Rooms for the Boys

June 2, 2014June 2, 20142 Comments

We’ve been in our house for just over a year now and some spaces just don’t feel right. I recently started a major spring cleaning overhaul and have been throwing out garbage bags full, some stuff I wonder why it made the last two moves with us. A lot of stuff was little baby items that Levi, my 10 month old, not longer needs or fits in. That was the purge that was both heartbreaking and rejuvenating. Now starts the time where my boys are active and full of personality, AND need a space to call their own. Cash is still rockin’ a few decor items leftover from his nursery (which was mostly rocket themed which I translated into a half assed attempt at Star Wars theme once he moved into a big boy bed). He’s lately is into everything super hero. He loves Batman, Wolverine, and the Hulk the most. He still loves Star Wars and gets excited every time he sees the Millennium Falcon on the movie. “Like my bed!” he shouts.

So while cleaning out our tiny house, I decided to make each space work better for us and make us happy. I would say the upstairs bathroom, the kitchen and both boys rooms are lacking the most personality in the whole house. Since Cash moved to a big boy bed around 18 months (more out of necessity since I need his crib for the soon to come Levi) I designed Levi’s room keeping in mind that he will soon have a big boy bed of his own (most likely by the time I get to finishing everything).

I’m not ready to let go of having some Star Wars stuff in the house, I would sleep on those awesome Star Wars sheets at Pottery Barn Kids if I could. But I do want the art and accessories to be something both boys can grow older with. I found some awesome art on Etsy and pulled colors from the art into the bedding and accessories.

Here is Levi’s soon to be new room.

1 Star Wars Original Trilogy set, 8.5″ x 11″, $29.95 (to be used with Ikea Virserum frame, $7.99

2 Hayneedle Babyletto Hudson 3-in-1 crib, $379 (we’re actually still using Cash’s original crib and by the time the remodel is done we’ll be using a big boy bed that my hubby will make but for the sake of the ideaboard I thought I’d put a nice white crib in)

3 Target’s Room Essentials Easy Care sheets in Orange Grid (these were actually just on clearance and I got the last set for $11.75)

4 This is the comfy fleece I got at JoAnn’s just over a year ago and I made a twin size quilt with it, it’s edged with red ribbon so I’m going to pull the off and find an orange ribbon to replace it. It’s currently being used on Cash’s bed so I’ll make sure to get Cash’s new room done and store the Star Wars quilt until Levi is ready for his big boy bed.

5 “May the Force be with You” print, 8″ x 10″, $15.95 (to be used with Ikea Virserum frame, $7.99)

6 Digital Download set of 3 Star Wars prints, 11″ x 14″ (to be used with Ikea Virserum frame, $7.99)

7 Teal Blue Roped Cotton Pouf Ottoman, $139.91 (if anyone has little boys then you know that they like to climb and jump on everything so I thought I’d find a piece of furniture that wouldn’t cause bodily harm when all this climbing and jumping happens, plus it adds more color to the room).

8 Ikea Ekby Jarpen shelf and hardware, $14.99

9 Star Wars Retro Alphabet print, 11.75″ x 16.5″, $30 (to be used with Ikea Ribba frame, $9.99)

10 Ikea Mariam Curtain set in Orange, $19.99 (I think I might line the curtain with fabric for extra darkness)

11 Endor Poster, 11.75″ x 16.5″, $25.80 (to be used with Ikea Ribba frame, $9.99)

12 12″ Industrial Faux Metal Letter, in Zinc, $15.50, “L” for Levi

13 Ikea Hemnes 3 drawer dresser in gray-brown, $149

14 Mulig shelving unit, $24.99 (I have a lot of junk in both boy’s closets, adding a simple shelving unit will help me utilize the wasted space on the floor)

I want to make sure there is plenty of art in each room so there’s plenty of color and stimulation for their little imaginations.

Cash’s Super Hero room is similar in color pallette with just as much art. I had a fun time finding all the art.

1 Digital Download set of 3 (Captain America, Wolverine, and Iron Man), 11″x14″, $16.00 (to be used with Ikea Virserum frame, $7.99)

2 Room Essentials Solid Yellow Quilt, twin, $39.99 (OMG this is so soft)

3 Target’s Room Essentials Easy Care sheets in Yellow Grid, $11.75 (still on the hunt for these, might have to find something similar)

4 We have an old school desk that I would love to refinish to look like this. I’ll probably paint it a blue to match one of the colors in the art.

5 Comic book Super Hero Letter, 5″H, in “C”, $12.50 (I thought about getting Cash the same metal letter that I’m getting for Levi’s room but I thought this would help separate their rooms a little more).

6 Teal Blue Roped Cotton Pouf Ottoman, $139.91 (once again, adding more color/furniture/climbing utensil)

7 Dynamic Duo print, 11″ x 14″, $20 (to be used with Ikea Ribba frame, $9.99)

8 Be Brave print, 8″ x 10″, $15 (to be used with Ikea Virserum frame, $7.99), I think I can duplicate this print myself.

9 Digital Download Justice League, 11″ x 14″, $6 (to be used with Ikea Ribba frame, $9.99)

10 Be Brave print, 8″ x 10″, $15.95 (to be used with Ikea Virserum frame, $7.99), I think I can also duplicate this print myself.

11 Ikea Hemnes 3 drawer dresser in red, $149 (we actually already have this in his room)

12 Vintage Incredible Hulk print, 6″ x 6″, $12 (I’m not crazy in love with this print but Cash loves the Hulk and I’m trying to find something not too scary for him).

13 Ikea Merete Curtain panels, in gray, $27.99 (the current curtains in his room are not very good at keeping the sun out, it would be nice if he didn’t realize it was morning for a little bit longer)

Obviously they will be tweaks here and there. As I was making this post I swapped out a bunch of the art in Levi’s room for cheaper digital downloadable stuff.

What do you think?

P.S. new living room ideas to come soon!

Domino’s Top 26 Design Blogs

May 23, 2014May 27, 20143 Comments

Domino Magazine recently posted their top 26 design blogs and I have to admit that I am in love! I started following a lot of them on Pinterest and squeal with delight when I see all the pretty interiors that I have to look at now.

I’m so inspired by all of these creative and crafty women. Here are some of my personal favs:

emily

Emily Henderson. Love her site and her style. She’s a new mom to a cute little boy and oh so glamorous and girly. I feel like since I’ve had my second baby boy that I want to surround myself with more girly things, just for me, so that I don’t get consumed by monster trucks, pirates (ahrrr!) and light sabers (not that there’s anything wrong with that, and I am the one that makes sure they are well versed in Star Wars). Her style is clean and fresh and filled with happy colors. And she even posts about fancy cocktails, good books, and neat DIY projects.

A Beautiful Mess is all about creating a beautiful life. We share daily inspirations, DIY projects and recipes. We believe that the best things in life are homemade.

A Beautiful Mess with Elsie and Emma. How cool would it be to be besties with your sister and have a design blog together. My sister and I definitely have different styles and tastes but somehow we like a lot of the same things. Like we may both love the same dress or artwork or green kitchen cabinets but we would style it differently (with different accessories or a couch or dinnerware). Anyway, recently I have gotten the chance to do some collaborations with my own sister and I can’t wait to post the end results on my own site!

Jenny Komenda of The Little Green Notebook actually helped inspire my current home DIY project, a simple jewelry rack! Hers, of course, was part of a whole IKEA wardrobe hack that came out super fabulous and was featured in Domino Magazine. I find that I love blogs where someone is tearing apart their house room by room and renovating it themselves. I get so excited when I see what it was before, during demolition, and what they transform it into after. She’s knee deep in a bathroom reno and I can’t wait to see it finished. She blogs and has her own design business! Truly my end goal!

Nicole Balch

Making it Lovely by Nicole Balch is another woman that I can relate to. She has fun, quirky, classic interior taste, mother of two with a third on the way, and just an outgoing personality that I feel she really wears on her sleeve (literally I love her clothes!). She finds a way to incorporate pink into her rooms that just makes me smile. And I love the Jedi birthday party she just through for her son. I’m finding a theme where I’m more drawn to these blogging designers when they have children and find a way to mix sophistication and quirkiness into their homes. Something I’ve been making moodboards for my own home lately is to mix the sophisticated adult with the joyful child elements.

decor8 is an all in one site where creator Holly Becker mixes interior design with good finds (from products for the home to jewelry), and even blogging tips and education for other potential bloggers out there. She’s very straight forward and honest about what makes a blog special and different. She has almost a Martha Stewart way about her, where she knows a bit about everything and has simple tips for everyone to achieve the look too. I’m very curious about her blogging ecourses and look forward to attending one later this year.

photo Meet-Kristin-1.png

Kristen Jackson is the woman behind The Hunted Interior. She not only blogs but also has an eDesign business out of the Atlanta area (I have another favorite Atlanta area blogger that I haven’t mentioned in this post, Bower Power with Katie Bower), like I said before, something I am aspiring to do. She comes from a hospitality design background so her interiors look a little hotel like but are freshly layered with mix-matching pieces that really give the room a personality. I love it when a sophisticated room doesn’t take itself too seriously and incorporates a touch of whimsey.

There are a few more design blogs that I am in love with that I haven’t mentioned in this post. I might start to shake and twitch if I didn’t get my weekly dose of Young House Love. The house they did for the Homearama showcase is my dream home. It’s clean and family/kid friendly (they just had their second baby so they know how to decorate with kids in mind) with colors that just flat out make me happy. I can’t get enough of them. I can’t wait to start transforming my house. I know it’s a long process and doesn’t happen as fast as it takes me to binge read some of these blogs so I need to remember to be patient, something I always tell my son, Cash. It will happen someday, until then I can live vicariously through these wonderful and creative women.

Thanks for reading

Decorating like a Tenenbaum

April 10, 2014May 27, 2014Leave a comment

The main thing I’ve noticed in Wes Anderson interiors is Collections. Every character or room has a collection of some sort. Hand drawings, books, computer equipment, taxidermy, and even color. Each room is ultra rich and saturated with a focus. I love Margot’s room of family portraits personally.

My advice to give your room a simple nod to the legendary director Wes Anderson, find something that tickles your funny bone and make a little collection of it. Large scale collections might be a little cumbersome, so minimize it for an even more amusing collection. My next collection is going to be “Z”s for my last name. I think the fun part will be finding them amongst the adventures of life. I also want a little corner of antlers and animal busts. To get my giggles, I’m going to look for them in fun colors or paint them myself. I saw a recent post on younghouselove.com where the took plain white antlers and dipped the tips in bright colored paint.

Now when I said that one of the collections in a Wes Anderson room was color, I meant just that. It’s red walls, with rich red velvet chairs, a red piano, a mom in a red skirt, red area rugs, etc. In this make believe world, it works. I’m not as big of a fan of it in the day to day world. I want a little bit of mix up in my colors and patterns. Just a personal preference. I am and will always be a fan of Wes Anderson and how his sets, costumes, and cinematography makes me feel. Sometimes a problem you think you have really isn’t that catastrophic. And when you look back at it in the future, will your reaction be as amusing as a Wes Anderson characters’?