room for kids : handmade mint

Mum, Lori Danelle, made the pom poms, paper lanterns, quilts, curtains and even the pallet beds.

The original pallet bed was made for Peyton when she grew out of her cot but three year old Charlie liked it so much that she requested one of her own.


vibe
Cosy and fresh with warmth emanating from the plethora of unique items made by super creative mum Lori from Lori Danelle : maker of things. You can also find some of Lori's creations on Etsy.


who lives here?
Charlie 3 and Peyton 1 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

decor
Most of the décor is Lori's handiwork. She made the pom pom paper lantern grouping, bunting, embroidery circles and painted the wee birdhouses and the girls' initials. The curtains were made from Lotus Line fabric by Amy Butler, Charlie's pink and yellow quilt and pillow were made with local Nashville Anna Maria Horner fabric, and Peyton's bedding was made using Tina Givens' Treetop Fancy line, Anna Marie Horner's Garden Party a well as other lines also by Amy Butler, Anna Marie Horner, Tina Givens and Sandi Henderson. The rugs were one of the few items Lori bought. She picked them up from Target for under $10 USD each.


wall & floor paint
The wall paint is Bird Egg by Benjamin Moore. Lori had spied it years earlier in Domino magazine and filed it away for the perfect time. The floors were painted with white floor paint from Sherwin Williams and finished with a water based floor polyurethane.

furniture
All the furniture was passed down or built by Lori or a family member. She made the girls’ beds using shipping pallets and refinished her husband's boyhood dressers in turquoise. The rocking chair on the right (above) originally belonged to Lori's mum and was then handed down to Lori before making its way to the sisters' space.

renovate
Originally the attic had beige walls, beige ceilings, beige carpet and no insulation. Lori and her husband took the room down to the studs on the ceiling portion of the room and installed insulation in the walls and ceiling.

diy
As well as making the curtains, bed linen, bunting, embroidery circles and beds, Lori also made the hanging bookshelves and refinished and painted the walls, floors and dressers. For tutorials on how to create like Lori check her blog.

best buys
Lori found it hard to narrow down the best buys, saying, "the whole room is a steal! We were definitely on a tight budget when it came to this room but I probably would have made everything anyway. That's just my style."

baby space fave
The cohesive nature of the room as a whole - all the handmade elements come together beautifully resulting in a truly unique little space. Particularly loving the white painted floor.

top tips
Lori says, "Go with your instinct. This room is all about personal touches and handmade objects, Get creative! Look all around you for inspiration! A lot of what I put in the room was inspired by things I've seen on blogs and in magazines. I try not to copy things directly but use them as jumping off point. Interpret them in a way that makes the most sense and appeals to me."

Next week we'll take a look at the girls' oh-so-cute kitchen play corner.