I received this Design Challenge from my friend, Karla the other day. Her edited version of her challenge is outlined below:
"The room extends from the front to back of our house. It contains all of my husband's bachelor days furntiure. There is a couch and loveseat in a dark sage green and a coffee table and armoire in a light oak. There is an ugly brick fireplace that I hope to paint white this summer. No other furniture other then a little lonely TV table with a tablecloth and lamp (I know - sad! I've just had such a hard time since I can't stand the furniture and colors!). The walls are a golden yellow and there are four windows with Smith and Noble relaxed roman shades. The shades are tones of light green. I like the walls and the shades. The current area rug is FLOR tiles. I had no clue what colors to use so I went with a pale yellow and sage green checkerboard. Well, it is too darn dreary for the room - needs more color - everything is green and yellow but I don't know what other color to work in! Plus the yellow tiles are completely wrecked from the dirt the dog drags in (though I clean her paws all the time!) and my husband's shoes as well as guests shoes. I told Jeff I wanted to replace the yellow tiles but he decided to tell me he hates FLOR and never liked it and doesn't want to use it in the room any longer. Honestly, fine with me as I would rather have something more fun and vibrant but I just don't know what to do in terms of color and something that will hold up to the heavy foot and dog traffic!"
OK, so here is my design advice on this. Ironically I just did a color consult on a similar house with dogs. Since you like the wall color, the next big surface of color is the floor. Probably one of the best floors for dogs, that is warm, would be a laminate, wood floor. It resists scratches better than a real wood floor and isn't as expensive. We also have a rule in our house..."No Shoes." Most everyone respects it and it really makes a difference in what dirt is tracked in. But then, there are those four legged little guys who don't really care about that rule so we go back to durability. Sounds like you may be able to get away with a little pattern and color here. I think that red and/or blue would accent well with your yellow and green. For rugs, I would look for a nylon (even commercial grade) carpet if the dog traffic is really heavy. The other option is to use a carpet designed for indoor/outdoor use. Dash and Albert just came out with a new line of these carpets in bright, cheerful colors that may be your solution.
Sounds like a little furniture rearrangement can make a big difference too but for that I would need a picture. :-) Hope that helps!!! Dash and Albert
A few months ago I received a Design Challenge regarding a child's playroom. Through a series of entries I addressed the challenges of the room and offered solutions. The best way to tackle any space is to figure out what the space needs to function as and then create stations, if you will, to address each of those needs. In this case we needed an area for storage, a place to watch TV and read books, art display and a homework station. I am so impressed with the desk they made!!!! I gave them the directions and they executed the task like pros! Here is what Lesley had to say in her email to me:
"Hi Mari!
I am finally emailing you pictures of the playroom. I kept waiting for it to be 'complete' but I realized it will take forever, so here it is 'so far'! The kids really love it and it is great to have all toys out of my living room! Tom and I are so proud to tell everyone we actually made the desk :)
Thank you so much for all the ideas, it really turned out wonderful.
XOXOXO
Lesley"
To continue with our Playroom design we need to first address Mom. Mom (and Dad) need a comfy space to hang out with the children but because this is a Playroom I want to steer away from traditional seating. I like the idea of these low (and inexpensive) floor pillows from Pottery Barn Teen. They have lots of styles to choose from. http://www.pbteen.com This as a base with lots of yummy pillows and a few plush throw blankets would be an excellent lounge area for the entire family to sit and read or just relax! Place a large basket next to your floor pillows and fill with favorite magazines. Simply snuggly!
In response to my friend in San Diego, she is absolutely correct. The way to make her playroom fun for her three children and herself is to create stations. I'm going to write about this for the next few entries because there is a lot to cover here. Before we do anything we need to clear the clutter! The best time to do this is in the summer when schedules are not so crazy. Dedicate a full day to this because it's really important. Make three boxes: Trash, Save, Donate. This will help you stay on task. The next thing is storage. Every item needs a home. Children actually enjoy putting things away when they know where to put them. For this space I'd like to use a combination of standard clear plastic bins and fun non-traditional storage items...like flower pots and recycled jars.
Next we need to think about our stations. It's a fact that children will gravitate to wherever their parents are so the first thing we need to do is think about Mom. Yay! After creating a yummy space for Mom we will want stations for art, computer/homework, reading, and a fabulous gallery.
So Step #1...get busy cleaning and organizing with these distinct spaces in mind. Be creative and clever with storage. Make colorful tags to hang off of jars, break out your Creative Memories stuff and make beautiful labels for everything! More to come... http://www.leapsandboundscatalog.com
I've been given a new design challenge from San Diego! She asks:
"I have this playroom space at the top of my stairs that is open and light and crammed with toys that the kids never use....the problem being that they don't want to go up there by themselves - they want me to always be with them. Also, I wish the room was set up differently so that we would all be up there together and more inviting for them to play, maybe having some sort of stations according to the age needs (1, 3, 8) Do you think I can use some sort of sheet or rug on the floor and bring the easel and chalkboard up there (right now it is outside and it is getting ruined and rarely used) and use a table for coloring and crafts. We have a Michaels and I could stock up on some cheap supplies (did I mention we are on a tight budget :)) Every night I go upstairs and realize I have let another day go by without getting my act together. I am so bad at this that I can stare at the room and not know where to start. If you have any ideas or inspiration for me - let me know!!"
I'll be working on this the next two days with resources and ideas for a delicious playroom! Thanks for the challenge!!!
I'm back from Vegas where we had a very successful trip to the All Baby and Kid's Expo. I saw all the latest and greatest designer bedding, furniture, lighting and more. Over the next few days I will share some of the treasures that I found there so keep checking back in!
Last week I received a new design challenge off of my website. Her challenge and my response are as follows:
Question:
I have a piece of thick foam poster board that I have cut the shape of a crown out of. I am looking for ideas on how to decorate it. My daughter's crib bedding is "my little princess" you can take a peek of it at walmart.com. Thank you.
Answer:
Well, you'll just have to use some fabulous glitter glue and rhinestones!! :-)
I believe you can purchase them at Michael's. First paint your base color with water based acrylic paints and let dry. You may want to paint your daughter's name on the crown too. Depending on your artistic skill you can print out her name in a font you like and use trace and transfer paper to transfer the outline onto the crown and then fill in with a complimentary paint. Then embellish with glitter glue and charms. I'm not familiar with the bedding but if this is a nursery I would skip the charms because they can pose a choking hazard. If you want more, you could drop some tulle from behind it. Thanks for your question. Sounds like FUN!!!
To take that idea even a step further and to create a canopy you could copy what I did for my daughter's room. I used 1/4 inch plywood and had my ultra hunky and talented hubby cut it out with a jigsaw. We mounted it to a simple square wood base, bolted it securely into the wall, and staple gunned tulle to the inside. I painted the design with acrylic water based paint and while it was still wet I sprinkled glitter on top. After it dried I embellished the edges with glitter glue.
Whether you create wall decor from foam core or wood I'm sure your child will always cherish and remember that you made it for them. How divine!
This week, my fabulous niece, Shaunah, has been interning with me. She is an Interior Design student at U.C. Davis. We've been having lots of fun working on various projects and we have collaboratively agreed upon what Miss Karla from CT should do with her pass through.
Karla and her husband like to entertain and since this is a pass through from the garage to the kitchen it makes complete sense that this room should be a mud room/butler's pantry. Our suggestions are as follows: Go with a ceramic tile on the floor (it's very durable, inexpensive, easy to clean, and comes in a wide range of styles). Remove the paneling and patch existing drywall, then paint with a fun color! If possible, I suggest putting a small sink and lower cabinets. The sink, when filled with ice, is a great place to put beverages for your parties. I suggest a porcelain farm house sink. In the lower cabinets you could have pull out recycle bins or large pull out drawers for platters and bowls. Incorporate the wine refridge into the lower cabinets. While entertaining this can become your beverage station. Countertops can be as simple (and inexpensive) as butcher block. I also suggest a bench to sit on while removing boots, etc. Use wall hooks or pegs to hang outerwear, umbrellas, etc. In my mud room we each have our own initial. This is also a great area for a small desk if you can fit it or at least a chalk board to write messages (I use ours to write inspirational quotes). Here are a couple of pictures for inspiration from http://www.kmarshalldesign.com. Thanks for the challenge Karla. I hope that gives you some ideas!
Good Morning everyone! I received a Design Challenge from the very lovely, newly married and first time home owner, Karla in CT. She has a pass through from her garage to her kitchen that is in dire need of a make over. This is what she had to say:
"This space is all enclosed and is between my garage and kitchen. It is a mess. I don't know what to do with it. It has awful paneling and peel and stick "tile" in a god awful shade of blue. My husband put his wine refrigerator in the space and I have a bench. The rest is misc. things from my husband's bachelor pad - he randomly threw things up on the walls, including the fish and Derek Jeter wall hanging. YUCK! How can I create this space to be more of a fun and funky area? It leads out to our deck so its heavily utilized, esp. when we entertain - I want it to look more finished and reflect our style. Help!"
So on my "to do" list today will be to come up with a fun and funky design solution. I encourage you to submit your own ideas under "comment". (I know this blog thing is new to a lot of you but it's really easy if you just give it a try and believe me there won't be any test at the end.) Check in tomorrow to see what we come up with...
