Emily Henderson, a professional stylist, designer, NYT best-selling author, and founder of the popular blog Style by Emily Henderson, has a “happy, vintage-inspired” design aesthetic that carries through her design projects, both personal and professional. Her blog chronicles these design projects along with DIY wins and fails, tips and tricks for nailing your personal style, and advice on fashion, life, and a little bit of everything.
Emily, her husband, their two small kids, and their two dogs embarked on a huge journey close to three years ago – they relocated from Los Angeles to a historical (mini) farm in Oregon. The main farmhouse, built in 1910, needed a lot of updates, but it was just the kind of multi-phase, multi-year project that Emily loves.
Over the past two and a half years, Emily has shared the sometimes slow and sometimes arduous process of renovating this farmhouse to its former glory and full potential, all while imbuing it with her creative vision for her family’s “forever home.”
Sunbrella partnered with Emily to help create a few of the beautiful spaces in her home. Keep reading to learn all about her custom dining nook, back patio, and front porch makeover.
The Front Porch
Emily recently shared her finished “Scandi-farmhouse” front porch – a space she admits she “barely thought about” over the last few years but now loves. While the front door is not the main entrance Emily and her family use daily, it does encapsulate the farmhouse’s curb appeal. And one look at the completed front porch shows just how beautiful that curb appeal is!
To style the space, Emily chose products made with “durable, comfortable, and beautiful” Sunbrella fabrics for a style that can be used year-round. Her front porch makeover also includes a new Sunbrella Indoor Outdoor Throw.
Emily chose a porch swing, specifically the BK13 Swing from Danish Design Store with the option to add a cushion made with Sunbrella Canvas White fabric. According to Emily, “we’ve had [the white cushion] out there for months and it still looks brand new. It fits perfectly, wipes down or dusts off easily, and softens the lines of the wood so much.”
To complete the space, Emily chose the Sunbrella Crosshatch Indoor Outdoor Throw in Flax. Soft, warm, and timeless, the Crosshatch Indoor Outdoor Throw brings worry-free comfort to indoor and outdoor spaces. Emily shared she was “super impressed with the weight and quality” of the Sunbrella throw; and the style, along with the PISTA Denim Outdoor Pillow from Sien+Co perfectly marries the two ideas of “farm” and “Scandi” without being too busy.
Check out Emily’s blog post for all the details on her updated front porch.
The Farmhouse Dining Nook
As Emily worked to update the floor plan of her historical farmhouse (along with her design/build team, Arciform), she wanted to add an intentional, small dining area into their “almost too big” living room to create some “much-needed function and beauty.” The results speak for themselves, and according to Emily, “If every seat in our house competed in daily musical chairs, all of us would fight to land in our new dining/homework nook.”
To create the space, Emily decided on a built-in style dining bench that would look like it was always there, and focused on choosing the right upholstery, table, chairs, and accessories to make the space shine.
Emily chose fabrics in light neutrals and rich shades of indigo.
Emily chose to upholster the dining bench in two Sunbrella fabrics, highly contrasting but in the same color family. The navy-blue seat cushion fabric is similar to Blend Indigo, and the back cushion is upholstered in Nurture White.
Having a beautiful, worry-free, kid- and pet-friendly space was top priority for this dining nook. “Sunbrella is no joke – literally made to withstand weather year-round, so the durability and stain resistance is HIGH. And the woven fabric I chose looks like beautiful interior fabric, not a canvas or something that you might associate more with patio furniture."
She added custom pillows made with fabrics from Max Humphrey’s exclusive collection with Pindler x Sunbrella for a “sweet farmhouse vibe.”
Check out Emily’s blog post for all the details on her dining nook.
The Back Kitchen Patio
Emily’s back patio is one of several outdoor spaces she and her family enjoy regularly. This patio in particular is a favorite because it sits on the south-facing side of the farmhouse which gets more shade. Emily partnered with Sunbrella on this patio, “knowing that we wanted cushion fabric that provided comfort for long hang sessions and durability from both weather and wine.”
Emily kept her design choices classic, hoping to have it look integrated with the older style home. She chose the Giardino Rectangular Dining Table and matching Giardino Side Chairs from Ballard Designs, including dining chair cushions made with Sunbrella Canvas White. She added the Lorena Striped Sunbrella Indoor/Outdoor Throw Pillow set in Navy/White from Birchlane for extra comfort.
The back patio is outfitted with worry-free styles for the whole family to enjoy.
Emily also included a settee bench along the edge of the patio for additional seating and added the PISTA Onyx Outdoor Pillow from Sien+Co for worry-free comfort.
Emily admits she is not the best at covering outdoor furniture, which is why weather-resistant Sunbrella was her top choice. (Fun fact from Emily: her mountain house upstairs deck completed with Sunbrella in 2021 is still in perfect condition despite harsh weather.)
She tied the space together with a black and white striped umbrella made with Sunbrella fabric, also from Ballard Designs. Although the back patio is shady by about 4 pm, the umbrella was a must to be able to enjoy the patio for bright mornings, lunch times, and early afternoons spent outdoors.
Check out Emily’s blog post for all the details on her updated back patio.
Design Inspiration with Sunbrella
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