Generally it's Sunday nights when these shennanigans begin of reinventing the wheel, plotting furniture in different rooms, spending hours on Pinterest and other design blogs dreaming of what our home could be. Perhaps it's a coping mechanism for wanting to return to our old neighborhood, a habit (albeit an expensive and time-wasting one), a creative outlet or a way to avoid taking that pilates class. Either way, it's a lot of fun.
Though I don't have the gift of design (I like to pretend my craft is words), I'm enamored. Obsessed. Know it when I see it. And adore what others have. So what do I try to do? Copy! After all, it's the greatest form of flattery, right?
This past month I've been focused on three rooms: the playroom, little dude's space and our study. The baby spaces needed a bit of a refresh as he quickly hurdles himself later in toddlerdom, updating his toys, making more room for wreckage and providing bright, stimulating colors and filling his space with items he enjoys. So though I'm just getting started, I thought I'd share a few shots, both only quasi-complete rooms:
Before a version of his nursery for his first year, with soft blues, oranges and whites and of course still Monkey-inspired:
Not pictured is a bookshelf tucked behind the chair and across the way, an open changing table with baskets and canvas storage, topped with shelves with baby items on display.
At one year old, his bright spirit really began to show, so we decided to sass it up a bit using primary colors, Madras bedding and include more planes, trains and automobiles. And now with two happening in less than two months, we're incorporating even more of the primary colors coupled with pictures of his family he's grown to love unconditionally and recognize, some of his favorite characters and really making it his own. We've updated the rug, darkened the curtains, removed some of the baby stuff such as ultrasound photos, baby-blue monograms, tiny stuffed animals and transitioned to fire trucks, buses, Curious George and more. I promise to post when it's a bit more complete after this weekend - plus it's hard to post because I forget to photograph it and it's generally 6 a.m. or 10 p.m. when I'm on here, which is not so much conducive to breaking and entering to snap a few photos while the little dude sleeps.
After: it's mostly been done for a year, but I've never shot a photo! Final accessories this weekend then pic to come
The playroom was only slightly tweaked, creating storage for larger, more active toys and offering creative spaces for him to work his magic with Playdough, markers, crayons and more. So out went the smaller furniture and in with the new, mostly collected at our fabulous neighborhood garage sale and the storage shelves from Target.
Before:
After:
The space, generally cluttered, is useful and full of love with room to play hide and seek in the tent, color on the walls and create lego houses meant for a prince. The majority of our family bonding takes place in this room.
The study? Still a work in progress and more to come with my inspiration being innovation, shabby chic and a place where I can enjoy working remotely one day and surfing the web at other times.
The lesson? This all takes time. And patience. And sometimes, settling. None of which I tend to have much of. For example, I adore antiques but don't know how to refinish anything, take the opportunity to really find buried treasures or create the look I covet on HGTV and in other homes. So instead, I just rip off and duplicate Pottery Barn styles. But, I'm starting small and this time around I'm listening to my gut, working hard to identify pieces I really enjoy and make me smile, no matter how they go with the current mish mash of hand-me-downs and gifts that sprinkle throughout the home. Because as Oprah said, your house should rise to meet you.
So let's get to working on rising, shall we?
Though I guess that would require new carpet and updated wood stain...
Wait don't even go there. Focus, girl, focus.
Room Review one - more to come!
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