No, I’m not being auctioned off as a celebrity date for a day (not opposed to it, TBH). This is a longer relationship between me, you, and your home. I’m pleased as punch to announce a new program I’ve been wanting to do for years, and now with the river house and farmhouse wrapping up I finally have the bandwidth to do it (without disappointing anyone, hopefully). I want to coach one of you through a remodel. A couple of years ago Rich Bye (TV Producer) brought me this concept and pitched it as a TV show (which got bought and then canceled for a variety of reasons). TBH I was hesitant to let production take over my life again, but the idea of coaching others through a very VERY stressful time in one’s home was a massive draw and I knew it would be extremely rewarding.
Y’all. No one understands the stress of a renovation more than I do and I’ve done it A LOT. There are too many permanent decisions back to back to back and doing it on your own is crazy making. It’s a privilege to renovate (truly) and it’s also a huge stress – especially if you want to create something both interesting and timeless! I want to be your design buddy with experience, I want to hold your hand and help you choose between the four different greens that look identical to your partner but we all know THEY ARE SO DIFFERENT. I am not perfect and I mess up LOL, but I’m still far more experienced than most and I have a lot of insight from years of successes and mistakes. In a lot of ways, this is what I did with my brother’s house – some rooms I designed more (what was sponsored) but for others I just weighed in and gave my two cents based on what they already wanted.
What Does Coaching Mean??
Support. Guide. Empower. Educate. Encourage. Keep you on track. Y’all, I’ll hold your hand and wipe your tears. I’ll even help convince your partner that what we want is the right thing to do (and tell you when you are wrong)!! I’ll help YOU make decisions, help YOU not miss opportunities, and help you avoid pitfalls and mistakes that will send you into a regret spiral (that I know all too well). I’ll be there for you when you need someone else with some expertise to confirm that your decisions won’t be the end of you (and/or your marriage should you be in one).
The Parameters
You must be local (in Portland). Sorry:)
You need to already be planning a remodel or have already just started one – For the sake of content speed ideally, you have already invested your time/resources into starting the process.
You have to be your own designer and project manager – This isn’t the “Free Design From Emily” show, this is me helping you through this and trust me the satisfaction that you did this will feel incredible. I’ll guide you through my process should you want a model that I think works (i.e. mood boards, look and feel, color palettes, etc) and if you need drawings I’ll suggest people you can hire. You’ll project manage the whole thing (i.e. I won’t be placing orders or checking in boxes). Consider it a mentorship, a coach – not a designer or anyone who is going to keep you on track and hold you to deadlines (I still have to do that for myself).
You’ll need a budget – I’ll donate my time and my team’s time when it makes sense, but I won’t pay for the remodel. If it makes sense to get things donated for trade we’ll explore that (i.e. tile, lighting, etc), but that is something we’d negotiate if it made sense (and I would need to get deliverable and usage costs covered – like I’ve said before, There is no such thing as a free lunch.)
You’ll need to be willing to be documented and photographed – This can get really personal and can feel really exposing (but we also have so much fun). We’ll likely document it on IG stories, reels, YouTube, and blog. If you are an aspiring designer and want to be tagged? OF COURSE!! But if you are already a designer, then I’m looking for someone in need of real help not someone with experience.
Scope of work – This can be big or small! It can be a whole house renovation or just a bathroom remodel (it’s more about finding the right fit for all of the above). IF it makes sense to do one large long-term house and one faster cosmetic makeover then we’ll do that. It’s all based on submissions and frankly, our chemistry.
What we’ll consider – Ideally blog readers (and yes the longer you’ve been reading or the more engaged you’ve been the more preference you’ll get and if you’ve ever left a really unkind comment then you’ll likely not get chosen, FYI – we can easily check that stuff). But if you are just landing here as an Instagram follower that’s ok, too! And welcome:)
Will You Need To Be On Camera?
Yes. But if you have kids we can happily just obscure their faces (if have them included at all).
Do I Need To Disclose My Budget?
Maybe – This is on a case-by-case basis. There is a lot of judgment around money on the internet and I’m not in the business of stressing people out by blasting out their net worth or lack thereof. I’m very sensitive about this, myself (for bad and good). Perhaps we’d be open about some things but not others. TBD. Also, HGTV is full of lies re budgets so if you think a kitchen remodel is $15k I’m sad to say it’s usually 5 times that price (I think they don’t want to alienate their audience so they fudge the numbers which I think is criminal). But if your cosmetic bathroom budget is $5k then I think that would be really fun to disclose (it’s doable and relatable).
We can’t work with another designer that you’ve hired (trust me, multiple designers on the same project can be tricky). But if you are an inspiring designer – GREAT. I just don’t want to step on toes – remember this is YOUR design project, your home, your portfolio (if that’s applicable), I’m just your coach through it all.
How To Apply?
Send through an email with basic photos and a summary – you do NOT have to do a fancy deck, but sure that can be helpful if you are up for it. We’ll then interview folks via Zoom, ask for video tours if applicable, and then before making a final selection we’ll come in person. Please give all the info – budget, scope of work, timeline, how far into it you are. Attach pinboards or a mood board. The more info you give the better chance of consideration. This will require work on your end so show me that you are willing to do the work (and not just phone it in). You will be the lead on this! I’m just your design buddy.
You don’t need a big budget, but ideally you’d have the numbers worked out so that whatever you want to execute is doable. Remodeling is so expensive these days, y’all.
Wait, Can This Be A DIY Remodel?
SURE! I mean, you’ll do the DIY (I might help but can’t guarantee that based on schedule). If you are handy (or someone in your house is) then GREAT. Let’s do it together. All liability is on you though, LOL. I truly do want those who are on a tight budget to feel like they can apply here, but just think realistically about your abilities (i.e. if you both have full-time jobs and kids and no prior DIY experience then DIY’ing might be really hard for you).
You must be fun and motivated.
Listen, I’m an Enneagram 7 (the enthusiast that is driven by fun) and a Virgo (bossy, ambitious, and impatient) – I like to move fast, check boxes weekly, and have fun. I don’t want this project to take 2 years and if we don’t have good chemistry then we might need to call it. This is the first time doing this so I’m sure there will be a ton of learnings, but in a perfect world, we check in every week or other week (on a weekday during working hours – I don’t work on the weekends or after 5 pm) and you run the project to move forward smoothly. There is no clear system or protocol for this, we haven’t done this before, but I really think that with the right parameters and the right chemistry, I can really really really help you and bring the rest of you along for a really fun ride.
I’m so excited. I love the design and remolding process, especially when it’s not my house and my budget LOL. I also love problem-solving, obsessing about details, and taking healthy risks. My goal is to help you take your design from a 7 to a 10. If you are interested send emails to gretchen@emiliyhendersondesign.com. Ideally, we’d have submissions to start Zoom chats in 2 weeks.
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green
THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED HERE.
