TayRose Design interior design Theme Room Archives

Owl Inspired Theme Toddler Bedroom

12 Feb 2018

Craft Project, DIY, Interior Design Room, Kids Room, Theme Room

#floating shelves, #painted tree mural, #placemat, #vintage linen, custom, decorator, designer, DIY, Home Decor, Home Design, owl, pillow, TayRose Design, theme room

B4 and after owl theme room

Evolving from a nursery to a toddler bedroom is always fun especially when there is a theme involved. Keeping the budget in mind, the client wanted owls to be the theme. With purchased artwork as inspiration, owl pillows; shelf sitters; a tree mural and floating shelves were added to the design.

Inspired owl artwork

A new trundle bed replaced the crib on the back wall. White furniture and ruffled curtains coordinated with the bed and trim. That left a huge blank focal wall behind the bed, just prime for a hand-painted tree mural. What better place for an owl to sit than in a tree!

The wall tree had limbs that reached towards the corner of the wall with added white floating shelves and green painted mini birdhouses for a bit of whimsy. A metal owl wall art piece was painted white to match the tree. Painting the tree, hanging the wall shelves plus accessorizing was complete in a day.

Painted tree mural

Starting Owl Pillows

For one of the owl pillows, I found a pair of woven green rectangular placemats that I purchased for under $2 each. Walmart had some nice inexpensive assorted cottons that are sold in packages just right for small projects. I chose colors that would coordinate with the pink, gray and white color scheme going on in the room. Vintage linens and cut up discarded clothing were used as fabric as well.

owl placemat pillow layout

The placemats were sewn on the vertical for the pillow with a couple of small feet at the bottom. Felt eyelashes, a suede beak from an old jacket, and cut out fabric circles made up the eyes and feet. All the pieces were sewn to the front side first before sewing the seams. Due to the fringed edges, I sewed the seams just as they lay with right side up. At the top ear corners, with a needle and thread, I tacked a couple of small stitches so they would “pinch” together like little ears. The suede beak was hand embroidered showing the hand stitches for that ” handmade” look.

owl placemat pillow ear

I cut the border edge of my vintage linen into strips to sew together as the “tummy”.

owl placemat pillow tummy

For the feet, I made a quick pattern, cut out fabric , pinked the edges, stuffed with fiberfill and sewn to bottom seam. Sew around all the edges with about a 5/8″ seam leaving about a 5″ opening to add stuffing. After filling with desired amount of stuffing sew the opening close and voila, pillow done!

owl placemat pillow finished

Shelf Sitters

As for the owl shelf sitters….making the patterns for the first time was challenging and then filling them with rice found more rice on floor than in the owl!

making pattern for owl shelf sitters

A pink and white feather boa from the Dollar Store was cut and sewn as little tufts to the ears for some texture and fun. These little owls definitely like to “sit” and not be played with by little hands, so they were set up high in the branches on shelves.

Owl shelf sitters finished

In Conclusion:

All in all, this was a very fun project, lots of room for additional accessories as the little one grows older without having to change too much, which is great for the budget.

“Who” would like to try and take on a theme room and watch it grow? Ahhh…..very wise…..

Owl theme toddler room finished

Create a “trunk” inspired look for a Nightstand

finished nightstand trunk inspired

I was commissioned to transform my client’s little girl’s room to a jungle theme room. They had originally seen and fell in love with the bedroom I had designed for the Parade of Homes recently.

It’s a Jungle in here! Parade of Homes Pigliavento Builder, TayRose Designs

My client had asked for a nightstand next to the bed rather than the lidded crate I had used in my previous showhome. I wanted to choose something that still had a feeling of traveling the ocean seas towards jungle paradise. I started shopping both online and in local shops but didn’t quite find what I had envisioned in my mind. So, I checked out my furniture stash of odds and ends pieces I’ve collected for future transformations on projects that come my way, and I found the perfect size night stand that had a drawer which my client had requested and room on top for a lamp and maybe even a book.

However, in its current color it would not work with the design. I kept thinking about travel and how I might be able to simulate the look of a trunk or suitcase for this furniture piece. I knew the orangey colored stain color was not going to work, so by using a palm sander and sand paper by hand, I sanded down to practically the raw color on the sides and front frame work so I could stain it a darker brown. I wanted to bring in some jungle green color and I thought that chalk paint would be great choice for it covers just about anything with little prep. I chose Spanish Moss chalk color from JoAnn Fabrics Folk Art series and I also picked up their clear wax as well to go over the paint to seal and protect the color. http://www.joann.com/folkart-home-decor-chalk-8-oz/13830781.html

http://www.joann.com/folkart-home-decor-wax—8-oz./zprd_13358940a.html#q=FOLK%2BART%2BCLEAR%2BWAX&start=1

Folk Art Chalk paint and wax

I also wanted to add details to my “trunk” so my inspiration came from age old steamer trunks that had wonderful leather straps and metal hardware. I haunted the local thrift stores for leather belts and picked out a few that I could cut up and apply with upholstery nails into the wood.

thrift store find belts

For metal accents, I found at Hobby Lobby perfect corner pieces that came with their own tiny nails to tap into the corners of the top and drawers. https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Wood-Crafting/Hardware-Tools/Antique-Bronze-Plated-Corners/p/80783525 and https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Wood-Crafting/Hardware-Tools/Antique-Bronze-Plated-Corners/p/80783621 For the front, I found at Lowes some brass cabinet latches that I could use that simulate trunk latches. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gatehouse-2-Pack-Polished-Brass-Cabinet-Catch/3355522

hardware for trunk nightstand

The latches were a little too bright brass in color, so I sprayed on some brown paint and dabbed off with a rag to give more of an antiqued look. Now I was ready to start the staining and painting…….

I removed the drawers and sanded the fronts lightly for they were to be painted, then sanded the sides of the stand, the edges and inside the opening, then wiped down with a tacky cloth to remove sand dust. I had some leftover dark walnut stain from another project that I brushed on to the sides, edges and inside of the opening shelf then wiped off with a cloth to the desired color.

staining nightstand darker

I think I applied the stain twice after letting the first coat dry per can instructions.

I decided to paint the inside of the drawers in the Spanish Moss green chalk paint and since the little girl loved purple and polka dots, I thought having a surprise when the drawer opened would be a fun addition.

Inside drawer surprise dots

The top of the stand and the drawer fronts all got painted with the Spanish Moss and I applied 2 coats and only needed 1 jar, so the paint really goes a long way. After paint had dried I applied the clear wax over the painted surfaces according to jar instructions which was really easy and let dry. Over the stained areas I wiped on a poly with a cloth and let it dry as well.

I measured and cut the leather belts to fit down the top in 2 rows and down the front of the drawers as if the leather strap was one continuous strap. I used gorilla glue as well as upholstery nails to adhere cut straps to surfaces. For the latches, I placed the latch where I wanted to screw it down, then marked holes with a pen and started the hole with a small drill bit and screwed latch in place. I nailed the corner pieces to the top and drawer edges with the tiny nails included in the packages and then came the handles.

adding leather belts as straps

The original drawers had a wood knob right in the center and I wanted to have a handle. So, I needed to deal somehow with the hole in the center of the drawer. I could have tried to plug it with putty, but the drawer front was quite thick and it would take a lot of putty and challenging to get load it up into the smallish hole. I could have found a wood dowel to glue into hole then cut off, sand and then paint over too, but I just decided to use the hole rather than hide the hole. I found at Lowes the perfect length brass bolt with a rounded head that fit through the drawer and had a brass small nut on the other side…done. I lined up the handles and screwed them on the front.

I loved the way this little night stand turned out. Plenty of space for her to store her books, a reading lamp on top and her secret treasures tucked inside the dotted drawers. It feels great to transform a simple piece of furniture that may have been set aside for awhile, to a new usable piece with a new look that now fits in again!

jungle nightstand in room

Photo-Art pillows add big punch to Home Decor

Taylor

22 Apr 2015

Art, Interior Design Room, Office, Theme Room

Africa, Art, Clay NY, contemporary, custom, decorator, Eregal Studio, Home Decor, Interior Design, lion, mood boards, office, Parade of Homes, photography, pillow, TayRose Design, unique, Wall Art

Hanging pictures on our walls has always been a way to showcase our families, remind us of a favorite movie with a poster, frame school art from our children through the years, or reminders of places we have been. Wall art evolved to paintings of subjects we were drawn to, or abstracts with colors that melded with our sofas, that filled our walls with pattern and color. With the many styles of design, from Contemporary Modern, Country, Shabby Chic, Traditional, Rustic to Eclectic, all of them have some home decor style that we identify with. The graphic bold colors and stark black and white for Contemporary, the painted distressed wood for Country, the creamy whites and floral for Shabby Chic, and so on, and with all of these, photography, framed has been there to hang on our walls.

When you think of all the photographers in the world, and all the different styles and subjects they portray in their work, for Interior Designers, photography is the go to decor item for adding emotion and even drama to a room. I am so fortunate to be married to a photographer, eregalstudio.com and have used his art photography in several of the Parade Houses I have designed, and I have marveled at how it fills a space with a powerful statement.

I feel a beautiful photograph can be compared with a beautiful painting, for they both affect an emotion, and they both capture a moment frozen in time.

The other day, my husband told me he had sold a pillow online from his Fine Art America store,http://fineartamerica.com/products/majestic-king-everet-regal-throw-pillow-14-14.html

I had to stop and ask, “a pillow?” Now, I know this concept of a photograph on a pillow is not new. I remember seeing children’s photos on pillows, or their favorite pet, but it got me visualizing an office or living room with accent pillows with beautiful photographs on them, and my mind started creating artful photo pillows! Imagine an home office with dark mahogany furniture and a zebra colored rug, leather sofa, soft throw and a lion pillow?

(I had so much fun designing the mood boards!) Or a more contemporary sleek office with chrome and glass and a pillow with a closeup of bridge cables or a tall building ……there are so many ways that photography as an art form has grown from only on the walls to decor accents in pillow form.

Just another way to live with art!

Check out Fine Art America.com and see how any photo can be made into a 100% cotton pillow 14″ x 14″ up to 26″ starting $27.00 photo printed on both sides and insert included!

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Room chosen for Good Housekeeping article

Taylor

17 Mar 2015

Custom Design, DIY, Interior Design Room, Kids Room, Theme Room

Home Decor, Home Design, Home Interior Designs, jungle, TayRose Design, theme room

Do you know how when you receive a nice compliment, or when you hear some good news that your heart does a little happy dance? Well, while scrolling through the numerous daily emails one day, one caught my eye. It was from a Rebecca, and the title was,

From Rebecca Re: Feature on GoodHousekeeping.com – Kids’ Bedrooms

I thought to myself, this looks interesting and opened it.

Hi Taylor!

I hope you’re doing well! I am a writer for GoodHousekeeping.com and I am putting together a round-up of the coolest kids’ bedroom ideas. I love your jungle bedroom , and I was wondering if I could use an image of it in my round-up. Please let me know ASAP if this would be alright.

Thanks so much!

Rebecca

All right??? Happy Dance! What a feeling of appreciation that my design work is to be recognized in this way. Of course I emailed her right back and included my blog page about working on the room. http://tayrose.com/2015/02/08/its-a-jungle-in-here/ .

It’s a Jungle in here! Parade of Homes Pigliavento Builder, TayRose Designs

A week later, Rebecca emailed me with the link to her article. There were 10 kids rooms she featured and you can find the Jungle room as #7 as you scroll through the pictures here: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/love-your-space/themed-kids-rooms#slide-1

It’s a start…baby steps, and each step a rewarding leap!!

Thank you Rebecca!

“It’s a Jungle in here!”

If you haven’t already guessed, I love to design theme rooms. I get lost in looking at everything asking myself how I can blend it into the theme I’ve decided on. Such a challenge, but oh, so fun…so, for this past Parade of Homes, I decided that a jungle theme was in order..and a tall order it was!

It’s a Jungle in here! Parade of Homes Pigliavento Builder, TayRose Designs

I had been collecting large jungle animals from Thrift stores for several years just waiting for the right design to include them, and along with a couple of “borrowed” jungle friends, I really had the “wild” feel I was going for.

I also knew that I would have to construct the jungle arbor over the bed. I had an old wooden ladder that must have reached up to the roof for it was very tall and could be taken apart into 2 pieces. I cut them so they were the same heights to be the sides of the arbor…perfect for hanging monkeys and jungle vines. I purchased some inexpensive fence planks from Home Depot, brought them home and used a mixture of watered down acrylic paints in black, grey, white and biege to give them a “weathered” look-as if they had been out in the elements for years. I had a college intern working with me for the summer, and she painted in the words, “It’s a jungle in here” on the top cross board of the arbor.

I had to be sure that the arbor was not too high, for I wanted that lion to be on top …lounging, well, he is the King of the Jungle you know!

I also found at a garage sale of all places, some bamboo fencing that stretched across the whole back wall plus some, so that brought more of the jungle feel in to the room.

My hubby and I were able to design the arbor so it could be transported in pieces and assembled on site easily which was perfect. It went up very easily, and I screwed the back to a stud in the wall to secure, then dangled monkeys and vines along with baskets from pulleys. A twin bed was dressed up with a bed roll at the end and a custom made lathe frame enclosing a vintage feel zoo animal poster to hang above the bed. Zebra patterned sheets with a tribal patterned blanket along with custom pillows made up the bed, where a leopard dozed.

I stuffed raffia trim along the mattress box spring to hang down to the floor. For the show, I just pinned it, but it could be sewn onto a sheet as a proper bedskirt.

A large banana tree with real bananas I tucked among the leaves sat in the corner which also hid the cd player playing ” A lion sleeps tonight” in the background. I purchased from IKEA, 2 large green leaves, and attached them to the arbor, and with the ceiling fan, they moved up and down, as if swaying to the music….lots of animation..love it!

The curtains were inspired…I had found a zebra print curtain panel set at Hobby Lobby, then attached more of the raffia trim along the top, but I wanted to have more of a “jungle” way to hang the panels to the rod. So I purchased online some jungle plush with velcro paws, and used them to hook the panels to the rod…I kept saying, “hang in there!” hoping they would hold up and they did, no prob!

In the corner of the room I wanted a little reading nook, so I had one of those netted canopies and hung it up where it draped down over large coffee bean bag covered floor cushions; a painted rattan glass top short table; a brass electrified lantern to read by; and a large tiger to lean on and read stories with….wouldn’t you want to read to a tiger?

Reading nook in Jungle Room 2014 Parade of Homes TayRose Designer

From the inception of choosing the wall color to the rattan leaf ceiling fan; constructing the arbor hut;collaborating on the crate dresser; stacked crate night stand; adding an empty coke bottle (remember “The gods must think I’m crazy?” movie?; custom painted giraffe wall art; jungle directional signs; to the canteen hanging at the end of the bed and the music in the background…this was a dream theme room, one that was amazing to be living in for a short time while pulling it all together…it really was a jungle in there! Shhhh….the lion sleeps tonight….oh, and no more monkeys jumping on the bed!

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