The Joy of Children's Rooms

One of my favorite projects to work on are children's rooms. You can really let your imagination go wild with kids rooms. Whether it's bright colors or funky patterns, the possibilities are endless. I generally stay away from overly "themed" rooms, especially those that are commercialized (i.e. Disney Princess, Winnie the Pooh, etc.). They get old, fast and it's difficult to transition them as the child gets older unless you completely re-do the entire room. Besides, I think you can still give your daughter the Princess room of her dreams without looking like you just made a trip to Disneyland (one of my favorite places, by the way!).

Here are two pictures to illustrate my point. The purple and green room below is my daughter's room. She really wanted Princess, but I couldn't succumb to the Pink and Disney logo everywhere. So, I broke out the paint brush and painted the walls, bed and dresser. (the latter two found on Craigslist!) There are splashes of pink and princess throughout the room, but it is subtle. The next room (the pink one) is very sophisticated, yet still very girly. I love the shade of pink - very light and airy.

McKenzie's Room

Pretty in Pink!

Another way to make a great impact in a kids room is with fabric. I LOVE the curtains in the green room below. The black and green contrast is super fun and something that could easily transition to an older child's room over time. (and I love the lamp, too - but you already knew that!) As with my daughter's room above, paint can open the door to so many possibilities. Whether you paint furniture, or fun dots like the ones below, it's a great way to personalize a child's room. These dots give the room a modern feel, whereas polka dots would make it more whimsical.

Of course, not everything has to be hand made or found through a designer. I really do love Dwell and Pottery Barn Kids for their ability to create a theme without going over the top. (to a certain degree) An example is the stripe feature in the blue room below from Pottery Barn. Stripes are actually much easier to do than you may think. I like the variation of widths on the one below.

For those interested in more a more Modern look and feel, you certainly can't go wrong w/ Dwell. And, they now sell versions at Target!! The key to doing a Dwell-style room well is keep the rest of the room simple. Don't over the accessorizing and you should be fine!

And, speaking of accessorizing, there's so many great ways to accessorize a kid's room - whether it's creative lamps, art or paint. I love "notNeutral designs" by wallcandy arts. It's especially handy for those of you who hate to paint but want to add a bit of whimsy to the walls.

In short, to create a fantastic room for your little pride and joy, here are some general rules to follow:

1. Don't over due a theme. If you have a jungle theme, don't have animals on the bedding, window coverings, rug AND as accessories. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
2. Have fun with color and don't be afraid to try something bold. Remember, it's just paint! It's a small investment to make and you can always re-paint.
3. Incorporate storage - let's face it, we can't help ourselves and want to give our kids everything we can. Unfortunately, their stuff accumulates quickly and you need great storage solutions keep things neat and tidy!
4. Create a room from the heart - make it a place both you and your child will love being in.
5. Lastly, have fun!!
   

Shop 'til You Drop

I know many people who hate shopping. I am not one of those people. In fact, quite the contrary. I love to shop - always have, always will. However, the reasons I love shopping are not what you may think! I don't have to have the latest and greatest Cloe bag, or the most current electronic gadget. It's really not about acquiring material things just to have them. I love shopping for the inspiration I get when someone else pulls together a display, especially when it's presented in a way I wouldn't have thought of. I also love shopping for the hunt. You know, when you are searching for that perfect thing and finally find it? It's like magic. Or even better - that amazing bargain. My friends still can't believe I bought this amazing $700 purse at Nordstrom Rack for $150! Many people find "the hunt" simply too exhausting and settle for second best because they just simply can't go on! If there was a marathon race in shopping, I'm sure I would win. (mind you, I can barely run a mile!)

Perhaps that's why I love what I do so much....I get to shop for other people. Need to purchase a new house? I can help you shop for one (yes, I'm a licensed real estate agent, too!). Need new curtains? Check. Need a new couch? Check. I'm your gal. But more importantly, I do it and have lots of fun doing it. Sure, a good interior designer needs to understand the balance between scale and proportions and how to put chocolate brown and chartreuse together in a way that looks amazing. But, they also need to be able to find unique pieces that will set your space apart from all of the others; and not get frustrated because you want them to look a little longer for that right piece.

Now, I must digress for just a moment. There is a bad side to shopping that I was once I victim of. It's shopping without purpose and buying just to buy. This leads to bad credit and a cluttered house. (I'll speak more about home organization at a later date.) But, suffice-it-to-say, too much shopping for the wrong reasons (or without reason!) isn't good. I've been there, trust me, it's not worth it. And, when you shop like that too long, shopping isn't really fun anymore.

So, in the spirit of shopping with purpose (which is why I love doing what I do every day!), here are just a few small things I'm enjoying shopping for:

FURNITURE - This Salon chair is from Baker. (yes, blue and chocolate are still very much in!)

CLOTHES: I love Anthropologie! I wish I could afford to buy everything I need there! I generally make one major purchase a season there - their clothes are unique, well-made and come from a wide variety of designers.

HOME ACCESSORIES: Have I mentioned I love lamps? This one is from Pottery Barn (see previous blog for reference). I also like Ballard Designs for their French style of accessories.

I love lamps!

(Maura Daniels)

It's true, I really do love lamps. And lately, I seem obsessed with wanting to buy them. As a designer, I have access to so many amazing options, I could just spend hours and hours looking at all of the choices. And, I do. Until recently, I used to be like everyone else -- I'd hit Pottery Barn on the weekend to find the affordable, yet somewhat stylish lamp. And don't get me wrong - I'm not some "too good for Pottery Barn" type of designer. In fact, I help many clients sift through the many accessory options to find the perfect fit for their room. But now that I know what's really out there, I can never go back! A well designed, unique lamp can do amazing things for a room. It can add a level of sophistication to a living room, or a bit of whimsy to a child's room. Below are just a small sampling of some of my current favorites.

These next two are by Slip -- semi-custom lamps - you pick the base and the shade. Very bright, fun lamps with a modern twist.

The rest of these are by Arteriors. They have many elegant designs, as well as super modern. I pretty much love everything by them!

(pendant - so the trend now!)

(another pendant - too, cute!)









(in case you haven't noticed, coral is soooo in this year! But, who knew you could find it on a lamp?!!)





(for those who know me, I love orange! I plan to purchase this one for my living room.)

(Brown and blue is still "hot" this year and this lamp really pulls it all together well)

Of course, there many, many more manufacturers I love, so stay tuned for more great lamps in the future.

p.s. Most of these lamps can be obtained through people in the trade (like me!), or through speciality retailers.

The Art of Arranging

One of the services I provide my clients is Home Adornment. I essentially take what they have and re-arrange it to refresh the look of their home. (I also bring in new accessories, as needed.) There is an art to arranging pieces and many people struggle with it. Generally, here's what I see as some common problems:

1. Too much stuff crammed together (picture frames seem to be a typical one here)



2. Not enough stuff (often times because the person is so paralyzed by the thought, they end up doing nothing)



3. The arrangement is just missing an element or two.

So, like fashion, many of the rigid rules are gone and there's a lot more creativity and flexibility in what you can do. Nonetheless, there are some guidelines that certainly help. Here are just a few:

1. Group in odd numbers - 1, 3, 5, etc.



2. Have variations in height to fill the space



3. For a more formal look, the groupings should be mirror images; for less formal, less "matchy"



4. Be careful with collections - there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Create vignettes throughout a room, if possible, rather that having a whole rack of the same thing.

Here are some examples:

ABOVE: The matching lamps brings in a bit of formality, but the other objects add whimsy.




This is a great example of a simple, yet more formal arrangement

(photo by Justin Bernhaut for Domino Magazine May 07 Issue) This picture shows both great arrangement of artwork and the accessories on the table. I love adding a bit of nature to an arrangement - it adds a nice textural feel.

This is a bookcase in my house. Here's another example of adding a natural piece - this one really "pops" against the black. (It's a branch I bought at Pottery Barn.) Plus, the addition of the small vases gives a nice contrast of color to help tie the room together. Notice this bookcase isn't jammed with books, but displayed in an artful way.

Design Inspiration and this blog

Welcome to my blog about interior design, real estate and anything else that inspires me enough to write about it. I'll use this first entry as a bit of an introduction to me and what I do.

For starters, I live in Seattle and have my own interior design business, Adorn. (http://www.adornhomeinteriors.com) I'm also a licensed Realtor with Coldwell Banker Bain (http://www.cbbain.com/rebeccacarlson). I love anything and everything to do with a home. So much so, that I couldn't decide between the two professions, so I'm doing them both. And honestly, they really do go well together. When I work with a client looking to buy a home, I'm able to help them see the potential in a home they might not be able to see.

Like many designers I know, I didn't start out my professional career doing interior design. In fact, I spent 15 years in Corporate America as a Human Resources Manager. My yearning to break out of the "corporate box" and do something more creative finally won and so I gave up the steady paycheck to work on my own. I haven't looked back since and couldn't be happier.

My design philosophy is pretty simple: your home should be a reflection of who you are and a place where you can kick off your shoes and relax. I generally believe you get what you pay for, yet I'm a sucker for a good deal! Mixing high-end items with great deals from Target or Pottery Barn is a great way to get a custom look without breaking the bank. My general design style leans towards casual elegance. I like a home to be comfortable and inviting, yet have a touch of sophistication. Transitional pieces are what I tend to gravitate towards within my own home - bringing together traditional pieces with a modern flair.

I hope you come back frequently to see what's inspiring me in my work, perhaps learn something new, or hopefully get inspired yourself.

Your thoughts/comments are welcome. My email is adornhomeinteriors@comcast.net (or my real estate email is rebeccacarlson@cbbain.com).