by studiotullia | Jul 26, 2020 | DIY, HOME IMPROVEMENT, INTERIOR DESIGN, ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, SUZANNE'S DESIGN PROJECTS
HONESTLY, I don’t know what every teenage boy wants in his bedroom. And frankly, I really don’t want to venture there… I do know how to help you figure out what your teenager might want in his/her room though…
Kids are home a lot more these days, trying to make the best of their situation as we all are, right? Backyard use is a constant for recreation with all kinds of indoor activity happening as well, in places like the kitchen, dining room, living room and family room/basement. Legos, crafts, baking, reading, the inevitable screen time…whatever the activity, we all need SPACE.
INTERNET use is way up and that scares me, and it’s not going away with this generation. I recently moved a spare computer into the DINING ROOM so the kids can be in the center of the house if they are online, not lost in their room for hours. YouTube University can offer kids endless access to knowledge and DYI fun, but needs parental supervision for sure.
With part time online school a most likely scenario this FALL, we all need to make sure our kids’ rooms function well for their needs.
SO, on to BEDROOM DESIGN… One must ASSESS the room before PLANNING and DESIGN begins. Take pictures and dimensions of the room and try to think in new ways about the use of the space. What can you get RID of? Have a conversation with your kid about what is and isn’t working for them in their room. What are their hobbies? Interests? Favorite things? Will they need a new desk? A comfortable chair? A laptop? A good mirror? Adequate lighting in bed? A way to store books, games, etc? Do they want to display any awards, ribbons, posters or art that they love?
Watch a few TIDYING UP MARIE KONDO or QUEER EYE episodes together. They’re are so motivational and heart-warming.
Creating a mood board together is a great idea…and believe me, it will change over the course of the project. It’s all part of the process, but so worth it in the end.
EVERY GOOD ROOM TAKES TIME AND ENERGY TO COMPLETE
Once its all done you can truly enjoy it. The hard work really pays off.
I’ve been refreshing my girl and boy teens’ bedrooms this past year so let’s delve into that process, shall we?
The process of working with your kid to create a room they really love is such a rich experience. Delve into their interests and get to the root of what they like to have around them and how they want to use their own space. It lets them know that you care. And it’s important for them to feel good in their space…
BOY TEEN BEDROOM #1 (ARTHUR’ S ROOM):
Arthur had an awesome room to begin with. The second floor location looks out over an ancient cherry tree (so it feels like a nest), has beautiful muntin/lattice trimmed windows, and a huge walk-in closet. The unusual roofline and crazy room dimensions, although challenging to work with, make it unique and charming.
START WITH A COLOR SCHEME
Arthur insisted that he wanted green walls as GREEN is his favorite color. Together, we considered many greens before we picked the right one. It helps if you have the beginning of a color scheme to work with, like this owl painting by local artist, ELIZABETH SEE.
We used STOKES FOREST GREEN by Benjamin Moore on the walls. It brings a lot of happy energy into the room.
NEXT, ESTABLISH A THEME OR A FOCAL POINT
In the case of Arthur, A LOVE OF OLD THINGS
The focal point of the room is the ANTIQUE ROPE BED from the late 1800’s that was his great, great grandparents’. Mr. Can Fix Anything reinforced this bed to last forever. It was once literally held together by rope with a mattress made of hay. Hence the saying, “Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” I found this in the attic of an old house in Flat Rock, NC. called CHANTELOUP, that once belonged to our family. Arthur loves that it is the oldest object in our house.
Arthur has always loved pirates and the sea, so when we came across this wallpaper at a local boutique (PICNIC NW), we thought it just might work. It’s inspired by the old-fashioned copperplate illustration technique, full of hand-drawn lines and a real sense of the time taken to produce such a work.
HIGH SEAS MURAL WALLPAPER
Sometimes the most challenging aspect of a room turns out to be its best feature. That was the case with this room. The slanted wall from the roof line was a big design dilemna. Rather than ignore it, we decided to do something notable.
ACCENT MURAL WALL DEPICTING OLD SHIPS AT SEA
The HIGH SEAS in Henderson Blue wallpaper mural was done in partnership with REBELWALLS. It was our first DIY wallpaper installation and it went pretty well. The design was based off of an antique etching but the scale and color gives it a modern edge. The blue is a little softer on the eyes than the black and white version we almost went with. I was afraid the green wouldn’t work with the mural but somehow it does. The mural really lights up the room. It stands on its own. I kept the color palette on the bed pretty toned down, mostly blues, whites and browns, to tie in the blue in the mural.
Once we’d identified the HIGH SEAS wallpaper and the old ROPE BED, it felt natural to go in the direction of an old captain’s quarters on a ship.
We bought this antique rug on EBAY while drinking way too much Two Buck Chuck back in the late 90’s. We later discovered that it was just like The Dude’s Rug featured in the classic film, THE BIG LEBOWSKI. It has worn like steel over the years and Arthur wanted it in his room. So, that was yet another design component to work into the mix.
The room was lacking light but after we put in the sconces on either side of the bed and the lamp on the desk, it seemed to provide enough light and cozied up the room.
FYI, sconces should be hung approximately 5 feet from the floor and 8″ away from the bed.
These sconces were from IKEA and not bad for $17 a piece! We just needed to drill holes and hide the wires which was a quick fix by my husband.
The chandelier and lamp are also from IKEA. I love the way the light shines through the holes in the copper lamp shade on the desk at night.
The original paintings are by local artist ELIZABETH SEE, who is a favorite of mine. We have various paintings of hers all over the the house. We have been to her studio where the kids picked out the art from Elizabeth themselves. I also framed his birth certificate and included some antique ship prints and a vintage carved deer head.
The duvet cover and sheets are from IKEA and the decorative pillows, plaid throw and bedskirt are from STUDIO TULLIA (the fabric is from PENDLETON). I often use ticking on the backs of bedding pillows because it is so comfortable and utilitarian. If one side is too hot or itchy you can just flip it over. I also used it for the bedskirt.
I used two different duvet cover sets and layered them on the bed.
Henry seems right at home in Arthur’s room.
In the case of Arthur’s vast lego collection, we donated this ANTIQUE CURIO CABINET to the cause. I wanted to paint it bright red but my husband wouldn’t allow it. It was a wedding gift from my Aunt Donna. It really was the perfect solution as you can see the entire beautifully contained collection within the confines of this cabinet.
The STAR LIGHT on top of the cabinet is from POTTERY BARN and is a wonderful light at night.
The VINTAGE MODEL AIRPLANES are from a dear neighbor and I thought I’d try hanging them up in his room. They are pretty delicate so I am hoping they hold up.
Here is a detail shot of the curtains. They have the ribbon work which STUDIO TULLIA is so known for. They used to be in my dining room but were in really good condition so I held onto them. Glad I could reuse them for this room. I ended up using four pleated panels which works really nicely for this double window.
When I think about what my teenage brother had up in his room in the late 70’s, I’m happy with legos and pirate ships for now.
NOW WE HAVE THE INTERNET, WHICH IS ANOTHER BALLGAME ALTOGETHER
Safeguarding what’s out there on the internet for them to find, is another thing altogether. A recent webinar I attended about kids and pornography held by local author of the book, BIRDS & BEES & KIDS, AMY LANG, was a rude awakening. Her website is a great resource for parents. Two great takeaways from the webinar were 1) establish house rules around internet usage and 2) install the Circle app that lets you manage content and time online for your family’s as well as enable you to manage all the devices on your home Wi-Fi.
This room was completed as part of the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE in 2019, which is a bi-annual design challenge in which you have 6 weeks to overhaul a room of your choice. REBEL WALLS was kind enough to partner with us on this DIY project. As a ORC designer/blogger guest participant, you are required to share your progress each week. The accountability piece and the collective spirit of the event, help to pull you through. If you haven’t heard of it, check it out. They have a whole section on KIDS ROOMS.
by studiotullia | Nov 7, 2019 | DIY, INTERIOR DESIGN
FINAL REVEAL
Well here we are at the FINAL REVEAL!
I have to say I was cutting it pretty close as of last week. The painting was not yet complete and just last weekend my husband and daughter helped me get the wallpaper mural up. Phew!
So, here it is:
We used STOKES FOREST GREEN by Benjamin Moore on the walls. It really is a lovely green and it brings a lot of happy energy into the room. That’s our kitty, Henry, by the way.
The HIGH SEAS in Henderson Blue decorative wallpaper mural was done in partnership with REBELWALLS. The design was based off of an antique etching but the scale and color gives it a modern edge. The blue is a little softer on the eyes than the black and white version we almost went with. The mural really lightens up the room. I was afraid the green wouldn’t work with the mural but somehow it does. It stands on its and I kept the color palette on the bed pretty toned down. Mostly blues, whites and browns.
The duvet cover and sheets are from IKEA and the decorative pillows and plaid throw are from STUDIO TULLIA (the fabric is from Pendleton). I often use ticking on the backs of bedding pillows because it is so comfortable and utilitarian. If one side is too hot or itchy you can just flip it over.
The room was lacking light but after we put in the sconces on either side of the bed and the lamp on the desk, it seemed to provide enough light and cozied up the room.
FYI, sconces should be hung approximately 5 feet from the floor and 8″ away from the bed.
These sconces were from IKEA and not bad for $17 a piece! We just need to drill holes and hide the wires which is a quick fix by my husband.
The chandelier and lamp are also from IKEA. I purchased them over a year ago and I noticed the chandelier was on sale the other day so maybe it is being discontinued. I love the way the light shines through the holes in the copper lamp shade on the desk at night.
These paintings are by local artist Elizabeth See, who is a favorite of mine. We have various paintings of hers all over the the house.
The model planes are from a neighbor and I thought I’d try hanging them up in his room. They are pretty delicate so I am hoping they hold up. As you can see the curio cabinet is chock full of legos. Hard to know what to do with them all so this was one solution. He still wants more shelves for more and more legos.
Here is a detail shot of the curtains. They have the ribbon work which STUDIO TULLIA is so known for. They used to be in my dining room but were in really good condition so I held onto them. Glad I could reuse them for this room. I ended up using four pleated panels which works really nicely for this double window. (They need to be pressed!)
My husband took the pictures below with his phone using the panoramic feature. You can also get a sense of how it looks at night.
I will get a list together soon of the items I purchased for this room.
There are a lot of talented peeps out there who’ve been working hard for the last six weeks. You should check it out. Thank you Linda with Calling It Home for sponsoring this event which occurs twice a year.
ONE ROOM CHALLENGE FINAL REVEALS:
Here are the links to the featured designers and guest participants:
I’m going to spend some time visiting these other sites now that I can take a breath and chill out for awhile. Thanks so much for following along.
by studiotullia | Nov 3, 2016 | DIY, INTERIOR DESIGN
I finally got the orange walls covered with three coats of MOUNTAIN SNOW white paint from METRO PAINT. Now everything is looking very white.
This is where we were last week:
And this is where we are this week:
I’ve finished most of the trim in a GLOSSY WHITE from MILLER PAINT and hung up this VINTAGE MIRROR.
I’ve installed this 28″ Round Mirror from TARGET. I wanted a bigger one, but for $49 I went with this one.
We had to stop and sand the glue and carpet remnants off the stairs and side molding before we painted anymore of the stairs.
The WEST ELM ASHIK WOOL RUNNER arrived and while I wasn’t so sure about it initially, I think I can make it work.
It looked like this on the website: 
And this is what it looks like in person. This is a close up of the rug. The palette is lighter and the fibers are more coarse than the original photo, with a lot of the salmony orange pink.
I started to panic and look for another rug, with this inspo photo of a space by ASHE + LEANDRO in mind:
This is what I came up with two different woven Indian rugs from a local store, CARGO
and
but in the end, I opted for the WEST ELM rug after all. The colors seemed too busy for the hallway and the size was not really right.
MY FOCUS this last week is all about CONTRAST in this WHITE HALLWAY and a NEW LIGHT FIXTURE to replace this existing one, which is nice, but too small:
So, here’s my final check list:
- Paint semi gloss CHARCOAL black paint on stair rail and tops of stairs
- Paint all four doors semi gloss SILVER GRAY
- Paint office door to my office semi gloss CHARCOAL
- Paint stoop at base of stairs white and apply the STENCIL from HEIRLOOM142 from Canada below for fun:
5. Hang all my NEWLY MATTED AND FRAMED PHOTOS in the stairwell.
(For you Portland locals) Seth at I’VE BEEN FRAMED, was a dream to work with; along with some pre-cut double mattes that I found, he matted and assembled “frame kits” for me that made it super easy and affordable. I went in there with ten or so frames and was worried how much that was going to cost. It cost me about $50!
6. Install the custom cushions and lumbar for the new antique bench I scored at GOODWILL for $40:
I thought about painting this bench but I have decided to leave the natural wood and cane work. I am making a seat cushion and lumbar pillow to give it a more modern look and hide the missing cane work until I can get it fixed. Overall its pretty sturdy though.
6. And lastly, there is the matter off the antique DRESSER, which I am planning to also paint MILK PAINT CHARCOAL. 
I’ve got my work cut out for me, which might have something to do with why I am getting so little sleep lately…I’m worried.
See you next week for the FINAL REVEAL.
Don’t forget to check in with the FEATURED DESIGNERS:
As well as the GUEST PARTICIPANTS:
:
See you soon! Thanks for following along.
Best,
Suzanne
![ONE ROOM CHALLENGE 2016 -WEEK 6 of CHARLOTTE’S ROOM FINAL REVEAL!]()
by studiotullia | May 13, 2016 | DESIGN TRENDS, HOME IMPROVEMENT, HOUSE TOUR: Traditional Spanish Style House near Pto. Vallarta, INTERIOR DESIGNERS THAT INSPIRE
Well, we managed to finish up just in time! Here are the results. We were lucky to have a bright sunny day for these last minute pictures, thanks to my amazing assistant, Amanda. Everything is smelling like roses and I am drinking a gin and tonic as I write this (it is after 5 pm West coast time, FYI).
FINAL REVEAL:
Below is a painting of our backyard fig tree that Charlotte and her friend Alex painted together last year. I floated it in one of IKEA’s shadow box frames.
As you can see we have a little woodland theme going on with the deers and bunny rabbit. I know the rose floral shade on the sconce and bed linens from IKEA are a departure from the neon splatter, but it was such a lovely pattern we bent the matchy matchy rules. Perhaps bold colors or solid colored linens would have worked better, but we wanted to make these work. They’re cozy and a little English or something. The framed deer art is hand cross stitched by a very patient Oregonian: a vintage find that was in perfect condition. The antique bed is an heirloom from my grandparents that my Mother stripped and refinished years ago.
The large splatter pillow was a trial run before the curtains and the hand drawn critter pillow Charlotte drew awhile back as a prototype for a school auction project. The cross pillow was from STUDIO TULLIA inventory and we liked it in the room.
You can see a little bit of the furry stool we created by covering an IKEA stool. It is the perfect little occasional stool for this tiny room and adds some much needed glamour.
I want to show you a close up of the white bunny painting by Oregonian artist ELIZABETH SEE because she is so talented.
We have come quite a ways in just a couple weeks. Here are a few before shots:
Getting that pink the right color took some work. Between BENJAMIN MOORE PAINT and METRO PAINT we got it done.
The IKEA curtains were perhaps the funnest part of this project and they really set the tone for the room.
This IKEA PS 2014 ceiling pendant is very cool in its design. The pull factor really is fun at night and gives you a diverse range of visual effects. Her twin brother Arthur is a little jealous when it comes to the light. Thank God they have lego building experience as they put this thing together all by themselves. Whereas that project might have put me right over the edge.
This is her bookshelf which I have staged for this shoot. The camellias ,roses and hydrangeas are from our garden. The amethyst cut crystal vase was her great grandmother’s and the other vase is a hand painted vintage vase as well. The flower etched globe light is from IKEA. And we all know that’s an AMERICAN DOLL in a wheelchair. The one thing in the catalog Arthur liked because it had wheels.
HARRY POTTER books without their covers aren’t so bad looking next to the collection of NANCY DREW books.
All of the pillows in this feature have been provided by my primary sponsor ~ STUDIO TULLIA! Vintage ones (like the cool beaded rose pillow above) as well as other vintage oddities are available through TULLIA MARKETPLACE, which is not fully off the ground, but should be by this Summer.
Here are a few more pictures of the flowers up close because they are just so pretty. The vase is by who else…IKEA. The little painting is by Charlotte.
A FEW MORE NOTES…
We decided last minute to switch out her side table form TARGET and it needed to be white. The finish was antique gold and it just fell flat in the corner. We almost painted the gold framed mirror, too, but decided it added some bling and was ok as is.
This room was a quite a challenge because in all honesty this room is a dog. The room is tiny, the ceiling is slanted, the windows and trim work are funky, and many more issues I don’t need to bore you with.
The good news is that this is the room she wants to be in and is a very happy girl. She could not fall asleep last night she was so excited. I hated to wake her up this morning. This room is her safe haven, compared to the larger guest room where she was temporarily staying during this project.
Sweet Dreams, my Sweet Charlotte.
I am excited to grab a cup of coffee tomorrow morning and indulge myself in the many final reveals as part of the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, thanks to CALLING IT HOME.
This was a great challenge for me and 6 weeks was just about right. I am excited to do another room in the Fall.
Here is the link to twenty very talented designer bloggers’ final reveals HERE
And if that’s not enough, there are over 1,000 Guest Participant Final Reveals to view HERE:
Thanks so much for following along!
Best,
Suzanne
by studiotullia | May 5, 2016 | DESIGN TRENDS, HOME IMPROVEMENT, HOUSE TOUR: Traditional Spanish Style House near Pto. Vallarta
Well, we are coming into WEEK 5 with one week left to go. It has not been glamorous: its been about painting and electrical, but it is almost done!
My husband spent half a day last weekend putting in the electrical for the ceiling pendant in Charlotte’s room and while he was at it he upgraded our smoke alarms upstairs which felt good to check off the list.
As you can see, we got the walls painted and just have the trim left to paint. It took a little work to get the lilac and pink right. I think they are not too intense and balance each other out pretty well.
We still need to add trim to this one wall. Don’t ask me why it’s not there. That is how this house rolls and has for several decades.
Hope Hubbie can find the plates for the switches and outlets. I got the curtains hemmed and just need the hardware installed. Oh honey…
Yesterday we assessed where we are with ART, PILLOWS and BED LINENS.
She got this in MEXICO:
There is never a shortage of pillows around here. The splattered one was made up using leftover fabric from Charlotte’s curtain project.
We might paint the frame on this mirror. Haven’t decided yet.
We have this large vintage cross stitch piece that I found at a rummage sale that Charlotte loves. 
It sort of ties in with the bed which is an antique from my grandparents.
And, here is another lovely Mexican textile to add to the mix.
To check in on the ORC Featured Designers, go HERE
And, to see the ORC Guest Participants, go HERE
So, there’s a lot to do still, but we are going to pull this thing together by next week. Until then….have a great rest of the week.
– Suzanne
