shared kids' bedroom organization (one room challenge week 4)

What to do with all your kids’ stuff is a major dilemma of parenthood. It starts early. Excited expectant parents register for all the things including things that experienced parents know will never be used (hello, diaper wipe warmer). You’ve seen it play out in restaurants across the country a million times: new parent walks in with baby and half a storage unit of stuff in tow. Parent of toddler hardly notices because toddler has a full backpack of toys just to get through a 45 minute meal. Parent of college student observes the scene, sips her beer, and smiles. Her hand bag is big enough for her keys, phone, and wallet only. It is a progression that we all go through. Sooner or later, we all begin to throw things out when our kids aren’t watching. No? Just me? I didn’t think so.

shared bedroom room for W&C - one room challenge week 3

Believe it or not, this is technically the halfway point in our six-week decorating project. Anyone nervous? Don’t worry. We’ve totally got this. Assuming everything actually shows up in time. More on that in a moment…

the search for sectionals (modern southern bungalow week 21)

We have floors! Ok, we have partial floors. The upstairs floors have been installed and the downstairs floors are in process. We also received confirmation this week that our wall tile for both the kitchen and master shower will be here on Thursday. It feels like things are getting closer even though we still have 14 weeks to go assuming all goes well. Please cross all your fingers and toes. We are so ready to get out of the apartment.

This week, while we waited for flooring and tile, we began looking at furnishings. I know what you are thinking. Fourteen weeks is a long time. But furniture, even from a big box store, is very rarely available the day that you want it. Many furniture stores are really show rooms, where one can try out pieces but not walk out with them. Even a basic table can take 6-8 weeks for delivery. Sofas can take up to 12 weeks for delivery.

living with kids, modern southern bungalow, small spacesadrienne robideauxMarch 20, 2018decorating, family roomComment

furniture that grows with your child

One of the toughest things about decorating with kids is that they grow up. Statement of the obvious, yes? But it is more than just a kid’s taste that changes as they grow up. We don’t always want to acknowledge it as parents, but our kids do get bigger. It happens quickly at first when they are babies, then slows down a bit such that when we turn and look one day, we have big kids in elementary school. How did that even happen? Let’s not continue the progression from there.

I know it is a tough reality to swallow. As parents, we plan for the future but we don’t want to think about our kids growing up. We want to savor them today as they are, in our laps and reading a book. Trust me, I am all for that. But I am also for planning a little. There are choices that you can make today for your child’s room that will grow with your child.

five kid decorating don'ts (and what to do instead)

I spent several days last week living in a rainbow. The outside was absolutely amazing. So fun. My room was another story. Purple carpet, lime green walls/headboard and curtains, and my bathroom was orange with beige tile. I should have taken a picture of it to share with you but I knew it would be forever etched in my memory as a bad dream so I didn't even think to photograph it.

The lime green and purple (as well as a keynote by Stacy London of What Not to Wear) got me thinking about good ideas gone bad. (Also, just a quick footnote from this design snob to whoever decorated those bathrooms: if you are going to go big, go big. For heaven’s sake, don’t leave the old brown tile and think it just works with an orange and purple bathroom.) This can happen to the best of us, for sure. Decorators are not immune. So let’s talk briefly about some decorating decisions we should try to avoid and what to do instead.

living with kids, kids, interiorsadrienne robideauxMarch 8, 2018kid rooms, decorComment

what I'm loving now

It occurs to me that I should have given this post a better title because unless I'm Joanna Gaines, not many people care what I'm loving now. Also, I just have to get it right out of the way for those who know me personally and are reading this wondering why there is a cat photo in this post. No, I have not gone to the dark side. There is a point to the picture. Keep reading.

Anyway, I’m in California this week for two design related conferences. When this post goes live, I will be leaving the first conference in Palm Springs and headed to Los Angeles. I’ll spend a few days recovering from information overload there before heading on to more information overload in Beverly Hills. I intended to leave you with a light little look at the things I’m loving right now in order to show that I am a real person who is not totally motivated by wallpaper or and who is not trying to sell you her services 24-7. Of course, each one of the identified things I’m loving right now would be casually tied to some amazing decorating item or other, subtly pulling you back into the “hire me!” abyss. To bastardize Shakespeare, all the internet’s a marketplace and the men and women merely salespeople in it.

lagniappe, living with kidsadrienne robideauxMarch 1, 2018mom life, family livingComment

the epic guide to decorating with your teen daughter

One of the most terrifying parts of the mother-daughter relationship is that day when you are no longer friends. Those of you with younger daughters are clicking the close tab button right now but you might consider staying with me here for a minute if you can stomach it.

No one is ready for that day, I promise. Yesterday, she told you all the news about Sarah and how horrible the math test was and wanted you to take her shopping. Today, you are lucky to get a simple yes or no. The good news is that mother-daughter frenemy status is usually temporary. Sometimes it goes as quickly as it came. One thing is for sure: all girl moms can count on the inevitable day when we wonder just who came up with the idea for boarding school and whether robbing a bank to pay for it is a risk we are willing to take for the sake of sanity.

design, interiors, living with kidsadrienne robideauxFebruary 15, 2018kid friendly, teen rooms Comments

newsflash: not all girls want a pink bedroom

Last week while dropping my kids off at school, I discovered that there were new lines taped on the ground where kids stand in line to wait for the restrooms. Earth shattering news to start a post with, right? Stick with me. One line was pink and the other line was blue. Now, I may not have noticed or even taken issue with the pink and blue lines had it not been for the nearby sign on the wall, written in childish hand, that said “Stop Stereotypes”.

design, interiors, kids, living with kidsadrienne robideauxFebruary 8, 2018kid rooms, girlsComment

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