Urban Farmhouse Reveal: The Playroom

Hi Everyone. So for the past few weeks I've been showing you the final product on our Urban Farmhouse project. So far we have tackled the Kitchen, Living / Dining Area, Master Bedroom, and Master Bath.  Today, let's take a look at how the Play Room turned out.  Here is the design board we created.

And here are some shots of the final product. I love how playful and bright this space is.  Though buying from big box stores tends to be easier when you're designing a space (since things tend to be in stock and aren't one offs), it's nice to introduce a little vintage too. The rug is a vintage piece we got on Etsy and the art is something we sourced at one of my favorite LA vintage stores 45-Three Modern Vintage (see my post about shopping LA here).  The space is stylish without being fussy and hopefully it will grow with its inhabitants.

Stay tuned next week as we take a look at a fun little boy's room.

DESIGN BLUEPRINT: Modern Kids

The kids room is one room that should not be a slave to every design rule. There should be an element of playfulness and a use of mixed styles, like traditional with a bit of modern.

This space above is perfect because it's fun, but also functional. It features everything a kid will need for sleep, play and work.

Get the look below.

DESIGN BLUEPRINT:

Pendant / Ikea

Garland / All Modern

Wallpaper / All Modern

Bed / Target

Storage Box / H&M Home

Trash Basket / H&M Home

Wall Art / Story North

Geometric Pillow / Simple Form

Tree Pillow / Simple Form

Eyelash Pillow / Leif Shop

Desk / Ikea

Desk Chair / Habitat

Area Rug / Ikea

Inspiration image from Design Sponge

- Cori

Just for the Kids: Crazy Hair Day

This post is far off topic from the art market but I couldn’t resist writing about Crazy Hair Day. Preparing for this camp tradition is special bonding time for me and my youngest daughter Gabrielle. It is a true collaboration and I’m amazed at my daughter’s creativity and level of patience. In years past she’s worn Pippy Longstocking braids, a water bottle cone head and cupcake pig tails but this summer’s creation has been my favorite so far.

We scoured Pinterest for ideas and were both inspired by the Mustache hair clip.  Using this as our springboard, we headed to the Dollar Store to buy cheap supplies.  We grabbed pipe cleaners, googly eyes and kid-sized the Groucho glasses. The night before Crazy Hair Day we glued on paper and googly eyes to make the glasses look “real”. When we woke up the next morning I secured her hair in a ponytail and separated it into two sections. Using two pipe cleaners, I braided each section and wrapped the ends with a rubber band. The glasses sat on top of the ponytail with the arms of the glasses pressed through Gabrielle’s hair coming out just under her ears.  This took the most time figuring out the correct angle to avoid poking her. With the glasses set, I simply bent the braids up to resemble a handlebar mustache.

I’m not sure how we can top this next year!

-Jessica B

DESIGN BLUEPRINT: Playful Kids Rooms

There's not reason your kids' room can't be as stylish as the rest of your house, while at the same time somewhere they actually want to hang out.

It's about using fun colors and patters, all mixed with stylish furniture like this space above.

DESIGN BLUEPRINT:

Bed via Pottery Barn Kids

Chandelier via Ikea

Bedding via Pottery Barn

Area Rug via Wayfair

Down Comforter via Ikea

Purple Throw via World Market

Accent Pillows via Target

Table Lamp via Lamps Plus

Nightstand via Pier 1

Pouf via Lulu & Georgia

Inspiration image via Houzz

- Cori

Lucy's First Birthday Party

Well, Lucy is now officially one!  We rang in her first year with style with a small play group get together and a garden themed birthday party the next day.  As a refresher, here is the concept board I prepared for the event with all the fun Minted goodies I was getting.

The day-of it threatened to rain so we moved the food and drinks tables indoors and set up the kiddie table out on the covered front porch. It actually worked out really well.

Love the Botanical Affair bunting from Minted.  I could even re-use it and just take out the one flag with the photo of Lucy (although, let's be honest, I'm sure I'll want to create something with a different theme next year).

I put together a drinks table in the breakfast area with these fun cup tags and table tents from Minted.  I like buying plain colored table ware (cups, plates, cutlery etc), that way you can mix and match depending on the event. The yellow cups I'm sure will work great for Bryan's birthday later in the year or some other adult event. They aren't Dora or Thomas specific and they pack a graphic punch. I had the orange dotted straws from Bryan's first birthday and just combined them with the pink zig zag ones here.

Whole foods has great mix-and-match flowers so I bought long-lasting daisies and accented with some pink peonies. I happened to have three watering cans that worked perfectly for the florals and theme.  Coupled with some grass and pink ball garland from the Target dollar aisle and party supplies section, and the vignette is complete.

How cute are these Minted  cupcake toppers?

I made little potted succulents with thank-you tags for the favors and put them on a cake stand (pots are again from the Target dollar aisle)

A friend had snagged the cutest schoolhouse chairs when her kid's Montessori was renovating and I borrowed them for the kids table. In lieu of renting a child-height table, I actually strung together four Ikea lack tables. We had two already that we were using as coffee tables. They are pretty beat up so I bought two replacements and put all four together. Topped with the custom Minted table runner, nobody can tell how beat up they are and they work great as a white backdrop for the runner and big round confetti.

The party hats were Etsy finds that I had laying around from Bryan's last birthday.

The birthday girl enjoyed her carrot cake cupcake by local baker Sullivan Hill Sweets and also had fun with her party hat!

And to keep my work load manageable I ordered pizza for everyone.

Here are some of Lucy's friends hanging and discussing whatever one year olds discuss.

Having the party in the front ended up being a big hit. As you can see, the party wound down with the dad's stooping it on the front porch.

Stop by Post-modyrn for a follow up post on my entertaining tips.

Photos by Jessica Davis and Soyoung Oh of Dogear Press

Lucy's First Birthday - a garden party!

It's hard to believe that Lucy is turning one in less than month!  I'm not sure where the time has gone!  While she won't remember her first birthday, it's still fun to plan a baby birthday party - no demands for Barbie or Minecraft  themes, so now is the time for me to do what I want decor wise.  I decided to go with a slightly girly (but not overly frilly) garden party theme, and thanks to a little help from Minted, our gathering is really coming together.  Here is the concept board for what we are doing.

While I doubt I will pull off quite so elaborate a shindig as some of the images suggest, the idea is there - and luckily I have a bunch of watering cans, galvanized pails, and mason jars that should help make it a true garden party. Minted is providing the Botanical Affair bunting banner, cake toppers, a table runner and confetti that really tie the decor together. And I found this cute invite on Paperless Post that reinforces the theme. 

Can't wait to show you more photos of the party pulled off.

ATTIC PROJECT COMPLETE

Probably about a month ago, I shared some photos of our unfinished attic which we were turning into a play space. Since then the progress has been fast and furious.  It's actually been complete for a couple of weeks now but I've been putting on the finishing touches (and of course the kids have already christened the carpet with various bodily fluids). And I've finally gotten around the photographing it (and organizing it multiple times).  Here is the before:

Here is the space in progress with sub-floor going in.

And framing

And then post sheetrock and paint.

And the final product!  My GC did a great job matching our downstairs stair railing and while I'm generally not a fan of carpet, it is so nice under foot and works reallywell in a play room (also the most economical). And of course it's nice not to be stepping on Bryan's toy trains down in our work space any more.

 I got these great toy shelves from PB Kids that works so well for coraling toys yet keeping them visible (no dark bins and baskets you have to pull out)

I also repurposed some colored clothespins that I made for an 80's party as a fun way to hang Bryan's artwork in the space.

What projects do you have going on for spring?

Postmod: Designing with Kids in Mind

Most of you who have followed along know my friend Jaime Tollas who contributes my Stylin' Mamma blog posts.  Jaime recently took the plunge into self employment and has started up a great web destination for new and experienced moms.  Postmodyrn explores all sorts of topics including fashion, exercise, food, and of course interior design. I'm contributing interior design posts for Postmod and I thought I would share some of them here with you as well.  My first post revolves around how to design you home when you have kids waiting on the sidelines to undo everything you've done.  Here it is:

As a designer and mom I often have the conversation with other moms on playdates and at the park about how one’s child slowly takes over one’s home. Snippets of the conversation often go something like this:

“Yeah, Johnny spit up on the sofa so I decided to cover our sofa permanently with a towel.”

or

“We had a glass coffee table but then we opted for this ugly wood chest that my husband had in college because it was safer for little Leah.”

or

“The house leaves me wondering if they run a day care center, and if they ever have adult friends over."

These conversations and experiences leave me sad and frustrated. Sure, I’ve had to make design concessions now that I have kids. We have baby gates on our stairs and I no longer display my antique snuff bottle collection on the coffee table. On the other hand, I firmly believe that you can live in an adult house with kids and have it be safe and beautiful at the same time.
Here are few tips on how to make that happen:

Consider your upholstery choices. You don’t have to always use dark colors to cover stains. It’s all about what fabric you use. Microfiber is very cleanable as are many wool based fabrics such as mohair (wool doesn’t absorb liquid). If you go with a cotton or lighter colored fabric, consider a slipcover. Usually it’s best to select a sofa that is already slipcovered, or have one custom made so that it looks tailored and doesn’t get messy. Slipcovers can be thrown in the wash or even bleached if they are light or made of outdoor solution dyed acrylic. One tip is to take them out of the dryer when they are still damp to avoid shrinkage and to let them mold to your sofa as they dry.  
 
Display your valuables, but keep them high. Wall shelves on brackets and built-in or free-standing book shelves and etageres (open-sided book shelves) are a great way to show off your valuables but keep them safe. Use lower-down shelves for baskets to corral toys and higher ones for precious items. Remember: if your shelves are freestanding, use a child-safety wall bracket to prevent tipping.

My valuable snuff bottle collection stays up high and out of reach.
 
Keep yourself organized. This is probably the single most important rule. In this day and age, when kids get showered with gifts and there are so many toy options, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The key is to purge the items that are not used and to do it often.

Hand stuff down to friends, store stuff away for future siblings, but keep the toys at bay! Consider the aesthetics and durability of the toys your kids do have. A set of classic wooden blocks or a cute wooden car or hand-made rag doll is more visually appealing than some of the uglier plastic toys out there. It might be more expensive, but it will stand the test of time, and can be used down the road by siblings, and you won’t feel bad leaving it out in the open. 

Sure Bryan still has ugly plastic toys but we keep those in baskets and let the pretty wood ones sit out.

Corral, corral, corral! Shelves with cubbies for baskets and large open baskets for balls and sports gear are great. Consider adding hooks on the inside of a coat closet door for hats, mitts, and scarves and set up a mud room “station” if you don’t have an entire space devoted to this.

We don't have an entry foyer but this console is a place to drop keys and sunglasses and the basket underneath stores balls and toys.

I know it’s easy to preach all of this stuff and living with a toddler and a baby every day makes me realize how challenging it really is in practice. But it is doable! And don't be deterred if you feel like you don't have much space to work with -- in some ways that is the best challenge. Hopefully I’ve inspired a few of you to do a little spring cleaning and freshening up!

Stay tuned for more design posts on Postmodyrn.