Sneak peek: some (impatient) before and afters

When rooms unfold slowly, I have this bad habit of sharing before and afters before we're really done (or photographed properly).  A habit I am about to indulge.

These are some pretty ghastly before shots:

Both rooms has 80s wallpaper along with bad mauve carpeting and golden oak trim.  The trim we left alone for now (trim is such a huge project because it is everywhere!), and while the carpet will be replaced eventually, we did tear down the wallpaper, stat.

These kids are currently two and four, so the beds are on the floor.

In Lael's room, we painted the walls a pale mint green and brought in happy prints and patterns that aren't too princessy sweet.  (This was the original inspiration.  Turned out the inspiration headboard didn't come in a Queen, so we rethought, here.  That's pretty much exactly what we ended up with!)

Love the watercolors by Lael (top) and her brother (bottom).

In Oliver's room, we lightened up with a blue-grey paint and offset the wood pieces with navy, green, and a car-themed art wall.

The abstract paintings are by Oliver, too.

Oli's room is pretty much complete, but Lael's still needs book shelves, a chair, and possibly a dresser makeover.  We're getting there.

It will be fun to share a full reveal (you know, including the other sides of these rooms), sometime this summer.

For now, hope you like the transformation!

Tweaking an art wall

When I finally tackled a staggering pile of my kids' art over break, I came across some lost treasures, and took the opportunity to make a little tweak to the office gallery wall.  There are two little collages, in white frames at the bottom, that Clio made when she was 4.  I always liked the idea of swapping out the girls' art as they grow, and I love the idea of giving their art import by placing it right alongside the work of professional artists.

Buried deep in the "to scan" pile I found a pair of watercolors inspired by Andy Warhol.  

I love the way the Tomato Soup cans fit right in to a wall filled with poster art, experiments in printmaking, and the Fred Tomaselli collage that makes use of a New York Times.

While it's nice to have some things "finished" around the place, making small changes like this keep things fresh without being disruptive, don't you think?