Skip to content
Design
Am I A Hoarder? Our Next Youtube Video – Inside The Vintage Carriage House
Today we are discussing two very important things – 1. I am a hoarder of vintage stuff, and I don’t have as much shame about it as I probably should, and 2. We have produced some new YouTube videos in the vintage carriage house that you simply must watch (it’s my favorite video we’ve ever produced – linked HERE and embedded below). But it’s been a lot of moving parts… we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to finish fixing up our garages so that we can move all my goods (and bads) into them, and therefore start the restoration of the 1850s original carriage house on the property. What you see above is the neat, organized version of the prop house, but in the video, you’ll really see what it looked like on most days (terrifying, embarrassing, full of vintage stuff, and sure, with a big side of shame).
Please, I Prefer The Word “Collector”
Let’s rebrand this a bit – I’ve been vintage shopping my whole life (starting with thrift stores in the 80s in Coos Bay, Oregon). Sure, my budget has grown and my tastes have been honed, but the desire for one-of-a-kind old things with character remains strong. These days, I like mixing vintage with new (to avoid it looking like an actual thrift store), but for most of my life/career, vintage was what I could afford and what I had.
Vintage shopping in LA was fantastic – the sheer number of people who lived there during the mid-century and postmodern eras created an abundance of dope stuff from those times. So ever since I had my TV show, I’ve had a storage unit or at least a prop garage to house my hoarding. And hoard I did.
My First Prop Studio
Years ago, when we moved into our first studio (2014, I believe), it looked like this all styled out (I still have so many of those things!). Some of them I felt very attached to (see? hoarder), but for the most part, I would pull from the shelves for every project to ensure that it looked unique and like “me”. Vintage is clutch to making a room look unique and full of personality (especially on a budget).
My collection of gold shoes (right) was epic (and so odd!), and if you look closely, you can see my collection of doll house fly swatters and mouse traps that I framed (left). Oh dear…and oh yes!!
Things I still pick up are vintage fabrics and art, but if I’m being honest, I still buy anything that is a fantastic deal and pulls at my gut (but I now don’t let myself buy things that I have an abundance of, like wooden sculptures and footed vessels). Real self-control, I know. I also try not to let myself go shopping unless I have a project to shop for (or else I can get super sidetracked and buy too many random things that get stored for years.. Although now that I’m saying that, sometimes those things become THE PIECES that make that future project perfect.
Wait, So Where Was Your Prop House And What Is This “Carriage House”?
When we bought the property, there were two houses on it – one that we renovated and now live in, and one that we barely touched, except for painting this room to turn it into the prop house. It doesn’t have electricity, and it’s cold and wet in the winter (not the best art storing conditions).
But I still felt lucky to have it. It was super hard to keep organized in the winter months (cold, wet, gross, full of spiders and other critters), but again, grateful that I could keep my house more organized during all the shoots inside. It’s been a real Godsend having it (while it certainly enables the hoarding).
When it’s stacked all nice like that, it looks good! But most of the time, it was such a mess.
What It Typically Looks Like…
This isn’t even as bad as it can get, I promise. She ain’t pretty. But stop staring at these photos and judging me, and get to watching the YouTube that we made! Gretchen and Marlee were so encouraging about doing this series – I was nervous we wouldn’t have the bandwidth or that I wouldn’t be entertaining enough to make it watchable. But y’all, I personally think it turned out so fun. It was shot super organically, and they pulled out the clips that they thought you would all want to see the most. Give it a watch (and please, please, please like it and subscribe – it’s the only way the algorithm helps show it to other people!). Can’t wait to show you more:)
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: My New Prop Room At The Farm And Why I Hold On To So Many Beautiful Things
I love this tour it’s so relatable! If you hang those portraits in the haunted house, you will get the place extra haunted… I too am a thrifter, I too, have ‘the eye’ so I can find cool things almost anywhere, I too am unwilling to let go of unique objects. I too have regrets (pour one out for the folding 1930’s enamel baking shelf and life size 1920’s wooden mannequin arm and hand). Yes this is your livelihood so it is utterly understandable that you have all the stuff AND especially nowadays when the vintage is so very picked over it’s important to hold onto the thrift from 30 ( in my case 40 years ago) from back when there was just more to be had.90% of antique shop owners who are interviewed say things like ‘Well I started as a shopper and I became a hoarder and now I have a shop” I am going through a similar process in my house and coming to the terms of the fact that I do not have a whole separate outbuilding nor do I work as a stylist or a reseller, and my house is very damp so I am… Read more »
Hahahah love this so much! Will definitely be following this series. This is the OG EHD vibe :)
I know you worked so hard on this and I’m sure it’s great, but there are many of us who come to the blog precisely because it’s that – a blog, and aren’t interested or can’t watch videos!
the blog post has much more detail on the project than the video – just want to offer the information in a format that other readers have requested, too :)
I was reluctant to watch the video too because I like being able to read since can’t always listen at work whereas I can slyly read lol (I’m very good at quickly toggling tabs ;), but I decided to watch it on low volume when no one was around haha and found that it was in fact, a super cute, fun video that I found myself chuckling aloud on several occasions. I am very glad I watched because I also can relate to this problem of keeping “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” items but I also have more context and understanding of the carriage house that I was able to get from the video :).
hahaha the birdcage ladder ending was perfect 😂
The infamous, coveted blue hutch makes an appearance! Piled under garbage, but it’s there in the video.
Still regret not buying the chair with an upholstered seat, that had a chamber pot below!!
Love this video!! And loooove the paint color in the carriage house. Can’t wait to follow along!
Emily, you are not a hoarder, you are a stylist. This is all work stuff. But it does need a system, because you will feel so, so much better about it when it’s organized and looks good. Stop with the H word, because some of us have an abundance of stuff and are not stylists, WE are the hoarders.
Just a quick technical note about the video: I’m located in Germany, and YouTube is currently auto-translating videos into the local language based on the IP address. The translation is honestly so bad that it makes the video almost unwatchable. Unfortunately, there’s no option on the viewer’s side to switch it back in the settings.
From what I know, there is, however, an option for the channel owner to turn off this auto-translation feature — maybe something you’d consider? :)
Other than that: I absolutely love what you do! You’ve been part of my daily routine for years now. Thank you for the good work and for being a constant thing I look forward to every day ❤️
Loved the video! So fun seeing items that I remember from projects over the years. Emily, I think part of your angst also likely links to the fact that you are a strong advocate for avoiding buying poorly made or mass produced junk that will end up in a landfill. Sure, you “could” replace some of these items, but it would probably be with things that are lower quality or less uniqueness. I agree that vintage pieces tend to always be “in style” and vintage shopping has turned into a fun pasttime for me. So far, I am doing a decent job of just browsing but I do have a weakness for seascape paintings (working on a gallery wall) and brass objects/sculptures. Gee, I wonder where I get my influence…?
Love this so much. The beloved bird cage ladder at the end was 👌. Anyone that loves both vintage and design knows the agony of letting go of something good. The objects are like a beloved pet. But the entropy of design, kids and keeping an interesting home requires constant work so both the honest share and process of organizing is very satisfying to watch. Thank you!
I’m guessing this post title was designed for the clicks, but it comes off as a bit insensitive. I love your blog and get the importance of SEO so not to be that person, but hoarding has very much become the new “I’m so OCD about this.” You are a stylist and it makes sense for you to have a collection of props for different projects or photo shoots. Hoarding is often a symptom of trauma, legitimate OCD, or other mental health issues. It can become quite dangerous as well as devastating to people experiencing it and their loved ones.
I’m not trying to shame your site or make anyone feel bad, and your voice is your own. However, I think after all these years of reading posts from you, Emily, and other writers on your staff, I can tell you’re a compassionate team and I do think it’s important to keep these issues in mind. Maybe include a section at the end of the post recognizing this and pointing readers toward resources for information or support groups. It could really help someone. Thank you!