Emily Henderson

chairs via lulu and georgia | desks via lulu and georgia | pendant lights Just when we thought we were mostly over white walls (okay, not really) coffee table via article | rug via lulu and georgia | blanket via lost & found (similar) | bench via lulu and georgia Leather furniture is pretty synonymous with a cool, edgy room, right? armchair via lulu and georgia | floor lamp via lulu and georgia Matte black is the name of the game for Edgy Neutral, so let that be the majority of the metal finishes you bring in via accessories, lighting, and even furniture. Here, in the little entry area of the basement studio, the style team brought in a live-edge wood bench (with black steel legs because #edgyneutralstarterkit) and the well-worn peg rail keeps things down to earth and not too showy.

I was in my mid-20s, only had bedroom furniture in my possession (mostly espresso-stained pieces from IKEA’s Hemnes line with the exception of the upholstered headboard I DIYed), and found myself in need of things like a sofa and coffee table after accepting a job three hours south of my home town (and parents’ house where I lived after college like every proper millennial). Anyhow, none of this is to say I don’t fondly remember my gray velvet Macy’s Chloe sofa I bought during a One-Day Sale for $600 (plus the “care” package for an additional $150 that I absolutely never used) or my too-small-but-who-cares black-and-white chevron rug or the “weathered” wood coffee table I afforded with a rebate for signing up for AT&T U-Verse. #3 (which is the same line as Emily’s dining room cabinet), #7, #9 and #14 are more on the traditional side, while #1, #4, #6 and #8 would be cool style additions (I’ve seen that caned Target #6 cabinet in multiple homes and it always makes me want to grab it So, the good news is, side tables can be VERY cost effective (four of these are under $50 and all but one under $100), which is a good thing because typically, you need two of them for each side of the sofa or next to a sofa/armchair.

(I did however just see a herringbone floor tile recently where the right angles mimic the square shape of the patio, essentially eliminating the angled cuts around the border if it’s in the shape of a rectangle, so just know this does exist as an option if you like the look but don’t want to/can’t allocate the budget to it). Every time they had to cut something they have to measure, go outside, grab the wood, cut it, bring it in, realize it’s slightly off (maybe) go back outside, re-cut, bring it back in, etc. We think the difference would have been roughly $20k due to changes and patching (plus, Ken reminded me that we did smooth coat under all the paneling in the lower level because we didn’t know at the time we were going to do pretty wood work on the walls at the time, so that doesn’t help). So, over the course of those months, we realized that so many things had to be moved, and it’s much easier to move them pre-drywall than after (also if I haven’t told you the story yet about how expensive it is to repair smooth coat drywall? ? ? ? ).

Floral outfits are being presented almost every day at work, vacations are getting booked and the beach is an actual place we want/need to be on the weekends (despite the 45+ minute commute for some of us east siders). Speaking of Emily’s friends, Arlyn loved this interview on Bleu with Jen Gotch (and a peek inside her fun, warm, collected home). She saw her set of freestanding ceramic houses over the holidays and has been wanting to buy from her since, but hasn’t gotten anything because she’s not quite ready to commit to the shipping costs from the UK. It’s all about the challenges and growth of up-and-coming comedian Pete Holmes, plus tons of funny special appearances from well-known comedians/actors such as Sarah Silverman, John Mulaney, TJ Miller, and more.