Our girls love lavender!

Originally, I was reluctant to photograph the space until the bathroom door and trim were finished. Since we are unlikely to get around to finishing the door anytime soon, I decided to take some photos for your viewing pleasure.

I quickly remembered the other reason we’ve never posted pictures.

This room is so incredibly tiny, it’s nearly impossible to photograph without perching on the toilet lid or on the lip of the sink – hence the weird viewing angles.

view from hallway outside Chloe's room

bathroom sink and mirror

alternate view from hallway

Our six year old daughter Chloe has been asking for a playhouse for ages. Unfortunately, with all of the other house projects we have going on around here, the playhouse project has fallen by the wayside. Yesterday, I came up with a temporary fix involving four folding chairs and an old fitted sheet. (Please try to overlook the shoddy construction.)

the new "playhouse"

Both girls (Chloe and her one year old sister) were thrilled with with the new abode, but before long I noticed Chloe piling weeds on top of the sheet:

Perhaps there’s too much architecture talk at our dinner table…

bye-bye baby blue!

Last night we put up test patches of both Caponata and Wenge.  The Wenge looked fine – I can’t say I had any complaints - but we both really loved the Caponata (even from across the street, which is the true test, I think!) 

So, it seems we’ve settled on a non-authentic bungalow body color! Since the depth of color is similar to the dark stain on Craftsman Farms, we’re viewing this as ”a modern interpretation of the Craftsman Aesthetic” with apologies to purists everywhere.

Do you live in the Portland area?  Curious about bungalow colors?  If so, and if you have nothing else going on this Saturday morning, please feel free to pop by the Architectural Heritage Center to say hello. I’ll be giving a presentation called “Painting Your Bungalow – Inside & Out” and would love to meet some of my fellow housebloggers!

I can spend months researching something as simple as a kitchen faucet. But even if I do eventually place an order, I will drive myself crazy wondering if I’ve made the right decision. I’m always absolutely certain I could have found something better – the “perfect” whatever – if only I’d searched a little bit longer.

What does this any of this have to do with Photoshop, you ask? Well, we really need to find a rug for the girls’ playroom. As you’ve seen in recent photos, the floor up there is rather bare and uninviting.

playroom in its current state

I’d love for Chloe and Ginger to be able to sprawl out comfortably while they play or read books, but that isn’t really an option on the cold hard floor.

As for what I’m looking for in a rug, I suppose I do have some ideas. For example I’m fairly certain I want some sort of pattern or print. I’m also pretty sure I’d prefer a rectangular rug to a round or oval-shaped rug, as that would provide the girls with more sprawl space.

The playroom has PLENTY of green in it already, so I think something black, white and/or pink would make more of an impact than something predominantly green.

The rug should be soft and comfy but also shouldn’t be so babyish that the girls will outgrow it in a year or two. Size-wise, I think 5′ x 8′ would be about perfect.

Did I mention that I don’t want to spend a bundle?

A pretty long list, I know. You’d think such a long list would narrow the field a bit, but honestly, it doesn’t. Basically, I’m now considering hundreds of rugs vs. the thousands I was considering prior to creating this list. So that’s where YOU can help. I’m thinking I should take a poll.

Maybe it’s inauguration fever, but I thought I would “rock the vote” and ask if any of the rugs below strike your fancy. Or do you think I should run straight back to the drawing board? (And by “drawing board,” I mean Google image search and Photoshop!)

So, what do you think?

Do any of these scream “Pick me!  I’m perfect!” or do they all leave you wanting to demand a recall?

White and Black Damask

Black and White Damask

Black with White Dots

Black and White Floral

Zebra Stripe

Large Pink and White Dots

Black and White Swirl (Whoa!)

solid round rug

Pink and Green Circles

Bungalow Insanity at the Holidays

Just upload a photo of your home decorated for the holidays and vote.  You can vote for your home, or for someone else’s home, but you can only vote once a day.  Voting ends December 23.  And if you don’t have a photo of your own home that you want to enter, you can always vote for us (posted under Bungalowgirl – Portland, Oregon).  A new light fixture would definitely make our season bright!  Happy holidays!