I had more fun working on this little bedroom for my son! Adoption doesn’t leave you with much that’s tangible to hang onto about your child, but this little room, slowly put together over the last year, has been a reminder that one day there would be a child living here with us. This used to be a walk-through bedroom (you had to walk through it and our bedroom as well to reach our only full bathroom), but with some clever remodeling and the sacrifice of a closet, we now have two separate spaces. I’m not a huge fan of rigid color schemes or strict themes, but if this bedroom has a loose theme, it’s adventure. 

This dresser was purchased for $1 at Goodwill! Pretty psyched about that. The top looked like it had been used to take out pent up aggression (holes and dents and knife marks!!), but it’s solid and so we decided to take it hime and make it over. Jerry replaced the top and it got a nice new paint job along with pulls. The jacket hanging on the hook below is an LL Bean hand-me down from a friend. It makes me happy just to see the lobsters waiting for their new owner.

I got the little planes off Amazon (here and here) to make the fan and light chains easier to differentiate. Also because they’re so cute! The skinny little bookcase was left behind by our home’s previous owner. I love books and I know this will be way too small soon, but for now we’re making do!  We got the bunk beds at a Maine discount store called Marden’s for a very good price. The quilt hanging over the rail was lovingly made as a gift for our boy by my wonderful friend, Ashley. It’s mind boggling to me just how much love this little boy has waiting for him here! The bunting is from Etsy and is made of fabric instead of paper so it will last longer. Compass rose is a wall decal also from Amazon. The little red chair below was another thrift store find that I painted. Paint can seriously do wonders to give furniture a face lift.

Luna the cat thinks that the top bunk is for her. We think all the animals are in for a rude awakening! Below is a Neverland map done by a lovely friend of mine, I very much recommend her!

I’m glad to show you this room now before my boy is here–I’m pretty confident it will never look this perfect again! He will come home and shake us  up and leave us wondering what we ever did before he got here. I cannot wait. Counting the days now!

This little space was a huge undertaking. Way more than the few square feet it contains can express! When we bought this little hybrid ranch house (it’s not really a ranch but it doesn’t have a proper category!) a couple years ago we noticed that the breezeway would be convenient to have as it would keep us from having to trek outdoors to the garage. Everything seemed in order with the space, and we didn’t give it much thought.

Fast forward a year or so down the road, and we knew something was really wrong. The walls grew mildewed and the floating laminate floor made odd sounds when you walked on it. We found out that the roofing overhead had had the corners done incorrectly. Water seeped through the corners above and trickled behind the drywall. It caused quite a lot of unseen damage–not to mention a carpenter ant infestation! *Shudder*

Less than a year after moving in we filed our very first home insurance claim. With the help of some professionals we got half the roof redone and the drywall torn out, cleaned up, and reinstalled. On the positive side, we got to select our own new paint, flooring, and light fixture. Jerry did the floor and the wallpaper himself because this was not a budgeted for remodel by any means! I think he did a great job!

My inspiration for this little space is an English conservatory or garden. I’m a bit of a free spirit when it comes to decorating and I tend to look at what’s popular and trendy, but then go ahead and do what pleases me. Some things that please me include English country houses, Bag End in “The Lord of the Rings”, and plenty of functionality! Almost the entire contents of this space were thrifted, antiqued, or foraged. And that makes me feel pretty good!

We moved in to our first home here in the rural Downeast three years ago. I had to have a house with a name, and our home’s name came from seeing a mother deer with her fawns down the hill the day after we got the key to this place. It was sort of magical, like we’d taken the keys to not just a little house, but instead to a home in the fairytale woods. I’ve had a lot of fun setting up house ever since. I remember even as a little girl I enjoyed making things pretty and neat. My husband likes to ask “What’s wrong with you?” as he was your typical “messy bedroom” type of kid. Ha!

We’ve got a small bedroom in a modest sized home, so we did a few space saving things in our renovations last year (more on that later). Some that I’m especially proud of include the pocket door shown (no swinging door to take up space), and the floating bedside shelves. I’d like to get wall sconces down the road to save further space. We also share one “double decker” closet, a dresser, and a wardrobe.

While I’m no professional decorator, I think that anything with visual impact (like arranging items on a shelf or putting together an outfit) is best learned through studying images. I’ve spent too much time figuring out what I like (and what I don’t) via Pinterest, and now I’m using this blog to figure out how to show the beauty I observe in it’s best light.

I left our cat in here for authenticity. Our pets are all over our bed all the time and on a not so glamorous note I have two words of advice. Washable. Bedding.

Toile pillow shams from Etsy, light switch plate available here, wall paint is “Palace Pearl” from Benjamin Moore.