Wednesday, 30 November 2022

Years After A Forced Budget Kitchen Reno (Due To Black Mold And Out Of Control Renovation Costs)…Emily Bowser Is Designing The Kitchen She Actually Wanted

Well, well, well…Here I am, after much teasing, I am finally on my way to a kitchen reveal. I think this space was the hardest for me to finish because it’s been completely liveable for a long time. After living in apartments for years with cabinets that had been painted so many times that only half of them closed, tile countertops, no garbage disposal, no dishwasher, and subpar appliances – this kitchen felt so much nicer so I just wasn’t inspired to make it any better.

That, and when we made the decision to renovate the kitchen, it was under much financial duress so the finishes weren’t anything to write home about and I knew I couldn’t justify changing them. Before we get too far into that though, let’s talk about where we started:

PHASE 1: THE BEFORE

File this under: “one of a million examples of LA real estate not even trying to sell clearly overpriced homes”. This is what the kitchen looked like when I walked through the house, completely despondent, and ready to give up house hunting for good. For more about my psyche when we were searching for a home in 2016 you can read about it here.

It is a small, galley kitchen, with a strange walk-through…closet? I don’t know how to explain it. The door you see in the back there used to be the back door to a small covered patio that is now a laundry room. Truthfully it wasn’t much worse than any other kitchen I had rented. My last apartment had Pepto Bismol pink tile countertops and the one before that had banana yellow. Both were over 100 years old and there’s just no way to make them ever look clean. Shoutout to basically every renter in LA. FYI: I hear these are coming back?? I mean, they can be cute in photos but clearly whoever decided on that trend never lived with them. The GROUT! Blech. At least these were new-ish counters and kinda looked clean. When we made the decision to buy the place I was like, “I’ll just paint the cabinets myself and live with it until we save up money.” We needed to get the back house not just to a livable condition, but as nice as we could afford so we could rent it out for a premium to help pay for our mortgage. The plan for the front house was to do what we had always done: make the most of what we were given, as we did with our rentals, and slowly do the renovations over time. 

Of course, things did NOT go to plan, and slowly renovating didn’t happen. I really really wish I could have lived with the kitchen that was there and had the time and money to renovate it right the first time. I am a big advocate of living in a space for a year and seeing how you utilize or *want* to utilize the space before you make any big changes. Unfortunately, they found mold in the kitchen. I forget why they were looking for it at all, maybe a leak in the sink? Of course, I am happy that I didn’t live with black mold, but having to make quick and as-cheap-possible decisions did bite me in the butt a little bit. This is going to be a story about how I made my “meh” kitchen into a fully functional and pretty kitchen without renovating again. Hopefully, this is helpful for people who live in “good enough” kitchens that really don’t need to be ripped out but aren’t very inspiring.

angle of kitchen the day we got the keys, wall to be removed seen in back

PHASE 2: THE INITIAL, FORCED MAKEOVER

Let’s talk about the kitchen’s first makeover. When purchasing this house I wanted to go with finishes that were timeless and not too particular style-wise because the long game for this property is that both units are rentals. I recognize now that it is a very VERY long game because having the financial ability to keep this property and buy another one would mean something life-changing happened with our careers. However, a girl who has yet to feel the cold slap of adulthood can dream! I wanted the style to be simple, something most people could see themselves living in and making their own, despite my own pull towards the more dramatic. It was the spring of 2016 (didn’t end up signing papers until Oct – long story) so of course, we ended up with black hex floors and subway tile. This was back when you thought of those things as timeless and they hadn’t *completely* overrun all of social media. Subway and hex tile are also very affordable, as were simple white cabinets and the 3 slabs of quartz I found for $300 each. I needed a slab and a half for each kitchen – this is where it became apparent that this was going to be a lot more affordable if I choose the same finishes for both kitchens. My plan was to use IKEA cabinets because I had heard good things. My contractor insisted he could do higher quality for less and honestly, I’m pretty happy with them. They aren’t fancy but they are made with good plywood and didn’t have that extreme off-gassing that cheap cabinets have.

I was in complete financial trauma by the time we were told the kitchen had mold and we needed to renovate both kitchens. I honestly don’t remember much from the process other than trying to pick the best I could for as cheap as possible. There was not a lot of joy in it. I do remember noticing the lack of joy at the time and feeling a bit sorry for myself. I love design and I love making a home but I didn’t love anything about this part of the process because it didn’t feel like I really had options. This was not the romantic idea I had of my first home in my head. The kitchen era of the reno was a dark era for sure. 

That said, even though I was completely stressed about how we were going to pay for all this (which at this point was $100,000 OVER what I was bid and would go higher), there were a few things I put my foot down about that I am very pleased with to this day: I wanted the wall between the kitchen and this strange closet/walk-through to be taken down and I wanted a dishwasher.

My contractor was really against me putting in a dishwasher because of how much cabinet space it eats up, and he wasn’t wrong – he just underestimated what I was willing to sacrifice and what I could make happen in such a tiny space in order to have a dishwasher. I. Love. My. Dishwasher. I use it every single day with absolute abandon and literally, NO ONE can make me feel bad about it. After hand washing SINCE LEAVING MY PARENT’S HOUSE, I know FOR A FACT that handwashing uses more water and 100% is the worst. My heart goes out to people without one (I see you 99% of LA renters) and I will not gaslight you as my friends who had dishwashers and washing machines and AC did to me. Your life will get at least 80% better simply with modern conveniences. You can be “flirting with financial disaster” (quote by my friend Lauren to me about this time period) and walk into your new house with a dishwasher, washer/dryer, AC and be like, “I’M RICH!”.

window in walk-through area, wall to be removed on the right
weird size fridge nook on left, tub on the other side of wall straight ahead 

Taking down the weird wall was a must. That closet/walk-through space was practically unusable and made the space feel tinier than it already was. The general layout of the kitchen is the only way to do it, so all appliances stayed where they were. My house is very economical and there’s not one bit of unused real estate, meaning there’s no wall you can break through to make more space. Behind the stove on the left is the hall closet (one of two closets in the whole house), and the bump out after the fridge is our bathroom. We had to keep this odd, narrowing galley, the only thing we didn’t need was the doorway into the closet thingy. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why it was there to begin with. As you can see in the first photo, the previous owner had a piece of furniture in there to give themselves more storage and it’s not on the other side of the space because there’s a window in the middle of that wall.

floor of the walk-through
after demo day, if you look closely you can see that we removed a tiny corner of the wall on the left as well

I actually really wanted to use the wood underneath the tile floor but turns out it was literally the subfloor, like between the cracks you could see down under the house. Unfortunately for insulation reasons, we needed to put something on top. If I could turn back time I would have ripped up all the floors and put matching new wood throughout the entire space because I love wood floors in the kitchen. There are original wood floors in the living/dining and one of the bedrooms and to save money I wanted to refinish them and only tile the space that didn’t have original floors but now, of course, the original floors are falling apart and I have to replace them. Le sigh. 

here I am looking how I felt in Dec 2016, opening and closing the new window in that weird closet space after we removed the wall

I digress, back to the point: the renovation was easy in the sense that it was “put new cabinets exactly where there had already been cabinets, minus the uppers on the sink side because I want open shelving there”. Spoiler alert: I still don’t have open shelving there. 

Because the space where the walk-through closet thing was more narrow, we couldn’t continue with normal cabinets and also…I couldn’t afford them. I told myself I would find the perfect vintage piece to put there, perfect being 36” high to match the counters, only 15” deep as to not block the doorway to the laundry room, and 38” long to make the most of the space. Spoiler alert: I did not find the perfect piece. Let’s take a look at how the kitchen has looked for most of the past 6 years:

For funsies do you want to see the matching back unit kitchen?

same but different
same but different

Fine, right? It’s fiiiine. A million times better than the before but, you know, whatever. Things I loved: being able to feel like my kitchen was clean, new appliances, a garbage disposal, and the natural light in here is really, really good. The plan was to put open shelving up but because the tile was put up without thinking about *how* the shelving would be installed – it’s proved to be tricky. Now after living without it for years I’m afraid that it will feel like it’s too visually busy. I get the draw of no uppers, it makes the space feel bigger than it is. That said: Mama could really use a little more storage. Also, I have a lot of pretty things, it kind of comes with the stylist territory and it would be nice to have some of them out.

PHASE 3: SOLVING STORAGE PROBLEMS (OR ATTEMPTING TO)

The piece of furniture I found at the flea market was too deep, too short, and too narrow. Doesn’t look too bad here and actually, the inside of it was super helpful for organizing so much so that we kept it until 2020. I really wanted the top to be flush with the countertop so the kitchen would feel more continuous so I did the basic IKEA Ivar cabinet hack. We painted the cabinet with leftover paint from our dining nook (and cut a piece of reclaimed wood from Ross Alan Reclaimed Lumber to be the exact length of the space). Two of the Ivar cabinets were perfect for leaving just a teeny bit of space on either side for our folded-up step ladder on one side and a few extra cutting boards on the other. We attached them directly to studs in the wall so they are technically floating, no feeties, and are completely flush with the rest of the counters, which is what I really wanted. 

andrew screwing the reclaimed wood directly into the top of the ivar cabinet
fin!

The Ivar storage is basically our pantry. Pretty much all of our food storage is here and about half of it is cookbooks at the moment:) Stay tuned for the final reveal and I’ll show the organization because those shelves are not deep (11.75”) and we make it work. Because I know you will ask: cabinet pulls on the Ivar are Lostine. The beautiful vintage rug is Jean Palmer Home – you’ve seen it in my office reveal because I hadn’t found the perfect vintage rug for my cats to puke on in there yet, but I have now:) Pulls and handles for my original kitchen cabinets are an Etsy find, not sure if they have the exact ones anymore, mine were brass not brushed brass.

We did the cabinet in 2020 and apparently, I could not stop myself from continuing to add boards to every wall. Here’s a very unstyled, lived-in moment from last year:

Notice how a wine rack in the corner and Lomi composter on the washing machine were added to the mix. V pandemic of me. The kitchen was absolutely FINE however, it always bothered me ~a lot~ that the cabinets above the stove didn’t go all the way to the ceiling and didn’t incorporate the area above the fridge. Not only were the upper cabinets unsightly, but the lack of them was also a huge waste of space. I still didn’t feel like I was optimizing my space in the area before the laundry room, particularly the wall on the left – that area is tricky because you have to leave space to walk through. Additionally, we had put in a very fancy convection oven/vent/microwave from KitchenAid but we didn’t use it for anything other than reheating leftovers. It was not great at being a vent for the oven and stuck out way too much for how small this space is. The idea was to mount it to keep it off the counters thus more counter space but how bad it was at being a vent was driving me mad. Half of the time we cooked our smoke detector would go off. Another thing that always bothered me visually was the way the kitchen sink sat in the cabinet. I bought that sink because it was cheap and I didn’t think about how it would work with the cabinets – clearly.

Listen, I know these aren’t real problems – that’s why I couldn’t bring myself to do anything about it. I’ve had bigger fish to fry over the past 6 years. There was also just a lot of creative problem-solving that would help, some of which I did, like the Ivar Cabinet hack.

Oh, one nice thing about my fridge nook is that there’s a perfect hiding place for brooms, Chom Chom roller (best thing for pet hair removal!), etc.

Side note: I bought all the appliances for both units in 2016 on Black Friday. Highly recommend buying appliances only on a big sale. I’ve lived with these KitchenAid (pre-Cafe era) appliances for 6 years and my honest opinion is: they’re good. No real complaints. I had some issues with the dishwasher but after having it serviced a few times I think they’ve figured it out. Currently, the ice maker has stopped working in the freezer and I need to have someone come and look at it but I’m busy so I’ll use an ice tray and I’ll deal with it later:) I assume after 6 years things like this will start to happen. Haven’t had any issues with the stove or oven and the microwave was fine besides the fact that I didn’t feel like it did a good enough job as a vent. 

What was I talking about? Oh, how my issues with the kitchen were dumb and not a big enough deal to make me do anything about it until these three things happened:

1. I Marco Polo’d so often during the pandemic with my phone resting in the window facing the stove that the cabinets not hitting the ceiling and wasted space over the fridge became a daily fixation. Example below:

2. I found the PERFECT shelving unit to fit the long blank wall on the left.

I can’t over-emphasize how perfect this shelving unit is for that space. I had such specific dimensions that it had to fit. The depth is 10.25”, I could *maybe* go to 11” the length is 78” which is just right in order to walk through without feeling crushed. I love that there is some closed storage, a little surface area, and then open shelving for pretty storage. It’s also nice that it’s mounted to the wall, it feels lighter in the space. Let’s take a sneak peek, shall we?

I personally love the banana styling in this iPhone pic. Both the bananas hanging from the wine rack AND the rotten bananas on the cabinet waiting to be made into banana bread. Oh, also the single butternut squash in a bowl. Obviously, this pic was taken to send to Andrew to show how proud I was for figuring out how to hang this by myself. It hasn’t fallen down yet!

As you can see in this picture, the quartz countertop continues a bit into the space that starts to narrow, which makes the walkway feel cramped. This is why I needed the Rejuvenation cabinet to not be too wide. I’m thinking I could continue my ridiculous cutting board collection next to the cabinet since that won’t take up much space. I hung the cabinet so that the top of the cabinet is the same height as the countertops which makes that space feel like another surface to work on. In our case it’s turned into our drink station (coffee, matcha, alcohol, all three at once, etc.) if you look closely you can see another Rejuvenation beaut, their Brookside Rail System that holds all of our drink accouterment –  but don’t look too closely! This is a sneak peek!

FINAL PHASE: THE “MUCH BETTER” KITCHEN PLAN

The final straw that made me finally finish this kitchen is:

3. My friend Rebecca started a company making cabinet fronts (and boxes) and got really sick of me complaining on Marco Polo about the space above my cabinets (I think it bothered her too). I met Rebecca when we were working on Orlando Soria’s HGTV show “Build Me Up” (RIP) pre-pandemic. She’s an amazing designer, design producer, and friend. Designer friends don’t let friends have weird spaces above their cabinets! 

Her company Design by Numbers (website coming, check out her insta) will make new cabinet doors to fit any boxes and it’s basically magic. You scan your space with an app on your phone, tell her the style and color you want and then they send you this and your jaw hits the floor:

WUT?? THERE’S A CAT ON THE WASHING MACHINE! All of our jobs (and cats, I guess) are being stolen by computers. I mean what is even the point of shooting a reveal post, I’ve basically given it away. As you can see, the microwave is gone with a built-in real grown-up person vent in its place, cabinets that go to the ceiling that also include the refrigerator, and why yes, we have changed the color and style of my cabinets. The color I chose is “Puddy” (one of Rebecca’s paint options) and it’s a greenish taupe? I’m bad at describing colors. We lovingly refer to the style as a “baby shaker” because it has a tiny version of a shaker border. It’s classic but feels a little more modern and fresh. After I was like, “HELL YEAH,” I double-checked their measurements by hand (take that computers!) and they made and shipped them to me. It was that easy (for me anyway). 

As the company is launching they are offering 3 styles of cabinets: shaker, baby shaker, and slab. They can do just doors or cabinet boxes and doors. If you are interested in getting more info, you can email hello@designbynumbers.com

We were able to keep all my original lower cabinet boxes and the inside of the drawers, we just replaced the fronts. Design by Numbers provides the info to purchase the matching paint or ship the paint depending on state regulations. I purchased and had the cabinets professionally painted because as I have mentioned before I *will* DIY if necessary but something like this, no thank you. As far as the uppers, I had to recycle those. Since they were in good shape my contractor was able to take them out to reuse them elsewhere. I also donated the microwave. There was a bit of tile patching behind the microwave that needed to be done but nothing too hard and because I had cheap subway tile, it cost practically nothing. Design by Numbers made the new boxes for the uppers and they fit like a glove – the measurements were perfect. 

I don’t want to give too much away because you will get to see it all at the final reveal which is coming soon! I’m waiting on a few stray things to come in to put everything together including a new dining room table! This reveal/refresh will include the dining nook, kitchen, and the laundry room and will be live next month! In the meantime here’s a screen grab from my Marco Polo with Rebecca and Orlando mid-cabinet installation 🙂 Stay tuned.

cute.

Opening Image Credits: Design by Emily Bowser | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Another MOTO Reveal: Emily Bowser’s Happy Dining Nook (With Custom Cat-Friendly Banquette, Because Duh)

The post Years After A Forced Budget Kitchen Reno (Due To Black Mold And Out Of Control Renovation Costs)…Emily Bowser Is Designing The Kitchen She Actually Wanted appeared first on Emily Henderson.



from Emily Henderson https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/bowsers-budget-galley-kitchen-intro

Tuesday, 29 November 2022

On Preventing (Or Preparing Or Coping) With “Overwhelm” During The Holidays (And A Letter To The Universe On Behalf Of Women)

Tis the season of overwhelm, but it’s different this year. As one of my best friends put it last week, “My strategy is to prioritize the balls I don’t want to drop, and hope for the best with the rest.” She has a very demanding corporate career and two kids. She’ll hold on to the kids (not compromising there), prioritize the work projects that can’t get neglected, then phone it in, delegate, or push off everything else. The overwhelm can be real. As a Q4 content creator, I thought I was in one of only a few industries with this unreasonably busy season. And then I started talking to EVERY SINGLE WOMAN I KNOW. This year I have a strategy that I hope to god works. 

On top of the holidays, which rely heavily on the labor of moms, unfortunately every industry is at its most busy in Q4. It’s gnarly. The biggest challenge with 2022 is that the world, all industries, and society at large are treating us like we are still in 2019. We aren’t. And we can’t go back. 

What we’ve learned about priorities can’t be unlearned. So much came into focus during those two years that we can’t unsee. It’s this expectation and pressure to hustle, to do all the things, keep every ball in the air, scramble, feel scattered, and yet be ok with being exhausted as if it’s just “normal”. I feel like my friend is right – Either some balls are going to drop or we are.

Before 2020 I was maniacally just doing it all because that’s the expectation. And while I would take a full week or 10 days off between Christmas and New Year’s, most of that time I felt I was recuperating (to be fair my kids were also much younger, and so much more exhausting). Christmas of 2020 was the first full season that was so slow and as we all know, such a different experience (with different highs and lows). This year I was already on the chaos train in early November, and it was driving recklessly. So I put on the breaks, hopped off, and came up with a plan to slow down. 

So here’s my strategy to cope or better yet AVOID the overwhelm – advice I’m giving myself and thought I would share (and I think it’s working!!)

daytime work hangs are preferred around here | photo by veronica crawford | from: affordable party outfit ideas + the ehd holiday party

Rebrand Some “Holiday events” As New Years Events (And Push Off Til January)

Example: A few years ago we were behind on our holiday gifts for our clients (we would send our clients fancy boxes of 6 chocolates). We missed the shipping deadline and after throwing my hands in the air and beating myself up we sent them as “New Years’ gifts instead”. They were all ELATED and actually had time to enjoy them, reach out, and connect with us in January. These might have even gotten overlooked during the holiday season. We did this three years in a row and it proved to be a far better gift marketing strategy (I think they noticed us more, tbh). Since Covid, we stopped doing client gifts altogether because managing addresses was impossible (who is remote? Who is in office? Who quit? Moved companies? Did the office close down?) THAT IS OK! Too. The same principle goes for New Years’ family photos/cards and even New Years’ neighborhood potlucks or cookie drop-offs. Shove it to January.

Plan your service efforts in January. We want to be the family that does meaningful service projects to help others during the holidays, but the truth is that I never get my shit together, and then I beat myself up. But listen, so many organizations and churches are helping the underserved in December (one of the reasons I wish I belonged to one), and maybe a January or February project would be more impactful when there’s typically less help. This could also easily turn into a really great resolution where you help more throughout the year and not just for the holidays.

Reschedule every optional personal appointment for January. This could be a lunch, a non-urgent doctor’s appointment, a girl’s night, or your pet grooming. Unless it’s holiday-specific or urgent, reschedule anything from December to January. Of course, we can’t let people down and we are scared of hurting people. You’ll say to yourself, “it’s just an hour of my time” but nothing is “just an hour”. You have the time to get ready, the commute, finding parking – everything is a thing. I went through my calendar and rescheduled so many appointments and I feel SO MUCH BETTER. I got like 15 hours back in December plus the brain space that would have been sucked into those appointments. 

Turn any work event into a long lunch or 3 pm happy hour, not a nighttime event. My team loves doing this – meet up early on Friday and have fun DURING work hours. They’ll thank you, I promise. Those that want to roll it over into dinner will:) 

pretty but not necessary! | photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: holiday entertaining just got a whole lot easier

Lower Your Expectations

You can’t be disappointed if you have low expectations. This means for your house, your food, less personal gifts, and your hosting abilities. I’ll go first! Done is better than perfect. 

Our tree this year is cute but definitely not “there” as far as design content for the internet. So my options are: 1. Stress about making it better but like REALLY FAST (was supposed to shoot tomorrow), spend a ton of time, and money, rearrange all the ornaments, DIY a garland, etc. Or 2. Shoot it unsatisfied and tree shame myself or have people disappointed in it not being up to par (both are guaranteed to happen), or 3. Not shoot it at all since there are no sponsors involved and just leave it as is. I’m definitely not doing 1, but not sure if I want to do 2 or 3. The pressure to be perfect is back/real – and I feel responsible for other people feeling that way, too. Did we OG design content creators create this holiday monster of everything looking so chic and perfect on the internet so that even we are disappointed if it looks just OK even though our kids couldn’t be happier???? I’m SORRY!! Which brings me to:

Don’t Feel Like You Need To Post On Social Media Unless It Brings You Happiness

Release all your self-imposed social media posting obligations and take yourself out of the comparison culture hunger games. Example: I saw Brian trying to write a post for me on Facebook for my birthday while we were having such a fun family day and I was like, “oh, no, you don’t have to do that, I promise, just come hang out” and he looked at me, with hope in his eyes like, “really???” We were both so relieved that we made a pact to not have to tell the world in a poignant yet funny way how we feel about each other, our kids, our holidays, or every single occasion. Only post if you want to:) I’m taking my own advice on Christmas Day and maybe I’ll photo dump at the end of the day or end of the week but no, I will not be on social media when I don’t feel like it, which is often these days:) 

these snacks are almost 100% from trader joes | photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: we asked and you delivered – here are the best trader joe’s appetizers, dips, and food hacks

Employ The Genius Of The Potluck (Say Yes To Offered Help And Even Ask)

I know that this might be a regional difference, but y’all I have found that when we lived in LA we felt this pressure to provide it all, cook or cater the whole meal, “Just bring yourself.” So if we have a get-together this year (which will be small -I’ve learned my lesson re large party panic attacks), I am going to try answering the “What can we bring?” with “A cheese plate or chips and guac would be great!” (with hopefully some notice). If your friends know you they’ll understand that you are busy and not think twice which also gives them permission to do it themselves. If you are busy and have no time to make something, we wrote a whole post about Trader Joe’s appetizers here – they are GREAT and your real friends won’t care where it’s from. 

Stock Up, Buying Once The Stuff You’ll Use A Lot

Stock your pantry full of 10 good but generic (universally appreciated) hostess gifts that don’t take up a lot of space. I’d suggest something consumable (local wine or candle) so as to not make someone else store/donate something that might not be their style. DONE. 

Stock up on biodegradable and compostable cups and plates. I truly don’t like promoting anything single-use, but if you are having folks over give yourself permission during the holidays to have an easier cleanup. Obviously, stay away from plastic or styrofoam if you can, but if that’s not in your budget just do your best! There are a lot of options out there now and we can’t be perfect all of the time or we are all going to actually explode and splatter our guts all over our faux wreaths. And then they’ll never biodegrade:)

this is not our normal | photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: emily’s “messy” but full of memories christmas family room

Set Boundaries And Be Firm (To Protect Mental Health)

I try to only schedule two or three social or holiday “events” a week (even that is a lot). This year we are doing the Hood River Santa Train, Elf The Musical, Zoo Lights, and two crafting/cocktail parties with different kid friend groups before we leave on the 16th for two weeks (where we’ll see Santa at Skypark!). Book in recovery time for just yourself or your family, time to clean the house, do laundry, and meal prep – Just say you are booked. This is a personal limit, I know, but for me limiting my social schedule has helped my depletion greatly. Yes, I see my friends/family less than I used to this time of year, but they are so busy, too! Maybe this is an age thing, maybe post-covid life shift, living in the suburbs (which I love), or maybe I’ve always needed these boundaries for myself but was socializing so much that I would sacrifice my own health to have a good time (pretty sure it’s all of those things).

Let yourself be the person you are, not the one you want to be. I want to be the family that sings carols door to door, but I don’t really think that’s for us. I want to be the family that bakes cinnamon rolls like our family did, but it’s just so messy and I’m terrible at baking. I’m good at decorating, messy crafting, filling the house with spirit, and making big batches of soup/grilled cheese. All the rest is someone else’s expectation of me which I’ll fail at and then feel bad about myself. Lean into what you enjoy because that is what you are going to be good at, which will make you feel better, not worse about yourself (general life lesson). 

Any other good holiday hacks to help prevent (or cope with) overwhelm? Brian’s therapist gave him the best tool that we use all the time now – “Expand your timeline” – which has helped us not only slow down but also take the pressure off doing everything “this year”.

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Jayme Burrows | From: Christmas Through The Years

The post On Preventing (Or Preparing Or Coping) With “Overwhelm” During The Holidays (And A Letter To The Universe On Behalf Of Women) appeared first on Emily Henderson.



from Emily Henderson https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/on-preventing-or-preparing-or-coping-with-holiday-stress

Sunday, 27 November 2022

The Link Up: Em’s Favorite List Of “Clutter-Free” Gift Ideas, Caitlin’s All-Time Favorite Travel Backpack, And A Candle Scent We Love

For those in the US who celebrated, we hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by people you love (or at least like:)). And now that it’s been a few days since, we also hope that your kitchens have recovered. Also, we really want to know in the comments how decorated your home is for Christmas if you celebrate. Is it a full-on winter wonderland or are you still needing a minute before thinking about a tree?? Both are valid!! Also if you are interested in our Black Friday Sale post (that will be updated for Cyber Monday) check it out here! Ok, link time…

This week’s house tour (via Cup of Jo) is a happy visual break from the browns and rusts that consume this time of the year. However, not only is it a joyous celebration of color and pattern, it’s full of awesome finds from a local “Buy Nothing” group on Facebook. You have to see what renter, Marcelline Balfour, created for her and her two daughters:) Enjoy!

via @becomingminimalists

From Em: This time of year we recommend lots of “things”. I honestly have a hard time with it because I know at least for me I’m trying to buy and have less stuff. However, we know how helpful our guides are to you all so we try to do it as responsibly as possible (i.e. recommending things we actually own, have seen in person, are from shops we trust, etc.) But I love the idea of gifting an experience, service, or something consumable. Hence when I saw this graphic on @becomingminimalists‘ Instagram I immediately reshared on my stories. There are clearly so many great ideas that I wanted to share here too! So if buying stuff isn’t what you want to do this year I hope this helps. I know my team loves Groupon. It’s a great place to start if you’re feeling stumped to find something local and will also give you a great deal:)

me while traveling THIS PAST TUESDAY

From Caitlin: I know I’ve recommended it before, but it’s gift-giving season and I cannot sing the praises of my Aer travel backpack enough!!! I bought it in 2018, have road-tested it on hundreds of flights, and it still looks and feels brand new. (I mean – look at it! So clean! How?!) It fits a ton, I’ve backpacked (in winter!) through Europe with it as my only bag, and it’d just be a GREAT present for the frequent flyer (or road-tripper) in your life. I’m currently on a fun little overseas trip hitting up a few cities and lemme tell you – this is a true Mary Poppins bag that makes traveling so much easier  (I also welcome recommendations for Passau, Linz, Vienna, Graz, Bratislava, or Budapest if you have them!!!)

From Ryann: My husband would like to tell you all about his slacks that go with everything. In his words “they can be dressed up or down–although I always wear them dressed up with GH Bass Weejuns. The inseam is shorter so they will show a little bit of the ankle and the taper is unmatched. They are a slim fit and the waistband is elastic and has a string tie so you don’t need to wear a belt with them.” And there you have it! I will say these from a woman’s perspective, these pants do look incredible and they look more expensive than they are.

From Albie: Okay, while I’m on this gardening kick…I would be remiss if I didn’t tell yall about my new favorite garden-related Etsy shop from @See.Val. Create. I started following Val on IG earlier this year and had the pleasure of actually meeting her at The Meridian Experience. I was super geeked when she launched her shop a few weeks ago — one, because I’m always on board with someone chasing their big ideas; and two, because it meant I could support her while also getting some goodies for my garden. I’ve already gotten some veggie stakes & herb stakes from her, and plan to order some fruits + some custom ones. She also created a few other items & I’m looking forward to seeing this part of her business grow and flourish. 

From Jess: I can’t remember how I came across her (typical), but I found an artist on Instagram, Adèle Beaumais, that makes plates I’m completely in love with. I would LOVE to have some hanging in my kitchen. What a dream.

Also From Jess: Likely because it was how I was raised, and the fact that I don’t have kids, but I am very adamant about not decorating until after Thanksgiving. Buuuut I was at Target last week and bought two boxes of this wooden bead garland for when I do decorate maybe this weekend. I’ve seen it in the light wood tone before but since I’m leaning into deeper browns in my home, I love that it also comes in a walnut color. Very excited to hang it up:)

Also Also From Jess: Naturally I also picked up a Target candle. I loved this one because it’s super woodsy but not “holiday” if that makes sense. Plus it’s pretty! It’s the same style as the one Em used on a shoot a month or so ago.

From Mallory: I gotta give it up for my favorite workout class that I recently go into…Rumble boxing!! They have a billion locations and it is SO much fun. It’s definitely the “soul cycle” of boxing (lots of lights, the teacher wears a headset microphone, bumpin music). If you like to SWEAT, this will get you there. I leave feeling crazy good every time and it’s how I’m planning to stay feeling healthy through the crazy holiday season.

That’s it for us today. Have a wonderful week. See you tomorrow! xx

Opening Image Credits: Design by Corbett Tuck | Styled by Velinda Hellen, Erik Kenneth Staalberg, Emily Edith Bowser, and Julie Rose | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

The post The Link Up: Em’s Favorite List Of “Clutter-Free” Gift Ideas, Caitlin’s All-Time Favorite Travel Backpack, And A Candle Scent We Love appeared first on Emily Henderson.



from Emily Henderson https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/best-travel-backpack

Saturday, 26 November 2022

The Small Businesses We Love With REALLY GOOD Stuff

Happy Saturday folks. We hope your bellies and hearts are still full from Thanksgiving (if you celebrate), and perhaps today we can fill you up even more with this special roundup of small design shops we adore. These are the shops we go to for inspiration, a boost in creativity, and for those exceptional decor pieces that bring in so much character. Many of them are Portland or LA-based and if you live in either area we highly recommend visiting them in person. But if not, we wanted to put their online shops on your radar so you can browse virtually and maybe even find a few really good gifts. Let’s begin.

1. Moon Friend Studio: Jumbo White Speckle Mug | 2. Nightwood Studio: Ambrosia Maple Serving Board | 3. Minimum Design: Ecotool Wooden Planter

Mantel PDX: Mantel has really beautiful ceramics by Portland artists, stunning jewelry, and all-around great finds like these pastel vases. That serving board is functional art as far as I am concerned. The circle handle makes it really special. This is also where Emily got a ton of decor for the Portland Project.

1. Gigi Candlestick | 2. French Floral King Bedcover | 3. Medium Marguerite Pendant Light

Alder & Co PDX: This lovely shop originated in Portland but is now housed in an 1876 farmhouse in Hudson Valley, New York which is quite apropos considering the selective antique and vintage-inspired inventory they offer. They are experts in curating truly timeless decor, fashion, and accessories, like that handmolded ceramic candlestick. But the bedcover is what’s on the top of my list.

1. Harvest Moon Trinket Dish | 2. Mini Kettle Basket | 3. Matte White Ear Vessel

Midland: Midland is an LA-based gem where you can find handmade and small-batch ceramics, plus a wide variety of home goods and clothing. That woven basket is very good, and wouldn’t that trinket dish make a really great gift? They are having a big sale so go check it out!

1. Eclipse Rug | 2. Palace Pillow | 3. Bertie Blanket

Block Shop Textiles: Block Shop Textiles is a textile, art, and design studio and chances are you’ve seen their designs before. They excel in making playful abstract art designs for wallpaper, rugs, pillows, blankets, and prints (oh my!). Today they are having a sale of 30-50% off table linens, prints, pillows, robes, rugs and more with minor imperfections!

photo by kaitlin green | from: the farmhouse kitchen reveal

1. Iron Wall Candle Holder | 2. Handmade Patchwork Quilt | 3. Brass Salt Mill

June Home Supply: I don’t think I’ve seen a sexier salt mill. June Home Supply has a breathtaking inventory of elevated home decor pieces including this pitcher featured in Emily’s Farmhouse kitchen.

1. Pair Of Danish Pine Nightstands | 2. Moro Dabron, Augustine Candle | 3. Large Bobbin Mirror In Green

Nickey Kehoe: The whole EHD team went in person to the new and improved Nickey Kehoe shop here in LA and let’s just say, just being inside is so inspiring. They carry a huge inventory in-store that is seriously worth checking out. We saw that mirror in person and it really is something special and is a splurge for sure but so lovely.

1. Tangent 3 Light | 2. Beni Ourain Morrocan Rug | 3. Grand Mogul Candle

Lawson-Fenning: Not only does Lawson-Fenning make truly stunning furniture (remember the Moreno sofa from Emily’s LA living room??) but they also do collabs with independent artists and makers, and carry timeless pieces like this Allied Maker 3-arm pendant light.

1. Farmhouse Cushion | 2. Brick Lidded Jar | 3. Stack Candle

Lost & Found: Lost & Found is an LA staple that sells everything from handmade pottery to colorful textiles (did you see this pillow from Emily’s gift guide??) to stylish fashion for women, men, and children. This is probably one of our favorite places to find special vessels and small objects to style a shelf with.

1. Canopy Self Watering Planter | 2. Botero Bird Vase | 3. Sisteron Throw

Goodee: Goodee is a Black-owned design shop that emphasizes sustainability and fair trade practices. They stand by the statement that “A GOODEE stamp of approval means that every item we offer is transparently sourced, ethically made, and designed to last.” So every purchase from them actually feels good. Emily has this tray in oak and loves it.

1. Simple Wood Arch Cutting Board | 2. Liba Watering Can | 3. Woven Bench

Hawkins New York: Hawkins partners with producers, family-owned manufacturers, and collectives all over the world that make stylish homewares. You might have spotted these lovely salt and pepper grinders in Emily’s farmhouse kitchen. They are also offering 20% off site-wide with code ILOVEHNY until 11/28.

1. Black Still Life Pitcher No. 1 | 2. Leather Rectangular Tray | 3. Fauna Oil + Vinegar Cruet | Virginia Sin

+COOP: During our last team outing in LA, we stumbled into COOP+ which is located right by Nickey Kehoe (and there we had a chance encounter with EHD alum Tessa Neustadt–further proving that this store is where all the stylish people in LA go :)). We all fell in love with the store immediately. Those oil and vinegar cruets by Virginia Sin are would look pretty in any kitchen.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: living room update–again

1. Diani Natural Storage Basket | 2. Round Accent Table | 3. Luxury Lamp

54Kibo: 54Kibo carries a curated selection of home decor and furniture from designers whose work is inspired by traditional African design. Remember that accent table from Emily’s LA living room update? It’s such a dynamic, sculptural piece that makes a huge impact. I also have had that storage basket on my wishlist for two years so it might just be the time to snag it since they are having a sale.

1. Sand Bowl | 2. Milk And Cobalt Grid Blanket | 3. Lidded Marble Bowl

March SF: This one is for all of you Bay Area folks out there! March is an AWESOME design shop located in San Francisco near the Presidio that has a vast selection of beautiful decor. Have you ever seen something more “EHD” than that blue grid blanket??? The sand bowl and lidded marble bowl are also obvious winners.

1. Metal Planter | 2. Rustic Jug | 3. Reclaimed Wood Pyramid Decor

Effortless Composition: Effortless Composition is a Black-owned shop that carries a stunning inventory of home decor by truly gifted artisans and makers. The founder, Brittiny, created this shop with the belief that creating a home you love should be effortless, so they do the footwork so finding quality decor to fill your home is a breeze. How cool is that wood pyramid object??

1. Farmhouse Serving Bowl | 2. Silverlake Dinner Set | 3. Colbalt and White Vase

Sheldon Ceramics: Founded by ceramicist Peter Sheldon, this studio located in downtown LA creates gorgeous pottery and ceramics. We love that serving bowl something fierce and can you imagine enjoying a meal using that stunning dinner set? Oh and remember all of those beautiful vases on this dining room table?? Yep, all Sheldon Ceramics.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | design by priscilla frost | from: my friend’s carpeted basement bathroom gets a budget makeover

1. Nester Throw | 2. Stone Bookends | 3. Granite Colander

Bloomist: We love Bloomist for their inventory of beautiful objects that make styling a room so easy and fun. This granite colander is so lovely and is one of those pieces that is functional, and would look really pretty styled out on a kitchen counter. And good news! With code: BLOOM25 the whole side is 25% off until 11/29.

1. Water Hyacinth + Rattan Floor Vase | 2. Rainbow Loop Lumbar Pillow | 3. Abaca Rope Pendant Lamp

EcoVibe: Ecovibe is a Black-owned design shop that has an incredible selection of home decor and furniture (they have the cutest Holiday decor and Christmas ornaments, too). Emily has this tassel pillow in two colors.

1. Azumaya Tea Pot | 2. Bottle Natural | 3. Japan Porcelain Objects (Set of 2)

Tortoise General Store: Tortoise General Store (located in Venice, CA) carries curated vintage and new Japanese housewares. Head here if you want to browse through an insane collection of vintage and antique objects that look like they belong in a museum.

1. Omo Bath Set | 2. Abren Napkins | 3. Bertu Mini Pillows

Bolé Road Textiles: New York-based designer Hana Getachew started Bolé Road Textiles out of a desire to merge her love of Ethiopian handwoven fabrics with her career in interior design, and it’s no wonder why this shop has blown up. The designs are minimal yet refined with a hint of playfulness and the quality is superb. We love these sweet minimal napkins that could make a great gift for someone who loves hosting dinner parties.

1. Antique French Canisters | 2. Olivia Floral Pillow | 3. Ceramic Decorative Bell

Casa di LaValle: Curated by Interior Stylist and Founder, Cassandra LaValle, this shop is the place to go for warm, vintage-farmhouse-inspired accents (just in case those antique french canisters didn’t already give that away).

photo by kailtin green | from: the farmhouse kitchen reveal

1. Butter Dish | 2. Antique Bronze Platter | 3. Ceramic Water Dispenser

Notary Ceramics: Here is another Portland staple and if you love well-made ceramics, this is the place for you. What was once a one-woman operation is now a successful women-run business that creates really beautiful handcrafted pieces. Do you see that butter dish?? It’s so so pretty and perfectly understated.

1. Lilith Rockett Orb Container | 2. Haws Plant Mister | 3. Tilt Salt Dish

Canoe: The CANOE concept is to offer simple, beautiful, and functional objects that can be used and enjoyed every day and they emphasize selling products that are made to last. I seriously don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love that orb container (including myself! wink wink!).

1. Low Table | 2. Golden Pig | 3. Marbled Mug

Woonwinkle: Here’s another Portland design and gift shop that Emily loves for their passion for color. Their inventory is stocked full of colorful postmodern furniture and exciting vessels and vases. Also, who wouldn’t want a golden pig statue??

1. Winter + Summer Cotton Coverlet | 2. Sidnie Lamp | 3. Maple Peg Rail

Schoolhouse: While Schoolhouse is bigger than ever, we felt we needed to give this Portland-based company a shout-out because we love their products and love working with them even more. You have no doubt seen this iconic coverlet several times on the blog as Emily has had and loved it for years. The Sidnie Lamp is another staple we love and have styled in many rooms. They are giving 20% off sitewide in case you wanted to get anything:)

Some of these shops may have updated sales so be sure to check them all out! Also if you have any small design shops in your area please shout them out in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by and have a great rest of your weekend. xx

*Opener Image by Ryann Trombetti

The post The Small Businesses We Love With REALLY GOOD Stuff appeared first on Emily Henderson.



from Emily Henderson https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/the-small-businesses-we-love-with-really-good-stuff

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