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

If you’re curious about the WSJ piece, it’s posted here: http://online.wsj.com/ad/article/sir-insights?WC=HPInsThumb

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.

The colors I’m most drawn to are Caponata and Wenge – both from Benjamin Moore’s Aura line. Wenge is definitely more bungalowy (or should I say “bungalowcious?”) but there’s something about Caponata that makes me all swoony.

I toyed with using rust as a trim color, but I think it’s a bit much for a house of this size.  I seem to prefer it as an accent color.  I haven’t made any firm decisions yet, but I am having fun playing with Photoshop. See for yourself:

Wenge Body (not sure about the rafter tails yet)

Caponata Body (again unsure about the rafter tails)

It’s no secret that I ADORE Bradbury and Bradbury wallpaper.  I often cycle through the gorgeous photography on their web site thinking ”How big of a deal is it, really, if our kids don’t go to college?”  

Little did I know that dreams of a college education for our children – and Bradbury and Bradbury wallpaper hanging in our bungalow – might not be mutually exclusive.  Turns out, Bradbury and Bradbury actually sells seconds! I had NO idea.

Tremendous thanks to the folks at Bangor Bungalow for outlining the process and making my day!

I can’t decide how I feel about olefin though. On the one hand, I don’t want to spend a fortune on a wool rug which might get trashed, and getting trashed is a distinct possibility in a playroom.Olefin IS typically pretty stain resistant, so that is a plus. Still, I tend to be more of a natural fibers kind of gal. Hmmmm….

This one is interesting too:
http://www.contemporaryrug.com/crugs/control/prod/~pid=102CCL110-203/~color=8240

And crazy as the pattern is, I think I may also like this one: http://www.selectrugs.com/rugdetails.aspx?id=12179&name=pink_flower_power_rug.html

Guess it’s back to the drawing board for me (by which, of course, I mean Photoshop!)

I should, however, admit that I really blew it with the playroom.  I took so long trying to make a decision on the playroom rug that the one I’d finally decided on – the black and white damask with the black border – has been discontinued.  Serves me right for being so wish-washy! 

The rug hunt continues…

view from outside chloe's room

Chloe turned six earlier this month, and while it may be sort of an odd fixation for a six year old to have, she is nonetheless obsessed with Paris. Santa must have heard about her francophile tendencies, because he left some brand new Parisian-themed bedding under the tree on Christmas morning.

Nicole Miller’s Fifi bedding features dozens of Vespa riding French poodles tooling through the streets of Paris while taking in familiar sights including sidewalk bistros, Hector Guimard’s famous Art Nouveau Abbesses Metro station, and – of course – the Eiffel Tower.

In keeping with the Parisian theme, we framed several posters including one of the above-mentioned Metro station and one of the Eiffel Tower. (Chloe is especially excited about the Eiffel Tower poster because it’s a photo of the tower in the snow, and Chloe loves snow almost as much as she loves the tower itself.)

Her room is far from finished – it’s still lacking sconces and closet doors, and we have a few more items we may want to hang on the walls. That said, the biggest obstacle to finishing her room is my inability to carve out time for sewing.

The Roman shades currently hanging in Chloe’s room are fairly trashed (luckily I bought them on sale!) I had been planning to repair them, but Chloe’s new comforter isn’t white (as advertised) – it’s actually more of a cream color — which looks horrible with the old shades.

The replacement curtains I have in mind might have fit in well at the Moulin Rouge of a century ago – ruffles and stripes and pompoms – oh my! If they turn out the way I hope, I’ll be sure to post photos. In the meantime, here is a photo of Chloe’s room in it’s current incaration.  A bientot!

Chloe's room circa early 2009