A few months ago when we made the firm decision to move to Oregon we put our house on the market in LA and a lot of you have asked what’s the deal??? Has it has sold yet? A totally reasonable question – you need closure (US TOO:)). We got into escrow quickly, a great offer but being a 100-year-old house a few things came up in inspections that we didn’t know about (or didn’t know the extent of). Then it got into escrow immediately a second time, and the same thing happened. It made sense – both families had two extremely busy working parents, with demanding jobs and two very small kids – they didn’t want to have to deal with fixing some boring problems and we totally get that.
So instead of dropping the price, we decided to take it off the market and invest back into the house and fix these problems. Part of this was honestly my personal pride and integrity and I was NOT going to sell our home, that I loved so much that we worked so hard to renovate and update, to someone else with problems they might have to deal with. The issues we had to fix surrounded the chimney and drainage – and existed before when we bought the house and for the most part they didn’t affect us while we lived there (we had already fixed any of those problems), but when you inspect something the report often sounds much worse than it actually is. So we spent the next couple of months making this house practically brand new (we fixed a bunch of little stuff too, kinda because why not?). It should have only taken a of couple weeks, but well, Covid and its harder to book subs than usual, track down materials and us not being there certainly slowed it down. (A huge shout out to Howard for helping us with these repairs). It actually feels really good to know we can hand over the keys to someone without any foreseeable problems, ready for them just to enjoy and live in it.
Here’s a fun full house tour video courtesy of our real estate company Nourmand & Associates for your viewing pleasure! (Just wait for the ad to play through and ignore the fact there are no branches on the coffee table but a rogue umbrella stand on the patio:))
So this week we are finishing it all up, then I’ll go back down to restyle it and make sure it’s in perfect form. It will likely be back on the market in two weeks. A 100-year-old home usually comes with issues, now this one does not. Not a one. In case you missed it the first time it’s a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath with a living/dining/kitchen and den. There is an attached (but with a separate entrance) daylight basement that works as a home office, guest room, or ADU with a full bath. The yard is this totally enclosed magical flat garden with a play structure, meandering paths and so many old growth trees (that are deciduous so you get full sun in the winter to keep warm while playing and shade in the summer to keep cool). We even put in garden lighting so the kids can play past sunset in the winter and a garden bed stocked with lettuces and herbs.
I LOVE this house and we wouldn’t have moved from it if we had stayed in LA. It has such good energy, incredible natural light in (almost) every single room, beautiful white oak flooring, custom window treatments, etc., and such special vintage windows and doors throughout. It’s such a charming home for a family, not ostentatious but just beautiful (and I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again – the way it’s laid out makes it so easy to parent). It’s walking distance to Ivanhoe Elementary (one of the best public elementary schools in Los Angeles) and to lots of restaurants, bars, and grocery stores – Trader Joe’s and Gelsons (not to mention the Silverlake reservoir).
Oh and when we first put it on the market I wasn’t going to sell anything in the house to the next owner, but now that we are getting closer to locking down a floorplan in the farm we are seeing what will actually fit and what won’t, so we’ll be selling some things that I thought for sure we’d bring (like the living room rug which I LOVE, but it might be too big, we are likely going to get full beds for the kids not twins so we don’t need those cute vintage headboards anymore and the dining table might be too small (we want to seat at least 8 as most of our friends and family have two kids). I’ll keep you guess in the loop but there might be a furniture sale coming up soon 🙂
*UPDATE: I do have a query for you. We left the kids rooms staged with the canopy and the two twin beds. Its A LOT, I know but when I’ve asked people if we should pair it back or not its been 60% “leave it! its so creative!” and 40% “its too much”. And that split has fallen pretty consistently along gender lines – my girlfriends all were adamant to leave it and Brian and his friends thought it was “too much”. Curious what you guys think. It would probably take a matter of hours to just restyle it to be “less” but we did get two great offers as-is. Thoughts?
Anyway, that’s all to say that if you are or someone you know is seriously interested in this charming home, and want to see it before it goes back on the market please contact Howard Lorey at Nourmand & Associates, HLorey@Nourmand.com DRE # 01263717.
Thank goodness this home is so well documented because the memories here are just SO GOOD and we are going to miss this house so very, very much. xx
Opener Image Credit: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: My Front Yard Is Finally Revealed
It. Must. Be. Sooo. Hard. To. Part. With. It.🙄
Emily, it’s a magical time capsule with fairy gardens!
I’ll miss seeing photos of it!
I can only imagine how tough letting her go will be … BUT … the r e a s o n is just as magical and will be a forever-home masterpiece for your family.
I don’t know how I’ll ever wave bye-bye to my Old Girl. When that happens, I’ll be downsizing, not upsizing. Eeeee! Still, if things work out, I might be able to stay here for a few years yet. 🤞
I literally wish I could give you a physical hug!
As much as the exciting future is with your city farm (forget the “mini”, it’s a farm!), the letting go and the attachment of memories made there must be tough.
Sending you love,
Rusty xx
It was especially hard when we didn’t know where we were going. It was like ‘why are we leaving this magical place for the unknown?’. But we figured even if we didn’t get the farm that we were pining after for over a year, the right place would pop up (or maybe it meant that we would stay in lake arrowhead longer). Leaving LA was a way easier decision than selling this house. it feels so permanent now … xx
The farm called you and you answered.
I used to drive past this house every day on the way to work it was a short cut. It wasn’t for sale. We looked at other houses and the agent mentioned this one, deceased estate (nobody died here though).
We looked, I loved it and saw the potential in a place that was empty for 10 years, curtains hanging off the rails, rats in the roof, you name it! Other people who’d walked through for a silent sale couldn’t see it.
I felt sooooo lucky. We paid land value only and were interviewed by the daughter who’d inherited it and grew up here.
‘We’ were the 3rd owners. Now I’m the fourth.
Whoo hoo!
This Old Girl chose me.
Your Old Girl city farm chose you.
It. Is. Meant. To. Be.
She chose you because you’re going to make her sing and dance and twirl again and your kids are going to bring life to every inch of the place.
Embrace it.
You so so so deserve it, Emily.
You’re a wonderful human being with a wonderful family who deserves all the goodness your new home will bring.
Mmmwaaah! xx
Rusty… have we seen pics of your place?!
Jeanie, OMG! No.
I’m starting a whole house revamp on a shoestring (I got the house, but not much $) once he’s moved out, by mid-May. Feels like forever!
It’s an original 2 bedroom cottage with no extensions and a whole bunch of out buildings (only doing the detatched guest room and maaaaaybe the old wash house once I’m done inside).
I’d soooo love to share it and other people havd asked, but that’s not up to me.
😉 x
Beautiful house. Looks magical. I loved seeing it on video. I hope you film your new house and future projects more.
I really appreciated the video! Your photos are always crisp and lovely, but there’s so much more warmth in these rooms with the natural light. The living room seems more intimate and the color of your bedroom walls is just beautiful. It must have been a joy to live here. More natural light videos, please!
oh good to know! its honestly just so hard with kids and making sure its clean 🙂 But yes we should have done more and we’ll be sure to do more with Portland (but i’m kicking myself for not getting a walk through on camera while we were up there – it wasn’t ours yet and it felt just weird doing it but I wish I had it now to show you guys).
Such a beautiful home❤️❤️ ! I didn’t realize you are moving permanently to Oregon! Is there a blog post on that ?
Yep! A couple post. We announced in in August here https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/we-are-moving-but-to-where, then we announced the property here: https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/introducing-our-portland-farmhouse. xx
Vin! Where have you been?
It’s a huge deal!
Quick, scroll thrpugh the posts and catch up…this is going to be a wonderful ride!🤗
I’m not finding the link to the video.
Its embedded in the blog post – you have to wait for the ad (its annoying, thank you:)) let me triple check!
I still can’t find it, even turning off my adblocker there is no link to a video. Can you share the link? Thank you! 🙂
I’m having the same problem. This site is whitelisted anyway, but even turning off the extension and reloading the page has not helped to show the video.
I’m sure it’ll sell very quickly. It’s a stunning home.
Sad to see it go, I think the canopy is a bit much but don’t think it will affect the sale outcome. I would take down the projector, it is the only thing that stood out, unless you are of course selling it with the house.
I think I’d take down the canopy! It is creative and so you guys but I think it might be easier for people to envision as their child’s room if it was a little more “blank”. I love that room and the whole house though!
I have moved a million times and staged them all. I would take down the canopy. It’s beautiful and I personally love it but as a buyer I would want to know what’s behind it. Did you put it up to cover something? We know the answer but a buyer may not.
You are selling the house and it’s permanent features. My rule is anything that makes you pause needs to go.
What Kristen said.
Totes agree.
Agreed!
Really good point. It’s so cute, but I definitely would want to know what was behind it. I love that you wanted to respect her and fix every last thing. You’re a good human Emily!
If you’re looking to sell the beds, feature them without the distraction of the goofy (sorry!) canopy.
I totally agree with Kristen! You don’t want anything to distract from the whole. It’s such a beautiful house – third time’s a charm! Good luck!!!
Agree – way too much for most people to see past.
You did the old 100 yo gal right! Made her magical for the next family to love. Keep spreading your love and light, the world is better for it.
Yaaaaaaaas! That she did!
Since you asked, the canopy, etc. feels way too much for a staged house. I’m a lady, btw, if you’re keeping a tally.
Take the canopy down.
And the video is great, really shows the house in a different light.
The fact that you got two great offers so quickly is your answer: of course you don’t have to change the kids room. It’s gorgeous! I’d buy the whole house myself if I lived in LA. Can’t wait to see how you work your magic on the Portland property. Also, Emily, don’t sell things you love. I don’t have time to dig through your blog archives and find the 10 gazillion times you beat yourself up about something you sold that you should have kept but yeah….. If you weren’t a stylist and designer I wouldn’t say this to you but girlfriend, get yourself a storage unit.
Yes. Don’t sell things you love.
You have three acres. Buy a shed!
Thanks for sharing this, I was wondering. Have you shared a post with closure on the Portland flip? I’ve wondered about that, as well.
That’s been on my mind as well! I hope it sold and you were happy with the process. That house was beautiful, very stately yet family oriented.
LOVE this house! Wish I could buy it. CHARMING! I agree the kids’ room is too much- also a lady :).
Cant wait to see your adventures in Oregon.
Oh my goodness. I’m a loooong-time follower of yours. I have loved watching you transform house after house. I’ve loved watching you experiment with different styles and flex your design muscles on different projects. All that being said, it wasn’t until the realty video, and then looking up the house address on street view that I fully grasped how completely charming your LA house is! I’ve been looking at the pictures you’ve shared of it for years and it just hadn’t clicked that it was a storybook cottage house! I totally get why you never wanted to show a pulled back picture of the front of the house (safety!), but seeing the context of the front gate and gardens and the way it looks from the street it makes everything click into place. I finally understand your design choices and why you wanted to go with a more eclectic grandma look here – after all the house looks like something straight out of Hansel and Gretel. As a fellow So-Cal dweller I just always assumed your house was more Spanish Revival and I have to admit some of your styling choices were totally baffling me.😂 I should have trusted that… Read more »
It’s so beautiful! What a treat it’s been to follow you along through the full journey with this house! It feels like you just got here but at the same time that you’ve been here forever!
Such a beautiful house! Good luck with everything! And I would say pare down the kids’ room.
To answer the canopy question, I always thought and still do that it’s too much. Not a fan for real estate sale pics. Great design for a magazine but not to sell.
The canopy and twin beds would in no way be a deal breaker for buying this beautiful house. I’ve followed along this room’s journey so I get the design intention, but it does come across as a bit crowded, both visually and physically, maybe because of the unique layout of this room. Removing the canopy and having only one bed (or reorient the two beds) would help the room look more spacious. But this place is stunning and a curtain rod with a few yards of fabric would not scare anyone off in the LA real estate market. I so appreciate that you’ve gone above and beyond when it comes to renovating, updating and maintaining this property.
Lose the canopy. (Burn it to ashes actually. LOL) But otherwise leave the rest of the adorable room as is.
For sure take down the canopy. Even though it didn’t stop 2 people from putting an offer on the house, I highly doubt New owners would keep it. If it were me, I would rather be the one deciding what to do with the fabric and other elements rather than imagining it ending up in the trash or otherwise dumped.
I love the canopy! I think it underlines that this home was thoughtfully crafted by a designer.
All of the cookie cutter blank canvas homes we see on the market in LA and the Bay Area are a major snooze fest. I recently learned that in high dollar markets realtors now loan sellers funds and project manage renovations for dated kitchens and baths. The cost is deducted from the sale price. I wonder how many buyers end up demoing these brand new cabinets, counters, etc, because they don’t match their aesthetic. I’d rather buy the dated house and update it myself.
All that ranting to say if someone doesn’t like the canopy, taking it down would be a very quick project.
Agree with Caitlin’s opinion about the canopy — and about preferring to use my own choices and money to update any house I bought.
Emily and team, would you be able to roll up the striped part of the canopy (the way Orlando’s mom did with his guest room window coverings) and just leave the blue green awning part showing? That way it wouldn’t look overwhelming; and buyers could see that the wall behind the beds is sound.
If you take the whole canopy down, it looks to me like you’d need to redecorate the wall behind the beds with something different to keep it from looking too empty.
Great idea, and simple solution!!
I love this house so much and am sorry to see it go. However, I’m excited for your new adventure with the farmhouse.
I’m female and I do think the kids room is too much. I’d take down the canopy, hang a couple cute pictures over each bed and call it a day.
It is beautiful staged as it is! Don’t change it.
It’s such a beautiful place now, after all your hard work. I’m sure it will sell quick for a new family to love it.
I’ve honestly never liked the kids’ room canopy situation, but hey, it’s your house so you get to do what you want, which is the fun part of reading this blog! 🙂
Keep the kids room just the same. Kids room should be whimsical & it will not stop someone from wanting to live in this stunning house. I just can’t imagine a man saying “well honey I know you love it & it’s perfect in every way- but that kids room- it’s a deal breaker for me”
Third time’s the charm? Clearly, it’s a very desirable property, and now that you’ve addressed anything (major? they always find something) issues, I’m sure it will sell fast once back on the market!
I have always really wanted to like the canopy but the busyness of the offset pattern with the pattern on the bedding feels busy and not calming as I like kids bedrooms to be. That’s my 2 cents 🙂
I also have a 100+ year old home in LA and I’ve struggled to find contractors who can do right by it. Lost of them just want to tear out the character and slap up an ugly solution. Do you have any reccos?
Just the most gorgeous home and lot EVER. 👌🏼
I would pare (not pair) back the children’s room. Most buyers are trying to imagine their own things in the rooms. The house and yard are so lovely. I hope you get a buyer soon.
Re. canopy: we just closed on our most recent house in Nov 2019 & the canopy situation in its full glory is def the type of staging that would have made my male partner feel less enthused about a house, even if it was not a forever feature. And that I would personally love in a house I was looking to offer on.
Not saying you need to change it, just that I agree w Brian’s view on potentially alienating some (but not all) buyers. But you are welcome to put a striped canopy in my house any day!
I’m a lady and would definitely lose the canopy. While it’s an interesting treatment from a design perspective, as a buyer I would be curious about what it was hiding/covering up. I don’t think having the circus kids’ room would keep me from making an offer if I loved the house, but I would definitely be trying to look behind it to figure out if something was wrong with the wall or plaster. And – to be honest – it’s never been my taste, way too busy/mixed pattern/wild so it wouldn’t be a selling point in that way either. And if it were left for the new owner I’d just have to tear it down, patch holes and and figure out who the heck wants a custom circus canopy. Pare it back for sure.
Exactly this:
1. What damage or problems is it hiding…?
2. That’s going to be expensive, a pain, and difficult to patch and remove.
There’s zero reason to create an issue or negative question for buyers. It’s not going to be a dealbreaker, but it’s a point in the negative column that you can easily avoid.
May be in the minority as a woman but I really do not like the kids room. Way too much! I would scale back for sale.
Ok- but it’s a 2 and 3/4 bath. And I fully just dug in the archives Bc 2018 Dana showed up and said “I’m pretty sure they build a cute ass bathroom for the kids”. And y’all did Bc I STILL have that matte tile saved on my phone in my notes section. Also, please make a coffee table book of your designs. They’re so dreamy and I love for anything off screen these days.
kids room: I’ve always been Team Too Much.
Congratulations on your move from one magical place to another. Your thumbprint is all over this house, and it will make a lovely home for many lucky families to come. On the question of the canopy over the twin beds, I would make it a little less noisy in there to make it more neutral for prospective homeowners.
Em! So sad to see y’all leave. I’ll miss the cookie baking and movies with the kids. Always loved this house.
I love your house. So much.
I, personally, think the kids room is too much but I love the beds and bedding!
I would take the canopy down and patch up the holes- just a cleaner look for potential buyers! Good luck!
My thoughts on the kids’ room is remove the canopy. While it looks awesome, most people won’t want it and they’ll see the hardware removal as an extra thing to do if they move in.
Ditto. I like the canopy and it would be a great staging feature for a magazine or in an upscale model home but as a buyer, it looks like a hole filling, patching, sanding and painting project!
I’d leave the canopy up and put on all plain white bedding to compromise and tone it down for people like Brian who want less visual stimulation. I can definitely see both sides.
I am going to miss this house too!
I always loved the tent canopy better so I would leave it! Good luck on the sale!
Sorry, I meant take it down and leave it behind! Loved the tent canopy!
I’d keep the canopy but swap the fabric with something more neutral. It’s a lovely element but with the bedding, it’s just too much pattern. IMHO 😉
I hope you are charging a premium for the 100 year old house with NO issues! That’s rare as hen’s teeth! I get the personal pride thing about wanting to sell a perfect home, just hoping you are also charging for it 🙂
Chiming in to say I (female) strongly dislike the kid canopy – it has always made me feel seasick and anxious – but if I were serious about purchasing the house it seems pretty minor and I’d just make sure it was in the contract to have the bars removed and holes patched.
Restyle it, IMO!