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hi guys, d*s reader missy needs our help. here is her question:
"Hi! I'm designing a two-year-old girl's room and would love ideas. It is smallish and has a small "secret playroom" built into the gable of this 1929 Tudor house that we are renovating and expanding. I plan on doing an understated bird theme (even though I know you are over this). I need ideas for this little playspace and some other outstanding items in the room. Paint color of the entire room (including ceilings, b/c they slope with the roofline) will be a light pink. There is a 10" baseboard painted chocolate brown. Here's what I've got so far: -Bird light: found on your site and am getting a wider pink silk or brown linen shade, -Thinking of doing a stencil on maybe one of the walls a la this pattern in brown or white, and lastly, this wallhanging".what missy needs is: a dresser, twin bed, bedding and ideas of to do with the "secret playspace" and of course, any ideas that you've got to share with her. i'm sure you guys are full of great ideas so, feel free to talk to missy below!
posted by design*sponge @ 27.2.06
19 Comments:
There's a website called javisdavis.com
for children's bedding. It allows you to custom make your own bedding. Their prices are beyond reasonable and you get exactly what you want. Their choice of fabrics is endless and you can either choose from their own groupings, or make your own. You only order what you want. They make spreads, duvet covers, pillows, curtains. I couldn't have been more pleased. I did alot of research and this was definitely the most bang for your buck. Simply click on fabric collections and then click on fabric collections for girls. Their prices are listed online as well.
Sincerely,
RDD
i love your new design layout. in response to your question on other ideas, have you visited the land of nod?
(www.landofnod.com) though a bit pricey they have great ideas for playroom. if you're willing to spend 165 for the bird branch how bout the perch light on (www.velocityartanddesign.com)? good luck + i can't wait to see the results.
I would love to see how the room turns out. Pink and chocolate is great. Yes, birds are very, very popular at the moment, but still a cute theme for a room.
Yes, it's been done before, but it would be cool to see a stylized tree painted. You could paint a few green leaves painted that incorporate some display shelves. And maybe some twinkly lights (in the shape of flowers??). YOu could make it a reading nook and incorporate a little fold down table into the tree trunk and either a couple of zid zid poofs or a super-comfy bean bag (http://www.modernseed.com/eazybeansolid.html).
Now if I could only be inspired to decorate my boys room!!
What a fantastic little alcove! I love the idea of putting a curtain at the entrance (cheesecloth can be died and would let the light through). It's such a unique space; I'd make that one little nook as magical as possible - maybe some giant grass and flowers painted on those walls, or something else that makes it a little wonderland escape for her?
hate to be negative but i work for a city health department's childhood lead poisoning prevention program. cute picture, but having a 2 year in an old home during renovations puts her at great risk of lead poisoning
What a cute little secret room! I guess because of the shape of it I immediately thought play house. The entry would be soft curtains maybe with cutouts for windows and picket fences sewn along the bottom. The "interior" of the house would carry the bird theme on furniture, lamps etc. while the bedroom itself would be the "outdoors". Just a thought. You should post a picture when you're done! Good luck!
One of my favourite rooms in the now defunct Canterbury Bookstore and Coffeehouse in Madison, WI where I grew up was the "castle" in the children's book section. It was on a little dais and painted to look just like a castle, but lined with bookcases and cushion and had a little dais for reading. I think you should make the alcove into a (tasteful, of course) reading/playing castle or "Turkish Kitty Corner" as the victorian's called it.
Definitely put a windowseat with a cushion in under the window (and storage space for toys below. Definitely install low bookcases on the two walls. And of course a curtain so that it can be private or a stage when she's older. Play around with the lighting in there too-- maybe a magical hanging lamp. Oh, and of course lots of pillows and floor cushions in pink and chocolate!
kids are all about details.
anthropologie has a lot of bird figures in their home accents this season. in their garden accessories, they have these...
http://www.anthropologie.com/jump.jsp?itemID=1295&itemType=CATEGORY
i think perching one of these little guys (the robin is my personal pick) on the window ledge outside would add a bit of whimsy and connect the outdoors with the indoors. a great little detail.
i think the chocolate color is a wonderful idea. the earthy tone could easily carry through to a nature theme. my best idea for the secret play area - "treehouse." (treehouse brainstorm - secret, wood, bird nest, leaves) i really like marimekko's kukkula pattern fabric in light green - perfect with pink. natural, but not in a crunchy granola fashion, and modern. (crate and barrel's website has marimekko kukkula light green shower curtains on sale for $11.95 ea.- i recently bought three, hemmed them and installed them as curtains in my sun room/ guest room). add a little faux bois detail somewhere to carry it further.
also, don't limit yourself to domestic birds. tropical birds - parrots, toucans, cockatoos, etc. could add a lot of color. i'm not saying that the room needs free-roaming peacocks, but it's just another option for accent colors, --less earthy, and more fantastic.
please be sure to send some pics of the final product. good luck!
the secret playspace should of course be a nest!
Something about that alcove reminds me of a private little treehouse. I'm wondering if there is anyway to work that into the theme...I've got no idea how, but it would go well with the bird theme.
If you like bird art check out Amy Ruppel http://amyruppel.com/
she has regular online sales of her art.
http://www.wonderfulgraffiti.com creates marvelous text wall decals you could use to decorate that area. That's an example in there of a "Teddy Bear Prayer".
I agree with the NEST theme for the secret play space.
Room #114 at the fox hotel offers a take on this theme... www.hotelfox.dk
Using the wall hanging and it's fabric patterns as inspiration-
You could have lovely egg shaped bean bags or cushions as seating and/or a slew of long brown twig shaped cushions that could be arranged to create a personal nest. (inspired by Frank Tjepkemas rubber nest, TAK www.tjep.com)
Also cute little birds w/ clips on a clothesline to hold artwork, photos, notes etc.
dailypoetics.com
Check this out!
http://www.hiddenpassageway.com/
Now your alcove can be an actual hidden room for her!!! What could be cooler?!
Ok, probably better for a little boy, but come on it's cool!
I think a candy house look would be fun. Papermashie candy etc.with a window and window box, a round hole for a door like you may find in a bird house.
Perhaps you could cut pieces of green fabric to resemble tree leaves, and hang them like a thick beaded curtain. A low border of painted "nest sticks" could complement dailypoetic's idea of egg-shaped and twig shaped cushions. OOHH, and big, fluffy feather boas!!!
make the alcove a little bird house! Close up back half and cut an oversize hole she can climb through, you can even add a little 'perch'. If you don't want to actually close the area off, just do a large drape with an enforced opening and paint the bird house front on it, or use 2 different fabrics for 'roof' and 'front'. Ikea actually sells some oversize leaves for children's rooms ("lova" bed canopy), (the color may be a bit strong for your look, but you could check them out for construction inspiration). you could put those all around the entrance area to the 'bird house'. Then take everyone's great twig and egg ideas and make a little nest in the house.
kids are all about details...part
2
since the ceilings slope, i don't know if it is possible, but i think a canopy, maybe in a light green leafy pattern (i'm still in love with marimekko kukkula fabric). i think it would go well with a bird/nature theme, like a tree canopy.
it would allow you to scale some small part of the room to a child's height. whether it's over the bed, or in a reading corner, or even in her secret play area, i think it would add variation and interest to the overall design. (i like clean lines, nothing frilly, so i'd suggest a very basic canopy, maybe draped over a couple of dowels suspended from the ceiling at appropriate lengths so it will be parallel to the floor.)
for a simple bird design, also see lotta jansdotter's website...
http://jansdotter.com/shop/item.php?serial=1006
it would be really simple to reproduce somehere, maybe as a little motif on painted furniture.
as bird toys go, steiff's classic collection has a bunch of great ones. (just google steiff.) a little nest of birds would be cute. or even just a litle nest-like basket to hold toys, if you don't want ot spend an astronomical amount of money on steiff toys.
I love the birdhouse/cage or nest idea, too! Or a huge tree halfpainted, half built and then add a real swing!!!
What a lucky little girl!
Hope to see results when they are done -- sounds gorgeous!
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