Mallory Wackerman – Emily Henderson

How Mallory Saved Her Parents’ Living Room From Grey Vinyl Flooring

Mallory Wackerman — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000

From Emily: We know that the news cycle is very much all-consuming right now. We hope this makeover post of Mal’s parents’ living room can be a break if you need one. It’s wild times, it’s important to stay informed, and we are glad to still be here.

My parents have hated their living room since they moved into their empty-nester house 9 years ago. They live in a builder-grade townhome that’s in an amazing location – it’s close to the beach, 5 minutes away from my amazing grandma (who’s 94!), and it’s crazy convenient to everything and anything you’d need. If you read my recent bathroom makeover post, then you heard about how many times we’ve moved as a family throughout the years (spoiler: it’s A LOT). My mom and dad have always been super adaptable, and honestly, I think they really enjoy moving around to shake things up. So they definitely didn’t think they would be in this house for as long as they have been, and they’re not moving anytime soon (especially because I’m going to be moving in really close to them…like REALLY close…my boyfriend, Austin, who I’m moving in with, owns the house 9 doors down). So luckily in the 9 years that they’ve hated their living room, I’ve become an interior decorator and content creator, which calls for…A ROOM MAKEOVER!

Let me brag about my parents for a sec so you can get a sense of who they are and how I’m going to tailor this room to feel like them. First off, my parents are the most incredible people ever. My mom, Melissa, is smart, fun, and beautiful (which is pretty unfair to have all 3). She used to be Snow White and Mary Poppins at Disneyland before becoming the ambassador of Disneyland during their 30th anniversary. Which basically entailed traveling around the world with Mickey Mouse (literally…there are photos of her and Mickey on the Great Wall of China). Then she worked for corporate Disney in special events…BUT WAIT, she’s also an incredibly talented pianist, so she now teaches music and vocals to children at Disneyland and at my high school, Orange County School of the Arts.

My dad, Bob, is (you guessed it) equally as awesome. He comes from an insanely musical family (all of his brothers are professional drummers), and he is the most incredible bass player ever (nope, I’m not even biased). He’s also a music producer and owns his own company called Audio by the Bay. They produce music for shows and parades at theme parks like Universal Studios and Disney all over the world (he also just produced the music for Paramount’s Christmas tree lighting, and it was epic). He loves cars, boats, jet skis, etc. (my parents have a house by Lake Mead because they both love to waterski, and we grew up wakeboarding). So when we were doing a shoot-up at Em’s Mountain House, Emily told us we could take their boat out, but we needed a driver (so we could celebrate after a long week responsibly, haha). I called up my parents, and they generously boated us around to the nearest country bar where we all danced our hearts out and had such a blast.

this picture makes me so happy – it was so fun to see my worlds collide. and here they are colliding again on the blog!!

So I got none of my parents’ musical genes (but boy did they try when I was growing up with the piano, voice, and bass lessons), but there’s one thing I can do: design a bangin’ room and fast. So when AllModern reached out toward the end of December for us to do a quick January living room makeover, I knew just the space that needed some love. Ladies and gents, let me present to you the “50 Shades of Gray Living Room” (literally)…

WELCOME TO THE 50 SHADES OF GRAY LIVING ROOM

So here’s the situation. 9 years ago, when they moved in, gray was IN. So everything in here was gray. The hard finishes in the house are all gray – gray vinyl flooring, gray cabinetry, gray tile – literally everything. So to “match the house,” my parents added in even more gray – gray accent walls, a gray couch, and a gray chair (which is a super common mistake). Hence why we all called it the “50 Shades of Gray Living Room”. Oh, and there also used to be a gray rug in there at one point, but our family dogs (Coco and Murphy) kinda trashed it. So in these photos, you’re seeing the first time they brought in some color to the space, only to realize the rug was way too dark and showed SO much dog hair.

The thing is, my parents always say “they suck at design” (their words, not mine), but really, they just do what a lot of people do: they never create an overall design plan for the space and instead they would just buy and replace one item at a time with no style, color palette, or goal in mind. So, for example, if their rug was starting to look dirty and old from the dogs, they would just go out shopping and would pick up the first thing that was fine, fast, and affordable, and replace it (that’s how they ended up with this rug they ended up hating). Then for some larger purchases they would get design paralysis and would just live with what was already there because they didn’t know what would look better (see the coffee table that used to have storage under it but the dogs ate the fabric so they just tossed the storage pieces and said “it looks fine enough and we don’t know what to get instead”). Well, that’s how they ended up hating their living room – every piece was just fine to them. They had no real attachment to anything in there. None of the furniture in the room made their hearts sing, and the gray color palette quickly became cold and depressing.

So here’s where I stepped in. I perused the AllModern website looking for timeless, high-quality pieces that would warm up the space and that would last a long, long time (even with two pups). I also wanted to bring in more storage because their house really doesn’t have a ton. AND BOY DID I FIND WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!

THE DESIGN PLAN

So here’s what I pulled together for the design plan. Last year, my parents had purchased a new sofa, and I installed some simple, cream pinch pleat curtains as a surprise gift for them when they were out of town one weekend. Those two elements really helped the space, but it still didn’t feel cohesive or warm. So I wanted to bring in lots of rich, warm wood tones, both in walnut and oak, to bring out some of the brown hues that are within the gray vinyl flooring. I mixed in some gray-toned elements like the desk chair (that’s actually a dining chair on casters, which glides SO perfectly, and is so comfy), the sofa, and a few of the pillows to make the space feel cohesive with the rest of the house.

I placed this order right before we closed our office for our 2-week holiday break, and then it was (literally) Christmas morning with furniture arriving left and right. My parents were SO STOKED.

When we were back in the office in January, I started to really pull everything together, and I did a few fun DIYs to really make the space feel custom and personal for my parents. Then the week after that, it was finished, and we shot the room!! It was hands-down my fastest makeover to date, but it’s easily one of my favorites now. Here’s how it turned out!

THE REVEAL

HERE IT IS! I’m smiling so big just looking at this photo again. First – let’s chat about the incredible credenzas (yes, plural!!) I put two of these incredible walnut sideboards next to each other, and they did SO much to elevate the space. First off, the quality is actually unreal (it’s solid wood and those babies are THIIICK). We were so grateful they came with white-glove delivery because they’re heavy and substantial. A tip if you’re putting two credenzas side-by-side: go with something without legs because it will make them fit together more seamlessly – the design of this credenza is perfect for this because you can hardly tell where one starts and the other stops, so it really looks custom! My parents were also blown away by how much storage they gained by spanning the cabinetry wall-to-wall.

I found the big art piece on the right from a vintage boating supply store (so random) for $100, and the couple in it looks identical to my Grandma and Grandpa on my mom’s side. My grandpa wore a captain’s hat everywhere he went and made everyone call him “Captain Vern” (even though he would get seasick and would rarely go on boats). So this piece is super special. We painted the random gray accent wall (that used to be to the right of the chair) and just made the whole room the same white paint color, but then once we got everything in, I knew we needed to add more visual interest and height to the room. All of the furniture is on the lower side (and most of it doesn’t have legs because our sweet pup Murphy is blind and deaf, and he just bumps around and gets trapped under furniture). So we kept everything low to the ground and as little of a Murph-trap as possible. He’s gonna make his blog debut below, don’t worry. So all this is to say, there just wasn’t enough drawing your eye upward. So, literally the weekend before we shot this space, I decided we absolutely needed to try out a DIY shelf idea that randomly popped into my head. I absolutely love Austin and my parents because they were immediately down to head to not 1, but 2 different Home Depots to collect the supplies and help install these shelves 3 days before the shoot.

So this is what it looked like before the shelving…

PROGRESS

Needs some more pizzazz, am I right?? I found the perfect-sized floating shelves (we couldn’t order online because they wouldn’t arrive in time), so they were (of course) gray…which was the exact color we were trying to minimize, haha. So we decided to paint them the same white as the wall (which honestly ended up looking much better than if we had just bought sterile, white shelves online…this looked much more custom). Make sure that if you’re painting laminate to use a shellac primer before! It makes a huge difference in durability.

My dad and I installed the shelves as evenly as we could without a laser level (we immediately bought a laser level after this, though, because it would’ve been helpful). And then I bought4 basic, unfinished wood closet rods (that had free delivery, which was awesome) that my mom stained with natural oak stain. Then Austin cut each piece to size with his jigsaw, and we really had an assembly line going…it was crazy. Because many hands make light work (as Em says), we were able to get this done in 2 days (and it only took that long because we had to let the paint dry…it probably was a total of 6 hours of work between two days).

Then came the fun part – styling!! I think my parents were pretty surprised by how long it takes to style a space and how much you end up just moving things around over and over again. They said, “It’s so crazy because as musicians we have auditory patience and can listen to a song or practice an instrument over and over again until it’s right, but we have no visual patience.” That made me laugh because that’s exactly the skill you need to style – visual patience!!

I incorporated as many of my parents’ objects as I could – the trumpet was originally my Grandpa’s (he was a band director for 60 years!), and then my dad played this same trumpet in high school. The image above the trumpet was a gift from a famous photographer who shot Woodstock – my mom helped him sell his house (oh yeah, she’s also a real estate agent…this woman does it all). On the left is the vintage metronome my sister and I used when we practiced piano as kids, and the photo under that is my mom’s certificate from the Great Wall of China. The giant bowl on the bottom right is one of my favorite AllModern finds, and I juxtaposed it with tiny vintage composer busts that I found at the Sherman Oaks Antique Mall.

There are the pups! Murphy (our blind and deaf rescue) is on the left, and Coco (our boujee King Charles Cavalier) is on the right. These dogs crack me up because they’re very different vibes, but they love each other so much. I love this photo – we’re just missing my amazing older sister, Madi (who works at the Disney Studios in Burbank and understandably couldn’t drive an hour on a random Thursday morning to hop in one photo…but she is here in spirit!) She’s the best person ever, and in case you couldn’t tell, I just love my fam so much.

Storage Coffee Table | Rug | Sofa | Floor Lamp

Remember how we wanted to add more storage?? Well, this incredible coffee table has a GIANT DRAWER!! Perfect for storing bulky, fuzzy blankets. Plus, the quality of this table is really off the charts; it’s just so well made.

Chrome Bowl | Hi-Fi Book | AD Book | Storage Coffee Table | Rug

Crazy – you would never know that that’s a drawer!! It’s so seamless. Also, you might’ve noticed in the moodboard earlier that I had planned to layer this awesome light brown rug on top of this grid-patterned rug. That was because I initially thought it would be too much “grid” with this notched coffee table sitting on this rug. But when we laid it down, I actually thought it looked amazing, and it was visually more dynamic, so we just kept the bottom rug! Both rugs are super well priced for the quality and size – I could not recommend them enough.

Floor Lamp | Rug

This grid rug is also super forgiving with the dogs, and my parents are very impressed with how it’s holding up. Also, how cute is this floor lamp?

OKAY, onto this really fun family photo DIY I created! You may relate to this – my parents have books on books and boxes on boxes of old family photos that just sit in the credenza and never see the light of day. Well, I wanted to bring some of those old photos out and create a large piece of wall art for them. I had seen this photobooth art by Amanda Jane Jones that’s all over Pinterest (it’s so chic and genius) and knew I wanted to create something similar. So I went into the physical photo archive, took pictures of the pictures on my iPhone, and then uploaded them to Photoshop and started arranging them into a loose grid.

This is where the “grid” theme really started popping off, but I’m pretty into it, honestly. (Also side note: check out that blanket that I found at a vintage store in Arizona for $34!! The loose grid motif is everywhere, and I love it.)

Metal Dome Lamp

The key is to vary the color in the photos – if they’re all black and white or all sepia, it starts to lose visual interest. So I colorized the photos in photoshop so some were brown, some were black and white (you could also do this to each photo individually on your iPhone; it was just faster in Photoshop). There are over 250 photos in here, so it took me about 2-3 hours to arrange them and get the colors how I wanted them to look. Then I sent it to the framing store and had them print and frame it HUGE. It’s 48×48, which is awesome. It’s full of baby photos of my sister and me, pictures of my parents when they were first dating, photos of all my grandparents from years ago, etc. We’re all very obsessed with it, and it really made the room feel personal.

Desk | Desk Chair

My parents both do a lot of work from home, so desks are valuable in this house. I love that this one has a drawer (for more storage!) and the leg joinery detail is so pretty. It also came in 2 days, which was pretty amazing. I mentioned it before, but this dining chair on casters is actually the greatest desk chair hack. It’s so comfortable, and it glides around SO easily. I highly recommend this chair – it comes in a ton of colors too 🙂 Also side note – that plant was a Christmas gift from my sister and me when my parents moved in…we truly can’t believe my mom has kept it alive all these years!

This might be one of my longest posts ever, so if you made it this far, THANK YOU!! We had the best time doing this “50 Shades of Gray” living room makeover, and I’m just so happy that my parents finally have a living room they truly love and one that will last a long, long time. HUGE thank you to AllModern for sponsoring this makeover – we couldn’t have found a better partner for this project! I’ll chat with you all in the comments – hope you love it as much as we do!

*Design by Mallory Wackerman
**Photos by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

The Easy, High Impact Upgrades Mallory Made To Her Vintage Bathroom

Mallory Wackerman — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000

It’s the last reveal in my apartment before I move you guys!! If you want to see the rest of the space, I already revealed the kitchen, living room, dining room, and of course, the famous closet speakeasy. I’ve done A LOT to this space as a renter, and yes, I’ll have to reverse some of these DIYs when I move out (which is sad but also expected). To me, I’ve gotten to live in such an incredible space that healed me and truly felt like home. That was my one goal when moving in here: to make the space feel like home.

As someone who’s moved a ton of times throughout their life, I know it can take a lot to finally feel settled in a new space (months, years, even). Growing up, I moved all around Orange County because my middle/high school was a charter school, so you didn’t need to live in a specific city to attend (shout out to Orange County School of the Arts). So my parents took that as an opportunity to move around and try out some different cities. I always tried to make my room feel like “me” wherever we went – even if it was just for a year or two. I think this really helped me get into decorating because I had so many fresh, blank slates. Then I went to college, and we all know how that goes – you move pretty much every single year, and your furniture is just a hodgepodge of things you can scrounge together. So I set up and decorated what I could, but I can’t say any of my college apartments were homey (or even cute…)

Once I graduated, I sublet month-to-month in New York while job/career searching, and then I eventually landed this EHD job in LA and moved into my first studio apartment in Hollywood, and that was the first time I was really able to make my own space feel like home. It took a solid 3 years before it stopped feeling like a barebones Airbnb and actually felt like mine. But right as I dialed it in, life threw me for a loop, and I moved to New York (again) only to break up with my ex and come straight back to California, and a few months after that debacle, I moved into this apartment in Los Feliz. So that’s my life story: home edition. Moving into this space – I really just craved the feeling I had in my Hollywood apartment, where I would walk in, and every muscle would relax, and I felt like I could just breathe. Home can give you the feeling of peace and safety when the world outside lacks so much of it. So yeah, I did a lot to this apartment (especially in those other room reveals you saw) – but I FINALLY got it to feel like home, so I was really happy to accomplish that goal.

On the flip side of things, as a renter, it’s important to know what upgrades are going to be the most high-impact to you and then do those things. This is your permission the leave the rest behind. It’s important to remember in the world of picture perfect homes, sometimes, ‘good enough’ is totally fine – ESPECIALLY in a rental. In my bathroom, I was originally considering wallpapering (which I still think would’ve been awesome) but once I realized that my dining room was the room that needed wallpaper more (this wallpaper, to be exact), I invested my time and resources there instead. Had I been here for longer, I would have considered wallpapering, but I really didn’t want to add to my plate of taking even more wallpaper down when I move out (it’s a thing, trust me), and this bathroom was already pretty dang cute. So I decided to just elevate and swap a few small things to make it shine a bit brighter. Let me show you…

BEFORE

That tile!! The little shelf!! THE TUB! It’s all so adorable. The only wonky thing is the fact that that cabinet just doesn’t close all the way (maybe a new 2026 design trend??) The green vintage tile really just sings – I actually found the perfect wallpaper I was going to install but like I said, it ultimately just ended up not being worth it for the cost, effort and removal. So I cut my losses, and instead came up with some affordable, easy swaps that would make the space feel like mine without breaking the bank or having to spend hours undoing it upon move out. And they were all totally worth it.

So I was looking for design ideas other than expensive (but awesome) wallpaper, and I saw this inspo photo and immediately knew I wanted to do something similar.

I loved the idea of doing a “painted crown moulding” to draw your eye upward (and knew I could figure out an even easier renter-friendly way to do it)…

So this is the new view into the bathroom after my simple renter-friendly upgrades!! The space has so much more personality now, and I can take almost everything with me when I move out, which I love.

I loved the look of that inspo photo so much – so I used this washi tape in two different colors (I could only find this variety pack, so I ended up ordering 3 sets – so I used 6 rolls total, and it covered the whole room). Now, washi tape notoriously doesn’t stick well to dusty surfaces, so I was wary that this would hold up since my apartment can collect a lot of dust being in a city, but I just thoroughly cleaned the wall before I applied it, and it stuck on – no problem. And now it’s held up great for over 6 months! It genuinely worked so well for this space and will be so easy to remove when I have to leave.

Washi Tape | Towels | Bath Mat | Towel Holder

Those towels are so good, I bought a second set for my boyfriend’s house that I’m moving into next month!! They’re the Parachute x Target collab, so the quality for the price is awesome (Parachute’s towels are normally $60-$70+) and I think they’ll last a fairly long time since they’re so forgiving (and are so so soft).

These were truly the easiest swaps – my goal here is to show you that not every space needs a complete overhaul or remodel to look and feel better. The very first thing I did was swap the hand towel holder to this one – it’s from Anthropologie and I had my eye on it for a LONG time. Then, I changed out the boring circular mirror to my DREAM mirror from Soho Home (which I can’t wait to take with me to my boyfriend’s place), then added new hardware (the old ones were crumbling in my hands which was cool, so I didn’t buy super expensive ones because I’ll likely be leaving these), and then added this pretty window film to add some more pizzazz.

OH, and upon moving in, I swapped every single outlet and light switch cover in the apartment to these fun brass ones. They were super affordable but made such a big impact to my everyday.

Wooden Bath Caddy

I’m a firm believer that a bath is basically the same as having a hot tub inside your house. Taking a bath here is actually magical. This tub is so perfect, and if you light a few candles, get your dirty martini and bubbles going, it is DIVINE.

I usually read on my iPad or Kindle (my sister got me into the fairy smut genre, and I cannot get enough…My Fourth Wing, ACOTAR, and Throne of Glass fans RISE UP!), so when it came to styling I only had a few physical books, so please enjoy this photo of My Body by Emily Ratajkowski, hahaha.

The art pieces above the tub are some of my absolute favorites. The skateboard guy I found at Market Market in Palm Springs (if you haven’t been – GO!), the top right is by Mucci (who I found at the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival and have now put his artwork in 3 of the rooms in my apartment!), and then the top left is actually from my Hollywood studio (it’s a sketch of the view of the Chateau Marmont by the Max Gooding Co).

Light Fixture | Tassel

We didn’t get a good photo of the no-electrical-required light fixture swap (this bathroom is pretty small and hard to shoot, so shoutout to Lyle for doing an amazing job with the photos regardless!!) But I wanted to chat about this boob light upgrade that required NO ELECTRICAL! It was super easy – I just took off the boob light shade, then put the light fixture through the long screw from the original boob light, then secured the same hardware back on and covered it with a tassel. I made a video on it here, so it’ll make a bit more sense, but it was the easiest DIY ever. Someone joked that it went from boob light to nipple tassel, and I’ve never laughed harder. But yes, I highly encourage you to add a nipple tassel to your boob light!! It looks so much better.

This will always be our girly little apartment that helped us heal and grow, and I’ll forever be grateful for this space. I hope whoever moves in next loves every bit of it the way we did. Thank you for reading and checking out all of these makeovers – it means the world!!

*Design by Mallory Wackerman
**Photography by Lyle Nelson

Mallory’s 1950s DIY Kitchen Makeover (You Won’t Believe This Before and After)

Mallory Wackerman — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Welcome to (what used to be) the tiniest, ugliest room in my apartment! When I moved in, I knew the kitchen was less than ideal, but with the apartment price, location, and roommate (hi Jade!) all perfectly aligned, I knew I could make it work. When I first toured my apartment, I knew it had amazing potential, but it was in need of a ton of love. The building is from the 1950s and had a ton of adorable original details still intact, but it was certainly given the “landlord special” a few times over. Every apartment has its pros and cons, and for this place, the pros were that the living, dining, and bedrooms were all decently large, but the major con was that the kitchen was teeny tiny. Well, tiny for LA standards at least…my New York apartment kitchen would be so jealous it would probably block this kitchen on Instagram. BUT considering my roommate and I both love to cook and are often both in the kitchen at the same time, this room is very, very small. Especially because of the initial fridge placement…let me show you.

BEFORE

The Fridge Debacle

My favorite fact about this kitchen was that it didn’t come with a fridge (which was perfect timing considering CA just passed a law that landlords are now required to provide fridges to tenants after I moved in…cheers!). So this fridge you’re seeing in these “before” photos was an old one that our friend’s boss was trying to get rid of. It wasn’t a looker, and it leaked out puddles and puddles of water daily, which was a bit alarming, but it was mainly the size and placement of this fridge that was the biggest problem. It was much too big for the space, so it made the room feel even smaller, especially when you were cooking on the stovetop and needed to grab something out of the fridge; when the door was open, you could hardly even fit one person in here.

by the way, almost all of these photos were all taken on a .5 wide lens, so you can get a whole sense of the room, so don’t be fooled…this makes the room look even bigger than it actually is.

This was the first wall I wanted to tackle because I knew if I just moved a few things around over here, I could make the space function way better for us. Not only was the fridge protruding out into the middle of the room, but we were also seriously lacking counter space. The deeper countertops (the ones you’re seeing here to the right of the fridge) were housing our microwave and toaster because they had nowhere else to go. So the only usable cooking prep space was on the opposite side of the room – and those countertops are so shallow we couldn’t fit a cutting board on them. Plus, the upper cabinets are super low, which also made things a bit difficult, so with everything combined, this kitchen was my personal hell to cook dinner in (which was so sad because I love cooking).

Determined to make this space more functional (and prettier), I wheeled the leaky, broken old fridge out of the kitchen door (which fit through with less than half of an inch to spare). And you will not believe what I found…

Okay, everyone, say it with me – a fire hazard! COOL! This was actually terrifying to see, but in this moment, I immediately knew I had made the right choice to get rid of this honker. Our apartment is pretty much rent-controlled, month-to-month, and is the perfect location in Los Feliz – walkable to all the stores and restaurants. So I moved in knowing I would probably have to get a new fridge to make the kitchen really usable, but it was a cost I was willing to pay considering my monthly rent was such a good deal, and the location was perfect. Also, since this place didn’t come with a fridge, I could invest in one I have always wanted, since I can take it with me into my future homes. And the one I have always wanted?! A cream Smeg OF COURSE!

And the fridge fit perfectly over in this corner, which freed up the space SO MUCH. OH, and if you’re wondering what that cabinet is next to the fridge – it’s completely non-usable, so don’t worry, we aren’t wasting cabinet space (lord knows we need it). BTW, if you’re thinking about investing in a Smeg, you should CERTAINLY do what I did and use Caitlin’s Wayfair hack, which is: 1) Join Wayfair’s membership program and then B). Get $200 back in credits. The membership pays for itself, and you get a decent chunk back!! It was actually genius, and I never would’ve known about it unless she posted about that, so shoutout to our girl Cait for the tip! And nope, this was not sponsored (although that would’ve been cool lol) – it just genuinely was worth it! The Wayfair delivery team was also SO awesome and did white glove, which was an actual dream (because I have no clue what I would’ve done had I just been here alone).

As you can see from the above photo, the next thing I did was cover the horrific linoleum floor in Chris Loves Julia x Floorpops peel-and-stick tile, and I was SUPER impressed. I won’t lie – it’s a bit trial and error to get a clean, straight cut, but the weight of these tiles was shocking, and the quality was just amazing. The whole installation process took me about 3 hours from start to finish, which was very fast IMHO. I would totally do this again!!

Next up, I had this vintage ironing board, which is objectively awesome, but we never used it, and the fabric was pretty nasty and old, to be frank. As a steamer enthusiast, I knew this area would be much better utilized as something else, and we were pretty desperate for more storage space, so I turned it into a fun yellow spice cabinet!!

You can see how I did it step by step here and here! I absolutely loved this DIY, and it was insanely easy. Plus the pop of yellow goes with the yellow vintage tile and makes me so happy (it’s my favorite color!)

I tried again and again using a magic eraser to get that big stain on the wall with no real luck of making it fully disappear (although it did help). So my options were to paint over it or wallpaper…so beadboard wallpaper it was! I found this one for $30 a roll, which is not a bad price at all – plus it’s paintable!

Okay enough with the process pics…who wants to see some pretty reveal photos!?! Jade’s boyfriend, Lyle, is an incredible photographer, so he came over to shoot the space, and I can’t wait another second to share these photos!! MOVE THAT BUS!

So to give you a sense of where we are in the space, the entrance to the kitchen is at the back of my dining room – which you can see in full here in case you missed it!

Here’s my finished kitchen!! That fridge nightmare ended up being SO worth it, and I can’t wait to take it with me to my next place and beyond. And see that little peep of a prep table?! HOUSTON WE HAVE COUNTER SPACE! I didn’t end up changing the hardware or painting the cabinetry like I initially thought I would (at some point in a rental, you gotta know when it’s no longer worth it to spend the time and money) – every DIY I did in here was so high impact and so worth it and I actually love how light and bright the space is. It went from hell to cook in to a heavenly place to cook in!

Beadboard Wallpaper | Art

Here’s a better look at the beadboard wallpaper – it added SO much charm to the space, it was crazy!! And since it was pre-pasted, I just had to spray some water on the back, so it was super easy to install. Now let’s all focus our attention on my favorite art piece, shall we?? You might know this already, but one of my favorite places to find art is the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach – it can be hit or miss, but last time I went, I found this amazing animator and artist who used to work for Cartoon Network named Mucci. He was selling some of his sketches and artwork from his sketchbook, and I came across this one and absolutely fell in love. It was $100 for the piece, but since it was an original and it spoke to me SO much, I knew it was worth it, and I will cherish it forever.

Did you notice the little curtain in the first photo?? I made a tiny makeshift broom closet, haha! I hated the gap between the fridge and the random non-usable cabinet, so I used some leftover fabric from my DIY cafe curtains (which are by the sink on the other side…I’ll give you a closer look at those in a bit!)

I needed a place to store my stick vacuum, broom, and mop since I, well, turned my coat/broom closet into a speakeasy (which was totally worth it, btw).

Cafe Curtain Fabric | Curtain Rod | Curtain Rings

Here’s a look at those DIY cafe curtains! If you recall from the before photos, these were horrendous, sticky little vinyl blinds, and I could not have hated them more. I also swapped the ones on the door window to roman shades, which you can see here!

The spice cabinet at its peak!! I absolutely love how this turned out – the pop of color makes me smile every single time I open it. I put in our beloved prep table, which gained us the counter space I was dreaming of (I’ll get more into the deets in a second), and then I put this vintage grove farmer’s market art piece above it (which I scored for $40 bucks at a vintage store!). I also love that this whole kitchen makeover made it so we can fit our Breville over here – although I did have to switch to this single-dose hopper (which is actually way better for bean freshness, I learned), but mainly I did it so it could fit under our low cabinets.

Also, that lamp is actually from Target, and it’s…so good. It comes in burgundy too, which is sold out everywhere, and people are trying to sell it for insane prices on FB marketplace, which is crazy to me. But it is cute, I’ll be honest…

I know what you’re gonna ask…”But Mallory, where did your microwave and toaster oven go!?” FEAST YER EYES! I found this super affordable prep table that was the perfect size to store our bulky appliances underneath, and then DIY’ed this skirt for it! I broke it all down here if you’re curious about how exactly I did it. Hot tip – I got glide tape to put on top of the rod, which made a huge difference in how the curtain rings slide on the adjustable rod (it’s also awesome for curtain rods that are adjustable!)

So that’s everything I did to my rental kitchen!! I hope this inspired you and proved that even the ugliest spaces in your home can be beautiful with just a little elbow grease!! (Well and the Smeg certainly helped too, haha). I’ll be revealing my bathroom soon too – which is the last space I’m going to share before I move out of here and in with my boyfriend (which is SO exciting!!) I have loved every second of living here, making this apartment a home and sharing it with all of you. Thank you so so much for reading this post, and happy 2026! I’ll see you in the comments 🙂

*Design by Mallory Wackerman
**Photography by Lyle Nelson

The Top 10 EHD Instagram Posts of 2025 (Some Surprise Hits, Too!)

Mallory Wackerman — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Merry (day after) Christmas!! These days in between Christmas and New Years are some of the ones I look forward to all year – my heart is so full from celebrating with family (the Christmas Eve talent show went crazy); I’m getting together with my long time friends who are home for the holidays and there’s even enough time to sneak in a little 2 day getaway trip with my boyfriend this weekend. There have been many years where the holidays have not felt as shiny and happy as we all know unexpected life events unfold on their own timeline, so I’m just super grateful to be here celebrating with loved ones and with all of you!! OKAY enough sap – we’re here to chat Instagram today!! It’s so fun to write this every year and look back on all that we posted. I know some of you are likely over on Instagram and have seen a few of these (thank you for the likes and comments – they mean so much!), and for those of you who aren’t on Instagram as much, I hope you enjoy seeing some of what we’ve shared over the last year!

At the beginning of the year, we brought on Marlee, who has upped our social game SO MUCH. It’s been so wonderful having someone with her genius brain up in Portland capturing all of this content – she was truly the missing piece to our EHD puzzle, and I’m personally so grateful for her! So some of these Instagram posts were created by our amazing Mar, and others were created by me (Mal), which is definitely not confusing at all. So here we go: the Mar and Mal social gals present to you…

10. Mini Pool/Jacuzzi FAQs – 803k

The Soake pool was installed in 2022, but 3 years later, we still get asked SO many questions about it. We posted a few different backyard update videos on our Instagram this year, so naturally, it made sense that we had comment after comment wanting to know more. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s a small(ish) pool that can be a regular pool in the day and then heat up to be a hot tub by night. It also has an automatic cover for the winter and is typically less difficult to install than building a regular pool from scratch, since Soake pools are ready-made. It’s perfect for the Henderson farm, and the kids absolutely love it (and so does the internet!)

9. Our Crazy Backyard Tour – 834k

Speaking of sharing backyard updates – this was one of them! The farm backyard landscaping, outdoor kitchen, and pickleball court were all finished this year, so we wanted to show more of the layout (and give the pigs and alpacas some more much-deserved screen time). This reel popped off, and I’m not surprised! That backyard is pretty crazy and awesome.

8. “You’re 46 You Should Start Dressing Your Age” Reel – 884and

Marlee created this reel during one of the Portland fashion shoots, and it turned out SO cute. Em’s style is so fun, and I love the angle Marlee came up with for this! Also, this reel convinced me that long shorts + tall boots is a very cute look that I will be partaking in. The 3k comments also suggest you guys really liked these outfits too 🙂

7. My Daily Routine Because I Let My Dog On The Sofa – 1M

This was another super clever one by Marlee! Right before Em switched out her sofas to The Alice from our Room Service collection (which has a removable pillow if you don’t want your dogs to sit on it, ha!) I love the text on it – so simple and so funny. Great job, Mar!

6. Art Barn Carousel – 1.1M

This one TOOK OFF, and we were shocked. I had realized we never really did a full “start to finish” art barn post on the grid – and it’s always so easy to forget where a project started! I found a super old photo of the art barn shed before it was upgraded, and then did some handwritten text on it (which was our first time doing that…and we were shocked at how well it did!) I think the story is just so fun, so I’m glad this post got a lot of love. What a cool project that was (I want an adult craft barn now lol).

5. Riverhouse Kitchen Carousel – 1.2M

Marlee pulled this AWESOME carousel together, and I thought it was so genius. I remember we were going back on what the cover picture should be – it was originally a photo of the finished kitchen, and then we decided we wanted to walk you through the story a bit more. Then we found that first progress photo our amazing photographer, Kaitlin Green, took and were like YUP, THAT’S THE ONE. I love the way it walks you through the design process and takes you along for the journey. That kitchen turned out so beautifully, and with that amazing green stone, it’s certainly not boring at all!

4. The Pickleball Court – 1.6M

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from social media this year, it’s that people love when you say “they said don’t do this…” “so I did it anyway” about literally anything. There’s something about that “rule breaker” mentality and then having it look incredible at the end that “proves people wrong” and is all around super fun to watch. It’s kinda similar to a classic “before and after” we all love seeing, but with a little edge. Marlee killed it with this edit and cinematography!!

3. The House We Bought vs The Home We Created -1.8M

Speaking of people loving before and afters…this one really popped off! Marlee came up with this one because we wanted to post some more fun organic content (and the farmhouse is such an amazing before and after, so we’re always coming up with new ways to showcase it). These reels are really fun to create because they do pump out to a lot of people that don’t follow us – so it’s helpful to show a bit of what it is they can expect to see around these parts 🙂

2. Everything We Put In Our Outdoor Kitchen – 1.9M

This outdoor kitchen is so stunning, so I’m not surprised to see it so high up on this list!! I know people love seeing the functionality of how kitchens, mudrooms, and really any other utility space since those rooms work HARD, which is why I edited together this reel! And having an outdoor kitchen is such a fun thing to think about adding if you’re someone with an outdoor space who hosts a lot – so I hope this reel was a fun watch for people! And for number one…

1. 10 Unique Things I Love About My House – 2.5M

Big statement here, but this might be one of my favorite reels I’ve ever made – so I’m REALLY happy to see it as number one!! We had so much amazing content of the farm that we’ve taken over the years, so I wanted to pull something together that had the most visually impactful footage and shared the coolest features in Em’s amazing home. The engagement was also wild – at 149k likes, this is our highest liked post ever!

If you’ve made it this far – thank you! I hope you all have a lovely rest of 2025, and I’m truly wishing you the best in 2026. Happy almost new year, friends! Xoxo

8 Cute And Comfortable Thanksgivng Dresses (+ Our Rules To Find The Perfect One)

Mallory Wackerman — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000

A few years ago, I discovered the joy of “the Thanksgiving dress.” What is a Thanksgiving dress, you may ask?? It’s a perfectly plaid/fall-patterned dress that’s extremely flowy and comfortable but still makes you feel cute (even when you’re sweaty from cooking all day and full from eating all day). I found an amazing one at J.Crew that a ton of you bought and loved a few years ago (it’s not available anymore, but here’s one on Poshmark for a lucky buyer). I still wear it almost every year, and I’m sure a lot of you do too! Also, it turns out that shockingly, most of the EHD have never truly dabbled in the Thanksgiving dress arts. So this year we thought – why not, follow my rules and see what Thanksgiving dresses are on the market this year that each of us likes?? Spoiler: we all found some good ones. Here are our rules for finding the perfect dress:

Flowy & comfy (ideally it’s breathable enough to cook in all day or to just stand around in your grandma’s 90-degree home)
Plaid/Fall Print/Fall colors (prints are generally more forgiving and fun to wear)
Bonus points if it has pockets!! (so you don’t have to lose your phone or whatnot while you’re walking around the kitchen! Not a “must have” but always a nice to have.)

Okay, let’s see the dress line up!

Mallory

Dress | Shoes (similar)

Height: 5’7″
Dress Size: Medium (Blue) + Small (Pink)

I found these two dresses right when I started my search and gasped THOSE ARE SO CUTE! They’re super comfy and are smocked, so no need to wear a bra (for the small-chested ladies like me, at least), and the plaid is just adorable. I got a medium and a small, and both fit really great. The blue is a medium and the pink is the small – I actually think I prefer the medium and I’m usually a small, so don’t be afraid to size up!

Dress | Shoes (similar)

Height: 5’7″
Dress Size: Small

I fell in love with this dress when I saw it in-store, so I had to snag it too! It’s super flowy (check), has the cutest pattern (check), and sadly, no pockets, but the style of it was so perfect that I said we’re getting it. The sleeves are long but stay up, so you can actually cook, which is great. Absolutely LOVE the neckline with the little tie – very festive, breathable, and stylish. Also, I need a spray tan lol

Emily

Dress | Shoes

Height: 5’4″
Dress Size: Small

I love Emerson Fry’s clothes a lot – very easy to wear, very well made, and the patterns are always excellent (cheaper versions try, but they really nail it). This one (I bought from Evereve) has covered buttons all the way down, a loose tie at the waist, slightly puffed sleeves, and a big chocolate brown floral pattern. All those together create a very flattering, comfy, drapey dress that is specifically great for Thanksgiving (but also just great for fall/winter wear). This is lightweight and just so drapey (it’s cotton). I also want to shout out THIS dress by them, which I have a summer version of, and still wear it all the time. It also drapes so well, is so flattering, while not being tight. I don’t need both, but I kinda want it, too, just because they are so dang easy to wear and feel cute in. I’m wearing a small in the brown, but if you are in between, size up. I have the medium in the Frances dress, and it still fits nicely (because it drapes so well).

Caitlin

Dress

Height: 5’8″
Dress Size: Large

Hello from my childhood home! Like Gretch, I come from an ultra-small family – just my mom and me! – So the concept of “Thanksgiving attire” is a bit foreign to me. But my boyfriend’s family is enormous, and I’m excited to have nabbed a $98 dress to wear to all of their celebrations this holiday season! I wasn’t familiar with Tuckernuck’s sizing – my 36F bust measurement, in particular, seemed better suited for the XL – but I found the Large to be a perfect fit. She’s roomy and spacious (read: you will be able to put away a massive meal), but the cut isn’t overwhelming or overpowering – they did a really nice job on draping the fabric to show a bit of your shape! It isn’t a total shapeless sack. I’m also partial to the Black Watch tartan pattern over a more traditional fall-toned plaid, because it feels like it has a bit more staying power throughout the winter months. I do wish that this one had pockets, but I have no complaints otherwise – I think it’s a steal for the price. (PS. If plaid isn’t your thing, this dress comes in 18 other colors and patterns!)

Jess

Dress | Belt (Size 85) | Shoes (more colors!)

Height: 5’4″
Dress Size: 36/4

Historically, I am not really a girl Thanksgiving outfit gal. DON’T TELL MALLORY! It’s nothing against the medium, but I usually throw on a fall sweater and jeans and call it a day. I also didn’t (the past tense here is important) ever really feel like the classic Thanksgiving dresses were my style. So when the idea for this post came up, I thought, “I probably won’t find anything I actually love, but I’ll see.” Well, turns out when you take an innocent peek inside the Sezane pop-up shop at the Grove, the most non-Thanksgiving dress person will have a change of heart. My plan was to pop in, get something I would likely return (because I knew it wouldn’t be cheap), but I really loved to honestly recommend, and call it a day. Well, the day was not called in the way I planned, and I walked out with this incredible dress AND a belt that I will not be returning.

Dress | Shoes (more colors!)

This little number is so comfortable and lightweight! Perfect for a filling meal:) Plus, those sleeves are so dreamy and my favorite part. On the site, the model is wearing this dress sans belt and with slouchy boots. It’s incredibly cute on her, but I just felt for my 5’4″ frame, I wanted some shape…which is how I ended up with my newest favorite accessory…this patent leather mahogany belt. The styling is totally up to you, and obviously, the dress is a good amount longer when it hasn’t been belted and pulled up a little. I went for a size bigger on the belt than I’d ideally want for a waist belt because I also wanted to wear it with jeans. Buying a not cheap belt for one dress was not something I was going to do. I also half jokingly asked the very cool sales rep gal if belting dresses was super millennial, and she assured me that the look was back. I’ll just be sure to stay away from the super tight, wide elastic ones, and everything should be fine:) Oh, but I did go to my local shoe repair place to get a few more holes put in the belt so that I could have it tighter around my waist and bigger for my hips. It took 2 seconds for them to do. What I also love about this dress is that it feels fall but isn’t decidedly fall. The plums and pinks make it more than appropriate for winter and spring, too! For colder weather, just add tights and boots. I tried it on with my favorite plum colored flats, and now, I plan to be very happy and stylish for my California Thanksgiving dinner in this whole look.

Gretchen

Dress | Boots (vintage Zara)

Height: 5’9″
Dress Size: Large/Regular

I am not a huge Thanksgiving celebrator. I come from a Three Musketeer family, meaning it’s just me and my parents, and it’s pretty rare that we spend all day prepping a grandiose meal just for us. Our extended family lives too far away, none of us really like to cook, and it’s one of those holidays we historically don’t care much about dressing up for. Sorry ’bout it! The Raguses are about as casual as they come, making it an interesting challenge to find a dress that would (mostly) cross off Mal’s list while still feeling close enough to our family’s usual attire, which is sweatpants. The one I found ain’t fancy (but it ain’t sweatpants either) and I know I’ll wear it more for everyday. It’s this pretty mini shirt dress from Banana Republic Factory in Dark Oak. I like that it’s corduroy and collared, giving me that “Wait, is this just a flannel shirt with a skirt attached?” comfort feeling. I like the longer sleeves and where they hit on my arm. Also, how the skirt kicks out a bit lower on the body. It can be cinched in at the waist with the (dinky) tiebacks or can be worn totally loose to make room for seconds. But be warned, it might be giving “Cardboard Box”. It’s pretty darn comfy, easy to wear, and fairly inexpensive! And I think it looks cute enough to keep. The regular large fits me great. My one huge letdown? No pockets.

Marlee

Dress | Black V Neck Sweater | Cardigan (other colors) | Shoes (vintage)

Height: 5’8″
Dress Size: Small

When I heard about Mallory’s Thanksgiving dress rules, I thought, “I’m not sure if that’s not happening for me.” Flowy and comfy – easy enough. Plaid or fall print? Maybe… I find that I have a slight aversion to most “fall” prints (or anything that’s not a stripe). And even if I found something that hit two of those requirements? No way it has pockets… Well, I saw this dress on the Free People site that I was super drawn to. A nice flowy shape with a little leg slit, a cute velvet detail/bow moment on the collar, and I was even having a hard time deciding between the two plaid color ways. So I popped by the FP store in Portland, and they had it in this red color. I would probably wear it to a family dinner as a “skirt” with an oversized sweater on top (see left photo), but I would also totally show off the velvet detail at a dinner party with friends or on a date and wear to with a cardigan (right). Also… you can imagine how proud I was when I discovered it has pockets! 3 for 3!

So happy all my ladies found perfect Thanksgiving dresses that they look amazing in! Hope this was helpful for you and a good little reminder that we’re only about a month away from Turkey day:) Happy shopping!

The Grand Finale: Mallory’s DIY Hollywood-Inspired Dining Room Reveal

Mallory Wackerman — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, we revealed my living room and my closet speakeasy, and I’m happy to report that I have one more space to share with you – my dining room! You might’ve seen a sneak peek or two if you saw the last two blog posts, since all the spaces are adjacent to each other – but now it’s time to take you on a full tour of this funky little space and share everything I did.

As a reminder, this apartment is a total GEM – perfect location, walkable to a ton of fun spots, month-to-month, vintage charm, and original tile in the kitchen and bathrooms, but almost every room was in need of a good dose of TLC when I showed up. Let me show you…

DINING ROOM BEFORE

Yeah, so it wasn’t a totally turnkey move-in situation…but my boyfriend, Austin, and I gave the entire apartment a quick paint job. It’s proof of why you should never underestimate the power of a fresh, white paint:

So much better, right?! The beige-y brown walls were just not it. Plus, they were pretty banged up if you looked closely, so this made a MASSIVE difference. It did, however, make the flooring imperfections more noticeable. We’re lucky to have the original hardwood flooring in our apartment, but it’s also pretty banged up. But I knew I could just cover it up with a rug and a big, long dining table, so it wasn’t a huge deal (because refinishing hardwood floors in a rental is where I personally draw the line).

I explained the design direction for my apartment in great detail over in my living room reveal, but the TLDR is this: we’re going for “single grandma that’s back out on the streets and ready to party.” I know you’re probably like, “Mallory, what does that actually mean??” A simpler way of putting it: a touch of vintage, a touch of modern, and a whole lot of feminine energy – that’s the vibe!

Also, see that ancient AC unit? It’s so old-looking, I didn’t even try to see if it worked (I just figured it was broken since it looked broken…like it’s missing buttons and is overall super sketchy lol), so when Austin and I painted this entire place last summer, it was about 90 degrees, and we never even turned it on. I laughed SO hard when I finally just pushed the button and realized that thing actually cranks…I was honestly in shock. All this to say I knew I wanted to find a way to cover that puppy up but still make sure it was functional…it’s quite the eyesore after all.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I have a thing about leopard and/or tiger wallpaper. Just take a look at the bathroom from my old studio apartment – I’m still obsessed with those walls. Something about the coolness and the sheer amount of personality the leopards add…I just think it’s so fun. So I sampled tons of different wallpapers, but ultimately had the Sarah Sherman Samuel x Lulu and Georgia tiger jacquard grasscloth one in my heart (and have since the moment this pattern dropped). Originally, I was going to go with the darker yellow one, but then realized this room is already fairly dark during the day – and while it’s a great idea to go to dark in a room without a ton of natural light – I work from home in here all the time and knew it would be a lot for me to be in a dark yellow room for hours everyday, so we went with the creamier white ish one. And I put it up myself!!

DINING ROOM PROGRESS

Obviously, this wallpaper isn’t peel-and-stick – so I basically just installed regular wallpaper on the walls, but did two things to make it easier to take off later: 1. I overlapped the panels a bit so that I could easily lift off the corners and sides, and 2. I used way less glue than I would have if this were a place I owned. Ideally, the next tenant will want to keep the wallpaper up, so I’m hoping I won’t have to remove it, but if I have to remove it, it’s not a huge deal – you just use a steamer and a scraper, and yes, it takes a bit of elbow grease, but it comes off. The wallpaper in my last apartment wasn’t peel-and-stick either, and it took about 3 or 4 hours to remove, but I got my security deposit back, no problem.

Wallpaper can be a big investment (time and money-wise), depending on the type you get, but it truly makes the biggest impact, in my opinion. I mean, just see for yourself…(REVEAL INCOMING!)…

There she is!! My dining room in all her glory. Once the wallpaper was up, I sampled a ton of colors and found the perfect shade to complement – Shaded White by Farrow and Ball. It can lean sort of tan sometimes and sort of mauve other times, and it’s just so gorg in every light! Then I thought about adding in a fun moulding under the chair rail, but I might do that for phase 2, or might not do it at all, since it’s a rental and I’m not sure it’ll be worth the bang for the buck.

The dining table and chairs really grounded the entire space – I love the contrast of their modern shapes with the more traditional feeling wallpaper. I wanted to have a good mix of old and new (read: sexy grandma). I swapped out the boob light (of course) to this gorgeous Soho Home chandelier, which has the perfect traditional/modern mix, and I had been eyeing it for literally years.

Now let’s chat about that ugly AC unit in the window…

My quick and easy fix to cover up that window AC unit was to pop in a cafe curtain. Functionally, it’s perfect – you can slide it to one side if you want to let in some light from the window, and you can slide it to the other side to use the AC unit in the summer. It helped SO much with the eyesore that was this ancient box in the middle of the window. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have to have that AC and would’ve done some gorgeous pinch-pleat floor-to-ceiling curtains so the cafe curtains wouldn’t be in the same eye-line as the chandelier, but the AC unit is so functional and I actually like being comfortable in my own home, so we had to keep it 🙂

This rug was SUPER affordable – I needed a strange size (7×10) and I didn’t want to invest too much into it. When I found this one, I knew it was perfect for the space. Those sconces are hardwired sconces, but I don’t have a junction box here, so I just put rechargeable light bulbs in them, and I’m truly in love. They’re from the Crate and Barrel x Athena Calderone collab, and I’d been eyeing them for a long time as well. I like investing in lighting that I’m planning to take with me, and the lighting in this space will definitely come with me to my next place or project.

I needed some large art for this space, so I went through some Slim Aarons prints (my favorite photographer – I always love putting his work in my projects). I got this 20×20 print and put it in a 30×30 frame – then I did a little DIY to make the framing look more expensive. I got a 24×24 mat with a 20×20 cutout and then two 30×30 mats with a 24×24 cutout. I took one of the mats and drew a black outline with Sharpie around the edge of it – then I put the second 30×30 mat on top so it covered any imperfections. Note the black outline is on all sides – it’s just the angle of this photo that only shows 3!

Sconces | Art Print

I might want to swap this frame to be a gold/bronze antique-looking frame – but I haven’t found one I love yet, and frames can be big investments. So for now I’m using this one, which is actually really great quality (and it’s real glass – it’s hard to find a large, affordable frame that doesn’t use acrylic), and it isn’t a total arm and a leg for how big it is.

Frame | Gold Corners | Music Center Vintage Postcard | Los Feliz Vintage Postcard | Candle Holders (Vintage)

On this wall over here, I created a gallery of vintage LA/Los Feliz postcards, and it was crazy affordable. Let me show you the breakdown…

The frames were sold in bulk and averaged to be about $3 a piece (I got 9×12 in a pack of 3), and they don’t come with a mat, so I bought those in bulk too (in a pack of 10 for $30), and then I cut them each down to size. I ended up just taping the vintage postcards on top of the mat because they obviously didn’t have a cut out for the postcards, and in the end you they look great. Then each postcard was between $3 and $15, and I found them all on eBay.

Frame | Gold Corners | Music Center Vintage Postcard | Los Feliz Vintage Postcard

Then I wanted to make the frames a bit more interesting – so I added on these gold corners, which were only $10 for a pack of 12. To fill my entire wall, I needed 8 frames – so here’s how much it cost:

$3-$15 per postcard
$3 per frame
$3 per mat
$3 per frame to add gold corners

So each piece of art + framing cost me between $12-$24, and after I did the math, I spent a total of $170 on the entire wall, which is EXCELLENT in my opinion, considering how much space this gallery wall takes up! If you’re looking for art – I highly recommend doing this 🙂

Okay, as we’re wrapping up – here’s the shot that shows where my living room/speakeasy are in relation to the dining room, just to give a bit more context. I just love this photo – and that mirror is so perfect & bounces the light around in the best way.

Here’s a reminder of the crazy transformation!

Dress | Shoes

There I am! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for taking the time to read this and look at all the photos. And if you saw my other reveals as well, THANK YOU! Means the world to get to do this and I’m so appreciative. See you in the comments!!

*Design by Mallory Wackerman
**Photos by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

See How Mallory Turned Her Coat Closet Into A Speakeasy

Mallory Wackerman — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Spoiler alert: this might just be my favorite project I’ve ever done. But before I show you everything, let me back it up a bit and tell you how it all came to be. My living room (which was just revealed!!) and dining room (which is coming soon to the blog!) are open to each other, and smack in the middle of the two spaces is this coat closet. It’s your average closet – truly nothing special. It’s filled with coats, ladders, extra toilet paper, the works. Nothing glamorous and all the stuff that needs hiding. Super functional, but we have a fairly large closet and some cabinets in the hallway, so it wasn’t totally necessary.

Yup, confirmed this is your average, unorganized coat closet. Living room is to the left, and the dining room is to the right. While it was nice to have extra storage, and I could’ve just organized this space and left it as is, there was another issue I was having. Our kitchen (which is so cute and full of vintage tile) is charming but tiny. Like it barely fits a tiny fridge. So we hardly have enough space to store food in there – but barware and alcohol bottles?? FORGET ABOUT IT! It truly was a disaster when it came to bar storage, and I was desperate to find literally any solution.

During COVID, everyone had their little hobbies they picked up – whether it was baking bread, getting into calligraphy, or what have you – and learning to make craft cocktails was mine. I also LOVE to host, and therefore I love to have a full bar so that when people come over, I can make literally whatever they want. Negroni? Done. Feeling more of a margarita vibe? Coming right up. Oh, you want a martini? Shaken or stirred, baby? That’s the energy we like to have when guests come over, and hey, it’s cheaper than hanging out at your neighborhood bar, so why not incentivise cocktails at home?

But yeah…storing a full bar in my itty bitty kitchen? There was no way. Plus, I hated the idea of people coming over for a dinner party where I’m cooking and then everyone pops into said tiny kitchen to grab a drink. What can I say, I like my space when I’m prepping food!! I want my guests to be able to grab a drink, sit on the couch, and not come near if the stove is on fire, haha. So I started doing some thinking…and I thunk and thunk and finally thought…wait, is that a key for a door handle on that coat closet?? Imagine if that key opened up to a little speakeasy…

so that’s exactly what I did…

Lamp | Silhouette Art Frames | Cabinet

Except I ended up taking the door off because it was too much work and too pretty to not look at all the time – so I still call it “The Closet Speakeasy” but it is fully open to anyone who walks in!! Honestly, sometimes I still debate putting this door back on, but we have a cute mirror outside the door, so it just kind of gets in the way…see below:

And then now that my living room is finished, this is what it looks like right outside the closet door! I did a DIY bookcase situation that I’m absolutely obsessed with. The whole space just feels way more pulled together now.

It’s actually comical because I had this idea for the closet speakeasy and HAD to do it. I created this closet before I had a real dining table, which is so hilarious and shows questionable priorities. So yeah, this was the first space I finished in my apartment, and it only took 2 months, but let me tell you it was certainly more of a thing than I was expecting (it always is, isn’t it?)

Jacket | Skirt (unavailable) | Shirt (unavailable) | Shoes

Person for scale! Hi! My main inspiration was the wine bar at the Parker Palm Springs – if you haven’t been, it’s iconic (also, I’m clearly very obsessed with The Parker as it was also a major source of inspiration for my 500 sqft studio apartment). It’s an ultra sexy, low-ceilinged wine bar that fits about 20 people, maybe 30 max. I love the intimacy and knew I could create something similar in this very intimate closet bar, which seats 1 or 2 max if you’re playing 7 minutes in heaven.

I’ve always had an affinity for high gloss, lacquer walls, and I knew that was going to be the best way to make this tiny space feel larger and to bounce the light around. So I started experimenting with ways I could create that look, knowing full well that it’s not a renter-friendly, easy, or affordable solution. There are a ton of vinyl peel-and-stick wallpaper options, but they’re not super wide. I thought the seams might make the space look cheap, so I ended up finding a patent leather fabric and stapling it to the walls (and then I covered the staples with trim so it’s super seamless). I ordered 8.5 yards because I initially did the door as well, and the total was $250 for all the fabric. At $30 a yard, this was SO affordable, looks super high end, and beats a lot of wallpaper pricing out there, let me tell ya! The staples will be a thing to get out, but not impossible, and honestly, I doubt I’m going to take this down. The next tenant will probably be pumped to have this bar, so I’m definitely going to try to leave it if I can! Surprisingly, though, everything in here can be removed with almost no damage to the closet. I kept the rod as well, so I can put it back on the closet rod sockets like it was never touched.

Okay, enough waiting, let’s take you deeper into this closet speakeasy, shall we??

So, as I briefly mentioned above, we chopped off the closet rod in about 5 seconds with this powerful tool my boyfriend, Austin, brought over. Then we proceeded to install shelving (which I’ve never done before, but it needed to be SUPPORTIVE because of all the bottles and such that would live on here). We used these objectively ugly but super supportive brackets to hold up the back of the bookcase (I covered most of them up with the mirrored backsplash, but you can see a bit of them on the bottom of the top shelf – we photoshopped them out in some of the photos but see the photo below where I left them in), and then we used these pretty wood brackets to support the front of the shelves.

I found the perfect wood cocktail glass holder for under this shelf and painted everything a color-matched red to the patent leather walls. I’m very obsessed with the look, especially with the way the brackets frame these glasses. I love me some glassware, so this was honestly critical for storage purposes!

And then I also added battery-powered LED light strips to the shelves and these acrylic shelves to lift the bottles up and have the light shine through – the closet had no light, so this made a huge difference!

This shot above is the only one where you can kind of see the ceiling – which is really where my Parker Palm Springs wine bar inspo shows off the most! I ordered 9 of these tiles and then hung them up with command strips and they’re a dream! They really make the whole space.

Okay, let’s talk about the mirrored backsplash! I was looking into ordering real antiqued mirrors, but let me tell you – they cost a pretty penny. I really wanted to save on the backsplash since I wasn’t going to take this space with me, so I found these mirrors in a pack of 12 for $25. I ordered two packs and some spray paint and got to work! I followed Lone Fox Home’s technique (go 12 min into the video!) which is to layer this spray paint, then this and this, and then dab on alcohol ink, and it worked really well but I oversprayed it a bit, so I used nail polish remover to bring some of the reflectiveness back in and I LOVE how it turned out. Okay, now it’s time for the cabinet saga…

Cabinet | Wine Fridge | Wine Glass Cubby

Okay, getting this cabinet in here was so hilarious. Let me explain. So I found this gorgeous burlwood cabinet that was the EXACT width of this closet, and since it was from Home Depot, I was like…this will definitely come in pieces and I’ll install it inside the closet when it shows up, and it will be perfect. Well, it most definitely did not come in pieces – this thing came BUILT. AND SHE WAS SOLID. But I was determined to disassemble this bad boy and get it in the closet. So I enlisted Austin to come over and help me cut into it with some of his fancy power tools (dating me is awesome, BTW). You guys, this thing would not budge. We took out every screw we could find, hacked away at it with a saw, and nothing. For two straight days, I tried breaking it apart, and everyone was starting to think I was insane. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and expecting different results, and I was certainly at that point until I took a handsaw straight to the side of the wood and snapped this thing into two (cleanly and nicely, though). It was actually crazy. BUT this guy fit so perfectly in here that I reassembled it inside and hammered it in so it’s perfectly tight and secure. Like this thing is going nowhere, and you would never know the frankensteining I had to do to make it work. So, if you’re in the market for a burlwood cabinet that’s high quality at an affordable price point, might I recommend this one? It’s nearly impossible to break or rip apart lol.

And then case you haven’t noticed…I’m a bit extra…so obviously I put a wine fridge in here (duh!) It took forever to find one that was tiny enough to fit – and this one was still a bit too deep, so I took the back of the cabinet out and then pulled it one inch from the wall (see here). I ran an extension cord on the left side of the speakeasy and painted the cord cover to match, so you don’t even notice it’s there.

Oh, and then I have one more bonus image for you!! The lamp you’ve been seeing in all the photos is a vintage lamp I found for $10, which was a total steal. I ended up getting gifted my DREAM Louis Poulsen PH lamp (which is objectively one of the coolest things to ever happen to me), so I tried it in here and I LOVE. I had it here for a bit and then put it on the piano in my living room because I feel like it is a bit tall for this space?? Comment your thoughts on which lamp you like more and if the door should be on or off:)

Louis Poulsen PH lamp

So that’s how the closet speakeasy all went down. Kinda crazy…I know. I don’t do things half-assed, so here we are…

THANK YOU for reading and following along. If you want to see every step of me putting this closet together (including ripping the cabinet apart with my bare hands), you can check out part one, part two, and part three over on my Instagram. I’ll see ya in the comments!

*Design by Mallory Wackerman
**Photos by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

MOTO REVEAL: How Mallory Made Her Boring Living Room Feel Homey In Just One Month

Mallory Wackerman — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Welcome to my new apartment!! You last saw my 500 sqft studio in Hollywood, and now you’re entering my 2-bed 1950s Los Feliz pad. This apartment has been in my friend group for about 4 years, and we just keep passing it down to each other because it has a ton of perks: it’s rent-stabilized, month-to-month, and in the perfect location (super walkable to all the fun restaurants here and my friends just down the street). The only issue?? It’s super old and run down, but it has incredibly charming vintage tile in the kitchen/bathrooms and SO MUCH POTENTIAL. I moved in here in June 2024 and had pretty much nothing in terms of furniture (I sold/donated most of it after a cross-country move and a ~dramatic~ breakup) but our friends had graciously left some hand-me-down pieces so it was liveable and then in June 2025 the AllModern angels came down from the heavens and asked us to partner on a 1-month living room makeover which was a challenge I was very much ready for!! I’m SO thrilled to show you the reveal today after a wild few weeks – but first, let me take you back to where we started. Here’s what the space looked like when I moved in:

The living room isn’t giant, but coming from a studio apartment, it felt huge to me (and it’s open to the dining room behind it, so it’s pretty long and narrow). As I said before, this apartment is super charming, but the living room is definitely the space with the least amount of charm architecturally, plus the fugly brown wall color wasn’t helping – that’s for sure. So yeah, I didn’t have much when we started, but here’s what I did have: original flooring, a big window that let in a lot of natural light, and a dream.

I knew the design direction of this apartment pretty much right away, and it was this: imagine a grandma that’s single and ready to mingle – she has some antiques and maybe Papa’s old sitting chair, but she’s kinda edgy and trendy for a grandma…and she’s ready to get back out on the town and get frisky. I wanted that energy mixed with clean modern lines and a touch of vintage Los Feliz, since that’s where we are after all. I love doing research on the area I’m in when I start a project, and then I like to pull elements of the history into my design plan. For example, there was a classic old Hollywood restaurant called the Brown Derby in Los Feliz in the 1940s (around the time this apartment was built). It was where all the MGM movie stars used to visit, and if you want a really fun fact, it’s where the Cobb salad was invented. It was a place where they had a wall of caricatures of all the famous celebrities that would visit, and the interior had so many classic elements I wanted to pull into the space. So we did the one thing that college frat houses and interior design firms have in common: we named the house. Ladies and gents, welcome to “The Brown Derby.”

It’s crazy to think this room all really came together in 1 month. Prior to starting the living room makeover, I had only made a few small upgrades to the space to make it more liveable – painted the walls white, added new curtains, and then my roommate and I found that gorgeous Baldwin piano for $175 at a thrift store (shoutout society of St. Vincent de Paul) so that was about all we had in here when we started decorating a month ago. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve prioritized decorating some the other rooms in my apartment before decorating this living room (and stay tuned because you’ll also be seeing the reveals of those other rooms over here on the blog in the next few weeks), so this living space really was a total blank slate just a mere few weeks ago.

Then, when AllModern reached out, I started pursuing their website and immediately fell in LOVE with this incredible Rosso Levanto marble coffee table – it became the jumping off point for the entire room.

It looks PERFECT in the space – and how cute is that little ball ottoman?! Because the coffee table is such a statement, I wanted a sofa that was a bit more neutral, so I went with this one. It has a great depth to it, and I love the wide arms, plus the fabric is unbelievably soft. It’s a great napping/guest sleeping on the couch kind of sofa – it’s a bit on the firmer/supportive side, but it breaks in well, and while it’s modular, it has clips that attach so it actually stays together. The entrance to my front door has a tight turn that won’t fit a single bench seat sofa – so this modular option was perfect for me!

For the rug, I went with this tonal rust/brown wool 9×12, which is perfect because this living room is super high traffic since it’s a pass-through space. It’s the room you walk into when you enter through the front door. So the rug definitely needed to be durable and mid-toned. It leans a little more brownish red in dark lighting and a bit more rust in bright lighting and has just enough variation to not show stains (which is also great because we entertain a ton). Also, that floor lamp is so pretty, solid, and dimmable. It’s so perfect in this space!

Coffee Table

Here’s a closer shot of the coffee table so you can see just how stunning that marble is. FYI, it’s HEAVY and amazing quality – it gets delivered in 3 pieces, so you can take it apart if you need to move it, which is super nice. Also…anyone notice The Brown Derby book?? I spent forever looking for this cigar box but it was too expensive and rare, so I went with the book and some vintage Brown Derby postcards I found on eBay for a little touch of Los Feliz Brown Derby history. The postcards are in my dining room (which again, you’ll be seeing super soon!)

I said it once, but I’ll say it again since this photo really does it justice – doesn’t that sofa fabric look soft?! BECAUSE IT IS SO SOFT. I also love the modern lines of that side table and how it contrasts with the vintage pieces in the room. Also anyone recognize those candle sconces?? I had them in my studio apartment, and they came to New York and back when I moved because I love them that much. Originally, I had planned to put up a gallery wall above this sofa, so I collected a ton of art, but then, when I started hanging it, we all agreed something just felt off. Also, functionally, the back of this sofa is on the lower side, so it’s nice to be able to lie your head against the wall, which you couldn’t do with a ton of frames there. So at the last minute, I found this amazing tapestry and had it express delivered to get here in time for the shoot! I was SO RELIEVED when I put it up and it looked this good – large art can be hard to find without selling off your firstborn child to pay for it, and this one is pretty reasonably priced in my opinion.

Now it’s time for you to meet my roommate, Jade! There is nothing quite like living with a roommate who becomes a best friend. We already knew each other before we started living together and had similar life paths – we both grew up in OC, both went to LMU for college, and both broke up with our boyfriends of 7 years around the same time – so we were in really similar places in life when I moved in. But we’ve already grown so much in this apartment, and what used to feel like an “in-between phase apartment” now feels like a home, and that’s not just because of the beautiful decor and furnishings (although that has helped A LOT). It’s also a home because this roommate vibe is one I’ve never had before. We have tickets in the front row for each other’s peak career successes and utter failures. We’ve processed big feelings together from past experiences, and we’ve been side by side and championing each other when we found new relationships with men who treat us the way we’ve always deserved but never expected. I’ll never take for granted how amazing female friendships are and how special it is for us right now to walk into the next room over when one of us needs a good cry or if just wants to throw on “A Cinderella Story” and quote every line. It’s a time in life that a lot of people rush through to get to the “buy a house and get married phase,” which don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for that too – but right now I’m just happy to have some of my best gal pals close by and the incredible support system that this place has brought me.

Speaking of these gal pals – they’re in for a real treat because the Bachelor/Love Island watch parties just got a whole lot better. Let’s turn our attention to the DIY media center, shall we?

I wrote a whole post on this if you want every detail – but here’s the gist. This media center/bookcase situation was a labor of love and took a village. I found this ready-made bookcase online for $360 (it was on clearance so it’s out of stock now – I’m sorry!!), which was an insane price for how huge it was – the only problem was that I didn’t love the grey color it was originally, and I wished it had trim/was enclosed on top to make it look more like a built-in. I added it to cart anyway since it was on clearance and decided I would DIY it to make it look custom (for even less than an IKEA hack). My amazing boyfriend (and my personal TaskRabbit), Austin, built it, and it surprisingly didn’t take too long (maybe 3 hours at most). I paid Aus in pasta salad and tipped him well ;). Note that he’s also really good at building things (which is why I bought him this shirt), so it might take the average human a bit longer.

Then I painted it and enlisted my parents to bring up their circular saw and help me install the moulding (and that was a thing for sure). I paid them in margaritas for their troubles. I had extra wood crown moulding around, but the learning lesson was definitely to use a foam moulding if you can, because wood is definitely not as easy to work with – again, full details are in this post if you want to see the cost breakdown and all the details!

The bookcase also came with glass doors, and while I love the closed storage, I didn’t love being able to see everything inside of it. So I found these thin perforated metal sheets and attached them to the insides of the doors, and voila! It’s a much cleaner look and made the bookcase look way more custom.

Leather Chair | Rug | Drink Table | Black Bowl | Silhouette Art Frames

Ah, there’s “Papa’s chair”. I absolutely loved the joinery on this leather accent chair – it has the prettiest details. Then I added a vintage magazine rack next to it (to hold more records, cause we have a lot) and this slim, modern end table to set down a drink. I tied it all in by adding hits of black on the bookcase, like that awesome, sleek modern bowl that would look good anywhere. That art piece is an original I got for $250 by an artist named Mucci, who I found at the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach (truly a sleeper hit for art, you guys). It’s a sketch of the corner of Sunset and Maltman in Silver Lake, just down the road from me.

I also made little silhouettes of my roommate and I by taking iPhone photos of our face profiles, and then I put them into Photoshop, cut them out and and did a color overlay in black (see the whole process on Instagram here). Then I put them in these little $15 frames, and they make me laugh so hard – definitely the grandma moment the space needed. Behind those, you’ll find my coat closet turned speakeasy, which we also photographed, so I’ll be doing a full post on that soon too 🙂

Tall Ceramic Vase | Lamp

I had my handyman/lover drill a hole in the shelf for that cute little lamp with a drill attachment he had, and then that Abraham Lincoln bookend was hand-gold-plated a while ago by my 94-year-old grandma – another grandma touch from my actual grandmother, who is just the best. The art on the top shelf is Jade’s childhood home that her boyfriend hand-drew – it was too sweet not to frame and put up here front and center. Then, below it is a piece Em gave me years ago by MaryAnn Puls, layered with a family photo of Jade and I from an epic night at the Soho House. On the right is a detailed shot of our gorgeous piano (which has the cutest subtle diamond pattern on the music stand!), and those candles are from Pierce and Ward’s amazing storefront on Hillhurst in Los Feliz.

Leather Chair | Rug | Drink Table | Dining Chairs | Mirror

This is a peek at the dining room for context (the one that we photographed and will be giving you a tour of soon!)

I cannot thank you guys enough for reading, following, and supporting! HUGE thank you to AllModern for sponsoring this makeover – I could not love their products more, so if you’re in the market for some amazing pieces that can get there fast (like fast enough to finish your living room in 1 month fast), I definitely recommend checking them out xx

*Design by Mallory Wackerman
**Photos by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

How Mallory Created A Renter-Friendly Built-In Bookcase For Only $600

Mallory Wackerman — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 08:00:00 +0000

My main goal in life has always been to have a custom built-in bookcase in my living room. You know the ones – they’re all over Pinterest and Instagram. They instantly make a space look super elevated and cozy. Bookcases and built-ins are among the most high-impact design elements, and they can take a boring blank white box and instantly transform it into a cozy home. My dream, however, felt so far away because my god, they are EXPENSIVE, time-consuming, and invasive. It’s why so many people do IKEA bookcase hacks to try to achieve that luxe built-in look (which those hacks, FYI, also typically cost $3k or more depending on the size). The other issue, beyond the cost, is the fact that I live in a rental – so I can recognize that it would be unwise of me to hire a contractor and install a whole shelving/storage system that I can’t take with me to my next place. But once I get an idea in my head, I make it happen one way or another, so I started doing some research on how I could get a similar look for much, much less. But first, let me show you where I wanted to put said bookcase:

This is what my living room looked like when I moved in a year ago. My boyfriend, Austin, and I gave the entire apartment a fresh coat of white paint since the walls were originally a weird light brown color (and we did it all on a weekend where it was like 90 degrees and I didn’t realize the AC unit in here was broken – so bless this man). Also, shoutout to Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams – it’s such a good white paint color. The apartment I moved into is a month-to-month, rent-controlled place in my perfect location in Los Feliz, and it’s been in my friend group for a while, so I know deals on apartments like these don’t always come easy. While the place was such a good find and checked so many boxes, the condition of my new apartment certainly wasn’t what my last new-build, studio apartment was, and it desperately needed a clean, blank slate. Here’s what it looked like a year ago after we painted it:

That smaller, skinnier room in the photo on the right is the dining area – I wanted to give you a sense of the entire space so you can understand that my precious dream bookcase had limited wall options in which to live. The wall that needed the most love and could best handle the statement of the bookcase was clearly this space between the two doors (the door on the left is the front entrance to the apartment, and the door on the right is now my closet speakeasy – which we just took professional photos of and have a full blog post reveal coming soon!!) This wall is also definitely the right spot for the TV in the living room, so I needed to find a bookcase that had room in the middle for said TV. There are A TON of ready-made media unit/tv console bookcase options online, so I felt like it should be a fairly easy thing to find until I realized…they’re also SUPER expensive! I wasn’t surprised by the cost of the Crate and Barrel, West Elm, or Article – the quality from those brands is great, and it’s a big space to fill, so I get it! It makes sense that these pieces range between $3k and $7k. I’ll show you – here are some of the pieces I found (and really love and actually considered purchasing) that would be great alternatives if you want to invest in quality but don’t want to pay for a full built-in bookcase/you can’t do a built-in bookcase because you live in a rental…

Left: Crate and Barrel Rattan Media Unit | Right: Article Torme Media Center

See? They’re so pretty and are truly not bad options when you consider the quality and how high-impact they are. BUT my main issue (again) was that I won’t be in this apartment forever, so I didn’t want to invest that much in this bookcase – especially since I wasn’t positive that I could take these pieces with me to my next place. The other small issue that bothered me with these readymade options was that they generally weren’t enclosed on the top. It’s a subtle thing, but I really wanted this to look more like a built-in, and the openness above the TV area just feels a bit unfinished to me. So I went back to the drawing board and started looking for options at more affordable furniture brands. And you guys…it’s crazy out there. I learned that even the IKEA media units are about $1,500 or more – WILD!!! I REALLY didn’t want to spend over $1,000 for this (and even that felt like too much). I wanted to spend more like $500 or $600 max because again, I knew this bookcase was most likely not coming with me to my next place, and I would probably just leave it at my apartment for whoever is coming in next. So I needed to find a balance of A.) not setting up a bookcase that’s actual garbage, B.) making sure it looked cute and stylish because I do design content creation for a living after all, and C.) not spending a crazy amount.

But after A TON of searching, I ended up finding THE PERFECT bookcase on clearance for $360, which was insane (it’s out of stock because it was on clearance). Don’t worry, I’m sharing super similar options at the bottom of the post, should you want to attempt something like this! It checked almost every box – enclosed storage on the bottom, and all of the bottom cabinets were uniform (which I think looks most like a real built-in bookcase). The size was perfect so that I could fit my 65-inch frame TV in the middle, and the bookcase itself would take up most of the wall space between those doors. The problems? For $360, you best believe there were a few. It was grey, first off, and it had glass doors so I couldn’t hide the messy TV box and such inside the cabinet, and it was still open on the top. For $360 bucks though (still a crazy deal to me), there was nothing I couldn’t fix – so I added to cart SO FAST and started my DIY journey to make it look custom.

Once the bookcase arrived, it was actually pretty easy to set up – my TaskRabbit/boyfriend helped, and he’s great at building furniture, so it only took about 3 hours from start to finish, which was surprising to me. For $360, I was impressed with the quality – but that said, it’s still mostly MDF, and anything you buy for this kind of price is not going to be the same level of quality as the pieces I linked above. I’m prioritizing budget, style, ease, and the impact this piece will have in the room. But even though this is where I decided to “save” instead of “splurge” in this living room, it truly did make the biggest impact in the space. The second it was up (even with the grey wood and openness above the TV), it already felt so much cozier. See for yourself:

Once I put the doors on, I started mocking up how I could enclose the top – and then I got ambitious and thought…wait, could we build shelves on top of this and take it all the way to the ceiling?! I highly considered it, but then decided maybe it’s not wise to have that much weight on a budget-friendly bookcase when I live in an earthquake-prone state… So I thought about how I could reinforce it a bit instead. I had some trim left over from another project and thought, “omg that’s exactly what it needs!!” So we screwed in an 11 in wide x 8ft long piece of primed wood on top of the bookcase (which conveniently was the exact width of the top and we didn’t need to cut it down at all). It looked like this:

As you can see, before I installed the trim, I started painting the bookcase the same white as my walls to give it more of that “built-in” effect. I would highly recommend sanding and then using a shellac primer. I ended up just sanding and then painting because I watched this video, which showed scratch tests, and it seemed like just sanding was the best route to go, BUT after finishing this project, I wish I had sanded AND used the primer because I think it would have been even more durable. After my paint dried, I would say it’s hard to scratch the paint off, but if you REALLY try to scratch the paint, it will come off. All this to say – if you’re attempting this – learn from me and just sand and prime to be safe. Since I didn’t get the primer, I ended up getting a “more durable” paint specifically for trim – but if you sanded and primed properly, you could likely just get a normal paint in a semigloss finish and it should be fine!

Then this is where things get crazy. I enlisted my parents to bring their circular saw up to help me miter the trim pieces (no, I’ve never done that before, but how hard could it be? Boys do it…) We followed this YouTube video and couldn’t stop quoting the part where they say, “Now that’s a tight fit, Tommy,” the entire day. And this was pretty much a full-day experience – lining up the moulding was so much harder than we anticipated. If you are attempting this project, I’d honestly give the foam/lightweight mouldings a try (might be easier?). This was definitely the most difficult part, but seriously, once I get an idea in my head, it’s happening no matter what. We also screwed in a few smaller pieces of wood to the larger, primed wood piece we screwed in on top (which you’ll see made the weight of the wood droop down in the middle a bit for a second, but once we finished putting on the smaller wood pieces and the moulding, everything straightened out, so it doesn’t droop anymore. So – I would also just make sure that the top wood piece is really solid if you attempt this – definitely don’t get something too flimsy. The photo might scare you for a second, but I promise it’s perfectly straight and looks great at the end (this was a total trust-the-process moment).

I also would highly advise using a nail gun to nail the trim in if you’re using wood crown moulding like this – my dad brought one that was 15 years old (bless his heart) and it died on us mid project so we finished hanging the moulding with a few smaller wood screws and nails (which I would not advice for a seamless look but it worked when we were in our time of need – and starving and very much over it). I caulked and painted over the nails/nail holes so you can honestly barely see them, but again – DEFINITELY use a nail gun if you’re going to attempt this with wood trim! If you don’t want to use a nail gun, the foam/lightweight moulding and some heavy-duty adhesive are going to be your best friends!

Once the trim was up (which was a miracle since my mom, dad, and I are NOT woodworkers per se) – this is what it looked like!! I’ll be honest we struggled to get the “tight fit tommy” aka the pieces to perfectly line up over on the left side as you can see (but somehow we did the corner cuts perfectly and so that was good) but once I sanded it down and caulked it – the joining pieces were not super noticeable (again, would probably have been easier with lighter trim). I was proud of my parents and I, so we celebrated our accomplishment with some margaritas, and overall it turned out SO great!! Such an upgrade from how it started. Now it was time to finish caulking the gaps, plus painting the trim and the bottom of the bookcase. Oh, and did you see those glass cabinet doors that hide nothing?? Yeah, don’t worry – I fixed those!! Check it out:

I found these perforated brass metal sheets for $20 each on Amazon, and they were the perfect size, so I ordered them and secured them to the back of the door behind the glass. I actually really liked the hardware that the bookcase came with, but remember, you could always swap that out if you found a bookcase with hardware you didn’t love as much! But anyway – ready to see the before/after?! Here you go!!

So here’s the full cost breakdown:

Bookcase: $360 ($400 after tax)
Paint: $70 (I bought the fancy, expensive trim-specific paint since I didn’t prime, but this could’ve been more like $45)
Metal Sheets: $20 each (I got 8)
Trim: $42 each (We used 3 of them! I already had these)
Shellac Primer: $30 for 1 qt (Might need more depending on how big your bookcase is – again, I didn’t do the primer, but wish I did in addition to sanding!)
Orbital Sander: $30+ (I already had this one!)
Nail Gun: $40+ (Could rent or borrow! Or use until it dies and then give up and use some wood screws lol)

Total I spent: $630 (I already had the trim, but it would be more like $755 if you included that cost)

MAN, I’m so happy I was able to achieve my bookcase dreams for that price! I thought it wouldn’t be possible, but you can do anything if you just believe. It turned out so cozy and custom – you would never know this bookcase started as a $360 ready-to-assemble piece. But curious to know your thoughts – do you think it was worth it?! Would you attempt something like this? Let’s chat in the comments.

Also sharing some ready-made bookcase options if you want to DIY and customize them on your own. Note, some of them might not need to be painted/they don’t have the glass doors (those metal sheets added up!), so also factor the elements you may or may not need into the cost of DIYing these! Most of these run around $400-$500. You could also take the doors off if you want open shelving on top, and don’t forget you can always swap out or add hardware. Just thought I’d share some ideas, but get creative and have fun with it! xx

Left: White Oak Colored Bookcase | Right: White Bookcase With Glass Doors

Left: Industrial Black Bookcase | Right: White Bookcase With Enclosed Doors

And lastly, here’s a sneak peek of the pretty photos EHD alum and amazing LA-based photographer, Sara Ligorria-Tramp, took of my full living room makeover with AllModern – which I’m going to be sharing with you next week! Stay tuned, friends!

Thanks so much for reading and for your support!! You guys are the best xx

Opening Image By: Sara Ligorria-Tramp | Design and Styling by Mallory Wackerman

15 Items On Sale That Will Elevate Your Home Instantly

Mallory Wackerman — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In an age of 24-hour room makeovers and perfect homes on social media, I want to remind you it’s okay to decorate slowly, wait for things you love to go on sale, and not feel the pressure to rush to make your entire house feel finished. And yes, this might sound hypocritical coming from the girl who’s doing a one-month living room makeover with AllModern (which I’m SO excited to show you) – but this makeover led to a great conversation with my roommate about our decorating mentalities, and it was super eye-opening to me. I realized there are two major camps when it comes to decorating…let me explain.

As designers/design enthusiasts, many of us spend years shopping for things we love and collecting them in hopes we’ll find a spot for them later (because we usually do). So, for me, when I moved into a space, I already had a fairly large inventory of vintage, home decor, furniture, and art. And these collections can grow FAST since it’s our hobby and our life’s joy (well, other than family, friends, and those kinds of important things). I can only really speak for myself, but I know many of you will relate to this: generally, my approach to decorating is to put up the things I’ve collected and love – even if it’s not totally right for the space. I just know that I could (and will) swap anything out later if and when I find a piece that’s more perfect. And then, in order to make the existing pieces I have work in the room (even if it’s just for now), I’ll likely purchase more pieces to make the room cohesive because I just want the room to feel finished. And thus, the home decor collection grows, and random pieces start flying in and out of the house at a rapid pace. I personally struggle to relax in my home if it feels like it’s unfinished or lacking personality – so while I’m partially this way because of my job, there’s also a lot of incentive for me beyond my profession that makes me want to decorate quickly. If this sounds like you, welcome to the fast decorators club.

photo by kaitlin green | from: river house guest room reveal

Now I’m sure you can guess where this is going, but the other group is comprised of the slow decorators. And there might be some crossover here: slow decorators also collect items over time and decorate their spaces to be livable when they move in, but the mindset from there on is a bit different. This group can include people who might not be as invested in design, people who love design but just might not want to invest in the space they’re living in yet, or people who really love design and want to invest in their space but are more intentional about doing it the right way. So many people I know fall into this camp (and it’s because it makes a ton of sense). This group likes to be intentional and slowly collect the perfect pieces, for the right prices, and they plan out exactly where it will go (which means in the meantime they might be living without art on the walls, a side table, etc). They don’t want to invest and go through the hassle of bringing stuff in and out if a piece isn’t totally right or if they don’t see longevity in it.

Now don’t worry – you don’t have to choose one group. There’s a lot of crossover between these imaginary camps of people I just made up – so don’t think you have to be boxed into one camp or the other – but generally, this is where I realized my roommate and I differed. Since this is my job, I will always invest in furniture, decor, or art pieces I genuinely think are awesome and love because I don’t mind the hassle of swapping them if they don’t work out (as long as it can be done sustainably). I know I can always sell the pieces, put them in another project or give them away to friends or family (plus as a designer/decorator/content creator it’s good to have a lot of variety in the styling of your projects – so why not take a risk, try a trend or do something that might not end up living in your home forever?) And especially when you create content, you want to give the people something fresh! new! risky! fun! scroll stopping! It’s a very specific mentality to have – I know – so this conversation with my roommate was a good reminder for me and hopefully for you too that it’s okay if every single detail in the house isn’t fully done and perfect right this second (which I know we all can feel that pressure from the internet, clients, people coming over, or whatever factor it may be). Decorate on your own timeline and do what feels right to you.

photo by kaitlin green | from: my best friends living room reveal

Thanks for reading my rant. Let’s get to the part where I share some pieces that can make your space feel more dialed in. AllModern’s Black Friday In July sale is REALLY GOOD (they have up to 70% off select items), so I’m sharing the picks that I think are awesome for both the fast decorators and slow decorators. Whichever camp you’re leaning into right now (because yes, it can also change depending on your mood and time in life), it’s always great to get good design for a good price, and these pieces will really make your home shine and give it the upgrade that you might be looking for. I’m breaking it out by price point so you can choose your adventure on how much you want to invest in your home at this time. And since my living room makeover is in partnership with AllModern, I’m excited to share some of the pieces I recently received and can give you my genuine thoughts and reviews on (and everything came super quickly, which is a bonus for the fast decorators like me!)

Small & Simple Home Upgrades

A drink table can save you the daily annoyance of sitting on your chair or sofa that’s slightly too far away from the coffee table – trust me, it makes a big difference in the livability of your space! The best part is they’re generally pretty affordable, so you can make yourself more comfortable for not a lot of dough. I love this table that’s on sale right now. Plus, I personally just got the Walt end table, and I am so impressed with the weight and sty

Drink Table

Here’s an example of a skinny drink table styled out in Brady’s old apartment:

design by brady tolbert | photo by zeke ruelas | from: brady’s living room reveal

End Table

This end table is really great for the same problem, but it’s specifically great with a sofa because it can slide under the bottom of the couch!

photo by david tsay

Fluted Tray | Black Tray

Another fun piece to add (that I’m also currently shopping for) is a tray for a coffee table. They make your little trinkets look more intentional and your home look less messy. This one is awesome (I have actually one that’s super similar), and this black one is also really sleek.

Medium-Sized Home Upgrades

This next category is full of items that are great quality and really feel solid and take up a bit more space. In my living room makeover, I’m using a good amount of stone and marble materials (shoutout to my dream coffee table for pushing me in this direction although it is unfortunately not on sale currently – sorry!!!), and they’re SOLID. Like, so heavy but in a really good way. I also snagged this travertine side table, and I just love setting stuff down on these tables because I know they’re not going anywhere. They’re certainly not cheap because marble and travertine are expensive materials, but I found this awesome end table which comes in a ton of colors at a pretty reasonable price point.

Marble End Table

photos by kaitlin green | left from: our kids’ art barn | right from: my niece’s bedroom reveal

Sometimes all your space needs is a little bit of fun to give it more personality and make it feel more like you. Here are some fun, whimsical pieces we’ve used before – Em put this bench in her niece’s bedroom makeove,r and she put this floor lamp in the art barn (see below!)

Floor Lamp | Bench

photo by kaitlin green | from: the river house kids’ shared bathroom

And if you want a fun bench with some simple, cleaner lines, here’s the more “streamlined version,” which is on sale now too. We’ve used it in the river house and the quality is awesome.

Bench

Desk

For this price point, I’d recommend grabbing a larger furniture piece in need of updating. Want to upgrade your home office?? This desk is pretty affordable (and it’s so cute).

Recliner

Maybe a comfy club chair like this or a secret recliner (my boyfriend has two recliners that look super similar to this one).

Chair

You guys also love this chair (we know because you purchase it through us a lot, actually!) It seems super comfy and streamlined too. If you’re looking for something like this – it comes in a ton of colors 🙂

Big Home Upgrades

Sofa

This is the big ticket item upgrade! I just grabbed this sofa to replace my older IKEA sofa. The reviews were excellent, so I figured it would be great, but I highly recommend it if you’re in need of an upgrade (and it comes in a ton of configurations). The fabric is soft and it’s low but not too low. It’s also pretty deep, which I love, so someone can comfortably sleep on it if need be (or if I want to personally nap on it).

Leather Bed

Obsessed with this leather bed – what a star piece. This is so timeless and would work in so many different bedrooms 🙂

AllModern has a lot of sofas and beds all year (obviously), but the sales are just so good right now – if you’re thinking of upgrading any large pieces, check out the full sale here.

So I hope you found something you love, and/or I hope you take away that slow decorating and fast decorating can both exist, and it’s all about how much time, effort, and money YOU want to spend and put in in order to make yourself comfortable in your own home. It’s your timeline and your space – not anyone else’s. I can’t WAIT to share my living room makeover with AllModern now that it’s almost finished (because boy was it bare bones and as a fast decorator, that was very stressful to me lol) but hope you all take it as an inspiration for what you can do in your space and not a timeline you need to follow. We’re shooting the room in August, so stay tuned!! And okay fine…you twisted my arm. Here’s a sneak peek of the new sofa!

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: My Brother’s Kitchen Patio With AllModern