Blackberry Winter

Last week we had a cold snap here in Connecticut.  Every year around this time, just when you think it should be summer once and for all, we get a very cool day or two.  And then I remember, of course it's cool, as my mother would say, it's Blackberry Winter.  This is actually a southern term referring to a cold snap when the blackberry bushes are in bloom.  In the south, this usually occurs in late May.  In Connecticut it is usually the first week in June.  Sure enough...when I looked around last week, the blackberries were indeed in bloom.  I found some great images of the deep purple black the reminds me of blackberries.

Decorating a Child's Bedroom

Designing Like a Child: Decorating a Child’s Bedroom

Just like your bedroom is your sanctum from the troubles of the world, so too is your child’s bedroom the center of their daily life.  Designing a bedroom for your kids can be great fun for you and them, and a great opportunity to bond with them.  It’s a perfect chance for your children to express their personalities and impart their own style to their little corner of your home.

Get your kids involved

While the general principle with home design and décor is that it should always reflect your tastes and personalities, designing a child’s bedroom is something that should match their styles and tastes.  Ask your kids what they like and what kind of design they would like in their bedroom.  Your kid knows what colors they like and what they would like to show off in their room.

Build at kid level

Unless your kid has already outgrown your height, they probably don’t have the reach that you do.  Adding plenty of storage space like storage chests and shelves goes a long way for helping a kid keep a room from becoming a cluttered mess.  However, if your kids can’t reach the toys on their shelves easily then don’t expect things to get put away all the time.  Make sure that the room is accessible for their height.

Light for any occasion

Children use their room for everything.  They’ll host tea parties, command their armies to fight evil dragons, hunt for treasure, and at some point they might even do some homework.  Just like any other room in the home, lighting a child’s room should consider both fashion and function.  Strong centralized lighting works for letting your kids clean up their messes, while adding some desktop lamps can help them do their homework or recreational reading.

Plan for the future

Try as you might, that kid won’t stop growing anytime soon.  It’s the dreaded future my car lives in fear of every day.  How you design the room should take into consideration the fact that your kid will keep getting bigger.  Buying a tiny little twin bed might be cute for your four year old, but it’s a bed you’ll just have to replace once they outgrow it.  It might save you some money to just buy them a larger bed now.

Wall decals are popular decorations that are perfect for the ever changing tastes of a kid.  Most wall decals are safely applied and won’t harm the paint when removed.  Having a magnet or a cork board where your kid can stick up pictures and projects can also help give their room design evolve daily without forcing you to remodel with their whims.

Get them involved

Not only is decorating a child’s room a great bonding opportunity for you and your kid, but it is also a great opportunity to put your kids to work.  You obviously shouldn’t trust a four year old with a power-saw, so you have to know what your kid can handle.  Let them paint a corner of the room, put together part of a shelf, or even just help clean up some of the mess.  If they learn to love working early on, it’s that much easier to trick them into mowing the lawn for you in a few years.

You’ll have a great time designing a room and your kid will love spending time with you.  Get them involved in the design, put them to work, and let their room become the manifestation of their creativity.

Ross Donald is a writer, designer, and father, specializing in interior design and lighting aesthetics. He currently writes for Lighting Sale who specializes in light fixtures.

Garden inspiration

This lovely photo of Narborough Hall in Norfolk is the epitome of an English Garden. The colors, shapes and textures are simply perfect. Happy Saturday.

Color Inspiration: Lilac

 Carolyne Roehm

Nature is my color inspiration.  Today in Connecticut the Lilacs are in full bloom.  I cut loads of blossoms from my bushes this morning to brighten up my office and my home.  In past years the deer have feasted on the buds and haven't left much for me to enjoy, but this year my bushes are tall enough so the deer couldn't reach a good deal of the buds.  Below are some great examples of using lilac in the home, either as an accent color, or boldly as the main color.  Who wouldn't want a little lilac in their life.  Happy May.  Enjoy.

Architectural Digest

 Christina Murphy

Catherine Huckerby

 Timothy Whealon

 

Color inspiration: blue and tan

I'm in the process of helping a client choose a color palette for their renovation project. It's a fairly small home with just two major rooms. I have decided on using a combination of pale blue and tan for the color scheme. All of the trim has been painted dove white and looks fantastic. For the kitchen/dining area we are going with a pale gray blue. For the living room we are going with a soft light taupe....like Benjamin Moore pale oak. The group of photos below helped inspire me for this project.