Lovely Little Room: Max's Sloped Space

Today's photos are from one of my absolute favorite blogs for eye candy: Katie's Pencil Box. Katie is not only a master of photography, but also of making those mundane moments of everyday life look like art. Her home is no exception. This particular room belongs to her son Max. He's quite the writer and photographer himself - I loved reading his letters to his new sister (whose space I'm dying to see)! And I'm always impressed when he takes photos of his lovely mama. I love that Katie was able to keep this room light, neutral, and true to her style, but still give it the perfect vibe for a growing little boy. You can see more of Katie's lovely home here and visit her blog here.

A big thank you to Katie for sharing Max's space with us!

Lovely Little Links

Emily Meyer of Tea Collection has the luckiest daughter!

These little clowns would definitely be the life of the party.

Toilet paper rolls fit for a little king (or queen).

Perfect summer DIY.

The sweetest (and most portable) little dollhouse.

Pink dress + red tights + red shoes.

Looking for an inexpensive show stopper for your little space? Look no further than this DIY wall art.

Have a lovely weekend!

xo, Lauren

Lovely Links

Gorgeous, gorgeous nursery. I only wish I could see more of it!

Love the first three costumes.

A most adorable coat that I will never afford - Yowza!

I'll admit it - I don't like oreos. But I'm smitten with this cake nonetheless...

Definitely want to try this.

How to make a molded light plate - pure genius.

Adorable little craft.

Have a lovely weekend!

xo, Lauren

Violet's Bedroom

We've been working for what feels like ages on my daughter Violet's big girl room. It was a slow transformation from what I've dubbed a 'zebra bordello' to what we have today. (If you're curious you can see the before's over on my personal blog here). With a toddler running around we don't have much time, and our budget was tight, so we did things slowly and over time.

The starting point for the room was actually the rug. I had purchased it years ago on clearance from Anthropologie, and while I still love it, it no longer worked in the space for which it was originally intended. So rather than wasting a perfectly good rug, we decided to use it in the one unfinished space in the house - Violet's room. Working around this rug was a bit of a challenge for me. It definitely limited my color palette, as there aren't a huge amount of colors that go with chartreuse green. I was saved when I came across this lovely color palette over on Creature Comforts.

I was actually pretty excited to use pink, as I definitely did not use traditional girly colors in her nursery.   I knew that I didn't want the walls to be pink just in case she got a little older and decided she hated pink, so we went with a creamy neutral. That left me with the bedding and dresser to douse in as much pink as I pleased. I originally scoured Craigslist in search of an inexpensive antique dresser to paint like this one over on Making it Lovely. But when I finally found the right piece, I just couldn't bring myself to paint over that beautiful wood. Despite that I still felt that the space needed a pop of pink, so I painted a color block behind the dresser instead.

On the other side of the room I went in search of pink bedding. I hit the jackpot when I came across this lovely polka dot bedding over on House 8810. I gave Violet a billion pillows, because she loves to have pillow fights and make pillow beds on the floor. (Thanks to her Aunt Nikki and Nonny) I made two of them myself from linen that I purchased at a local fabric store. The sheets were purchased at Land of Nod and the larger sham came from Restoration Hardware (on sale). The smaller pillows were from Land of Nod, Etsy and Pretty Little Things by Lori Marie. At that point the room was starting to feel really traditional, and I prefer a combination of traditional and modern, so I mixed things up a bit with a modern bed from West Elm and bench (actually part of a closet system) from IKEA. I made the bench cushion myself - I purchased two-inch foam (on sale at 50% off!) from Joann Fabrics, used some left over fabric from my daughter's nursery, and pinned it all together. Eventually I'll get around to sewing it, but I ran out of time before we left for our vacation. It's holding up fine for now! :)

On the largest wall I went with a pull-down map that I found on eBay for $5. I had originally purchased it with the plan to paint over it, but the Mister convinced me to save it. (Luckily the colors happened to go quite well in the space). I'd been coveting this Up poster from Fine Little Day for quite some time, so that went up on the wall as well, as well as this Adventurers screen print from Fifi du Vie. These removable wallpaper decals from Love Mae jumped out at me on Pinterest and I thought they'd be perfect in the small space above the bench. The last wall that needed something was above the bed. I really wanted to use this Daydream wallpaper by Julia Rothman for Hygge & West, but I had hit my budget limit at that point. So I decided to freehand a similar mural myself ($2.80 for a paint sample jar from Home Depot) I went with a minty color for the simple fact that I'm completely obsessed with it at the moment.

I didn't have any particular theme in mind for the space - I just put together things that I love and that I thought Violet would love as well. Overall I'm pretty happy with how the space turned out, and Violet loves playing in there until we make the move out of her crib. (Very nervous about that!)

This post got a lot longer than I had planned, so I'll list all of the sources below and if you have any questions let me know!

xo, Lauren

Narrow Leg Bed - West Elm
Dottie Quilt - House 8810
Dresser - Craigslist
Bench - IKEA
Bench Cushion - DIY
Bench Fabric - Jo-ann Fabric
Zinc Letter 'V' - Anthropologie
Gray Sham - Restoration Hardware Baby & Kids
Pink Polka Dot Sheets - Land of Nod
Striped Pillow - Urban Ecology
Floral Pillow - Skinny LaMinx
Star Pillow - Hello Milky
Large Round Pillow - Land of Nod
Small Round Pillow - Pretty Little Things by Lori Marie
Linen Pillows - DIY (Fabric from Joann Fabric)
Doll - Pretty Little Things by Lori Marie
Dancer Bear - Lieschen Mueller
Map - eBay
Adventurers Print - Fifi du Vie
Bear & Antler Hooks - West Elm
Christy's Cottage Dollhouse - Melissa & Doug
Bedside Shelf - Michael's Craft Store
Umbra Horizon Crunch Cans - Container Store
Up Poster - Fine Little Day
Book Shelf - IKEA
Star Pillow - Colette Bream
Swallows Wallpaper Decals - Love Mae
Curtains - IKEA
Large Rug - Anthropologie 
Faux Sheepskin Rug - IKEA
Eleanor Frameless Mirror - Pottery Barn
Star Garland - DIY
Tissue Paper Tassel Mobile - FleurLux
Squirrel Lamp - Anthropologie
Gold Mushroom Lamp - Mokkasin
Handpainted Blocks - How Now Design
Gnome - MOMA Store
Terrarium Postcards - Quill and Fox

Lovely Little Room: Mountain Retreat

I came across this fun and colorful space over on Bara Barnrum - a Swedish children's blog. I was knocked off my feet by the fabulous fabric on the wall - a great way to make a statement without risking something so permanent as wallpaper. Just a little corn starch to put it up and easily remove it when you want to change things up! Paired with the clean white furniture and a few vintage pieces it's the perfect space for a little one.

Lovely Little Room: Boys' Shared Space

I've been a long-time fan of Danielle Thompson's home. The bright colors, the retro patterns, and the mid-century furnishings give the house so much style and character. Her boys' shared bedroom is no exception. Danielle managed to create a colorful and whimsical space (that yes even includes pink!) that still feels perfectly boyish.

Perhaps my favorite part of the room is the wall of brightly patterned fabrics clouds, which Danielle applied using corn starch - perfectly natural and removable. Genius!

I'm sure the boys' imaginations run wild in this wonderland of a room, and that their biggest argument is weather to play airplane pilots or soldiers on that particular day. Thank you so much Danielle for sharing your boys' lovely space with us! To see more photos of the boys' room and Danielle's home, visit her over at her blog - Thompson Family-Life.

Lovely Little Room: 'Unruly' Animals

Sometimes themed nurseries can be completely over the top, but this one got it just right. Alyson Brown of Unruly Little Things (as well as its grown up counterpart, Unruly Things) decided on an animal theme when she was expecting. She kept it simple with a handmade jungle animals mobile (made by baby Wolf's grandpa) and some fun art and accessories sprinkled on the shelves.

Everything is gorgeous, but the very first thing that caught my eye (other than the adorable baby) was the fern print. I was sure it was vintage and was completed shocked when I read that it was made by Alyson herself! I love that Alyson was able to pack so much style into such a small space (Wolf shares his nursery with the Brown's home office), and was able to pull off a beautiful nursery without a designer price tag. To see more inspiration from Alyson, visit her at Unruly Little Things here and Unruly Things here. Thanks for sharing Wolf's lovely space with us Alyson!

photos by Leah Verwey


Sources:

blanket - Pendleton muchacho
crib - Ikea
fern print - made by Alyson
mobile - made by Wolf's grandpa
constellation print - Little Bright Studio
little red bird - Stephanie Congdon Barnes
wolf puzzle - a gift from Wolf's grandma
zebra - Pier One, from Wolf's grandma
squirrel lamp - Anthropologie
bunny print - esoule
gold W block & stump - cabin 7
red & blue W blocks - vintage
wooden spoon - carved by a friend
wolf stuffed animal - oh albatross
wooden car - from an art show in Idaho

Lovely Little Room: Colorful + Crafty

Being the self-proclaimed 'craft guru' (aka Lifestyle Director) at Parents Magazine, Amanda Kingloff knew that she would be tackling plenty of DIY projects in the creation of her son's nursery. From the window treatments to the dresser pulls, no corner of this space escaped Amanda's creative touch. As if that weren't enough, she topped it all off with a wall of my favorite Mountains wallpaper from Fine Little Day and a gorgeous Caravan Crib from Kalon Studios. The result is a bright, colorful, and creative space in which I'm sure little Oliver will enjoy many happy moments.

You can read more about the project on Amanda's blog, The Violet Hours, or over on Parents.com. A big thank you to Amanda for sharing your son's lovely space with us!


Photographs by Heather Weston

Lovely Little Room: Neutral + Green

I love spaces that are mostly neutral, but have a bold pop of color here and there. This green is so unexpected and different that it caught my eye instantly. Paired with the natural wood, tans, taupes, and grays it looks striking. It's a perfectly soothing space for sleep but still fun for a child. And aren't those posters just to die for?!

The space was created by Nicole Rosenberg of Little Liberty. Nicole is an interior designer specializing in children's spaces, including nurseries bedrooms and playrooms. Unfortunately for us Yanks, Little Liberty is based in Melbourne Australia, but Nicole does offer E-Decorating services. You can visit Little Liberty's website here and blog here. Thanks Nicole for sharing this lovely space with us! You can read more about this nursery here.

Lovely Little Room: Gray + Coral

I was absolutely thrilled when Erin Loechner of Design for Mankind decided to launch a sister site - Design for Minikind. I've been following along with her pregnancy and have been waiting with bated breath for her nursery reveal. It didn't disappoint! Erin and her husband wanted to keep the space similar in aesthetic to their home, which has a white backdrop and Scandinavian-inspired accents. Keeping the main pieces gender neutral was another must (in case of a future bambino). At the same time, they wanted to incorporate whimsical elements and pops of color for their little girl. I think that they hit it out of the ballpark!

To see more photos of Erin's nursery, visit her blog here, or check out the video tour over on mom.me. A big thank you to Erin for sharing photos of your space with us!

Lovely Little Room: Neutral + Neon

This clean and modern space is the creation of mama Casey Baudoin of Sugar Lander. Casey is a stay-at-home mom to Asher and Noah, and is currently living in Aberdeen, Scotland - how exciting! She also runs a paper goods shop over on Etsy called Paper & Twine.

Casey created the nursery for her new bundle of joy, Asher. I love the great use of space and how she kept the room bright and airy with whites and neutrals. The Themis mobile adds that perfect wow factor. The cloud pillow and blanket were handmade by Casey, and she managed to repurpose the curtains, crib, rocker, and wooden bins from her older son's nursery.

 For more photos and sources, visit Casey's blog here. Thank you so much for sharing your son's lovely space Casey!