Room to Flourish
This project is near and dear to my heart because the sweet little girl who calls this room home is my 4 year old niece! She is small but mighty & her name is Beatrix! Not unlike me, she absolutely adores pink, florals & shiny things! Not only does she have good taste, she is the most energetic, brightest and kindest little girl, and we gave her a dreamy room to reflect it. This was my fist time decorating a kid’s room, and I have to stay I really had a blast! I didn’t have to shy away from using colour or mixing patterns, and the result was truly magical!
The space started out as a guest bedroom in the family’s principal home downtown Toronto, it was a bit of a mish mash of furniture from a former apartment and had no true direction. At the time, Bea was just a baby and her room was the nursery down the hall. Then a second baby came along, Bea was going to be a big sister and her whole life was about to change! From being an only child to sharing the attention with a sibling, the transition wasn’t going to be easy. The goal was to move her into a “big girl bedroom” a few months prior to her sister’s arrival, to help with the change-over, and make the new room truly her own.
This was an opportunity to give her a room that she could grow into and love for a long time, even as she gets older. The inspiration behind the design was a traditional, elegant yet whimsical rose garden, which we portrayed using fresh spring shades, florals and wrought iron details. The walls were painted in “Pale Hound” by Farrow and Ball, which is a lovely soft green and used her favourite pink colour as an accent in accessories like the area rug and bedding.
Using large furniture pieces in a small space can actually make the room feel bigger because it tricks your eye into thinking the room is more spacious than it is! This simple IKEA dresser adds ample storage at a really good price tag, and we styled it up with some feminine brass knobs.
Traditional decor often includes custom elements like window coverings, valences and matching upholstery. To create that custom look for less, we had to get a little creative! We found a pair of floral green and ivory curtain panels on Wayfair which came with a fabric valence for a single window. We purchased 2 sets and sewed the valences together to fit the larger window. Finally, with the extra curtain panel, I busted out my sewing machine and DIY’ed a custom bolster pillow to tie the look together, how cute is the piping and covered button? I’m not the best seamstress but I followed this simple youtube tutorial and it worked like a charm!
Design - Camille Normandin
Client - Danielle Graham
Photography - Niamh Barry
Cast iron bed - Antique
Gingham bed linens - IKEA (discontinued) similar here.
Green fringed throw - H&M Home
Hemnes dresser - IKEA
Hemnes nightstand - IKEA
Bow drawer knobs - Crate & Barrel
Velvet armchair - Kare Design
Pendant light & tables lamps - Pickwick Antique lighting
Floral curtains - Wayfair
Bloster pillow - Custom
Dalmatian statue - Vintage
Floral etched mirror - Vintage
Area rug - Ruggable
Floral arrangement - Wild North Flowers