Decorating a Girl's Bedroom

From Wake Up Frankie..

I'm working on a pre-teen girl's bedroom and we're making every effort not to completely soak it in pink, but instead to satisfy a girl's lust for that tough to work with color! We picked an upholstered headboard in a deep teal (see this post and pic in the middle of the post below for details) - a great foil for pink - and are pulling together other elements that are budget sensitive, practical and most of all - stylish!

We're foregoing the pink walls in favor of a soft teal. Sherwin Williams Waterscape (SW 6470), a great foil for touches of pink and and the other bright colors in the space.

Other elements include a night stand that adds some all important sparkle and a mirror over the dresser that echos that glitz and the lines of the headboard below. 

Bright color will come from accessories and accent pieces - especially pillows, lamps and chairs. Pottery Barn Kids, Pier One and Target are great sources for fun, well priced pieces.

Liliana chair from Pier One

Desk chair from Target

Ikat bean bag from Pottery Barn Kids

Pillows are always a great way to inject color - all below from Pottery Barn Kids.

A cool and value priced lamp (again from Target) can continue the color theme in a graphic way.

Don't fear the pink room, just balance it with other colors, textures and prints at every opportunity!

Upholstered Headboards

I'm working on the classic preteen girls bedroom - which means trying hard to avoid the cliche pink/zebra theme that pervades almost everything design related when it comes to preteen girls. We knew that we didn't want a room full of white furniture so an upholstered headboard is a natural element to use to mix it up and provide softness.

We are sticking to a tight budget and have decided to forgo custom options in favor of an off the shelf headboard - the Hayward below - from Home Decorators. Teal is our base color with just a hit of soft pink (and a touch of zebra!).

 

Upholstered headboards are not just for kids rooms. Oh no, there are tons of beautiful options for adults.

 A little softness in any bedroom can be a wonderful thing.

Restyling MY Lamp!

I posted recently about my super fine, super discounted lamp (below) and my effort to restyle it with a new shade.

 

The chosen shade from EveryLampShade ....

The result!

Bathroom Remodel - A True Story

Remodels are not for the faint of heart. The results can be fabulous, but almost any remodel will come with challenges that can take patience, perseverance and creativity to overcome. My dear friend Pamela and her husband Eric are just the people who possess all those qualities and have the remodel results to show for it.

Work in progress...fabulous Scabos marble.

Fortunately too, Pamela is a terrific writer and is not afraid to chronicle her own life in books, a deeply personal blog and even on YouTube - see her video of the almost finished remodel below.

Her recent blog post is a great primer/reality check on the process of remodeling a master bath. If you are considering a bath remodel, "No more need for the cat box..." is almost required reading. For more of Pamela's Road to Joy, follow her blog here or on FaceBook here. Great job Pamela and thanks for letting me share!

Playroom Pizazz

Playrooms can see a lot of action when young children are in the house. In a recent project, we started with a terrific space (above) but wanted to play off the family's great memories of growing up on a farm. What sparks the imagination of a child more than animals - farm animals to be specific!

We decided to lean into the whimsy of putting a lot of the animals in action...

 

Watching the design of the farm "band" in progress below....

From idea, to rough sketch, to fully revealed characters....

Another glimpse and, most importantly, a happy client!

Decorative Painting - Little Girl Bedroom

Young clients are a special joy to work with. No one is as excited about the results of a project than a 4 year old. Their excitement at the results of their design input is priceless. Reese (see above) was a special delight.

Reese's bedroom was already a little girl's dream - soft pink and sage green, great furniture that will grow with her, and all the other elements that make a child's room magical - special toys, books and stuffed animals. We wanted to take it all up a notch by adding Reese's name above the bed in addition to adding some of Reese's favorite natural elements - ladybugs, butterflies and a dragonfly or two.

The bedroom is on the second floor with a gable window that creates a sweet nook with trees just outside (to the right of the light source in the picture above). We used that window and the trees outside as our jumping off point. We added branches, whimsical leaves and used the window as the source for the butterflies, dragonflies and ladybugs coming in on the breeze.

The room has a sense of whimsy and the detail in the individual bugs gives a touch of realism.

Even a small touch of decorative painting can make an impact. Like any paint technique, it's easy to change if the whims of your child change. I wonder if I'm too old for a ladybug or two?

Lamp Shade Style

I was lucky enough to receive this lamp as a Christmas gift. I spied it at a Horchow store here in Dallas in their "Scratch and Dent" section before the holidays. (Never ever miss walking through the "Scratch and Dent" at Horchow.) I lusted for it briefly (I loved the antiqued mirror base) but passed it by - having others to shop for. The lovely person I was with snagged it shortly after for me (I love an astute gift giver!) and now it's MINE MINE MINE!

The scratches and dents on the base only add a little patina, but the shade - ugh. It lacks style, color, interest, texture...you get the idea. So, I'm drawing you, dear reader, into my search for the perfect shade. Yes, I'm a designer myself surrounded by lovely options, but it's always fun to see what others think.

My options are below, all from Every Lamp Shade. The objective? The shade must compliment the lamp base and not be too terribly "busy" as the lamp will sit between two cream and caramel colored chairs. Here goes...

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Option 5

Option 6

Option 7

Let me have it - your opinion that is!

What's Above Your Kitchen Cabinetry?

Most of us have that open space between our kitchen cabinet tops and the ceiling in our kitchens. Some decide to leave it wide open - confounded by what to put there. Others will fill it to the brim with any odd accessory that doesn't exactly fit anywhere else in our homes. Faux greenery can often become the go-to filler here too. Call me literal  but how exactly do plants grow on top of your cabinetry? See my post on all things faux here.

The best way to handle this awkward space? Use a collection of well loved accessories - see above. This client pulled together items that she already owned and loved - we purchased nothing. Using a variety of  elements, paying attention to scale and mixing up the height creates a focal point that's intentional and a lovely place to rest your gaze as you're whipping up dinner.

2012 Design Trends, Another Look

OK. I'm succumbing to all the design trends for the 2012 that are hitting my inbox. While I still stand by my post earlier in the week setting aside trends in favor of what you love, I am finding some trends that stay in that vein (mostly) are are worth mentioning here. I read about three specific trends mentioned by various designers - all from the Homes section of the Washingtonian.

From Jodi Macklin - less is more. “My clients were interested in smaller, well-planned, and well-edited spaces. Clutter was not wanted, and we moved away from huge mansions and big spaces and toward cozier, more inviting spaces.” Ditto. I'm detecting a move away from quantity in accessories and furniture (or anything for that matter) and unused square footage to highly functional spaces filled with carefully selected items.

Annette Hannon cited the trend of "green design." By green, Annette means "supporting local artists, businesses, and manufacturers" and to shop "for vintage items or antiques, and support local artists whenever possible. Move away from incandescent lighting and try to use zero-VOC or low-VOC paint.” Ideas that can have a direct impact on your home and the environment.

 

Finally from Sandra Meyers one of my favorite ideas - use one of a kind items. "Find those few things that—if done right—are really going to make you feel special. That’s when it’s worth it."

Great advice and not trendy at all. :)

2012 Design Trends

A new year is unfolding - like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within. -Unknown

What will the beauty within 2012 look like? What design trends are we going to spot? Is ikat still hot? Have you seen the last star burst mirror that you need to see in this lifetime? Are garden stools history? Did the Pantone color of 2011 -  Honeysuckle (a vibrant reddish pick) - work it's way into your interior?

It Honeysuckle didn't work it's way into your home, don't worry. It's not for everyone. Nothing is for everyone. As I looked through all of the trend predictions for 2012 that cross my radar this time of year, there are almost as many trends as there are predictors of trends! What does this mean? I think it means that design, especially as it relates to your home, is a deeply personal and trends matter very little.

What do you love? What are you drawn to? What projects are on your radar to increase the enjoyment and pleasure you get from your home this year? That's what matters. Sure, looking at design magazines, websites, blogs - even the updates your neighbor is doing in their home can shape your sense of what you love and how you want your home to look.

A professional can certainly help pull your thoughts and the elements of what you love together, but what you love and are drawn to are the only trends that really matter. Happy New Year, find what you love.