Katie's Gender Neutral Nursery

Who doesn’t find out the gender of their baby these days? Sure, all the baby bedding and nursery boutiques out there claim to have "gender neutral" products available, but it sure is tough to find something cute and unique for your precious little one that doesn’t scream BOY or GIRL! Katie is a mom-to-be that wanted to wait for the big surprise when the baby was born and we were thrilled to help because waiting for the big day to hear the news is the best way to find out! 

Dear Lisa,

I have been scouring the internet and the usual baby stores and boutiques for cute nursery ideas, but am having a really hard time finding items that I like that are not too boyish or girlish because I’m waiting to find out what I’m having. I can’t go white neutral because my two dogs, and frankly, my husband, would make the room look a nice dirty beige before the baby even arrives. I also want to avoid the traditional yellow neutrals, although I am okay with some green. I need to find bedding, a chair, rug and some accent pieces to go along with the white crib, daybed and dresser I already have. I’m okay with a couple of “splurge” items, but would love it if they could make the jump to a toddler or guest room. I also need some paint color options for the room. Look forward to seeing what you come up with! ~ Katie

Katie, we pulled together some punchy pastels for your little bambino on the way!

1.  Given Katie’s aversion to yellows, we recommend going with a green and blue palette.  To avoid baby-boy blue, we suggest a bright aqua packed with a little lime punch. Benjamin Moore’s Emerald Vapor (BM 845) is a light and fresh hue that will go perfectly with all of the pink or blue blankets she will inevitably receive. We suggest adding a brighter green as an accent color, perhaps to molding or dresser knobs, such as Stem Green (BM 2029-40). Finally, you can’t go wrong with a plain white trim, like BM’s Decorator’s White to make the colors pop.

2.  A comfy glider is a new mom’s dream seat. We want Katie to feel like she’s sitting on a cloud when she’s up in the night with her wee little one. This glider in aqua from Restoration Hardware is bright and cheerful enough to provide a little energy boost for those late-night visits to the nursery.

3.  There is an abundance of unique artwork out there for children’s rooms.  We fell in love with these alphabet flashcards designed by Patricia Zapata. The best part – the whole set is downloadable for a mere $7.99!

4.  Our latest obsession in the nursery and bedding arena is Serena and Lily. Just looking at their web site makes us want to redecorate every bedroom in the house. These pillows will easily transition from the nursery to a toddler or guest room – definitely worth the investment!

5.  This lampshade, from PB Teen in mint and light blue, will offer some cheerful, soft light for the nursery. To keep it safe for tiny hands, we recommend pairing it with a sturdy, white wood base.

6.  We hit the nursery-bedding jackpot with Carousel Designs!  Seriously, their web site is incredible; it allows you to design your own crib bedding in a neat-o build-it-yourself online feature. We love the lime stripe and polka-dot combo to compliment the aqua chair and pillow for Katie’s nursery.

7.  Every baby needs a soft rug for crawling and playing. This chenille oval rug from Pottery Barn Kids will fit the soft and gentle bill, and the color should help hide any rogue dog hairs from Katies’s pooches.

Here's Katie's after pic!  It was a GIRL! :)  Congrats and thanks for sending in your picture! xoxo!

If you want to truly love where you live, please contact me about design services.

Jen's Bedroom Gets Symmetry & Style

After ten happy years of marriage, Jennifer is ready to treat herself to the master bedroom she and her husband deserve.  Here’s her letter:

Dear Lisa, My husband and I just celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary, yet we are still living with relics from our single days in our master bedroom. My husband’s bedside table is leftover from his service in the military. My bedside table and our dresser are part of a set I bought right after college. We are ready to “reinvent” our master bedroom to create a more pulled together look, but with one caveat: the paint color must stay. We just hate to paint, and it’s the same color I’ve used in our master bathroom addition, so hopefully you can work with it. Also, I’ve already picked out a few things I’d like for you to incorporate. I love this Marimekko bedding and also the headboard, and perhaps, a dresser from this set. Otherwise, we’re open to new window treatments, furniture, accessories, lighting, and any other ideas you have. Thanks, Jennifer

Ten years is definitely cause for celebration, and what better way to toast the one you love than to recreate your master bedroom retreat. Like a good marriage, a master bedroom needs balance and compromise, so we’re going to infuse this space with complementary textures, colors and finishes to achieve symmetry and style. Here we go!

1. Jen has given clear direction on establishing a color palette. Her wall colors appeared purplish at first, but they’re actually Graytint (BM #1611) which is a lovely pale gray. Jen’s choice of bedding, a plum colored Marimekko pattern with white accents, works beautifully with the gray walls. We’ll accent with fresh, milky white and hints of flax and oatmeal to create a setting perfect for breakfast in bed (albeit a healthy one).

For room layout, we like the new bed positioned under the window as she currently has it. Her new dresser would go on the right wall where the current dresser resides, but the taller shape of the new one will bring much needed height to the room and take up less floor space. Bonus! We love Jen’s oversized floral prints in purple and green and suggest that she hang them one on top of the other on the left wall to the right of the window, again, working the illusion of height into the room.

2. Did you know that “tin” is the ten year anniversary gift? Neither did we! Who comes up with this stuff?! Nevertheless, we’ve got a way to add some tin-type sparkle into Jen’s bedroom. In addition, we want to give the room a more pulled together appearance by establishing a balance of symmetry without succumbing to that “matchy-matchy” look. This mercury lovely will work beautifully as a pair of bedside lamps. Their height will keep them from getting lost as is the case with Jen’s current bedside lamps, and we love their shimmer. Jen can find great white lampshades to top them off here.

3. This trio of mercury glass candlesticks is the perfect accent to grace Jen’s new dresser. They’ll draw the eye upward, giving the illusion of more height in the room.

4. Jen’s bedroom has a gorgeous view of their backyard garden. These textured linen window panels will provide light and airy privacy without shutting out the view. Their flax color and linen texture will bring some natural elements into the space to balance the mercury shimmer. Jen can use her existing curtain rod, but we also love this collection which is currently on sale.

5. With the new dresser freeing up some floor space, we have room to incorporate this fun accent chair. We love how its clean lines work with the new bedroom furniture, the flax linen texture complements the window panels, and the nailhead trim picks up the other metallic accents in the room. Plus, doesn’t every bedroom need a chair to catch those clothes you’re just too tired to put away?

6. This handmade purple accent pillow will provide a dose of color to the accent chair and subtly picks up on the leafy pattern in the bedding.

7. No bedroom is complete without a cozy throw for some added warmth on a cold night. We like the luxurious texture of this one. It could live happily at the foot of the bed or draped over the accent chair.

8. To perpetuate our theme of symmetry with shimmer and style, we are nothing short of obsessed with this sunburst mirror in an antiqued silver finish. We would like to see a pair of these hanging above each bedside lamp with about six inches between the top of the lamp and the longest bottom “ray” of the mirror.

9. This purple stoneware tray brings another earthy element into the room and will be a perfect spot to corral change, jewelry, and the other odds and ends that breed overnight on the top of the dresser.

10. The simple stripe on this rug will bring new pattern into the room without fighting the scrolling leaf pattern in the bedding; a perfect compromise, like in every good marriage. The khaki and white color combination coordinates nicely with our plum, white and neutral palette.

11. A pair of these euro shams in white will enhance the plum and white bedding.

12. We think a pair of these white bedside tables will be the final fabulous dose of symmetry chic in Jen’s new master bedroom. Their white color will pop against the gray walls and plum bedding. Their nickel hardware will shimmer along with the other metallic accents. And, they’ll be a perfect base for the pair of lamps and sunburst mirrors above.

One final design note. We would love to see Jen splurge on some plantation shutters to finish off the high window that sits over the headboard. Their clean lines in a crisp white finish would look beautiful above the bed.

Jen, we hope your new master bedroom will bring you many, many more years of wedded bliss. What kind of shape is your bedroom in? Need some design help? Don’t hesitate to ask.

If you want to truly love where you live, please contact me about design services.

Stacey's snappy sunroom

Stacey tapped us to inject some color and style into her long and narrow sunroom. Here’s her letter:

Dear Lisa: Our family is wrapping up a big home renovation. Now we are stumped on what to do with our sunroom. It’s a long and narrow room that is accessed off the kitchen and houses our pantry/storage closet. We walk through it to get to the master bedroom on the right and our outdoor patio on the left. We need this room to function as a home office for me, as well as a place for our two kids to do crafts and homework. Also, we have two dogs who regularly use the patio door, so we’re dealing with a lot of family foot traffic. Since the room is open to our kitchen we’d like to tie it in with the colors we have used in there (Benjamin Moore Coastal Fog on the walls and red and blue accents).  We want this to be a creative space with some style instead of white oversized hallway. Thanks for your help! Stacey

Stacey, what a blank slate you have! This room is ripe for a reinvention. We hope you love your snappy new sunroom. Here we go!

1. First of all, kudos to Stacey, for using Benjamin Moore’s Coastal Fog (AC-1). It’s one of our favorite neutrals. The greeny undertones in the beige work with almost any palette, plus the contrast with the white trim and doors will make them really pop. For an accent color, we would love to see Stacey paint the back wall with the plantation shuttersWaterfall (BM 2050-50). This beautiful turquoise leans more toward the green side of the fan deck, so it works well with the Coastal Fog. An accent wall will add an unexpected splash of color once you enter the room, but won’t be totally visible from the kitchen. To complete the palette, we’ve added some fun doses of red, white and turquoise throughout the room to blend with some of the colors Stacey is using in the sunroom’s adjoining spaces.

2. These embroidered red and white curtain panels have a cool, bohemian vibe. The Moroccan-inspired pattern will soften the many angles in the room, reduce noise and frame the two windows that overlook the patio.

3. In a narrow room like this, Stacey’s already done a great job of creating two zones: one for her desk, and one for the kids’ workspace. It’s a smart use of the space; what busy mom doesn’t want a desk near the kitchen? Stacey would like a bigger work surface for herself, and we dig the open and airy look of this console desk. With this design, Stacey has tons of room on top, and the open compartments below can store books, storage bins, files and decorative nick-nacks, too.

4. This rug looks like sisal, but it’s made of olefin and bordered withSunbrella fabric, so it’s a great choice for a busy sunroom. Stacey can use this dog-proof, spill-proof, kid-proof indoor/outdoor rug to further divide her two work zones. The 5′ X 7′ size, positioned with the short ends centered between the patio and master bedroom doors, should workhorse perfectly.

5. We love the turquoise splash on this affordable ceramic gourd lamp. There will be plenty of room on Stacey’s desk surface, and it’s much prettier than your typical utilitarian desk lamp.

6. These fire engine red barstools are the perfect perches for the young artists, scientists, writers and mathematicians that live in Stacey’s house. Their super glossy powdercoated finish beckons with fun and creativity. A set of four will slide neatly under Stacey’s current round table.

7. To counter the shiny gloss of the barstools, we think this wood veneer pendant lamp brings a natural element into the room in a funky, industrial way. Just imagine how it will pop against that turquoise accent wall. Mmmm…love it.

8. While her kids are busying themselves at their new work/craft station, Stacey will be large and in charge in this white swivel armchair, multi-tasking all over the room without ever leaving her seat. Sounds fabulous…and kinda fun.

9. We love how the angles on this bookshelf mimic the angled ceiling in Stacey’s sunroom. The open style speaks in kind to the desk on the opposite side of the room. Positioned just to the left of the master bedroom door (facing), this unit will provide storage a plenty for crafts, games, school papers and more.

10. When you’re working round the clock (and what mom isn’t, we ask?) the official timekeeper may as well look good! This retro cool clock will keep the troops on time and look stylish right above Stacey’s desk just to the left of the curtain panels.

11. These affordable and durable canvas bins are perfect for stashing and corralling the unsightly business in both work zones. They’ll add color and style to the bookcase and desk, plus they come in multiple sizes and have a space for labeling.

12. We love how this pair of prints beautifully ties all of the colors in the room together. After curtains are hung and furniture is positioned, Stacey can keep this pair together side by side, stack them on top of each other for a more vertical look, or split them up. We think they would look gorgeous on any of the walls painted Coastal Fog.

Stacey, we hope you have as much fun in your new sunroom as we had pulling this look together for you.

If you want to truly love where you live, please contact me about design services.

Colin's Cool New Crib

For a recent school auction, I donated some time to help reinvent a student’s bedroom. Along with the design consult, the auction package also included a muralist, a seamstress and paint and painting services. Colin, a rising sixth grader, was the lucky winner of these services, thanks to his parents’ winning bid. 

Like many boys his age, upon meeting with Colin, it was clear that his passion is sports. He loves baseball and basketball. On the color spectrum, his preferences lean toward light blues and reds. To that end, his parents recently splurged on a bedroom set for Colin which includes a bed with storage underneath, a desk, a nightstand, and a bookshelf. In addition, Colin’s mom was ready to pull the trigger on a closet organization system. We recommended the Elfa system at the Container Store for some customized storage for sports jerseys and aging Pokemon card collections.

Here are a few before pics of Colin’s room …

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Colin’s room was ripe for a transformation of impending teenage proportions. The challenge for me was to use the resources won in the auction to give Colin a new room that will grow with him over the next several years. Remember those teenage glory years when the priorities were study, sleep, and socialize? Although perhaps not always quite in that order!  The goal is to infuse that combination with some style so that this room renovation will transport Colin through the exciting years ahead.

1. When we chatted with Colin about his style preferences, he said his favorite colors are blue and red, and he’d love a sports themed room. As a Denver native, Colin’s a fan of the Colorado Rockies and Denver Nuggets, but he also likes the NY Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. When it came to making a color selection, we gave Colin the paint fan deck, a temptation most kids can’t refuse! His pick was “Chicago Blues” (BM #804) which is a gorgeous deep saturated blue, but we feared it was a bit too deep, so much so that his new blue furniture might disappear. So we’re recommending that Colin head north on the fan deck two stops to land in another famous sports town, “San Francisco Bay” (BM #802), for a rich medium blue that will provide good contrast to the deep blue in the furniture. We also aim to amp up the cool factor in the room by adding some metal pieces to our traditional red and blue color palette. Read on to find out how.

2. What do you get when you put boys and their smelly sports equipment together? Lockers! That’s right! These locker style storage bins will help to organize the goods and stash the clutter on Colin’s bookshelves. We suggest at least 3 or 4 of these sturdy bins for Colin to use as he likes so that his space doesn’t end up looking like a locker room.

3.  One of the biggest challenges in kids’ room renovations is making choices that will grow with them. You have to make decisions about what is an easy item to change if it’s outgrown, and what’s more complicated. Choosing affordable bedding to sport one of Colin’s favorite team logos is a guilt-free option just in case he may be rooting for another team or even exploring a new past time a few years down the road.

4.  When Colin needs some inspiration for that first line to his latest essay, this mini basketball hoop is a slam-dunk for inspiration. We love its authentic look and his parents will appreciate the easy-on-the-walls basketballs that come with it.

5.  As his homework load increases, (sorry buddy, but it’s true), Colin will need more storage in his dedicated study digs. We dig this galvanized storage shelf because the chalkboard labels suit the ever changing moods, plans, needs of a tween/teen. It could hang out above his desk making use of the vertical space on his walls for stashing study essentials and displaying few trophies to boot.

6. One of the generous contributors to Colin’s room reinvention is a seamstress who offered to make pillows and a valance. We found thispreppy madras fabric which will complement the colors in the Yankees bedding nicely and soften up the window in a tailored manly way.

7. Colin’s room has a neutral wall to wall carpet, so we thought a layer of stripes underfoot would bring some additional color and pattern to the room. To keep the rug from slipping around, a rug pad designed for rug over carpet use is essential.

8. This chrome desk lamp will give Colin lots of bright ideas when he hits the books.

9. Another organizational essential, this magnetic bulletin board works with tacks and magnets to post game schedules, photos, homework assignments and Colin’s special mementos. Hanging it over the desk and under the galvanized steel cubbies would be a slam dunk.

10. This bedside lamp with its unassuming style should suit Colin for light years.

11. Colin’s bedroom set is fantastic, but in a small space, the pieces don’t look that interesting when they’re lined up on the wall. We like this affordable round steel nightstand for Colin to use, replacing his current nightstand. The round shape and steel finish give some contrast to the other blue furniture elements. The lower shelf gives him some storage for his stack of summer reading books.

Our last element is how best to use the talents of the muralist’s services. We want to honor Colin’s request for sports, but also consider the teen, fun, cool factor. So we’re recommending that the muralist paint one entire wall like the floor of a basketball court. There are lots of images to use for inspiration.

Colin, I hope you like your room reinvention, and like all the accomplished athletes out there, don’t forget to thank Mom and Dad in your acceptance speech. Can’t wait to see the “after” pics!

If you want to truly love where you live, please contact me about design services.

Susie's pretty and pleasant parlor

Susie needed help with making over her living room which no one ever really uses in her house. Here is Susie’s letter and her “before” pictures:

Dear Lisa,

I’d LOVE some help with my living room. This is probably the least used room in our house. We mainly use it for holidays or for when I host Bunco or book club. Sometimes the kids or I will read in the green chair. I really like the loveseat and the yellow floral table. For new items, I’d like some new window treatments, but the room gets pretty dark, which is why I went with such a light color on the walls. I’d love some new accessories and stuff for the walls. For style, I really like French Country with some cottage style mixed in.  I like florals and lean more toward traditional taste. I think this room is considered more formal because it is connected to the dining room, but I don’t know that it has to feel that way. My dining room has a few nice pieces and nice drapes but the table is still casual and overall it doesn’t feel super elegant, which is fine.  My life isn’t really like that—my kids are messy, they can’t remember to take off their shoes, my dog sheds everywhere and chews things under the dining room table!!!  Fancy doesn’t really go with me these days, and I’m good with that. I would like the room to feel comfortable, pretty and pleasant. Thanks for your help.  Susie

Susie, sister, we hear you about the messy kids and shedding dogs, and we love your honesty. Sounds like a dose of real life to us! You need a relaxing space for yourself to unwind that doubles as a grown up space where you can entertain friends. The good news is you’re already well on your way to creating that. So here are just a few final touches to pull this room together, making it the pretty and pleasant parlor a busy mom like you deserves. Read on for Susie’s mood board and it’s break down.

1. Rarely do we not suggest paint for a Room Reinvention, but the pale yellow on Susie’s living room walls works well and looks fresh, so we are going to maintain her current palette of pale yellow, rose pink and sage green. These colors are lovely together and tie into the palette she has working so nicely in her adjoining dining room.

2.  One of Susie’s favorite pieces in her living room is the loveseat, and we agree. It has a great combination of color and pattern. We think Susie should hang this gorgeous mirror with a ribbon motif centered above the loveseat. Curvaceous and elegant, this golden beauty will fit right in with Susie and her stylish girlfriends.

3. Susie wants to allow for natural light in her living room, and we’re on board with that. She can frame and soften the three windows with these classic and feminine window treatments which will still allow for lots of light to filter in. The moire check brings a subtle and fresh pattern into the room and is in keeping with our color palette. To top off the window treatments, Susie can select the balloon fringed valance for a more billowy look (as featured on the moodboard), or she can opt for the lined and layered valance (shown here) in rose with green buttons for a more tailored look.

4. We love this tall statuesque bookcase as a place for Susie to display framed family photos, treasured heirlooms, books and accessories. It will look perfect on the right side of the loveseat and provide height and balance to that side of the room. With the loveseat now framed by the newly dressed up window on the left, the bookcase on the right and the mirror above, it will get the attention it deserves. Susie, if you need help arranging your goods on the bookshelf, read our post on that very topic right here.

5. This affordable pair of framed fern prints would look lovely hung between the two windows on the wall opposite the dining room. Their green color and botanical subject matter are a perfect complement to the florals and colors Susie already has working in this room.

6. Susie confessed that her current coffee table is a family heirloom (or is it a hairloom?) that she is ready to replace. We love how this oval coffee table works with the other wood finishes in the room. We also love the free shipping and price point on this baby. It’s solid stature is sure to withstand the roll of some Bunco dice.

7. This green vase made of recycled glass doubles as a candleholder. It is sandblasted with flowers and vines, so it complements our botanical mood perfectly and will look lovely on Susie’s new bookshelf or filled with flowers on her new coffee table.

8. It is our strong belief that every queen of the castle needs her throne, and this bergere chair suits Susie’s French Country parlor perfectly. It’s a cozy, elegant and comfortable way to bring more seating into the room. We recommend the walnut finish in the Abramo Tan pattern for it’s subtle, textured look. We’ll be the first to admit that this chair is a splurge, but we’re still frugal girls at heart, so we found a WAY less expensive version of this type of chair here. (Susie, if you can live with the fabric option available on this cheaper one, we say buy two!)

This is a great time to mention furniture placement and how to best use Susie’s existing pieces. As we mentioned above, with the new bookcase to the right of the loveseat, we suggest moving the round wood table to the left of the loveseat placing it in front of the window. (The trunk currently in this corner should find a home somewhere else in the house. It’s super cool looking, but doesn’t seem to work in this space.) Bring the table lamp (currently on the floral painted table) over and place it on the round wood table.  The floor lamp can stay to the right of the loveseat positioned about a foot out from the wall. We like the cozy reading nook Susie has created for herself (and her kids) in the corner. We suggest pulling the chair and ottoman out of that corner just a bit so it looks comfortably placed in front of the new curtains on the left window. If she can spare it, we think Susie should steal the lamp from the pretty desk in her dining room and use it as a reading lamp on the floral table. The floral table should stay put, centered between the two windows. Susie can pull out the ottoman from the reading chair and use it for extra seating when she’s having friends over.

9. These 20″ square silk Dupioni decorative pillows are a STEAL and will provide the final luxurious touch for Susie’s parlor. The solids in cranberry, sage and chablis will complement the loveseat throw pillows nicely. Susie can mix up the pillows on her loveseat, new chair and reading chair to bring the color and patterns throughout the room.

Susie, we sure do hope you are pretty pleased with your pretty new parlor. Nothing in there is too precious, so it’s still family friendly, but it finishes off the classy look you’ve started in your dining room. 

Liz's Family Room Catches a Wave of Beachy Chic

When Liz told me that 65 Canadians were coming this summer for a reunion, I just had to help her update the family room, eh? Here’s her letter…

Dear Lisa, Help! We annually gather in Toronto with a group totaling 65. This year, WE are hosting (along with my parents at their house). Guests will stay in a hotel, but we’ll be gathering here and at my parents’ house throughout the visit. This is motivating us to do some home spruce ups before the big weekend. Our family room could use some help. We need to keep the sofa, chair and TV stand, and like the arrangement (a stager helped us with that). Our style is relaxed traditional, and I’m pretty conservative with colors. We use the room for overflow entertaining from upstairs and for playdates. The room opens to our boys’ (5 & 3) playroom and this is definitely a “hands on” room for them, so nothing too fussy, please. We could use more storage, paint, window treatments (it’s dark!), lighting, accessory ideas. I’ve got lots of family photos framed in black with white mats that I’d like to hang. I always envisioned a beachy look, but never executed my vision! Thanks, Liz

Surf’s up, Liz. Tell your friends to come on over, because this beachy chic mood board will get your family room ready for relaxation and fun!

1. Liz is a self-professed color conservative, and that works for us. Our palette takes its cue from sand and surf. To get some more pop from her existing sofa and chair, we’re recommending that Liz use Benjamin Moore’s Manchester Tan (HC-81) on the walls in a kid-friendly eggshell finish. She can tidy up her trim with White Dove (OC-17) in a semi-gloss for clean, crisp contrast.

2. We love this mix and match lamp base and shade duo for Liz. The simplicity of the glass and beige shade has all kinds of message in a bottle beachy connotations. What we love even more is that right now, this set is on sale for 50% off!

3. This photographic sea shell print pulls the look together in a subtle way. Framed in black, it will complement Liz’s already framed family photos.

4. We want Liz, her family and their guests (small, tall, Canadian) to forget they’re in a basement, so we’re suggesting Liz create an optical illusion with window treatments. By using a floor to ceiling curtain panel mounted right where the ceiling and wall intersect and falling to the floor, they’ll add the illusion of height and hide the small window and lovely view of their garage. This plaid panel pulls together our color palette, and injects more pattern into the room. The price is right, and they’re machine washable–perfect for guests of a shorter stature.

5. What could be better than custom shelving? Buying ready made pieces at affordable prices that look like custom. Liz wants to keep her TV unit, but add more storage. These bookshelves are sold in a pair for an unbelievable price. With each bookshelf flanking the existing TV unit, her entertainment alcove will look like built-ins made just for them. The set will provide enough storage that she’ll be able to remove the big white bookshelf and make a family photo gallery on that angled wall.

6. This trio of pillows punches up our nautical theme and brings new life to Liz’s existing sofa and chair.

7. Ahoy there! This lantern makes us think of bonfires on the beach. At this price, Liz could use several to accessorize her new shelves by filling them with shells, tea lights, sea glass or some other sea inspired relics.

8. These easy to clean, colorful, canvas storage containers can catch the remotes, dvds, and other assorted family room essentials to keep the shelving unit looking organized, because a room with clutter everywhere can never be truly relaxing. P.S., we dig the grommet detailing on these babies.

9. The trunk as coffee table is a clever storage concept, especially in the family room. This lacquered wicker version brings a natural textural element into Liz’s beach chic escape.

10. And what kind of beach retreat would be complete without a beverage tray? This shiny, blue beauty is the perfect topper for the coffee table trunk and just the spot for refreshments.

Well Liz, we hope you enjoy your budget-friendly beachy chic retreat with guests from near and far. Nothing on this mood board costs more than $100! (Even the bookshelves since they come in a pair.) Most items are less than $50. We had a great time pulling it together for you. Enjoy!

Laura's girls study in style

Laura contacted us to reinvent a room in their home as a study lounge for their two daughters. Here is her letter:

Dear Lisa:

We have a bedroom in our home that we’d like to reinvent as a space for our two daughters, ages 6 and 8, to do their homework. We’ll need two desks, some room for books, notebooks and study-type supplies. Also, we want a spot for them to cozy up with a book. They’re not princesses, so no pink walls, please. We want it to be a room they look forward to hanging out in for the years to come since we know the homework load only increases from here on in! Hope you can help us.  Thanks, Laura

Laura, we hope your girls rush home from school and get right down to business in this stylish study space. Here you go!

1. We picked up our color palette from the whimsical rug we found. Since we’ve got bold splashes of aqua, pink and lavender around the room, we thought a muted green shade like Guilford Green (B.M. HC 116) would be the perfect wall color.

2. Laura requested a cozy nook for the girls to read. We love the pattern and price of this chair. Plus it comes in a double size if Laura thinks there is enough room.

3. We think a pair of these poppy magnetic boards would be perfect for each girl to hang above her desk to keep soccer schedules, school deadlines, pictures of family and friends, notes from the tooth fairy and everything else they deem important front and center!

4. This book case is an essential piece for its attractive storage potential as well as how it will function as a divider between the two desks. With each desk positioned on either side of the book case, the room will have two designated study zones so projects and papers don’t get mixed up between the two sisters.

5. A pair of these desk lamps will provide much needed task lighting to each work space without hogging all the surface area on the desk. We love how the leafy green shade color picks up on the green tones in the chair and rug.

6. This set of five flip-lid boxes (or even two sets!) will help the girls corral their supplies, crafts, and knick knacks on the shelves of their desks and the shared book cases. We think their translucent material will make storage and organization a snap.

7. The swirling colors in this rug were the perfect jumping off point for our color palette. It’s not a girly-girl pattern, but instead rather whimsical and fun; certain to inspire creativity!

8. Ah, the desk–the essential study corral. We heart these trestle desksfor their affordability (remember, Laura has to buy two!) and open simplicity. Let’s face it, young kids do not know how to use hanging files. They know how to pile and put things in storage bins.  Furthermore, we dig how these desks can be assembled with the shelves on either side. So the desk to the left of the book case will have shelves on the left, and the desk to the right of the book case will have shelves on the right side. Symmetry–bet Laura’s girls already learned about it in math class!

9. These super stylish desk chairs made of clear polycarbonate plastic and chrome add an air of sophistication to this studious lair. They’re easy to clean and uber-affordable.

10. These cute pencil holders will be a fun desktop accessory. Now, Laura won’t hear, “Mom, I need a pencil.”

11. These incredibly affordable peacock panels are machine washable and a fun splash of color on the walls. If Laura and the girls want to go for another layer of texture and pattern, they can add this striped, crinkly satin set too.

12. I didn’t have room for these on the mood board, but if Laura and the girls decide they want to add some more pattern to the walls, here are a few fun decal sets to consider (butterflies, trees, birds, birds in tree, flowers).

Laura, I hope you and your girls love the ideas for your fun, new homework room–and you didn’t think fun and homework could be combined in the same sentence!

Tera's Playroom Makeover

We all know the feeling. You spruce up one area and revel in the ecstasy of another completed project. But as you cast an appreciative glance at your updated space, some other previously insignificant area is now screaming out for attention. It’s the never-ending pursuit of domestic decor nirvana. We get it. We live it everyday. So it came as no surprise to us when, after helping Tera reinvent her connecting living and dining rooms, she contacted us to help her pull together her toddler’s playroom that opens to the dining room.  Here’s her letter…

Hi Lisa,  It’s me again! Jim and I are in the process of painting our living and dining rooms. We’ve purchased the window treatments and rugs you recommended and look forward to pulling the whole project together. Now we’d like you to take a crack at our almost two year old toddler’s playroom.  It’s open to the dining room and was a former office so there is one original vintage built-in cabinet that I love. The previous owners added some 80′s looking shelving with a desk surface that we’re not so crazy about style-wise, yet appreciate the storage they provide. Not knowing what lies beneath, we don’t want to bother with removing the boring, blue carpet, but would not mind a way to cover it. We want this room to work well with the dining room, but also be a fun and creative space for our son.  BTW, the little door to the right under the stairs is a tiny powder room.  Thanks again, Tera

Hi Tera!! We love nothing more than a repeat client. Thanks for another project. Here’s the moodboard to make your home decor hat trick complete!

1.  Since this room opens right to the dining room, we are going to extend the color palette we established in the living and dining rooms by using some dark red tones and incorporating our global eclectic theme. But this time, we’re taking it down to toddler size. The biggest color challenge in this room is how to integrate the custom built-ins with the rest of the space so they stop screaming 80′s add-on. It’s really an easy and affordable fix. Paint them!  With a light sanding and a coat of primer, these wood toned behemoths will be ready for two coats of the Benjamin Moore White Dove (OC-17);  the same color Tera and Jim have used to brighten the trim in their other rooms. By painting the wood elements throughout the rooms the same color, a lovely flow is established. Let us not forget that this is a playroom and we need a big dose of fun, so we’re recommending Tera add some pops of color on the backs of the bookshelves with B.M.’s Pleasant Grove (552). These snazzy swaths of green will provide an element of whimsy and a splash of color behind toys, books and baskets stored on the shelves.

2.  This simply striped chenille window valance will bring the dark red tones in from the dining room and provide a more sophisticated pattern at the adult eye level. Tera’s son won’t even notice.  He’ll be too busy down in the three feet and under zone!

3.  We know Tera is a big Etsy fan, and we LOVE the artwork created by Seattle based artist Kate Endle. Her “Flying High” collage has the perfect balance of wisdom and whimsy that we love to see in a child’s space.

4.  Let’s face it, two big problems parents face with the little people are what to do with the constant barrage of artwork the mini-Picassos churn out, and what to do when they want to create some art of their own right on your walls? (We know from experience that they usually don’t check for permission before applying pen/paint/crayon to plaster.)  Well, Tera, we’ve gotcha covered in that department with this multi-taskingmagnetic chalkboard paint.  We think you should paint it from top to bottom on the wall facing the dining room (with the window). Your son can do his chalkboard creations on the lower levels and you can post his creations above. Also, we can’t resist mentioning how the charcoal black wall is going to coordinate fabulously with your dining room rug!

5. And what better way to make use of that magnetic chalkboard wall, but with these adorable and colorful wooden magnetic letters.

6.  One thing we noticed in Tera’s before pics was an abundance of stuff. These baskets are a durable and colorful way to stuff the “stuff” away that’s so easy, even a two year old could do it!

7.  This stylish ladderback chair works well with our color palette and will slide under the desk between the bookshelves and double as extra seating in the dining room.

8.  With so much space to display is burgeoning creativity, now Tera’s son has the perfect place to render those masterpieces with this adorable art table and chair set.

9.  We love how this rug not only works color wise in the room, but how it also enhances our global eclectic theme in a playful kid-like manner. It will camouflage Tera’s boring blue carpet without creating a big removal project for them. Who needs that kind of work? This is a playroom, remember?!

10.  We found these incredibly affordable cabinet knobs to replace Tera’s existing brass knobs on the newly painted shelving unit. At less than $3 each, we can’t resist the frugalista pricing.

So there you have it, Tera. Two rooms for you and Jim to play in, and one special playroom for your little guy. We can’t wait to see how it all comes together.