As you may have read last week we have a wonderful new Portland based team member, Marlee! She will get a more formal introduction in this week’s Link Up but she has hit the ground running and is the one responsible for this blog post idea. When she pitched it we loved it so here we are giving you a little inside scoop of what’s on our 2025 decor wish lists. Creating a home you love and cherish is a deep privilege and as we’ve been reminded this past week, should never be taken for granted. So with that said, here are some things we would love to add into our homes this year if we can find the right fits.
Emily
“Wooden sculpture art”. I’ve been obsessed with Casey McCafferty’s work for years and while it’s likely not in my budget, I have found pieces over the years at flea markets that are vintage versions. Think something like this above!
While I may never find/buy my vintage floral sofa in the condition that I want (in the price that I want) I will never stop looking for it. This one is so awesome.
This one too!! So granny. So cute and fun. I want to buy a house with a sunroom just for this sofa (understood that I have a house with a sunroom, but it won’t fit and also the fabric is too faded for my liking…nor do I need it but BOY do I love it).
Jess
The number one item(s) on my 2025 list is art. Of course I have a specific idea of what I’m looking for and yet can’t seem to find it (well, at the price I need, ha). Ideally, the art is vintage, colorful-ish in “happy colors” but most importlantly I want an orginal piece. I adore prints (and have many) but I want the texture of real paint. Oh, I really want paintings I think! Above are photos of the style I’m looking for. I want to stay from exclusively abstrast shapes because the majority of my art is just that. I need to mix it up so my living room feels more layered! It’s the final step that I just haven’t been able to nail down.
Here are three pieces that are/were on sale. The piece of the man is a print by the incredible artist, Brittany Ferns. I ADORE her work but even her larger prints are a little out of my price range. The other two are awesome but not quite it and also too small. Did I mention I need the piece for my living room to be large (like at least 20″ x 30″)?? That might actually be the real issue. I promise this is my top priority so I can show you the rest of my living room!
Caitlin
First on my list: Keep-forever cushion covers. I love these block printed fabrics by Molly Mahon – they’re both beautifully crafted and very, very, very out of my price range. (Tragically, I cannot currently justify spending $150 for a lone 20×20″ pillow cover, despite my best mental gymnastic efforts.) But I know that the right covers exist for me somewhere out there! I’d love to grab a few cheery pieces in punchy hues (ideally from a small business) to adorn our new sectional, which is currently adorned with a myriad of floppy white pillow inserts.
I’m also on the hunt for vintage furniture or lighting with futuristic, anachronistic details. I’m OBSESSED with Josef Frank’s work – can you believe he designed the above piece over a hundred years ago?! (Here’s more of his furniture, which still feels fresh) – and I’m finding myself increasingly drawn to mid-century Italian design. I mean…couldn’t you imagine a light fixture like this in any major modern magazine? If you didn’t know it was vintage, you’d never guess – those are the kinds of pieces I’d love to score this year!
Finally – LIGHT(ER) FRAMES. I know there’s a lot of gallery wall discourse out there – the gallery wall is dead! Single pieces of art are in! – but I’m so charmed by the composition of this gallery wall from Il Palazzetto in Italy (modernized by Carlo and Tobia Scarpa – the entire property is fabulous and inspiring). But the art just flows here, you know? It feels cozy. (And as a lifelong lover of a stark black frame, I’m excited to try something new. Sometimes it really is just the little things! :))
Mallory
So you saw my vintage piano but now I’m on the hunt for a cool piano bench!! I absolutely fell in LOVE with this one and this one – but for $2k I was like there has to be a vintage one floating around I could revamp for way less. I’ve already looked a ton on Facebook Marketplace and there are lots of options that are cloooose but no dice yet! Holla at me if you’ve seen anything fun 🙂
Over our EHD holiday break, I shared my coat closet that I turned into a speakeasy (if you saw it thank you for the love!!) I added in some LED strip lighting and a really cool vintage lamp I found for $10 – but it’s super dark in there so I want to add some sconces or a pendant light. My heart initially fell in love with the Goop x CB2 collab sconces because I love the detail on them and the space isn’t big so they’re perfect since they don’t stick super far off the wall – but for $500 each (I need two) there’s no way unless they go on a FAT sale. So I’m on the hunt for some cool lighting (will likely need to have a battery-operated or rechargeable light bulb unless I figure out how I can run a cord which isn’t impossible). Stay tuned!!
Gretchen
My lookouts for 2025 revolve around–shocker–the need for more storage. First on my list is a front entry cabinet, one that is relatively shallow but still spacious enough to store a pile of shoes. Currently I have an old, woven console table with two Target bins full of footwear tucked beneath it. It’s not the worst solution in the world, but it’s tired and doesn’t really fit my style anymore. I much prefer the clean lines and the hiding-of-stuff that a cabinet provides. I’d love to find a vintage piece to fit the bill, preferably something with a mid-century/Danish vibe to it, but I need it to be a darker wood tone. On my entry wall already is a vintage shelf with built-in hooks for coats and a vintage arched mirror I plan to hang on the wall (it currently leans on the sad, woven table). Both of these pieces are a sort of dark, rustic walnut, so it makes sense to stay in this world, but I’d like to find something a little less weathered to balance things out. I could be happy with drawers or doors, but I’d like for the stuff inside to stay hidden, so no open shelving here. Ideally the piece is no deeper than 15″ to leave me with plenty of entry space, slightly wider than the mirror I’ll hang above it, and I’d love for it to be tall enough that the top serves as a natural, almost counter height catch-all zone for keys, mail, etc. I’ve considered some sort of secretary desk here, like this GORGEOUS combination from Etsy, which also has a space for shoe storage, even if it’s no secret behind the glass. But I’m not sure I can justify taking up more space in the entry to actually use it as a desk, no matter how much I love a transforming piece of furniture. The key function I’m looking for is shoe storage.
This piece from Etsy is probably closer to what would practically work here, but it’s a lot more money than I’m willing to spend and the color isn’t right. It’s the shape and interesting legs that are working for me. I’d love it even more if it had tambour doors like this perfect but way too squatty cabinet from Chairish. Tambour doors are like cat nip to me, I can’t explain it, I just love them. If I could only stretch this cabinet and cut the price in half, I would be set! Now I will say, I found a pretty great non-vintage contender in this entry cabinet from Article. It’s the right color, with a nice finish, has cute legs, great hidden storage (sadly no tambour doors, but doors nonetheless) and a way better price compared to what I’m seeing. But I don’t want to jump the gun. I’m manifesting that I’ll find my perfect, vintage piece on Facebook Marketplace from someone who wants it gone for cheap!
What I might end up buying new is the other item on my list–a tall bathroom cabinet. The only storage in my bathroom I didn’t add to the space myself comes from under my sink and it’s really only big enough to store cleaning supplies. I’d love if I could find a tall, narrow cabinet that could sit opposite the sink to store pretty much everything else. I’ve had my eye on this cabinet from IKEA for a while. It’s clean, simple, scandi and most importantly, TALL. Most bathroom cabinets I come across don’t go much higher than 56″ or so, and again I need to maximizeeee.
This cabinet from Lowe’s is surprisingly beautiful and also kind of the perfect size, but it doesn’t really fit the current vibe I have going on in there. I do love that it looks and works like a nice piece of furniture so I don’t have to commit to attaching it to the wall, but I think I could also just add legs to the IKEA piece and make it work. Truthfully, I’m less sure about my ideal storage pieces for in here because I want to make some design changes and revamp my bathroom in general. I’m working on figuring out the direction, but it doesn’t feel like a bad idea to start with necessary storage and go from there. I just wish I could swap out my vanity too for something a little more visually stimulating. Time to build a mood board and see if I can convince my landlord!
Arlyn
At any other point in my life, this list of what I was hunting down for my house may have felt endless, but truth be told, after this last week’s fires and choosing to evacuate my home for precaution (and seeing so much loss around me), I want *fewer* things in my life. However, there are legitimately two things I need: a secretary desk for my bedroom so I can work in peace away from my toddler when she’s being supervised by another adult downstairs, as well as a new dresser for said toddler’s bedroom now that she’s outgrown the changing table.
I’ve actually been casually seeking a secretary desk for about six months now, never landing on anything I loved enough for the price. There were a few “almost” moments from Facebook Marketplace but either I didn’t get to it fast enough, it was too far and didn’t offer delivery, or it was just more than I wanted to spend. Since I don’t want my bedroom to feel too much like an office, I think a desk that folds away into more of a chest or dresser is ideal. I just need enough space for a laptop, keyboard, mouse and a small notebook and pen I’m open to it either being something more regal and ornate to shake up all the streamlined pieces in my room (you know, since my beloved armoire is in the garage since it wouldn’t fit up the stairs on moving day), or a cool mid-century look which would coordinate with my vintage dresser well.
Here are some of the visual inspirations I have tucked away while I hunt around for something (though I’d rather spend no more than $500, so it might be tough):
As for the dresser for my daughter’s room, I have dreams of a 19th-century Nordic or Swedish handpainted folk art situation. Her bedroom has no real design at the moment, and I had the idea over Christmas while I watched her dance fervently to Frozen and Frozen II that maybe I could go the angle of the visuals from that movie. Frozen, but make it beautiful. If you watch the details in that movie, all the handpainted florals and shapes on woodworking are just wildly beautiful and I know we’d *both* love it. To start, we need a new dresser, so…that’s my Everest. Being that I can’t even find a true inspiration photo for it, I’m in for a long road (or I’ll have to paint it myself). Imagine the below kind of painting on a small chest of 3-5 drawers:
Marlee
Hi, Marlee here! We haven’t officially met – I just joined the team last week. I am SO excited to be here with this amazing team! I moved into a new apartment in the fall, and it’s taking some time but I’m finally starting to feel like the space is coming together. It’s definitely the most “adult” feeling place I’ve rented so far. I mean, I’ve got a fridge with an ice maker – that’s big for me.
I’ve quickly come to learn that with living in “adult” apartment comes a realization of where my decor is lacking. It’s become clear to me that the biggest culprit is my wall of photos and postcards, held up by putty and washi tape. I have no shame in the crafty vibe, but I’ve made it my 2025 goal to work on collecting an assortment of unique frames to give all my art and photos the display they deserve.
I’ve been seeing so many cool frames on my Pinterest and Instagram – think interesting textures (like this) and irregular shapes (like this) but at a much more reasonable price point. A gallery wall full of these might look a little crazy but I think a few sprinkled in here and there would be fun. I usually skip the art aisle at goodwill (it’s too chaotic) but this year I’m committing to the hunt and will be keeping an eye out for frames. Cross your fingers for me!
So that’s what’s on our lists, what’s on yours if anything?
Love you, mean it.
THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED HERE.
