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Designer Rooms: Little Girls’ Bedroom with Canopy Beds

Adding a romantic touch to any bedroom, a canopy is every little girl’s dream {or at least it was mine!}. Here’s a collection of beautiful designer bedrooms for little girls featuring the canopy bed.

girls-bedroom-pink-canopy-katie-ridder-designer {image via Elle Decor and photographer William Waldron}
In this pink little girl’s room Interior designer, Katie Ridder used a floral cotton by Muriel Brandolini for the dreamy canopy as well as the walls, bed curtains and pillows. The round mirror is a lovely focal point. And does my eye spy a part of a bone inlaid bench {far left}?
girls-bedroom-canopy-james-howard-dogwood-sherwin{image via James Michael Howard
The crisp white canopy adds to the serenity in this soft pink girl’s bedroom by James Michael Howard. The oval pearl mirror about the bed pop against the wall painted in Sherwin Williams White Dogwood. A sweet faux bamboo desk serves double duty: bedside table and work station. Love it paired with the bamboo chair, petite table lamps and and small photo gallery above the desk. 
girls-bedroom-canopy-jonathan-adler-wallpaper{image via Jonathan Adler}
In this playful girl’s bedroom, designer Jonathan Adler features a canopy bed in a feminine pink check fabric backed in lime green. Colorful wallpaper with mice, lions and tigers creates a whimsical backdrop. Love all the the Adler accessories too throughout the room: giraffe, geometric rug and lacquer cube side table.

girls-bedroom-canopy-palmer-weiss-designer{image via Palmer Weiss}
In this sweet little girl’s room San Francisco-based designer, Palmer Weiss places a crown canopy to make a dramatic statement. A crown canopy is created by having long fabric panels fall from under a valance mounted to the wall. In this case Weiss repeats the cheery pink, green and yellow patterned fabric in the bed skirt and window treatments. A crisp white coverlet, soft pink walls and pastel striped rug help break-up the dominate pattern. A simple white chandelier adds even more romance to the space.  

girls-bedroom-canopy-twin-beds-rufty-osborne-little{image via House Beautiful and photo credit photo Francesco Lagnese}

In her own home New Orleans designer, Melissa Rufty adds drama to her girl’s room by creating matching canopies for twin beds in Osborne & Little‘s Showboat fabric. It looks great with the crisp white bedding – love the monograms! The other elements in the room mix period styles and patterns beautifully: The wallpaper is Asha by Osborne & Little,  the window shade is AGA Reverse by China Seas, Marina desk chair by H Studio and Parsons desk from West Elm.

Even though we’ve already toured designer, Philip Gorrivan’s NYC home {here}, I wanted to include this sweet bedroom for his daughter. Fit for a princess, the room features a soft pink & white striped canopy above a twin bed. The striped pattern is repeated in the bedding and Roman shade. Love how he adds a bold contrasting brown & white houndstooth bed-skirt.

To see more beautifully designed little girls’ room, go here or here.

Do you like the look of a canopy bed?

PS ~ I am sharing 10 things that make me happy at Sacramento Street Blog today!
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Read full story By on October 4, 2010 in beds, girl's bedroom, interior design

Glamorous Rooms Book Giveaway Winner…

Last month I had the pleasure of interviewing interior designer, Jan Showers. It was fun to hear about what her “go to” paint colors are, when she knew she wanted to be a designer and  what social media outlet is her favorite.  If you missed it, go here.
In addition to designing fabulous interiors, Jan launched The Jan Showers Collection in early 2000 and authored a book, Glamorous Rooms showcasing her work and innate sense of style. Jan graciously offered a personalized, signed copy of her book Glamorous Rooms to one Simplified Bee reader. And the winner is…

April Kennedy – comment #48. I found out that April lives in the San Francisco Bay Area too, just north of me in beautiful Napa wine country. Congratulations April and enjoy the book!
Here are some of my favorite images from Jan Showers’ stunning portfolio:
 
Visit Jan Showers’ website to see more glamorous rooms!

Also, it’s not too late to enter to win
an easy-install custom window shade by Redi Shade… go here

 
*images all courtesy of Jan Showers
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Read full story By on October 3, 2010 in bedrooms, Giveaways, interior design

Breast Cancer Awareness & Pink Wishbone Project

As many of you know, October is breast cancer awareness month. It’s a disease that has touched me and my family personally. Some stories have happy endings, while others do not. This disease knows no boundaries; It will strike any person, male or female, any race or ethnicity, and regardless of any socioeconomic factors. Did you know:
  • excluding cancers of the skin, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, accounting for nearly 1 in 4 cancers diagnosed in US women?
  • according to the National Cancer Institute approximately 2.5 million women with a history of breast cancer {some still in treatment, while most cancer-free} were alive in January 2006?
  • white women have a higher incidence of breast cancer than African American women beginning at age 45? However, African American women have a higher incidence rate before age 45 and are more likely to die from breast cancer at every age.
  • Find out more breast cancer fact & figures here.

feel-your-boobies-breast-cancer-awareness {image via Feel Your Boobies}

Yes, early detection saves lives. Here are breast cancer early detection guidelines by the American Cancer Society:

  • Yearly mammograms are recommended starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health
  • Clinical breast exam (CBE) about every 3 years for women in their 20s and 30s and every year for women 40 and over
  • Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any breast change promptly to their health care provider. Breast self-exam (BSE) is an option for women starting in their 20s. Here are the five steps of a breast self-exam. Do not skip step #4.
The American Cancer Society recommends that some women — because of their family history, a genetic tendency, or certain other factors — be screened with MRI in addition to mammograms. (The number of women who fall into this category is small: less than 2 of all the women in the US.) Talk with your doctor about your history and whether you should have additional tests at an earlier age.
Is there hope? You bet. Research projects throughout the world are increasing our knowledge of genetics, molecular biology and immunology  to develop more effective and less toxic treatments for breast cancer. Research is also focused on uncovering the ability to target and disrupt the effects of molecular changes that cause breast cells to become cancerous. This knowledge will in turn be used to personalize breast cancer therapy. 

This is why supporting breast cancer research projects is so important. There are a ton of “pink” promotions out there this month, but Pink Wishbone Project is one of my favorites: 

pink-wishbone-project-auction-chairs-2010

Twenty of the world’s leading women interior designers including Alexa Hampton, Ruthie Sommers, Celerie Kemble, and Kelly Wearstler  add their personal touches to a legendary Wishbone chair by Hans Wegner. The one-of-a-kind chairs will be auctioned off online October 7-28, 2010. The Pink Wishbone Project will give 100 of the proceeds from every stylish chair  to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Here’s the link: CharityBuzz.com/Auctions/BCRFFurniture. Are the designer cushions out of your budget? The pink wishbone chairs will also available at SuiteNy.com and 20 of their profits go to BCRF. Here is a sampling of some of the chairs that will be auctioned off:

 hans-wegner-wishbone-chair-bunny-williams-charity

Hans Wegner Wishbone Chair with Cushion Designed by Bunny Williams {above}
Hans-Wegner-Wishbone-Chair-pink-Annie-KellyHans Wegner Wishbone Chair with Cushion Designed by Annie Kelly {above}
 Hans-Wegner-Wishbone-Chair-Pink-Julie-Hillman
Hans Wegner Wishbone Chair with Cushion Designed by Julie Hillman {above}

Hans-Wegner-Wishbone-Chair-pink-Tori-Golub

Hans Wegner Wishbone Chair with Cushion Designed by Tori Golub {above}
Hans-Wegner-Wishbone-Chair-pink-lulu
The Hans Wegner Wishbone Chair with Cushion Designed by Lulu deKwiatkowski {above} is my favorite. The retro design is super fun, but it was the note hanging off the back of the chair that makes it most special:

hans-wegner-wishbone-chair-lulu-note-mom

Which is your favorite chair? And do me a favor this month and feel your boobies.
 
*this post is in loving memory of my grandmother {passed at age 46} 
& friend D {passed at age 41}
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Read full story By on October 1, 2010 in chairs, charity, interior design

PRODUCT REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: The Simple Fit Custom Window Treatment by Redi Shade

A few weeks back the folks at Redi Shade contacted me to see if I’d been interested in testing out their Simple Fit custom shade. As it turns out, I was helping a client select fabric for window treatments and bench seating in their kitchen nook. The window above the main sink {image below} gets direct morning sunlight, was blinding my clients and was still in need of a window covering. The homeowners opted not to have a custom fabric Roman shade, but instead wanted a simple cellular shade.
Redi Shade’s Simple Fit light filtering cellular shade in ivory seemed like the perfect solution and my clients were on board. Once the window measurements were taken, I ordered the shade and it arrived in three days! 
Redi Shade claims that their custom shade can be installed securely in seconds without the need for a drill, screws, or traditional brackets, making it a fast and easy. So with the clock ticking, we {my client I should say} started installing the shade…

The shade arrived safely and was wrapped carefully in bubble wrap. It took only a minute or two to unwrap.

The homeowner quickly read the directions.

Then the homeowner removed adhesive strips and installed the shade with a push of one button. It really was that simple and only took ten minutes! The shade has some weight to it, so hangs beautifully. It goes up and down {no cords or pulls} smoothly too. The ivory color was a perfect complement to the subway tile design backsplash.
 
Do you have a window in need of a custom shade? Redi Shade is offering a Simplified Bee reader the chance to win a new custom shade. The value of each shade is between $99 and $253, depending upon the size and type. Due to shipping restrictions, the giveaway is  available to US readers only.  
To enter to win a custom shade by Redi Shade, simply leave a comment {include your email if I don’t have a way to contact you}. For extra entries:
• Mention this giveaway in a post or tweet, then leave a comment letting me know.
Please post a separate comment for each extra entry. Entry period closes at midnight PST, Friday, October 8, 2010.
 
Also, visit Redi Shade to learn more about their window covering solutions. 
Happy decorating and good luck!
*all images property of Simplified Bee
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Read full story By on September 29, 2010 in home improvement, interior design, window treatments