Bonus room reveal!

Bonus room complete!


This room has pretty much been a 'catch-all' for all the junk since we moved in 4 weeks ago. I thought it would be fun if I surprised the girls "Divine Design" style - I guess it would be more like "Design on a Dime" considering I did it all for less than $600! My plan for this room was to make it somewhere that my girls and their friends would want to hang out. It needed to be fun and playful but not too kid-ish and not too grown-up. They need lots of space to play Wi and other games, but also needed enough seating for plenty of friends. They also needed an area to craft and sew (or practicing sewing), do homework and practice piano.

Hour 1 of 4 spent on this stenciled wall. Looks easy right? That's what I thought! Actually, it's pretty easy just time consuming and monotonous. My intent was to stencil 2 (or possibly 3 depending on what it looked like) walls, but my hand wouldn't cooperate. Maybe later...

I've seen this Annie Sloan paint on various design blogs and had to order some for myself. It is as amazing as they claim it is...and maybe even better. The colors are yummy and it adheres to everything without preparation- including the ugly Tuscany style ceramic tile on the girls wet bar. At one point I considered replacing the back splash when we get our kitchen done, but for an area for tweens, this works wonderfully! I plan to do a second coat this week.

I'm not sure how we got around before!

And...here she is! This is my favorite view. I love how this wall/couch/color combination turned out. I think it looks fresh and youthful, but not too young.

We've had this white slipcover IKEA couch for 7 years now, and I keep finding a purpose for it! These giraffe print ottomans are super light weight and easy to move, have storage space inside and can be used for multiple purposes. All of the pillows are covered with an outdoor fabric for extra durability, except the small chevron stripped one (I found it on Etsy) but it can be easily removed and cleaned. I bought this US map at the Goodwill and stained the frame. The girls plan to put pins in every state they have been too - which is almost all! I plan to do one of two things to back portion of the desk filing cabinets so you don't have to look at blank nothingness 1) cut some vinyl graphics in navy to add or 2) Use the Annie Sloan chalk paint on the back of these - all colors can be used as a blackboard or chalkboard! We've tried it on my sample cabinet door and written/erased, written/erased and it works fantastically!

Obviously, there a lots of little details which still need to be worked out. Take this cord situation and/or the media component placement! Soon, soon!

I used the same stencil pattern on the back of this cheapy bookshelf by removing the thin cardboard backing, painting base color then stencil color and nailing it back down again. This will soon be a home for books/games. I would have loved to use longer curtains for that "taller window' look, but these babies were $15 at the West Elm Outlet store!

A fun, teal colored vintage typewriter I found at the Kane County Flea Market...I'm looking for a new ribbon because this thing gets so much use!

Graphic art purchased from Etsy and bird print from Target.

My favorite vintage tins found at a flea market doing my favorite thing: containing clutter!

Fun Martha Stewart pom poms. These would have been super easy to make with some tissue paper had I not bought them from Overstock for under $8.

The girls made this little banner and it was their only clue about the style/colors of their bonus room.

This cute little fan actually works!

Hope you liked it; my girls certainly do!