Monday, May 5, 2025

Revisiting A 2013 Mission, DesignLoveFest’s Condominium (+ What I Assume About It Now)

In our grown-up pursuit of “timelessness” (which will get extra intense as we become old), it positive is enjoyable to see a time capsule of our youth. The 12 months was clearly 2013, and two “web well-known” bloggers collabbed on what now seems like OG classic influencer content material. Once I chanced on Bri Emery’s residence from 2013, I gasped after which needed to gossip about it with you. A lot to speak about. It nonetheless pops so arduous and is filled with items that I like, whereas additionally simply screaming “2010’s blogger time capsule”. It’s an actual lesson in the place to usher in developments in addition to demonstrating the ability of classic and coloration. This was my final “blogger collab,” the place I designed/styled well-known blogger’s houses (who could be known as influencers now) to cross promote, garner press, extra followers, and so forth (I embellished Cup of Jo’s residence, Oh Pleasure’s (a number of instances), Nicolette Mason after which Bri Emery, aka DesignLoveFest, Inexperienced Wedding ceremony Footwear nursery, and plenty of extra). Bri redesigned our web site (which has since been redesigned and is DESPERATE for a new redesign – coming quickly, I hope), and I designed/styled her dwelling and eating room. If you wish to learn the authentic put up, test it out -it’s a humorous learn.

That’s Bri, aka DesignLoveFest, and if you happen to haven’t seen her new kitchen in upstate New York, you MUST. She, like most OG design/fashion bloggers, made lots of life shifts, and after taking an extended artistic/private sabbatical from social media, she is posting once more and collaborating with different previous pals (which is so enjoyable to look at on tales). She has at all times been wildly artistic and such a visionary, so I’ll comply with her perpetually. I dream of doing a “Bloggers: The place Are They Now” sequence as a result of a lot of the OG crew that basically took off within the 2010s, have modified careers and are thriving in such completely different and fascinating methods (I feel like 10 of us are nonetheless right here, spoiler – social media induced burn out actually quick). That’s an entire different story, however right now let’s take a look at Bri’s 2013 residence transformation:

I swear we didn’t attempt to take low-light befores again then… However right here’s the tremendous vivid after! LOL

My first intestine response: this room is undeniably nonetheless so enjoyable. If I walked into this residence now, I might assume this individual has a lot fashion and creativity, an eclectic, even eccentric, viewpoint, and we’re about to have enjoyable. After which, after all, I’d wish to edit it a bit, tweak it for 2025. So let’s discuss by way of the primary developments that have been huge then:

2013 Development #1: Brilliant White With Pops Of Brilliant Colours

I used to be so responsible of this, doing it time and again in that decade (and nonetheless am!). The method: all white partitions, huge pops of coloration, drenched in pure mild. And the factor is, this nonetheless actually works in Southern California. In fact, now we’d do a hotter impartial, and make use of darker, extra refined greens and plenty of muted pinks. Heck, my brother and SIL needed a model of that of their bed room (see right here). I feel for essentially the most half it really works, it’s simply a number of the colours right here that make it really feel a bit 2013. I might undoubtedly eliminate that scalloped pillow on the couch and scale back the quantity of scorching pink (the classic ottoman may very well be extra of a impartial).

2013 Development #2: Fig Bushes And Whimsical Crops Galore (In Whimsical Pots!)

Once more, I nonetheless like fig timber, however my goodness, they have been EVERYWHERE within the 2010s (principally due to me, I feel – bear in mind DesignStar?), so I actually don’t assume we wanted two right here. And whereas having crops galore is extra in style than ever, I don’t assume doing it like that is working. I feel it’s only a bit messy, the pots are a bit eclectic, and it feels usually excessive. If I may do it once more, I’d do one huge fig tree and a smaller inexperienced plant on the espresso desk. Additionally, unsure we want an ornamental piñata…

2013 Development #3 Palm Springs Type Mid-Century Classic Every part In Brilliant Colours

Once more, I don’t thoughts this development!! Mid-century is rarely out, and I don’t assume that there’s an excessive amount of of it right here. It’s simply mixed with the large saturated colours and the Moroccan rug and brass that make all of the items really feel 2013. However sure, within the 2010s, earlier than any of us had a price range to purchase funding items from grownup shops, we purchased something from the Rose Bowl flea market, which was stuffed with midcentury classic from Palm Springs. None of those are dated; it’s simply inside the context of a lot stuff and vivid colours that it screams 2013.

What’s Not Working?? What Would I Get Rid Of?

That’s fairly simple – the black chair with the extra Navajo-inspired woven sample seems like we have been making an attempt arduous to dip into that subsequent development (I’m unsure what to name it, I apologize if I’m not correct right here). On the time have been actually seeing the rise of African mudcloth and Aztec-style prints, and now we all know higher and to by no means purchase them in a mass-produced trend. Buying from the precise folks whose tradition these textiles belong to ought to at all times be a precedence, like with my Boro materials. I do like the concept of the sample, but it surely belongs someplace with much less vivid, saturated colours or fashionable items. I’d additionally nix the gold drum desk (very 2013), and I’d scale back the quantity of stuff by 1/third AT LEAST. And I actually, actually don’t like that colourful pillow on the couch.

I feel this was throughout my “miniatures” part that I’ve by no means actually grown out of, TBH, however I don’t power it on my pals as a lot now. These flowers are WAY too huge and busy in right here, IMHO.

I nonetheless love these classic lamps and would use them in the best challenge now. The artwork was from the flea market, and the Blu Dot desk is so easy that it’s arduous to name it in or out, however the collective vignette simply feels very 2013 as a result of coloration palette. Now I’d change the drum shades to be extra tapered or pleated (or a coloration).

Nothing actually dated right here besides all my EHD classic whimsy, which I nonetheless love, but it surely’s a youthful model of me. That lamp continues to be fairly darn cute.

The midcentury shelving unit is rad nonetheless, simply must be styled with much less stuff and with extra grounding colours (i.e. much less teal and yellow). So many crops shoved on this shot!!!

I actually assume the wrongdoer right here is usually simply the equipment and the styling, each of which have been clearly 100% on me. And in lots of methods, that’s refreshing as a result of these are the issues which are much less of an funding and simpler to alter.

I nonetheless actually like this!!! It’s only a bit an excessive amount of, too many small developments that inevitably learn as 2013, and an excessive amount of “stuff”. However these are virtually all within the smaller items and could be really easy to tweak to make them work.

It’s visually so enjoyable and stimulating,g so whereas it looks as if I’m tearing my very own work aside, it’s truly very easy to see that with a couple of tweaks it may really feel 2025 actually simply.

We stored with the identical kinds and colours within the eating room – that classic eating set continues to be so rad, and Mid-century teak is having an enormous comeback proper now, so do NOT promote your stuff, folks.

In addition to me holding the plant hostage in that cage, I feel most of this works, however possibly simply an excessive amount of altogether.

The Brendan Ravennhill mild fixture had simply launched, and Max Wanger’s pictures was so in style (they each pioneered a LOT of copycats).

hello, bri!

Whereas I wouldn’t return to 2013 Emily, I feel this room truly has lots of timelessness.

The Classes In Developments And Timelessness:

  1. You won’t be able to keep away from leaning into some fashionable design parts in case you are tremendous into design (nobody is proof against the zeitgeist), however if you wish to keep away from wanting dated, purchase the prime quality model of it or simply do it in equipment that aren’t as a lot of an funding to alter out. I feel the squiggle or amorphous shapes are nice present examples – convey them in in restricted quantities to keep away from wanting dated actual quick.
  2. Brilliant colours will at all times be extra more likely to be “dated”, however that doesn’t imply we must always keep away from what we love proper now. Will they name 2022 the 12 months of darkish moody inexperienced the whole lot? Yep! However I don’t know the way you keep away from any coloration developments with out simply being so boring. Will heat pinks, browns, and burgundies even be much less thrilling in 10 years? In all probability, however once more, there isn’t a such factor as timeless colours, and for essentially the most half, there’s a strategy to make them nonetheless work with styling. A well-designed room with high-quality supplies performed in a balanced approach will probably nonetheless be very fairly in 20 years. Positive, there are some navy blue tones that really feel brisker than others, however for essentially the most half, blues, greens, and neutrals are timeless (coming from somebody who has and can at all times love blues and greens, so I’m very biased). Though if you happen to stay in Texas or Arizona it’s probably hotter tones that really feel timeless there. It’s so nuanced, people. Good luck! LOL.
  3. An excessive amount of stuff can actually overwhelm a room (and on this case, make it really feel dated). I feel this may be blamed on youth, particularly after we are youthful and we will’t afford the costlier design parts, however we love to buy, we’re drawn to smaller issues that we love, as a result of it’s what we will purchase. Nothing unsuitable with this, however simply know that displaying all of it, on each floor, particularly when they’re all tremendous eclectic, can simply look a bit cuckoo. I needed to study this lesson time and again and over.
  4. Genuine Classic will at all times be in fashion – it’s simply context, styling, and coloration mixtures that may make the items look dated to the precise period that it “got here again” in.

For essentially the most half, I feel that this room may very well be tweaked so quick to make it really feel “in” proper now – the primary “dated” culprits are within the accessorizing, which feels fairly innocent to me. Ideas????

**Design by Emily Henderson (me!)
*Pictures by Laure Joliet

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