Sarah 101: Two boho chic bedrooms

This week’s episode of Sarah 101 is a double feature – two rooms for three lucky little girls named Lola, Luca, Coco. Sarah & Tommy went for a boho chic look in the bedroom for Luna and Luca and the nursery for Coco.

The colour schemes for both rooms came from tea towels. As Sarah pointed out, inspiration can strike anywhere – you can turn an item into something else. In this case, Sarah used the towels as pillowcases and a laundry bag.

The nursery colours are coral and mustard, and the bedroom colours are green and blue. Striped broadloom carpeting with the colours of both rooms and a neutral background ties the rooms together and into the rest of the house.

Both rooms have low ceilings, so it was important to find light fixtures that were either flush mounted or small enough to not hang too low and get in the way of adult heads. Sarah likes to use light fixtures that cast interesting patterns on the ceiling. Use a clear light bulb for the best effect.

Sarah ordered cute wallpaper animal artwork online from Galerie CO in Montrea. You could create something similar yourself using some leftover wallpaper and cutting it into any shape or pattern that you want.

The night tables and dresser were vintage finds. Sarah had them sprayed, and then added beautiful crystal knobs and handles to really dress them up.

What did Sarah & Tommy teach us?

1. When designing side-by-side bedrooms, you want to give each room its own character, but link them together. You can do this with colours and flooring.

2.  Kids rooms should be playful & easy care.

3.  A combination of floral, geometric, and big & small print fabrics give a kid’s room interest & curiosity. Fabrics don’t have to match exactly. And use fabric colours as a jumping off point for paint colours, but temper the colours a bit so they don’t stand out too much.

4. Always use a pencil to draw lines or marks on walls – pen ink will leak through paint.

5. Don’t underestimate the power of accessories – they can add interest in the most unexpected places.

6. Use leftover fabric pieces to make create bunting and hang it as artwork.

7. Paint & decoration can completely change the look & feel of a room without changing any major elements.

8. Small rooms require smart layouts – use furniture to your advantage.

9. Redesign a closet interior to best accommodate your clothing.

10. 100% pure wall carpeting has no off-gassing, which is good for everyone and especially good in a room where kids will be playing on the floor.

11. Make sure all trinkets in a kid’s room are functional.

12. The Jolly Green Giant isn’t real – sorry!

And that’s your Sarah 101 wrap-up for this week :-) You can check out the Sarah 101 web site for more information and shopping sources.

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I’ll be posting my interview with Jane Lockhart tomorrow – be sure to stop by and check it out :-)

And before I go, just want to mention my two recent writing gigs. I posted them on my sidebar, but in case you missed them… Ottawa At Home featured a story I wrote about IDS11 on their web site, and I was last week’s guest blogger for Design DNA. Read all about Pyrex measuring cups and try out my secret recipe (well, not anymore!) for Triple-Threat Chocolate Chip Cookies! :-) And while you’re on the Design DNA Facebook page, be sure to enter their latest contest – you could win a Le Crouset Cocotte Ronde.

And speaking of contests… don’t forget to enter my giveaway for this beautiful horse photograph entitled Listen by Diane Schuller. Click here for all the details.

If you want your home to reflect who you are and what you love, drop me a line for an in-person or online consultation.