Hi. I’m Emily Henderson and I like blogs written by people with opinions, personal anecdotes, and long-form design nerd details. I also like print magazines, LOL. I can detect AI in under two words. I know when a PR team has hired a writer. I, like most of you, live for a personable person struggling to solve problems and decorate a space that means something to them. I hope for a mistake that I can learn from and I will read all the makeovers and reveals – sponsored or not, big or small. I’m HERE for photography content that doesn’t move fast. I don’t mind videos and reels, but I mostly like it when you can tell someone channeled writing a journal entry while plugging in some pretty photos to illustrate the points and emotions. But most blogs have died, just as their former owners are thriving in different ways (should I do a “where are they now?” column – JUST ASK!!). Some publish 2-3 times a month, tied to sponsored reveals and there’s nothing wrong with that. Yet at the same time, when you post 6-7 times a week like us, you need a 3-5 person team. It’s an untenable career for most and the only reason I’m here is that I got a huge kick in the career by HGTV, then an 8-year Target contract which allowed me to hire and grow a team that helped me create more and better content every day, week, month and year. So many creators are doing so amazingly without their blogs, shifting to mostly social, product lines, books, design firms, and consulting. It’s fun to watch and at times I wish we had a 20-year OG blogger reunion, Romy and Michelle style to see where we all landed after the Wild West of the early digital media. I’m so grateful to still be here which I credit to you and my team (along with my love for it which fuels me daily). So today I thought I’d celebrate those who I still check in with, read, and think are doing a FANTASTIC JOB. If you only post 3-4 times a month don’t be offended that this isn’t your list – you are likely more of an IG influencer which is awesome and a totally different muscle. This blog post, is for my OG ladies and gents. You may notice a trend below with husband and wife teams of which I am totally not jealous, LOL. I also want to be clear that this is not a “best of” or a comprehensive list of what’s out there, it’s just who I consistently check in with and the whole point is to follow MORE.
If blogs had a prom queen and king I think we know who we’d vote for. They are the powerhouse duo that I’m incredibly impressed with daily/weekly/monthly, watching them as they renovate their own home and design approachable and good product lines for the masses. So much content. So many hours a week on camera for stories and reels and a big staff that supports (and whom they support). They have been able to do all while maintaining a daily blog and a stable family life (and keeping up with social in a remarkably good way). I know that it’s not easy to do what they do and if I have to guess they are both pushing themselves hard towards unknown limits, so I try to thank them for their service by engaging with every post via likes, shares, and comments. And I hope you do, too. My only envy is that my Brian doesn’t share my design/blogging passion, which I would never make him fake but doing it together would be so wonderful. I’m genuinely happy for them that they can be a team while leading a team.
I dare you to find one person who can say a bad thing about what Cathy and Garrett do. They slowly DIY their vintage homes with such thought and integrity. Their words and homes are warm and inviting and while they don’t write every day, it’s usually often enough that I check 2-3 times a week and catch up. I recently connected with them in person for a long lunch and they were incredibly lovely, as predicted. These are the bloggers who should still be around.
While Joanna recently launched a substack (which I really enjoy, Big Salad) the blog is still a lovely corner of the internet that feels warm and still fresh. The comment section is always a delight (I don’t spend that much time in it) and I’m consistently impressed with how fast she reacts to cultural and political issues, in a really thoughtful way. Always a nice way to spend a few minutes with coffee:)
Listen, there are some I just can’t not check even if they only post once a week. While she doesn’t post that often and mostly has a substack (like a lot of former bloggers), I still like her voyeuristic photography and wild use of color in her home. She, like many bloggers (including me) overstretched the design content creation budgets and had to make some serious life changes (i.e. design blogging is more expensive than food and fashion). Always rooting for her.
If you thought John and Sherry disappeared I’m happy to say they are alive and thriving! I have the inside scoop of what they are up to and I don’t check more than twice a month, but you can take the girl out of Young House Love but you can’t take the Young House Love out of the girl. I still check. I always will. It wasn’t over for me.
I check Camille’s site for recipes a lot. She is more in the wellness space with a lot of positive habit-making, beauty routines, and certainly an elevated lifestyle. It’s always pretty and calm, and her new brand Casa Zuma is full of pretty, thoughtfully sourced home items (great gifts, IMHO).
Kim and Scott have been at it for years and they do an incredible job of documenting their projects (with lots of thoughtful DIYS). Based in Chicago they have multiple projects you can follow along with, and their vibe feels really calm and just easy to read and follow (and I love their designs a LOT).
Honestly, most of my former blog friends have started Substacks, which obviously people pay to read. Joy has one (on mental health), and Orlando as you know has one. And it’s definitely something I really really want to do (I’ve already written a few, but I don’t have the bandwidth to launch it with confidence I can keep up with it). It’s hard for me to encourage people to go into it because there are just so many more eyeballs on social (and social is easier to produce on your own). I’m actually going to New York to speak on a panel in front of policymakers about how AI is affecting (negatively) the blog world (stealing content obviously). We’ve shifted to writing posts that are Un-AI-ABLE, but the future is unknown and yeah, I want regulations in place to protect all creators.
ANYWAY, the question is – what BLOGS do you read (not what IG creators do you follow)? I want more lunchtime friends to check in with.
A couple of fun blog follows that don’t update much, but whom we love: Old Brand New, Jungalow (Hi Justina!), Shavonda Gardner, Carmeon Hamilton. I’m sure I’ll add to this throughout the day as I remember them (or as you remind me) – but PLEASE add more in the comments so those of us who love this media form can add more to our daily (or weekly) repertoire. LONG LIVE BLOGS!!
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: A Quick Update: The Changes I’ve Made to My LA Living Room