DIY Project: Baby's New Room!

The last several weeks (months!) I've been working on the baby's room. I put together a "pin board" with a lot of inspirational and real life pieces that I envisioned for his new space.

The hardest part has been finding the right paint color. I wanted JUST the right color and didn't want to settle.

I knew I wanted yellow. And I knew I wanted a bright, clear yellow, not a pastel, precious yellow. Almost neon really. 

So the search began.

I would pick up a few paint swatches whenever we were out at Lowe's or Wal Mart. I narrowed it down to 4 favorites and then went to Lowe's to get samples mixed up. I had prepped the room for painting and then applied some primer to seal the old paint - mustardy tan/yellow and dark maroon. Then I painted big squares of the 4 samples onto a couple of the walls so I could see how they behaved in different lights. Then I waited.

Here's how the room looked when we first moved in - the red/maroon is on the left and right walls, and the yellow is on the window and entry walls. Very dark and enclosed...

We'd go into the room during the day, night, clouds, rain. I even went into the backyard and looked at the color from the outside! ;) I liked one of the swatches best so I painted over the other 3, enlarged the favorite remaining swatch and waited some more.

Like I says, I didn't want to settle. :)

I finally decided I officially loved the color. We left for vacation over the 4th of July week, I still hadn't finished painting. So as soon as we got back I went to Lowe's and got a gallon of the color - Sparkling Yellow Shimmer - and finished the room in a weekend, walls trim and doors.

I'm so pleased!! I love that it has a lot of cool green with the yellow, more grellow than yellow: like a tennis ball but toned down.

My parents were nice enough to outfit baby's room with a majority of the large furniture items - dresser, nightstand, crib, rug and yet-to-be-hung curtains - and Kevin built them all for me last weekend once I was done with the painting. I was pretty worthless as an assistant since sitting on the floor, getting back up from the floor and lifting large pieces of furniture are kind of beyond my capacity right now, but I did try. ;)

Here are a few photos of the room progress and how it looks now.

We still need the rocker/glider and the layout is tentative, but it looks so good! I'm really happy with it and am pleased with how my pin board came together so well in real life. :))

Here is my original pin board:

Priming the dark red beadboard paneling on this wall was a nightmare. 

The gallon of paint, ready for the walls!

Finally done painting - walls, trim and doors - and almost done cleaning up.

Cleaned up and read for furniture!!

Getting started on the dresser.

Half way there...

The crib is done and looks amazing!!

Here is the room as it looks today, as complete as possible (the cat seems pleased ;).  

We still need to ...

1. get the glider (brown leather),

2. get the laundry hamper

3. paint and hang the curtains

(I'm going to use this tutorial and paint wide navy stripes onto some of these great, simple curtains from IKEA)

4. get some art for the walls

But it looks beautiful to me, even incomplete.

We put in a lot of time and effort and the energy this room exudes now is so serene and happy and welcoming. I hope Baby likes it, too. ;)

Next up: Baby's first quilt!

Design Inspiration - Smart Shelving for Small Kitchens

As I continue drooling over awesome kitchens that I find online, I have happened on several examples of efficient, space-saving shelving ideas for smaller kitchens. If you are running low on cabinet space, here are some ideas for adding a few extra shelves (the window shelves would look great with glass or small china pieces) and extra open storage space to house some of your dishes, appliances or serveware:


If you have a passage between your kitchen and dining room, utilize the space above the doorway for one small shelf - perfect for a collection of decorative china (cups and saucers, vintage Jadeite, etc). This would also work above a window or over a pantry door.

I love the use of window space as storage space, too - I think rooms and spaces pulling 'double duty' is a really efficient and creative way to make the most of smaller homes.

I love the addition of the decorative glass above the shelf.

The glass shelves (isntead of wood) is a nice way to keep the space as open as possible. Also, aligning the shelves with the window panes helps keep your view unbostructed. (This idea is from PrettyHandyGirl.com, an excellent DIY blogger I happen to follow)

I love this sleek modern kitchen; it still has a warmth about it that is welcoming. The long shelves along the window do nothing to close in the space and really showcase some pretty, decorative items. Of course not everyone has a huge bank of windows in their kitchen. ;) But even smaller kitchens can pull off the look.

The next space-saving idea is to introduce an open shelving system to your kitchen. If you have a bit of floor space, you can turn a corner or small piece of otherwise-awkward wall into storage space. I just recently scored a large open shelf this weekend from freecycle.org - I think it would be perfect for a spot in my kitchen that really needs to be put to use.


I think the subtle blue color of these shelves is beautiful! A white kitchen is an open kitchen, but I'm a fan of color and this brings a little personality to a storage space that could otherwise look a little cool and industrial.

I think people are afraid of showing their appliances or even their food in the kitchen. We've 'learned' that storage space should be closed (cabinets, pantries). But I think it adds a huge dose of interest and personality to a kitchen to have things out in the open. People tend to collect things they love so why not have them out where you can see them and your guests can appreciate them? (Also, I'm LOVING the little jars of dry goods in the photo below! Stylish and clever!)

This is such an awesome space. The shelves along the back of the kitchen are JUST like the one I got this weekend (except mine is white powder-coated metal). I can see it now, holding my acacia wood salad bowl, blue floral cake stand, trifle bowl ... the perfect way to display pretty items (and pieces with unique silhouettes, too, like this coffee pot I scored at an estate sale).




What are some of YOUR favorite space-saving ideas??