A Class-y Lady's Room Tour

Just before school started my friend, Faye, asked for my help with decorating her newly remodeled 5th grade classroom.

I could not have been more honored or excited!

These were NOT the first photos she sent to me.

These photos were after she had already done a significant amount of work un-packing boxes, organizing and putting things away.

The first photos looked more like this:

So let me give you a little background on my fabulous friend before we move along to the room tour.

I first met Faye 2 years ago at Meet the Teacher when my son was entering 5th grade.

No, I did not upload the wrong photos - this is actually her.
(Photos above courtesy of  Pixel and Grain photography.)

Faye with my son at 5th grade graduation. His bowtie unintentionally coordinated. 

Aside from her super model looks and incredible fashion sense (it's a family thing), Faye is also smart as a whip, funny, unbelievably kind and giving, always classy and so much fun to have wine and cheese with while talking decorating and projects.

Additionally, she's an avid DIYer and an award winning peach cobbler maker.

No joke, people.

But, most importantly, she loves Harry Potter.

Faye's newly DIYed lamp, painted with a Dumbledore quote.

The plan for her new room was to use the items she already had on hand and just sort of give them new life.
(You know I'm all about using what you have.)
And she certainly had LOTS of great decorative objects and teacher stuff from which to choose!

When I arrived,  one of her bulletin boards was already complete, which was great because then I had a starting point.
Faye also had a fantastic idea for another bulletin board that evolved into something sort of Kate Spade-esque.

Pretty much the only thing she lacked was sharp scissors.

The following day I brought my own scissors, along with a few 'donations' to add some final touches and her room was finished just in time for Meet The Teacher.

Welcome, everyone, to Mrs Middleton's 5th grade class!

Remember this???

Here's what it looks like now.

This harlequin adorned bulletin board was the room's starting point.

A sink will be installed in this area.

Fabric was added to the plain white wall above her desk to serve as a bulletin board.
Also, I just noticed she has an interrogation lamp.
Which is entirely necessary in 5th grade.

Peel-able and write-able labels.

How about this wall before???

And now...

The gold ribbon helped cover the rough edges of the cut paper and added a little sparkle.

Faye made that pouf in just a few minutes before I arrived so naturally I had to use it on this gallery wall.

A perfect reading corner.

Dry erase marker on glass in a frame backed with cute paper.

Faye painted the Superhero canvas herself - so cute!

I gave Faye this 'class-y' framed art because she is certainly classy but also loves a good (or bad) pun.

Paint chips in a jar???

Faye's brilliant idea for (free) bookmarks!

The early stages of this wall...

This ribbon garland that I had on hand was perfect here so I was happy to part with it!

Doesn't her Dumbledore lamp look great in this spot?

My 5th grade classroom certainly didn't look like this!

(classroom photos courtesy of Faye's and my cell phone cameras because we are professional like that!)

I love that her room is full of personal homey touches rather than a sea of cardboard cut outs and generic lamination.
It would be tough for me to pry myself out of that reading nook, though!

I'm so grateful to Faye for inviting me to come expend a little creative energy and trusting me with her 'second home.'

She is an absolute testament to her profession and I am fortunate to be able to call her my friend.

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

Room Tour: An Eclectic Boy's Room

I love getting a little glimpse into how other people live and decorate, 

don't you?

Sometimes when we are driving through a neighborhood at night I tell my husband to drive slowly in case someone has their blinds open so I can peek inside and see what their decor looks like.

He thinks it's kind of creepy that I do that...

but he drives slowly anyway.

And in case you live in my area,
consider yourself warned.

Today I'm bringing you a tour of my son's tween room so that you don't have to drive by my house at night and look through the blinds to see it.

Since my son is only 11 he really doesn't give a rat's butt about what his room looks like.

If I left the decorating to him, his room would look like someone vomited Saturday morning cartoons all over the place.

And there would be dead stuff on every surface 

(he's an avid fossil collector but we often end up with actual animal bones and teeth, too.) 

I'm all for letting kids decide some things but letting an 11 year old boy decorate his own room would be like letting your car mechanic perform heart surgery on you.
It's just plain stoopid.

But I do think kids should have some say in what their room looks like.
So, when we started working on this room I said,
"Hey, do you like gray paint?"
He said, "Yes."

The way I see it, he had a role in the decorating of his own room.

(I also let him have Spongebob sheets on his bed, too, because I'm not a complete animal!)

His room is currently very much an eclectic mix which is very much a statement about his personality.

We have a little bit of mid-century modern mixed with more traditional elements but had to throw in plenty of rustic and natural pieces to reflect who he is.

My son also wanted something industrial.

The fact that he actually used the word 'industrial' was enough for me to want to make that happen!
 

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, this is not a finished room.

There are plans for a side table, some additional/replacement lighting, and most likely a new rug.

But since those items require a greater monetary commitment, I wanted to see where the room was going before choosing those pieces.
 

Without further delay I give you...

Stone's Room

What I love about this room is that, even though it currently is a 'tween room with toys and stuffed animals and kid stuff, it is mostly neutral and color is added with only a couple of really inexpensive accessories like the rug and the colorful afghan so it can easily adapt for a teenager with some very simple changes. 

 

 Hope you enjoyed the tour!

I want to tell you more about where I found some of the items in this room so if you're curious to know more check back soon.

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney