a look: lila's room

Surprisingly, everyone is still alive and loving each other after the laptop incident. David worked some serious magic with my tweezerman tweezers and managed to get most of the keys back into place and into almost pre-incident working order. We are still missing the "b" key. Hmmm....what a {not} coincidence. I have a feeling that Super Bennett (as he now refers to himself) found a special place for it. Either in the house, or in his stomach....we'll never know!

On another note, I struggle with the idea of posting about "other" things...not directly related to what is going on with the kids, but after some thought, I think some things that move through my mind might be interesting to them at a later date....and, since this is, after all, ultimately for them- I am going to go forward.

I have had a lot of fun turning this house into a home over the past 10 months, and although it is still very much a work in progress, I am really happy with how far it has come. I have been so flattered to have a few friends who stop in here to check on us ask about my decorating, and my process, and so I thought this would be a good opportunity to address that, as well as let the kids hear my thoughts about them and their spaces in our home.

When we moved in, we envisioned Lila and Bennett continuing to share a room for quite a while, which would have given us a guest room.

How quickly things changed....

Realizing that it would be better for both of them to have their own spaces, we separated them, and it has been fun for me to slowly create a space for Lila (and for the other two kids), which both suites her, and blends in with the rest of our home. I am a strong believer in having a house that flows...for many reasons. {disclaimer- I am not, nor claim to be, an interior designer. I am just love the whole field, love putting things together, know what I like, etc...}. If you come to my house you will see the same color stories all throughout, and I like this for many reasons. First of all, just the feeling of continuity. Secondly, it gives you the ability to have a lot of flexibility with your items. Because, unless you are getting new stuff all of the time, you may want to rearrange, move things room to room, etc. For example, I have two chocolate brown slipper chairs that were in the den at the old house. They didn't work in the den here, but because I have chocolate brown throughout the house, I easily found a new home for them in our office. They also could have worked in our master bedroom. You get the point. Anyway, I digress....

Ironically, after a lifetime of giving my Mom a hard time for creating a pink Laura Ashley filled room for me that I had until I left for college, I have two girls who love pink. Payback. But, I am finding a whole new appreciation for pink, especially tempered with my favorite chocolate brown. After trying two shades at the old house, I finally found a pink I am happy with for the walls of the girls' rooms. It is very subtle. Wild Aster by Benjamin Moore.

As I've mentioned previously, Elise was kind enough to lend Lila her adorable antique white children's bed. It is one of my most favorite things that David's parents have given us. The panels hanging above the bed look wooden, but are actually a very lightweight foam (so, no injuries for little Lila should one fall). I have no clue what they are really intended for, but my Grandmother gave them to me quite a while and I think they make perfect "art". The chenille bedspread and sham appear to be vintage, but are actually Martha Stewart for KMart. Gotta love it! I am definitely all about mixing nicer things with budget items. The round table in the corner is perfect for storing books, and was also a gift from my Grandmother. It was a honey oak color that wouldn't have worked, but I instantly pictured it white, and love the way it came out.
The large brown frame holds a needlepoint of Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, which my Grandmother sewed when she was pregnant with my Mom for her nursery. LOVE.

Lila is very sweet, but also very sassy, and the fun pillow on the bed that I found at this store on etsy just screamed LILA to me! I have since found some a remnant of the same fabric, and I plan to make some floor pillows or a euro sham for her room in the future. The zebra rug was an awesome DwellStudio for Target purchase! It was in Elise's room for a while, but has found a new home here...too bad they don't make it anymore. It was a steal!! I found her adorable birdie lamp (hard to see in the picture) a-la Anthropologie at TJMaxx Homegoods in Nashville on a trip to visit Mo. Had to have, and at $24 with a shade I couldn't pass it up!

I found the letter plaques on clearance from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child. They were originally $50 and I got the girls each one for $12.99. My adorable Goodwill chair is still waiting patiently to be recovered, most likely in a chocolate brown velvet for versatility. I don't know if it will always remain in Lila' room, so I am going to go safe (as I tend to do with pricier purchases) when I pay to have it reupholstered.

Both of the girls have dormers in their rooms and I would love one day to have window seats built in. I had one growing up, and loved it. So, that is on my list. (David is now shaking his head as he is reading this). For now, the little nook is the perfect place for her dollhouse and a bulletin board. She can stand and play with her dollhouse and the chest is the perfect height for her. Also on my list is to trim these boring roman shades with chocolate ribbon. I have the ribbon waiting, I just need to find the time and the bravery to do it!! They were not overly expensive shades, but I still am afraid to ruin. But, I think they will look much better with the chocolate accents on the sides- will be the look I love from Restoration, but at a fraction of the price.

I bought Lila this quirky poster from etsy as well (can you tell I am a huge etsy fan), and framed it in a large white distressed frame. Poor Lila, although the quote is so fitting for her, I loved the way it came out so much that it is currently in my kitchen....it may eventually end up in her room, but for now I am finding the quote quite motivational for myself...especially on days like last Friday!!

One of the things we loved about this house was the jack-n-jill bathroom in between the girls' rooms. So, predictably, connecting their two pink rooms is a chocolate brown bathroom. (I need to find a before picture of this bathroom. It was very outdated. We did no construction- maybe one day- but with paint, faucets, and light fixtures it is a big change. The mirrors above each of their sinks are from one of my most favorite companies, Laville. I am very lucky to have a friend that sells the line, and she lets me buy it for a great price. I have their frames sprinkled through out my house, and the mirrors in most baths. (Currently on my list- one for Bennett's bathroom. David now really shaking his head).

So, there's a peek into my quirky number two daughter's room. Still needs some finishing touches, but I am happy with the start.

Hope you enjoyed my little tour. Will be back with Elise's room soon.....