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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?

Secrets From a Stylist Premiere: Emily Takes Us Behind the Scenes

by Emily Henderson February 27, 2011 20 Comments

Alright. Lets go behind the scenes. Here’s how it all went down: Monday: we have a production meeting where I, little old Emily, tell everybody whats about to happen for the next 6 days (yes we shoot 6 days a week, nutso i know).

Look 1 or Look 2?

Hi From Secrets From a Stylist

by Emily Henderson February 25, 2011 33 Comments

Ah. The first episode of my brand spankin new show, Secrets From a Stylist. (The launch is saturday at 9pm. 1 day and counting, geez. And the official title of my first episode?… Hollywood Regency Meets Country Club). It’s like the first day of high school. I remember it like it was yesterday, but I feel like I’ve grown up a lot already by the second semester, er 10th episode. The first week EVERYBODY was trying to figure out their roles; what were our strengths, weaknesses, and the general crazy timing of it all. And don’t forget while i’m styling and hosting each episode, i’m still working on the next four to six designs, so i was having a blast, but was kinda also doing the first week of training for the mental olympics, well my version of it anyway. But the first week, like freshman year, was full of excitement, anxiety and total madness. And it all begins with the style diagnostic…..

Me, Hillary and Bobby

So Here’s a Secret

Want Emily Henderson To Diagnose Your Style?

by Chelsey Bowen February 21, 2011 49 Comments

We’ve got a juicy sneak peek of the first makeover from Design Star winner Emily Henderson’s new series, Secrets From a Stylist, premiering on Saturday, February 26 at 9p/8c.

Emily’s also been putting her design know-how to work helping readers discover their personal style. Upload photos and videos of items that represent your personality for the chance to have Emily diagnose your design style.

Isn’t that couch bonkers?

And here’s your invite for our Twitter party during the show!

The details:
Live Twitter Party with Emily Henderson (@em_henderson) during Secrets from a Stylist Premiere
Sat, 2/26 from 9-9:30pm ET
Hashtag: #HGTV

Design Blogs: Which Are You Reading and Why?

by Brian Patrick Flynn January 6, 2011 26 Comments

Sometimes when I see an A-List celebrity on the cover of a magazine, I think to myself, “I wonder who does their draperies?” Unhealthy? Yes. Justified? Kinda—since I assume glamorous stars who pocket $20M per movie must be living in designer homes. And if they’re not—shame on them. Not to mention, whether it’s decorating or grocery shopping, stars doing stuff in their personal time is, for some odd reason, FASCINATING!

This leads me to another curiosity: What blogs are designers and design bloggers reading and why? This new-found need-to-know started when I noticed that the Editor in Chief of Traditional Home (which I considered to be The Bible) recently became a fan of Decor Demon on Facebook. Some of the most influential people in the design and shelter magazine world are reading our words and loving our images—that’s HUGE!

For real, use this blog post as a forum to tell us all about where you spend the most time on the blogosphere and why.
See What I’m Reading

Color of the Month: December 2010

by Kelley Walters December 6, 2010 12 Comments

Our design team first got an inkling that this month’s color was making it back, big-time, when we ran across it at Barclay Butera‘s booth at High Point. After booths of colorless greige and gray-washed teak, we came to a screeching halt in front of a massive Chesterfield.

Emily Henderson: Rebel-Prep Style

by Emily Henderson December 4, 2010 8 Comments

Well aren’t I a little rebel. Just because I’m a little preppy doesn’t mean that I’m a prude. And yes, I do have a membership at a country club….a country club for filthy rich, rebellious and extremely fashion-forward intellectuals, not accepting applications right now. Or ever. All full. Sorry.

I drink Old Fashioneds while sitting in my perfectly worn Chesterfield, smoking Virginia Slims, ironically of course. I read Sartre and Nietzsche, and prefer European men and purebred dogs (Weimaraners, yes). I need modern twists on traditional forms — dark and sinewy shapes, and patterns that are unexpected and contrast perfectly against each other. I’m not playful but I am sardonic. I’m not girly, but I am sexy. I’m cosmopolitan, but I wouldn’t be caught drinking one….please, 2002 called and they want their fruity chick drink back.

(Thanks to Christopher Kane’s spring 2011 line for the inspiration.)

Color Me Happy

by Brian Patrick Flynn November 18, 2010 12 Comments

Religion and politics: the worldwide dynamic duo of topics unwelcome at dinner parties. Known amongst my social circle as the designated diplomat, neither subject gets me heated since I see the pros and cons of each. However, bring up beige at my table and you’ll be sent home before supper.

A world without color is like a song without sound; it baffles me that bold, high-energy hues are often perceived as juvenile, garish or over the top. Although I love a muted blue-gray as much as the next guy, I also love me some turquoise.

However, instead of going on and on all about MY particular thoughts on color, I turned to two design bloggers who are just as passionate about haute hues: the UK’s own Will Taylor from Bright.Bazaar and Atlanta’s “oh-no-she-did-not-just-write-that” Jenny Andrews from My Favorite and My Best. Proof that color/colour has no boundaries: both the Atlantan female blogger and European male stylist/blogger have the same favorite room — that’s in New York.

The Great Color Debate