When we first moved into this house, our twin daughters were 6 months old.
(They’re fraternal, not identical, but they go through stages of looking very, very similar. Age 6 months was one of those times; try as I might, I have no idea who this kid is.)
We decided to keep the girls in the same room as long as we could – heck, they shared a CRIB for several months when they were first born, so sharing a room was a no-brainer.
We decided – after much deliberation, actually – that we’d give them the largest bedroom, which the previous owners had used as the master bedroom. The wallpaper was quite sweet; little blue-green flowers on a white background.
But you know that leaving well enough alone isn’t my strong suit.
So we painted that room yellow and blue. You’ve seen pictures of that, but I don’t believe I’ve ever been bold enough (stupid enough?) to share these particular pictures, from when there were cribs in the room:
The cribs were on your left as you entered the room. (Holy cow – the MESS!)
Then they got older, graduated to beds…
Then we were sucked in by the vortex that is the color pink – you remember that makeover, with Benjamin Moore’s 2089-60 Peach Kiss:
AND THEN Ruthie wanted her own room. You remember that, too, I bet.
Well, poor Georgie had to wait a while until the pink bedroom became her room. I think her patience paid off.
The order of things was a little backward, but that’s how life is sometimes, right?
1. Wall color/paint. We KNOW that ideally, that comes last :)
2. Window treatments. Roman Shades require so little fabric – usually about 2-1/2 yards – so splurging on fancy material is an option. This fabric was NOT a splurge, though: $7/yard on Fabric Row in Philadelphia.
3. Ikea Hemnes dresser. I’ve always loved this dresser, but some colors – gray, blue, red – are now made of SOLID PINE, not that horrible but often unavoidable MDF / particleboard.
4. Bedding. Cotton coverlets from The Company Store, 1 pink, 1 orange – it’s the Veranda Matelasse, which I LOVE. We have it in white on our bed in the summer.
5. Bunk bed color. The bed itself is from Ikea, and we used unopened Farrow & Ball paint from our LR fireplace (a loooonnnng time ago) to personalize it. It’s too expensive to waste!
Despite the pillow, the top bunk is Ruthie’s when we have guests and she’s kicked out of her bedroom. It was part of the “ok, ok, you can have your own rooms but…” agreement.
Thankfully, the client is very happy with the way things turned out.
Annie Elliott, aka bossy color, is an interior decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. She’s been doing more remote consultations as of late, so if you’re in Florida, Washington state, or Australia, help is just a phone call away.
