Get the Look

YOUR DAUGHTER’S DREAM SPACE

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As a babysitter to a handful of little New York City lassies, I’ve noticed what young gals are naturally drawn to – what catches their eye and makes them feel like queen of the world! As a young feminist who grew up adoring dolls and Disney princesses, I can appreciate just how girly some of my girls can be.  Any lil’ lady should get to have her dream room. This can be achieved at a shockingly low price, which makes it all the more magical. Take a look at what we’ve chosen for your daughter’s dream space. These pretty but chic items are sure to create the perfect princess palace while also standing the test of time.

Make a statement about girl power with this flower power pendant lamp from Ikea. It looks great as a chandelier in the center of the room. Or, hang three at different levels, off-center, for a more mystical effect.

 

This vibrant duvet cover makes any place pop. Her room should look oh so cool and trendy while also keeping it’s delicate, feminine theme. Even the girliest of 7-year-olds appreciate a touch of edgy design.

 

 

“-and she does gymnastics and she has an older sister and… she has a bunk bed.” This is just part of the epic description by one of my girls regarding her newest best friend. For her, the bunk bed was the really cool icing on the cake. If all young gals are as excited about the classic bunk, wait until they see this lofted bed, equipped with a desk, below. I can already hear the new best friend, now… “She doesn’t even have to share it! And it’s so good for making forts.”

 

Match the duvet with this darling zig zag area rug in light blue. Nothing creates a fun space like mixing and matching patterns.

 

I’m so into these modern prints of our favorite Disney dames. Hang them up in ornate frames or steal from Sophie Wilson Design’s display, here, by simply using some metal paperclips.

J.M. Barrie, the man behind our favorite children’s story, Peter Pan, said, “You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by; but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by.” Adorn her walls with this dainty clock and enjoy watching the time tick by.

$36 by uncommon

 

Who doesn’t feel compelled to write on walls every now and then? Let her room be her canvas by painting the walls with chalkboard paint. She’s not partial to black walls? No worries. Benjamin Moore offers chalkboard paint in her favorite colors.

approx. $20 per quart benjamin moore

 

My best-loved way to ornament a room is with books. These two texts are necessities for any young woman’s space. Empowering, humorous, and aesthetically pleasing, she’s sure to be using them as reference for years to come. As will her daughter, and her daughter’s daughter, and so on.

$10.50+ barnes and noble

$7.50+ barnes and noble

 

Now isn’t it time to head out for a parent-daughter shopping day? Have fun!

 

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Shopping Guide

IKEA FURNITURE THAT WILL SURVIVE THE MOVE

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We’ve all been there: disassembling a piece of IKEA furniture whilst moving to a new place, only for it not to assemble back together again as nicely as before. To blame?  Flimsy base materials, dentible veneers and shoddy joint construction, for starters. Still, even this cut-price titan offers sturdy items that can withstand years of use and relocation. The trick is to steer clear of pieces made primarily of particle board (exhibit A: Expedit Shelving Unit) and veer toward those made of solid pine or stainless steel. Here are our favorites:

 

The loveably simple Bjorkudden table is made of plain pine.  Jazz it up with a coat of paint or leave unfinished and abuse it into having a character all its own (coffee stains, dents, candle drippings—you get the idea). $99.

BJÖRKUDDEN Dining table, $99.99

 

Handy coasters and a turquoise powder coating make the stainless steel PS 2012 coffee table your sofa’s new favorite sidekick. $49.99.


IKEA PS 2012 Coffee table, dark turquoise or white, $49.99

 

Industrial yet quaint, the Fjell 4-drawer dresser is made of solid pine and boasts old school metal drawer pulls. $299.

FJELL 4-drawer chest, $299.00

 

The Duken bed frame is made of steel that’s powder coated in sleek white. The dotted gray headrest is removable for washing, so it’s easy to keep clean. $199 for a queen.

DUKEN Bed frame, Fogn gray, $199.00

 

Stash extra pots and pans or dried goods in the stainless steel Flytta kitchen cart, while using the flat top surface as extra chopping space. $159.

FLYTTA Kitchen cart, stainless steel, $159.00

 

The steel-based Ledet floor lamp has a flexible arm to direct light and a diffuser to make it softer. $49.99.

LEDET Floor lamp, white, $49.99

 

 

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DIY

ALL TAPED UP

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When it comes to creating art for your home, it can sometimes be a headache. Getting all of the supplies and cleaning up after seem to be more of a hassle than completing the project.  That’s why tape is a great way to add an artistic touch to your home. Yea that’s right, tape! Tape is a great choice for diy art because it’s inexpensive, it doesn’t cause damage to walls or furniture and it’s easy to clean up.

 

By Amanda, butterandothergoodthings.wordpress.com

For this project all you need is painters tape, paint and a canvas (or shoebox top). Choose a base color to paint your surface. After the paint has dried place the tape in any pattern or shape that you want to. Then paint your taped off sections any color you choose. Wait until that dries to peel the tape off and enjoy your new piece of art.

By Kelly, kellyhicksdesign.com

By Maria, mariateorien.blogspot.dk

 

Is using paint still a little too messy for you? Well you’re in luck; tape is also awesome by itself. There are tons of different decorative tapes to choose from. One of the most popular craft tape is washi tape. This Japanese tape is made of paper, very durable and come in hundreds of different colors and patterns. You can find inexpensive washi tape from Cutetape.com and Etsy.com.

To make tape art, all you need is tape (duh), a canvas (or a wall).

 

By Maria, seethatthere.com

 

By Sarah, sarahhearts.com

 

By Liz, sketch42blog.com

 

By Molla, mollamills.com

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DIY

SIDEWALK SCORE OF THE WEEK

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Find: Bunk Bed Ladder

Location: 11th Ave

I happened to find this ladder on the sidewalk deep in the middle of my Ladder Bookshelf obsession, that or it spawned my obsession…chicken,egg.  When I convinced the boyfriend to help me bring a completely useless ladder home late one night, I was still pretty unsure what exactly it would turn into. Not wanting to let on and risk losing the manpower, I rattled off some vague bookshelf project and started brainstorming in my head.  This ladder belonged to a standard issue set of bunk beds, therefore the wood was a bright laminated pine, with the feet cut at angles to best warrant leaning and climbing. While perfectly reasonable for a bunk bed ladder, it made it almost impossible to keep the ladder upright. After a few trips to Loews wandering around, doing my best not to look like the clueless girl among contractor men, I decided that building some sort of square base would take the pressure off the angled feet and keep it from sliding. In the end I made a very basic square base and will probably add the pads that are on the bottom of chairs to curb any sliding. Bracketing into the wall is also a good way to secure the ladder, but being a renter I don’t really want to go there!

There are a couple different ways to do this project, all involving some manner of the same additions. Below are some ideas for turning this ladder into a functioning piece in your house!

 

Amazing use for a ladder! While my ladder is more “little boys room” than “beautiful design showroom in Norway”, the concept is beautiful and would be a great take on a traditional wall mounted shelf. With the right paint color and items on display it could be a really fun piece in any room.

from Mias Interior

 

In a perfect world I would have a massive sunny house, with hundreds of built in bookshelves and cabinets and would NEED a traditional library ladder. While I am a lifetime away from that, the idea of a library ladder has always been so attractive. Even with a standard tall bookshelf, if given the right base, the ladder could be simply propped up against the bookshelf to mimic the idea of a library ladder!

Ladders from NIBS blog

 

Another slightly more advanced project would be to create a pot rack from an old ladder. If the wood of the ladder sturdy enough, it could easily be mounted and hung from the ceiling to add some charm to a usually standard pot rack. Pot racks in the right kitchen as a fun way to display all your pots and pans and any variation on the traditional style would be great!

DIY Pot Rack from Apartment Therapy

 

I decided to go with a bookshelf/craft “closet”/office organizer. I added a few squares of craft wood to the bottom two rungs to create larger shelves, added a backboard to one for even more shelving and created a square base on the bottom. I painted with the grey paint I had from last weeks table project and went crazy with about 100 ft. of sisal twine to create some texture and add a rustic element. I am SO excited with the end result.  By turning this into shelving, it can be used in ANY room in the house; bathroom storage for towels, bedside table with a funky clip on lamp, bookshelves anywhere, office supplies…the uses are endless!

 

 

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Shopping Guide

STORE PROFILE: THE GLOBAL TABLE

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If you’re looking to add some personality to your dining area, I suggest you swing by The Global Table.  Located in both Manhattan’s UWS and in Soho, this tableware and home décor store offers colorful, stylish and unique items from around the world that will fit anyone’s aesthetic. From colorful and cute mugs to sophisticated and chic utensils, The Global Table has it all.

Vases available in almost any color imaginable are perfect for adding pops of color through- out your space. $18 each.

 

This chic tableware set is a modern take on traditional blue and white Chinese porcelain. $8-24.

 

Black and white panda mugs are the perfect mixture of cute and playful. $10 each.

 

Wooden dishes are great for those of you who prefer natural products.  They are also a great way to give your space an earthy and rustic feeling. Bowl, $80. Utensils, $24.

 

For 52 dollars, this iron industrial styled tea set is a steal. The teapot’s shape and wicker wrapped handle gives the set an Asian inspired appearance.


 
 
 
 
 
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