May 31, 2012

Summer Vacation

Summer vacation has officially started at our house.  Since my son's school gets out a little earlier than most of the other schools, we usually take our summer vacation during this time.  But not this year.  Next week he is going off to camp (the one where he actually sleeps there) and I am a nervous wreck!  Granted the camp is only 20 miles away and he is super excited, but I can't help but feel like a crazy mom.  Wes is 8 and has been asking to go to off to camp since he knew they existed.  I seriously considered one in North Carolina, but decided to keep him a little closer to home this year.  His dad went off to camp for weeks at a time while he was growing up, so we both feel that this will be a good experience for him.  

The list of items he needed to take with him was vast, so I started getting things together for him weeks ago.  Here is a shot of everything he has to take with him.   


We ordered him a footlocker/trunk a few weeks before camp and here is the best picture of him pulling it through the aisle at Walmart.  I'm going to miss this little monkey!


While Wes is at Camp Indian Springs, I'm going to have my own "Mommy Camp".  My goals for the week are...manicure, massage (I'm finally going to use that gift certificate I've had since October), sleep in, take a nap, dinner with friends, drink some wine and somewhere in all that I will do a little work.   

I'll end this post with some photos of my dream summer vacations...

Australia
Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas
Coast of California
North Carolina




May 26, 2012

We are live!

After months of thinking I could put together a web site myself, I hired a professional.  Then, I hired a photographer to take some decent photos of a few projects I've finished and finally...we are live! 


There are lots of tweaks and text changes I'd still like to make, but I'm confident enough in how it looks to tell everyone about it.  The photos have been the most challenging as I don't have a lot of completed projects quite yet and it didn't seem right to use photos from my previous employer, so the portfolio will be an ever evolving part of the site.

I want to thank my great photographer (and sister), Hannah Hill.  I drug her around Tallahassee for an entire day, filling her with Starbucks and Hopkins, to keep up her strength.  She did a wonderful job on the shots and I couldn't be more happy with how they turned out.  I did have to include a few of the ones I didn't choose.  I guess you can call these the "bloopers" of Jennifer Taylor Design...
I can't believe I didn't see that crooked lamp shade...and that stupid cord!
This was just a "test shot", but I love the little toys on the floor and the crooked bar stool.

Beware of lurking vacuum cleaners...

I can't believe I'm even showing this one!  












May 20, 2012

{Little} Spaces

My wheels have been turning lately as I'm getting ready to start on some projects in my son's bedroom.  He'll be 9 in the fall and it's time to make some "big boy" changes to his room and how he uses it.  My two main goals for the summer are to create a place for him to do his homework and to reduce the amount of toys.  You would think 3 boys lived in his room based on the amount of Legos and Playmobil that are in his closet, in storage boxes and spilling out onto the floor.  

In addition to being an interior designer, I'm a partner in a seasonal children's consignment sale.  Each spring and fall I make it a point to really clean out toys and clothes that Wes no longer uses, but I failed miserably this past spring and now I'm paying for it.  With all of this said, it's time to start planning on what I'm going to do so I can start saving my pennies.

Beds
Your child's bed is pretty important.  Not only should it look good, but it should be comfortable as well.  Soft sheets and a fluffy mattress pad always seem to help keep the little ones in their bed all night.   We currently have a pseudo bunk bed, but Wes has been asking for "a bed with a ladder" for years.  I'm not sure what boy - and sometimes girls - don't want a bunk bed, but man they can be expensive.  I've been putting him off hoping he'll get past it and let me just upgrade to a full size bed, but no luck quite yet.  So, I continue to stall on the bed...

I have found some pretty extreme set-ups while doing my research, as well as some great old classics.  Here are a few great beds for your {little} one.

Under the Sycamore
Gabba Gabba Gorgeous
available from Jennifer Taylor Design
available from Jennifer Taylor Design
Clothing Storage
When Wes was a baby, I stored all of his clothing in his closet with a variety of drawers, baskets and some hanging.  Now, we use a small chest that is part of his bed, but as his clothes are getting bigger we are running out of room.  I'm kind of neat freak about folded clothes, so at least the drawers are organized most of the time.  I like the idea of taller, narrower chests vs the traditional wide dresser.  They give you a slightly higher surface for things you may want to keep away from {little} hands and they take up less floor space. There also so many closet storage pieces available now, that if you are just utilizing the one bar across design, you are not doing your closet justice.

Also, consider finding a piece that can truly grow with your child.  I found some great pieces while visiting my vendor sites that may seem a little grown up, but could really work in a child's bedroom.  All of these pieces are available from Jennifer Taylor Design.




Quiet Spaces
One of my main goals for Wes' room is to create a quiet place for him to do his homework.  His room is on the small side, so I'll probably stick with a traditional student size desk.  If you have the room though, a small table might be the ticket.  This gives the piece a dual purpose.  Not only can you have a place to do homework, but also school projects, layout the train set and even create a wonderful place for a Lego wonderland!  

available from Jennifer Taylor Design
West Elm
Target
World Market
Toys and Books
The biggest challenge I have found is where to put away all of these toys and books that seem to multiply like rabbits at night.  I have a great piece I found at Ikea (they don't carry it any longer) that has worked really well for all the {little} toys.  It's a rack with open bins, of varying sizes.  I'm too embarrassed to show you what ours looks like today, but here is something similar.


I like the concept of a piece where you can combine open and closed storage.  This gives you a lot of flexibility and as your child moves away from toys, it can be used only for books.  Here are some great ideas I found for both toy and/or book storage.


Love this clever idea from Grosgrain Fabulous

Rosenberry Rooms






May 8, 2012

The Parade is Coming to Town

Tallahassee's annual Parade of Homes starts this weekend and it is a great time to get out and see what's new in construction.  I was given the opportunity to work on one of the homes featured in the parade and I'm excited for everyone to come out and see it.  

My client called me in a panic about two months ago.  The house was almost finished, but there were so many things not coming together for her.  Paint colors, counters, kitchen back splash, cabinet hardware, window treatments, etc.  When I arrived that first day, the house looked like this...


As you can see, a lot had already been done, but my client was having a hard time pulling it all together and she HATED the counter tops she selected for the master bathroom....


So, we first tackled the paint colors (did you notice how many swatches she had painted everywhere?) and got those all worked out.  Then, little by little, the house came together.  We ended up changing out the master bath counters to something more neutral and less busy.  A very costly mistake that would have been avoided had she brought me into the project earlier.  Here are a few photos of the finished products that I helped with...

Kitchen Tile Splash
Cabinet Hardware
New Counters in Master Bath
Cabinet Hardware
Door Hardware
A brand new farm house!
There are 22 homes featured in the Parade and I encourage everyone to come out and see a few, especially if you are in the market to build or remodel.  The dates are May 12-13 & 19-20.  You can click here to get more information or stop by your local Publix and pick up a detailed guide.  

The home featured above is #17 on the parade.  It was built by White Oak Construction and is located in Centerville Conservation Community.  It's a gorgeous neighborhood and worth the drive to see the three parade homes located there.



 

Jennifer Taylor Design All rights reserved © 2012

I am a HowJoyful Design by Joy Kelley