Think Pink

I’ve written before about my daughter’s nursery, but moving her into a new house, new big-girl bed and a more sophisticated room was it’s own animal entirely. But a really cute animal. A very pink one, at that. In fact, she chose Benjamin Moore I Love You Pink, a really beautiful and vibrant hue with blue undertones (that may be attributed to the fact that the room was formerly blue. See? Look here. Before:

Two photos of the room from the previous owners. 

The transformation is pretty remarkable, I’d say. Here is our after:

Now that’s a pink room. A pink room with a fairy tent, and a chandelier and handmade wall art. 

The canvases above I painted while I was pregnant with my daughter, quoting our favorite children’s books and songs.

The canvases below that hang over her headboard were painted by my daughter herself; she is a budding artist and loves to paint. From left to right, her take on Monet’s Water Lillies; Renoir’s Clouds; Her own design. Did I mention she’s 3?

The custom made pillow on her bed is by the same insanely talented crafter who did the elephant and fox and pillows for my son’s nursery. Her bedding is a Barbie print from Pottery Barn Kids. 

Her shelf and lamp are from The Land of Nod. Much like the tapestry of love woven throughout her brother’s nursery, the shelf decorations in my daughter’s room are a collection of love from near and far; a robot figure my husband and I purchased for her in St. Michael’s, MD; a Japanese figure from my cousin; Mosaic art done by my Aunt; toy cars from her dad; A Georgia O’Keefe inspired vase with flowers that she made in her summer art class; a very special Shel Silverstein book that was her birth gift from my bestie; this little mask, one of the “two new things a day” that her best friend/boyfriend/brother from another mother brings to school for her. She is loved. 

And the rest of her shelves? I could go on and on. A jewelry box from my twin, gifts from my sister and parents from travels to Israel, St. John, Budapest and Normandy. Jewelry holders from my time in Barcelona. There is history, there is family, there is love.

All of her furniture is, like her brother’s, Stanley Young America From their built to grow line. Her bed used to be a crib. Now it’s full size. It’s awesome. I love the “shell” color as well, as it is creamy and delicious, especially with her walls. 

And above is a bookshelf fit for a princess. Below is what a real kid’s bedroom looks like. Toys littered around, dolls and playthings. This is real life, people. 

This chandelier was purchased while I was still pregnant with my daughter, before we were telling the sex (when only we knew) on an antiquing trip to Adamstown. I think our purchase made it fairly obvious, but who’s to tell?

Her night-table was a special gift from her god-father’s parents, as it belonged to his little sister as a child. How special is that? The framed butterfly was from my mom’s childhood bedroom. The newest addition is the framed photo of my kids holding hands. 

The artwork hanging on her walls all has special meaning; The painting below is by Yoshimoto Nara, author of “The Lonesome Puppy” which was one of her favorite books as a toddler. (please pardon my reflection! eek!)

The top frame below is a painting of Honeymoon Beach in St. John, our Happy Place (and the place where my husband asked permission for my hand in marriage the day before he proposed). The bottom is from her godparents, as seahorses were always my favorite animal. 

Can I just say, I am obsessed with her rug? I did a major rug search for her room, but wanted something that a) fit with the design of our house and b) she could grow into. I hit the jackpot with this beautiful Kilim Rug from Pottery Barn Teen. It is one of the pieces in this house that receives the most compliments.

And here are her friends. In no particular order, Sandy, Lambie, dolly, Pinkberry, Bunny, Teddy, Elizabeth, another Lambie and Baguana. They are glad to make your acquaintance. My daughter’s room is so her; it is colorful, it is vibrant, it is always a little messy and it is filled with so much eclectic, eccentric, boundless love.

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Dining Time

Our dining room is probably my favorite in the house. I love the aesthetics of it, but more than that it is a woven tapestry; a journey through time and across the world and a fine blend of contributions from many of our cherished loved ones. It is also the room in which we signed the deal when our offer was accepted on the house nearly 18 months ago.

The room had great bones; Big, sunny windows, incredible molding, french doors, all covered in dull paint and tired window treatments and, literally, dust.

Here is a before shot:

I mentioned earlier that I had (have) a thing for paint colors, and the story of my dining room transformation begins with an obsession to find the perfect paint. I should mention now that before we moved into the house we did several things: First, we installed central air. Second, we did some structural work like building a bannister to the third floor and some window seats. But the greatest transformation was the painting. We painted every single wall of the house. Every wall, every door, every single thing I could think of to paint (including an antique mirrored table I found while antiquing in Lambertville, but more on that later). And 90% of the walls in my house I painted in some shade of white. This house needed a fresh start, and to me, warm white was the way to go. However, not in this dining room. This dining room, I felt, had the potential to be spectacular. And so, after much agonizing, I chose Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray and I could not love it more. The molding and French Doors we painted in Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White. It is so special.

And so, here are some shots of the After. As always, click on the photos below to see them in their full size.

So here it is. Our dining room. 

This table is one of our newest pieces, originally from Material Culture, the two pieces bookending are from Nadeau and the Frame holding the tapestry is from my go-to, Home Goods, all being some of our favorite furniture spots. Inside the frame is a very special piece, fabric my parents brought back for us from their trip to Vietnam. It finally has a home.

The table and chairs, which are a rich terra cotta, were given to us by my husband’s father, as they had formerly been used as his board room set. His parents also gave us the Kilim rug.

I love this little nook. This chair has an interesting story; we saw it in one of our favorite (but extremely expensive) stores in Lambertville this past summer and thought it was beautiful and reasonable, but could not think of a place for it. Weeks later, we thought about using it for our Living Room, so we called the store and it had not been sold, but it had been moved back to their warehouse, so if we wanted it, we had to come immediately. So my husband made the round trip drive, 90 minutes each way, and the chair came to live with us, where it had always been meant to reside. The botanicals hanging are also special to us; one was a wedding gift and the other from my parents from London. The large painting which is a depiction of Eve is from my grandparents. See what I mean? This room has so much history. So much soul.

Our credenza is a spectacular marble and carved piece given to us by dear family friends, to whom it had been gifted by their dear family friends. The tapestry of our story continues…Most of the decor on top of the credenza is from Home Grown, not to be confused with the other HG. These are some of my more high end pieces, and also some of my most meaningful. The beautiful candlesticks you see were an engagement gift from my Aunt and Late Uncle. I love seeing them every day. The “Art” displayed is another example of a picture that I liked, printed and framed. It cost me next to nothing. High/Low strikes again.

Our light fixture we brought from our old house’s kitchen. It came with the house and was always my favorite. The sconces are from good old Home Depot. Fahn-cy, indeed.

In the shot above, to the left of the French doors, you can see another one of my most meaningful pieces; a gift from my parents that says “Woman of Valor” with a Hamsa. It is an honor to have it hanging in my home. From this vantage point you can see into both our Living Room and Sunroom, which is one of my favorite attributes of our house; the openness. It also gives a bit of a sneak peak for what’s to come…