While often a “maybe I should cut my hair” post that requires almost ZERO time will get a ton of page views, we don’t value it higher, because our design projects are what we stand for. Between the design planning/work, the styling/production/photography work, the writing, the editorial linking, the editing of me and the pitching out to press, we at EHD care about publishing these projects so much. It’s what keeps us excited and inspired. We revealed 47 projects (yes, 47) in 2019, and it’s always interesting to know what really “hit “and then to analyze “WHY?” Let’s dissect.
#10: MOTO Reveal: Emily Bowser’s 32-Square-Foot Bathroom Is Packed With Small Space Hacks
I saw Emily Bowser’s bathroom and said “we have to shoot it.” When people do small space in a smart way that we are all impressed by, there is an obvious need to share. But to be fair, if anyone was going to come up with incredibly smart and chic ideas, it’s Bowser.
#9 New Reveal: A Colorful, Happy Home Makeover For An Incredibly Deserving Family
I’M SO HAPPY. I hoped that this Feel Good Makeover was popular because it was a good story of a family in need of a happy home, one that we’re able to execute quickly and use our resources to create. But I also know that it was full of really good ideas for anyone in a smaller space and a modest budget. Velinda did an incredible job. YAY for more of these this year.
#8: Mountain House Reveal: Our Calm Scandinavian Master Bedroom
My favorite bedroom in the world wasn’t a flop. THANK YOU. I am living in this room all through the holidays and if I could “double-tap” the bed with “likes” all day every day, I would.
#7: Reveal: A Budget and Rental-Friendly Living and Dining Room (With 80% Thrifted Finds)
I LOVE this room. We shopped mostly local and thrifted and my team (Emily Bowser and Julie Rose) really brought their creativity. There were so many great solutions that anybody can do in this reveal.
#6: Reveal: Arlyn’s Bright & Happy Rental Living Room Makeover
Arlyn’s living room struck a chord with a lot of us who needed a burst of personality, sentimentality and color. As our editorial director, I know that it’s a lot of pressure, so I’m so glad that you guys loved it as much as we did.
#5: Velinda’s Tiny Kitchen Makeover Takeover (With Tons of Smart Storage Hacks)
This tiny kitchen worked HARD and therefore I’m not surprised that it performed. If you didn’t see Velinda’s second kitchen (rental) you should; it’s full of a lot of VERY smart hacks and storage/appliance solutions that I wouldn’t have thought of. Another example that sometimes the smallest spaces have the biggest ideas.
#4: Makeover Takeover: Jess’ Long-Awaited (Small Space) Living Room Reveal
Jess’ apartment blew all of us away. She is our senior market editor and has no ego so we didn’t know what to expect. I remember the team being like “uh, should you be on the design/styling side of things”? It’s a tiny studio apartment full of more style than I’ve seen in a long time. (You’ve got to see her kitchen/dining room.)
#5: Mountain House Reveal (Yes, Another One!): The Coziest Upstairs Guest “Bunk” Bedroom
I guess people really responded to wall-to-wall carpeting, and guess what—ME, TOO. As a former carpet snob, I realize that when done well, comfort trumps all (plus check out my memory foam carpet hack to ensure 100% bounce-ability).
#2: It’s Finally Here: The Reveal of the Mountain House Kitchen
The mountain kitchen was the first reveal of what was the most stressful project of my life. So, THANK YOU for making this #2. While I regret not styling it with more life and energy (flowers, food, people), at the time I was overwhelmed and in a more minimal phase. And frankly, I wanted to show off the work, not the stuff. But, thank you.
#1: Mountain House Reveal: Our Light-Filled Neutral & Textural Living Room
The mountain house was five times over budget, which I kinda knew despite my denial amongst the chaos, and well, it gave me shame and embarrassment (and anxiety). So when you guys saw it, commented that you REALLY liked it, and shared it, I started to realize that my choices were good, that despite my failings, this project was an actual SUCCESS.
Thanks for watching and reading the reveals. We obviously learn from what you love the most this year and while there will NOT be another mountain house reveal, small space ideas/hacks and spaces full of personality and sentimentality will be our focus. But certainly, let us know how you feel in the comments…(and thanks for commenting :)).
**Photos by Sara Ligorria-Tramp
creative ideas
Buy Plants Online in Bangalore
#7! I loved the variety found by creative folks shopping local antique, vintage, and thrift!❤️
Can I ask how you swing 5x over budget? Was the budget “loose” to begin with? It’s a beautiful house, and probably my favorite thing of yours ever. I am just trying to imagine myself working on a project of that magnitude because I could never be that far over in cost.
Totally agree. I absolutely LOVE the mountain house, but was shocked to hear it was 5 times over budget. I mean, most remodels and redesigns go over budget, but who can afford 5 times? On that note, it’d be interesting to revisit past over-budget projects and show high/low options for how to get a similar look for less money, things to plan for that one wouldn’t have thought of beforehand, DIY options, etc.
That said, I love all the projects featured here and look forward to the new fun EDH comes up with in 2020!
I imagine that the final cost depends on what you can afford to begin with and whether or not you want to stay longer at the property. Maybe Emily planned on doing much less, but found that she wants to do a high quality reno Larger square footage with many bathrooms will cost a lot. You can spend less by doing less, accepting lower cost carpet everywhere, lower cost fixtures, etc. I get why it would cost 5x more because every detail was touched whereas the original plan wasnt that. I’d spend 2x the budget at my home eadily if I could afford it. I’d definitively could find more things to improve, more things to replace, and even i’d spend 3x the budget if I could afford to add a new master bedroom and bathroom and if living in my house and location made sense in the longer term.
I’m truly grateful for all the great design tips you offer here. I have learned so much. And the prospect of you guys focusing in 2020 on creative, small space ideas and rooms full of personality is GREAT news!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the EHD team.
Looking forward to the personality! The Mountain House is BEAUTIFUL and I loved following along. But I see that every popular post had white walls! Let’s punch it up in the new decade!
+1 for Velinda’s tiny kitchen!
Mountain house for life. Loooove it so much. Every room. Thanks for all the inspiration and happy new year!
So many wonderful projects this year! They are all very inspiring.
Thanks for taking us on an amazing journey in 2019. I really enjoyed all of the makeovers, but I definitely relate more to the MOTO and giving back ones. I also love the post you did on the personalized/DIY gallery wall at the mountain house. I don’t have a big budget and will not be doing major renovations, so the smaller, budget friendly makeovers are where I get the best ideas from EHD. Thank you to you and your team!
Your mountain house is incredible and it’s a series I’ve loved following! You’ve done amazing work there!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I love the year in review. And that bathroom – I mean, you all made a tinklearium exciting! Looking forward to 2020 with you all!
I love that your whole team made the list!loved everyone of these posts! I love seeing your staff’s style!
Since you asked what we want: I would love to see posts on mixing styles, like throwing a gilded very ornate French Provincial console table in a Scandi styled room. That would be odd and interesting.
Also, my husband and I just finished phase one of a remodel – we have an A frame home built in 1971 and just completed the kitchen and replaced all the windows and sliders. Here’s the dilemma: we have storage cabinets in the living area and loft – just like your mountain home had – and we don’t want to take them out. How would you update them? I haven’t seen any posts anywhere like that. (Kudos to your mountain home design, btw.) We just love the 70’s and the vacation home vibe this house has and that’s why we want to keep them. We also love our 70’s doors. Looking forward to 20/20 with you.
I loved the mountain house reveal rooms!!! They had so much personality and style! Number 1, 5, 6 and 7 were my absolute fav reveals ? Very happy that you’ll focus on small spaces as I live in a big city and that means living in smaller spaces (just under 1100 right now to be exact). Ways to make small spaces feel big on personal style and have double functions would be awesome. High/low budgets, vintage and thrifting too! I try to be green with my choices and love thrifting and up cycling.
Congratulations team on an amazing and beautiful 2019. I am pretty sure I’ve Pinned every one of these. I kept nodding along with “oh yeah, that was a great post”. The whole team is amazing. It is the Mountain House tho that made me a regular reader. You’ve been so honest about mistakes, most of it causing extra labor. I expect your book will have lots of advice about that. So glad you are seeing the success tho. It is stunning.
Also want to thank you for acknowledging the design focus. The other posts are fun and full of personality. And I like the frequency of new posts. But ultimately it’s the design content that is this blogs best. Happy New Year early!
We love your design projects!
And I think this post proves that you should revert to taking in clients to update spaces. Over the years your clients shifted to “high end.” Maybe the challenge wasn’t the clients and their shifting needs, but the fact that your team shifted clients.
The mountain house which is so you, so expensive, and so amazing. It’s a dream for many people! But what if your team took on 1-2 clients per month, and updated their spaces? Living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens all on low budgets???
Finally, I think 2020 will be the year of
Color in those design projects! I love light, bright, and white. But color is coming back in a big way. I would love to see it used by your team! If we flip on over to your top Liked Instagram photos, those that were not your teams had colored walls!!!
Good luck and thanks for sharing!!
I loved the mountain house posts! And I enjoyed the small space reveals because that’s closer to where I am with my house.
You guys do such great work, and this round-up of popular design posts is a wonderful reminder of that, and how much pleasure there is to be had from visiting your blog!!
While I know I can *identify* more with the small-space treatments, I love daydreaming over the gorgeous upscale mountain house too. Love the variety.
Happy New Year to all of you!