Baby Room Sophistication with Skyflight Mobles

If you have designed a baby’s room recently or are in the process of designing a baby’s room, you have probably noticed that there are some really unattractive products out there.  And why should you sacrifice style and sophistication just because the room is for a child?  Every room in your house should reflect your design style and if Winnie the Pooh or other various Disney themes isn’t your thing, they why put it in your baby’s room. 

One nursery decor item that really seems to lack a classy, contemporary style are baby mobiles.  After searching high and low for something that wasn’t plush, pastel, attached to a plastic rod or spins and plays music , I finally found the perfect product!  Skyflight Mobiles designed by a husband and wife team out of Duvall, WA, features beautiful, classy, contemporary mobiles with beautiful colors and high quality materials.  The wife, has an art background and a love for nature.  She expresses her artistic ability with these fabulous mobiles.  Not only do these mobiles have to be used in a child’s room, but they can be used as art pieces anywhere in the home.  Skyflight Mobiles is sophisticated enough and suitable for any decor.  Please see their website for retail locations.

Panda Bear

Multi Cats

Birds

Hound Dog

Sea Turtle

Multi Dog

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Using Color In Its Appropriate Context

Green, the color of St. Patty’s Day…but do you really want to wear it?  Well, that might depend on the shade of green and where you are going to be sporting this fabulous color.  A color that you choose to wear should be suitable for your age, your surroundings and if it looks good with your complexion and hair color.  A similar set of rules apply to interior design when choosing a color for the interior or exterior of your home.  Do you ever wonder why someone painted the exterior of their house turquoise or bright purple?  Well if you find the answer, please let me know!

Just because you “like” a color does not mean that you need to smear it all over the inside and outside of your house.  Consider the following when you are deciding  on a color to paint the interior or exterior of your house.

Overwhelmed with all the different paint brands and color options to choose from?  Narrow it down starting with brand.  Quality and price are usually a consumer’s two main deciding factors.  My favorite brand of paint these days is Behr Ultra.  Behr Ultra makes your life a little easier and who doesn’t want that!  This new line of Behr Paint is a primer and paint in one and it was rated number one by Consumer Reports for all three sheens (flat, satin and semi-gloss) where it tests for hide and coverage, mold and mildew, scrubability, fading and price.  Behr Ultra covers very well and you will not have to paint over that red wall fourteen times.  The Ultra line also has a very nice color palette.  There are a lot of mid-tones and earth tones to choose from.  If you are still overwhelmed with color options however, chances are, you can eliminate at least one-third of the color palette.  Consider the context of your house and if bright bold colors will actually work, if not eliminate them.  The color palette of your entire house should flow together.  You don’t want to shock grandma as she walks around the corner and sees something totally out-of-place from the rest of the house like a bright fuschia wall!  If you do want to be a little daring, however, choose bold colors wisely.  Make an accent wall a brighter color that accentuates your furnishings and architecture of the room, don’t paint the entire room that color.  Remember, a little goes a long way!

Does the color you chose coordinate with the rest of the environment?  With interior paint, choose a color that coordinates with your furnishings, carpet and moldings.  These are the big things in the room that will most likely not be changed.  With exterior paint, choose a color that is appropriate for where you live.  If you live in Seattle for instance, earth tones are very pleasing and coordinates well with the natural environment.  Rarely, does a hot pink house look good in the Pacific Northwest!  However, bright bold colors are more common and appropriate in the south.

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Headboards Galore! Creative Headboard Solutions

Lets get a little more creative with headboards, shall we?  Enough already with the boring headboards that come with the bed and lets spice up your room!  A client of mine contacted me and told me that he and his wife were given a queen sized bed frame and mattress for one of their guest bedrooms.  And since the bed doesn’t have a headboard, he wanted to know what some options would be for creating one.  When you are designing your room, consider making the headboard the focal point.  What does the viewer see when they walk in the room?  Hopefully something exciting that compliments the room!  Here I have posted some ideas for fun and creative headboards that are sure to spice up any boring bed frame.

Art Headboard

Consider using pieces of art to use in lieu of a headboard.  Choose art pieces that are nicely framed that fit the room’s style.

Painted Headboard

Painting a headboard on your wall is a very inexpensive way to add a trompe l’ oeil effect.  Draw a template on the wall first and then paint in the headboard.

Shelf Headboard

A shelf can offer a casual headboard solution as well as provide a space for accessories.

Wallpaper Headboard

A wallpaper headboard can be just as inexpensive and easy as the painted headboard.  Find an interesting wallpaper that you like that compliments the room, make a template and then attach it to the wall.

Fabric Headboard

Wrap a piece of plywood with fabric and attach it to the wall.  Consider using several different fabrics to add more interest.

Curtain Headboard

Use a curtain and a curtain rod to act as a headboard.  Attach the curtain rod to the wall and let the curtain fabric drape behind the bed frame.

Unique Headboards

 

 

 

You can use just about anything for a headboard.  A framed chalkboard or even recycled pieces of lumber.  Make sure that whatever you use it creates interest in the room and acts as a focal point.

 

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Seattle Home Show 2010

So, let’s talk about the Seattle Home Show!  The Home Show was one week long, February 20th-28th.   As always, it was overwhelming and a lot to see if trying to do it all in one day. This year I found that there were not a lot of companies showcasing their latest and greatest products. So if you went to the Home Show trying to find the new “it” product to include in the remodel of your home, you were probably disappointed. I noticed that there were a lot of remodeling companies, at least one or two every time I turned the corner. Many of them specializing in kitchens and baths, and eager to talk to you about your next remodeling project. 

 

One company in particular that I found interesting as far as new quick and easy remodeling is Flying Dormer.  The owner, who is originally from Holland, has adopted a remodeling concept from his country.  He found that here in the United States our remodeling methods are not the most efficient.  He offers pre-fabrication offsite to the customer’s specifications, and then transports the addition to the home where it is then lifted by crane onto the prepared location and installed in one day.  The interior finish work is then completed on site.  This method offers the customer a custom quality product without the disruption to their life.  Now why didn’t we think of that!

 

Overall, the Home Show is a great way to get information from many businesses on your next home project in a little amount of time.   Just by having a brief conversation with a few companies you can quickly determine if they offer the services that you are looking for.  So, consider going to the Home Show if: 

1) You are considering doing a big remodel, especially kitchens and baths

2) You need some fresh ideas for your new house or remodeling project, including landscape design

3) You want to find and possibly get bids, from several companies to do your remodeling project or build your new home

4) You are looking for the perfect hot tub that will fit 12 of your closest friends, have the perfect beer holder and has lights that change color to beat of the music on your iPod! 

 

If you are interested in attending the Seattle Home Show, the next one will probably be in the fall.  If you attended the home show last week, what were your thoughts about it?

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