Nested.
Back at the start of July, I posted about our little renovation project: to create a room for The Bee, a walk-in closet for R. (I gave up the dream, but that’s a story for another post), and a new master bedroom for us.
They’re done. They were done a few weeks ago, but I just didn’t get the photos taken and uploaded until now, so here goes…
The Bee’s room was based entirely on a set of vintage curtains I purchased at the Rosebowl Fleamarket several years ago. They’re barkcloth, gray with pink- and grape-colored pom-pom-flowers and lime-colored leaves:
I didn’t know at the time what I was going to use them for, but when we adopted, and I needed a nursery idea, I thought of these curtains because the flowers looked vaguely Suessian to me–like the Lorax trees or something…
So, the walls of the room became gray (yes, GRAY!) to fit the curtains, and because my idea of a room is to paint the walls neutral and then add pops of color in artwork or furnishings…R. was absolutely horrified at the idea of painting a kid’s room gray (as was our contractor, apparently, whom R. had to talk into it), but I think it’s sort of soothing:
The flower painting on the lower wall here was hanging in my house growing-up. One of my father’s great aunts did it, and I probably need to get it re-framed, but I haven’t had the heart to change it yet…also, the little painting on the shelf over the changing table is one that the daughter of a friend of mine did, based on one of the photos I posted on the travel blog in China–it’s The Bee kissing her ‘night bear’ in the White Swan hotel room. You can see the ‘night bear’ in person on her bed in a later shot….
And I made a little effort to carry some themes over into the details–like the curtain rod has big pink “puff-balls” on the ends, and the bed sheet does too:
And the (metal!) rocking chair has pink skulls as its pillow cover, meant to echo the pink skulls in the blanket on the bed above (a favorite gift of The Bee’s from Atomic Mama):
I do not own a sewing machine, and so in my typical fly-by-night fashion, I ’sewed’ the pillow cover and the curtains together with Stitch Witchery. Heh. Gotta love an iron.
The Bee seems to enjoy her time there, although I do need to get her a slightly higher chair for her table, even though she’s attached to the stool–another favorite gift from walternatives:
It’s probably a little weird to post pictures of your bedroom, but since it’s part of the end of the renovation story, here goes. The painting over the bed is of a pair of dead agaves–it’s one of my favorite pieces:
After we bought that piece, I needed an actual dead agave to go with it, so I had one as my Christmas tree one year, and then it found its place in the bedroom near the painting:
Love BOTH these rooms. The Bee looks right at home. Her room has such a soothing feel. Your inspiration curtains are great.
Comment by: Jacquie - 08.26.2007 - 1.30 pm
Love the rooms. I think the grey is calming. I love Emme’s clothes too, so cute!
Comment by: Jenni - 08.26.2007 - 1.46 pm
I would never have thought of it, but that grey is wonderful. What does R think now that it’s done? You know I covet (desperately) most of your artwork? (I think I may have mentioned that before.) Anyway, I love Bee’s room and your room and think it worked out quite nicely. How’d you find sheets with pink puffballs, or did you do it yourself?
Comment by: OmegaMom - 08.26.2007 - 2.15 pm
Both rooms are wonderful. The have a simple, yet personal feel.
Comment by: Cavatica - 08.26.2007 - 3.18 pm
OMG - I love, love, love it!!! Gray and pink together are great! The Bee looks SOOO happy. I love the first photo, how you can see her little hands off to the side. (And your room is lovely and peaceful too!)
May I ask where you got the shelving unit under the window? That is exactly what I am looking for, but can find nowhere.
Comment by: Anne Marie - 08.26.2007 - 6.11 pm
I really love the gray! A unique choice for neutral, but so soothing. And the prints that you have accenting the gray are awesome.
Cool that you saw Barrow on tv. We are getting so much media coverage now because of the football team. It’s kind of funny.
Comment by: Aimee - 08.26.2007 - 6.28 pm
My girls room is bright pink and I have starting thinking that they are overstimulated by it and I should have done something more soothing. I love the room. The whole re-no. So clean and neat and calm.
Must be nice to finally have it all done! And the bee…the clips and the shoes! She is such a big girl.
Comment by: Jenny - 08.26.2007 - 7.35 pm
Day-um! Nice work - you can always get work as a professional decorator! I love the gray too, and the toddler death-rock motif; who’d a thought, PINK skulls…
Like the master bedroom, too.
And boy do we know the feeling…ahhhh, finally, it’s DONE!
Comment by: FDChief - 08.26.2007 - 9.16 pm
So cool! Really fantastic! And I can’t believe how neatly your beds are made.
Comment by: Maia - 08.26.2007 - 9.41 pm
My previous comment didn’t make it…love the room, love the pics of the Bee…and wonder if you could share where you scored her super-cute shoes? I think Sofie needs a pair.
Comment by: Amanda - 08.27.2007 - 12.21 pm
You were right on the money with that gray, SBird. It truly does make the color accents pop-out and works so well with the white furniture. Your room is lovely, too. Is that a Maxfield Parrish over the chair on the left?
Comment by: walternatives - 08.27.2007 - 4.28 pm
I think I failed to mention when I was there how much I adore the metal rocker - I’ve been searching for an aluminum lawn chair rocker for a year or so, and haven’t found one locally yet. And I’ve never seen one that large - it’s great. Everything turned out great!
Comment by: atomic mama - 08.27.2007 - 9.09 pm
It’s such a lovely room. E.’s room seemed so garish when I got home. Jarring, velveeta cheese yellow with bright blobs of color thrown all about.
I’m totally stealing the gray. After visiting the ranch I fell in love with the color and we are going to paint our basement (which is currently being remodeled) a wonderful shade of gray.
Comment by: Jessi - 08.28.2007 - 11.48 am