Kids Reading Lounge

It's a rainy day in D.C., so our new outdoor reading lounge is packed up at the moment, but you can head over to Honest to Nod to see how we roll it out when the sun is shining! So easy and super cozy.

Fave Kids Sheet Sets

About this time every year, I tuck my kiddos into bed each night and notice that their cute little feetsies are dusted with summer despite several dips in the pool and multiple showers. Summer feet are summer feet, no matter how hard I try. Coincidentally, I also start thinking it's time for a bedding refresh for each of them. Working in a fun new sheet set is a great way to update their rooms without breaking the bank. And gives me some cushion time to wash their bedding more frequently, too. Here's a few I've been loving lately.

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Outdoor Art Space for Kids

Despite the fact that is had rained every single one of the last fourteen days in D.C., I moved forward on our spring plans to put together an outdoor art space for the kiddos. They need to get out (and, let's be real, I need them to get out) and have been loving their new studio space. Want to put one together for your own lovies? Head over to Honest to Nod to check out how we did it with The Land of Nod's help!

Art Prints for Kid Spaces

It's been almost 9 months since we moved into our "new house" (I think it will always be "new" to me). We did a lot of work before the move -- renovations, decorating, furnishing .... At some point a few months in, I just lost steam. The main things had all been done and I was sick of architects, designers, contractors, and people in the house generally. Between that and the fact that we like to collect art slowly, our walls have largely remained empty.

And now I'm OVER that. But instead of going out and dropping large sums of money on art that we make snap decisions on (cause that would never happen, right?), we've been purchasing reasonably-priced prints that we might some day replace when we find that perfect piece. And the kids' areas are no exception. I've been combing online art sources for prints that work well in kid spaces, but that still work with my overall aesthetic. I can't buy them all, so I thought I'd share my favorites with all of you! Some we have, some are on my to-buy list. But all I love. Happy decorating!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

5 | 6 | 7 | 8

9 | 10 | 11 | 12

13 | 14 | 15 + 16

17 | 18 | 19 | 20

Kane's New Room!!

Unlike Cameron's new bedroom, where we were basically starting from scratch, Kane had most of his furniture already locked down. When you're 18 months old and get kicked out of your crib by an arriving sibling, and your mom and dad refuse to buy a toddler bed, you get hooked up with the furniture they tell you you'll take to college (I'm only partly kidding). But I still wanted Kane to be excited about moving and getting a new room. He has a strong personality and a real love for adventure, collecting, travel, and the color green. And he builds with legos for HOURS (seriously, HOURS) at a time while he listens to a variety of audiobooks. So that's where I started.

Cameron's New Room!!

Finally!! We've been in our new home for a little over four months now and despite the fact that the kids' rooms were complete almost before anything else, it's taken me this long to get the photos pulled together. And their rooms are not entirely even "done," because I left room for them to add to things as they grow. But this is probably the closest and most picked up they'll be for a while (having them home in the summer is like letting animals run rampant in the house. If I have to pick up one more wet bathing suit off of the hardwood floors, I'm going to lose it).

New Bathrooms for the Munchkins!

One of the things I love most about our new home is its neutral palette. There is lots of grey and lots of marble. But while those work perfectly with my aesthetic, it seemed a little serious for the kids and their seriously silly personalities. So I knew that I needed to lighten up their rooms a bit. At the same time, I didn't want to make their spaces seem so kiddish that they wouldn't hold up over time. This was especially the case in their bathrooms. I wanted to create fun, bright spaces but still make sure that I could change them easily to grow with the kids. Enter Munchkin's bright and modern bath products -- the perfect way to keep them entertained and both themselves and their bathrooms cleaned up. I think they turned out fabulously!

Chairish Color Challenge

As you might imagine, we've been in the throes of designing and decorating our new home for a few months now. And while we're still in the process of getting all of the furniture in (why, WHY does it take so long to make furniture?!), it's so fun seeing it all come together. Our new house finally has a real family room, but thus far we haven't really designated a kid-space in it. And there's the perfect nook for one. So I was super excited when Chairish asked if I'd be interested in participating in their Color Challenge and design a room full of color based on one of their rugs. It was the perfect opportunity to give some thought to what would be fun for the kids while fitting into the rest of our family room.

In case you aren't familiar with Chairish, it's a great online curated shop that features vintage furniture, decor, jewelry and accessories. We are big fans of mid-century modern design in our home, but it can be hard to swallow those prices when it comes to purchasing new furniture for our young kids who I know will thrash them. So vintage can be a good choice, including options that are inspired by classic designers (Chairish offers plenty of designer furniture as well!). Plus, no 16-week lead times! 

In any event, Chairish challenged me to create a styleboard around a vintage rug while making the room pop with color. Our family room already has several bright pieces of furniture, so I want to be careful about how I add more. Here's what I'm thinking for a kids nook that will tie in to the rest of our family room! 

1 / I actually picked a mid-century neutral colored rug to start. The shape fits our nook really well and since the rug in our family room is already really bright, I wanted to use other accessories to pop up the color in the kids section.  

2 / At the top of my list for the kids is a good arts/crafts table. I love Saarinen, but wouldn't throw that cash around for a table that's going to see the kind of use I'm anticipating. This Saarinen-inspired set fits the bill. 

3 / Our family room actually gets great natural light, but a floor lamp is a must during these long winter months when the kids are up early while it's still dark and the sun goes down before dinner. 

4 / I love this bright orange-striped, oversized box for holding art supplies. 

5 / In addition to hanging their own artwork, I'd love to add this vintage school map of Rome. My history-loving kids would go gaga for it.

6 / You can't get enough storage for kids and a lucite cube is the perfect way to keep even your storage neat and tidy. 

7 / Pillows are a great way to add color without a huge commitment. I love this combo of Turkish and Moroccan pillows.