Cara's Daughter

Hi Cara,

I had some more thoughts that I wanted to share with you on your daughter's room. First of all- there are some things to consider before we start to decorate. Think about how you want your child to feel when in the room. This will be different for different children's personalities, and in different homes, depending on if your bedroom doubles as a playroom.

Do you want your child to feel calm, quiet, inactive, pensive and sleepy?

• low lighting


• few furnishings


• wall to wall carpet


• no shiny materials or glossy finishes


• small windows


• plush padded furnishings


• low bed

Do you want your child to feel exited, energetic, talkative, sociable and alert?

• bright overall lighting


• lots of choices


• highly polished surfaces


• glossy walls, shiny fabrics


• lots of windows


• firm surfaces that provide resistance


• bunk beds

These pictures came from my own daughter's bedroom in a previous home. I wanted my daughter's bedroom to be a place just for sleeping and quiet reading. I find it funny when people who have overactive, hyper little boys paint their rooms red or other bright colors, and then put in bunk beds. I had these beds custom made, and then had the mattresses cut down to give me wall to wall beds. The chandelier came out of an old friend's garage. She asked, "What do you want that old thing for?" It had been in her home for years before retiring in the garage. I got the corbels at an antique store, salvaged from an old home north of Davis, CA. They had a million layers of paint, and some of them were damaged. I stripped them, my husband repaired what could be repaired, and then added a fresh coat of paint the same color as the bed, bead board and shelf. The wallpaper is a subtle botanical print, and the ceiling is painted green with a whimsical detail around the chandelier. When we moved, my daughter (age 5) said that what she missed was the design on the ceiling. The shade is a Hunter Douglas Silhouette, and the curtains are silk, with beaded tie backs. The chairs are Pottery Barn Kids.