Our Playroom: The Reveal

At long last, we put the finishing touches on Thomas' playroom yesterday afternoon. Our timing couldn't have been any more perfect because he's just started actually crawling. I feel so fortunate to have a space dedicated to play for our little man, and it's a stress reliever knowing the room is baby proof (or at least so I think!).

Sources:
Floor squares - Walmart
Solair Chairs - Studio Pazo
All picture frames - Michaels
Teepee - Mozzlehome (confetti painted by hand by me)
Artwork - Mrs. Eliot Books and Retro Menagerie
Clock - Dominion
Growth Chart - Indigo (thanks Virginia!)
Artwork Hanging Wire - Ikea
Hanging Artwork - Vintage Tintin Post Cards and Lagom Design
Pillow - Ikea (no longer available)
Toddle Truck - Ikea
Storage Bins - Dominion

Confetti Bunting

This simple Dutch bunting makes me smile. I'd love to hang one in Thomas' playroom. Photos taken by StyleCookie.

Rugs

We have hardwood (new on the main, original on the third floor) and laminate (in the basement) so rugs are a necessity in our home. As Thomas starts to crawl we want to make sure his little knees and elbows are protected, so I've been thinking about increasing the amount of square footage in our home that's clothed in rugs. Aren't these Turkish rugs beautiful? Found via Little Green Notebook.

Makeover

Every day Thomas and I take naps in our queen size bed. I also am 99.9% of the time in bed by 8:30 pm each night. This amounts to a lot of time in our (inherited) baby blue bedroom. I'm (meaning as of today) consumed with wanting to give our master bedroom a makeover. I want it to be eclectic and cozy. I'd like to mount one of the above photos of Vancouver above our bed.

Inspiration

How are you being inspired this year in your holiday decorations? I'm feeling inspired by orange, hot pink and turquoise, reindeer motifs, embroidery and a global bohemian flair. Our jumping off point? This pillow.

Navy

Hmm, maybe we should paint our kitchen a deep navy? This kitchen is gorgeous! Image via NY Magazine.

P.S. The Horizontal Stripes 2011 Gift Guide will pick up again on Monday with guides for foodie friends, romantic friends, dads, mother in laws, sister in laws, babies, toddlers and brother in laws. I spent today actually shopping for the people I love. xo

Wallpaper

Ok, so now I'm back on the wallpaper train of thought. This option combines wallpaper with an art wall. I could start off by colouring in a few frames and adding fun postcards and photos to the pictures for Thomas, and as he grows he could add to the collection himself. The only downside? If we were to move I'm sure parting with the wall would be incredibly difficult.

Playroom II

I'm getting cold feet about cladding a wall in the playroom in wallpaper. Instead, maybe a collection of twoems abstract prints would provide sufficient visual interest and colour?

We're also thinking of placing a davenport in the room to double as a place to watch movies, hold sleepovers and host guests. In terms of specifics, I'm loving this couch and this one too.

Playroom

Our guest room is going to go through a metamorphosis in the coming months from cozy rest place for visiting family to a play space for our boy (we'll move the guest space to our present third floor den). Right now I'm in the inspiration gathering stage. I want to include a child sized table and chairs set, fun wallpaper, and a rotating art display place (plus lots of storage and white walls). We'd also like to keep things as green as possible by purchasing recyclable cardboard large toys such as this play hut, where possible, though I have to admit I'm feeling tempted to purchase this play kitchen (which is presently available at a floor model discount from a local shop). I know Thomas won't be ready to play with the kitchen for awhile, but some of my happiest memories are playing with my toy kitchen as a child. Plus Erzi makes the most amazing wooden play food. Speaking of play kitchens, Kids on Roof also has a fantastic cardboard version. Plan Toys table and chairs via Baby Naturopathics, city wall paper via Studio Nommo and art work line via Ikea.

Closet

Our nursery closet is very similar to the original closet on Young House Love - narrow, no door, one rack and one shelf. But their solution proves to me that we can make that little space super functional for our son. I'm excited to get started. By way of progress thus far, I have a slew of baby hangers and a second rod ready for installation. The balance of work will have to be completed after the room is painted.

Nursery Inspiration

Since finding out that we're having a sweet boy, I've been devouring Ohdeedoh, Wee Textile and similar blogs for nursery inspiration. Our plans are well underway with a clean lined white crib waiting in the basement for assembly, grey paint swatches stuck to the little one's bedroom wall, and visions of handmade buntings and mobiles, and a painted red vintage dresser. I know for certain that we want a soft rug for baby to play on in his room, and a storage unit to stash toys when they're not in use. We'll also have a reading corner (complete with our repurposed poang chair) and soft toys. My timeline for completion is the end of June (ideally!). We shall see how we do with that. Images via Ohdeedoh, Project Nursery and Ohdeedoh.

Sarah 101

Seriously, this is the best show on tv right now. I am obsessed with decorating with fabrics after watching just a few episodes. Wouldn't these tea towels be a great jumping off point for a kids room? Image via Rambling Renovators.

Garland

I am beyond obsessed with this garland from the Purl Bee. I must make one.

P.S. The white walls in this photo make me miss our white walls on Forest (the one thing I miss about our previous home). I swear sleeping in an all white bedroom is the most restorative thing one can do for oneself.

Deck

This deck makes me excited for painting projects and summer and bbqs on our patio. Don't you love how the railing is accented in red? I think this might have to be a summer DIY project on Circular. Image source unknown.

Ornaments

Typically, I prefer my holiday ornaments made of tin, dipped in crayola colours (and sequins!) and spherical. However, Abbey's plan to make 20 (homemade) ornaments in 20 days is a sweet idea. Above are my favourites. You can see them all here.

Snow Globes

Aren't these snow globes genius? They tell tales of how people and pixies (Scandinavian elves) co-exist... via Black Eiffel. I'd love to see a NL version that depicts how our common fairies co-exist with humans. Fairies are certainly more evil than pixies (at least the ones in these snow globes).

Brick

I love whitewashed brick. If our house was brick, I'd certainly paint it out white. We have a small section of painted white brick in our basement, and I adore it. Image via Mxr.

Holidays

I'm in a let's-paint-my-fingernails-red mood, and Greg mistakenly played a Christmas tune this am. Naturally, this is sufficient to turn my mind to the holidays. Last year, I didn't make much of an effort (a tree, a store-bought wreath on the front door and a small holiday party for my immediate family with hors d'oeuvres on Christmas Eve), but I'm feeling more ambitious in 2010.

This year, I'm dreaming about lemon, lime and kumquat wreaths...

amaryllis and paper whites a plenty...

flutes of champagne...

and a show-stopping banister. All images via Real Simple.

Pop-Up

I'm thinking 100 Circular could use a splash of Kate Spade's Pop-Up London shop. All images via Kate's Facebook page.