Purple

I've never really considered myself a purple kind of person, but this room [from Angie Hranowsky] has me thinking otherwise:


And the art situation going on in here?


It's perfection.

And that's just the living room! Have you noticed that a lot of sleek and modern kitchens look cold and frightening? Frightening because I'd be afraid that if me or one of my kids dare set even a pinky toe on the floor, it's steely zen vibe would be shattered. It would sense that it was only be a matter of time before fruit smoothies were dripping down it's custom cabinets and Peanut Butter was smeared on it's pristine countertops. But that's not the case with this one; this one is both parts sleek and inviting, a perfect combo:



And the kids' rooms, well...they can speak for themselves:



[Check out the entire portfolio for more inspiration]

And there's still time to enter for a chance to win the $150 Minted gift certificate!

Picture Perfect Boy Room

Picture-lined walls against soft colors and natural wood floors make this such a soothing yet fun looking place to be. And the chalkboard with lighting is totally awesome.



[Images from photographer Anitta Behrendt]

Art + Play

Check out this art/playroom from the home of Lisa Mahar, the owner of a shop called Kid O in NYC:





Can we all please take a moment to digest these shelves:



This is what I dream about. Shelves stocked and stacked neatly with oodles of art supplies, and my kids taking down the supplies one at a time, and using them appropriately. Look, I'm not trying to hinder artistic expression and creativity -- a lot of the time art is messy. I'm just saying it would be nice if this type of organization wasn't destroyed just for the heck of it!

In the interview, Lisa mentions one technique she uses for getting her kids to pick up after themselves. She tells her kids, "you put away the things you want to, but whatever you don’t put away, I’ll put it away but when I put it away, I’m going to put it somewhere where you can’t get it for a week..." I've actually tried this once before when the boys' room was a disaster. I told them that whatever was left on the floor was going to Goodwill. You really do get an idea of what they care about. Anyway, it's inspired me to do that on a more regular basis and try to weed out the toys that are just taking up space and causing clutter. I'm actually tempted to head back there with a trash bag right now while they are at school! I don't think they'd even miss whatever I threw away.

How about you -- do you have any techniques for getting kids to clean up their things?

[Images from the home of Lisa Mahar, featured in this article on NY Social Diary]

Shaggy Chic

Further proof that beautiful, vintage tile floors and a white shag rug make even plastic toys look chic. Oh, and old world windows and a chandelier don't hurt either.

[Image from Design Sponge]

Sweet Little Things // Part 2

Next up on my inspiration list, children's rooms!



[First Option, Hawkes House]



I've got tons of images from both Domino [above left image] and Cookie [above & bottom right images] in my files and every time I see them I feel that little pang of sadness.



Oh the things I could put in those built-ins! They'd make a great home for the blocks in the right image;) [I cannot find the credit for the left image -- has anyone seen it before?]



[bunk room spotted on little lovely]



[left image from emmas designblogg; right image from ohdeedoh]

We've got the side by side twin bed set up right now, which I love. I'm not quite ready to abandon that for bunk beds yet, even though we've got a set sitting in our garage that I used when I was young and that my dad also used as a young lad. They need a paint job, and I haven't found the time or energy to tackle them you -- on the list! When I inherited them, they were a dark stain, and my mom had them painted in pastels for me, which I thought was fabulous. I'm thinking red for the boys.

I'm off -- happy Thursday!

Glam Diaper Duty

Who knew that diaper changing could be glamorous? Here's proof that, yes, it can! The delicious, white and metal console, sisal rug, textured wallpaper, and is that light fixture woven? -- it's stunning. Really, truly, I wish I could transport it all straight into my house.

[Image from the delicious-in-it's-entirety Lonny]

Children's Rooms

Have you heard of the series of books on children's rooms by Jeu de Paumes? The books focus on real rooms and nurseries in different cities, and the most recent edition just happens to be "Copenhagen." I'm so curious!

From the Netherlands

I recently stumbled onto the site of Hotze Eisma, and got lost -- beautiful photography of character-filled spaces. Did you catch the photo plates in set 5? Molto bella. Check out the entire portfolio when you've got some time to wander!

[All images Hotze Eisma]

Little Picassos

There is an everyday dilemma at our house involving our kids' artwork -- to keep or to [gasp!] put in the recycling bin. And even the artwork I keep, I have a hard time preventing it from piling up undisplayed. There are some great ideas out there for displaying -- I just need to figure out which one would work for me.

I also really like Darby's bulletin board [also shown here] -- this may be a better route for me because I need something I can do quickly [rotating pictures in and out of frames isn't something I could see myself doing very often]. I also think the next time we are in the ATL I'm going to swing by Ikea and pick up some of these paper boxes -- the perfect size and an easy way to separate out each child's work. Plus, I'll find any excuse for getting more storage -- bins, boxes, baskets -- they all make me happy!

What's your criteria for what artwork to keep? And what do you do with it then?

[Images clockwise from top left: jan eleni on decor8; ohdeedoh; real simple; ohdeedoh; ohdeedoh; land of nod]

Ned's Room

How lovely is this room? I love the simplicity of it, yet it still has so much personality -- in my opinion that isn't always an easy thing to accomplish. Plus, it's Ned's -- how cute is that name?!

[image found on emmas designblogg]

Cabin Fever

Even though our Thanksgiving was wonderful, we did have a little bit of Cabin Fever going on by the end of last week...all three of mine have colds, but my younger was one sick little fella, so we did not do much the whole weekend. I took advantage of all our time around the house, and caught up on the growing stack of magazines on my side table [since I now get in bed at 8:30 there isn't a lot of time for my nightly magazine read/show watching!]. I just finished the September Cookie [I'm also trying to savor this magazine...can't believe it will be no more...], where they featured this beautiful cabin...I'd move-in in a heartbeat!

[See the full slideshow here]

Nesting

The day before I went into labor, I was in a serious nesting mode. Maybe I should've known! I started in the boys room, and finally have some before and after pictures to share...

[BEFORE]

[AFTER]

F

WHAT WE DID:

--Painted everything -- walls [Benjamin Moore Aganthus Green], doors, closet, molding

--Ripped up lovely 40-yr-old carpet and refinished hardwood floors

--Replaced windows

2 OF MY FAVORITE THINGS IN THE ROOM:

1. The print from Yellow Monday:


2. Quilts from Anthropologie:

Play Table

Remember the play table I mentioned yesterday? Here it is! My dad built this for the boys, and it was an instant success. The drawer pulls out to reveal an enormous stash of Legos and Playmobil, all nicely contained in an easy to access, impossible to dump out receptacle. Such a beautiful thing.


And he built in a rod to hold a roll of paper for coloring:


They seriously worked on this mural for over an hour...

A Space for Everyone

It's safe to say that this move and renovation while keeping up with mothering and work has down right sapped all the energy from me, and there's not a whole lot left over for blogging, so posts may be a little sparse for a bit. But I'm still here! I hope to have some pictures of the new place soon once we can get through these boxes and put some finishing touches on the place, but in the meantime, I was totally inspired by this family playroom featured in this months Cookie magazine. We have a large room in the back of our house that I want to use as a studio for me and a playroom/art room for the boys. I've already hinted to Ben about the built-ins and sink [genius] -- just one of many things on his list right now!