Designing a Room For: Little Misses

Never mind the swing that hung in my childhood bedroom. Take that out of the picture and I still thought I had won prize for the best bedroom. In my eyes, it was the coolest place a girl could sleep. In fact, for a while there it was the coolest room that three girls could sleep. Yes, all three sisters in one room. Two beds. A lot of teasing.

One of the details within the room that brought such joy to my little heart was the wallpaper. I have been thinking of that wallpaper as of late (I know, my mind is fascinating) and wanted to design a room for another six-year-old girl who loves wallpaper as much as I did, though I have doubts that she exists. Still, I started my project with Cath Kidston's Lace Stripe print. With that pattern in the shopping cart, everything else seemed to jump out as if it were begging to be paired with such a lovely pattern. The watercolors by Gillian McMurray seemed like a logical match for the gentle touch of artwork I was hoping for, and I finally found a home for the Waterfall Ruffle bedding from Urban Outfitters that has captured my attention for so long. Overall, it's a feminine room - subtle enough that it's not tiresome, temperate enough to welcome necessary change as the little girl grows older. 

So, without further ado:

Sources:
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If you google "nightstand" you'll find a forum for men explaining to other men how to get a one night stand

Last night, after I finished writing some thoughts, I turned to place my notebook on my nightstand like a normal human. But what wasn't normal was that amidst the other notebooks, other pens, and other books, I could not find a sturdy place to place this notebook.

What I saw on my nightstand both shocked and satisfied me. The lack of organization shocked me, but the contents made me happy.

It reminded me of an article I read in House Beautiful where designers showed the readers a picture of their nightstand to give the readers a feel for the designers "real" life. Things between me and House Beautiful were already on the rocky side - I was ready for our time to be up, but I had made a commitment for a year long relationship with the subscription and I had to stick it out. That article did nothing to light the fire we once shared. It was filled with pictures of perfectly staged nightstands with fresh flowers, dust-free picture frames*, and a pair of spectacles** lying oh-so-neatly beside a glass of water, no doubt fetched from the well that very morning.

Nope, I had it. We were through.

Now this. THIS nightstand is a look into real life. On my nightstand was a jumble of books, papers and notebooks, all of which have been used recently. Each book has a paper marking where I left off and each notebook has a pen in it ready to be used when I have a thought come to me. I like that my room looks lived in, I like that my nightstand shows so clearly the things that I enjoy doing before I end my day.

But oh, the lack of organization!

So I got off blogger and tidied up my room.

What's on your nightstand?

* the adorable picture frame you see here (with dust so lovingly collected on it) was made for me by my friend Missy. She's really cool.
** my pair of spectacles lying oh-so-neatly on notebook #1 are are not a prop.

Smorgasbord of Headboards

Some say it comes when you first start supporting yourself, some say it is when you turn twenty-one, but I think the mark of adulthood comes when your bed has a headboard attached.

But I think I'm doing it backwards. I have cheated the system. I have gone back to a life of living at home after being away for a few years - something that seems a bit more adult-like than living under the roof of my parents - and yet, now I get a headboard. I'm not complaining one bit. I'm merely commenting on how I longed for a headboard during my years of a lumpy mattress balanced precariously on cinderblocks. I'll consider it my graduation present.

While a headboard can be a steep purchase for someone bouncing from apartment to white-walled apartment, the sacrifice doesn't have to be made completely. Below are a few creative and do-able headboards for a less than expensive price:

               A display of things you love                                A piece of fabric draped over a rod 

        A fireplace mantle       A jumbled collection of cool things         Simple, yet bold artwork

                      A wire room divider                         A framed chalkboard. Especially useful for an artist.

I find joy in making things work. It is such a pleasure to have to think around a problem to find a non-conventional solution. But for now, I'll stick with my real life adult headboard.

Leave the Light On

Sometimes* at night, when I'm feeling a little homesick, I'll leave my bedside lamp on and fall asleep to the yellow glow behind my eyelids.  This helps me feel like I'm back at my home in Las Vegas where I almost always fall asleep while reading in my cozy bed, but always wake up in the morning to a bulb that has been turned off by one of my parents. If it was my dad who turned my light off for me, he will usually ask me the next day if I dreamed I was a deer in the headlights, to which I'll laugh because nearly everything he says makes me so unbelievably happy that laughing is the only way to get rid of the giddy feeling.


Obviously I'm homesick as I am writing this.

Thanks County Living and Flickr.  For those of you with small spaces, especially studio apartments, create a nook for your bedroom with curtains, headboard, footboard, dresser, bookshelf...some sort of barrier from the rest of the room like in the second picture.  The sheer curtain pictured provides the sense of privacy while still allowing light to travel into the rest of the space and taking up less visual weight.  

Thanks, Wary Meyers. Textures, pillows, books and artwork - all items that conjure up the image of coziness.  Book lovers, what is your favorite way to display your collection? Alphabetical? Lying flat? By color? In piles?

Thanks, Roman & Williams. They do everything right, notably their use of rich colors and soothing patterns.

*Only sometimes, because other times I think of the bills that must be paid or my incredibly "green" professor whom I would have a hard time facing if I was using up energy so lavishly.