Hi friends!! Welcome back to my yearly post where I take you through just SOME of the reels we made and posted publicly on the internet! It was a jam-packed year full of MANY reveals (19 to be exact) and we’ve got lots more for you coming in 2025. There’s so much that goes into the making of one of our reels – for example, we’ll often start a project months prior to the video going live and we’ll take weeks or months of footage during the whole design process, then we’ll spend hours concepting what the video could be and how to break it down in a clear and concise way. Oftentimes we’ll comb through hours of video footage, select the best clips, and splice them together to make a video that’s less than a minute long. So it can take A LOT to produce these viral videos. Or we’ll have a quick and wild idea, shoot it in 10 minutes, edit it in 15, and post it that same day and it can go viral (social media is the Wild West after all). This list has a mix of both and we had a lot of heavy hitters this year (yay!) Let me show ya:
TOP REELS HERE WE GO!
Starting off strong with one of the “quick ideas that took 2 seconds to make and everyone loved” reels:
15. River House Sneak Peak (The Princess Diaries Edition)
This GORGEOUS room at the river house was the one that had the last-minute addition of putting excess wood flooring on the walls (and to answer your question yes, you can put wood flooring on walls! See more here ICYMI). We were chatting in a meeting one day trying to decide how we could show off this incredible room (pre-reveal) on Instagram and the whole team freaked out over the idea of doing a lip sync to this Princess Diaries sound. We decided it would be best if Em’s brother Ken was involved which turned out to be a hilarious and great move.
14. Sunroom Before/After (442k)
I created this reel at the veerrrry end of December 2023 so it didn’t make it into last year’s post, but I had to give her her moment in the spotlight! Em’s sunroom is just so pretty that the room really speaks for itself, but I did really like this format of seeing the befores in a flashy way before the big reveal. I had a lot of fun pulling this one together and was really happy with how it came out (so I’m glad you guys were too!)
13. Not Your Average Sink (454k)
This reel makes me chuckle because I cosplayed Emily in it (LOL). We were shooting the mudroom, guest bath, and kids’ bathroom at the river house all on the same day, so Em had to be pulled away for portraits. Gretch and I decided we could shoot this reel if I put on Em’s sweater and just had my hands in it and it WORKED. This Kohler sink really is so cool, so I was happy that we could highlight it in a way that was entertaining for everyone. This video also went through a lot of different sound renditions, but I love where we landed with the music. If you haven’t seen this already then enjoy this video of my hands chopping and washing dishes:
12. Thrifted VS Styled (531k)
This is a fun trend that’s been going around IG for a little while now and Em has such good vintage that I knew we had to participate. I asked if she could find the OG Facebook marketplace listings/photos of her vintage items in store and then we took videos of how those items look now in her house. Safe to say it ended up being a hit! Should we do a part 2?!
11. House Walkthrough (538K)
Em had a Velux shoot happening at her house so the entire space was clean at once and I got a slack one day that said “My whole house is clean (which rarely happens) should I shoot a walkthrough?” I quickly replied “YES!” So Em went around her house, grabbed a video walking through the entire house and you guys LOVED IT. It’s truly so cool to see how a house flows, so this was a really fun one to edit and watch. We also did a part 2 of the upstairs if you’re curious!
10. Amazon Workout Hack (543k)
If there’s one thing the internet loves, it’s an Amazon hack. So when there’s an Amazon product that’s well-designed, affordable, and can significantly improve your life (ie: this dumbbell to barbell/kettlebell attachment) why not share it with the world? When Em told me about this genius product I was like “WE HAVE TO TELL PEOPLE THAT’S THE SMARTEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN!” so I’m not surprised this one did well – the product is genius and can save you both space and money if you’re crafting a home gym!!
9. Mini Gym Process (553k)
This one was a real labor of love to edit as you can probably tell! It was weeks (maybe even months) of process footage that I combined into one video, then I wrote a little script about how this all came to be and had Em do a voiceover which really helped tell the story (and it was a good one!) The mini gym might be one of my fav projects of the year, so I was happy that you guys loved it too!
8. How Designers Hang Art (601k)
Now THIS ONE is exciting because this reel was on our list of “fun things to shoot when you get a chance” for a WHILE. Once Em and Gretch got a free second to shoot this, I pulled it together and posted it and BOMB. It took OFF! It was pretty hilarious, I got a few good laughs out of it myself 🙂
7. Best Blue Paint Colors (658k)
We had the idea to do this for a while and I’m so glad we eventually did! Em loves blue (in case you didn’t know), so chatting through paint colors she’s used in the past was really really fun (and hopefully super helpful!) Should we make this a series and do more??
6. Cold Plunge (659k)
Who doesn’t love a cold plunge?? Em is very into her cold plunge (and they’re trending a lot right now) so I wasn’t surprised to see this one hit the top reel list! Also, that suit is pretty cute and Em looks fab so I’m glad this got the attention it deserved 🙂
5. Unexpected Red Theory (670k)
This was a fun trending sound that I knew we had pretty solid examples of (because Em’s been using the unexpected red theory for years!) I used the sound and then played it over photos of rooms from EHD’s past that had unexpected pops of red, and then I photoshopped the red in and out so you could really see the impact. I think it really drove the point home and made me definitely want to add more red to my home (hopefully it did the same for you too!)
4. Caitlin’s Hallway (1M)
This was another one that didn’t make last year’s list because it was too late in the year, so I’m including it here! Caitlin’s long dark hallway got a glow-up a while ago, but it never got the social love it deserved imho, so I made this reel and was stoked to see it pop off!
3. Where To Place Cabinet Hardware (1.1M)
In 2024 we learned that you guys and everyone else on IG LOVE to learn about where to place hardware on cabinetry (and we get it…it’s confusing). This guide is so helpful and really breaks it down in a clear way (which is why it got a lot of saves!) Safe to say you’ll likely be seeing more hardware content in the new year since everyone seems to love it!
2. Gretchen’s DIY Fabric Wallpaper (1.9M)
When Gretchen first told me that she was going to put fabric on her walls as wallpaper for her bedroom makeover I had so many questions. First off, HOW? Second, is it renter-friendly? What kind of fabric? Is it easy to install? She breaks down every single question in this reel and shows ya how it’s done. Major shoutout to Gretch for this genius idea and for making this reel! WAY TO GO GRETCH!!
AND OUR HOTTEST REEL OF THE YEAR WAS…
…DRUMROLL PLEASE…
1. Riverhouse Shower (5.1M)
5 MIL! Now this is one famous shower…and I get it. It’s SEXY. The triple shower heads, the hand shower, the bathtub, THE VIEW? Everything about this bathroom is awesome (did you know on the other side of it there’s a sauna?!). Truly one of my favorite spaces if I do say so myself. It’s JUST so pretty. Also, way to make some great shower heads, Kohler!
Well, that’s all for this year. I hope you are feeling fresh and ready for 2025, I have a feeling it’s gonna be a good one. Thanks for being here, for following, for engaging, and for all of your support. We appreciate you so much and are so grateful that your eyes actually watch the photos and videos we are so lucky to create. We couldn’t do what we do without you all so from the bottom of our hearts, thank you, and have the happiest new year! xx
THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED HERE.
