Project Woodland Whimsy: Inspiration and Design Direction
It's pretty cool when a client project makes me realize something about myself I didn't know. And what I didn't know is that I'm super into designing kids rooms.If you know me at all, than this may come as a shock, given I don't have kids, and don't plan on having kids. I've helped two friends with their nursery's and I've designed two kids rooms, and turns out, I really love how creative it allows me to be.The thing with kids rooms is that there is a very fine line between creating a space with a theme in mind, and just taking a theme too far. It's important to let the theme inspire the design, but not let it completely define it.
The Before
The space is currently very much a nursery, and it's time to transform this room to be more age appropriate for her little guy. The room isn't very big, so we can really only fit a twin bed in the space. As you can see though, the room has amazing light!
The Inspiration
[ HOUSE BED ]
Sometimes when I work with clients they give me a few ideas they'd like to see in the space, the request for this room was a house bed. I love when clients have a vision I can help bring to life!
[ LOW-PROFILE SHELVING ]
The bedroom isn't very big, so the idea of low profile shelving (picture ledges repurposed to hold books) is a great option to maximize storage in smaller spaces. This inspiration photo comes from Amber Interiors, which is still holding on to the top spot in my top 5 favourite designers.
[ A CHALKBOARD WALL ]
This image was pinned by my client. I love this because it's got the woodland vibe we're after after, and provides a creative outlet for her little guy with the chalkboard. It also shows me she's not afraid of a dark wall.
The Concept
I presented two concepts to my client, and she was a bit torn. And to honest, so was I! But she decided to follow her gut and her heart and move forward with the whimsical woodland concept.
Here is one of the elevation drawings I did for the main wall, we're going to have a graphical wall which will use chalkboard paint and give the impression of mountains! She has an older home with lots of radiators, these can be a pain at times, but I decided to work with it and turn it into a fun element in the room by painting it a glossy blue that will compliment the dresser and other elements in the space. I intentionally didn't match the blue in the dresser because if you know me at all by now, than you know I try to avoid the matchy-matchy look. Instead I want the two to work well together as opposed to feel like they match.
Tip for selecting paint colour and fabrics
When you're selecting paint colour and fabrics, it's important that you compare them to the elements in the room. Obtain swatches of each colour and fabric, so you can holding each up against the furniture and/or decor in your space.In this case all the elements in the room are new so I don't have them to compare to. If the selections for the room were wood tones or white, then I am sure all the colours selected would work. But one of the selections is that amazing blue dresser, and this is the colour that I used as a jumping off point for other colours in the room, so in order to ensure the fabrics and paint colours work I need to see that dresser in person first.Never use images online for colour, monitor calibration can impact the colour on an image and really lead you astray, the best thing to do is to go in person to the store with swatches and check it out. What I'll do is colour match the dresser to a paint swatch in my paint book. That way I'll always know the exact colour of the dresser whenever I need it.
I'll be sure to keep you posted on the progress in this adorable room. Let me know what you think![line]House Bed Inspiration: Solebich | Low-Profile Shelf Inspiration: Amber Interiors | Chalkboard Wall Inspiration: Apartment Therapy | Kids Table: Land of Nod | Sconce: Crate & Barrel | Light Fixture: Pottery Barn | Fabric: Tonic Living | House Bed: Kids at Home | Blanket: Land of Nod | Chairs: Target | Hamper: Potter Barn | Rug: Ikea | Fox Head: Land of Nod | Wanderer Pillow: Land of Nod | Yellow Pillow: Ikea | Fox Pillow: Target | Dresser: CB2 | Wall Colour: Gray Sky 2131-70 | Mountains: Racoon Fur 2126-30 | Radiator Paint: Seaside Blue 2054-50