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My toddler is now old enough (and more than big enough) to move out of his crib into a bed. I’ve been hunting around for a modern white toddler bed that isn’t too expensive. From what I gather, you can never tell whether your child will actually stay in the bed you choose (even though he says he’s into the idea). And even once they are happy to sleep through the night in it, they’ve graduated to a twin bed before you know it. So there is absolutely no point in spending over $500 for this gorgeous Oeuf bed.
So what’s a good alternative? Well, here’s my short list.
First, the Da Vinci Modena bed. I found one for $210. It’s very simple and has the clean lines of the Oeuf bed, although not the cool curved edges. The best thing about it, though, is that it has a drawer underneath. We need that extra storage space.
The bed below is the Little Colorado Scalloped Star bed. Allchildrensfurniture.com is selling it for $150. I like the star motif but the scalloped edges are a bit twee for my liking. And there’s no drawer. Cute though.
This bed, the KidKraft modern toddler bed, was recommended on Apartment Therapy. I admit it is pretty cool – and only about $190. But it’s natural wood and I am rather set on white.
And so to my favorite option. Rather unimaginatively, it’s the IKEA choice. It’s called Kritter (so cute) and is only $89. No drawer, but look at the little sheep cut outs on the headboard. Provided the quality looks ok, I think this is the one. Sweet dreams…
For more inspiration, I like Apartment Therapy’s Ohdeedo blog and Remodelista which has some cool ideas for children’s rooms.
I’ll show pictures of my son’s room once the bed’s in place. Next stop, though, cute toddler bedding. $350 for a designer bedding set anyone?
Birds have been an interior design trend for some time, but still have appeal. Now I’m spotting butterflies on everything from wallpaper to bedlinen. When incorporating them into an interior, you want to capture the charm of these winged creatures without being too cute. No ducks flying up the wall, that is… Here are a few examples where bird and butterfly motifs work beautifully.
This paperweight from Graham & Green is adorable. And, it’s functional too…
These butterfly mirrors are from Graham & Green too. They’d be cute in a bedroom or bathroom, especially against an intense color.
I can’t say enough positive things about this bed linen from House of Fraser in the UK. You wouldn’t need any other decoration really in a bedroom with this bed. The ultimate in romantic style.
It’s pretty obvious that I’m a fan of Jonathan Adler. His bird ‘bowls’ now come in this stunning jade green. I could happily buy a flock of them…
I first saw the Elli Pop range of wallpapers on Decorology so flew over to the Elli Pop site where there are stunning repeat prints, murals and borders in a variety of bird, flower and butterfly designs. I love this mural with the heron below and the little bird above in the tree.
Here’s how to do the bird motif without being over the top. Allie Bruch’s house (via Apartment Therapy) has this cute understated owl.
If you want to take the bird motif in a whole different direction, this is a good way to go. The ‘hungry’ message adds a humorous note to a kitchen.
Michael Aram, home of stunning accessories in silver, nickel and bronze, has these pretty butterfly drawer/door handles.
Finally, for fans of the understated look, this butterfly vase from Pottery Barn is a find.
To some, a home is just four walls and a roof. To others, it’s a showcase for a lifetime’s achievements. To a few, it’s a canvas for artistic expression. To me, it’s a refuge and a source of comfort. It’s also a lab for design experiments, some of which go well, many of which don’t.
That’s the real reason I started this blog: to record the changes in our home, capture the things that inspire those changes; and document the disasters so I never repeat them!
To some people, I suppose our home looks finished. Or maybe it looks like we’ve barely started. But to me, it’s a work in progress. So here are the first photos of our home – finished or otherwise.
We live in a San Francisco Edwardian. There are three stories, including the basement garage. The living room is at the front and is open to the hallway via a double-width arch. We’re lucky to have tons of natural light, with windows on two sides – although that does make it chilly on winter evenings. The sofas are from IKEA (when we moved to the US seven years ago, we had to furnish an entire apartment in a weekend so most of our basic items are from IKEA – and still going strong, I might add). The ottoman is from Pottery Barn and has been absolutely invaluable – there’s nothing better than kicking back in front of a movie with this as a footrest. Good for extra seating too when we entertain. The shades are raw silk from the Shade Store (excellent for reasonably-priced custom shades). The mirror and lamp are from Pier 1 and the apothecary chest is from Gingko, a little store in Soma that makes items to order for a great price – mostly from reclaimed wood. I also have a beautiful Louis chair (out of shot) covered in cream velvet, with silver gilt arms. It’s rather ornate but balances out the two boxy IKEA sofas. The challenge here is keeping the effect modern while indulging my preference for vintage, gilt and shiny things. Seems I’m constantly teetering between the two.
Ok, this shot is taken from the sofa under the bay window, looking through to the hallway and then dining room. Here’s the Louis chair. The painting is by Chris Hankey. We asked for contributions to an art gallery for our wedding gifts, and this was one of the pieces we eventually purchased. If there’s one thing in our home that helps me relax, it’s this.
The dining room wall color was a major change for us – it’s quite a cool blue/green/gray. It’s Iced Marble by Benjamin Moore and seems to change color depending on what you put next to it. But it looks great as a backdrop to the wave painting. The table is (of course) IKEA, but the chairs are from a, now closed, store on Fillmore Street. I loved the leather but couldn’t justify buying six of them so two are in a charcoal fabric instead. The sideboard, just seen, is from Gingko again. I had trouble deciding what to do with the front door, which is glass. I didn’t want to block out the light completely, but also didn’t want passersby peering in while we ate our dinner in the evening. The laser-cut paper screen by Tord Boontje seemed to be a good solution – and, somehow, we’ve managed to prevent our toddler from tearing it to shreds.
Just off the dining room is a tiny sitting area, which we use as a playroom. I’ve already shared my excitement about the West Elm zigzag rug in an earlier post: I’m loving how it contrasts with the more somber dining room.
This is the master bedroom. It’s above the living room so we get the same great light. But we had to invest in extremely well-lined drapes and shades to keep the warmth in in winter. The bed is IKEA again, as are the lamps. I feel like we should replace the lamps with something more visible against the light-colored drapes. But the light they give is so warm it’s perfect for a bedroom so I can’t bear to part with them. The pomegranate painting was another wedding gift and was the inspiration for the colors in this room.
Ok, I’m no stylist. But I like to see this little collection of things on our dresser in the mornings. The photos are of my father as a child, the handheld silver mirror (lying flat) was an 18th birthday present, the mother-of-pearl inlaid mirror is from Wisteria and was a source of much soul-searching (should we really spend the money?) but it was the best price I’d found for this type of mirror and I absolutely love it. The domino box is also from Wisteria and was a present from my sister (with some strong hints…). The large paper flower was made by my two-year-old at his daycare and is, quite frankly, the best thing about this collection (in my humble, doting-parent, opinion!)
Last but not least, the guest room. The photograph isn’t great, but the room itself is really relaxing to be in. The wall color is Morning Dew by Benjamin Moore – a really pale, creamy green. The drapes are white linen and from the Shade Store again. The bedside tables were an absolute find for $140 each in a local antiques store (Past Perfect on Union Street – same place I got the Louis chair). Somehow they work with the IKEA bed and lamps. The rug is from South Africa, a gift from my parents.
In another post, I’ll try to show some pics of the nursery, office and kitchen. The latter is definitely a work in progress – we’re contemplating a renovation.
So, that’s our home. I hope it provides some ideas – even if only what not to do!
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