What Would Debbie Do? Anne & Greg's Nursery

My very dear friend, Anne, is pregnant!  So happy for her, so happy for her fab husband.  Anne and I have been talking nursery decor and this morning she sent around a link to Wall Pops, which got me dreaming.  They are currently house-hunting so none of us have any idea the dimensions of the future nursery, which leaves me free to imagine a fairly good sized room with space for all sorts of furniture.  A perfect WWDD sort of project!

Anne loves color.  Her living room was dark Kelly green and was only changed to make the house more sale-able.  Her bedroom is yellow with a blue ceiling,  In her last house, her dining room was pink and she had a chocolate brown sewing room.  Is it any wonder we're friends? 

They don't know the sex of the baby yet so I did two versions, one for a boy and one for a girl.  The base of the room is the same, I just swapped out different colored accessories.  Anne also loves the color of my living room and talks about how happy it is everytime she comes over, so what better than to use the same color for her baby's room!  Ralph Lauren paint isn't sold at Home Depot anymore so I went with Benjamin Moore's version.  The Wall Pops came in with a grid of 13" dots completely across the wall behind the crib.  I borrowed this idea from Emily A. Clark and just increased the number of dots.

To tone down the bright colors but still keep things happy and light, I went with lots of white furniture.  I kept things simple for myself and only sourced things from Ikea and Pottery Barn Kids, but if Anne and Greg were to actually do this, I imagine they would shop around a little more.  Or I would shop around for them. 

I also based many of my ideas for this room on my niece's bedroom.  I used the same crib, her changing table also has baskets and she loves having a small bookcase full of her books and toys.  My sister also hung a small chandelier over the changing table and I think it's just the cutest thing.  For the boy version, I went with paper lanterns instead.  Just as cute as a crystal chandelier, but not as girlie - and they pick up on the polka dotted wall. 

Just for fun, I put in a reproduction Nelson Marshmallow sofa.  It mimics the polka dots and is just darn fun.  Of course, most nurseries are not big enough for both a couch and a rocking chair, but then I am dreaming here so I kept it in.

I went with striped sheets and a square-shaped rocking chair to contrast all the circles.  I would use Breathable Bumpers, though they aren't pictured here, because I find them a lot more pleasing than the overstuffed quilted types that are often in goofy prints or boring colors - plus then the baby can't use them to launch herself out of the crib.  Again, this is what's in my niece's room.  I would then buy an extra striped sheet and have a pillow made for the rocking chair.  And don't worry, the rocking chair is slipcovered so it can be removed for cleaning.  And it's a lot easier to get a stain out of white than a color.

Now, the Batman nightlight.  In a girl's room, you ask?  Definitely.  This is a comic book family and no matter if their baby is a daughter or a son, it will be raised to love Batman.  As every child should.

On to the designs.

Girl's Room

Boy's Room

 

Sources:

Wall color: Benjamin Moore Blue Macaw #784

Wall decals: Wall Pops 13" dots in Ghost
Crib: Ikea Gulliver
Sheets: Ikea striped sheets
Rug: Pottery Barn Kids chenille rug
Floor lamp: Pottery Barn Kids Vintage Floor Lamp
Rocking chair: Pottery Barn Kids slipcovered glider
Curtains: Pottery Barn Kids white sailcloth panels with blackout liners (note: I would also have shades layered underneath)
Couch: Lexington Modern reproduction Nelson Marshmallow in white leather
Chandelier: Pottery Barn Kids Ella chandelier
Paper lanterns: Pottery Ban Kids Lily lanterns
Bookcase: Pottery Barn Kids Morgan 9 cubby bookcase with Pottery Barn Kids pop-up canvas cubes
Changing table: Pottery Barn Kids Ultimate changing table with Pottery Barn Kids Canvas boxes
Nightlight: Pottery Barn Kids Batman nightlight

What Would Debbie Do? My kitchen with handpainted tiles

The other day I was checking out some Italian villas based on Willow Decor's recommendation and I was completely struck with the colorful tiles, especially those on the floor.  Maybe it's the wallpapered ceiling in my powder room, but lately I'm drawn to patterns on places other than walls.  And these tiles got me thinking about my kitchen.  If I put down some fabulously colored tiles on the floor, what sort of cabinets would I then need?  And so on. 

So here's What Would Debbie Do with hand painted floor tiles in my current kitchen!

The tile I picked out is pretty dramatic and I'd want it in a big size, like 1' squares, to be even more dramatic.  I looked at ones with more white, but I just kept coming back to this pattern with the different shades of blue and touches of black.  It just seemed more versatile.  Thinkn about it - yellow gingham would sweeten things up, black would add glamor, white would brighten, a random color like coral would make it even more eclectic, etc.  Anyway, back to my design.

I HAD to go with a copper hood.  I've been a little bit obsessed with them since finding this picture and put them in every dream kitchen.  I like this one because it's a little darker so mixing it up with fixtures and hardware in other finishes will be contrasting, not clashing.

The combination of the copper hood and dramatic tile just seemed to call out for stained cabinets instead of the white ones I usually pick out for my dream kitchen.  I like these because they're a little more rustic looking.  I would do the top cabinets all with glass fronts to lighten things up a bit (and paint the backs creamy white or mustard-y yellow - not sure) and they would go alllllllll they way to the ceiling with a very, very simple moulding at the top.  Very simple hardware as well, probably oiled bronze or black to blend in with the wood. 

Below would be solid fronts and I would spend gobs of time designing these so there are pull-out shelves for all my various cook and bakeware.  The back wall of my kitchen would also get some custom cabinets on the bottom and then coordinating open shelves up top, possibly with a copper pot rack.  Or maybe the shelves would have adjustable pegs to hold up my oversized platters.

With so much going on with the floor, the backsplash needs to be simple, but I didn't want to do just paint and thought white subway tile would be too stark.  And then I found this blue-gray glass subway tile from buytile.com.  So pretty!  And at least on my computer monitor, it looks to be the same shade as one of the blues in the floor tiles.  Of course, if this were real life, I'd order samples of both to be sure, but we're dreaming here so I can make all sorts of assumptions.

And I like the color coordination, but with the dark cabinets and the dark floor and the dark backsplash (and I'm thinking a similar blue-gray on the ceiling), something's gotta be light so I made it my counters.  My sister has quartz counters and loves them so I went with the same.  The color of these is called champagne, which is my favorite type of wine.  They're made to resemble marble and actually have bits of marble in them.  They also have bits of gold, which pulls in the copper hood.  And then the sandy color is enough of a contrast to chrome and white.

Another mandatory part of all of my dream kitchens is the Lombard light from Rejuvenation.  I would get two of them so there would be plenty of light and put them both on dimmers.  I like laboratory lighting when I'm cooking, but would love to be able to have mood lighting during a party when folks are in and out of the kitchen.  Because no matter how much you put things out in the living room or how teeny tiny your kithen is, people always gather there.  And with tile like this?  The party will ALWAYS be on in the kitchen.  And I like it.

I didn't pick out the other parts of the kitchen, but picture a mammoth stainless undermount sink with a curved chrome faucet.  I'll keep my black stove because it was a gift and thus is very special to me.  Plus I think the black would fade into the background instead of competing for spotlight with the floor the way stainless would.  I would replace my fridge and dishwasher with updated versions, also in black.  A bamboo Roman shade on the window that's a lighter and more golden than the cabinets.  And a few more pieces of Le Crueset in flame to add to what I have to jazz things up even more. Because, you know, I'm all about a jazzy kitchen.

What do you think?

side note: the only downside to this kitchen is that I would have to change the living room color. Even a dustier shade of turquoise, like I want anyway, would still be too much blue for me. And while something neutral like a paperbag khaki would be pretty, I can't imagine me living in that much neutral. So that's something else to think about.  Later.

What Would Debbie Do? My office at work

I've been pretty lucky - I've been in an office the entire time at my company.  We don't really have cubes and most assistants sit in hallway desks.  No walls, no door, no privacy.  I've been in the same office for my 10 years here, through several promotions and several different officemates.  It's a good-sized office, but not huge and for the first 7 or 8 years (they run together), I shared it with someone else.  Then my last officemate moved to her own office, but left her desk behind.  There was always the promise (threat?) of someone else moving in and I did have an intern in with me during the last political season, but for the past 2 or 3 years, I've been by myself.  But with two desks.  My good-sized office was still cramped.

The other day, though, the second desk was finally taken out!  I had a dream of a couch, but there wasn't one available that would fit.  The office manager did give me an unused arm chair - it's a nice dark charcoal and very comfortable.

I have some ideas for redecorating my office with unused posters and pillows from home and I plan on taking some pictures once I get it all together, but all this room also made me dream a little.  Hence another chapter in What Would Debbie Do?

There are some things that need to stay.  The olive green carpet, the cream walls with a goldenrod accent wall, my orange-y wood desk, large black file cabinet and the charcoal armchair.  So I came up with a gray, pink and yellow color scheme.

First, I'll bring in the 75" Hutton sofa from Room & Board in Blossom and toss a couple of throw pillows from Etsy on it in a black and gold ginko leaf pattern.  Then on the charcoal chair (very similar to this one from Room & Board), I'll add another Etsy pillow in a goldenrod chevron.

Pretty, right?

I already have a nice and simple desk lamp, but I need more light in here to avoid using the overhead fluorescents.  So I'll add two of the Kenrick floor lamps from Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams.  One up near the door and then one behind my desk.

Now we have places to seat and plenty of light.  Time to pretty up the joint with some stuff on the walls.

I like my desk pushed against the accent wall (still looking out the door), so along that wall will be three different pieces.  Behind my desk will be a cork board from Ballard Designs - the size of the largest one in this picture, but with a black frame.  And I'll have their little gold bee push pins, natch.

Then above my desk will be three faux film reels from Pier 1 (I do work on Broadcast Production, after all).  These suckers are big - the dark one is 24" and the small is 18".  I'll go Small-Big-Small straight down in a row.

Then, evenly spaced to the right of the reels will be this very pretty painting from World Market.  This is the spot I see as I come into my office and so I want something lovely to greet me.

Now on to the other wall.  I want something to ground the space, both in size and in color, so I selected this blueprint of the Eiffel Tower from Ballard Designs.  Though I've never been to Paris, I still love all things French.  It's a dark gray-blue so it goes with my color scheme without being too matchy-matchy.  And I just think it's freaking cool.

The back wall is all window and I don't want any curtains blocking my view - my immediate view is of a brick building, but over to the right is the Potomac River and the Kennedy Center.  It's pretty sweet.  And I keep the blinds open all the time so I'm not even going to bother replacing them.

Overall, I love this plan and am going to keep it in mind when I start redecorating my office for real.  Though since it'll all be coming out my pocket, I think I'll forego the $300 cork board...

What Would Debbie Do? My mom's house for Thanksgiving

First in an occasional series on how I would redecorate a space

As I touched on in my last post, the Thanksgiving table at my mom's house is a bit random.  A cramped table, too many dishes, a mish-mosh of serving dishes and tablecloth that has been washed one too many times.  Quality linen it is not.

Her china was her mom's, but isn't some special family heirloom.  Nope - it was a giveaway the local bank was doing.  Make a deposit and get a piece of china.  It's not the prettiest stuff in the world, but my grandparents didn't have a lot of money.  And when my mom inherited it, she and my dad didn't have a lot of money.  So even though she's always thought it ugly, it's always been on the table.  Beggars can't be choosers and all, right?

Well, now my mom is in a more comfortable place.  Not enough to go out and buy new china, but you know, she isn't really a china person anyway.  She wants to be, but she's not.  She's stoneware - Fiestaware, to be exact.  She already has a few pieces of it in cobalt and always likes expanding on her collection so I'm going to help her along.

I'll start with a dark purple tablecloth from World Market with matching napkins

The rich colors are still autumnal but will go better with her dishes than the green.  And it's cheap, which is great considering she'll only use it once a year.  Veering a little from tradition which is unsettling for my mom, but I think she'll really like the outcome. 

Then I'll complete her set of cobalt Fiesta dinner plates.  Thanksgiving is a more-the-merrier event so let's give her a total of 16 plates. 

I'm tempted to mix and match a bit, but it's easier to just stick with all cobalt and then she can easily keep expanding after I've finished with this little blog post.

So let's replace some of her tired dishes.  The light turquoise one?  Yeah, it's been passed down, but I don't think it's heirloom quality and is too light for the winter holidays.  Fiesta has a very nice pedestal bowl that would be good in its place. 

Note: the colors in these pictures are all over the place, but they're all the same deep cobalt in real life

So now we have 16 cobalt plates and four cobalt serving dishes (counting the ones she already owns), it's time to shake things up a bit.  But I'm going simple and streamlined so I don't want to inroduce another color.  How about pewter?  My mom loves pewter, it will add some shine to the table and is a bit more rustic than actual silver so will go better with the Fiesta.  How about a couple Revere bowls?  A little expensive at $130 each for the 9" ones (and we might need bigger), but they're gorgeous.

Let's pull out the Jefferson cups she already has and buy some more to make a set and use those for wine.  They're a little more casual, a little more fun and since she already has footed water glasses, a nice contrast.

A pewter gravy boat (with it's own stand since when they're not attached they never end up back together) would round out our glitz requirement for the table.  Two would be necessary, one for either end of the table.

She already has a good selection of small Depression glass dishes that are great for things like cranberry sauce and olives and will add some nice sparkle.  They look fancy, but they originally were as dime store as the Fiestaware.  Love it.  And if we happened to find this one at a yard sale or antique store?  Well, I wouldn't complain.

source

I really wanted to find a platter to replace the plain white one but couldn't find one I liked.  Oh well. 

I think these pieces would help my mom's Thanksgiving table better reflect her personality and she would be more likely to use them everyday.  After all, life isn't all about the holidays!