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Pink and Gray Craft Room
Today’s post tells the story behind one of my recent projects.
Not long ago I had the pleasure of working with Jayme, who lives in the Baltimore area. She contacted me because she needed help designing a craft room for her two, adorable little girls — Skylar and Hayden.
When I visited Jayme’s home, she showed me a large space that was already dedicated to the girls’ playthings and craft supplies. But the girls were beginning to outgrow many of their toys, and the space needed storage, organization and a fresh new look.
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Jayme wanted the new craft room to have a fun, finished look that the girls could grow with — something that was “more sophisticated than cute.” She also wanted a space that would allow the girls to do their homework, in addition to crafting and playing. Taking all of that into consideration, I created a DIY Design Plan that included this Design Board and Rendering:
After receiving her plan, Jayme wasted no time with implementing the design. The result is a craft room that is sophisticated, streamlined and stunning — if I do say so myself.
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The room is very long {over 20 feet} but it is also narrow, so using a vibrant wall color would have overwhelmed the space, especially with the bright overhead lighting. The solution was to use a subtle color on the walls {Evening Shadow by Sherwin-Williams} and a more savory hue {In the Pink by SW} on the expansive ceiling. This also brought a fun ‘wow factor’ to the room. Jayme did a great job of clearing out the space by giving away many of the toys and books. This made room for two new desks {from IKEA} where the girls can work on projects and do homework. For the girls’ names above each desk, we used custom vinyl lettering from trendywalldesigns.com.
The plan also included dress-up stations.
Design Tip: Hanging costumes on wall hooks allows for easy access and also adds colorful ‘wall art’ to the space.
The ebony stained desk was the only piece of furniture that stayed in the new craft room. Jayme bought it from IKEA a while back, and it has held up well. It’s also long enough so both girls can pull up a chair and work on craft projects together. And did you notice the paper towel dispenser on the wall? Jayme’s husband thought of that, and I must admit it was a great idea!
Storage and organization were also a big part of this design. The room already had built-in shelves, so it was just a matter of finding containers that would work the best and fit on the shelves. Jayme decided on the Smart Store totes from containerstore.com.
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We also brought in another great piece from IKEA that provides additional storage for items of different sizes.
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Jayme says that the girls love the new craft room and they are spending a lot of time in their new space…which makes mom and dad very happy. Now, that’s music to my ears!
If you have any questions about this design, or if your room needs a new look and you’d like to become a client {eDesign services are available}, contact me at kelly@porterhousedesigns.com.
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Children’s Easter Table
When planning your Easter gathering, don’t forget the little guests.
I designed this colorful table setting especially for the kids because they love having a place of their own. With splashes of primary colors, orange and a tiny touch of pink, this Easter Table is fun, bright and simple to create. A pedestal-bowl {a thrift store find} filled with dyed eggs makes a great focal point for this setting.
For the place cards, I took a photograph of one of the melamine plates {from Target}, minimized it and typed each child’s name over top. Then, I inserted each card into a small tray filled with gumballs.
The plastic ‘candy carrots’ are filled with jellybeans {Wal-Mart}.
And, of course, extra jellybean jars are always appreciated.
Great colors and sweet treats are always the perfect recipe for a children’s table.
Design and photos by Kelly Porter of Porter House Designs
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Bohemian Bedrooms For Girls
With a fun mix of colors and cultures, creating a Bohemian Bedroom could be the perfect way to bring out your child’s unique personality.
{domino}
Bohemian spaces are a blend of modern, vintage and global-ethnic furnishings. This look is casual, free flowing and can take your child beyond the expected design boundaries.
{gorgeousshinythings}
As our world “grows smaller,” tribal textiles and other ethnic accents are becoming the focus of the boho style. This gives us the opportunity to teach our children about other cultures, countries and traditions.
{alkemie}
Color is also an important element to this style. Vibrant hues such as pink, red, green, purple and sapphire can be paired with calming earth tones to create a balanced and pretty color scheme.
{threelittlejewells}
Also, don’t forget the art of display. Jewelry, hair accessories and favorite clothing items can be artfully arranged and hung on pretty hooks or hangers.
{domino}
{top photo – design by Fawn Galli}
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Brightly Colored Kid’s Rooms
Today, over at Design Dazzle, I’ve blogged about Brightly Colored Bedrooms for Kids – a fun subject that sometimes makes parents a little nervous:
I often have the pleasure of working with kids and teens to help them select colors for their bedrooms {such as the boys room pictured at the top}. I’ve also come to realize that children will choose the brightest colors known to mankind, because they are naturally attracted to these types of hues. In fact, studies have shown that children usually respond to bright colors in a positive way.
So, how do you make sure that your child’s energetic color palette doesn’t send them into overdrive? You need balance and compromise. Click Here to view this entire post and find out more!
photos: Porter House Designs; Design Dazzle; digsdigs
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Colorful Painted Stripes
This colorful space is not only a lesson in patience {tons of taping-off I’m sure}, but it demonstrates how color can be creative as well as re-created…
…In this boy’s room, designer Karen Harris used the striped lamp shades as inspiration for the painted wall treatment. The colorful stripes fill this room with loads of energy and excitement, but I also appreciate the red space above the headboard and the white bedding, as these two elements help to quiet down all of the action. Love it!
photo from purecontemporary
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Boys Football Buffet
Summer’s almost over, so I’ve declared it Tween Party Week here at Color Sizzle! My last post featured a Girls Spa Party, so today this one’s for the guys {NOTE: this set-up also works indoors and makes for a great Superbowl Party}!
Are you ready for some football?? My boys sure are, so I styled this snack buffet to help them celebrate the season with their friends. If you’ve ever hosted a bunch of boys over for a friendly game of football, you know they get pretty hungry!
One thing I know — boys like things things simple, so I didn’t put a lot of fuss into this one . Well, maybe I did just a little {can’t help it…it’s the designer in me}. I purchased the ‘football field’ tablecloth and banner from the party store, and reinforced the green and orange color theme with the candy and accessories.
I used scrapbooking paper to make labels for the water bottles, and the sliders and brownies were store-bought {I added the green M&Ms}.
A day of fun, food, friends…and football, of course.
Sources:
tablecloth, pendant banner, candy: Party City
mini-burgers, brownies: Sam’s Club
picture frames: Home Goods
football scrapbooking paper: Michael’s
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Girls Spa Party
I’m so excited about this really fun and colorful Spa At Home Party that I designed for two {BFF} tween girls….
It began in my master bathroom…
…and the fun ended in the basement {aka the ‘Crazy Sexy Cool’ Luxe Lounge}:
{HOT IDEA: I took a picture of one of the pillows, printed it out, and used it as a custom wrapper for the chocolate bars.}
A space to create, inspire and dream.
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Transformers Boys Room
Attention Moms: If you have a son who’s crazy about the movie Transformers…
…today, over at Design Dazzle, I’ve blogged about a really fun furniture collection that would be a great beginning for a Transformers-inspired boy’s room.
Mixter Max bedroom furniture by Powell is both colorful and multi-functional, just like the Transformers robots themselves. Click Here to check out the entire post!
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Terrific Teen Spaces
A big thanks to Toni over at Design Dazzle for featuring my Orange Navy Boys Room today! Design Dazzle is a fabulous blog that focuses on colorful spaces for babies, kids and teens.
Below are some of the terrific teen spaces that you can find at Design Dazzle:
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Earth-Friendly Boys Room
In honor of Earth Day, today I’m featuring a colorful eco-friendly boys room that was designed using natural materials.
This green design includes natural wood furniture and flooring, which was manufactured and installed without harsh glue. Cork surfaces, breathable fabrics and low-VOC paint are also incorporated in this space.
Eco-friendly certainly doesn’t have to lack style, as this delightful room suggests. There are many green options that you can easily bring into your home.
Recycled materials, energy-efficient light bulbs and storage baskets made from natural fibers are all small additions that can make a big impact. Click Here for more information and photos of this space.
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