13 September 2010

emily henderson, design star.


those of you who aren't avid HGTV-watchers may not have heard about emily henderson winning design star, (&maybe don't give a hoot about the show) but i haaave to share how much i love this girl's design style. she has such a wonderful ability to put things together in an elegant, yet completely understated manner. emily was my favorite design star contestant from the beginning, probably because i was able to relate to her eclectic style. she mixes pieces that most people would most likely not think of putting together, yet she makes them work, &they look like a million bucks. she doesn't try to make things look perfect; instead, she appreciates a quirky, kind of off-kilter style that reflects her personality.

 
(clockwise from top:  ian &emily on the first episode
of secrets of a stylist; a beautifully-styled collection of
objects; a bright &sunny office; emily's living room.)

some of emily's secrets (of a stylist, ha) that i thought were especially great dealt with the relationship between colors &patterns, &with the use of accent items. she tries to keep patterns from being overly-masculine or feminine by sticking to a complementary palette. in the first episode of her show, she illustrated this by using wallpaper in a feminine pattern with a masculine color for ian's guestroom. a gender-neutral feel is created by maintaining the masculine-feminine balance. emily also suggests combining antique &organic objects with new accent pieces, in order to create a lived-in atmosphere, &avoid the dreaded &impersonal 'catalog syndrome.'

through her designs, she has rekindled my love for linen, &may have contributed with my new slight obsession with the lovely blue color that seems to be her signature. i must admit, i really want to curl up on her gorgeous blue sofa!

(emily's workspace /dining room, with inspiration board)


emily's show is called secrets of a stylist &her blog is called
the brass petal.





(images from hgtv.com)

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