This picture cracks me up. It's from 2000 or 2001 and it shows my not-so-evolved decorating skillz.
I think my son is demonstrating how an excavator works to our cat Ashley - and yes, I named my cat Ashley. Because she was partly gray, that’s why. If you are thinking she was named after Laura Ashley I will never admit to that.
Ok. Let's see what design tips I can share from this project:
1. Vintage Pottery Barn clearance section lamps with rice paper shades. Follow thru with this look by adding absolutely nothing else that works with them.
2. Take your bedskirt apart and wrap part of it around butler's tray tables to create a matching set of bedside tables. Put the rest of the bedskirt back on the bed.
2a. If you are going to keep your bedside table crowded with telephones, sippy cups and toys from The Thunderbirds, it's good to use a tray so that none of it falls off and/or you knock every glass of water over because of the tray when placing them on the tray. Coordinate any sippy cups with your headboard.
3. Wires everywhere will add texture and scale.
4. Metal bin under the bedside table. This is following a design rule: If there is room under something you must always, always put a basket there. If it has a spot to hold a label, leave that area blank.
5. Custom headboard created by yours truly. Prior to this fabric the headboard was straight across and covered in a sheet from the same set the bedskirt came from.
5a. It is important to wrap any exposed wood in sheets.
6. What you can't see in this photo is that at the top of the walls was an equally wavy border hand painted by myself with little leaves painted on with a sponge. Be creative when you can. Sponge painting and borders will never go out of style.
7. BIG ART TIP: add something vintage or a little rustic to add warmth and keep your space from looking too matchy-matchy. These 3 rusty tin ceiling tiles were bought at an antique market in Texas. Hanging them up with Ikea curtain clips that are nailed to the wall makes them art. Be sure to hang anything with curtain clips to ensure the art will never hang straight.
8. To keep your bedding balanced, use one super fluffy pillow and one really flat pillow.
8a. (I'm not going to talk about my Ikea throw pillows, I loved those things.)
9. For an eclectic window treatment, borrow from the UK. These sheers were from Wales, where a window does not exist that isn’t adorned with sheers. These had a celestial moon and stars theme. If you can match your sheers with what you would see when looking out the window, you've struck designer gold!
10. Nappy brown carpet. This grounds the space. If you think Studio McGee came up with nappy brown flooring, you are mistaken - they just call it "neutral" now.