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To get more tips, see our projects, and find ideas for adding liveable glamour to your home, follow us on Instagram or sign up for our newsletter.
To get more tips, see our projects, and find ideas for adding liveable glamour to your home, follow us on Instagram or sign up for our newsletter.
Kids' rooms can feel challenging for parents who desire a beautiful, luxurious home. Kids have a lot of belongings and often have plans for their rooms that are the complete opposite of yours.
We polled the team at Lisa Gilmore Design about what kinds of things we wanted in our rooms as kids that our parents wouldn’t let us have: floral wallpaper, a keyboard studio, a teddy bear wall border, lilac purple walls, and a Nintendo® 64.
Our team has designed many families’ homes over the years, and we always enjoy exercising our creative muscles and remembering our younger selves when creating fun kids’ spaces.
Our clients wanted their daughters to enjoy going to the family vacation home as much as the adults did. So we created a beautiful room for them to share that included blush and gold geometric wallpaper, a pair of trundle beds for when friends sleep over, fun lighting, and water-inspired art.
As you can see, the son of this client loves sports. Many kids want a sports-themed room, but a theme that is too intense can come off as kitschy. We wanted to incorporate his love of sports in an elevated way, so we chose simplified and striking geometrics to create a nice backdrop for visually busy sporting goods items and memorabilia.
This room has a more mature look for a teen girl. She dreams of traveling the world when she is older and has a whimsical personality, so the majestic fabric from Emma Shipley was the perfect addition to this playful yet mature space.
This teen also has a lot of collectibles, records, crafts, and trophies, so we included built-in storage that would allow her to continuously update and restyle her belongings as her heart desires. The Lisa Gilmore Design team designed the built-in bookcases and worked with a local carpenter to create pieces that were the perfect fit for the space.
When the Lisa Gilmore Design team designs a kids’ space, there are a few things we keep in mind.
Make the child a part of the process.
To create a room that a kid will feel at home in, it’s important to find out their likes and dislikes. Some children may enjoy creating a mood board for their room.
Identify the child’s interests and hobbies.
Knowing whether a kid is interested in reading, music, sports, etc. is key in designing the right room for them. It helps us choose the right decor and storage systems and plan the space’s layout.
Understand their storage needs.
Many kids like to collect things or love toys like legos, Barbies, and action figures that have a lot of pieces. And some children have a large wardrobe. Identifying these things will help us plan accordingly.
Use peel-and-stick wallpaper.
Peel-and-stick wallpaper comes in numerous prints and patterns, so it’s easy to find something that suits every child. And it is easy to remove and replace as the child grows and their interests change.
Have fun with lighting.
If the kid’s room doesn’t need a ceiling fan for air circulation, then the options for lighting are endless. There are so many whimsical and playful light fixtures that would pop in a child’s room.
Create intentional spaces.
Kids’ bedrooms are usually their main living spaces, so they need to be more than just a place to sleep. Based on the child’s age and lifestyle, we create spaces in the room to study or hang out by adding items like floor cushions, gaming chairs, tents, and window seats.
When planning children’s bedrooms, be sure to include plenty of areas for storage, play, and sleepover guests. Add decor and color that the child can grow with rather than a theme that the child will be tired of in a year.
The most important tip when decorating a bedroom for kids is to include them in the process. Get their wish list for the room, incorporate their interests and hobbies, and collaborate on a plan for the space. Don’t forget to include areas for storage and to display their collections.
Other than the basics like a bed, desk, and storage, a child’s room should include special touches like areas to hang out, a place to display their important belongings, beautiful and functional lighting, a cozy rug, and a bookshelf or bookcase.
To get more tips, see our projects, and find ideas for adding liveable glamour to your home, follow us on Instagram or sign up for our newsletter.
Lighting is one of the most effective and easiest ways to add interest and character to a home. For example, have you ever seen George Clooney’s twine-wrapped lanterns or Diane Keaton’s eye-catching inverted lampshades? Gorgeous!
Lighting is also a fantastic way to infuse your personality and style into your home. Lisa Gilmore Design selects home lighting that adds personality whether they are unique design trade creations, custom pieces, antique finds, or heirloom treasures.
Make sure to read until the end where we reveal some key facts for choosing the very best lighting for your home.
Of the many client homes that we have designed and reenvisioned, these are some of our favorite lighting features.
Three expert interior design tips for luxury lighting include:
A mixture of hanging light fixtures and lamps ensures a lovely mix of lighting options. And if you want to take it up a notch, sconces add ambiance and glow.
Always request dimmers when working with an electrician. Plus, recessed can lights should be in the middle warmth range of about 2700K to 3000K. These color tones will play nicely with the other light fixtures in your home.
Don't be afraid to go a little big and grand with your lighting. As a room of thumb, the bottom of your dining room chandelier should be roughly 66 to 68 inches from the floor.
There are three types of lighting in home decor– ambient, task, and accent. Ambient lighting provides broad illumination to a space, such as ceiling-mounted lights. Task lighting supplies light to a specific area, such as table lamps or under-cabinet lighting. Accent lighting is used to highlight certain areas or features, such as track lighting or lighting mounted above artwork.
There are many different types of lights used in interior design. Some of the most common include chandeliers, recessed lighting, track lighting, pendant lights, table and floor lamps, and sconces.
Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta said, “The most important thing? Perfect lighting at all times.” Though he was referring to fashion, the same can be said for home lighting. Whether it’s through the use of chandeliers, table lamps, lanterns, or wall sconces, the right lighting can take your space from fair to fabulous.
To get more tips, see our projects, and find ideas for adding liveable glamour to your home, follow me on Instagram or sign up for our newsletter.
While that is true, another often overlooked way to inject color, personality, and character into a space is through tile.
The most common types of tile like ceramic and porcelain may not have much personality. And, even Carrara marble has become standard in luxury homes. But, there are several other options such as concrete and hand-painted tile that add glamour and an artisan feel to a space.
Take a look at these Lisa Gilmore Design projects that feature show-stopping tile.
This luxury condo is filled with lots of pattern and color, however, we wanted the kitchen to be a bit more calm but still interesting. This kitchen’s backsplash features tile with an irregular dot pattern for an understated modern look. It balances wonderfully with the two-tone kitchen cabinets and the busy terrazzo we installed on the floor.
These nine projects feature just a few of the many ways tile can be used to add personality, character, and color to a space. It’s elements like these, paired with custom furnishings and vintage pieces that create curated, luxurious spaces that are the embodiment of liveable glamour.
To get more tips, see our projects, and find ideas for adding liveable glamour to your home, follow me on Instagram or sign up for our newsletter.