Room Recipes; A Creative and Stylish Guide to Interior Design

Don't you just love to browse idea books? I do. I could spend hours in the interior design book section. Some looks I can see myself living in, some I just admire for their creativity, and others I totally shake my head at. Since Mr. 12 went into Jr. High this year, we needed to redesign his room to be more "manly" and less "little kid."

Before Makeover

Yeah, it's kind of messy, but I only thought to take the picture right in the middle of tearing the place apart. 

We took the walls from a light tan to a cobalt blue, added a bigger bed, cleaned out all the toys, and built a book shelf. It was a lot of work! But Mr. 12 was there all the way. In fact, he did most of the work staining the shelves on his own.

After Photos

Still kind of cluttered, but hey, the kid's - I mean dude's - got to live there.

I also intend to build a headboard to match the book shelf and buy or sew a better bedspread. That will take some reconnaissance work that I haven't had time for.

Even after sweating through the paint job and building, I felt like there was something missing.That's when I picked up Room Recipes. In those lovely, high gloss pages I realized that we are missing texture created by patterns. I believe it's called visual texture.
You can even see it on the cover. The author/designer used different patterns on the throw pillows and a framed map on the wall. Armed with my copy of room recipes, I can't wait to add the finishing touches.

We'll get some throw pillows in different sizes, put up a few pictures or framed posters, and find a lamp for that side table.

This was one of my favorite finds. It's an old trophy case from a high school that was being torn down a few years ago. My neighbor had it out at a garage sale and I picked it up for $5! We painted it white. Now, I think I'll use scrapbook paper to line the inside and then apply cork board so that the paper works as a boarder. Then we'll hang it on the wall.

 
Thanks to Room Recipes, Mr. 12 will have the best designed room in the house! :-)