design process: shabby chic cottage retreat

The theme for the little girl's room is a shabby chic cottage retreat. The biggest challenge for this particular space was to accommodate for lots of sleepovers and plenty of room to play. We worked with the builder to create a cottage playhouse on one side of the room. We were very fortunate that the wall was bumped out, therefore we were able to create the cottage within that space without sacrificing additional floor space. A staircase was added so the child could climb up to the roof-top to sleep where a full size mattress had been place. The lower level of the cottage featured a play area with a small kitchenette, table and chairs for tea parties, and large buckets to store toys, games, etc. The cottage was constructed so it could be easily removed once the child outgrows the space without damaging the hardwood floors or walls.

The walls and ceiling of this space was painted light blue to provide an outdoor feel with an extensive outdoor mural of gardens, rolling hills and wild life which wraps around the entire room. The textiles used in this shabby chic cottage retreat included a variety of fabrics featuring flowers, vines and ivy, polka dots, with a mix of various textured fabrics. The bedding, pillows, awning, and additional textiles were all custom made. A custom lampshade, drawer knobs, step stool and tissue box were hand painted to match the theme of this space.

The furniture in this room featured built in shelving and drawers, a daybed with a trundle bed underneath and a nightstand in a shabby chic green. A shaggy raggy pink rug was placed in the center of the space to add a bit more warmth and comfort to this environment while one toddles around to play.

design process: home of the bulldogs

The theme that was created for one of the little boys' rooms was an old high school gymnasium with the school colors being red, black, and yellow. The walls are painted with a faux finish white cinderblock providing depth and texture to the space. The biggest challenge in this room was the floor. We had the builder install unfinished hardwood floors and than had him sand them down. We then painted a 6" black border around the entire room and than carefully painted the bulldog (which is the child's mascot) and the basketball key. It was very time consuming; a lot of measuring, taping, and drying time took place before we could proceed to the next step. After the floors were painted they were swept, buffed, and coated with three applications of polyurethane.

The wall facing the basketball key has a functioning miniature basketball hoop and is outfitted with actual gym wall padding that showcases the boy's middle name. A locker room bench is affixed to the floor under the window which runs horizontal to the basketball key, much of what you would see in a high school gym as the players bench. On top of the window in the center of the wall is the child's logo, a bulldog, the logo is the first thing you see upon entering the room. On each side of the window are custom banners of basketball championships (FYI, all dates selected for the banners are dates that are significant to the home owners). A red twin over full bunk bed was placed in this space to accommodate for lots of company. The bedding used in this environment was from Pottery Barn Teen, it was part of their NBA Bedding Collection. On the wall above the top bunk is a scoreboard that was hand painted with chalk board paint in order to keep score of all future basketball games taking place in this room. A basketball wall mount is fixed to the same wall by the foot of the bunk bed to house all the basketballs used to play either during practice or game time. On the opposite wall; a set of two full size black lockers were added to for extra shelving and/or storage. An American flag hangs next to the closet door. What gym isn't complete without tribute to our country? Over the closet door and bathroom door, hand painted signs were painted as the home team locker room and visitor's team locker room.

design process: the s.j. tigers

The theme of the other little boys' room who is a little over 1 (08') is an outdoor high school football field. The mural of the football field and stadium is your main focal point in this room seeing that the entirety of this environment is a hand painted mural. The mural consist of football players on the field on the east wall throwing the ball to the receiver which is located on the west wall getting ready to score a touchdown. The north and south walls in this room has a faux finish brick with the entrance to the stadium and ticket booth on one side and the other side houses the team mascot which is a tiger. A three dimensional snout for the tiger was created to overlap the sports ticker as if the tiger was bitting into it. Again, as in the other room, a home and visitor's sign were created to go over the closet and bathroom doors to portray the image of locker rooms to the two teams. A scoreboard was painted on the wall above the top bunk, all dates used on the scoreboard are significant dates to the family i.e. the child's birthdate.

The furniture in this room was selected from Pottery Barn kids. There is a twin over full, navy weathered bunk bed and a small matching dresser. The bedding is from Pottery Barn Teen and is part of the NFL Collection.

The flooring in this room was created to portray an actual football field. It was done in the same way we had created the basketball court. The only difference was, once the floor was sanded three coats of green paint had been applied to the floor and than buffed before we applied the lines and numbers. After everything was hand painted on, the floors were buffed and coated with three coats of polyurethane.

There is still plenty of room to add more things to this space such as a lounge area in the corner a bench or possible some type of football equipment. The home owners are waiting on it now but possible may add more things in the future.

design process: the playroom

The overall goal for this room is something neutral for both the boys and little girl. The main objective in this space was to create an environment for the children to grow within and not to make it age or gender specific. The color scheme in the room is primary colors and khaki with stripes and circles as an accent. The room was created to allow the kids to play, watch TV, read, partake in arts and crafts, do homework and learn as they got bigger.

The majority of the room is outfitted with custom built-in shelving and drawers. In the center of the room, two built-in cabinets mirror one another. One being an area to house books and provide an area for the children to do homework as they grow older and the other one houses the T.V. and shelving to hold toys, books, videos, etc. There is a ton of storage space in this environment seeing it is where the children will store all their toys in the home. Wrapping around the entire window is built-in drawers topped off with red custom made seat cushions and pillows to match the decor. Featured above the window are a color pencil for each child with their names on it, each in a different color. Custom hand painted knobs and drawer pulls were created for all the built-in's of various colors or a striped pattern.

The flooring is a dark hardwood with a large red area rug located in the center of the room which is positioned under the child size sectional sofa. The sofa has a white wooden base with Khaki cushions along with custom pillows of various colors and patterns to reiterate the design scheme. In the center of the sectional is a play table with large wooden bins that pull out underneath for the children to store balls, puppets, or anything they desire.

Located in the arts and crafts area you will find a paint palette and paintbrush above a collaboration of chalkboards, cork-boards, and shelving where the child can display their artwork, create new chalk masterpieces, and store all their art materials. A table with multiple colored chairs sit in front of the arts and crafts area so the children can create new projects or play games.

The wall art was kept simple in this space so as the children grow older the parents can easily switch it out. Currently, there is a large cork-board which spells out ABC in red where the children can display their art if they choose. There is also a book rack to store more books within, and a painting of the alphabet with a variety of animals identifying each letter. Within the room; artwork frames are displayed as well as matching striped buckets to store the small stuff.

This room is extremely functional and perfect for the kids to be kids in.