Mary-Kate’s New Room

Mary-Kate is the 9 year-old daughter of a Sarah, a good friend of mine. This sophisticated fourth-grader was ready for a change to her personal space. She’s a girl after my own heart because she has always understood the importance of decorating a room that’s uniquely one’s own. By that I mean, no theme rooms covered in Disney characters.

Mary-Kate’s Room “Before”

Her before look was terrific – a Lilly Pulitzer style that was bright and cheerful. But Mary-Kate’s mom sells marked-down Lilly at an online shop. So she sees it everyday and got bored; she wanted something that set her apart. And let’s face it, when it comes to kids defining who they are it’s (a) very important to them, and (b) changes often, and (c) is best defined by the space they inhabit.

This means that parents should be prepared for change within reasonable limits. Start with basic furniture that can carry off different looks. Look for bargains and shop carefully for things you know won’t be around forever. Finally, take a tip from Mary-Kate’s Mom. Once your child has really outgrown something, try selling it on Craig’s List. (I’ve had success with this, too).

Mary-Kate’s room: “after”

Mary-Kate designed the room’s basic look by herself. “I wanted a more modern look,” she said. “So I picked out black and green for the colors.” She chose a bright green paint for the walls – Chopped Chive, from Ace Hardware.

Sarah sold her old furniture on Craig’s list and bought a more contemporary daybed from West Elm. It’s covered in a polka dot duvet cover from PB Teen. The toss pillows, floor lamp and art hanging to the right of the bed are all from Target. The area rug is from Lowe’s – what a fantastic find. Sarah is a woman who knows where to find a bargain. She amazes me.

Sarah’s best trick is the art hanging to the left of the bed. She took a white frame she already had and used gift wrap for the artwork. (Sarah, you need to start your own blog. Call it Design on a Penny!)

The Parson’s desk is another find from West Elm. White is a good choice for a girl growing into her teenage years. It’s a good basic that will take her through high school. The shelves and desk chair are from IKEA.

Now for the best part – the window treatment. Sarah has a fantastic seamstress who made up this Roman shade with Mary-Kate’s monogram in the valance. I think that’s such a great idea. Matching pillows tie the look together. The fabric and ribbon are JoAnn Fabrics. They were very inexpensive and you don’t need a lot of yardage with this type of shade. I love that monogram.

Mary-Kate, you did a great job on your first decorating job. I love the color choices and the way all the patterns work together. I can’t wait to see your next project.

Design Dilemma: Bedroom For A Tween

Today‚Äôs design dilemma involves redecorating a room for Becky, a 10-year old girl moving out of childhood and towards her teen years. She needs a look at matches her personality. Becky likes music and sports and is a great student. Her mom, Sandra, says, ‚ÄúI want her to have a bedroom that has her things. She is both a little girl and a “hip chick.”

Design concerns
Sandra told me that a big problem with the room is the lack of light. Becky’s room lost a window after some remodeling and the room is dark.

“I can’t stand the minty teal color,” says Sandra. “Becky’s first choice of color would be hot pink! I’ve had her bed in every possible spot and we re-arrange constantly. I can’t wait to get rid of the rug.”

Starting with a focal point
Becky loves Lilly Pulitzer. Fortunately, Lilly patterns are available in fabric by the yard. This was my starting point. The room needed a focal point. The bed is the obvious solution, but it was stuck in the corner. So I moved it in front of the window and added a Lilly Fabric curtain to frame both the window and the bed, thus creating a central focus to the room.

Color and Light
Currently, the room has no depth because the walls and carpet are the same hue with the shade (or value). It makes the room look flat, and darker than it really is. Contrast and a lighter tint of paint will make the most of the daylight. Another problem is the plantation shutter. It looks great, but cuts the daylight in half.
The solution is to paint the walls a light hue to reflect as much light as possible. I chose Benjamin Moore’s I Love You Pink. Paint the ceiling the same color. The trim could be painted green to match the fabric, or a darker pink, such as Benjamin Moore’s Hot Lips. Beware! My number one rule is to choose the paint last. Sandra will need to adjust the exact color after she chooses fabrics and sheets.

Even though there’s a ceiling fixture, Sandra says we still need more lighting. I placed table lamps by the bed and on the dresser. I removed the shutter and added a fabric roller shade for sleeping and privacy.
But we need some light and drama. A small chandelier is just the thing. I’ve hung it over the desk/dressing table. It’s the perfect thing for applying makeup.

Eliminating clutter
Becky’s room is a clutter factory – a typical teen problem. This room needs more storage with furnishings that work together. Currently, the separate pieces give the room a chopped-up look. I pulled it all together by adding two tall shelving units on either side of the desk. It frames the desk, with the chandelier, and the adjustable shelves take the clutter off the floor. These can work throughout Becky’s school years as her style changes. I removed the toy chest. She’s too old for that. I love the pink furry chair. It has a lot of personality. Next, I added a new bedside table that’s not skirted. Again, this diminishes the cluttered look.

Pulling the look together
I started with the Lilly Pulitzer fabric. Two choices are shown here, but there are lots of options. To pull the entire look together we need patterns that work with the Lilly and add texture and fun. I chose pink dots and stripes for the bed and a zebra-stripe rug for the floor.

Final thoughts
Sandra is a woman who loves to decorate. And she likes things to go together. So do I! A home looks best when the rooms work together. However, an exception sometimes needs to be made when it comes to teens. They’re rooms are their own planets – completely separate from the rest of the universe. They need that space to help them discover who they are. Sandra sounds like a mom who understands the concept of creating a beautiful room that still reflects her daughter’s personality.

For more thoughts on this subject, see my post on teen rooms. And don’t forget to weigh in with your thoughts and ideas!

Resources: Lilly Pulitzer fabric, PB Teen

Cube 6 by Naho Matsuno

This was an imaginative design from Japanese designer, Naho Matsuno.

Cube 6 is a puzzle of stools that fit together to form a cube. An aptly named product.

Matsuno said her inspiration came from the need to design furniture for schools where space is limited.

Here she is demonstrating her design for us.  She showed her work at the Satellite pavilion.

The cube is made of maple. the craftsmanship was perfect. Very nicely done.

Nanimarquina Carpets

Nanimarquina’s carpets are always a beautiful surprise. Her designs celebrate modern design, but with a sense of fun. This year was no different.

My top fave was Rangoli, which takes its name from the classic Hindu mosaics. These are typically found at the entrance of Hindu homes and are symbols are good luck. Rangoli comes in three sizes (each with a slightly different pattern), and two colors.

The aptly named Victoria is a colorful take on a classic, Baroque style. Partida is more minimalist ‚Äì a series of dots that, from a distance, blend together to form a single color with a path in the center. Read More…

When It Comes To Teen Avoid The Themes

I wrote a post last week about design ideas for Teen bedrooms. You can read the entire post here. The gist of what I wrote was that teenagers are trying to find their own identities. Because of that, they frequently change their minds about who they are. Their bedrooms are an expression of that ever-changing personality.

Let your teen personalize with magnetic paint

That’s why, when it comes to decorating teen bedrooms, I encourage parents to find a way to allow them to become masters of their universe/bedroom. Set some guidelines, but allow them to experiment and make changes. Don’t like it? Close the door.

This was reinforced when I was looking through the PB Teen catalog. To be sure, they’ve got some nice things. But I have a problem with some of the themed, and clearly youthful furniture. Here’s why.

What are you going to do with PB Teen’s Snowboard Bed when your son discovers girls and starts playing the guitar? Or leaves for college? Are you going to keep that bed for your new guest room? Is your college grad going to move it to his new apartment after graduation? I think not. So why waste $1,395 on a theme?

Likewise, the Display-It Bed will rapidly age (Same with having to constantly worry about breaking the glass panels covering the corkboard). How will you feel when your daughter begins to associate that $1,600 bed with her youth? Even though you just bought it last year? That’s how fast things change.

So what do you do when your teenager begs you for a mosh pit and rolls her eyes at how dorky you are for not allowing her to rip up the carpet and paint the floor black?

Here’s how. When it comes to major purchases such as the bed, choose furniture that can live through several personality changes. In other words, something simple where the style comes from the sheets. The Classic Iron Bed (on sale for $699), or better yet, the Beadboard Bed (below, $699) both from PB Teen would be good choices.

Another suggestion (my fave) is to visit Goodwill and buy something you can take home and paint. If you have an aesthetically-minded teen, he or she can cover the whole thing with stickers. Who cares? Another coat of paint will create a new vision. Make sure it’s your teen who does the painting.

Chalkboard paint can be used on anything

More tips:

• Buy furniture and accessories from junk shops (they’re vintage (!) and much more individual),
• Create an accent wall with chalkboard paint, magnetic paint, or other products mentioned in last week’s post,
• Create a collage wall by first covering the wall with wallpaper liner. When the collage becomes so last year it will peel off easily.
• Auto body shops will Bondo and paint furniture to give it a new-car look for very little $$,
• Create a budget and let your teen shop with her friends for accessories.

If you don’t like your teen’s creation, again, you can always close the door. When they go to college you can hold a bonfire party in the back yard. But I’ll bet you’ll be missing them too much to do it. That is, until they come home with their laundry.