Gender Neutral, Color Not So Neutral - Our Latest Baby Nursery featured in Parade of Homes Tour

The Clark County Parade of Homes is host to my latest baby nursery project.  The homeowner settled into a gender neutral theme awaiting the baby's confirmation of sex.  The room features many of my studio's custom items.  Be sure to follow me here on my blog or join me on Facebook for the latest update and room details coming soon.

A sneak peek at my latest gender neutral nursery featured in the Clark County Parade of Homes Tour 2012.  The show is open September 7th - 23rd.

Here We Go! A boy's transportation nursery mood board for the little traveler.

With summer winding down, the road trips and expeditions are coming to an end.  To keep your little traveler imagining the world around him, I've designed this mood board with an on-the-go attitude.  Featuring one of my latest wall art pieces, the American Byways American Map, the room flies, drives and rails its way into a classic transportation motif.  The combination of rustic woods, a soothing fresh color palette, retro chic goods and a hint of a modern are a charming touch that will grow with your lil' man from infant to adolescent.

My art, available nationwide, and through my online boutique, brings together the look of old travel related signs, vintage elements and reclaimed wood within a U.S. Map.  It's available in two sizes, fit for a boys room or within your home.

If designing a nursery, kid's room or teen space has you searching the map for design directions, let me help you keep your vision on the road to success.  I offer e-consultations, accommodate travel and have a fantastic network of retailers who can help us create your dream space.

All the details are on my website.  Or if you prefer, give me a call for a no-obligation phone consultation, as to how we can help.

Genius Boy's Bedroom - The Theory of Decorativity

Sitting criss-crossed legged on Kade's floor, his mother and I stare at the room, back at each other and then down to my tablet.  What if, what about this, what about that and whoa, what about those is asked?  I'm rapidly sketching away at some ideas to cover the vastness of Kade's interests.  We're making headway with ideas but how do we tie them together.  Finally, the word to summarize him comes to mind.   It's genius, rather...he's a genius.

6 year old Kade has an inquisitive mind.  Within his quaintly small room are blooming amaryllis bulbs, crystals, plant seeds, disassembled toy pieces, works of personal art and an array of THINGS that I'm sure juggled around in his pockets before finding their rightful place in his room.  He loves Star Wars, reading, cooking and finding answers to his burning questions about biology, chemistry, dinosaurs and magic tricks.

My quest was to tie everything together in a room design fit for a genius.

His loft bed was Kade's dream piece of furniture.  It's one of those light maple kit units with the primary colored panels to play fort in.  Not exactly what I'd like to work with.  As a matter of fact, its monstrous footprint prevented the petite room from having a functioning arrangement.  So, it needed to go away or be reinvented.  Kade's mom raised her eyebrow inquiring "what do you mean, reinvented?"

Reconfiguring the loft bed made room for a retro steel desk and chair.

As a sucker for an artistic challenge, I proposed rebuilding Kade's loft bed by adding a facade of faux reclaimed wood, rethinking the crayon colored canvas, replacing it with burlap and reorienting the slide and re-facing it with galvanized sheet metal for an old school look.  Changing the bright maple required some sanding and re-finishing with a wood toned lacquer.  That's a lot of re's...whew.  

Before and After alteration of Kade's loft bed and slide.

A collage of mounted magazine clippings, science themed art, a "K" for Kade and a piece from my superhero wall art collection speak to the science theme.

The slide being refaced in galvanized sheet metal gives it a retro, old school feel.

His white walled room had a niche with a built in dresser and a sad little shelve.  With a few sawcuts and some trim I altered his floor standing bookcase and transformed it into an upper cabinet, above the set of drawers.  This made the new niche the perfect home for a fish tank.  

Vintage flash cards act as a decorative border.

Now that his bookcase became an upper cabinet we freed up room for a vintage steel desk and chair.  Topping it of with some painted shelving, the corner became the perfect spot to house organizational vintage locker bins, reclaimed tin can storage and glass mason jars to display his collections.  A little nod to his love of science, Star Wars and classical music was brought together by plaster casts of Einstein, Chopin and a faux plaster bust of Darth Vader, I created from a halloween mask.  A hollowed out and spray painted dinosaur became the perfect container for an aloe plant, which Kade remarked is used for burns.

A Darth Vader halloween mask altered into a faux classic bust finds a home next
to plaster Einstein and Chopin.

I've been on a hexagon craze lately and with its sciencey shape, I found it to be the perfect solution to store some of his fabulous finds.  The hex cube unit, I built features decoupaged pages from an old dictionary, where key words like nucleic acid can be found.  Kade quickly filled it with his precious rock collection.

Created in my studio, the unassembled hexagon shelve pieces looked like a
colorful game of Jenga.

Applying a sheet metal veneer over the awkward looking
colonial raised panel bifold doors turned them into modern magnet boards.

The family's home is built in a modern style which was compromised by the old fashioned raised panel bifold doors the builder had installed.  My laminating a sheet metal covering over the colonial looking bi-folds created a fun, modern looking usable magnetic and dry erase board surface for Kade. 

The addition of a vintage school map to the angular entrance of his room creates a focal point, a tribute to geography and acts as a reminder that a long, long time ago Navigation was best learned on a really big map with a sharp pointy stick.

I sent Kade's mom shopping for a retro Edison style light fixture.  What's more genius than Edison?  She was pleased to find out she could have one custom built at a local architectural salvage house.  The glowing filaments of the Edison bulbs look terrific.

Kade's feathers, melted crayon sculptures, pint size biospheres and his scientific notes are all safe, sound and organized in his genius boy room.  It's now a room that reflects his intellectual passions and feeds this playful young boy's needs for whimsy and fun.

Kade and his mom couldn't be happier.  The petite room is more user friendly, it has personality and it's a one-of-a-kind built just for him.  Kade's mom whispers...."he can also organize his collections", which was code words for clean his room.  Sorry Kade, even Einstein had to keep his room clean.

I'm no scientist, but I think the theory of decorativity comes into play here- for every aesthetic action there's an unequaled enthusiastic reaction!

Enjoy!

Aaron

Pictures of the Genius Boy Room are posted on my Pinterest page, if you are a pinning machine.

Superhero Worship- Decor Ideas and Character Study Part 2

I went digging around the internet looking for inspiring products for a boy's superhero room and came away with a collection of things that would be perfect for an adult's room or man cave.  So for fun, I've compiled three story or mood boards exploring the imaginary interiors of a few favorite superheroes.

Number two, of the series of three, is a design for whom is probably the most revered and loved superhero of all time, Superman.

Superman might have a fortress of solitude but I'm sure he'd prefer to hang his cape in a suped up man cave.

Throughout the Superman genre of comics,  movies and cartoons, you never quite get a glimpse of him taking time off, sitting back in his apartment Skyping Ma and Pa Kent, napping with Krypto the Super Dog or having the Justice League over for a potluck and poker game.   Even the Man of Steel needs to some down time.  So, to outfit his urban Metropolis bachelor pad, I've assembled a few components that I think speak to him as a supehero, mild mannered reporter, alien with advanced powers and conservative farm boy, at heart.

With his well tailored, classic look as Clark Kent, I felt he'd gravitate toward a neo-classic and art deco style befitting his metropolitan persona.  This style also gave room to explore, through decor, his origins as a cross universe, rocket sent orphan.  With his x-ray capable vision, how would he see the world?  Would he switch back and forth and see the inner workings of things and come to embrace that revealed vantage point?  I thinks so, so I've included an amazing x-ray couch with a transparent covering, a "see-through" chair and a couple art posters which may reveal his view of everyday humans when his powers are kicked in.

Some of the items may be a bit spendy, for a reporter's salary, but as a faster than a speeding bullet kinda guy, he could be the ultimate in Craigslist shoppers, searching bargains and being the first to show up worldwide within seconds.  Lifting a concrete and steel chair up to his twelfth floor apartment wouldn't be issue either.  The American flag is an art piece made from melted plastic army men, which I thought might have some kind of psychological meaning to him with regard to his powers, balance of intervention and his allegiance.

Unlike his Justice League partner, Batman's pad featured on the storyboard Post #1 , Superman's man has a slight bit of whimsy and "boy scout" optimism to it.

With the new Superman movie reboot coming and its likely conforming to the less-cartoon, more real-life approach to heroes trend, will we catch a glimpse of his bachelor pad?  Time will tell.  In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed my exploration in Supe's decor.  Next up is Spiderman and his Peter Parker persona.

Now back to designed a boy's room....

Batman's is up at http://embellishmentskids.blogspot.com/2012/06/superhero-worship-decor-ideas-and.html

Spiderman's is up at http://embellishmentskids.blogspot.com/2012/06/superhero-worship-decor-ideas-and_20.html

Superhero Worship- Decor Ideas and Character Study Part 1

Burning up the box offices are all things Superhero.  With both Marvel's and DC's super smash of movies the trend isn't going to end soon.  We've seen the dark knight Batman reboot his way to the top, Spiderman and Superman's versions are underway.  The Avenger's movie, with it's amazing cgi make heroes like the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America believable and enjoyable to watch.

This got me thinking.  While working on a client's son's room, which will be superhero in theme, I went searching for products on the internet.  Frankly, I've seen it all and most of it is too literal for me with logos, faces and the mighty corporate branding all over it.  What if I took a different approach?  What if, like I tend to, explored the theme in a less than literal way?

So while I dug into the personalities and characteristics behind the heroes, I started taking note of some really amazing products that speak to whom the superheroes are by inference.  So after hours of gathering product picks for the boy's room, I ended up with a ton of ideas saved for a less than little boy version of a superhero room.  While there might not be a demand for grown up rooms decorated in superhero, I though this would be a fun exploration.

I'd like to start by introducing you to my first of three storyboards.  This first one explores, from a design aspect, a brooding, angry man, whose night life hiding behind a mask interferes with his relationships, compromising his shallow persona as a gregarious, millionaire playboy.  You guessed it.  Bruce Wayne a.ka. Batman, the Dark Knight.

I've chosen art, furniture and decor items that, in my opinion, reflect his life as a tortured soul, man and larger than life superhero.

What if Batman / Bruce Wayne wanted a man cave instead of a bat cave?

Other than his butler and future sidekick, his closest relationships are those with his enemies.  Therefore, I would imagine he'd find a twisted kind of comfort in having reminders of his arch nemesis' around.   His style would be eclectic, and expensive opting for fine art collectables and one of a kinds, reminding him that he has the net worth to be lavish.  Of course his color palette would be dark.  He'd find interest in the textural variances of materials in black instead of appreciating color.  His fondness for high tech would push him towards a more contemporary style with a few select "high brow"accessories thrown in.

I had to throw in the shakespeare bust as a tribute to the campy old Batman series from the 60's.

What do you think, did I take it the direction you would have gone?  There's the whole other universe of tongue-in-cheek, bat-table, bat-couch, yellow and blue that could be explored too.

I'm wrapping up my Superman and Spiderman versions for posts 2 and 3.  Wait until you see the x-ray vision twist on the Supe's man cave.

Superman's is up at http://embellishmentskids.blogspot.com/2012/06/superhero-worship-decor-ideas-and_18.html

Spiderman's is up at http://embellishmentskids.blogspot.com/2012/06/superhero-worship-decor-ideas-and_20.html

Blanket Forts and Toilet Paper Ghosts - Rosenberry Rooms Shares my Story

Top children's retailer, Rosenberry Rooms recently interviewed me for their Very Rosenberry Blog.  The owner Susie Fougerousse had some fun and interesting questions to pose.  I enjoyed having the chance to share some behind the scenes stories and a little backstory on how my path as a children's designer began.

From Pale to Precious - A Girl's Bedroom Makeover for Two

Confection colors and our studio created crowns add whimsy
in the made-over shared bedroom.

When inspiration hits, I like to grab a sheet of blank paper and jot down ideas, scribble my thoughts in picture form and transform it into a brainstormed blueprint to elaborate on.   When I asked for submissions from my Facebook page fans for rooms that need makeovers, I was struck by this room and couldn't resist the proverbial blank slate's allure.

A floating door and overwhelming pale walls.

The good sized room was divided ineffectively.

Eclectic furniture of varied scale.

The homeowner, Tara said in her email to me, submitting her two daughter's shared bedroom, that they had purchased some chandeliers and their placement presented a problem.  While I would have gladly offered help in placing light fixtures, the room pictures cried out for more.

When discussing the rooms potential with her, I found out that there were three assorted sized crawl-space access doors within the room.  You can see them in the pictures, one floating on the wall in the corner, a second hidden behind the toybox and the third covered by the crib's side panel.  These three eyesore doors added intrigue and a level of difficulty to the project that had my mind racing for ideas.

Unlike our previous makeover project for Nick, which focused on handyman skills and built on site custom aspects to transform, I wanted to confine this room to crafts, paint and light budget solutions.  These type of solutions are easily adapted and may serve as inspiration to others.

So, after an interview of the girl's likes and dislikes and a survey of the rooms furniture, bedding and existing items, I embarked upon my ideas.  The girl's bedding which was from Ikea featured animals celebrating in merriment with musical instruments, juggling, riding bikes and carrying birthday cakes.  This was my launching point for creating a confection colored room that had a celebratory tone to it.

The bedding offered fun and inspiration.

While, I restricted my own participation to simple affordable ideas, I did ask Tara to sell her youngest daughter's outgrown crib and replace it with the exact Ikea bed her oldest sleeps in.  This would give us some continuity in the room and help expand upon black as an accent color.  Other than a few accessories, paint and craft items everything in the room was either reused, altered or edited.

2 gallons and 3 quarts transforms the room.

Considering the room was two square shapes overlapping, it presented itself as a candidate for some color carving, with wall of different confection flavors, as illustrated in my layout concept below.

Here are side by side room shots presenting the before and after photos.

Addressing the issues that we agreed the room had, I presented my solutions-

The Crawl-space doors-  The floating one would be disguised by painting the door trim and adding a ribbon board facade.  The only technical issue was guaranteeing the door and door knob functioned.  The other two doors would be primed and painted to match the walls.  Any pattern would continue right over the doors as if they weren't there.  This basically camouflages them.

Shared Space solutions-  Considering the room was shared by sisters two and half years apart, I decided to separate their sleeping areas into the two natural room halves.  Our custom studio crowns would personalize each half.

Function-  The dresser and dresser hutch combination dwarfed the wrought iron Ikea beds.  To de-emphasis the scale difference our crowns would hold draped tulle adding weight and scale to the beds.  The girl's needed lighting and side tables.  To stick with our light budget theme and the Ikea tradition started by the family, I sought out two lack tables and fabric shade light pendants.  While I enjoy Ikea's lack table simplicity, it wouldn't do for this project so I altered them by moving the legs back and adding a scallop trim.

Personality-  Adding color, pattern and some whimsical features transformed the plain room.  In the studio I created the ribbon boards, the bird sculptures and the bunting pennants to add dimension and a low cost but customized touch.

While money can be thrown into any project to purchase style and whimsy, I offer this room as a testament to sweat equity and creativity.  The rooms walls are works of tape, small rollers and a level.  The scalloped crown trim is easily created using a cardboard pattern that is traced and filled in.   Some details about the individual pieces are described here.

Post makeover, Tara offered " First of all, I can't believe that was how I allowed the room to look!  I had no idea, sense of direction and just didn't know how to organize the room and make it cute for the girls."  Commenting on her favorite feature, the dotted wall she said " I could look at that wall all day.  I'm really glad that it acts as a feature wall and it's the first thing you see as you walk in."  While the girls proclaim to her "They love their crowns!" adding, "They really define each of their spaces, which is important to them since they share the room and pretty much everything in it!"  "Working with Aaron was such a fun experience.  There were so many ideas and surprises." she said.

While makeover contests don't happen often, we are thankful and excited to offer them when we can.  Be sure to join our Facebook page, that's where all of our contests are announced.

Pennants add a sense of festivity.

Studio made birds sculpted from foam add whimsy.

Pom Poms and Ribbons help the room celebrate with color.

Ikea's lack table purchase on sale for $4.00 transformed by moving the
legs back and adding a hand wrought scallop trim.

  

up, uP, UP on a pedestal - The Good Doctor, Dr. Seuss

While most artists rattle off a list of historical figures like Picasso, Monet or whomever as their inspiration. I take a somewhat more whimsical path into the dewberry dawn...the shimmering seas, where the swamie swans swim in the suntacular breeze. That's where you'll find the mind of Dr. Seuss. Theodore Geisel, the good Dr. Seuss is one of my most favorite artists. Although my art generally seems quite opposite to his. I share his love of advertising, having fonts be a subject matter and rethinking what's been thunk before.

Tomorrow, I will be posting a terrific Seuss-like adventure into my first D.I.Y. on this blog. It will also be a place to have conversation with visuals about being an original artist. Original artists takes what they find for fun that is funner, shake it around in their brain until it's new, like no other. (sorry, had to put a Seuss-like spin on it).

In the children's room decorating business, there's a lot of copyrighted properties that children love ie. Batman, Hannah Montana, Yo Gabba Gabba and so on. During my fourteen years designing children's spaces, I've been asked to duplicate or create murals of all the popular characters. As a business person, aware of copyright theft issues and liabilities and a sense of wrong versus right morally, I've chosen to steer my clients another direction. Yes, it can be hard work, but it's worth it. They appreciate originality and in the end respect you more for your creativity.

Understand that abandoning the idea of duplicating copyrighted works doesn't mean you can't please your client. You can create Batman's world, with skyscrapers, the moody night sky and even a cave as long as you are inventing the ideas yourself and not duplicating the work of others, which include his likeness, the logos or pages from comic books. Paint a great Batman-like room and order the licensed products to fill it, if that's what your client wants. But do not steal or as it's technically called infringe upon the intellectual property of others.

What about Seuss, what's this to do with Seuss? Okay...I had a client whom collected Dr. Seuss's art. Not only did they collect his illustrated works, they own several pieces of his contemporary art and sculptures. They wanted me to create a Seuss room for their daughter. Having had a lifetime love of the good Doctors work, I was eager to take on the challenge.

I worked up some drawings based upon my thoughts of what I thought Dr. Seuss would do. How would he address a bed, paint a wall or decorate? If you are inspired by an artist, a designer or a product, you are free to use them as inspiration to generate something new. This doesn't mean color copying, collaging, tracing or altering it, it must be something new, from your own hand. In this case I dreamt up Seuss-like objects, that I sculpted in my studio. I do not claim for them to be Seuss, it's not using his characters or brands, I'm not selling them in the market place confusing people into thinking they are Seuss, they simply are inspired by him one-of-a-kinds. Because they are original, now they are my copyright, my creation that can not be duplicated, or used without my permission or license. I hope this makes sense.

My client is happy, they have a Seuss like room, no copied characters, no rip offs, nothing but originality inspired by the good Doctor.

I made it my own with Seuss in my thoughts. A tribute to him, no stealing, no cops. Now look what I did, enjoy it you may. Now look what I did, be inspired this way. As you sit on your bumple, scratching your head, "what is it to be original, what is it I said?" It's a place in your heart, a place in mind, a place that all artists must honestly find. So with these kind words, I bid you good day said Aaron the artist, on Seuss's Birthday!


If you need some studio magic for your child's room we can design, create and ship nationwide.  Visit my website for details.

What's old is new and what's new is hot!

What's old is new and what's new (meaning old) is hot, not that new (as new) is not, uhm.....we'll something like that....

Meaning, there's been a resurgence in interest of all things old, especially those of an industrial and pre-industrial era to expand back further than the recent revisit to mid-century. When companies like CB2, Restoration Hardware and Anthropology are looking backwards for design ideas and even offering vintage one of a kinds, that's something to take note of. Have you seen the recent Pottery Barn catalogs and in-store offerings? They're taking us back, way back to pre-industrial era with rustic pottery and rough hewn pieces.

Pottery Barn offering vintage cameras

Restoration Hardware's factory cart table

Restoration Hardware's Aviation inspired aluminum side table

Obviously, as an artist who enjoys vintage inspiration in his modernized pieces, I'm excited to see the trend grow.

In the realm of children's room design, I've always been a bit of a retro kinda guy. I like to procure vintage pieces or have reproductions and one of a kinds made by through my studio, to incorporate into our room designs. A vintage piece adds character and provides a sense of longevity or timelessness to the room.

Instead of a slick ultra bright race car, this client chose for us to create a

room with a sense of heritage and time worn charm. Our custom twin sized truck bed, although new, looked like it had been parked for 50 years.

My Speedway Art is available as reproductions and prints

Our Speed Demon room featured vintage objects combined with "new" creations we made

in the studio. I used my art as a visual replacement of a headboard.

The Max Transit wall art collection

http://www.embellishmentsstudio.com/store/c77/TRANSPORTATION_%26_RACING.html

Max Transit Art Collection is available as individual reproductions in many sizes and as a full collage containing all nine.

My latest art release entitled "Max Transit" does a bit of a switch a roo. Instead of reaching the vintage stage via texture I chose to go for a more graphic approach. With its gears, maps and instruments it has an industrial feel but done in a modern way. These pieces can bridge the gap between the slick modern furniture you see in stores today and yet allow the homeowner to bring in a vintage look.

Here, I've provided you with 3 vignettes showing how my work could be incorporated into a boy's transportation room that utilizes vintage industrial looks combined with a modern aesthetic. I'm quite fond of raw, unpainted metals like aluminum, galvanized, chrome and zinc plating. If you stick to the white metals you can mix and match freely. If you prefer the golden metals you can tone them down by using brown waxed shoe polish as you would a traditional wax polish. Be sure to let the piece dry before handling.

Option A utilizes one of a kind pieces, products from higher end retailers 1stDibs, Rejuvenation Lighting, Serena and Lily, Room and Board and a few off the shelf items.

Option B draws it's vocabulary of items from traditional retail environments like Rosenberry Rooms, Land of Nod, Lowes, Urban Outfitters and Caden Lane with some one of a kinds.

Option C incorporates similar looks for less with help from Target, Toys R us and Ikea.

The Max Transit collection is part of my spring introduction and is available through fine retailers and independent boutiques. Email me if you need assistance with finding a retailer or if you are interested in purchasing them directly from Embellishments.

Also available in a personalized growth chart.

Great resource for vintage industrial are Ebay, Etsy, 1stDibs.com, Dog dish lights, Rejuvenation and even Craigslist. Here in Portland, I love to browse a material handling company store. They often pass on used equipment such as carts, dollies, work benches and more. If you have a great site to pass on please leave it in the comments for others to browse.

Enjoy!