ONE. ROOM. DONE. The kids’ camping/safari/pirate/astronaut—in short ADVENTURE—room in the mountain house is done and today is the REVEAL. In case those photos don’t portray it properly, we love it. But unlike most love stories, it was born out of challenges. Frankly, it was the most challenging room in the house. When Target said “We are launching a new Pillowfort collection, wanna do a makeover?” I thought to myself, this might be the ONLY way that I ever get this room done, and then when the very cute and fun product was aligned with what I wanted, I pitched this room back which gave me a deadline. You see, doing a kids room is usually FUN, but due to the challenges of this room (a wall of plumbing that needed to be accessible, awkwardly placed windows due to a roofline and the need for low twin beds, read more here) this room was full of design conundrums that were just more annoying than fun to think about. But thanks to my very talented and hardworking team, we DID IT.
Yesterday you got the back story, with the before shots and process, and today you’ll get the reveal with an extra post later in the day (UPDATE: read all the details here) that breaks down the DIYs. What DIYs you ask? Oh just this simple (but not so simple to make) canvas, wood and leather tent and rolling shades.
Here’s how it went down: the goals of this room, stylistically, were to make it feel playful, interactive for the kids, yet still Scandinavian and not too busy. I wanted to stimulate their imagination but not their 8 pm energy level.
It’s so much easier to design a kids room with a theme, so that’s where we started. Julie, Emily Bowser and I sat in my studio and brainstormed how to use these awkward conundrums to our design advantage. Yes, it’s a mountain house but that felt too generic so we honed in on what our kids like to do up here…and that’s to create imaginary adventures all day and night. That means part camping, safari, pirate ship, bug hunting, space exploration, and general “get the bad guy” missions. And since they like to sleep basically on the floor near each other, we decided to make that look purposeful by putting them in a tent, like they are camping.
I shared our weird family secret yesterday, but in case you missed it, here it is again: What you might not know is that Charlie actually likes to sleep on a couch cushion (i.e. not an actual bed) in between the beds, thus us wanting the lowest beds possible.
What I’m about to say next is something you’ll relate to if you are a parent of young kids, but if you don’t have kids you will think we are crazy. Ahem.
When your kids are sleeping well, you get obsessed with their exact situation and you will, under no circumstances change it. You will give even the tiniest element unnecessary praise and value, crediting IT as “the” reason your kids are sleeping 11 hours straight (and thus you). This could include the make and model of their pajamas, the location in the room of the white noise machine, the thread count of their sheets, the opacity of window treatments, and, yes, the location and style of beds. Over Christmas break, they shared this room which at the time had two twin mattresses on the floor and guess what? Their nightmares were over, they slept all night and Charlie loved that he could be right next to Birdie, on his couch cushion, encased by the two beds. THEY ARE NOW FOREVER BETHROTHED TO THIS SLEEPING ARRANGEMENT.
So that’s the “why” behind the two low twin beds versus a bunk bed or two normal-height twin beds. We tried bunk beds for six nights of hell and after them each waking up four times a night (separately), Brian disassembled it and practically burned it (kidding, they were donated). So this is our solution.
Of course, Charlie STILL asked for the cushion back so unfortunately, we are back to the sofa-cushion-twin-bed-sandwich which begs the question—WHY CAN’T OUR KIDS JUST SHARE A BED??? It would make reading so much more comfortable. More on that later, but as for the LA house, I’m leaning towards one big bed for all of us. I fall asleep with them every night anyway. Okay, on to the design.
The Tent.
I’m OBSESSED with that tent. It’s what we call “quiet impact.” It’s made of just canvas with leather and wood detailing. We came up with the idea and my team figured out how to execute because they are “quiet impact” geniuses.
I love how simple it is and yet makes a huge statement. Of course, I was tempted to do a pattern or a color, and yes I was worried that the white wouldn’t pop but I reminded myself about the overall style of the house—neutral and simple, with a heavy dose of quirk and a less is more mantra. Thus, we landed here and I’m so glad we used restraint.
The Headboard Wall.
Take a peek at yesterday’s post if you don’t know about the plumbing that has to be housed behind the bed (and yet still be accessible). As our solution, we took the same canvas and upholstered a wooden box that slides over a frame (and can be pulled out if needed).
It stretches almost the whole wall and looks pretty intentional without garnering much attention at all. The single long headboard also helps our “simple yet impactful” mission for this house.
The Bedding.
The kids LOVE the treasure island print of the Pillowfort sheets as they are in a huge Peter Pan phase that is not waning. We decided to add in the green via the bedspreads to, well, not just have it be blue and white. The leather trunk (which we brought up from the LA house…it used to be in my living room) certainly warms it up, plus it speaks to the camping vibe as well as tying in with the leather detailing on the tent.
The cloud bookshelves are so cute (and house the books so the kids can see them) and the sconces are in the place that we originally had the junction boxes when we thought we were doing built-ins, so we had to find some that could articulate over to the new bed placement so it made visual sense (we found these at Schoolhouse…they’re awesome).
The trees are from Target’s holiday line because why would you not bring faux pine trees into your kids’ camping theme mountain cabin room? We might not keep them in there, but they were just so cute and really hit the theme home (and kinda did what a normal plant would do visually without us actually having to care for one).
We used that antique English pine dresser I bought a few years ago for their clothes storage and finally dug that blue pottery lamp out of storage (so glad I never got rid of those, plus they are from Charlie’s first nursery which will ALWAYS make me nostalgic). And of course no room is complete until you add in some leather bear bookends. (Thank you to the reader who found them online, we had a hard time searching!)
Onto the other side of the room…
The Rock Climbing Wall.
Remember that awkward window placement due to the roof line? Well, we figured out that we needed to fill that vertical space in a way that didn’t intrude on the wall, thus a climbing wall. The kids (and the adults) love this new out-of-the-box feature.
We went for the natural wood which worked so well with the stair banisters. For anyone wondering why it’s on a box and not just the wall, well…if we were to just install the wooden climbing holds straight into the drywall, they would most likely have just ripped out upon first climb. So Sara’s incredibly handy brother Shade built this custom climbing wall (thank you, Shade) which attaches to the studs in the wall. He then created a pegboard-like grid which let us easily set our preferred climbing route for Charlie and Birdie. If you are interested in creating your own climbing wall, here is a link to a great video tutorial (though we did link to the footholds in the Get the Look below).
The Carpet.
The carpet in this room, with its 2-inch, 7-pound density memory foam underneath, is honestly one of our favorite things in the whole house. Sourced through Stark, it’s a high-quality tonal navy stripe and frankly, it’s so perfect. As my first foray into wall-to-wall, I wanted it to feel so much more special than the ubiquitous builder grade (which can be fine, too!), but is dark to hide dirt and mud, and refined enough to fit into our Scandi vibe but at the same time squishy and bouncy. Plus, it’s so soft though nothing in the world is softer than those two floor pillows. They are alarmingly squishy and I want 10 of them for obstacle courses and to play human frogger in there. I’d win.
Windows.
Welcome to the prettiest white oak windows you’ll never get sick of looking at. That’s right— there’s no casing (or baseboards) because we wanted the windows and the doors to be the star of the show, architecturally speaking. These are casements we got through Marvin that have child locks because well, children.
Now, while we love most everything in here, there are some regrets, including…
The Double Nook.
You might remember that we originally wanted to do a pull-out closet for that bottom floor nook under the stairs. Well, we didn’t. YET. Our contractor was like “I don’t think your well-thought-out idea that you spent weeks rendering is possible” and while we do, I also respect an expert when they are sending the clear message that maybe they aren’t the one for the job. So we plan on doing this later and have since gotten some good references. We are also debating how much we care. I mean, the kids love a double nook, I just think it’s visually messy but they are PSYCHED.
What I WISH I had done before the shoot is have Ross Alan Reclaimed Lumber (who did the amazing door here and throughout the house) build doors for that nook so it wasn’t nook in front of nook. IT’S JUST SO BUSY.
We do a lot of treasure maps over here with X MARKS THE SPOT being a sentence that is screamed often. So when we ran out of ideas of what to do in this SECOND nook while styling and shooting, we put in a bunch of vintage park maps, black and white photos of bears in the wild, hiking trails, a stump, and walkie talkies and created a moment, but ultimately I wish it just visually didn’t exist.
Let this be a lesson to you: never “double nook” yourself. It’ll just turn into a stressful moment of what to fill/style it with.
Those cubbies, however, are very cute.
The toy gods answered this year when Pillowfort launched the affordable cubby/bookcase combo. These are $60 each and they check so many boxes (PUN!). Kids need to see their toys in order to play with them, and yet bin after bin equals a lot of mess. These are perfect and we actually just bought them for our LA house playroom that I am finally designing.
The upper nook is pretty darn cozy and the kids LOVE going up there. The sconce, from Jones County Road as well as the two-tier wall-mount shelf help with reading time at night.
But yet ANOTHER REGRET:
We measured the seat based on the interior and had these custom cushions made (covered in a stain-resistant Crypton fabric) with those measurements in mind. But then when we put it in, we realized that we weren’t capitalizing on the real estate and the cushion could have extended out another six inches or so. We might redo it. 🙂
Meanwhile, we are just MISERABLE hanging out inside that nook.
Caution: You are now entering “quick mom moment” territory, so if you don’t care for the kid mush, skip ahead a few paragraphs, but if you do, keep on reading, because if you’re a parent, you’ll understand.
That girl.
A phenomenon that no parent will ever fully come to terms with is that we think our children are the most special kids in the world. What’s even weirder is that you all think that you love your kids as much as I love mine. And intellectually I know you do, and yet THERE. IS. NO. WAY.
My friends and I have discussed this endlessly. It’s like being in the first phase of falling in love with your first love, for the rest of your life. This has nothing to do with the makeover or design, but as I look at photos of my babies, I’m sitting at a coffee shop writing this post on a Monday night instead of putting them to bed and while I’m not sad I’m missing out on what is surely a Monday night battle, I miss them fiercely.
So what do they think of their room?
THEY LOVE IT.
Shocker. I mean, of course, they do. Free cool room. Free toys. Free climbing wall.
Now that they are older, we are talking to them even more frequently about my job and how I get to decorate our house and take photos for a living. My fear of spoiling them has not decreased, (I think it best that it never does) but my conversation with them about my job has developed. I’ve been gone more working on the new book so I brought out my old book (of which Charlie makes two cameos) and they were like “MAMA, YOU WROTE A BOOK???” They wanted me to read it to them…for like four sentences. But they still held this tangible object that holds some sort of respect and power. They don’t understand the internet or blogs yet, nor do I want them to, but they LOVE books. I think we are going to watch Secrets from a Stylist soon. 🙂 I think they are ready.
Anyway, one room down. Many to go. Check out the Pillowfort collection at your local Target and Target.com for all the other pieces that we didn’t use (because they are VERY cute).
I have no idea how we got two photos together where everyone looks sane. But thanks to my great team, we did.
Speaking of team, Julie and Emily B. troubleshooted these DIYs (come back in a few hours for more details) and sewed the shades which were a feat. Thank you ladies for all your overtime on this project and attention to detail.
My kids woke up the next day and after playing downstairs for a while, Charlie said “Elliot! We forgot about our new room!!” and they raced upstairs and played for an hour and a half straight, WITHOUT US. In the spirit of this adventuresome room, Mission accomplished. 🙂
To read EVEN MORE about this room (plus all my tips for creating a room your kids—and you—will love, head to Rachael Ray Every Day, who showed off this space, too.
Oh, and don’t forget to come back later today (after 11 am PDT) for details on the DIYs. See you then.
***UPDATE: The DIY post is now up, so head here if you want all the details of how to make a whimsical tent and roller shades yourself.
1. Green Shams | 2. Treasure Island Sheet Set | 3. Green Comforter | 4. Faux Fur Sherling Rug | 5. Cloud Shelf | 6. Bear Head | 7. Sconce | 8. Portable Lantern | 9. Bed Frame | 10. Wall to Wall Carpet | 11. Wood Building Blocks | 12. Low Profile Bookcase | 13. Bunny Throw Pillow | 14. Pug Mini Plush Throw Pillow | 15. Captain Throw Pillow | 16. Elephant Plush Toy (similar) | 17. Alligator Knit Throw Pillow | 18. Maple Growth Chart | 19. Seek Adventure Framed Art | 20. Aged Brass Light Switch | 21. Unicorn Throw Pillow | 22. Cat Throw Pillow | 23. Faux Fur Floor Pillow | 24. Catch & Count Fishing Game | 25. Starry Globe Nightlight | 26. Stacking Open Toy Storage Bin | 27. Firm Foam Blocks | 28. Fabric Storage Bin | 29. Accent Stump | 30. Compass | 31. Faux Fur Rug | 32. Walkie Talkies | 33. Handheld Magnifying Glass | 34. Nook Sconce | 35. Interior Door Knob | 36. Reclaimed Wood Door | 37. Climbing Wall Holds | 38. White Bunting | 39. Windows | 40. Octopus Throw Pillow | 41. Stonewashed Blue Throw Pillow | 42. Woven Stripe Throw Pillow | 43. Heart Pillow | 44. Blue Throw Blanket | 45. 2-Tier White Book Shelf
*Photography by Sara Tramp for EHD
**This post is in partnership with Target but all words, designs and selections are our own. Thanks for supporting the brands we love that support the blog.
Check out the rest of The Mountain House reveals here: The Kitchen | The Kitchen Organization | The Kitchen Appliances | The Powder Bath | The Living Room | The Downstairs Guest Suite | The Loft | The Hall Bath | The Upstairs Guest Bath | The Dining Room | The Family Room
I love everything except the carpet (which feels a bit like it belongs in an office at first glance – am sure it is nicer in person!). The climbing wall and the canopy are seriously cool and I’d definitely have these in my adult bedroom given the chance!
same here, i don’t think the carpet goes with anything else in the room… especially not the theme… i think i would have put hardwoods in there too…
Agree. Maybe a white/cream rug under the beds to break it up a bit?
I think i agree. For the first time im not in love with something designed by emily. Love the bedding, the tent and everything else about this room. That carpet though. Makes the room so much more dated. Carpets are great but this particular one just looks like it belongs in a tired old hotel from the 90s. Not digging it. Absolutely great on the rest of the space though ! Love the bedding x
I love the carpet! Elevates the design instantly. Kids love carpet, they don’t think it looks “dated” and they do NOT prefer hardwoods LOL!!! I should know, I have 5 and they love their carpeted bedrooms. I might not want it in the rest of the house, but I put their opinions first in their own spaces.
You are absolutely right – I couldn’t agree more. I love the carpet and would have loved to have this room exactly as it is waaaaaay back when I was a kid.
I also don’t think it’s visually busy. The double nook is fantastic.
You’re all nuts. 🙂 That carpet is PERFECT for a kids room. On those stripes, I foresee loads of car chases with Hot Wheels and plenty of balance-bar routines for future gymnasts. The pattern looks warm and cozy and not too formal or busy.
Plus kids just prefer carpet. Period. Just had my 14-month nephew staying over at my house and he DID NOT approve of my hardwood floors. And neither did his little knees.
So funny – the first thing I came to comment on is my love of the carpet. Like, HUGE love. I think it’s so so good! Thank goodness we don’t all have the same tastes or our houses would get pretty boring!
I love all opinions, but YES I LOVE THIS CARPET 🙂
Do you love the carpets or the bedspreads more? Sorry to say, but I think the problem is that these two items clash. Can you perhaps shoot again with different color bedding? And perhaps a neutral rug underneath the beds? Would be good to see how you can change up the look with different textiles.
I think it’s so interesting to read everyone’s comments… because the carpet is my favorite part! 🙂 But as a Midwesterner, I may be biased towards a comfy, carpeted basement level room. They really make for coziest and most relaxed spaces!
I love the carpet too and I’m not a carpet person. I love the visual element it adds, even helping it not be to themey.
Exactly!
OMG! Are you kidding. That carpet is the best part of the whole space. Love it with the green spreads. This room looks super fun. In the case of the double nooks, I think you have to think of it from the kid perspective and not the designer perspective. So many fun options for using that lower nook for kids! Hang a sheet from the bannister, and there’s another fort! C’mon mom. ; ) Awesome room!
its the best carpet ever. and SO COZY yet not basic. people literally detour into this room on their way to another room unnecessarily just to experience this underfoot. until you’ve lived in a good wall-to-wall room its easy to not be its fan. But I am. 🙂
I agree that this carpet is the best part of the space! At first glance I thought it was a rug, but then realized my mistake. I think it’s perfect for a kid’s room.
On a side note, when did Charlie grow up, he looks like such a big kid now!
I love carpet. I love the idea of carpet. I actually LOVE the way carpet feels!! I just personally do not care for this carpet. This carpet just feels so “busy” and makes it feel outdated and not the modern Scandinavian mountain house vibes. I do wonder though if the bedspread green color makes it worse. I dont like the green bedspreads with the carpet at all. Not trying to be negative- just expressing personal option that its visually hard to look at.
I do LOVE this post though. The mom / kid emotions- it made me tear up!
I also LOVE the tent!!
Agreed! I love the carpet, but that green just competes too much. Need to nix the green and I think it would’ve perfection.
Agree. Carpet or bedspreads. Not both. They clash so badly and look really dowdy.
The carpet and the bedspreads don’t clash at all. The colour palette is, in fact, very quirky and very French — tho I’m pretty sure that’s not what Emily was going for! I think the colour mix is wonderful.
The wood blocks link is broken
(This room is absolutely crazy beautiful. Like THE BEST kids room ever. I am going to pick some ideas for my son’s room, thanks!)
Hey LA! Which wood blocks link isn’t working for you? I just checked #11 & #27 and they both seemed to work on my end so let me know which and I can go ahead and update that for you!
11! But if you checked maybe it’s because I’m reading from overseas? That’s weird, though, because usually I can see amazon.com links (even if I can’t buy it directly, and need to look for the same item on amazon.it)
This might be my favorite room ever. It’s beautiful, but mostly I can feel the love seeping from each detail.
It’s perfect! Lucky kids! How many kid rooms can one style and still manage to have it feel fresh? You did it.
This is so sweet. THANK YOU xx
I really really love this room! its simple, and playful, perfect. I can see my kids LOVING something like this. And great solutions on the headboard and window treatments.
PS – we got the same sheets for our son – LOVES them!
This looks sooo good. Beyond picking out pretty “things” and being very knowledgeable about materials etc , your team does such a stellar job designing around awkward spaces (nooks, window placements, half walls). It just goes to show what a little imagination can do. Your kids are going to love this room for years to come.
A few things 1) this is all super adorable, ‘kid’ friendly but still looks vacation/woodsy 2) I tell my daughter all the time that while i’m sure other mama’s love their babies as much as I love her I still don’t believe it 3) Charlie actually likes to sleep on a couch cushion (i.e. not an actual bed) in between the beds, thus us wanting the lowest beds possible. – this might go on for LIFE. My husband. Aged 32 STILL loves to cram himself into the weirdest sleeping positions. His Mom told me that as a kid she would find him wedged between beds, behind the couch, under couch cushions, under the couch, behind beds every night. When we dated in college we lived in the same dorm – I would go get him in the morning to walk to class and find him wedged between his mattress and the cold cinder block wall, or under a mattress on the floor (wth?!). And now he’s either on the couch with the couch cushions covering him or in bed trying to wedge himself under me and the dog. They never outgrow it. Is is 1 part adorable and 2 parts… Read more »
He might benefit from a weighted blanket (you can find them online or DIY). This is actually not as uncommon as it might seem. You might also want to research sensory processing- learning about this has been helpful in my family. Oh and I LOVE this room!!
I had the same thought upon reading yesterday’s post. My friend Hartley Steiner has researched sensory processing issues extensively and written two related books for kids. I recommend checking out her blog/website for some initial information: http://hartleysboys.blogspot.com/2010/08/what-is-sensory-processing-disorder.html?m=1
Also this is a very cute room! My favorite things are the tent feature and the two nooks. I would have loved a room with a nook as a kid. You probably won’t like this idea, but what about a simple curtain in the same white canvas fabric, for one of the nooks?
My daughter has one or two odd sensory-related things like this without being a full blown sensory issues kid, and out of curiosity I borrowed a book full of quick tips for addressing specific sensory issues. For “sleeps between mattress and wall” author Angie Voss says a child who does this is likely seeking out deep pressure touch and proprioception to help self-regulate and sleep. Some of her tips to try are using a weighted blanket, use a memory foam bed topper, sleep in a body sock, provide full body deep pressure before bedtime. Just an interesting thought about this sort of quirk that I wanted to share!
I was also thinking that your husband probably has some unmet sensory needs that show up in his sleeping positions/places. Stuff I’m sure no one knew about when he was a child.
Great room!! I love the carpet! And as a younger sister with an older brother close in age, I have to tell you, you will come to be glad to have two nooks. Two kids and two nooks means no fighting over nooks (hopefully)!
I actually gasped when I saw the two nooks ( would LOVE just one nook!) and thought, “how smart, each kid has their own nook!” Double nook wall FOREVER.
I thought the same thing…each kiddo can have their own space if they want. Or the lower nook would make a really cute campfire space (fake fire, of course). They could sit around it and tell campfire stories. 🙂
ha. maybe thats how I should have dealt with it 🙂 I didn’t know how to address each on its own, but i know that the kids will “tell me” in their own way 🙂
HA yes I can only hope 😉
I want to love it, but I can’t figure out why I don’t. Sorry, but I think the green quilts clash really badly with the carpet. It looks a little old-fashioned. Would love to see what it looks like with different bedding. White maybe?
White bedding? In a kid’s room? Besides being really boring, that would be a recipe for disaster. The color palette here is terrific, in my view. It reflects the colors of nature. And nature doesn’t clash.
Agree with Louann, because this is the same color scheme for my whole house – white walls, bright navy, natural green, terracotta orange (pulled from our view of the green outdoors, natural rock color, and blue mountains). I do think the blue could have been repeated here more though.
I have white bedding in my kids rooms. It’s actually very easy to take care of.
Could you explain where you got the carpet pad and how you chose the carpet? Would love to see a roundup of other carpets you considered. I am choosing carpet now for a kids room.
The design team sourced the pad through a local carpet warehouse (Herman’s Carpet for anyone local). The “density 7 lb memory foam” was $200 more than the standard install pad!
We should add this to the post 🙂 I forgot the cost details but so good for people to know. I should have asked before we wrote it 🙂
I LOVE it! So playful and yet oddly calming. You nailed it, your kids are super lucky!
I’m obsessed with this room. It’s everything I want my younger son’s room to look like. Some elements I hope to incorporate in the playroom too (looking at you climbing wall). I love that there are lots of affordable items in this room – particularly since it’s a kids room. I also love that you did bedspreads instead of comforters. When it comes to cleaning bedding, bedspreads are just so much easier which comes in handy with messy kids. Great job!
Ah thank you so much xx
THIS authentic life! Love, love, Love! Sharing your real life “quirks” cannot be easy in the blogosphere that demands perfection from you! Thank you for continuing to show your brilliance in design and loving your kids. Xoxo from Dallas!
Love it all! So glad you added the green. It definitely gives it a camping feel and is a great color for a kids’ room! Also, lucky kids–what kid wouldn’t love having TWO nooks in their bedroom?
The room is awesome! I am not a carpet person, but this carpet is perfect for the room and definitely not average!
Love every detail especially your heart as a mom!
Wow, thank you so much 🙂
I love the double nook! It’s a darling room. The carpet is perfect and I love the pop of green.
LOVE this room! I especially love the carpet and padding situation. As the parent of a child who spends 75% of her time at home doing some sort of flip or bend or tumble, this idea is super appealing to me and her poor noggin! Any info on where to find the carpet pad? In my search, the best I can find is just under an inch.
I love this room, especially the carpet (and I’m team hard wood all day) with the leather trunk. My daughter would freak out over the nooks and “tent.” If the double nooks bother you, could you move two of the toy bins inside the bottom one? You would still have room for a map above. Then you could move the stump out to the wall where they were. This would give you some calm white space on the flat wall near the door with all of the other moments – stair railings, top nook, toy bins.
I love the accessible design of this room. While I look forward to the day you do built in bunk beds like your original plan (because we all know some magazine will love to feature that!), where you landed for now speaks to a budget-conscious reader in a way those bunk beds would not have. And the fact that your kids love it–well, that’s kinda the point huh?!! Wishing you and your kids hours and hours of unsupervised play in that room.
exactly. they love it. thats the point 🙂 they would probably also love a built-in later, but for now this is what they want and this is what I want to design. in a few years when we all get bored … then … well …. 🙂
We are going to be moving soon because we have outgrown our current home, and I have been SO sad about losing my son’s room (the wallpaper has since been discontinued, and I doubt my custom roman shades will fit the window in a new home). But, THIS DESIGN has officially given me a new outlook on the whole situation – I get to design a new space! I love how many playful moments you peppered throughout. So many kids don’t ever play in their rooms which has always bugged me, but I highly doubt that will be the situation here because this room is just so much fun while also being extremely pretty. Kudos to you and the whole EHD team. To me, the other thing coming through in this design is how much the team loves your kiddos! <3
Jill! That comment was so sweet and so true, I just teared up a little reading it. Getting to see Birdie & Charlie’s faces light up as they saw the room for the first time was a pretty special (and one of my favorite) moments since working at EHD. I’m not crying. You’re crying.
I adore this room!! I feel like it’s perfect. I actually love the two nooks! Way to go EHD!
Love the room but WHAT ARE THOSE OVERALLS WITH THE ZIPPER.
This is my favorite comment! Sara, Julie and I all bought them and regularly match! 🙂
You’re welcome:
https://rstyle.me/+xjrtWf6Q6EhZXCrFcAxGow
If you redo the nook cushion, will it be too hard for them to climb in (because they won’t have the lip to crawl onto first and it will be higher?) Maybe not, it could be a scale thing…as I didn’t think the beds were that low until you were in the picture with them!
I wondered the same thing about climbing in!
I get the nook conundrum…. as a mom talking I would say: two kids and two nooks are wins. Invest the money in custom storage later. My girls and their friends loved playing in their nook under the basement stairs. It was a great place for their dolls and an IKEA wall light. Add your proposed doors if your head needs visual blockage. (Dutch doors would be fun for the littles.)
this makes me feel better. I think just nook over nook is visually busy, but in theory YES they want to ‘nook’ all day and providing two nooks is even better than one 🙂
love it! It is such a fun, happy space!
I love this room so much. You obviously have good taste—it’s just like mine. LOL. I love the maternal musings, too. God, I remember watching Secrets of a Stylist and wondering, will she have kids some day? And it’s been so nice watching it all evolve, and be authentic. Anyway, your posts feel so relatable and familiar that I often want to comment, like I would chat with someone I know, but then I never do.
I really love the bedding and the playful spirit! Feels perfect for a mountain house. A question: in yesterday’s preview post, there was a railing over the window by the stairs (distracting but I figured it was code or something) and it’s gone in the reveal. Could you give us the scoop on what happened there?
Hey Lauren, thanks so much! Yes, there was a temporary railing installed to pass the final inspection but our contractor said it wouldn’t be necessary for every day use. The stair code in that part of California where the house is located is just very, very strict. Those windows along the stairs are double pane and have a very restricted limiter so that it actually can only open a few inches. So don’t worry it is all safe for Emily’s kiddos!
I love this room SO MUCH that I now want to have kids or somehow convince my hubby that side by side single beds under a pretend tent is the way to live!?!?! ?
Ashley, I feel you! I am basically now designing my room to be the grown-up version of this room. I’ll probably have to skip the climbing wall though since it’s a rental.
HA! Let us know if you convince him. It’ll give me hope for my own marriage.
HOORAY!!!! I have been missing reveals like this!! So much personality and quirk I love it!!
I don’t even have kids and this room gave me more baby (kid?) fever than any infant in a turban beanie wrapped in a clementine muslin swaddle cocooned in a snuggle-me-organic popped in a rattan bassinet from Australia.
I pinned the heck out of this for future kids. Thank God these posts don’t require a last name. And I know you’re not into the double nooks but there was nothing I loved more as a kid than a good nook. One for each kid! I bet they LOVE it!! What an amazing, creative space you’ve created for them.
Can’t wait to see your LA playroom now!!
This comment cracked me up!
I LOVE this room!! And I appreciate how you were able to incorporate things you already had and loved into the space.
Nearly 5 months pregnant with our first and working on the nursery. Already feeling anxious about the early weeks/months of adjusting to a completely new way of being. I’ve been following your blog since before Charlie was born and reading your “quick mom moment” was a lovely reminder that time is so fleeting – the days will be long, but the years short. xoxo from Indiana!
I love the REALITY of mixing the themes together to “adventure!” Picking ONE fitting theme for a kids room is just not what they’re about! Beautiful room. Love the carpet!!!
I LOVE the carpet. So warm and homey ☺️.
This is so right for where they are at this age! My adventure making daughters (5 and almost 3) would love it too. Those Ikea beds are great and so affordable! Thank you for keeping the style here very simple and reusing several things from storage/LA house. It’s just so much more realistic and interesting than buying every thing new. The only iffy note for me is the rock climbing wall which I liked at first for the organic modern aesthetic but then wondered if it was too exciting for a sleeping room. But then I’m remembering right now that my 5 year old likes to use the (extremely strong and overbuilt) two tier hanging bars in her mostly empty closet as playground equipment. She brings a side table over to climb onto the lower bar, holds the upper bar, and does balancing and jumps… so maybe a proper climbing wall is nbd!
Love the spirit of this room. I think you’ve embodied your child-rearing ethos in the space.
In terms of details, however, the way those coverlets hang off the beds bugs me! I would like it much better if the beds were made up including some solid pale blue, or white, and coverlets or duvets or blankets in that green were folded at the foot.
And I love the carpet – I imagine the softness counteracts any hint of industrial – it looks quite Scandinavian/nautical/New England to me.
From a child’s perspective, that bottom nook is an absolute dream come true. The entire room is magical. The window treatment solution (running across each set of windows) is pure genius. Great job EHD team!!
Oh.
I love this. Ditch the too obvious trees, otherwise, perfection. And your elongated vertical tree art has always been a favorite; thank goodness you hoarded it for THEE perfect spot.
I’m guessing, based on your description of the carpet and knowing that photos are usually a little overexposed for publishing, that the carpet is actually darker than it looks here. I think that may be the reason people are thinking it looks office-y or is distracting from the rest of the design. I bet it’s as soothing to look at as it is to walk on when you’re really there!
And, again, with the “of which.”
You brought our your old book (IN WHICH Charlie makes two cameos).
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Spectacular
This room is EVERYTHING! Kids love nooks and they inspire imaginative play as they become “rooms” or even separate worlds. I live in a 1920s house and each of the bedrooms has a huge walk-in closet. My grandchildren love to turn a closet into an “apartment” and they play in there for hours. Of course I am sitting in the bedroom ready to visit or take visitors for tea or bring new mamas food after having their babies or you get the picture. Anyway, Charlie and Bird will have many fun times in this room. And I love that you’re letting them sleep together. Sleeping alone is unnatural for mammals!
I enjoyed this post so much, Emily. Something about the kiddos… having young ones my self I can relate to everything you said. And of course the design is beautiful. xoxo
Where did the tall skinny tree art above the bin/bookcases come from? It is so cute. I adore this room.
Also, I second your statement about our dedication to sleeping arrangements! My boy (now 9) slept on a blanket on the floor in the doorway of his room (head in the hallway, feet in the room) for a year. He sleeps on our floor anytime he’s had a nightmare or is sick. Kids are weird and wonderful.
It’s vintage and I have had it forever! I always loved it but never found the right spot for it, until now 🙂
Are those bells that they clang at the top of the climbing wall? Because that would be pretty awesome. Love the creativity that went into this room!
Did you also do the secret shelving on the other side of that stair nook?
Hi Karen! Yes, those are a VERY last minute DIY “bells” and I use the term bell loosely because they do not make that beautiful ring instead it is more a “clunk” sound which is not as satisfying but they worked in the moment. Also, we used items that we found in the house because we were snowed in!!
You should add the info regarding the bells to the post. I was so confused. I thought they were light fixtures with wires dangling. I had to search the comments for words like “tubes” “wires” “cords” “string” and finally “hanging” to find this comment and explanation.
Beautiful room! Where are the rolling shades from? The are gorgeous!
Thanks Irmarie! We actually DIY’d the rolling shades, the blog post with all the details is now live so let us know if you have any questions about them!
This room is so fun and beautiful! I like that it will grow with them–I feel like there is pressure to make a room for your right-this-second kid instead of making a more neutral space where you can swap out accessories and prints to make it work later. I just wish Pillowfort made cotton sheets! I LOVE their patterns, but my boys are super sweaty and we can’t do polyester sheets (runs in the family, I’m the same).
I agree about the sheets–the Pillowfort designs are SO cute that I sometimes want to use them for adults, but we need cotton!
LOVE this kid space. Your kids are so lucky! Especially that amazing carpeting. Can you tell me if it shows a lot of lint, etc? I’m looking at a navy and whitish cream wool area rug for my living room, that seems to have the same pile. But I dread spending all that money, to have to vacuum 3 times a day.
Also, the nook conundrum. Maybe take everything out of the nook below the stairs, except for the round shag rug? Hang a little shelf that can store a few books for now, until you can get the drawer you want. Would definitely make for less visual “clutter”. However, the current setup is really not THAT bad. But with just the rug, and a few books on a shelf, that clutter is nearly all but taken away. Each of the kids could have their “own” reading nooks.
I don’t if you can tell us, but would you be able to provide a ballpark price on the Stark carpet. I love it but don’t want to waste peoples time if it is way out of budget. I say this with the full understanding this costs a lot more than what is at the Home Depot. 🙂 Thanks!!
Hi jenny – please email me directly if you want to know ballpark pricing – cstark@starkcarpet.com
Omg, this: “My kids woke up the next day and after playing downstairs for a while, Charlie said “Elliot! We forgot about our new room!!” and they raced upstairs and played for an hour and a half straight, WITHOUT US.”
^^^
That right there was almost enough to make me crazy enough to want a second kid. :p
Also, I would have killed for TWO nooks when I was a kid. 🙂 Love everything about the room!
Love it! How do I make that canvas tent for my sons’ rooms? Please share the DIY steps!
Shelia all the details of the DIYs (canvas tent & window treatments) are coming later today in a second blog post! So check back later!
coming atcha just after 11 am PDT!
Haha I didn’t even see the second nook above the stairs at first so maybe you’re just fixating? Even after I see it I don’t feel like it’s too busy, just really sweet. I love the idea of seeing one kid in one nook and one in the other. 🙂 I LOVE the carpeting. It makes it feel so bright and fresh and it’s gorgeous as it wraps down the stairs.