Design Tastemaker: Catalina Estrada's Fantastical Backgrounds

Item designer Catalina Estrada considers herself an artist first — probably why her Current wallpaper collection for Coordonné has Got the artistic gravitas of a mural. ” [Product design] was something I started discovering on the way. I started receiving proposals from different customers, and I thought it’d be a wonderful idea to give it a try. But when I got the pre-samples, I fell in love with everything; it is very amazing to see the way my examples fit in different goods,” says Estrada.

Catalina Estrada

Catalina Estrada

A home office (first photo) is changed to a stunning night scene in the forests. In this photo, a rustic midcentury living room turns to an almost psychedelic setup.

What and who are your design inspirations?
I’d say the Arts and Crafts artists, using their obsession for details and ornaments.

Catalina Estrada

What projects are you working on today?
I am working on a lot of projects at precisely the same time: bed covers, handbag lines, travel bags and more — all of them very exciting projects. I am also fairly focused on building my own brand.

Catalina Estrada

Estrada’s fantastic interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood.

What inspires your work?
I have been very lucky to travel a lot, and this was a great source of inspiration for all I do. I take inspiration from many sorts of music, art — notably folk art — design, movies and style. I especially enjoy Latin American musicians, musicians and writers. Virtually anything or anyone that touches my emotions can easily inspire me.

Catalina Estrada

“I have always been attracted to character, dating back to my early youth in Colombia’s countryside,” says Estrada. The elements of her upbringing — critters, blossoms, gardens and colour — are all a part of her favourite images, which explains why the Coordonné collection is such a special selection and assortment for Estrada.

Catalina Estrada

This wallpaper pattern in an Easter egg palette is less stimulating than the remaining scenes and patterns from Estrada’s Coordonné collection, which makes it a fantastic choice for the bedroom.

Can you still draw by hand, or is everything in your workplace electronic?
I draw hand my own artwork projects.

Catalina Estrada

Here, the dining table’s foundation is converted into a striking work of art.

Estrada dedicates her first blog post to her mother, from whom she “inherited [her] love for colors.” Estrada also credits her mother’s house for a website of inspiration, “a place of dreams, vibrant and stunning colors … lovely memories,” she states.

Catalina Estrada

The most significant thing in your work desk is …
I want some sort of visual order, so aside from my pc, I try to maintain as few things on the desk as I can, otherwise I can’t work very well.

Q: If you could pick one colour to live with for the rest of your life, which is it and why?
For me personally, one color only is simply not an alternative.

More:
Wallpaper: The Bold and the Gorgeous
DIY Project: Wallpaper Goes Mobile
Turn a Wall to a Window With the Magic of Allergic Wallpaper

See related

Dreamy Clean Kids' Rooms

For all those of you who aren’t certain where to start when spring cleaning your kids’ rooms — maybe you can not even find their rooms beneath all the mess — we’ve devised a thorough list that leaves no pillow unturned. Shoo the kids outdoors, open the windows and turn some high-energy music. Let’s get started!

Robert Young Architects

1. Flip and rotate the mattress. When was the last time you did this? While you’re at it, vacuum or dust the mattress frame and box springs. If your child is still in a crib or a toddler bed, then wipe the railings and in between the slats with disinfecting wipes or a moist cloth soaked in warm water and gentle soap.

Smith & Vansant Architects PC

2. Wipe down publications and dust the bookshelves. A microfiber cloth makes for a fantastic duster since it traps and removes dust rather than spreading it about. Take out every book and dust every nook and cranny. Wipe down every book, especially your child’s well-thumbed copies, which almost always have remnants of their afternoon snacks lodged in between webpages.

TRUFIG

TRUFIG iPad Mount (CM-2000)

3. Look at going digital. If you find it really hard to toss out books you haven’t touched in years, you will probably find it tough to do the same with your kid’s book collection. But when he or she has not touched a book in months, it’s just collecting dust. Keep favorites and classics and think about buying digital copies of this remainder.

Cristi Holcombe Interiors, LLC

4. Polish lamps and lights. Unscrew and gloss lightbulbs with a microfiber cloth dampened with water (be careful not to wet the alloy thread base). Recessed ceiling-light fixtures should be cleaned with a telescoping lamb’s wool duster. A broad paintbrush with natural bristles is fantastic for removing dust from hard-to-reach stains, like a lampshade’s pleats.

Iris

5. Purge the closet. Minimalist Mother Janet Jonat states, “Quit doing the laundry until someone complains they don’t have anything clean to wear. Whatever is still hanging in the closet can be contributed — it’s not being worn in your home anyway.”

Designs for Living

6. Wash windows. I swear by cleaning with a wet sponge, followed by a wipe-down with a rubber-edged squeegee. But some mothers over in the Green Baby Guide use the old-fashioned method of wiping window panes with a newspaper and vinegar-water spray.

ducduc

7. Launder, launder, launder. Rent or buy a shampooer vacuum for synthetic rugs. For delicate weaves and wool carpets like the yellow Tibetan carpet pictured above, contact a professional for cleaning.

Kerrie L. Kelly

8. Don’t overlook throw pillows and bean bag covers. Covers often get overlooked to your laundry when clothes make mountains all by themselves, so collect them all up for a good washing. Unless otherwise stated by the manufacturer, it’s generally safe to wash silk bean bag covers from the machine and to dry them on medium heat. Vinyl bag covers should be wiped with a cloth dipped in hot, soapy water. Bean bag covers also go through a great deal of wear and tear, so check for holes that need patching up.

Read bean bags

Kate Jackson Design

9. Grab the toy basket. You never truly understand what you are likely to find in the base of the toy basket — but it’s really crucial that you learn. Wipe the inside and out of your kid’s toy containers in accordance with their material and vacuum for extra measure. Sterile plastic toys and board games with disinfecting wipes. Disinfect plush toys by running them through a gentle wash or freezing them immediately. (Germs don’t survive from the freezer)

Once it comes to fixing the toy basket, Tsh Oxenreider (pronounced “Tish”) from Straightforward Mom recommends the next steps: “Sort through the toys along with your children, toss any broken toys or ones with missing parts and select the ones they have outgrown — those are all the ones moving into your donate box. I find that the fewer toys that my kids have, the more they perform with them.”

Clifton Leung Design Workshop – CLDW.com.hk

10. Clean the ceiling fan. Most fans have a switch on the base to correct the rotation direction. Martha Stewart advocates a counterclockwise direction for a more pleasant breeze in the warmer months.

Browse ceiling fans

11. Wipe wooden blinds. Use a few drops of gentle wood cleaner onto a relatively dry sponge. Wash aluminum dividers outdoors. Place them on an old sheet onto a slanted surface and wash with water along with a noncorrosive cleaner. Rinse well and then dry thoroughly with a towel to stop rust.

Feldman Architecture, Inc..

12. Steam, dry-clean and vacuum curtains. Even when you’re replacing your thick drapes with airy ones for warmer weather, it’s important to eliminate dirt and dust before storing them.

Ben Dial

13. Replace batteries. Evaluation and replace batteries when necessary in wall and alarm clocks, toys as well as most significant, smoke alarm batteries. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends changing your smoke alarm batteries at least once annually, since two-thirds of fire deaths occur in households with either no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that don’t work, according to the commission.

Tara Seawright Interior Design

14. Tackle bathtub toys and shower curtains. Cease moisture-loving mould from growing in the bathtub and bath-toy bin by drying toys immediately after bath time. Once a week, wash each toy with a child-friendly cleaner like Dapple Baby’s surface cleanser, which can be free from parabens, phthalates, dioxane and dyes.

Trim your shower curtain therefore that it doesn’t sweep the floor and generate a puddle (along with a home for mold) after every bath. Leave the plastic liner dangling inside of the bathtub so splashes are contained.

Cara Woodhouse Interiors LLC

15. Wipe down the table. Oh, if only every one of our changing tables may be as clean as this one! Along with cleaning the table, disinfect cream bottles, tubes of diaper cream and containers of diaper wipes.

Diaper Pail – Rising Red – $319

16. Disinfect the diaper pail. This is a battle to think of a homeowner-uploaded picture of a diaper pail — perhaps because ers would rather not record what’s by far the stinkiest, germ-infested receptacle in the home.

First things first. Before cleaning, remove the diaper pail from the room to stop germs from spreading. Empty the pail, wash all the grooves and joints, and wipe the inside and out with disinfecting wipes. Wipe clean with a dry cloth.

Crisp Architects

17. Tidy up the closet. To prevent tracking dirt into the mudroom, wash basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, baseballs and other sports gear out. Use sanitizing wipes to wash baseball bats, lacrosse sticks and other sports equipment. After washing protective equipment with soft padding, let all items air dry whenever possible to reduce mold and fungus growth and to remove odors.

Tell us : What is your funniest memory of cleanup something of your kid’s? Share your story from the Remarks section below.

More:
Get Organized: 5 Methods to Keep Toys Tidy
Designing Through the Eyes of a Child
Fantasy Kids’ Rooms

See related

7 Homes Brimming With Modern Cottage Character

Cute and classic, the typical cottage has been part of the design vernacular for ages. As far back as medieval England and cemented in American style from shore to shore, a cottage signifies a cozy home. It’s a smaller space, without pretense and boasting plenty of charm.

Walk within a cottage and you hope to be met with a roaring fire, a cozy bed and possibly a cup of soup. A cottage is quintessentially house, and it’s design style and lifestyle deserve to be celebrated. Join me now as we have a look at the upgraded, contemporary cottage: a place you can put your feet up in and call home, without sacrificing the style you love.

Goff Architecture

Snuggle Up alongside Neighbors

Settled in tightly into its neighbors, this contemporary cottage does all right. From the classic stone fence into the darling bump-out chock-full of windows, this home is fantastically cottage. Don’t overlook the particulars in the fencing, plantings and those sweet little windows flanking the sunroom. This is contemporary cottage at its best.

Barnes Vanze Architects, Inc

Cottages frequently were set side by side and connected by breezeways for various family members. Grandma would remain in the smaller cottage, while the family with seven children took up residence in the”big house.” While our families may not live so tightly in this day and age, this connected cottage design continues to work well visually and functionally. Separate spaces enable family members to distribute nevertheless still function together.

SunPower Builders

Stand With Cottage Detailing

Curves and turrets say cottage, and the addition of a whimsical two-toned paint scheme make this one a contemporary delight. Simple, clean garden trimmings and edgings give it a modernized texture from a traditional cottage.

Studio C Architecture & Interiors

A very simple cottage facade typically includes some detailing on the roofline and a very simple front porch. This upgraded version pays homage to a classic cottage without moving over the top.

SLC Interiors

Pick the fantastic Color

White is a cottage interior favorite, from linens to cabinetry. Exotic whites that are crisp with homey touches like wooden utensils and rambunctious plants for a cottage look. The glimmer of tiles that are shining here adds a glam update.

Jarrett Design, LLC

Blend Modern and Country Styling

Mixing contemporary appliances and classic cottage elements can be a difficult sell. Work to keep both seems balanced, repeating similar lines and shapes to incorporate the two styles seamlessly.

大衛麥可國際設計工程有限公司

Modern lines match classic cottage prints in this upgraded space. Consider classic wallpapers and fabrics for contemporary applications to bring cottage whimsy to your contemporary space.

Have you added any cottage character to your house? Show us a photo!

More: So Your Design Is Cottage

See related

Gussy Up Your Garden Shed

I really don’t know about you, but I can not help but collect beautiful things when I find them selling for cheap. The only problem: several of these items simply don’t fit in with my home’s decor. In case you’ve got exactly the same problem, treat your garden to such pieces to give it a special personality.

Dear Daisy Cottage

If you collect vintage bottle and fruit crates, now sitting in the garage since they don’t fit in with your modernist vibe indoors, use the crates as storage for seeds or tools, or even as replicas for individual herbs.

Amy Renea

This is my backyard shed, all tricked out with girly pinks and whites, vintage illustrations and frilly cloths. None of these things would match with my home’s decoration, but in this girlish escape, they are ideal.

Christie Thomas

Have you purchased so many things at garage sales you could outfit an entire drop? Simply take a couple of days and make your pragmatic workhouse a delightful getaway. Painted furniture, vintage fabrics and girly touches can alter a space.

Restyled Home

Perhaps you don’t require the space, but your grandma do. Get a section of countertop and a minisink from your closest Habitat for Humanity shop. Add various dishes and cookware from a thrift shop, and offer the children a play kitchen for under $20.

Amy Jesaitis

Perhaps you’ve got an abundance of baskets floating around your home. Collect each of the ones in one or two colors (say, blonde and natural brownish) and group them with a simple chair outside. You now have a rustic, well-organized potting bench with plenty of storage.

Amy Renea

Do you have hanging baskets than you do plants? Consider repurposing them. They are fantastic for storing rope and string; they also work well as catchalls for medium-size tools.

Color Specialist, Charlotte

Do you have a lot of shovels cluttering your drop? Turn them into smart door handles.

Fiorella Design

Smaller furniture pieces, such as the dining table, chair and bench seen here, are usually seen in the trash pile. Be courageous and rescue pieces from the curb before they end up in the dump.

Mismatched furnishings work nicely when the endings are similiar. In this photo, the pieces all have a similiar worn, grayish patina. If you discover disparate pieces, give them a coating of paint to make the grouping appear more intentional.

Amy Renea

I found this little rocker for $2 in an auction. With just a little paint and fabric, it is presently one of the greatest parts of my shed.

Watch the full makeover and drop show here.

Whether you spruce up curbside furniture with paint repurpose a classic blackboard or collect distinctive storage containers from your local thrift shop, there are many ways to provide your garden space character on the cheap. Keep hunting, keep stockpiling and breathe new life in your garden sheds, cottages and playhouses with paintings that are found.

Browse photos of inspiring backyard sheds

More:
Weekend Fun: Strike the Salvage Spots
Particular Ways With Planters
Hideouts, Otherwise Known as Outbuildings

See related

Where to Locate Home Color Inspiration

Are you thinking about new colours for your new year? Maybe you’ve been putting off your painting project since you can’t decide on which colours to use. After all, you can find a million colours on the market. If you like so many , which ones should you choose? One strategy is to make the process unique for you and what you like — not exactly what others are doing. You may begin with identifying an item, location, feeling or memory you find inspiring. Color is private, and you’re going to be amazed when your choices reflect who you are.

Beach Vintage

Have you got a collection of colorful items? This stash of classic dinner plates is filled with colour ideas.

If you love these colours, a blue, red, pink or yellow might be the ideal choice for your space.

The Red Jet

Color inspiration may come from the fondest memories. Maybe you remember baking biscuits as a kid on your yellow kitchen. Very good memories may result in great colour choices.

How to Pick the Ideal Yellow

Tobi Fairley Interior Design

You may frequently find inspiration at a vibrant piece of artwork. Start with one of your favourite pieces, or one that holds special significance, and look carefully. Some colours will be notable, but others won’t be as noticeable.

As soon as you pinpoint the palette, you may use some or all the colors for your upholstery, wall colours and accessories.

10 Layout Strategies for Art Lovers

Designing Solutions

It’s simple to create a color palette based on the colors in a room rug. In the end, your rug will be the design element that ties together all the colors together in the area.

In this child’s area, denim blue and pale yellow are main colours that came straight in the floral-print rug.

ARTISSIMO – Idit Deutsch

Even tiny things — like a set of candles — may result in big ideas. Here, a set of pillars might have been the inspiration behind the area’s peach walls and persimmon couches and pillows.

Gates Interior Design

With each the colour inspiration round you, do not neglect to take into account the clear: Your favourite colour. We sometimes have a propensity to forgo our best-loved colour since it might be a bold choice (like red) or it is a colour that isn’t necessarily on trend. But so what? When it’s your favorite colour, it will make you happy.

Ashfield Hansen Design

Perhaps you have been transferred by the colours in a public space? The design of my cellar was motivated by the library onto a cruise ship. Commercial spaces, like this chocolate-tasting salon, are a superb source of colour and design ideas. This could be a fun and delicious design to recreate at home.

Nature is our biggest source of colour inspiration. Summer blossoms and even winter greens and browns give us thoughts that will always seem fresh.

Inform us: How did you select a favorite color for your area?

More: Meet Pantone’s Colour of town, Tangerine Tango
How to Obtain the Ideal Gray
How to Obtain the Ideal Blue
How to Obtain the Perfect White
How to Obtain the Ideal Green

See related

So That Your Style Is: Rustic

What it is: Rustic design reveals the old adage that everything comes full circle. Our pioneer ancestors could get a fantastic laugh out of how fashionable the look is now — they dreamed of walls instead of rough logs and rugs instead of bare plank floors. However thanks to rustic style’s unpretentious roots, organic textures and contours, and organic heat, it has become as popular in the core of the town since it is out in the forests.

Why it works: Rustic interiors have a sense of connection to the past that is hard to resist. They feel fair and unstudied and evoke a simpler time. They give a showcase for creativity because they celebrate the art of repurposing. In a world where much is virtual, rustic design is boldly, intentionally real.

You will enjoy it if… You were happiest playing in the sand for a kid. You still reread Little House on the Prairie. You can not bring yourself to throw away packing crates or burlap sacks (hey, you never know). You sleep in your sweetie’s old flannel shirts. Forget about the faux-bois fad — you will stick to timber that is real, thank you.

Much more’So Your Style Is’:
Traditional | Arts & Crafts | Art Deco | Hollywood Regency | Old World | Cottage
French Country | Transitional | Contemporary | Midcentury Modern | Industrial | Eclectic
Coastal | Preppy

Style Secret: Rough-Hewn Beams

For a lot of us, this component is the very first thing comes to mind when we believe”rustic.” Not merely can rough-hewn beams help define a distance architecturally, they can immediately anchor it into rustic territory, especially if they’re left rough and unpolished. Use beams to frame ceilings and delineate doorways, to surround ceilings and fireplaces, or perhaps to line walls. You can also incorporate rounded logs if you choose, which adds cabin charm.

Inspired addition: Honed beams against sleek, glistening white walls create an arresting contrast. Or juxtapose them using a surface that is still textural although not so rugged, like beadboard.

Birdseye Design

Style Secret: Organic Forms

Too many mass-produced or overly tailored bits dilute an area’s rustic design. Instead, choose furnishings and objects with powerful, slightly rough profiles, like the bread trough, baskets and tray shown here.

Inspired addition: It’s wonderful to have a few sleek surfaces to tighten the look. Simple, clean cabinetry and shelving maintain this space cohesive but allow the rustic notes to come through.

Melaragno Design Company, LLC

Style Secret: Weathered Materials

Rustic design isn’t without patina. Your rooms should not convey a feeling of shiny newness — you also need surfaces with just a little age on them (or at the least, surfaces that fake it well). Reclaimed timber, including in this bathroom; hammered, distressed and stained metals; wavy or seeded glass blend together in a distinctively layered manner.

Inspired addition:Conversely, a little shine can be attractive in the midst of all that texture. The glass vessel sink envisioned here lends a high note of glow without detracting in the gorgeous, striking wood of the vanity and walls.

Garrison Hullinger Interior Design Inc..

Style Secret: Warm, Earthy Colors

The rustic palette eschews brilliant jewel tones and flirty pastels in favor of vibrant, eclectic colors in the organic world. And from natural, we mean woodsy, pulled from bark and soil and stone. Magenta and lime green might be a part of nature’s paint box, but that doesn’t mean they are the best choice for a rustic residence.

Inspired addition: Do not worry — you do not have to stay with brown, brown and more brown. There’s room for a few doses of brighter, clearer color within this style. Those tones work well, but when they feel traditional and comfortable. Think denim blue, Coca-Cola red, gold yellow and faded turquoise (especially nice if your space includes a Western vibe).

Lynne Barton Bier – Home on the Range Interiors

Style Secret: Repurposed Things

To a large extent, rustic design is about making do with what you’ve — just as it was in the previous times. Found objects are crucial: old pails turned into countertops, cable baskets transformed into light fittings, wooden crates reimagined as stair treads. It’s less about whimsy than about developing an awareness of innovation by necessity.

Inspired addition: Rustic interiors lend themselves to cross-pollination with industrial fashion. Feel free to bring a bit of a danger with accents like offbeat lighting, decorative displays and artwork. You can also turn to folk art. With its own self-improvement, homegrown allure, folk art appears particularly nice in rustic rooms.

Michelle Fries, BeDe Design, LLC

Style Secret: Textural Fabrics

Delicate textiles, such as lace and silk, do not have much of a place in rustic interiors. Sturdy, hardworking fabrics that can take just a little wear and tear feel more on point: burlap, linen, cotton, wool.

Inspired addition: Stylish designs that still feel powerful and streamlined, like ikat, can combine nicely into this type of décor. Quilts are a natural companion for rustic design as well; try upgrading them using a patchwork of different stripes or using same-color gingham checks in many different scales, instead of the more conventional calico look.

Narofsky Architecture + ways2design

Style Secret: Barn-Inspired Elements

Remember your mom scolding you about if you had been born in a barn? She might have been on something. Not merely are sliding barn doors, Dutch doors and other details made from outbuildings ultrafunctional, they feel apt and appropriate with rustic design.

Inspired addition:These doorways already are showy, therefore this is the opportunity to have a bit fun with hardware. Choose a dramatic rail remedy to get a sliding barn door or oversize, shapely hinges to get a Dutch door. If you really wish to make them stand out, paint or stain the doorways in a color that contrasts with the walls.

Aquascape

Style Secret: Outdoor Connection

as a result of their organic overtones, rustic rooms feel like an extension of the outdoors. Draw parallels between exterior and interior spaces — for instance, the directional log swing revealed here would be a natural extension of a lodge-style space. Screened and covered porches also help blur the boundaries between outdoors and in.

Inspired addition: Do not forget about landscaping. A prim, manicured backyard would feel uncomfortably stiff with this style. Keep plantings lush and loose, as if unplanned and rooted by happenstance. Or go 1 step further and let nature take over — it has a fairly good eye for detail.

Much more’So Your Style Is’:
Traditional | Contemporary | Transitional | Cottage | Eclectic | Industrial | Coastal
Arts and Crafts | Hollywood Regency

More:
Guest Picks: 20 Ways to Add Farmhouse Style

See related

18 Intelligent DIY Suggestions from 6 House Décor Bloggers

Here at , we’re lucky that so many talented bloggers have shared their homes and projects with us. Today, a lot of the very creative ideas for repurposing, renovating on a budget and crafty DIY projects are coming from bloggers that carefully record and share their homes with everyone on the web. Here are six talented home décor bloggers and their smart ideas that you can try at home.

Lola Nova

Straightforward tin cans with a new coat of brightly colored paint become darling pots for Lola Nova blogger Alexandra Smith’s aloe plants.

Lola Nova

This candy curtain is really a tablecloth. Place that stack of linens taking up space in your kitchen to good use, or show off that darling classic tablecloth you found at the flea market.

Lola Nova

Aloe crops get the star treatment; Smith has decked out this trio in cozy knit cozies.

Watch more of Lola Nova’s smart decorating tricks

Holly Marder

Why should cushions get to have all the decorative fun? This lampshade is quirky and cheerful. Photographer, crochet and blogger aficionado Ilaria Chiaratti, founder of IDA Interior LIfestyle, has spread her handmade products throughout her house in The Netherlands, and she also sells them in her Etsy store.

Holly Marder

This welcome sign on the guest bed is cut out of publication pages.

Here’s a zoomed-out perspective of the whole signal

Ida Lifestyle

Looking for a spot to keep your bracelets displayed and untangled? Consider hanging them from a branch within the dresser, over the dining table or in a walk-in cupboard.

Watch more clever decorative and decoration around this Home

Alli Michelle, the blogger behind Hooray, keeps a stack of floor pillows, poufs and throws handy for extra guest seating.

Michelle uses drapes to highlight a mattress’s existence and add softness into the bedroom.

If your kitchen needs a dash of pep, then consider adding a very simple window treatment like Michelle did.

Watch the rest of the home

8Foot6

This extensive basement renovation gets the most of the space under the staircase. The homeowner also thought up the concept of creating a slat wall to use as a stairs rail. This move highlights verticality in this formerly too-short area; initially 6 feet 4 inches high, the renovation extended it to 8 feet 6 inches high. In reality, the homeowner’s blog is called 8foot6.

8Foot6

Finding space to exhibit collections is always a challenge. Here the homeowner looked up and found area for shelving close to the ceiling.

8Foot6

Chalkboard paint on the center of the door creates a spot for household messages and creativity.

Watch the rest of the home

Sweet William

Melbourne Australia artist and blogger Paula Mills (of Sweet William) is a pro at arranging a house filled with classic, reclaimed and repurposed items. Here a chalkboard in the restaurant provides striking graphics to your kitchen and acts as a functional message board.

Sweet William

Her industrial countertops are reclaimed and she found that the fireplace surround at a junk store.

Sweet William

1 school renovation’s trash is a creative lady’s treasure. These pendant lights and the dining table were on their way to the landfill, but Mills rescued them and brought them home.

Watch the rest of the home

Life in the Fun Lane

Holly Baker, furniture painter extraordinaire and the blogger behind Life in the Fun Lane, made a coastal composition of sticks on the wall.

Wondering how to hang sticks like this on your wall? It has been explained on our Questions Board.

Life in the Fun Lane

Vibrant and inexpensive paper balls dangle from the ceiling, adding pops of turquoise into the nursery.

See how to make paper pompoms

Life in the Fun Lane

Baker used beautiful glass jars to store detergents. They keep her laundry area beautiful.

Watch the rest of the home

More:
Six Homes and Studios Where Creativity Thrives
15 More Ways To Be Inspired by Your Studio
16 Crafty Ways With Creative Spaces

See related

Guest Groups: 20 Kids' Bedroom Chandeliers

My 3-year-old daughter needs me to decorate her bedroom. Right? The downside is that she’s a princess bedroom — think giant decals and a huge, twinkling pumpkin carriage bed.

That’s not going to happen. I’m hoping, but that by creating some smart purchases, I will give her the fairytale glamour she craves without selling out to covering the room with Disney product. Is a lighting fixture.

— Natasha from Little Pink Dragon

The Land of Nod

Kids Daisy-Inspired Chandelier Light – $129

How lovely would this chandelier look with purple walls to pop ? It’s sweet and fresh, just like my daughter.

PBteen

Luce Chandelier – $149

Simple and tasteful with a touch of whimsy, this really is sweet light if you are not looking to make a large statement.

Etsy

Chandelier Monarch Butterfly Mobile, Purple by Dragon on the Fly – $45

This ombre purple chandelier doesn’t give off light, but man, is it lovely? It would make such a statement in front of a window over a crib. You can also locate DIY instructions on my website.

IKEA

Maskros Pendant Lamp – $49.99

Have you ever noticed the different blogger hacks with this lamp? As you need to assemble all of the small flowers, you can choose some opportunity to paint every one to get a completely custom light fixture. My favorites are the gold ones with glass cups glued into the center of the flowers. So chic!

Pottery Barn Kids

Butterfly Crystal Chandelier – $134

That is so sweet to get a girly garden room. I don’t know a little girl who wouldn’t love to drift off to sleep looking at it.

Etsy

Tiffany Blue Chandelier Modern Vintage by Simply Salvage – $120

Clearly I do not have to let you know why a Tiffany blue statement piece and your kid will go together quite well. If you have a basic chandelier that has nice curves such as this one, make yourself a blue spray paint and move to town. Just make sure you finish it with a polyurethane sealant spray to actually seal the bargain.

Etsy

Vintage Tole Chandelier by Vintage Chic Furniture – $295

Tole chandeliers add so much personality to a room, and the fun’50s colours are good to play off of.

IKEA

Knappa Pendant Lamp – $24.99

This is the perfect ceiling lighting for your modern chick. At that price I might even think about buying three and hanging them together at varying heights.

Worlds Away Online Store

Venus 15″ Pendant Chandelier in Hot Pink Translucent Capiz Shell – $397.50

I have enjoyed this pendant for a verylong time but just didn’t have a location to get a beautiful pink shell lighting fixture. I believe that it would be perfect for a room in which you only want to use bright pops of pink as your accent color.

Target

Pink Chandelier by Twelve Timbers – $59.99

How fantastic is that? This faux candelabra chandelier is a fun twist. It’s perfect for a young area, but it still packs the glamour with its pink glittered surface. This might be the perfect light for my daughter’s room!

Etsy

The Original Medium Bubble Chandelier by PELLE – $750

This enjoyable and modern design would certainly add style and class for your little one’s space.

Bellacor

Ramblin Rose Antique Cream with Pink Six-Light Chandelier – $256

For the traditional vintage-chic woman’s room, this chandelier seems like it’s right out of an American Girl narrative.

The Land of Nod

Kids Hot Pink Fabric Hanging Lamp – $99

Insert a simple pop of color for a perfect mod room. This also comes in a glowing tangerine. Yummy.

Bellacor

Stacked Glass Ball Pink Five Light Mini Chandelier – $279

Together with the traditional girly pink and crystal baubles, this is roughly as girly-girl as you can get!

Anthropologie

Tea Time Chandelier – $1,800

As a DIYer, I am having trouble not going crazy thinking I could make this , especially after seeing the cost. Still, it’s an wonderful piece. If your princess serves tea to teddy, and you can afford it, this could be pretty darn amazing to have.

Rhododendron Chandelier – $998

Once more, this one is expensive, to say the least, but it’s wonderful as it glows. The only problem besides the cost is that I’d never want to go to sleep.

Horchow

Green Glass Chandelier – $1,895

Wow. I might never leave the room.

Pieces

Yellow Pagoda Chandelier

I am a sucker for pagodas. Period. Throw in some sunshine yellow, and I am officially smitten. This could be fun to get an eclectic area.

Etsy

Beaded Heaven Custom Beaded Chandelier by Simply Salvage – $450

This one is a bit more of a nod compared to the others, but my goodness, it’s gorgeous! And the best part is that it’s completely customizable. Gotta love handmade artwork!

Light Charms

Crystal Light Charms – $14.99

If all else fails, it is possible to take any typical metal chandelier and add mild Charms to create a beautiful and glamorous chandelier. The charms come in all different color crystals and attach into the fixture with a little magnet, which makes them as temporary as you’d want them to be. It’s such a smart idea.

Next: Great Ideas for Toddlers Girls’ Bedrooms

See related

For the Kids: Crucial Forts Inside

Children spend a lot more time indoors this time of year, and they need their own space. My brother and I left our own secret fort beneath our basement’s staircase when we were children. All it required was a carpet remnant on the floor, a lot of paint to decorate the backs of their risers and a notebook to record our secret meetings and create plans. For what, I have no idea, however, we had been outside of our parents’ hair. Here is how designers are creating some clever secret forts for children today.

CWB Architects

This space under the stairs is a lot prettier than that which my brother and I was going on. The perforations in the wall include peek-a-boo spots for your small ones and a element for the grownups.

Boor Bridges Architecture

A simple curtain and some bright paint under these stairs is more than enough to entice a tot into the cozy space. Children love to have a hideaway of their own.

An individual needn’t feel as though they need an amusement-park-worthy tree inside to keep children happy. A tent-like canopy above a bunk bed or loft is actually all it requires.

Dj’s Interior Design

A fun little home within the home makes a space that is imaginative that is fantastic.

Witt Construction

There is A secret bookcase entry always an enjoyable way to get a distinctive fort.

Candlelight Homes

The space beneath this clever loft bed is plenty big for enjoying, and also the windowbox is a charming touch.

Smith & Vansant Architects PC

This secret fort is over a stairs, which makes use of that which was a very awkward box that surrounds the staircase into the cellar.

LLC, RD Architecture

Access is given by A ladder .

Gabriel TothFejel

Grownups like secret temples also, which is what makes this layout by LabExperiment and Aldea Home for Dining by Design a lot of fun. It shows us how much we can create with cardboard.

Over Thanksgiving and I watched a friend make a fort for his 3-year-old son in the box their brand new TV console arrived in. He did it using an Exacto knife in about 10 minutes. Shortly after he cut a doorway , the astute toddler was inside, ordering up a window and a skylight.

What’s your secret fort like? Please tell us about it below and post a picture if you have one!

More: Fantasy Kids’ Rooms
14 Picture Perfect Playhouses
Guest Picks: Perfect for the Playroom

See related

Adding a Tornado of Ribbons with Straightforward Storage Suggestions

Whether you are a crafter, scrapbooker or merely have gift-wrapping ribbons these organizational tips on keeping ribbons can keep your house less cluttered. And the best part is that they are easy and inexpensive ideas that anyone can deal with. You might even be so proud of your ribbon storage which you’re going to want to keep it out on screen!

More: 39 Ways to Organize Your Materials

Jennifer Bishop Design

Danielle of the Minimoz blog used a plastic storage basket with holes that she can slide wooden dowels through the sides to maintain spools. The holes even acted like a dispenser!

Supplies
Plastic container with holes wide enough to carry two rows of ribbon spoolsSawWood dowels (measure the holes on your basket to detect the correct diameter for the dowels)Instructions
Measure the side of your basket. Cut two dowels at least two inches longer.Push the initial dowel through a hole at 1 end of the basket.Start threading the ribbons on. When you receive the previous one, stick the dowel through a hole on the opposite end of the basket.Pull the ribbons in the broad side.Repeat with the second dowel.

This idea came to us in the Wrapping Room at the 2011 San Francisco Decorator Showcase. A shower caddy not only organizes but leaves a great screen for your own ribbons and gift tags.

Jennifer Bishop Design

Shannon posted this fantastic idea of utilizing straw holders to store decoration spools on her website, The Wight Family.

She discovered them available for $5 at Bed Bath and Beyond. She trimmed a number of the bigger cardboard reels so as to make them fit from the dispenser.

Etsy

Painted Large Ribbon Storage Rack – $47

This slender caddy is a superb option to keep ribbons at a cupboard or shelf and then can be readily pulled out when working on your job.

Jennifer Bishop Design

Sue of Creative “try” als came up with this smart way of organizing ribbon after seeing a similar thought done with yarn.

Instructions

1. Start with a clothespin (it’s possible to find a bag of 50 at a dollar store). Open the clothespin and close it on the end of the ribbon.

2. Loosely wrap ribbon around the clothespin, checking once in a while to be sure you can still open it since you end the ribbon round. Clasp the end of the ribbon at the trap.

3. You are able to save the bunches of ribbon at a box, or for additional cuteness make among those mini hangers to pin the ribbon on so you can hang them near your craft materials. Based upon the size you make the hanger you can fit 4 or 6 inches per hanger.

Peg board is a fantastic idea for organizing ribbons along with all sorts of crafting, wrap and office equipment.

Hydrangea Home

Put ribbons on screen utilizing glass urns, pedestal bowls or any other present containers you’ve got around the house.

Jennifer Bishop Design

A paper-roll holder is a superb way to store larger spools. I discovered this idea obscured by Vera Ciria on a story she’d about a quaint little sewing store named Costura.

Jennifer Bishop Design

Karen in the Buzy Bug Blog shares her recipe for organizing ribbons:
Ribbons (obviously)Mat board (cut into 3 x 2.5″)Rubber bandsJust wrap the ribbon around each matte board and then wrap a rubber band around it to keep the ribbon in place.

Jennifer Bishop Design

Becca of Amazing Paper Grace blog used the same above technique and branded the outside of her drawers with swatches of the colour each area retains.

Becca says “It’s an amazing the amount of decoration one three drawer unit will save! In the picture, 1 drawer can hold 140 rolls of ribbon; this particular unit is storing more than 400 rolls of ribbon! I love this storage since I can pull a drawer or the entire unit and put it on the border of my workspace”

Etsy

MDF storage Ribbon Reels – $6.79

These mdf boards can be used as an alternative to cutting matte boards for the storage system I discussed above. They have the option to be included on rings.

Jennifer Bishop Design

Another great idea from Amazing Paper Grace. Should you have numerous ribbons that you keep purchasing duplicates, a ribbon swatch book just may be your solution. Becca discusses how this swatch novel goes back and forth from her car to her studio on her website.

More: 39 Ways to Organize Your Materials

See related