No, I’m not going to be auctioned off as a celebrity for a day (I’m not opposed to that, okay). This is a longer relationship between you and me and your home. I’m excited to announce a new show I’ve been wanting to do for years, and now with the completion of the river house and farm, I finally have the bandwidth to do it (without disappointing anyone, I hope). I want to coach one of you through redesign. Two years ago, Rich Bay (TV producer) brought this concept to me and pitched it as a TV show (which was bought and then canceled for several reasons). Well, I was hesitant to let production take over my life again, but the idea of coaching others during a very stressful time at home was a huge draw and I knew it would be very rewarding.
you all. No one understands the stress of the renovation process more than me, and I’ve done it a lot. There are a lot of constant decisions in a row and doing it yourself is crazy. It’s a huge honor to be renovated (really) and it’s also a lot of pressure – especially if you want to create something interesting and timeless! I want to be your experienced design friend, I want to hold your hand and help you choose from the four different green colors that look identical to your partner but we all know are completely different. I’m not perfect and I make mistakes, but I’m still more experienced than most and have a lot of insight from years of successes and mistakes. In many ways, that’s what I did with my brother’s house – I designed some rooms more (what was curated) but for the other rooms, I just weighed it and gave my two cents based on what they actually wanted.
What does training mean??
supports. guide. Enable. Educate. He encourages. Keep you on track. Okay, I’ll hold your hand and wipe away your tears. I will also help convince your partner that what we want is the right thing to do (and tell you when you’re wrong)!! I will help you make decisions, help you not miss opportunities, and help you avoid the pitfalls and mistakes that will send you into a spiral of regret (which I know all too well). I will be there for you when you need someone else with some experience to make sure your decisions won’t be the end of you (and/or your marriage if there is one).
Parameters
Must be local (in Portland). Sorry:)
You should have already planned the redesign or already started a redesign process – and ideally for content velocity, you’ve already invested your time/resources into starting the process.
You get to be your own designer and project manager – this is not a ‘free design from Emily’ offer, this is me walking you through this and trust me, you will feel incredibly good that you did this. I’ll walk you through my process if you want a template that I think works (e.g. mood boards, look and feel, color palettes, etc.) and if you need graphics, I’ll suggest people you can hire. You’ll manage the whole thing (i.e. I won’t be placing orders or checking into boxes). Think of it as a mentor or coach – not a designer or someone who will keep you on track and meet deadlines (I still have to do that myself).
You’ll need a budget – I’ll donate my time and my team’s time when it makes sense, but I won’t pay for a redesign. If it makes sense to donate items to the trade, we’ll explore that (e.g. tiles, lighting, etc.), but that’s something we’ll negotiate if it makes sense (and I’ll need to cover delivery and usage costs – like I’ve said before, there’s nothing It’s called free lunch.)
You’ll need to be willing to document and take photographs – this can get really personal and can feel really revealing (but we also have a lot of fun). We’ll likely document it on IG stories, reels, YouTube, and blog. If you are an aspiring designer and want to be rated? naturally!! But if I’m already a designer, I’m looking for someone who needs real help and not someone with experience.
Scope of work – it can be big or small! It could be a complete home renovation or just a bathroom remodel (it’s more about finding the right option for all of the above). If it makes sense to do a big, long-term home and a quicker cosmetic renovation, we’ll do it. It all depends on the submissions and honestly, our chemistry.
What we’ll take into account – Ideally, blog readers (and yes, the longer you read or the more engaged you are, the more favoritism you’ll get, and if you leave a really harsh comment, you’re more likely to) have not been selected, FYI – we can easily check of these things). But if you arrived here as an Instagram follower, that’s okay too! And hello 🙂
Will you need to be in front of the camera?
Yes. But if you have children, we can happily obscure their faces (if you include them at all).
Do I need to disclose my budget?
Maybe – this is on a case by case basis. There’s a lot of judgment about money on the internet, and I’m not in the business of pressuring people by blowing up their net worth or lack thereof. I’m very sensitive about this (both bad and good). Maybe we’ll be open about some things but not others. To be determined later. Also, HGTV is full of lies when it comes to budgets, so if you think a kitchen remodel is $15k, I’m sorry to say it’s usually 5 times that price (I guess they don’t want to alienate their audience so they fudge the numbers I guess). I think it’s criminal.) But if your bathroom vanity budget is $5k, I think it would be really fun to reveal (it’s doable and relatable).
We cannot work with another designer you have hired (trust me, having multiple designers on the same project can be difficult). But if you’re an inspired designer – great. I just don’t want to get involved – remember this is your design project, your home, and your portfolio (if applicable), I’m just your coach through it all.
How to apply?
Email key images and a summary – You don’t have to create a great portfolio, but it can certainly be helpful if you’re prepared. We will then interview people via Zoom, request video tours if possible, and then before making the final selection, we will come in person. Please provide all the information – budget, scope of work, timeline, and how well you are working on it. Attach bulletin boards or a mood board. The more information you give it the better chance it will be considered. This will take work on your part, so show me you’re willing to do the work (not just call him on the phone). You will be the leader in this! I’m just your design friend.
You don’t need a big budget, but it’s better to set numbers so that everything you want to implement is doable. Remodeling is very expensive these days.
Hey, could this be a DIY remodel?
certainly! I mean you will be doing manual labor (I may help you but I can’t guarantee it based on the timeline). If you’re helpful (or someone is at your house) that’s great. Let’s do it together. All the responsibility falls on you though, LOL. I really want those on a budget to feel like they can apply here, but just think realistically about your abilities (for example, if you both have full-time jobs and kids and no prior DIY experience, DIYing can be a real drag) upon you).
You must be fun and enthusiastic.
Listen, I’m an Enneagram 7 (enthusiastic, fun-driven) and a Virgo (bossy, ambitious, and impatient) — I like to move fast, check boxes weekly, and have fun. I don’t want this project to take two years, and if we don’t have good chemistry, we might need to call it quits. This is my first time doing this, so I’m sure there will be a lot of tutorials, but in an ideal world, we check in every other week or so (on a weekday during work hours – I don’t work weekends ) or after 5 p.m.) and gets the project moving forward smoothly. There’s no clear system or protocol for this, and we’ve never done it before, but I really believe that with the right parameters and the right chemistry, I can really, really help you out and bring the rest of you out to have a really fun time riding.
I’m so excited. I love the process of designing and remodeling, especially when it’s not about my home or my budget. I also love solving problems, obsessing over details, and taking healthy risks. My goal is to help you take your design from a 7 to a 10. If you’re interested, send emails to [email protected]. Ideally, we will have submissions to start Zoom conversations within two weeks.
Editorial Image Credits: Photography by Kaitlyn Green
