Welcome back for the big “reveal” day. Also, I’d like to officially rebrand the word “reveal” and instead use “my-current-iteration-that-I-love-but also-might-change-because-a-house-is-a-living-breathing-soulful-space-full-of-family-kids-and-dogs-and-might-never-be-truly-done”. More importantly, (and seriously) I have an announcement: Y’all!!! We Are Showing Off This House On YOUTUBE!! That’s right – we have started to produce long-form non-spon videos documenting each room process and reveal. We have years of footage that we are collating and editing to tell the story of this house. I haven’t enjoyed being in front of the camera this much in a long time. You see, unlike Tiktok, I like long-form storytelling where I can talk and talk and talk, especially when I can be super myself and transparent (it’s my own house, I’m paying for these videos so I’m in charge!!!). After looking for a long time, we found a great Portland-based video producer, Michael Raines, that got my vibe, brought creative direction and experience, and made it fun from the first second (that is VERY important to me as an Enneagram 7 like me). He also takes hilarious family and pet portraits in the Lloyd Center Mall (coming to you soon over Christmas). This one is our first official video and while we are of course learning a lot as we go, I really like it:
So before you look at this room “reveal” (or later if you are at work) don’t forget to watch the video – I had so much fun and I really think/hope you’ll enjoy it. We also did a shorter version (literally 1/30th of the length) that will be at the end of this post as well (and a reel, and stories, and pins and Mal is making TikToks, a Thread, a tweet, YouTube shorts, FB post, and potential IG lives – social media is super easy you guys!!!!). But seriously I’m very, very excited so please watch it if you are interested at all and if you do end up liking it go ahead and smash that “like” and “subscribe” button 🙂
As a reminder, we are in the living room – the huge room in the middle of the house that at times felt almost too big. If you are just catching up, either watch the YouTube video or read the recap. It was a long journey to get here so I’m excited to show you where we are at today.
It’s pretty darn inviting, comfortable, and cozy. All our favorite players are here – blue, green, wood, a ton of vintage that I’ve collected over the years, and a heavy dose of texture and velvet. It is not exactly the “minimalist shaker” living room that I had espoused years ago, but things change folks 🙂
Sofas | Chandelier | Vintage Articulating Sconce | Single Sconce | Throw Blanket
The two matching sofas (from Lulu and Georgia) are super comfortable and deep (but not too deep), a great scale for the room, and bridge that gap between traditional and modern. This angle shows the lighting so well – all locally assembled by Rejuvenation – the ceiling light really helped center/ground the conversation area (which seems odd since it’s on the ceiling but you get it). Then we combined a vintage articulating sconce over the dining nook with a more traditional fabric shade sconce for great light. In this shot, you can see how the living room interacts with the dining nook and kitchen – it all works pretty darn well!! And those scenic doors from Sierra Pacific – it’s such a dream (but we keep them closed on hot days obviously).
BTW – look how the Mantra wall color (that slight pale blue) changes so much! So often it looks light gray-blue, but here it looks green-blue (dare I say Robins Egg?). Sometimes I think it’s almost perfect and other times it feels a little too green. But see below! Perfect!
Wall Color | Trim Color | Double Wall Sconce | Tall White Planter (unavailable) | Sideboard (vintage) | Art (vintage) | Black and White Planter (vintage CB2:)) | Spindle Candles | Black Cone Candle (similar) | Chair (vintage + similar) | Roman Shade | Outlet Cover
Lots of dead people you recognize I’m sure (Sunroom reveal coming later). We have this oil portrait from 1740 (how have I not named her yet??) that I bought at an antique mall, the sideboard I bought at Round Top, my Cherner chairs that I’ll hoard forever, and a new plant that I’m shockingly keeping alive! Shout out to Drake’s 7 Dees on Scholls Ferry for having such a pretty indoor plant selection.
You’ll notice that I did the curtains and the Roman shade on that side in the same fabric – but two different styles in addition to the Japanese Boro shades. She is getting feisty in her 40s! (I love the combination very much – and Decorview does such an incredibly fantastic job).
Drapes | Chair and Ottoman (vintage + similar) | Ball Pillow | Magazine Rack (vintage) | Ceramic Scultpure (vintage) | Stool (vintage) | Ceramic Wall Art (from Sara) | Abstract Art
I think my favorite area of the room is this random little vignette or the dining nook – it just feels so much like me. I bought that Papa Bear chair online from a “vintage dealer” for way cheaper than most originals are (they run about $15k). I bought it for under $3k thinking it was a steal and then found it all over the internet for $1,500. SOOOO… But I still like this vintage dealer a lot (I don’t think they were trying to scam me) so at least I was supporting them and not a knockoff company (she tells herself to make herself feel better). The art on the left by the curtains are two pieces of small pottery framed by one of my former EHD favorites Sara Ligorria-Tramp – a gift that brings me a lot of happiness every time I look at it. I miss you, Sara:) And I found a place for that weird Victorian ball and stick magazine holder! The MaryAnn Puls piece of art is on the right and I LOVE it in this room – it marries all of the colors.
Sofa “Throw” (vintage)
If you’ve been following for a while (thank you) you’ll see so many things that I’ve collected over the years and it was so fun to finally style them in the house and make it feel like home. I have no idea which of these pieces I would buy again if I saw them with fresh eyes (I think all of them) – they are just kinda part of me at this point and I love them so much. The blanket on the back of the sofa is another vintage Japanese Boro quilt (I like how it pops off the green) and that blue velvet chair from Soho Home is excellent.
Velvet Chair | Sqaure Pillow | Drink Table | Rug | Wood Side Table (vintage) | Black Table Lamp | Coffee Table (custom) | Leather Wrapped Rock (similar) | Ruffled Tray | Rust Vase (vintage)
The most beautiful coffee table here is in full view (read this post if you want to see how we had it made). That tray is from Spartan Shop (a splurge for sure, but the most gorgeous ruffle tray on the planet by Dina No). The vintage vase is from one of my favorite PDX dealers, Shop Wilma (‘sup Annie), and what stack of books is complete without a leather-wrapped rock?
Floor Lamp | Log Holder (unavailable) | MCM Cabinet (vintage) | Tiny Drawer Storage Piece (vintage) | Black Vase
The Saturday before the shoot I was finalizing every single room when I decided to rearrange everything. I put the electric piano on the landing upstairs, put my primitive blue/gray sideboard where the piano was, and then this wall was empty. I didn’t want another surface to style or anything too open and busy. So I went on Facebook Marketplace and found this mid-century modern piece, asked the dealer if he could deliver and within two hours it was in my house. It wasn’t cheap ($600) but I actually really love it. As you might know, strong-lined Mid-century pieces are coming back and this teak wood tone looks soo good in here (especially with the island nearby). The top tiny drawer situation is separate – I just threw it on there to add more of a structured sculptural shape. I gifted myself that Noguchi lamp after wanting it for 10 years. It makes me very happy.
Here you can finally see how the living room, kitchen, and dining nook all work together (through that door is the family/TV room which will get revealed once the magazine is out!). The space works so well – I’m extremely pleased/relieved. It feels super cozy and connected, but having the two-facing sofas makes it feel separate in a really good way that I hadn’t predicted.
Y’all – we brought in the light and opening it up to the backyard is heaven.
Sling Chair | Lady Portrait (vintage) | Picture Light (unavailable ) | Plaid Bolster Pillows | Kava Bowl (vintage) | Popcisle Stick Planter (vintage + similar) | Small Art on Mantel | Large Art (vintage) | Abstract Wooden Sculpture (vintage) | Black Vase (vintage) | Wooden Scultpures (vintage)
I didn’t want a million pillows in here so I searched for very long bolsters – and y’all there are so many great ones on the market right now. These are from Schoolhouse and brought in some quirk and pattern. I had also bought two long faux leather ones from Target that actually looked really good, too, but these have so much more personality (and are a lot softer).
So how do I feel about this room? Y’all, I’m not about to sit here on a reveal day and pick apart my own design. I love everything in here, AND at the same time yes, I have some things that I don’t feel are working as well as I thought they would. Is that possible? To love everything and yet know that if tones were tweaked or depth was added it would be better? Sure! But that’s for another day. I truly love being in here and I really really really like it. I am really proud of what we’ve done and how this looks (I’ll tell you my thoughts soon I promise, but not today). Today, however, we celebrate these before and afters because I love and am grateful I’m living in this super comfortable, pretty, and cozy room for a while before I attempt any changes.
Oh and if you haven’t watched the full YouTube video yet (what are you waiting for??) here’s a little teaser to convince you:)
Outfit: Blouse (different color) | Jeans (old Levi‘s) | Sandals
Living Room Resources:
Sofas: Lulu and Georgia
Lighting: Rejuvenation
Accent Chair: Soho Home
Custom Coffee Table: Purl Samoheyl and Billy O
Rug: Amber Lewis For Loloi
Wood Flooring: Oregon White Oak by Zena Flooring
Windows and Doors: White oak, Double Hung by Sierra Pacific Windows
Drapes and Roman Shade: Decorview
Wall Color: Mantra by Sherwin-Williams
Paneling Color: Extra White by Sherwin-Williams
Stairwell Color: Smoky Blue by Sherwin-Williams
Lighting and Outlets: Rejuvenation
Table: Dinihanian Design Build
Bench Seat: ARCIFORM
Stools: Schoolhouse
Upholstery: Raleigh Hills Upholstery
*Design by Emily Henderson and ARCIFORM
*Photos by Kaitlin Green
THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED HERE.
