Wallpaper Wednesday

This Park Avenue apartment from this month's House Beautiful magazine had such a fabulous 8 year old boy's room. In it they blew up an antique map and papered the wall with it. I thought it was such a great idea- I wanted to share it with you.

I wonder what it costs to have an antique map enlarged to wall size??????

The Nine-Year-Old Boy's Room

Christine,

I was wondering if you could help me? This is my nine year old's room. Something is missing and it feels a bit cold. Do you have any suggestions? I was thinking for one thing doing the back wall the matching brown Serena and Lily paint that coordinates with the bedding.

Please help!

Melissa

Hi Melissa,

Yours is an easy one- as you have already made such nice selections in the bedroom. I like everything you have purchased. (I don't say that to a lot of people :) I would change three things to the room:

1. an area rug
2. the way you made the bed
3. focal point

Your carpet is a little dull- I would add an area rug- the one at the top of the post is from Pottery Barn Teen. This will help the room to feel a little more finished and grounded.

Read this post on bed making. Your bedding is great- but the bed making is not. I know that 9 year old boys may not be the best at making the bed a specific way- but you can always try....

The big thing missing from your room is a focal point. In a bedroom- the focal point should always be the headboard wall. The area that theoretically would be the focal point is simply empty. An accent paint color is not the answer. You can do one of two things. Fist of all- you could hang wall decor above the bed that would act as your focal point- like the American Flag below that I found from Uttermost...

Or- secondly- you could add a headboard. I like the tall dark brown one below from Padma's Plantation. If your headboard is too low- it will not be the focal point we need- you would still need wall decor- but if your headboard is tall enough- it can stand alone and really finish off the room. I like how this headboard is sophisticated enough that it won't be to juvenile in later years. It can be a great headboard for a guest bedroom when your little boy is off to college.

So - there you go- I would add a rug- re-make the bed and add a focal point. A few small changes- and the room will look fantastic. Another thought is to find a map that has better colors in it for the room- like this map from Boetti.

Thanks for writing in!

- Christine

Walls that Pop

As a mother of four- and interior designer, I love finding unique ways to decorate children's bedrooms. I especially appreciate it when I find ideas that are not "themey." Frequently art work for children's rooms is also small. With the large walls and even ten foot ceilings in children's rooms that I have found in client's homes- I continually keep my eye out for large wall decor. This is exactly what I found from All Pop Art. You send them a photo- like the one above- and they make it into a fun piece of modern art- like the one below. You can order the canvasses up to 42 x 52. You could combine this with the Panton Jr. chair from yesterday's post... I can see the fabulous bedroom or playroom in my mind already... What do you think? I bet if you were good at Photoshop- you could do this from home.

Kid's Chairs Part II

The comment yesterday about Room and Board's chair got me looking a little more- check out today's selection- any favorites? I really like the Lou Lou Ghost chair...

Little Jake Chair by Room and Board- Material: plywood- Color: green- Finish: lacquer- Secondary Material: chrome- Dimensions: 13w 13d 24h- Seat Height: 12h Price $49Kid’s Armchair by Maison Gatti for Style by Annick de Lorme.

Height: 22"; width: 18"; depth: 15"; seat height: 11"; material: natural- rattan frame and handwoven Rilsan in white/blue lagoon in Victoria weave (other colors and weaves available); delivery: 12 weeks; price: $1,250

Lou Lou Ghost Chair by Philippe Starck for Kartell. Height: 24.8"; width: 15.7"; depth: 14.6"; seat height: 12.6"; material: polycarbonate in pink (other colors available); delivery: immediate; price: $133Farmhouse Chair by Pottery Barn Kids. Height: 28"; width: 13"; depth: 12"; seat height: 14"; material: solid rubber wood in red finish (other finishes available); delivery: 5–7 days; price: $139/pairPanton Junior by Vitra from Kid O. Height: 24.75"; width: 14.75"; depth: 17.5"; seat height: 12"; material: dyed polypropylene in lime (other colors available); delivery: 1 week; price: $125

Chelsea Chair and Cushion from The Land of Nod- Height: 28"; width: 13.5"; depth: 14"; seat height: 14"; material: solid-rubber-wood frame in painted-white finish and red-floral-cotton cushion with urethane-foam fill (other cushion colors available); delivery: 5–7 days; price: $149/pair, $29/cushion

Kid's Chairs

Hi Everyone-
Thanks for being patient with me- as my blogging has been so weak lately. But- I am back in town and the holiday is over- so life- and blogging should get back to normal. So- this post is for all of you that have kids. Do you have any kid's chairs in your home? I have the pottery barn set with wood table and black chairs in the kid's playroom- but have often considered getting a chair or two of smaller size for my main family room. I found some in Elle Decor that I thought were cool- and thought I'd show you. My favorite happens to be the most expensive- surprise surprise.... What do you think? Have a favorite?Square Guest Child’s Chair by BDDW

Height: 20"; width: 13"; depth: 12.5"; seat height: 13"; material: American-black-walnut frame in dark-oil finish with mulled-leather seat and back (also available in dark mulled leather); delivery: 12–14 weeks; price: $1,500

Arne Jacobsen Series 7 Children’s Chair by Fritz Hansen from Spunky Sprout

Height: 23"; width: 13.5"; depth: 13.5"; seat height: 13"; material: beech veneer in ice-blue-lacquer finish with mirror-chromed-steel legs (other finishes available); delivery: 8–12 weeks; price: $580

Leksvik Children’s Chair by Ikea-

Height: 23.25"; width: 11.4"; depth: 11.4"; seat height: 12.25"; material: solid pine in antique finish; delivery: immediate; price: $25

Painted BB2 Chair by Notneutral

Height: 23"; width: 13.25"; depth: 11.25"; seat height: 11"; material: MDF in painted-persimmon/dark-sable finish (other finishes available); delivery: 1 week; price: $95