Big Brainstorming for a Big Girl Room

Here’s what happens when your name is Hilary and you’re in nesting mode: you get all Gung-ho to start renovations, you start with what comes most naturally to you (running to the paint store), and then you get ahead of yourself and realize you’ll be held up for a while. You wait, impatiently, as the rest sloooowwwlly falls together. This is where I’m at with Isla’s big girl room.

Status Check: So far the room is completely painted in two coats of Benjamin Moore’s Gentle Butterfly and two coats of Cloud White for the trim. I am extremely happy with my choice of Gentle Butterfly-it’s a soft tutu pink that looks great in every light- it’s not one of those colours that plays tricks on you and suddenly turns to  periwinkle when the sun goes down.  I’m so happy to have white trim back in the room (versus the old butter yellow colour), it just helps the space to look fresh and clean.

End of Status Check.

Seriously, that’s all I’ve done! Everything else is in limbo, and here’s why. On the window wall of Isla’s room I’ve decided that the best use of the space and what she’ll get the most use out of in the coming years is a wall unit and window seat. Here is my inspiration photo:

However, I’ve decided to make a few tweaks. I’d like both sides to be completely identical, thus I will be eliminating the secretary desk. I also wanted to fancy it up a bit, so it will get a little heavier molding around the top as well as some added pillars for interest. Here is what my wonderful cabinet maker over at Malaj Cabinetry has drawn up for me:

This will all be created in Benjamin Moore CC-40 (Cloud White) and will fit from wall to wall and from floor to ceiling. I’m very excited to see the end result, however will have to sit tight since this could take a while to be created and installed.

In the meantime I’ve been working away and pulling together the rest of the elements of the bedroom. I’ve decided that I’d like to add a little girly whimsy to the room by adding some fun gold polka dots to the wall where her headboard will be. I think I want to try and arrange the dots so that they look as if they’ve been shaken out across the top of the wall with some sprinkling down, much like this Pinterest find:

However, this sort of disorganization is not usually my style. I am more of a prim and proper type of mindset, and like things to be equally spaced and visually organized. Thank goodness the vinyl stickers I’ve ordered from Polka Dot Wall Stickers can be removed and moved. I may just end up with a wall that looks a bit more like this:

Only time will tell. So far I’ve ordered a ton of the 2″ gold vinyl stickers and eagerly await their arrival. According to USPS they’ve cleared customs, so they should be here any day!

Speaking of headboard wall, I’ve changed gears a bit on my plans for Isla’s actual bed. At one point I thought about using her existing crib, converting it to the double bed big kid version, and having our cabinetry maker paint it in matching CC-40. However, the more I thought about it, the more I thought I’d really like something a bit girlier and have been looking at upholstered headboards. Selection in Canada for this type of thing sucks, and while you can get lucky and make some great finds at HomeSense, it is purely dependant on luck. I did, however, find some decent looking pieces on the Home Depot website, including this gem:

Homedepot.ca Skyline Furniture Upholstered Headboard with Nailhead Trim

I’m also into these Pottery Barn finds:

Pottery Barn Chesterfield Upholstered Tufted Headboard

Pottery Barn York Tufted Headboard

No surprise, the Home Depot choice is much more economical, includes free shipping to my door and hassle free returns at the store just up the road. I’m thinking worst case, I order it and see what it looks like in person and decide from there.

Next up is lighting. We were left with this horrid acrylic sun light that not only looked awful, but let off very little light. I’ve been trying to scout out a piece that is (you guessed it!) girly, but also that ties in white and gold. I was also really into the capiz chandelier from my Candice Olson inspiration photo (see No Mexico, No Problemo! post) and hoped to find something similar. Well, I think today is my lucky day, as I’ve landed upon this piece by Serena and Lily that I am absolutely in love with (and love the price too):

I’ve also been dreaming up a little girl inspiration gallery wall- I just haven’t quite dreamt where I’ll be putting it yet! It’ll feature some funky prints, photos of Isla herself, and hopefully some modern charcoal ballerina sketches that I’ve tried to commission my talented sister to make! My inspiration are the incredible sketches Degas did of ballerinas, such as this one, Danseuse Assise Essayant Ses Pointes:

Still working on some inspiration for bed linens and window coverings- if you’ve got something in mind I’d love to hear about it!