Install of the Day !

Hey There !

One of our own is having a baby !  We are all so excited.  Bree is due in January and it was so much fun designing her nursery.  A little boy.  We wanted a space that jived with the rest of her house and we all think this turned out perfect.  Sweet, calm and all pulled together. 

When designing it I started with the walls.  This one accent wall combines a little paint and a little paper in this fun pattern.

I loved mixing in a modern light and slightly traditional rocker with simple white linen curtains.

I have always done dressers as oppose to the traditional "changing table" and this wall mount fixture adds light without taking up valuable counter top space.

Texture and a simple color palette mixing polka dots, plaid, leather, wood and simple linen did the trick.

photos by mekenzie loli

Can not wait for the big day !

Install of the Day !

Hey There !

Have two young boys with an adjoining bathroom?  Have two boys who need a little style in their rooms?  New bedding can help, but a little wall paper will really do the trick.  The impact of these two papers I added to these boy's rooms transformed them completely!

I think Lori Crowder is striking while hot and with all the updates we have made to her home.  Her boy's spaces had great beds but needed some pulling together and a fun color punch.  One loves dinosaurs the other loves green, both connect with a bathroom.   I wanted a cohesive look on that end of the hallway, giving them each what they wanted.  Most importantly, giving them furniture pieces that will grow with them.

The bed and bedside table for Cooper's Room were great, we just added a second bedside table and moved it all to another wall.  The bedding and rug were our starting point - he loved them, we just added to it !  New wall paper, dresser, shelf, chandelier, and windows.  Take a look at his board.

We repositioned the bed to the double window wall, painted it's backdrop pale grey.  The two side walls now have a big splash of wall paper and push pin boards and a new dresser and mirror.

The dresser and this great, industrial shelf were added.  The black hardware on both tie back to the cool new chandelier.  All these pieces will last well into the late teens with their older look.

As Cooper gets older, the dino bedding and accessories can simply be switched out for an older look.  voila !

Upholstered cornices and bamboo blinds are all boy and easy to work with.

Don't think you can put the bed in front of the windows . . . sure you can!

Nash's Room had a navy bunk and navy dresser.  All he wanted was a big dose of green!  

We decided to give it to him in this stripe wall paper and a few accents.

He also needed a better overhead chandelier and new desk.  Both with an industrial vibe as well.

Love this fun paper !

He too can switch out the bed someday for an older, maybe wood queen size and all will work.

all photos by mekenzie france

Again . . . such fun working with the Crowder's.  We will miss our dropping in on them with new, fun things !  But we do have the outside to work on . . . and Spring is coming soon here in Charlotte.

Install of the Day !

Howdy . . .

The last of my camp kids, Finn Dyer has a new room!  We added a last minute sofa and desk yesterday to what we installed last week and filtered in the art and accessories.  Ready for a larger bed and ready to lose the little boy, blue walls, we gave his space a look with an industrial vibe.

 Taking my inspiration from a framed poster he loved, we brought in pieces he can grow with, all with an industrial, hip, Beastie Boys vibe.

We changed a few things a little in the process, we took out the window seat/storage underneath idea, and added a sofa instead of the dresser.  With a large closet, we added a simple dresser in there.   During the design process, my client wanted to change to a loft bed,  I had to talk her out of it.  Her reason, overnights.

 Now I love a cool loft bed, but I do feel they lose their appeal over time.  They are a pain to make up and down the road you will probably want to get rid of it, so why waste the money.  In a way to address the sleep over issue, I suggested adding inexpensive day beds with trundles in the nearby playroom (pics to come).  Placing them in the shape of a sectional you get the look of a sofa, but the function of two beds.  With the added plus of two trundles underneath you gain 4 places to sleep for a fun boy overnight.  Problem solved and the original design stays in tack.  Adding the sofa in the room as oppose to the dresser, Finn's look is even more grown up and multi-functional and a friend can crash on that!

 In this design I actually started with the bed and worked off that as far as the look.  This platform bed had a lower profile and a cool feature, the storage underneath. It has a similar look to the platform bed I am proposing in my new beachy inspired boys room (here) yet with a lower headboard and that added storage.  Always on a mission to do something different for everyone.

Take a look at a few of the details in the space.

 The wood and wire shelf is big and on wheels.  Great industrial look.

Always love a metal letter mixed in with the art.  Keith's piece also works perfectly in the room !

Lots of storage, great art and a nice clean look.

Clean grey walls, blue stripes gone and all new sleek furniture !

A touch of plaid - a nod to punk !

We hung a few vintage albums in simple Ikea frames.

And my favorite piece in the room.  Killer lamp!

I think I have a happy kid !

Boys, they say the "don't care" but the really do !

Install of the Day !

Hey !

"I feel like I'm in a hotel."  That was the response I got from Will when I showed him his new space yesterday afternoon.  Thank goodness !!!  Boy's are tough.  They don't give you much to go on as far as what they like.  I do think I know Will a little bit though.  He's much like my Lucy and I have known his family for .. what .. years.  Amy and I have working of her daughter Sophie's Room, and most of the downstairs.

Will is all about art, and he's good.  His personality, to me, seems clean lined, urban, industrial, edgy and it was time for a new bed and a new look.  Out went the bunks and the lime green walls!

I came up with this idea after staying at one of my new favorite hotels in the City, the Ace, located in the Flat Iron District.

Ace Hotel NYC, was designed by Roman & Williams (who are amazing by the way - I did an entire spotlight post about them . . . check it out here)

The Ace is very industrial, clean and simple.  White walls in most with black windows.  Wood furniture, worn leather, simple bedding and welded metal.  Most of the accent walls are either hand painted or covered in a great, graphic paper.  It's way cool.   Take a look  . . .  

compliments of their site

Now take a look at my version. .   Bright white walls and trim, with an accent behind the bed of a striking black paper with an old map detail.   We then brought in black blinds to give the look and feel of black casement windows.   A large black and off-white graphic rug, and all distressed furniture with metal legs.

It's all about the details . . .

This bed . . . built by my go-to Chris Havey and his team.  Heavy as lead, welded metal frame and distressed wood inlay.  He did a fab job.  It's not going anywhere.  On the bed . . . a soft, wool blanket I actually purchased for the Ace Hotel's gift shop to complete the look.  Chris also made a desk top for me to sit on two metal grey file cabinets.  With the look of "distress" it actually has a smooth top for Will to be able to draw on.

I added one of my favorite - quirky - chairs, seen in The Hunger Games, it's made of seat belts and comes in a variety of colors.

A large bookcase and new dresser, I combined several wood types and colors.

The space was a little tight, so I decided to add a side table on just one side with a floor lamp on the other.

photos by mekenzie france

Love, love this space, but love even more that I made this guy with a definite design opinion, happy.