Two Very Lucky Girls - Part II

My friends, you have waited long enough for Part II, to see how the very lucky little girl’s bedroom I wrote about in Part I turned out (to read Part I and see the design board, scroll down to the article with the same title from April 10). When I last wrote, I had just created the design plan. Since then the room has been ‘a rockin’ with change. This was a fun project to work on. The inspiration came from my young client. After sitting with her and listening to what she wanted I realized she was a bold and bright girl and nothing but that would do for her. I wasn’t there for the big reveal but here is the e-mail I received from the little girl’s mother:

“Anna’s room came out PHENOMENAL!!!! When we opened the door her mouth dropped open and she couldn’t speak. She was looking around in amazement and then started jumping up and down yelling THANK YOU SO MUCH!! She was thrilled beyond belief! I can’t wait for you to see it. Thank you so much for an amazing one of a kind room that Anna is soooo happy with! We are very grateful!”

Here is the BEFORE and another view of the AFTER:

My favorite part of the room was the thank you sign left for me from my young happy friend:

THE INSPIRATIONAL CORK

I would like to talk about a cork.

A tan and wheaty, crumbly fumbly round and good smelling cork. Why am I discussing a cork? Because not long I ago I was a very tired, head full-of-ideas, crazy woman who had a hectic day and needed to end it desperately with my high heels off, feet up, and a tall full glass of Riesling. Unfortunately for me, this would prove to be a bit tougher to do than I had anticipated.

I had the Riesling bottle in one hand, the opener in the other, and was almost there. Almost to the Promised Land. Almost. I could not get the cork out. You should have seen me playing tug of war with a cork that was determined to stay right where it was. I pulled and twisted and pulled again. In the end it was no match for a woman irritated to the core. I wiped the sweat off my brow and saved the cork to remind me that struggles can make you stronger, and lead to happy endings.

This very scenario is what inspired me to add something special to my client’s kitchen re-design in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania. My client, a woman, much like myself, spends her days running around. When at home, the room she utilizes most, is her kitchen. She cooks there, cleans it (a lot), does projects, and manages her daily schedule at the kitchen island. She deserved a kitchen that was all about helping her. Together we created a calm functional kitchen by using a cool color palette of breezy blues and refreshing greens, reconfiguring the dining table and adding 2 basket weave head chairs, and stools at her island. We also added a large round drum pendant light above the dining table, incorporated a very large framed cork board, and to soften and diffuse the large bank of windows, we brought in woven roman shades and fun paisley print pleated drapes.

The kitchen looked amazing BUT was missing one thing. I looked at my wine cork and instantly knew what it was. A place to stop running around! I incorporated a special cozy nook in the kitchen space, where she could actually use it. To me, it beckons ‘come and relax!’ What do you think?