STYLED November 5, 2015 08:00

So, before we get to the blog post for today. We wanted to let you all know that we will be participating in the Raleigh Makers Market this Saturday from 10am-2pm. Come out and shop local or just come and hang out. You'll find us in the breezeway by Benelux Coffee in Cameron Village. Hope to see you Saturday! (We'll have one of our planners with us for you to check out and flip through!)

Now.. onto the blog post.. 

So a few months back we talked about people that inspire us in a blog post. Emily Henderson made our very short list. She is so relatable and REAL. Did I mention she is superwoman? Three weeks ago her book hit the shelves, two weeks ago she had a baby, Elliot, and one week ago she was back at the flea market with a stroller in tow. 

Instagram pictures to prove it:

I don't think I left my house with my baby for weeks. I definitely didn't didn't go to flea markets and smile and appear to have showered after one week. See what I mean, SUPERWOMAN!

I did however 11 weeks after my baby was born treat myself to a "you're going back to work and won't be able to get pedicures during the day" pedicure. The icing on the cake was that I picked up Emily Henderson's new book, Styled: Secrets for Arranging Rooms, from Tabletops to Bookshelves on my way there. I'm usually not one to buy what I would consider "coffee table books". But I want to do my part to contribute to Emily Henderson's continued success! Also, after my purchase, I would say this is more of a "reference book" and I would highly recommend it!

The book is broken down into three sections: 1. The Stylist's Toolkit, 2. Style Secrets for Every Room, and 3. The Stylist's Notebook. I won't spill all the beans, but I'll tease you with a couple of my favorite parts.

For those of you that don't read introductions to books, my favorite line: "The best way to style your room is to have an idea of what you're going for. And how do you know what you want? You steal. Grab ideas from anywhere, magazines, TV, or books, and try them out in your space." Made me feel better about my decorating technique, stealing.

In the first section there is a style quiz, or style diagnostic. It helps your categorize your style. But she urges you to not let it box you in, use it as a starting point for discovering more! I (Mary Beth) scored a whopping 96 points. So I would fall into the category of... Modern Glam.

(Yes, that is my ongoing pedicure in the background. I'm sure the old ladies on either side of me were completely confused by my actions.)

I thought for sure I'd be in the 110 to 119 range and fall into the rustic category, but I guess not in Emily Henderson's world. I won't lie, I do love brass everything, so I probably would fit in with the modern glam folks perfectly. However I wouldn't say that I like "bling anywhere and everywhere."

Becky also took the quiz, and she fell into the category of "Zen", which she didn't expect either. The cool part about that is at the end of the quiz Emily presents the "style wheel" which helps you choose looks that mingle well together, simply by finding a style's opposite. So, you find your style on the wheel and the one across from it, is its complement. Modern Glam and Zen are complements. Again, another reason why we are such great partners in business and crime.

The second section of the book is broken down by room. Emily gives lots of pointers and suggestions in order to make your space amazing. I love all the descriptions for the spaces she uses. Like for a living room: "This space is like your home's business card, so make it memorable." She uses some amazing spaces as examples to help teach. This kitchen and bedroom really caught my eye:

In the last section she shares some of her secrets and references. She has a a list of must read websites for inspiration, a list of places to shop, a way to decide whether to DIY or hire someone, and plenty more. One of my favorites is a two page list of paint colors. Hunting down the perfect paint color literally takes forever, mostly because there are so many options! I'd rather have a short list to choose from, from someone that I know I like their style.

So, in short, I'd recommend it! If you'd like to freshen up your house and make it feel more personalized and inviting, or just more homey, check it out. (You can also feel like you contributed to Emily's continued success right along with me!)