Design Agonies BE GONE… 5 VERY Universal Problems, Solved Via The EHD Insider Design Agony Group Chat

Our design agony posts are extremely near and dear to us. We LOVE getting to have a more personal connection to you all, getting to answer your exact questions, and helping you tackle your most troubling design issues. I mean room layouts are tricky, knowing what to do with a blank wall can feel like a graduate-level algebra question, and sometimes a second opinion can put you at total ease. We know that last one to be VERY true because y’all you have been just as much as a support to us in helping make some very important design decisions as hopefully, we have been to you. SO it was a top priority for when we created the EHD Insider Community that a “Design Agony” section was included so any member could upload a photo and ask the community for help. And let’s just say it might be the best part. Everyone has such great and insightful advice and knowing there is a place to ask, “Hey, is this rug a good fit for my living room” or “Any suggestions for my fireplace reno mishap” or “What is missing from making this room look awesome??” is pretty freaking great. But to be fair we may be partial:)

So with their permission, we wanted to take a handful of the agonies our Insiders posted that are pretty darn universal. Let’s jump right in…

I want to start with my old friend, Martha. Ok, so sadly we don’t “formally” know each other and hang out with wine, chatting design into the wee hours of the morning. That’s what normal friends do, right? BUT if you head to our ShowEmYourDIY: Kitchen Edition you will see her wonderful kitchen remodel where a light facelift made a HUGE difference. This time though she was inspired by our headboard sconce trend post and DIY’ed one herself. It looks awesome!

But she is now stuck with the ever baffling question of “What do I put above my bed??” This is actually a question we get all. the. time. so if you need some examples here and here. But let’s talk about Martha specifically. Here is here bedroom and question:

How wonderful is this?! Now in terms of the art question, one Insider was curious about the depth of the ledge which Martha replied was only one inch…so not an ideal depth for an art ledge. Another reader thought that something like the MQuan beaded wall piece that Em has used in the past would look great (and it for sure could) BUT Martha wants something a little calmer in texture so here is what Julie (and then seconded by Bowser) recommend:

The point Julie made about balancing out the “grid” look of the headboard with a single large scale is a winning match. One reader recommended this awesome print that we love and could be a perfect pick. However, Martha wants something that’s unique to her… so vintage is on her mind. We think that’s a great idea since buying vintage is for most of us, our design love language. I also personally think a large scale horizontal textile (vintage or not) could look awesome and also cozy:)

Next up is a window treatment dissatisfaction…

Buying window treatments can be intimating and when you aren’t in love with what you bought is SUCH a letdown. But despite Emilie feeling blah about her relaxed roman shades, we think that they are totally great. The Insiders had a ton of great ideas. Some of which included trying normal curtains, faux panels, a patterned roman shade, rotating the bed to be in front of the windows, etc. But we think her lackluster feelings are coming from a lack of texture and decor in general. By adding in a furniture set up like the one below (one of my all-time favorite EHD rooms) between the middle and far-right window, Emilie would bring in a ton of visual interest which would take that pressure off of the shades to fill that visual hole.

photo by tessa neustadt | from: eclectic traditional bedroom reveal

Or simply hanging some large framed art pieces or a large wall hanging would also bring in that dimension without the need for more furniture. Lastly, we agree with another Insiders suggestion to try the bench at the foot of the bed