Moroccan Rugs: September 2021

Thursday 30 September 2021

Emily’s Friend Dee Murphy’s Bedroom Blew Up On Instagram – Here’s Why It’s SO Good…

Do you ever look at a room design and wonder what exactly makes it work SO well? It can be difficult to pinpoint why some rooms catch our eyes so vehemently, so here at EHD we like to break it down for you (and ourselves). Pulling together a cohesive and beautiful space is an art (duh), but we think it’s doable when you have the right knowledge and grit to get it done.

When Dee Murphy pitched us her latest bedroom reveal, she mentioned it received a lot of attention on her Instagram. None of us were surprised, of course, and we realized it is a perfect example of a bedroom that hits all the marks. So today, we thought we’d share her gorgeous bedroom and walk you through all the steps that can help you create a dream bedroom of your own.

1. Calm But Not Boring Color Palette

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you know that we love to stress the importance of a cohesive color palette because folks, it is so important. When you keep a clear color palette in mind when choosing textiles, decor, and art, your life will be 10x easier and you’re guaranteed to have a room that brings you joy. SO, if you are starting a room design, 100% begin with a color palette. Here’s how:

Start with one color you love most
Vary the tones of this color in various decor pieces
Combine both cool and warm tones for a balanced look
Chose an accent color (one that is almost the opposite of your main color)

In this bedroom, the dark blue walls set the tone and you see different hues of blue in the rugs and textiles. The burnt orange accent color comes in through the bedding and decor and a mixture of natural wood tones and brass accents completely round out the space. If you want to do a deep dive on choosing a color palette Emily wrote all about it here.

2. Floral Mixing

Floral patterns can be intimating to work with but when done right they make a huge impact. When mixing florals, again, you want to keep in mind your color palette and vary the pattern scales. Here, the floral curtains are the obvious show stopper but if you look closely, you can see the quilt has a floral pattern as well. Also, the curtain pattern is a much larger scale than the quilt pattern. The two work extremely well together because the color of the quilt pulls from one of the main colors on the curtains. Again, another example of how sticking to your color palette does wonders.

Dee also complements her floral patterns with natural floral arrangements that highlight the accent colors she wants represented throughout the room.

3. The Art Of Collections

Collections are often personal so they are a great way to bring a unique flair to a space. You might even have a collection in your possession already and you don’t even realize it. Think about things that you have multiple of i.e. hats, small lidded boxes, figurines, or even variations of the same genre of art. These collections can be highlighted in your design by placing them close together, and in doing so you create an interesting focal point that feels special to YOU.

When you think about a collection, make sure that it is a collection of similar items that are not uniform. You don’t want a collection of the same exact thing, but you do want them to be in the same category. So if you have a collection of vessels and you want to display them together, make sure they vary in size, height, shape, and even color.

Dee’s collection of figure drawings is a perfect example of this. She arranged them around the focal point of the room (the bed frame) so they immediately catch your eye and they are similar enough to feel like a collection but they each have a uniqueness to them.

4. Mix Of High And Low

A classic EHD rule of thumb is: pretty looks good with pretty. You can have a high-end nightstand and style it with a $10 vase and thrifted candlesticks. In reality, you also WANT a mix of high and low so your room doesn’t end up being too stuffy or predictable. High-end pieces often make your affordable pieces appear high-end, so you save money and end up with a room that is much more exciting. Cheap finds are fun and often a price point doesn’t even matter when everything looks well together.

5. Mix Of Vintage And Modern

When you mix both vintage and modern pieces, you won’t ever run the risk of your room feeling too “catalogue-y”. Vintage and thrifted pieces will make your room feel eclectic and different and the newer products can elevate or complement your more exciting/unique pieces.

Much of the decor Dee has sprinkled throughout this room are vintage or thrifted, and the main pieces are modern. The bed, nightstands, curtains, sconces, and quilt are new while the rest are found pieces. This mix of both new and old makes the room feel special and highly curated.

And there you have it. Our 5 quick and easy steps to think about when designing your own room. Now that you’ve made it this far, you deserve a furry surprise:

HOW CUTE. Now, because I am nosy and curious I’d love to know what is your favorite part of this room?? Mine are those floral curtains of course. Tell me everything below and have a lovely Thursday! xx

*Design by Dee Murphy
**Photos by Zeke Ruelas

The post Emily’s Friend Dee Murphy’s Bedroom Blew Up On Instagram – Here’s Why It’s SO Good… appeared first on Emily Henderson.

from Emily Henderson https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/5-steps-to-design-your-perfect-bedroom

How To Basically Decorate ONCE For Fall, Halloween, And Thanksgiving

My name is Royale Ziegler and I am a stylist, entertaining expert, and the Chief Marketing Officer for Party Supply and Home Decor business, Bonjour Fête. Last year I moved from Silver Lake, Los Angeles to Park City, Utah where I recently remodeled my home and am in the process of building out a Salt Lake City warehouse/creative studio for our company. One of my favorite things outside of decorating for parties and holiday parties, is to decorate my living space in accordance with the seasons. After making the move last year, and several storage units later, I truly realized how important/practical it is to purchase holiday decor items that are less single-use and more versatile and reusable.

Another lesson born from the move has been to find inspiration in my surroundings. Okay, so that wasn’t as simple in LA, but in Utah, I wanted to make sure the space felt light and airy like our California-cool home was, but that it also felt organic and woodsy without going full-on log cabin. The four-year-old home we purchased had great bones, lots of light, and a single-story floor plan which I have been dying for now that my son is older and takes a lot of verbal coercion to get ready for school. So much easier to yell in a single story! Unfortunately, a lot of the homes in Park City are all about dark and/or filled with orange wood on wood, wall-to-wall carpet, and multiple shades of beige on the walls, base and case, doors, etc. So, I had to wave my magical neutral wand and introduce some white and light colors to the space.

Wall Paint | Mantel Stone

Now that we are living in our mountain chic dream home, I was more excited than ever to dress it up for the holidays. I wanted to respect the grown-upness of the space and keep the decor more elevated and focused than what I have done in the past. While there is still a lot of fun to be had with rainbow or pink Halloween decorations (I am saving these colorways for Halloween parties) I myself am feeling the need to move in a different direction, one that feels more aligned with the home and skin I live in. I want to be able to hold on to a lot of the seasonal purchases I make and so, that means buying items that are timeless and less trendy, you can pretty much guarantee that black and white will always work for Halloween and that orange can work for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. (It’s all about picking the right orange.) With all of this in mind, I hope to offer you some tips on how to style your space in a meaningful and lasting way for fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving without spending all your dough.

Tips On Transitioning Your Holiday Decor From Halloween To Thanksgiving:

Stick With A Neutral Color-Story

Incorporate creams, blushes, browns, and blacks with pops of autumnal colors like orange and mustard. This way your seasonal decor feels more evergreen, while still fall-forward, and without catering to a particular holiday. (Clearly, this design aesthetic is applied throughout my home, we’re big fans of neutrals!) If you’re not into neutral, there are a ton of fun black and white and colorful fall items to pick from.

Use Organic Materials Like Dried Florals And Real Pumpkins

Dried florals in vases (which you can switch out to feel more Halloween or Thanksgiving) and in wreaths will last well beyond one holiday. Switch out the ribbon and accent decor on a dried wreath to make it more holiday-specific. We used bats and black ribbon for Halloween and faux leather pumpkins and a gingham fabric ribbon for Thanksgiving. There are also a lot of great faux options out there, we used branches featuring acorns and maple leaves in the kitchen! When you are done with your pumpkins, make toasted pumpkin seeds!

Branches

Mix High And Low Tabletop

Pumpkin Paper Plates

Le Gobble Turkey Melamine Plates

Spend more on permanent, reusable items like table linens and dinner plates, then mix in fun, holiday-specific paper (the ones I used are made from eco-friendly paper) or melamine plates and napkins for a touch of whimsy. Plus, you won’t have to do as many dishes!

Go Heavy On Pumpkin Decorations

They work for both of the fall holidays and come in many different sizes and textures—linen, paper, faux leather, flocked, etc.

Change Up Your Artwork!

White Tassel Garland | Paper Mache Ghosts

Pumpkin Garland | White Tassel Garland

I switched out the screensaver on my Samsung Frame TV to mix up the mantle moments! (Note, these were two photos I took on my iPhone, free to me!) Don’t have a Frame TV? Pop a cute print-it-yourself print on your mantle or shelves from shops like my friend Stacey’s at Threadmama or Etsy.

Shop Small, Local, And Women-Owned When You Can

We shopped primarily with Foundation Goods, Flower Bar Co., and of course, Bonjour Fête. While this may not necessarily be a tip on how to decorate for less, it is still worth mentioning. If you’re intentional about your spending on goods that can be used for both holidays and beyond, paying a bit more to support a small business can go a long way as successful local establishments often help communities thrive. And when a community thrives, home values rise and boom—you stand to actually make some money! Plus, a lot of holiday decor out there is made from plastic, ew, so shopping small and utilizing organic and/or recycled materials means less waste! Lastly, it is all about quality over quantity especially if you’re hoping to use your decor items for more than one season, and small businesses certainly have the edge over big box stores here! (And, if you do go big box for some items, try and shop designer collaborations like Justina Blankely’s Jungalow line for Target, from which I scored the cute tassel garland that was giving me ghost vibes.)

Let’s Get Into These Floral Varieties From Shawn Chamberlain

Another incredible upside from the move has been connecting with an inspiring group of women! The Utah creative/maker scene is ripe with female talent and everyone is so kind and genuine. One of my favorite people is Shawn Chamberlain owner of Flower Bar Co. in Midway (the world’s sweetest town). Shawn joined me for a day of arranging and decorating and has shared some tips for you in case you don’t have a Shawn to call on!

Ghost Arrangements: Curly willow branches, celosia, bittersweet, bleached oak leaf, bleached fern, explosion grass, bunny tail, dried gypsophila, eucalyptus seed.

Thanksgiving Centerpiece: Dahlia, butterfly ranunculus, hydrangea, garden rose, strawflower, spirea, amaranthus, explosion grass, bittersweet

Wreaths: Bittersweet, painted fern, dried broom corn, scabiosa pods, eucalyptus seed, copper beech, curly willow branches

If you want to DIY your florals, here are some helpful tips for arranging on your own:

1. Start with a clean vase and add clean water. Switch up your vases seasonally and obviously we cannot get enough of this paper mache ghost bucket for Halloween! If you do choose a vessel that is not fit to hold water, use a smaller vase inside—here we propped a small vase up inside of a small hatbox!

2. If you are bringing a bouquet home from the grocery store, consider adding fresh foliage and grasses cut from your own yard. Shawn loves to cut and mix in herbs, ferns, small branches (especially fall-colored branches), and even some weeds—yes weeds!—like thistle, grasses, berries, and tumbleweed stems to her arrangements. Bringing in dried elements like yarrow or faux floral spray is a fun touch too! Afloral has a great selection.

3. Cut your stems on a 45 degree angle and then add them to your vase one at a time. Let the stems place themselves, droop, twist or curl the way they want to in order to achieve that effortless, gathered look.

4. Be sure to refresh your water every few days and pull out any stems that are spent.

5. Take lots of photos of your creation and give yourself a high five for creating something beautiful to enhance your space!

There you have it! I hope that this was helpful and that you are excited (like me:)) to decorate, not in any way overwhelmed. The holidays are about joy so however you choose to decorate, may it bring just that. For tons of party decor ideas be sure to follow me on Instagram and for some pretty cute and special supplies stop on by Bonjour Fête. Talk soon!

*Design by Royale Ziegler
** Florals by Shawn Chamberlain
*** After Photos by Lindsey Stewart Photography

The post How To Basically Decorate ONCE For Fall, Halloween, And Thanksgiving appeared first on Emily Henderson.

from Emily Henderson https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/how-to-decorate-once-for-fall-halloween-and-thanksgiving

Wednesday 29 September 2021

The Dining Chairs That Will Meet All Your Comfort Needs + Rules for Picking Them Out

Today’s post has been in the works for a while. It’s a topic that has been talked about many a time in the EHD office, requested by more than a few of our readers and that one piece of furniture that Emily had been on the search for years til she found them here. That’s right. It’s time for a comfortable dining chair roundup! As someone who has truly never owned or had a comfortable dining chair growing up, I feel your pain (especially in the buttocks region) but fret no more since we have 96 chairs with and without arms for you to choose from at all different price points. Plus, some very useful tips to consider when choosing the right chair for your own dining area.

Before we get into all of those pretty and more importantly comfy dining chair options below, let’s first take a moment to go over some of our tried and true ‘rules’ (aka guidelines) you can implement in your own space. Even as a trained interior designer I am constantly referring back to all of our design rules posts because let’s be honest sometimes design can be a tad overwhelming and very subjective so it’s nice to go back to the basics of why a space will visually work better than others. It all comes down to measurements which is something that makes sense to me. Not really the math aspect since that is not my forte…shhhh, I know it’s used a lot in interior design (hello best friend aka my calculator). But proportions and spatial planning is ‘my thing‘, it’s probably the reason why I also love to organize and help others pack to move.

OKAY, enough about my odd hobbies, let’s get into those Dining Chair Rules…

Figuring Out Your Table Size & How Many Chairs to Buy

photo by tessa neustadt | from: griffith park formal dining room reveal

You can’t really pick out your dining chairs without first knowing the scale of your dining table. I mean you can but it will probably be easier to start with the larger furniture piece and then add in your chairs later. So what size table do you have and how many chairs will you need to purchase?

Here is a seat guideline for rectangle tables depending on size:

48″ long table: seats 4
60″-72″ long table: seats 6
80″-87″ long table: seats 8
92″-108″ long table: seats 10
120″ long table: seats 12

And for round / square tables depending on size:

42″- 48″ diameter table: seats 4
60″ diameter table: seats 6-8

Keep in mind that no matter the size of your table you will want to leave approximately 24″-26″ width of eating space per person + an additional 6″ between the chairs to account for elbow room and ease of a person getting up, out of their chair from a fully occupied table. This will spare your guest (once we have those again) from an awkward moment of asking the person next to them to ‘scooch over a bit’ to be able to get out to use the bathroom during a dinner party. The width of most dining chairs will be between 16″-20″ with the ‘more comfortable’ ones in the 20″-25″ range.

Hot Tip

To make sure that the number of chairs will work with your table size, measure from the widest point of the chair and from the inner of the legs of your dining table instead of the top of the table.

Two other things to take into consideration – 1. If your dining table is on the smaller side try opting for a chair without arms to save on space. 2. If you buy additional chairs for when the table is extended to the maximum length be sure to figure out a designated spot for them to live since that might happen only a couple of times throughout the year.

Choosing the Right Scale Chair & Finding the Comfy Factor

photo by geneieve garruppo | from: a boathouse makeover with the frame + shop the look

Now, let’s figure out the right scale of your chairs for your dining table. Most standard dining tables range in height between 28″-30″ but there are some dining tables that are more counter height in the 34-36″ range so make sure to take a second look at the dimensions before you ‘add to cart’. We are going to focus on the standard dimensions today as they are the most common.

The seat height of a dining chair will be between 17-23″ and there should be about 12” of space between the top of the seat and underside of the tabletop or bottom of the apron. If your dining chairs have arms they should be able to slide under your table with ease so be sure to have at least 7” of clearance between the top of the arm height to the underside of the table or bottom of the apron.

Speaking of height let’s talk about your chair’s overall height in consideration to the scale of your table. Meaning that if you have a table that seats 4, approx. 42-48″ in diameter, steer clear of the chair that measures 48″ high overall and leave that to the larger more formal dining table sizes. It will just feel more proportional

6 Factors to Consider that Will Make Your Dining Chair More Comfortable:

Seat Width: 18”-22″ for more ‘wiggle’ room
Opt for an upholstered seat or sling seat (see the white director chairs in the photo above)
Seat Depth: 20-24” for the lounging element
Which brings us to the lean-ability of the chair, an angled seat back or upholstered back for those long post meal conversations
If you have the space, dining chairs with arms will be much more ergonomic. If you are one to have long dinners it will allow you to truly relax because you can rest your arms making it easier to lounge.
Materials Matter: It’s a simple fact that an all upholstered chair will be more comfortable, it’s like a sofa but smaller.

Hot Tip

On big box retailers websites take a look around to see if you can search by customer rating, that way you are starting with the furniture pieces that others have verified to be comfortable or to be a quality product.

Now that the school lesson portion of this post is over, let’s talk about the fun stuff and get into our comfortable dining chair roundups.

The ‘Armless’ Comfortable Dining Chairs

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: a modern and organic dining room makeover

Personally, I am a fan of the “armless” dining chair because typically they are less expensive than those with arms. Who wouldn’t want to save some cash on a surprisingly expensive piece of furniture that you have to buy multiples of them??? Speaking of cost, be sure to take a close look at the prices cause some of these beauties come in a “set of 2”.

Out of our first round of picks I have to say that I am very into the style and pop of color of #3, the clean lines and comfort level of #8, & the very low price point but high rave reviews of #17.

Yes, we did have to divide up the graphics cause we rounded up so many options in each category for you all, fingers crossed at least a few might work for your own dining room. The chairs I have my eye on are #26 for a comfy take on a classic style and I would splurge on #38 and save on #40.

The ‘with Arms’ Comfortable Dining Chairs

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the portland dining room reveal + how to create a room that is interesting yet sophisticated

Up next, we have all of your ‘with arms’ options. Debatably more comfortable than the armless counterpart given that after a long meal with family or close friends you could casually tuck your legs up, slouch down a little and enjoy a long conversation over many cocktails or play one of EHD’s favorite board games – Anomia.

The muted jewel tones of #1 & #3 are calling my name & I am loving the leather detail of #10 plus it looks absolutely so comfortable.

The simplistic style and price point of #24 would be a great chair in either a traditional or modern home, of course, I am drawn to #32 because it is a part of the semi-new Leanne Ford’s Crate & Barrel Collection which I am obsessed with everything from the line (Leanne, if you are reading this it’s amazing!). And if you are a part of the EHD Insider Community you might’ve already seen the special sneak peek of the mood board where we are using these nightstands from her line in an upcoming project! Also, I can personally attest to the comfort factor of #40 since we used them in the dining room of Portland project (see photo above) and where I did countless hours of work in that very chair on the end by the french doors.

So there you have it! I hope by now you feel confident to pick out the most comfortable dining chair for your home and again if you need to check out the rest of the dining room rules do so here. And if you don’t really care so much about only the comfort factor but want some more affordable options check out this post here or want to know how to mix and match dining chairs like a boss click over to this post here. Fair warning both of these posts are over a year old so some links may be broken but maybe it’s time for us to update them? Yes, no, or maybe? Let me know your thoughts on that or if you have any other design questions in the comments below, talk to you soon!

Opening Image Credit: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Mountain House “Reveal”: The Dining Room Built-in Dilemma (+ The 3 Mistakes We Made)

The post The Dining Chairs That Will Meet All Your Comfort Needs + Rules for Picking Them Out appeared first on Emily Henderson.

from Emily Henderson https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/96-comfortable-dining-chairs

Moroccan Rugs