Graphic Novel Antique Geek Chic

Welcome to the new series ‘Blast from Secrets Past’, or in other words ‘Emily revisits, rehashes, reposts and criticizes her own work from that makeover show’. Many of you may have not seen the show or read the blog 5 years ago so I thought it would be fun to revisit these projects and talk about how I would update them in 2016 or what I would have done differently if I could go back. I generally like to keep things positive here so I don’t rip other people’s work a part, nor can I criticize my own client design work because well, they have paid me money to make their spaces beautiful so I don’t want to be like ‘Welp, That looked like trendy garbage!’ But talking about what we do wrong is a great way to show how to do things right, right? For these rooms/episodes the homeowners got everything for free so I feel a little more liberty to talk about regrets in the most respectful/delicate way possible. Additionally I thought it would be fun and tortuous to repost the original post with all that copy – in other words show how I used to write, what the blog used to be like – for good or bad.

Let’s start with one that I loved. This episode called, ‘Graphic Novel Antique Geek Chic’ from Secrets will always be one of my favorites – the people were awesome, and the style/design is still so fun and quirky. Four years later, in 2016, I would update it a bit, but you have to scroll through the original post in order to read what I would do differently. The teal font indicates the original copy from 2011. Here we go …

This is one of my favorite rooms and my favorite weeks. The couple was awesome (and only a few blocks from where I live) and you can kinda go crazy for a guest bedroom because it’s more of a temporary space.

First off, that wallpaper is insane and amazing and I think I have romantic feelings for it. I’m not going to leave Brian, it’s not that serious, but I just want to stare at it all day. It’s by Pottok Prints in LA,  http://www.pottokprints.com. I think you can buy it at Walnut Wallpaper, as well. It’s really really really incredible because even though it is a pattern, it feels totally hand-drawn, endless and the characters in it are so entertaining.

The big soft rug is West Elm, 8×10 $649  buy here.

Everything else in this shot is vintage.

Those sconces were from West Elm and you can purchase them HERE. 

The bedding is from West Elm, but again I can’t find it on their web-site. That’s the great thing about West Elm – they change their lines seasonally so you don’t have to worry about the world having all the same stuff as you. But it also means you have to gobble things up quickly or they’ll be gone. Like these sconces and the eyelet bedding.

Vintage, all vintage, but thats a close up of the wallpaper. I’m obsessed. I want to do it in a kids play room and let them color it in with markers.

The bed is from Sanctuary Interior Design. I think it was around $800. But I got it within two weeks and the color and welting options are endless. You can get it as a full bed, too, but I wanted to save a bit of money. I love it.

Please notice the amazing black ball fringe on all the drapery/shades. It was so adorable in person. And the easiest DIY ever.

Dresser is vintage from Palm Springs, I think the lamp is new but I forget where from. That “O” was from the Rose Bowl for $60, then painted white.

The green is Glidden, “Olive.”  The chair was already theirs and the lawyers cabinet is from Hernandez brothers on Santa Monica for $500.

All these pretty pictures are by the Awesome, talented, and handsome, Mark Champion

Sorry, I’m rushing. but all in all it is one of my favorite rooms. One of my favorite couples. One of my favorite weeks. The wallpaper is a splurge, but the amount of impact in the room is serious.

So what did y’all think?

2016 CRITICISM:  I still really love this room, but sure, there are some things that I would update 5 years later. I would update the headboard to be simpler in shape and either gray or black and in linen instead of velvet, although I still kinda like it as is, too! There was something cartoonish about it which kinda fit their personality as he loved comic books (as you can tell from the style title) but if it were my room I think a simpler headboard in 2016 would be better. The sconces look really big there, they weren’t in person, but Im still not sure they were necessary. I’m dying for the bed to be properly styled with a pretty throw at the end, and a big long pillow in front. We never had time to  shoot/style these while on set so I would send a photographer there afterwards for like an hour. I think I would eliminate 30% of the ‘stuff’ on the surfaces and get rid of the pile of books/globe on the floor. I love all the mod lighting, but i’m not a huge fan of the one on the nightstand on the right so I would probably replace that one. And that squirrel print is now pretty dated, so maybe just eliminate that one. What I didn’t tell you in that really rushed original post was that they LOVED this guest room and it fit their personality perfectly and they truly were one of my favorite couples. I used to write blog posts during the one hour while getting hair/makeup in the morning before filming all day with no assistants helping on the posts …  have NO idea how I accomplished so much on my own back then. 

I still love the wallpaper, olive paint color, rug, and all the furniture. The old store display piece that we used as a nightstand on the right side of the bed is amazing and one that I would buy again in a second. In other words, with some simpler styling changes I think that this room is still pretty solid 5 years later. There is nothing that I’m like ‘OH MY GOD I CAN’T BELIEVE I PUT THAT CHEESY PIECE OF GARBAGE IN THERE’, and I certainly can’t say that for many of the makeovers.

So whaddya think? What changes would you make with hindsight? Do you think that 5 years later it still holds up?