Emily Henderson | Design Happens

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Round-Up From Round Top

by Emily Henderson October 14, 2011 30 Comments

Texas and I are lovers. The first time i went there was a few months ago to shoot my HGTV’d episode in Austin. I spent a week there and fell in mad, hot, Texan love for that city, the people and that crazy yet unpretentious culture.

Emily Henderson at Round Top Antiques Fair

I <3 Texas

I went two stepping at Gruen Hall (one of the oldest live-music, dance halls in the country) the very first night, and that was kinda the end of it….or the beginning of it. It was nothing short of magical.

So when HGTV emailed and asked if i would want to go to the Round Top antique show in Texas I remember thinking, ‘UH….. Does a librarian like books? Do cops like doughnuts???….DOES KIM KARDASHIAN LIKE MASCARA?????? YEAH!! YES!! YES!!! YES!!! I WANT TO GO TO TEXAS TO GO ANTIQUING!!!!

You betcha, I do.

Hi, HGTV friends!

And it was awesome. HGTV set up a booth for shoppers just to drink water, relax, hang out and for two hours meet with yours truly. Round Top has SEVENTEEN miles of antiques. I mean, are you kidding me? It’s the Super Bowl of antique shows, the Olympics of flea markets, the Academy Awards of thrift. You could spend a week here and not see everything. So having a booth in the shade where people could relax and drink free cold water was actually super appreciated by a lot of shoppers.

So the thing about being a designer on TV is that its not the ‘being on tv’ that is fun. It’s not like i sit watching Secrets From a Stylist and elbow my friends and say over and over, ‘hey thats me, isn’t this fun to just watch me?’. Designing is always fun, running a crew is totally fun, having HGTV pay for me to redo rooms and make people really happy is a total blast, but the fun really comes when people come up to you, write to you, stop you in the street and say, ‘I love your show so much because you help me make my home prettier’, and then they go off on why and how.

Secrets From a Stylist: Gunnin’ for Style

Its unprovoked and completely genuine. And that’s why its fun to have a tv show, because its not just you and one client at a time any more. Whenever i feel kinda worried about the future of SFAS i just read some comments on the blog and wham, i feel so good again.

Emily Henderson and fans at Round Top Antiques Fair

Hanging out at the booth with my incredible fans.

So for a few hours the booth was dedicated to anyone who wanted to meet and talk to little old me and it was totally incredible to hang out with all these people who appreciate what I work so hard on. The line was out the door and there were so many people that legitimately couldn’t wait to hang out.

For instance:
I met Jessi, who genuinely was excited to tell me that she was my number 1 fan, and she wasn’t just saying that. There is a ‘Jessi’ that comments a lot on my blog and indeed it was her. She was incredibly sweet and made me feel really good by telling me that she has learned more from my show than four years of Interior Design school.

Emily Henderson and Jessi at Round Top Antiques Fair

Me and Jessi

Secrets From a Stylist: Gunnin’ for Style

by Emily Henderson May 24, 2011 12 Comments

If you missed this one, it was a blast! Don’t cry. You can watch all of the Secrets From a Stylist – Gunnin’ for Style episode on HGTV.com. So back to the design and the homeowner. He was hilarious to work with because he is one of those guys who wants good style and knows what he doesn’t like. But he can’t really put a finger on what he does, so you are just guessing and guessing and hoping you are right. You know what he didn’t like? The first look. Not one bit. But he was really great about it, super informational, not just standing there being weird, but actively saying what he didn’t like and why, which is strangely refreshing.

FIRST LOOK:

Design Happens - Emily Henderson - First Look

Not exactly a boy’s room. But i actually loved it. Full disclosure, the sofa is a Michel Ducaroy Togo knockoff, NOT the real thing but still pretty awesome. Those Toga sofas could break up marriages, destroy families, cause a civil war….they are very divisive. The crew at first didn’t like it, but then slowly, one by one, they all came to LOVE it and covet it and want it in their mouth.

Secrets From a Stylist: Mid-Century Artist

by Emily Henderson May 15, 2011 27 Comments

Alright. If you missed the episode of Mid-Century Artist: Secrets From a Stylist, here’s what we got. She loves anything bold and unexpected. He loves anything straight and clean. She likes feminine and soft and white. He’s hip to functional and symmetrical. Ultimately, this couple was not too far apart…

…but their home was none of this. And i was about to make a bit design mistake. Stay tuned.

2 Looks, 2 Carpets

Secrets From a Stylist: Modern Urban Beach

by Emily Henderson May 9, 2011 14 Comments

Hands down one of my favorite episodes. (Missed it? Click here for my full episode of Modern Urban Beach: Secrets From a Stylist.) Many of reasons why. First of all, you all didn’t know this, but i am friends with these folks. (They auditioned and got on without any word from me, by the way.) She was 9 months pregos, and I felt so bad for her, because she was tired. Not exactly great timing. And it proved to be extra not great timing by the end of the week. That’s right, she had the baby before we finished shooting the episode. Whoops. They felt so sorry, and i was like, ‘SHUT UP! YOU ARE HAVING A BABY, AND THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ANY OF US’. I was sooo excited for them. Long story short, i designed their new house, they had a baby and it all ended perfectly.

Their combined style is ‘Modern Urban Beach’ and their house (that used to be a guest house) looked a little something like this before:

The Before: Well, at least I have a fairly clean slate!

But then i came along, and now it looks like this:

The Big Reveal

Secrets From a Stylist: California Spanish Mod

by Emily Henderson April 20, 2011 16 Comments

Lauren and Andre were tricky. They were a great example of not knowing what they want, but upon seeing something they hate, they had really strong opinions. So there was more guess work than before. (If you missed this one or need a refresher, here’s an easy-peasy way you can watch the whole episode of California Spanish Mod: Secrets From a Stylist.) Here are a few pictures from Domino I showed them. (I find that if i bring GOOD magazines, people choose good things. If i tell them to send me pics, then i get UNinspired pics because most people are not obsessed with design blogs like i am. So finding beautiful, inspiring pictures is hard for them.) Here is what they both liked:

Domino

She loved the mirror (which i did find, for $1600 at MIX) and they loved the colors. They both loved the coffee tables and the colors…which is why i started getting the ‘modern organic’ thing. It’s rustic, but more refined.

The Looks + Their Reactions

Secrets From a Stylist: Mantique Minimalism

by Emily Henderson April 5, 2011 13 Comments

Meet Amy and Mike’s place. Mike loves all things rustic; Amy loves it clean and simple.

The Before: No personality and so NOT them

if that’s not them, what is?

Secrets From a Stylist: Southern Romance Meets Scottish Charm

by Emily Henderson March 28, 2011 18 Comments

Neo-southern modern scottish re-belle. Really Emily? That title was long but it totally made us laugh. Nick was terrified that i was going to do all their furniture in plaid. He works in TV so he knows that a lot of these shows try to create conflict and do so by going really over the top for the audience (If you missed it, you can watch or rewatch the full episode of Southern Roman Scottish Charm: Secrets From a Stylist). I totally messed with him about it off camera, with little ‘hope you like neon plaid’ comments here and there.

And Clark liked her title but i think she was thinking it would be super traditional matchy-matchy, where the drapery matches the sofa which matches the pillows kinda thing. So she was a little scared, too.
See Their Inspiration Rooms

Secrets From a Stylist: Emily’s Episode 4 Recap

by Emily Henderson March 27, 2011 4 Comments

Designing for a designer is like massaging a masseuse. You know they are here because you can do something for them that they can’t, but at the same time you are acutely aware that they can and will have strong opinions about how you do them. Or maybe it’s all in your head. Joy is a graphic designer and blogger and she’s kinda big time. But she was intensely sweet and incredibly grateful, making the whole process so much easier. So while i thought that i would be more self-conscious, i actually wasn’t. It’s probably because i LOVED that final room and both their styles, so it made me feel confident. (You’ll see later in the season how when i don’t love a particular style, it’s harder but in some ways more interesting. But to start, if you missed this show, you can still watch the whole episode of Single Malt Nouveau: Secrets From a Stylist).

Secrets of a Stylist Episode Four The before: Cute, but not quite there.

I thought i had Joy pegged. She’s a graphic designer, super feminine, playful and on trend. She likes things that make her happy and, well yes, joyful. Bob is harder (the men are either super hard (picky because they know what they don’t like but can’t put a finger on what they do) or easy (as long as it’s comfy and looks put together, they’re happy). Bob wanted masculine, sleek, large scale and modern. He showed me the chrome and wood chair that he loves, and i took a lot of input from that. OK, so he loves chrome…i can too when it’s right. He loves modern shapes, i can too when it’s right. But besides that, it is so hard to find furniture and accessories that get men really excited.

See My 2 Cheery Afters

Secrets From a Stylist: Emily’s Episode 3 Recap

by Emily Henderson March 18, 2011 18 Comments

Episode three was a total blast (watch it here). Excitement just oozed out of Micah and Evelyn. I promise never to say ‘oozed out of them’ again. Gross. But it did. They were desperate for help and all they wanted was fun, color and some function. They already had a TV room (that you didn’t see.) They also wanted a place to play with their friends—they love themselves some board games. They also needed a dining room. The loft was pretty daunting actually; it was massive and dark and totally vacuous. Frankly, it was very cold, and these people are not.

Secrets From a Stylist: Episode 3 Loft, Before I know. Empty. Dead. Boring.

But It Gets Better

Emily’s Secrets From a Stylist Recap: Mad Men Bohemian

by Emily Henderson March 6, 2011 36 Comments

Am i alone on this or was that the cutest family that you’ve ever met on a design show ever, or in person? (If you missed it, don’t worry. You aren’t too late. You can still watch the full episode of Mad Men Bohemian: Secrets From a Stylist). I got super close to these guys, and they kinda made me want to have kids right now. They were just so fun and funny and stylish and cool, yet super good parents, i was totally enamored. And i love both of their styles, which makes it easier in a lot of ways. I love how opinionated Manesh is, some guys know they don’t have style and some guys know they do and love to talk about it, and Manesh is the latter which is actually so much fun and easier than the former. He’s a music editor (picks music for movies – big-old comedies that we all know) and she is an art teacher and an artist that makes these really amazing paper art pieces that i’m obsessed with.

For these guys there really wasn’t too much ‘behind the scenes you’ll freak out when you hear this’ stories, it was actually super pleasant. The second week already felt much better than the first week. I started understanding the production schedule and everyone on the crew started really getting to know each other.

Heres is my main inspiration pic for them – they both loved how eclectic it is, how casual it is, grown up, yet not too fussy for kids.

How Did I Make It Work?