Category: Decorating

You’ve probably seen the new basement room designed for Stephanie Nielsen of the Nie Nie Dialogues by Alice Lane Home.


I can’t help but look at some of the things I love about this room, especially after falling in love with this room .

First up, there’s a black and white floor here, as well.  I still prefer the chevron rug, but I love the way black and white on the floor gives this room so much personality.  Hmmm.  Perhaps I’m developing a taste for black and white floors?

Secondly, I love the products from Oly Studio.  Love the chandelier, love the table.  They are amazing.  I love the way they take center stage.

Thirdly, I am completely smitten with the wallpaper.

I mean I really like this pattern.


As in, I keep mentally running through a list of rooms in my house in case I can think of one that I could wallpaper in this pattern.  I’ve always avoided wallpaper, but oh man, is this tempting!  (Not that I need another project.  I’ve only got 3,872 laying around the house.)

Fourth, the antique columns (see first picture) are incredible.  I’ve seen that column in the shop, and wished I knew what to do with one.  Now I know.  Split one in half and attach it to the wall like that.  Gorgeous.

Fifth, the fabric on the window shade is beautiful.

Last, that paper covered elephant head makes me smile.

In all, I like it because it’s such a blend of old and new, design and personal taste.  There are a lot of great patterns and colors at work in this room, yet it doesn’t bother my eye.  You’d never know it was in a basement.  I certainly wouldn’t mind if it was in mine!

If you want to read more about the room, visit this post on the Nie Nie blog.  You can also see a breakdown of some prices and sources on products used in the room here .

Do you have a space that has inspired you lately?

Hopeful Homemaker

Three girls sleep in this room.  We store clothing for four girls in this room as well.

I’m sorry to say it, but we don’t often see the carpet in here, especially since all three of them are still in the stage of changing outfits five or six times a day.

While they were at school yesterday I decided to excavate.  We cleaned, scrubbed the walls, washed the bedding, etc.  Then I took everything off the walls and started fresh.  All I kept was the furniture, bedding and the vintage grandmother’s flower garden quilts at the foot of the beds.

I bought the pink and white lattice fabric for the curtains a year or more ago.  It’s finally up, and I love the strong geometric feel it adds.  I also love that it’s a different pink and doesn’t “match” the walls.


The vintage pink miniature roll-top desk I bought for my daughter when she turned three, I think.  I’m still so glad I scored it.

The mirror is actually one of two.  They’re vintage and I’ve had them in four different places in my bedroom over the past few years.  They’re taller than they look, but I hung them down behind the beds so they look just right.  I think they’ve found their permanent home.

The rose prints are also vintage, purchased a year ago at the thrift store for $2.  Surprisingly, the gold frames don’t bug me, and I love the way the robin’s egg blue mats work.  I raided my fabric stash to whip up two bed skirts (there’s another identical twin bed on the other side of the room) and the yellow and white chevron pillow also came from fabric in my stash.

Two walls are still bare and in need of help, but I have a few ideas and will see how things gel in the next few weeks.

Half of the room is now updated.  Not too shabby for a couple of hours and not a penny spent.    And I, for one, am relieved to have action follow inspiration .

What do you think?

Jennifer

We have lived in our home for 3.5 years now, and in that time I’ve started to pull together the childrens’ bedrooms several times, only to stop because I’m really not sure exactly what I want them to look like.

Until now.

I absolutely love this room .  It makes me want to put a black and white chevron rug in every room of our house (half kidding).  I love the simplicity of it, the colors, the great lines of all the pieces she chose to use in this nursery.

My oldest son is in need of a dresser, and after seeing this one I think we’ll start looking for a tall one.

It’s a great combination of old and young.  There are some baby elements here, but really it’s a room to grow into.  I think that’s what I like about it so much.

These pictures helped me realize why I’ve struggled with pulling together the bedrooms of my children.  I need rooms that are both young and old at the same time to accommodate the ages, interests and needs of children of different ages.  For example, right now I have three girls in one room, ages 8, 6 and 3.  We need to change it, move the eight year old in with her twelve year old sister, and move the baby out of our closet into the room for three.

I also have two sons, ages four and ten, who share a room.  I need something that works for both of them.  My oldest son wants an over-the-top teen room, but his room also doubles as a guest room, so I want something that’s both trendy AND timeless.  I want all of their rooms to reflect both where we are now and what we’re quickly growing into.

I’ve also realized that I’d fallen prey to thinking that I couldn’t carry some of my favorite design elements into the kids rooms, partly because I’m not sure they’d like them and largely because I don’t want them to break everything!   I’m setting that thinking aside, and I’m going to use the things I love in their bedrooms, but in a way that also reflects who they are and gives them spaces they will feel comfortable in.   After all, they’re totally comfortable in my family room, so why not have the whole house look like I want it to?

I like the way Vivien’s nursery has some nods to trend, such as the whimsical bird cage card holder, while also having elements that are much more classic, like the mirror and furniture pieces, including the chair.  Want to learn more about it?  Head over here .

So, here’s my short list of specific things about this nursery that really pull me in:

1.  Colors.  I’d love to paint a room this color, but really, most of the house is already aqua, so the bedrooms are a break from the blue that is everywhere else.  For now I’m going to work with the paint colors we already have and wait to start repainting for a couple more years when we’re out of the writing on wall stage with my little ones.

2.  Rugs.  I’m going to start using more rugs.  And one of them will be a black and white chevron.  Yup.  I’m totally going to copy.  End of discussion.

3.  Classic furniture.  For now we’re going to work with what we have.   I have a couple of pieces I might put new drawer hardware on, but I’m not going to re-paint anything for now.  As I look for new pieces, however, I’m going to look for really classic pieces that we can use forever.

4. Mirrors.  I’ve been in love with mirrors for several years now.  I love the way they bring light into a room.  I think it’s time to use more mirrors in the bedrooms.

5.  One of my favorite things in the nursery above is the quote from C.S. Lewis’  Chronicles of Narnia.  I love words, love books, love good quotes.  There’s a lot of artwork out there right now using words and quotes like this, and it’s pretty pricey.  I think I’m going to choose a favorite and try my hand at making my own.

6.  Lamps.  I want to get some great lamps in the bedrooms.  It’s a fairly simple way to update things and thanks to stores like Home Goods, it’s easy to find good ones for a great price.

7.  No clutter.  In this nursery, the only spot that could be labeled as clutter is the shelf above the card holder, and none of that will ever end up on the floor.  It looks open and clean, ready to be lived in.  Whatever I use to decorate their rooms, it’s going to be things that won’t turn into useless clutter that we just have to clean up… over and over again.  Children collect enough clutter on their own.. I’m not going to help them.

Generally speaking, I’m going to use what I have.  Until I have really tried all the options I already have in our house (shop the basement) I’m not going to spend a penny.  Once I have everything figured out, I’m going to have a yard sale, sell everything that’s left, and then purchase a few items to finish it all off.  My goal is to get through things rather quickly so the interior of the house is set and ready before spring.  We have a ton of work to do outdoors this spring and summer, and I want to have the house under control before then.

Let me acknowledge here that I understand that having a stylish bedroom is absolutely unessential to a healthy childhood.  But I’ve been hanging on to this and that in case I’ll use it someday in one of their rooms, and it’s time to clear out because clearing out WILL contribute to a healthier, simpler family life.  So if I’m going to clear out, I might as well do it right.  And I might as well have a little bit of fun doing it, right?  As I said, I know these things are non-essential but I enjoy them.  For better or worse I’ve had a picky eye all my life.  I spend a lot of time in this house, and I just feel better if I like where I am.

So here is one last look at my inspiration room, the before and after of this gorgeous nursery.

So the work begins.
HH