It’s like the first day of high school. You are super excited, slightly scared, but generally junior high went pretty well, you were popular enough, made good grades, stood out enough but not too much, so you feel like you are ready to handle the madness that is high school. But you can’t help but be a bit trepidatious when it comes to your first day. I mean, it’s high school afterall. Cut to ten episodes later and i’m like a sophmore, i have already learned so much, and looking back with nostalgia.
Metaphor much, Emily?
Well as you can imagine, shooting the Special with my friend was in a lot of ways much easier than starting the series of 26 in a row. I only had to prep, think about, shop for, conceptualize and host one episode. It lasted a wonderful 10 days and all went well. But now we are playing ball with the big boys, and i’m the coach and star player, and while i have an effing awesome team, its a lot to do. wait now i’m doing sports metaphors….whatever. Just keep following.
So with a slightly new crew we started the series, and in general the first episode went well. The first week we were trying to figure everything out. I mean, how do you take a successful 1 hour special and turn it into a weekly show with structure and consistency, but without getting formulaic, while staying on top of the style diagnostic and making it different every week (but have it still make sense), hosting, doing shopping segments, doing diy segments, styling tips and installing for TWO looks all in 6 days? It took me a while to figure out. So along the way there are some mistakes, but thats a big buzz-kill. I’ll talk about my regrets later on this week, right now i’m busy getting you into my little brain.
I’ve watched the first episode 5 times now, way more than i’ve watched the special or any others. And because of that i have a kinda different relationship with it. I’ve successfully picked it apart. I know, so annoying. I’m terrified with what i’ll do to my first child. And don’t y’all confuse self-criticism with self-doubt or bad self-esteem, i promise they are very very different things. I’ve always been addicted to feedback and self-improvement.
But i always come back to loving the same things: That effing sofa. Which was this:
And is now this:
I wish i hadn’t styled so many pillows on it, but it was one of those sofas that is soooo long, like 8 1/2 feet and looked massive in the space. But those pillows cover up the amazing deco shape. Argh. i love. I took that pic the day of, but Laure Joliet has been taking my after shots and she took these: decidedly better:
And that chandy: favorite thing #2. Let’s craiglist find for $450 i think. Massive, looks like glass, early 70’s lucite and brass amazingness. Yep, those are my two favorite things. I really like the japanese screens in the hallway too and the bird sculpture that i think is someone famous…..
More beauties to come, more resources to come, more favorite moments and biggest regrets to come. All next week will be ‘life in the first episode’.
Let me know your positive feedback, but please be gentle. I already know all the negatives, i promise. I’m already working on them and fixing them. The episodes get better and better and better and better. The last two i watched i’ve absolutely loved. At least until i watch them like 3 more times…..
Thanks for watching, i owe you all a lot. And if you feel like commenting on the Hgtv facebook page to give them your feedback, please do.
xoxo