A Bright and Cheerful Boys' Nursery

For a very long time while I was growing up, I shared a room with my sister. Some of my fondest memories are of us talking late into the night. So when a client approached me to help her create a nursery for her son and his soon-to-arrive younger brother, I was really excited. 

A bit of background: the nursery was originally in a smaller guest room. Since the nursery would be for two tots and not just one, we were moving everyone to the larger guest room. Challenges? There was a laundry list. First every single wall had windows and/or doors, making furniture placement difficult. Also, we had to squeeze in two cribs, which had to be placed out of reach of curtains and windows. A sitting area was a must for reading. And of course, a changing table was a necessity for when the newest member of the family arrives. 

The design plan was to keep things minimal and monochromatic for the most part. I wanted the room to be one that the boys could grow into. I was positive that books and toys would bring in enough color to make sure that this room didn't feel drab. And although this is an older home, I pushed for a bit more modernity in this room to keep things fresh.  Below is the design board. 

Here are a couple of before photos of the room. 

As you can see, the wall colors had yellow/beige undertones which made the room feel a bit heavy. The brown curtains with the darker wood flooring made everything feel one note. The hardware and the fixtures throughout the room had to be updated. And the curtains were hung too low, making things feel a bit stuffy. Let's move on to the fun stuff. 

Yes, I promise you, this is the same room. As you can see, we deviated slightly from the original design board but generally the plan remained the same. 

 Let's start with the big changes we made. First, a big one: the clients replaced the windows. We also painted the room a lighter cooler color, Behr Lunar Light. We upgraded the sconces and the curtain hardware to polished nickel. Also, although we were on a budget, I thought it was very important to raise the curtain rods and get longer curtains. You can see how much of a difference this small change makes, it's almost like magic. It seems the room has grown taller! No Alice in Wonderland magic here, just curtain rods installed at a higher height. And yes, these are blackout curtains to create the ideal sleeping conditions for tired young boys. 

The perfect reading nook? Right here. 

This accent chair was repurposed from the master bedroom. It brings color into this otherwise neutral room. The gold accent table adds shimmer and light, also a great landing space for drinks and/or books. The changing table is just a dresser from Ikea that is perfect for a nursery, a workhorse furniture piece that should last for several years but can handle some dings and scratches. 

Where is big brother sleeping? See below. 

Yea I know, I want to move in too.  I'm obsessed with this graphic rug. It's also really thick, ideal for a bit of roughhousing. Since this is California (earthquake country), I rarely place anything framed or sharp above a bed and that includes a crib. This beautiful yak print is unframed and still looks beautiful. 

Look up, it's a ceiling fan that doesn't remind you of the 1970's. I don't have a before photo of the original fan fixture but I promise you that this is a good upgrade. It has clean lines, wonderful color and circulates air in the room, what more can you ask for?! 

Where is soon to arrive little brother sleeping? Take a look below. 

Yes, younger brother gets Mr. Buffalo to watch over him. Adorable. We kept things cohesive by purchasing the same Ikea crib that is on the other side of the room. 

But Clara, where are all the toys?! Follow me. Here is the before of this sad corner. 

And below is the after!

The gallery wall brings in so much color and life into this room. The cutest table lamp with the black and white shade touches back to the main colors of the room. It also brings in another source of lighting. These boys have their own little library and baskets interspersed throughout corral the smaller toys. I like how everything is consolidated into one side of the room, keeping the room visually clean and airy. 

I loved how this room turned out. It's bright, cheery and modern. Most importantly, we've carved out a space for play and sleep which is important for every nursery, especially a shared one. I hope you enjoyed it too. This transformation is just a reminder that even if you're confronted with a challenging space, even the smallest changes such as paint and longer curtains can make a world of difference. Thanks so much for reading!  

Midcentury Millbrae

This is a story about a room . . . well, to be more exact, this is a story about two rooms in one. I'll explain more below.

In a house with two busy working parents, it is often the case that the master bedroom becomes neglected. With the impending arrival of a new addition to the family, these clients realized that their master bedroom needed a makeover. In its existing state, the master bedroom would be unable to accommodate a small nursery setup, a necessity until the new baby was old enough to move in with her big sister. I know this is a common problem that confronts many of my clients who live in smaller spaces, especially in San Francisco and New York. I hope this before/after shows you that it can not only be done but done stylishly! 

Here are some before photos to give you a sense of the space. 

The room isn't small by any means, but it is shaped a bit awkwardly. Directly across the bed is a sliding door which sounds nice in theory. But it made the bedroom visible to the entire rest of the house due to the home's layout, making it necessary for the curtains covering it to remain closed most of the time to preserve privacy. The storage furniture in the room felt a bit oversized and was making the room feel smaller than it was. And somehow I didn't grab a picture of the long row of glass closet doors that covered the entire length of the wall. (Note to self, take better before photos.) The glass closet doors made the entire room feel somewhat dated,. The paint color was an off-white with yellow undertones, which contributed to this dated feeling. We like midcentury, but we want the 2016 version of midcentury if you get my meaning. Here we go! 

To bring in modernity, richness and interest in this room, we wallpapered! See below. 

An improvement, I would say. Remember I mentioned the glass closet doors that extended through the entire length of the room? We replaced them with these off-white heavy curtains.  I was slightly concerned that it might be too much fabric but it turned out so well. Due to the height of this closet, standard closet doors would not fit, and custom doors were outside the budget. This is a great long-term temporary solution. 

I work really, really hard to collaborate with my clients and find compromise wherever possible.  I also don't push for something unless I feel very strongly about it. This wallpaper was one such suggestion. There was some hesitancy on the clients' part but I knew this blue grasscloth would work so well here and I'm so glad they trusted me. The wallpaper has a sheen and richness that the camera can't truly capture, it adds so much to this otherwise blank canvas of a room. 

We replaced the rug with one that was bigger and more appropriately sized to the space. Grounding the space with the right sized rug is a principle that is often overlooked but it's really important in creating the right balance in a room. The warmness of the walnut bedframe and nightstands seriously pops against the wallpaper. And there are touches of gold and brass detail throughout the room including these wall-mounted sconces which allow for more surface space on the nightstands. 

Let's move on. This is a very sad corner, secretly dreaming to be brighter and better. 

I think we did this corner justice. We tucked the glider in the corner, as can be seen below. 

Such a sweet corner. Don't worry, the clients are purchasing a roman shade for that window to make sure the newest addition of the family gets proper shut-eye. The bassinet will be placed between the glider and bed, making things slightly tight for a little while but there is still room to move around. 

We just wallpapered the one wall, getting a lot of bang for our buck. We repainted the other walls Grey Owl by Benjamin Moore. It's such a small change but makes such a difference. The cooler tones offset the warm wood floors and create this beautiful contrast. 

Should we move to the other side of the room? Directly opposite the bed is a slider door as I mentioned above. Here is the before. 

Due to privacy issues, and the fact that the clients never used this sliding door, they placed storage furniture in front of it. I thought the situation could be improved. Below is the after. 

Photo by @mrgregma

The existing heavier silk curtains were just not working for the room or the clients. The room felt very dark since these curtains were always closed to maintain privacy. We replaced them with these curtain panels which are the perfect solution. The panels allow some natural light to come in yet preserve a sense of privacy since this area is the primary dressing area.  And before you get up in arms about blocking the sliding door, don't worry, this is a temporary floorplan. Once the glider moves out, the dresser can be relocated to that corner.

As I always do, I brought some plants in to bring in some life and energy. Pro tip? I swear that plants from Ikea are hardier than most. Since I knew my clients are insanely busy, juggling their careers and household, watering plants falls to the bottom of the list. Fingers crossed that these survive. 

Sconces above your nightstand are so on trend right now and you can see why below. They create the coziest and most inviting bedroom lighting. 

Photo by @mrgregma

All you parents out there, I know you're busy and you work really hard. You really deserve to come home to a master bedroom that is truly a retreat. Don't forget to take care of your needs as well as your kids. Even the smallest changes can make a big difference as this before/after demonstrates. Let me know if you're interested in changing your bedroom into a sanctuary you deserve. Thanks for reading! 

She & Him Project

It's very common that when I tackle a new project for a couple there are differing opinions on budget, logistics and most commonly, style preferences. She likes traditional furniture, tufting, and gold accents. Him? He likes clean lines and mid-century modern furniture. I view it as part of my job to mediate the differences in style preference between a couple and find creative solutions so that everyone can be happy with the final result. It's a skill that was honed in my prior life as an attorney that has proven surprisingly indispensable in my new line of work. 

This project was a bit different. The clients decided that each room would have a clear single voice. No mediation or compromise necessary. A feminine retreat for She. A library for relaxing, reading and book clubs. For Him, a home office, minimal in style with mid-century modern accents and a focus on practicality. 

Let's start with the library. Here is the before:

It was clear that book storage was a priority. It's a necessity for any successful home library. Because the room was fairly small at 10 feet x 10 feet, we had to be smart in how to install seating. Another problem to solve with this older home was lighting, since there was no overhead lighting in this room. Although the room would be used primarily as a retreat, She wanted the option to hold small gatherings as well so I wanted to make sure we kept things cozy but not crowded. Below is the after. 

Beautifully serene yet also very colorful. Since the room is so small, it was very difficult to get whole room photos. I hope these photos give you a glimpse of how cozy and inviting this space is. We briefly considered built-in bookcases but since this room may eventually be used for a different purpose, we decided to stick with the dependable Ikea Billy bookcases. The blue velvet settee sets the tone for the entire space and the gold accents throughout elevate the feel of the room.

I'm going to be honest, I was itching to rearrange the books into vignettes. But I controlled myself. This is a working library with all the books arranged by genre, and in this case, I very much respected the client's need to keep the library categorized as it is supposed to be. 

One of my favorite details is the coffee table. See below. 

It's all about the details. The gold curvy legs of this coffee table are so perfect for this room. Just the right amount of feminine with the modern. Although this room was already carpeted, I installed a small area rug to ground the space. This white shag rug is not only fluffy and welcoming but so very soft under your feet. What about the lighting problem? See below.  

For a room without any overhead lighting, an arc lamp is the way to go short of installing can lights. This is a great temporary solution, providing diffused light for nighttime reading. And last but not least, since She would be hosting friends in this space as well, I thought it might help to have a beverage cart on hand. 

Great right? One can easily imagine this cart filled with snacks and drinks for book club events. I loved how this library turned out and I'm just jealous I don't have one of my own. 

Shall we move on to the home office space for Him? Here is the before. 

Similar to the library, office storage furniture was a priority here. Specifically, file storage was sorely lacking. Although everyone says we're in the digital age, with every office I do, paper files are alive, well and aplenty. 

For Him, he wanted a clear working space and overall a minimalist feel to the office. Here is the after. 

Mission accomplished. The bold Rothko print brings some color into the room and plays nicely against the gray walls. The art cable allows one to display travel mementos and rotate whenever the mood strikes. The beautiful white task lamp is mid-century inspired with the brass stem and clean lines. 

A breath of fresh air. Closed storage is everything for an office. Everything is tucked away behind closed doors. The walnut vertical bookcase not only allows for additional book storage but hides the printer in plain sight as it blends back into the background. The lower closed cabinet is where I put the harder to wrangle items such as packing supplies and smaller miscellaneous office items. 

I usually believe that every room should try to remain cohesive with all other rooms in the house. But sometimes . . . rules are meant to be broken. And more importantly, if the space allows, embrace the true luxury of having a room completely and utterly defined by one's own personal style without any compromises!  

I hope you enjoyed this before and after. Thanks for reading!