Exciting Room Themes for Little Boys

Looking for a fun and exciting theme for your little boy’s room?  How about doing something different for your son’s room? The trick to having a themed room is to not overdo it. Otherwise it can become overwhelming and start to look redundant. It’s not difficult to work with a theme. You can simply mix up colors and patterns for a successful design.

Sports

The most common theme that comes to mind is sports. Luckily there are plenty to chose from, which is good for creating a unique look. Pick one, two or even three! Painted words, sports balls, equipment, team names, logos, flags and more look really great on solid colored walls.

If you choose to do all of this on the walls, pick a solid color for the bedding and add sports patterned pillows. Chose painted or light stained wood furniture. The light wood can remind us of wooden baseball bats while the painted furniture is great to add a pop against the solid colored walls. For a finishing touch, try framing some pictures of your little guy playing his favorite sport!

Sailing

Maybe you want to stay away from the common sports theme room. Well, what about sailing? Little boys love blue and what theme could possibly have more blue than sailing?

Striped, dark blue bedding and decorative sailing pillows are a great place to start. Pair this with white furniture, Paint the walls a light blue. Hang up sailing prints or even mount a lifesaver on the wall. Finally, add a dark blue lamp base with a white shade, sailboat accessories and photographs of your rugrat boating with his family.

Construction

For my last suggestion, what about creating a real manly man theme such as construction? Little boys love cement trucks, dump trucks and tools, so why not bring this into their room? I recommend painting the walls a solid light color with construction images. Add construction theme bedding and pair it with solid colored decorative pillows. Finally, keep the lamps, accessories and stuffed animals of a non-construction theme to change things up a bit.

Can You Find Inspiration For Your Home in Your Summer Cocktail?

Looking for inspiration to transform your bedroom this summer? Well, look no further than your favorite summer cocktail!

That’s right many of the fresh colors we find in our cocktails are trendy today! Consider my personal favorite summer cocktail – the margarita. It comes in many different flavors and colors: golden, strawberry, lime, blue, etc. If you love the color in your drink, don’t you think you might love the color in your home? Beware – the bright pink cosmopolitan may not have the same effect on your walls.

The Walls

These fresh summer colors can be brought into all areas of the home. The bedroom is always a great place to use a refreshing color palette. After all, this is where we go to relax, refresh and recoup after a long day. For starters, I suggest painting the walls in your favorite cocktail color. Want to go the extra mile? Try painting one wall a couple shades darker than the main color for a stunning accent!

The Furniture

You will notice that you have a ton of the same color in the room once the walls are painted, so be careful not to use too much of just one color. I recommend using maple, white or ebony colored wood furniture. This will offset nicely off the fresh colored walls and bring a nice balance to your room.

The Accessories

Try pairing a white duvet cover with accent pillows that repeat different shades of the color on the walls. Keep the artwork of a similar nature. Flowers, seascapes and sunsets always speak well of a summer feeling and will most likely have corresponding colors.

Lamps on the nightstands should be kept light. Try a skinny silver base with a round white shade or perhaps a white or glass round base if you would like more of a weighted lamp.

Accessories that work well with these fresh colored themes are seashells, simple photo frames, candles and books. Don’t forget to buy some corresponding coasters. We wouldn’t want that glass of water to ruin your brand new nightstand!

The Flooring

Finally, keep the flooring a neutral color. Beige carpeting, hardwood or tile are great for creating a summer feel. If you are using a hard surface, try a simple solid colored area rug for under your bed to keep your feet warm when you get out of bed on those cool summer nights.

How do you create a light, summery feel in your home?

Headboard Makeover: Fun While Saving Money

Just because you are looking for ways to save money doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice a new look in your bedroom this spring. If you have a little creativity and some extra time you can make some exciting and inexpensive changes in the bedroom. By making a few dramatic changes to your headboard, you change the focus of your bedroom to the bed. Add a personal touch by doing it yourself.

Here are two ideas to get you inspired – start here and let your imagination run wild.

Door to Door
This is a great way to make use of that extra door, or 3 narrow closet doors, that have been cluttering your garage, basement, attic or storage. The idea here is to create a work of art that is a practical piece of furniture. This is why, for this particular project, I prefer three narrow panel-style closet doors. Measure  your bed to decide what is going to work best for you.

• Look around your bedroom and choose one color that will complement what you already have. This color is your center. From here, you will also choose a tone and a shade.
• Tape off unequal horizontal blocks then feel free to start painting. Paint all the stripes of one color before moving on to the next tone or shade.
• Once they are painted and dried, attach the doors to each other with brackets and secure to your bed frame and/or wall.

Satin Lattice
This is a very simple yet elegant do-it-yourself project.

• Begin by measuring the width and height of your bed.
• Add about 3’ to the height measurement – it may seem like a lot now but we are going for drama.
• Select a sturdy wood about 1” thick that fits the dimensions that you measured earlier.
• Lay your board on a secure surface. Use a mild adhesive on the board and apply ample stuffing to the board.
• Completely cover the board with satin.
• Fold a small hem on the back of the board then use a staple gun on the hem ensuring that the slack is taken out.
• Turn the board over and with satin ribbon create a lattice pattern over the front securing the ribbon to the back with your trusty staple gun.
• Where the ribbon crosses on the front, place a fabric-covered button or pin.
• Once completed, secure to your bed frame or wall.

And there you have it – a new focus in a new space for a low cost. Enjoy!

Exciting Room Themes for Little Girls

Looking for a fun and imaginative room theme for your daughter? Little girls are our princesses. Aren’t some of the themes getting old, redundant and boring? How about trying something different for your little girl, something she will love and be excited to show her friends? The trick to having a themed room? Don’t overdo the theme. It’s actually very simple – just mix up the theme with corresponding patterns and colors.

Butterflies

Does your little girl love visiting butterfly gardens? If so, why not give her a butterfly room of her dreams? Try finding butterfly patterns in “girly” colors such as purple, green and even light blue. If you choose to reflect the theme in the bedding, I recommend adding pillows in solid colors or simple prints.

To select a color for the walls, pick your little girl’s favorite color from the pattern on the bedding and hang a couple of corresponding prints on the walls. Try painting the furniture in the room white or use purple, green or blue shades found in the bedding. Painted wood furniture is always a great look for little girls. This is an opportunity for you to refinish some old furniture you might have laying around.

Finally, keep the lamps, accessories and stuff animals away from the butterfly theme. This will actually help add emphasis on what pieces in the bedroom are displaying the theme.

Flowers

How about flowers? If your little girl loves shades of pink, purple, yellow or green, this just might be the perfect theme! The best thing about flowers is that they come in different colors. Try to keep the color scheme to three colors and utilizing them in different shades.

Finding flower print bedding is usually quite easy so you may want to start there. Chose one color from the bedding and paint the walls the same color. Did you choose a dark color? If so, outline a couple of flowers in white. They will stand out nicely against the dark walls. If you chose a lighter color for the walls, I suggest a dark color from the bedding for the outlined flowers. This is a great and inexpensive way to carry out the theme throughout the room.

Hawaii

If you are looking for less of a “girly” theme, consider a Hawaiian look. A Hawaiian theme leaves plenty of room for creativity!

Start by choosing bright pink, blue and yellow for your color scheme. Paint the walls a light color and choose one wall for a bright, bold accent color! Try mounting a surf board to the wall to add an unique touch. Bring in the grass skirt, bamboo shades and chair for a fun addition to the space. Choose a Hawaiian flower pattern for the bedding. Pair this with solid colored pillows and use light stained wood furniture throughout the space.

Do you have another creative theme for your daughter’s room? Share your ideas and pictures!

Wood or Fabric Headboard? That is the Question!

Is it time for you to select a new headboard? Do you find yourself trying to decide between wood and fabric?

These are the main two choices available to us without making something creative ourselves to serve the function of a headboard.

Typically we find ourselves searching through furniture store after furniture store for a bedroom set. They come in matching pieces – headboard, dresser, nightstands and possibly even a chest of drawers. Wood headboards that match a bedroom suite can have a dramatic effect on your bedroom. Everything looks as if a professional picked it all out for you. All you have to do is coordinate the bedding.

But maybe you don’t have the money for the matching bedroom set. Or you already have a bedroom set but find yourself in need of a new bed size.

I recommend an upholstered headboard. You can use it over and over again with any furniture in a similar style. Upholstered headboards can even be reupholstered to match the new bedding you may get in the future!

Common upholstered headboards available today might be tufted with neutral fabric or leather, which would be perfect for a more traditional styled bedroom. Try sectioned off leather squares in the shape of a rectangle. This can be easily applied in a modern bedroom. Or you could keep it simple with a plain rectangle or curved top. This provides a great opportunity to coordinate fabric with your bedding.

When working with existing furniture or trying to throw together a guest bedroom, upholstered headboards can work wonders. Do you have an old chest of drawers, end table or dresser? When using an upholstered headboard, the sky is the limit. Nothing is required to match. This may be the perfect chance to strip the furniture and re-stain or paint it. Make all the miscellaneous pieces have matching finishes. What an eclectic looking room you will be able to create! I guarantee no one will have a room just like yours if you take this route.

What kind of headboard do you prefer? Have you ever created your own?

Creating an Organic Feeling Environment

Organic, Natural, Environmentally friendly, these are all the buzz words we are hearing today. But what can you do to bring the organic look into your home? In the ideal world, a large open area with lots of windows would be a great way to bring in the organic look.

Now some of you may have this and some of you may not, so let’s start with the background color. This can make or break the overall feeling in the environment. Make your color scheme consistent with the colors of nature; beige, brown, white, light blues, light greens, stone, and grays. I recommend picking one of these colors for the paint on your walls. Possibly light beige, a color that might remind you of sand. Now, what to do with the rest of the room?

For a dining room, I recommend light colored or painted white woods. The area to pop the other “nature” colors might be on the seat fabrics. Bringing in light greens and blues mixed with white and browns are ideal to make the room pop. Try a beautiful oil painting of a water scene over a buffet or on an open wall. Keep the window treatments light and airy; possibly not use any at all! Soft linen drapes in a white might be a perfect solution, but do not use this color if it is the same color of your walls because a soft contrast is needed here. Repeat the soft colors used in the room through the dishes, glasses and/or vases. And most importantly, don’t forget the table centerpiece! Some soft greens foliage, a bowl with sea shells or stones, possibly even candles may work perfectly here.

As for the bedroom, I would recommend light colored wood, painted white wood, bamboo, or wheat board for the furniture. The bedding would be the perfect opportunity to bring in the beautiful blues and greens found in nature. Texture can also add to the feeling such as using linen or soft cottons. Wood, bamboo, or tile floors would look great in here with a sisal rug. Wall art should be simple with a skinny frame or even frameless, but don’t forget to make sure there is some color! Keep the lamps light, possibly with a glass base and a white shade without any details. Simple picture frames, greens, or candles would be the perfect finishing touch for the nightstands.

Finally for the living room, always look at the largest piece of furniture you will need. Typically this is the sofa and is a great start to building the atmosphere of your room. A beautiful crisp white sofa will bring a light organic feeling to an environment. Then placing colored pillows in blues, greens, beiges, stone or grays is a great start to bring in the colors of nature. For the coffee, end tables, and entertainment console remember to keep the wood light colored or painted in light colors. Simple accessories that remind you of nature are great for adding to the feeling to the room. How about some large coffee table books with photographs of the ocean, lighthouses, or the outdoors? Simple candles can be placed in a large charger with stones or shells covering the bottom. Bowls are a great place to add natural textured accessory balls. Finally, finish off the room with a beautiful seascape painting, photography of outdoor places, or flower prints.

Enjoy your Organic Feeling Room!

Finding a Focal Point

Imagine entering into a room and plopping down on a sofa and staring at a blank wall across from you. Now imagine plopping down on that same sofa and looking at a fireplace or an armoire or a beautiful painting. Every seating area in a room should have a focal point that a person is drawn to. In a living room, most commonly the formal room in a home, may have many functions. It is often the place for holiday gatherings, Christmas trees, a decorated fireplace, a Hanukah menorah, decorated for Easter with spring floral arrangements and baskets, etc. In any case, it can be a busy place that is ever changing seasonally and it may be difficult to define a focal point at all times.

By creating your own focal point, you may have an easier time if there happens to be a fireplace or a great big window with a beautiful window treatment. However, some rooms may be architecturally challenged and the focus may be left out of structural components. In this case, you can make up for it with your own creativity.

Use color and scale – large items like bookshelves, art, and mirrors can become a focal point for a gathering of a seating arrangement. Introduce vibrant colors to grab the eye towards a main feature. Focal points may or may not involve furniture; define a conversation area with a beautiful rug or a sideboard to separate seating areas from one another. Enhance the sideboard with a decorative urn full of flowers; turn the rug on an angle for an interesting impact. All of the little unexpected things that you can do creatively will add emphasis and could impact the room largely enough to become the focal point.

Bedrooms may also be challenging, but consider the obvious….the bed. Use interesting layers of patterns or textures in you bedding. Add a euro sham or two to give the headboard area a big punch. Instead of a footboard, consider a storage trunk. Apply the general rule of “looking for the obvious” and enhancing it as a way to define the focal point in every room in your home. I am sure that you will find it easier that you may have anticipated.

Have a great focal point idea?  Send it our way!  And include pictures if you have any!

Bedrooms For Two

Sometimes the birth of child number two or three may leave you questioning which bedroom will become theirs? Sometimes your children may want to share a room with a brother or sister. It generally works best when the children are as close in age as possible and they are, of course, of the same sex!

You may not want to put a toddler with a child that is more than a year or two older because they may not be on the same sleep cycle, and one child’s toys may become another’s choking hazard.

In designing a child’s space, let each child pick colors or patterns to help them identify individual areas and their own possessions. It will help them feel unique and special.

When you are deciding on beds, selecting two twins may make the room seem small and lack area to play in. Bunk beds and trundles work well because you can “stack” the children’s sleeping quarters. Bunk beds were always desirable when I was a child, no matter if you were sharing a room or not! To avoid inevitable disagreements over who gets to sleep in the top bunk, set up a monthly or weekly schedule and let the children swap areas from time to time. ***Children under the age of six should never sleep in the top bunk.

Safety features: The American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) recommends that the top and bottom bunk bed posts should fasten securely together and have a 1 ¼” lift for separation. There should not be separation between the mattress and the foundation of the suspended bed either. Side rails should be bolted and difficult to remove. Guard rails should require a fastening device for release. Ladders should be sturdy, steps should be 10” wide and have a foot of vertical space between each step.

Purchasing furniture often is not an option for most families, so making sure that the furniture is well made, sturdy, functional and flexible in décor enough for the child to grow with it is important.

What solutions have you found to work well in the case where your children have to share a room?