textile, which I used as a bed scarf, was a big inspiration for other overall design and color story of the space.  

The key to getting a really small space right is having a very clear understanding of how it needs to serve you. By fine-tuning all of her needs we were able to create a space for Viet that delivers on both function and beauty. This room feels as chic as a boutique hotel room, and it also feels like a good place to be productive for work. The best part about is Viet and David LOVE it and that’s really all that matters in the end! 

*Design by Shavonda Gardner
**After Photos by Rusty Williams Photo
***Sponsored by VELUX

The post How Shavonda Made This Small Guest Room/Office Functional, Beautiful, And BRIGHT appeared first on Emily Henderson.

In Defense Of TVs Over Fireplaces – A Friendly Rebuttal To Orlando’s Hatred Of That Very Thing

I was laying in bed on a recent rainy night, watching Love is Blind (so good), the fireplace on low as I clicked in to enjoy Orlando’s new highly personal and enjoyable sub-stack, The Lost Arrow (have you subscribed to it yet?). It was a rather hilarious rant about his #1 design pet peeve. I laughed a lot (because he is a funny and relatable writer) even while he was pointedly talking shit about my very own family room and bedroom. No, he wasn’t saying “Emily Henderson’s fireplace is the worst,” of course not, but he HATES TVs over fireplaces and makes a damning case against them. And you know what I hate? When I’m told I should NEVER do something when it comes to design. OOH that gets me riled up because how we use our home is 100% up to us, for our own pleasure and enjoyment (and usually comes with certain limitations). That’s why I am here to make a case against his extreme rule against a very thing that I enjoy. I thought it would be fun to cross-examine and make a case, not necessarily for TVs over fireplaces, but just in defense of them and talk about when/why and how to do it right (he’ll disagree with the notion that it’s ever right, but I have some pretty solid ideas). Let’s dance:)

Listen, I agree with him that in a perfect world, you don’t have a TV over a fireplace because you have a separate TV room, but even in that TV room you might also want or already have a fireplace. The court should note that both scenarios are obviously privileged. We decided to forego a TV in our current living room because I preferred art over TV, but mostly because we didn’t need it in here because we have a separate room right next to it, dedicated to TV. But what if we didn’t? Would putting a TV over the fireplace be so bad? NO! Would putting the TV on the wall next to the fireplace be better? In my opinion, no, it would look like a rectangle next to a chunky rectangle and maybe look even dumber.

photos by kaitlin green | left from: my journey to finally choose a wall color for our living room (and how i feel now that it’s painted)
| right from: the family room update + the case for a dark moody room

My analysis of his hatred for TVs over fireplaces is that A. He isn’t a huge TV person (maybe?), B. He doesn’t have a fireplace in his living room or he has always had an easy layout for this situation, C. He doesn’t currently have kids, therefore has specific views about the design of a home that might not be as livable to many of us who have foregone some design pleasantries in the name of practicality and livability, and D. He lives (mostly) in Southern California where fireplaces aren’t as much of a mood and heat necessity as they are in areas where its cold and dark in the winter. What I found fascinating about his piece (again, you have to read it here) was that he likened a TV over the fireplace to stainless steel appliances and granite countertops – a sort of wealth signifier selling point that was built into many new builds or McManions during a certain period. These things are essentially examples that these houses are high-end enough to have a flat-screen TV (which for a while were so expensive, but now not at all). I think he’s right about that, which made me like my TV over my fireplace less, but I’m not here to agree with my friend/opposing counsel, I’m here to defend the TV over the fireplace.

So when and why is a TV over a fireplace ok? Can you do it where it doesn’t look dumb?

Reason #1: When You Don’t Have Any Other Choice And You Really Want To Watch TV In This Roomdesign by caitlin higgins | styled by emily bowser | photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the reveal we’ve all been waiting for! caitlin’s mostly thrifted, postmodern regency deco living room

I’m a big proponent of enjoying how you live in your home first, and the design of the home should support that enjoyment. Do I want you to buy huge reclining sofas? Hmm, honestly, I don’t really care because that’s your choice. I’m not going to make that choice because there are great options that are almost as comfortable that might not look so overwhelming, but I also admit that sitting on a La-Z-Boy sofa can be wonderful so you do you! I lean so far into comfort and practicality that a lot of my former design pet peeves have been thrown out years ago (Covid also confirmed my need for comfort and practicality). I think design directives like this are good to have, but USING your home for your own enjoyment should be your #1 priority. I say this while knowing that I have some furniture that is better to look at than to sit on, so I’m not a shining example of this either (although in defense of myself, I wouldn’t buy those pieces now, they are a hold over from years ago when I didn’t prioritize comfort/practicality over style). Does every piece of furniture need to be the most comfortable? Nope. In some rooms, you don’t need that level of comfort and some beautiful pieces are worth having because they shift the whole context of the room in a good way. So I’m not saying that we should all live in La-Z-Boys in every room, but if the room doesn’t meet the purpose of you being in it because you’ve opted against something practical, then that’s a problem to me. In fact, I’ve been known to actually say to friends who don’t use their living room EVER, “are you sure you don’t want a TV in here?” because not using a room for fear of it not looking good with a TV in it is the bigger crime (again, especially because of nice looking art TVs like The Frame). Do I think that Orlando is being a little snobby? Of course, and so am I about a lot of things. Maybe calling us “picky” is what we’d prefer:) It’s the job of design influencers to help guide us to great choices so that we love our home more, and his vehemence against the TV over the fireplace is a noble one. I just fear that it’s not always an option unless you sacrifice your comfort, practicality, and livability. It’s YOUR HOME, you do whatever you want in it in order to love it and have it serve YOUR purposes.

The prosecutor/plaintiff, Orlando admits that it can be challenging to find a non-TV over fireplace layout that makes sense and he offers for readers to send him photos of their room and he’ll re-lay it out for them, ensuring that he can find a way to not have the TV above the fireplace. I’d personally love to see how he does that because in my experience, splitting the focal points can make a room feel chaotic and inevitably someone, multiple people actually, end up having a bad viewing seat. Obviously, some rooms are totally set up to do this naturally, but many are just not. I think that having it above the TV (listen, if I’m being honest I’m talking about Frame TVs) looks totally fine if you can put on a nice piece of art when not in use. Would I rather have actual art? Of course, but again, it’s about enjoying your own home and having it meet your needs.

Reason #2: When It Can Be Low Enough Not To Hurt Your Neckphoto by sara ligorria-tramp | from: mountain house reveal: how we designed our super kid-friendly family room

Admittedly they can be too high in some houses, we all know this. At the mountain house, in our family room, ours was higher than I wanted. This is usually due to firebox sizes and clearances. I wish there were more that were low and wide that weren’t so contemporary looking (I don’t mind some linear ones, but I don’t love that they are usually just rocks instead of faux logs). So in order for the fireplace box to be scaled right for the room they are usually kinda big, and then when you had the usual 12″ clearance above it and add a mantel, your TV can be pretty darn high. But I have found that if your sofa is deep enough to lounge in, it’s totally fine. A shallow sofa can be a problem if you are forced to sit upright, but if you can lean back then your neck can be salvaged.

Reason #3: A High TV Over A Fireplace In A Bedroom Is Actually A Good Thingphoto by kaitlin green | from: where do you really need canned or recessed lighting? what lights we used, didn’t use, or wish we had this winter

We knew that we would want two TV options in our home – one for kids and one for us, especially when having people over. During lockdown at the mountain house, we only had one TV and often had to set the kids up in their room with the laptop if we wanted to watch something less appropriate – which was fine because they were 4 and 6, but we wanted to make sure that for this house we had two options for those Saturday nights when Brian and I actually want to watch an R rated movie (we generally are so tired and go to bed right after them so unless we carve out adult TV time, we watch ZERO grown up shows/movies). So we put a TV over the fireplace in our bedroom and they can watch their garbage in the family room while we watch Severance. It should be noted that we’ve watched TV maybe 10 times in our bedroom since we moved in 6 months ago – so not a lot, but I’m still glad we have the option. We are both big readers (not being pretentious, I literally read romance novels) and rarely watch TV anyway post-lockdown so maybe we didn’t need it in here after all.

photo by veronica crawford | from: our bedroom update (also how i feel about having a tv in the bedroom)

TVs in bedrooms are a whole other controversial debate which I’m not usually a huge fan of, but again because it’s a Frame, I don’t mind it. We thought long and hard about putting one in here and again only did it because we wanted to have two TV viewing options (we have since put one in our guest room because we accidentally bought one too big for our bedroom wall while we lived in the rental house – before the fireplace wall was even designed). So if we have a lot of kids over and want to shove them away they all climb on the guest bed.

Now, back to my case when you are lying down on a bed you need to make sure that you can see over your feet. So in a bedroom, you actually want your TV higher so you can watch while lying down. And, FURTHERMORE ORLANDO, there is nice simplicity of having both focal points on the same wall, allowing for symmetry next to it (something I LOVE in a bedroom).

Reason #4: I Don’t Like Split Focal Points, I Prefer Symmetrydesign by orlando soria | photo by zeke ruelas | from: combining furniture styles in the casa soria family room

If your room has the perfect layout then you can relax, and have your TV on a different wall than your fireplace, but most rooms do not. I personally don’t love when you have two competing focal points – and both square boxes. So in my mind, it actually looks better to have a Frame TV over your fireplace than to have it awkwardly floating on a different wall. Orlando uses the above example of how he’s done it, and this room is lucky because there is a blank wall right next to the fireplace so honestly it’s an easy choice, but what if there was a window there instead? Would a Frame TV above the fireplace look that different than the rectangular painting? No! It would look fine!

Reason #5: If You’ve Opted For Windows Instead Of Wall Space

This is the challenge we have faced every single time – where we have designed the house with the window and door plan, opting for more windows and negating the perfect wall place to have a TV and fireplace be separate. We have done this in our family room at the mountain house, our bedroom at the farm, and also in Ken/Katie’s future living room. We consciously made this choice of prioritizing windows and natural light OVER the ability to separate the TV and fireplace. Now, I will say that if you are building new or doing a complete remodel my favorite combination (should it be appropriate) is what we did in our current family/tv room – to put a stove-style fireplace NEXT to the TV, thus sharing the same focal wall, not being two big boxes next to each other and yet you can enjoy looking at both the same time. The reason we didn’t do this in Ken/Katie’s future living room is because the height/scale of the room is far too high/big for a small stove fireplace. We also wanted to be able to see the TV from the kitchen while cooking/hanging so it needs to be big and higher than Orlando would likely want it to be. When your sofa is back far enough, a higher TV is FINE.

So If We Want Both A TV And A Fireplace In The Same Room (And View Them At The Same Time) What Should We Do??design by dee murphy | styled by velinda hellen | photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: dee murphy’s home tour is giving us all wallpaper envy

I’ve thought about this A LOT and I have some solid solutions. By the way, I know that many of you will make the case AGAINST having a fireplace at all, and it’s one that I want to agree with in theory, but long dark, wet, winters are hard enough to get through. A fireplace that creates ambiance, and heat, and helps your mood which is a wonderful thing. If you don’t want a fireplace, don’t have one. I literally don’t have a car because I don’t like driving (but unfortunately it is becoming extremely apparent that I do in fact need one which I’m bummed about) – we all have our things that we enjoy and enhance our lives while here on earth. There are many of us who appreciate fireplaces immensely for ambiance, heat, and a necessary winter mood boost. Do I think you need one in LA? Nope. But up here, it gets used a ton and enjoyed when it’s cold, wet, and dark. And of course, you are not allowed to put in wood ones in many states, so we opted for a direct-vent gas stove in our family room. I’m also very very excited to see how the electric fireplace technology advances (it’s getting better every year). But today we are not talking about the pros and cons of fireplaces. Instead, we are addressing IF you opt for a fireplace and TV how do you design it to look the best?

Put your TV over the fireplace, make it as low as possible, and go dark with the whole fireplace (should that make sense). The reason we did a brick fireplace in our bedroom was to paint it all one dark color and have the firebox and TV disappear more. It’s my personal preference that new gas fireplaces (which for the most part is your only option if you’re building new) look better on dark fireplaces because they are black metal and glass. Design your TV/fireplace wall to have a shared focal point, but do a stove-style fireplace instead. Again, this is what we did here in our current TV room and it’s a GREAT combination IMHO. It is a shared focal wall but they are different shapes. The TV can be lower, making Orlando’s neck more comfortable should he come over to watch Love is Blind with you. Put your TV over your fireplace, but design the fireplace to be less formal, i.e more appropriate for a TV. Even though we could have designed the mountain house family room to have fewer windows (we probably didn’t need any or both) and we could have done the stove-style fireplace + TV combination I spoke of above, I think that the plaster treatment lent itself easily to a casual family room. I think what bugs Orlando (and myself) is a super formal-looking fireplace surround and mantel with a big bulky TV on top. But again, if it’s a Frame TV I don’t think it’s a huge deal.

Ultimately I think my friend Orlando and I agree that there are certainly some less good ways to combine a TV and a fireplace, but just to say unequivocably that TVs over fireplaces are always terrible is what I found hilariously incorrect and deserving of this rebuttal.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: my best friend’s 1970s basement gets a comfortable, cozy makeover – wood paneling and wall-to-wall carpet included

I think what we’d both agree on is that in a perfect world, you’d have a separate TV room, where the TV is at eye level, sharing the focal wall with a fireplace that you use – like my friend’s basement that we designed last year. But if that is not your life/house, I’m here to tell you that it’s OK and there are ways to do it where you can continue to enjoy your own home, without feeling like you’ve committed a design crime. 🙂

**We’ll be trying out a new comment policy today, due to the fact that posts like this can be really controversial, with statements that someone might feel offended by, or one might want to attack those of us for even having a fireplace – something that we know to inherently not be great for the environment. So we’ll monitor comments and publish anything contributing to this conversation, and not publish anything that creates negativity, environmental evangelism, or frankly saying anything negative about my friend, Orlando. 🙂 If you don’t like him or me, simply don’t read 🙂

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Mountain House Reveal: How We Designed Our Super Kid-Friendly Family Roo m

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