King Of ALL The Wild Things, Nursery Designed For "The Baby"

Oh how I love to design a nursery!!! I was begging for another one after my secret nursery reveal in May for a very special baby girl! And now a sorority sister from my IU days asked me to help her come up with a nursery for her baby boy, Thad. Both nurseries for "the baby" of the family and so even more special projects being that I too am "the baby". And as "the baby" I think we deserve our little corner of the house all to our own, right?!  So when I think youngest I think let's creatively bend the rules and let the wild personality of these favorite children shine though!!:) Did I say favorite?!? For little Thad I had to pull from personal experience of having a baby boy as my own youngest child. They are the "king of all the wild things" and will always remain the baby which makes the saying "I'll eat you up, I love you so" oh so very true!

What I love about this design is that it is practical and transitional. It has a theme but with some changes could transition into an older boys room. It also reuses and re purposes a couple pieces that she already has so our costs are lower and who doesn't like that!? Let me show you a couple vignettes in the room on concept boards and then I will break it down as always~

I will start with the bedding as it is hard to tell what it may look like from the swatches in the collage above. Emily already had a honey finish natural slat crib she could use. I like slat cribs because they showcase bedding better than any other type of crib and some of the cribs out there have such mass and detail that they need no pattern and color competing for attention. I love crib linens. However, that said, I hate almost everything that is pre made out there. Although the Pottery Barns, Land of Nod and RH of the world have done a better job with pattern and color since I have had kids, I still always want to change something in their sets! Or they try to appeal to all and are so plain and in my opinion not worth the crazy prices! So Etsy it is. There are so many talented people on Etsy pairing fabrics from all over and they are very cool! You can pick and choose what you want made and in what fabrics. The main fabrics were chosen from an Etsy store Sleeping Lake Designs. I would have her do the arrow one for the skirt and the fox and tree fabric for the sheet!

Sheet fabric: Designed by Becky Long (I couldn't get an image without the watermark but obviously the fabric doesn't have that:) 

Skirt fabric: Designed by Kerry Lynn Yeary for Kenner Road (same here with the designed watermark which will not appear on actual fabric)

This next fabric could be used for a changing pad if Emily decides she needs that. Thad is several months old already so I am not sure she will but we can also look into having a blanket or accent pillow made from it too. I think it really compliments the other fabrics and brings in blue which was a color she mentioned liking! Not the best image... This fabric is from a store called Nesting Threads on Etsy

While we are talking about the wonderful finds of Etsy. I can speak a little about the artwork on my nursery design! The much much loved "Wild Things" artwork was found on Handy Gerl. What I love about much of the artwork on Etsy is that things like this are just downloads and for $6 a piece you have 2, 11x14 prints that you can jazz up with frames and if you want to get fancy, a great pop of color mat to even make them look nicer! I would use maybe a rustic looking frame like the ones you can find at Hobby Lobby.

The other artwork, the series of three designs on wood are simple and have a great message for little boys and I like that these can grow beyond a nursery and other decor changes down the line. These are from Devenie Designs and for the entire set are $135.00

I also selected this small size deer head to pair with the three wood art designs. These are very reasonably priced at $49.95 from Z Gallerie and they are not giant (although it looks it in the picture) He is only 17"x15" and so can easily be part of the collage with pictures and not a huge focus. I like the idea of having taxidermy in a color like white in a kids rooms as it softens the look but yet still gets the theme across:) I chose the deer but any of these would be cute (note the huge one in the second picture is a size large deer and more expensive)

Lets talk rugs!! In design usually you can't have your cake and eat it too. What I mean by that is kind of what I described above with the bedding. I found the bedding fabrics and loved the detail in them and so decided that since the simple slat crib was available to me then the bedding would work beautifully on this type of crib. If it were a super traditional more elaborate massive crib, the bedding patterns may need to be downplayed. With a rug it's the same way. If you find a great rug with lots of color or pattern, you may not want your walls to be a dramatic color. Too many cooks in the kitchen, if you know what I mean. Design elements need to compliment one another for everything to live in the same space in harmony. This West Elm rug has been on my mind since the minute I saw it. It looks like something of a uber expensive exclusive designer rug. But West Elm has made this handmade rug available at what I consider to be a very decent price for this large a rug! The 5x8 is $599 and the 8x10 is $999. This is for sure the splurge of the room but I think it makes it! 

And for those of you saying...it has pink in it and therefore it can't be for a boy... not not true... that's clearly salmon:) And there is barely any of it so no contest! Pink is one of my oldest sons favorite colors and he still wonders why people at school tell him that is weird! For you football men, you can say it's for breast cancer awareness! Since I just said we shall not compete with this color and pattern too much on the walls then it is a perfect opportunity to talk wall color. Now obviously what I can't do on E designs is be there to pick color for walls. So I usually try to give them a shade and she may need to test a few colors in the family to decide on what is perfect for the light in the room. What I suggest is a soft but bright, warm grayish white. More white then gray but not so beaming that it seems cool and blueish. This is a great shade called BM Swiss Coffee. It is a great off white without going yellow. Although it looks more gray in this swatch it actually appears more off white in most rooms. 

Emily mentioned having some barn wood to use on a wall and I like the idea of doing something on her wall that has the two windows side by side. I can say that I feel like the solid wall of barn wood look will be phasing out soon and the look is gonna get cleaner and more streamlined looking with trim detail going forward. What do I base that from, actually nothing really. I just feel like every trend needs to change up a little even if you stay within the theme of what has made it so popular. With the rustic theme I think the importance of mixing wood finishes, re purposing and creating a warm and cozy feel will stick but the more literal things like a wall wallpapered in solid barn wood will be the thing that may ease off over time. So, I found this alternative that I think would be a cool accent on one of the walls and a DIY of sorts. She can take it or leave it but it's at least an idea that seems fairly straightforward. You run board horizontally with space between from ceiling to floor. The board can be wallpapered with textured paper. She wrapped hers in a metallic paper in this design below but for this purpose I would do something like grass cloth with a more rustic woodsy feel. Love this idea. Creates warmth and texture in a soft subtle way! This wall design in a gorgeous ranch style home was found on Home Bunch if you want to check it out more

The wall I would suggest this for is the one with her double windows. See below her actual room. This would keep cost low, add a subtle touch without overwhelming and if they decided they liked it they could add the same treatment to the wall across the room. 

For window I would either do very simple roman shades. Maybe a simple banded shade in light gray with something like white or navy banding. Another option, if there is enough room on both sides of each window, are very simple panels that were relatively flat and not too fussy. These Pottery barn panels are a great option and they are on sale from $59-79 depending on the height she needs. They are also room darkening! 

As for furniture, Emily has this tall dresser that she can re purpose. My inspiration came from the dresser in the picture of the design board. She can keep the drawer fronts original in the dark wood and then switch out the hardware and paint the shell of the dresser a solid dark navy! 

This is her dresser as it stands: Its kind of dark but you get the idea!

This is the way she could re purpose the dresser to look and it would look very cool in the dark rich color combo against the white walls suggested for the room! 

As far as lighting goes. I pinned several options for Emily (see her Pinterest board here) but ultimately decide on this West Elm pendant which was a perfect size and price. I liked the natural color to compliment the crib color as well. 

Lastly the tepee thing is so cute and would create a perfect reading corner for a kids room as they grow older. I love the idea of laying pillows inside, stringing lights and using something like one of the inexpensive IKEA sheepskin rugs as shown in the design board. You can find tepees anywhere and there are lots on Etsy ranging in price from $100-200 but I thought I would draw attention to these two that are something of a miracle as they are actually sale items, not badly priced at.....get ready for it....Restoration Hardware Baby!   

Sale price $139.99

Sale price $200.00

One more look before I go! 

I hope baby Thad enjoys his nursery! To all wild things and favorite youngest children of the world! 

Let the wild rumpus begin!!

Cheers~

Laura

Basement Makeover REVEAL!

I gave you a sneak peak of our basement refresh last week. Here, again, is where we started. . . 

And here are the changes! The main change was painting the stripes on the walls and adding a green accent wall. The addition of color has really given this room a fun and fresh feel. We also added inexpensive and transitional toy storage that will allow us to convert the toy area as our boys grow and their needs change. 

What's a Playroom without Toys?!?

Time to reinvent the playroom again, this time eliminating the toys! I have been faced with this situation a couple times now with clients and their growing kiddos and now even in my own home. Does this mean I have officially gotten old (don't say anything, just allow the silence)?! It all happens in a blink. All the sudden I catch my oldest hauling his Lego table into his little brother's room and I am like "what are you doing, take that back to your room, sit down and build something"! When we have a "playroom" we try so many years to create the perfect setup for our kids. Even from baby to toddler we have to reinvent the space several times as their play changes. My newest client has three girls and they are entering the "tween" ages. Well, all except for the littlest one and she will probably be ushered into tween hood early as a result of having 2 older sisters, right?! (I can say that being the youngest of three girls)! The request from my client was to turn their playroom into a space with some kind of desk/lap top area and a seating space for reading and lounging. Here is where I went with it! 

THE LAPTOP BAR 

(the only kind of bar they are allowed to pull up a stool to!) 

I love the look of the reclaimed industrial wood and metal tables! And many also have the casters at the bottom making them roll in case they need it to pull it to the center of the room for extra eating or craft space. An added bonus; they are indestructible and they give that urban coffee house look! Although I don't recommend mixing coffee and tweens! If you look on Pinterest you will find lots of versions of these industrial style tables, with and without casters. They are also known as "pipe tables" and you will find many DIY tutorials like this one below over at "Cafe Carolina"! Very cool!

Via: Cafe Carolina

 Below is one with the silver pipe look and a lighter bleached top. There are many ways to configure the pipes at the bottom depending on how you want to use the table. I have also seen versions with a wood shelf at the bottom too for extra storage, maybe a printer or even just a plank as a foot rest if you are sitting at it as a computer bar. 

Via: Pinterest

For the stools there are a few options I like! There are these industrial looking stools I found at World Market. We have the ones below in our playroom and I love them as you can swivel the seat up and down depending on your height.

I also would love the look of an acrylic clear chair at the desk! Since some of them can be pricey, Ikea has a version of the ever popular acrylic chair too and they have it in clear and a smoky grey color.  

For the lighting I saw this very cool DIY hanging bulb. Of course there wasn't a source listed for where it came from but there are many types of wall brackets you could use for this and light and cord kits you could tie up around the bracket. And the best part is no wiring! They plug in to the outlet!

Via: unknown, Pinterest

If you aren't in any way into DIY, you can find ones similar to this (loving the Edison bulb) on Etsy (the destination of all things cool and unique, in my opinion) Check out this one from Iron Clad Industrial!!

via: Etsy, Iron Clad Industrial

The Seating Lounge 

I used a bookcase type piece to replace a side table in between the chairs so the girls have room and shelving for books, magazines, I Pods etc! I also love the idea of having baskets and boxes tucked away on the shelving for craft things or whatever else they are into. Then almost as important as filling space I left a huge area in the center on the rug for... nothing at all! If they decide to put a TV up in there this space could be used for floor pillows or bean bags. The corner of the room and one wall were left open in case there is a need for a chest or shelf with some of the toys/items they can't part with quite yet.  I love the idea of the room being a girl's lounge area but also a stylish extension of the house. You will notice I used splashes of "girly" colors but it by no mean screams, "teen palace"! Parents welcome here! That's how I run my house:) After all we do foot the bill, right?! If you don't want hot pink walls, we should be able to come up with a compromise, yes?!

Refresh on the Adult Office, Why Not?!

My client also has an official adult office space off the kitchen and mudroom area.  In this case they already had a large built in wrap around espresso desk and overhead cabinet similar to the one you see below. They also have a big carmel color leather sofa they want to keep in the room similar to the one below. My recommendations for this room are to change out the carpet to a lighter color as the build in and overhead area and carpet are all a similar tone of brown and it makes the room feel dark and small. They currently have a wall of frames behind the couch which I am going to recommend they organize on 2 to 3 shelves overlapping them to create more dimension and interest. I also added gallery lights up over the gallery wall. If you don't want to wire lights like this, there are plug in options you could run the cords behind the leaning frames, which is another plus to having the frames not directly on the wall. You could also lean other objects like a small mirror or wall clock on the shelves as well.

They currently have a wallpaper they are sick of between the wall cabinet and the desk and I am loving this grown up fun version of polka dots for a classic but sophisticated office look. 

Below is another shot of the paper behind a bookcase wall. Sophisticated but fun and the pattern does not overwhelm any larger pattern and color plan on the pillows or any rug she decides to use down the road! On the gallery wall I am thinking of a light gray or white to make the focal point the pictures themselves.

Source unknown, Pinterest

So what do you think?! You ready to clear out the toys yet or breathe a little life into your own working space?!?  Change is good! Don't be afraid of patterns...THE END

Cheers!! {Laura}

Hit Refresh. Mini Makeover Underway

If your kids are anything like mine, one or both of them are up at some point during most nights.

"My bed is wet."
"I need water."
"I had a nightmare. Will you sleep with me?"
"Can I sleep in your bed?"
And my personal favorite, "I fell out of my bed. Can I sleep in the big bed? (Also known as the guest bedroom.) 

The first two are mildly annoying but part of the job. The second two pull at the heart strings and in a weird way make you feel good. Still needed. And the last one, well, is funny. But after making an additional bed 10 or 20 times, I've had to rethink the twin bed situation in my oldest son's room. Love the look of them, but he's a mover and a shaker in the wee hours.  And so a room refresh (and upgrade) is underway. . . enter the queen bed.

Currently, there is an underlying hint of cowboy in his room. The headboards and pillows are faux navy and cream cowhide and there is some wall art that channels cowboy, including a poster of Woody's gang (Toy Story).

Here is his room now.

Overall, I feel like the room is youthful but very transitional as my son gets older and his interests change. Here are some bedrooms that I've seen that also have a youthful yet transitional design.

Cowboy pillow covers and a cowhide rug mixed with modern patterns and colors give this room a subtle theme without being over-bearing.

photo via: Emily A. Clark

I love the "world traveller" feel of this boy room.

Source

Source

As for my makeover, I found this old queen-size head board and had it painted mustard yellow. It's a little short, so I'll have to hang it on the wall. 

Here are some of the new and old fabrics I'm using.

We relocated the desk from our den.

And fresh paint is in process!

Full reveal next week! {Erin}