by studiotullia | Nov 5, 2023 | DIY, HOME IMPROVEMENT, INTERIOR DESIGN, ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, recycle, retro, reuse, that 70's show
Hello All!
Sometimes we must celebrate the smaller wins, right?
Like this lovely crocheted blanket. A handmade throw to toss around and a nice blanket for the edge of the bed. Found on EBay. We liked the colors and the graphic nature of it.
My daughter is a collector of comic books, avengers posters, Star Wars memorabilia, etc. She plans to plaster the rooms with posters and stack comic books on rows of shelving, etc. The challenge will be to create a cohesive, curated look. At least for some decent ORC final photos before it goes the ways of a teenager.
By the way, the vendor below is a great source for posters and old comic books.
You get the idea, right?
Action figures and other collectibles… 
And of course, don’t forget to check out the talented ORC designers!
See you all next week!
XOXO,
Suzanne
by studiotullia | Oct 22, 2023 | 70's inspired, benjamin moore paint color, ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, one room challenge, rebuilding center, recycle, retro, reuse, silvery blue, SUZANNE'S DESIGN PROJECTS, teen bedroom, that 70's show
Hello My Lovelies,
Well, we are deep into Week 4 of the
Things are getting pretty real. There is no more flim-flamming around. We have been hammering and hacking away at old hardwood cabinetry and layered linoleum with ever-mounting piles of debris and sharp nails. I can say after two days’ of solid work we are all pretty wiped out.
We have made some major strides, but I am beginning to wonder if we will ever be done with the walls.
And, we changed our paint color for the last time. 0
BENJAMIN MOORE – SILVERY BLUE
You have to tape a decent size paint sample (which BM provides) on the wall – in different places, at different times of the day before you settle on the right color. You really need that bedroom color to be a color you love, you know?
FLOORING:
This is what we found under 3 layers of laminate flooring. Very cool, asbestos-ridden 1940’s vintage flooring that we cannot salvage 🙁
We needed to be masked while pulling up all the debris.
One of my favorite places to shop is a non-profit, salvaged building materials resource, called
THE REBUILDING CENTER
Over the years we have found some great finds. This latest find was brand new wood veneer flooring in a beautiful hickory color. I wanted to buy the whole lot and re-floor the entire upstairs, but my husband reeled me in; one project at a time.
I border on manic when I am at this place. So many great materials. I want to get new lighting for the living room, pavers for the backyard, recycled METRO paint to freshen up our stairs.
FOCUS, Suz, FOCUS
Today’s task was debris removal. We’ve got a big old pile that will go to the dump soon enough.
WE FOUND A DOOR!
We found this beautiful door with the same 5 panels we have on all the doors upstairs. What teenager doesn’t need a door! I counted this has a huge score.
IKEA FINDS
We found this awesome chair called the TOBIAS CHAIR in the clearance section, half off. And that peg board behind it was another find from THE REBUILDING CENTER.
We are interested in this Duvet Cover
AKKERFIBBLA
And we are narrowing in on this GADBJERG rug:
Be sure to check out all the other designers participating in THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE!
Until next week, my friends!
BEST,
SUZANNE
by studiotullia | Oct 15, 2023 | HOME IMPROVEMENT, INTERIOR DESIGN, ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, SUZANNE'S DESIGN PROJECTS
Hello my fellow Design Enthusiasts!
Here we are at Week 3 of the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE,
We are still deep into repairing WALLS! Lots and lots of mudding, sanding and building up of layers.
It is a laborious stage of the project and in the end, what will most transform this funky ol’ kitchen.
We are also trying to narrow down our paint color, and feeling pretty happy with
BENJAMIN MOORE – MEDITERRANEAN BREEZE
Here is Charlotte and her Dad working on the walls.
We’ve been envisioning fresh sky blue walls to keep us motivated.
FLOORING
We are also working on selection of laminate wood flooring, from HOME DEPOT.
We will replace the dated laminate floor with a wood look:
WET BAR
The nod to what was once a kitchen will now be a WETBAR and we know we want hexagonal tiles and floating shelves.
HEXAGONAL TILE PATTERNS
The question is what pattern?
Thanks for following along and be sure to check out the other ORC participants!
XOXO,
SUZANNE
by studiotullia | Oct 1, 2023 | DIY, HOME IMPROVEMENT, INTERIOR DESIGN, ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, STYLE TIPS FOR DIY
We are doing the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE this Fall to light a fire under our you know what. The kitchen demo has begun. I will get into the nitty gritty of this project real soon but I want to share some inspo pics brought to you straight from my daughter’s Ipad. She is deep into the 70’s era which I grew up in so it is a trip down memory lane.
Look at that color palette!
Mod Teen Bedroom
Here is the mood board we put together. This will be a challenge to pull together. Looks cluttered to me. Somehow we will make this work.
She can lean on her Dad’s old records and turntable we will dig up from out storage in the basement.
Years ago we did a One Room Challenge for her bedroom and we are going in an entirely new direction. She has been in a tiny room for several years and is now ready to move into what was our upstairs kitchen. Our house was once a duplex, where my Mother lived for ten years in the upstairs unit, but we now use it as a single family home. This kitchen has been a catchall room for crafts, spare pet cages, a slime lab, holiday cooking, etc. but has been under unitlized for many years. It will be her STUDIO BEDROOM complete with wet bar and large closet.
A comfortable, mod reading chair.
Wondering which second hand store would have a crochet blanket…
This reminds me of college. Where does one even get milk crates anymore?
QUEEN – Freddie Mercury
I blame my husband for the RUSH influence.
Be sure to check out all the other participants of THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE!
Thanks for following along !
See you next week.
XOXO,
Suzanne
by studiotullia | Jul 26, 2020 | DIY, HOME IMPROVEMENT, INTERIOR DESIGN, ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, SUZANNE'S DESIGN PROJECTS
HONESTLY, I don’t know what every teenage boy wants in his bedroom. And frankly, I really don’t want to venture there… I do know how to help you figure out what your teenager might want in his/her room though…
Kids are home a lot more these days, trying to make the best of their situation as we all are, right? Backyard use is a constant for recreation with all kinds of indoor activity happening as well, in places like the kitchen, dining room, living room and family room/basement. Legos, crafts, baking, reading, the inevitable screen time…whatever the activity, we all need SPACE.
INTERNET use is way up and that scares me, and it’s not going away with this generation. I recently moved a spare computer into the DINING ROOM so the kids can be in the center of the house if they are online, not lost in their room for hours. YouTube University can offer kids endless access to knowledge and DYI fun, but needs parental supervision for sure.
With part time online school a most likely scenario this FALL, we all need to make sure our kids’ rooms function well for their needs.
SO, on to BEDROOM DESIGN… One must ASSESS the room before PLANNING and DESIGN begins. Take pictures and dimensions of the room and try to think in new ways about the use of the space. What can you get RID of? Have a conversation with your kid about what is and isn’t working for them in their room. What are their hobbies? Interests? Favorite things? Will they need a new desk? A comfortable chair? A laptop? A good mirror? Adequate lighting in bed? A way to store books, games, etc? Do they want to display any awards, ribbons, posters or art that they love?
Watch a few TIDYING UP MARIE KONDO or QUEER EYE episodes together. They’re are so motivational and heart-warming.
Creating a mood board together is a great idea…and believe me, it will change over the course of the project. It’s all part of the process, but so worth it in the end.
EVERY GOOD ROOM TAKES TIME AND ENERGY TO COMPLETE
Once its all done you can truly enjoy it. The hard work really pays off.
I’ve been refreshing my girl and boy teens’ bedrooms this past year so let’s delve into that process, shall we?
The process of working with your kid to create a room they really love is such a rich experience. Delve into their interests and get to the root of what they like to have around them and how they want to use their own space. It lets them know that you care. And it’s important for them to feel good in their space…
BOY TEEN BEDROOM #1 (ARTHUR’ S ROOM):
Arthur had an awesome room to begin with. The second floor location looks out over an ancient cherry tree (so it feels like a nest), has beautiful muntin/lattice trimmed windows, and a huge walk-in closet. The unusual roofline and crazy room dimensions, although challenging to work with, make it unique and charming.
START WITH A COLOR SCHEME
Arthur insisted that he wanted green walls as GREEN is his favorite color. Together, we considered many greens before we picked the right one. It helps if you have the beginning of a color scheme to work with, like this owl painting by local artist, ELIZABETH SEE.
We used STOKES FOREST GREEN by Benjamin Moore on the walls. It brings a lot of happy energy into the room.
NEXT, ESTABLISH A THEME OR A FOCAL POINT
In the case of Arthur, A LOVE OF OLD THINGS
The focal point of the room is the ANTIQUE ROPE BED from the late 1800’s that was his great, great grandparents’. Mr. Can Fix Anything reinforced this bed to last forever. It was once literally held together by rope with a mattress made of hay. Hence the saying, “Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” I found this in the attic of an old house in Flat Rock, NC. called CHANTELOUP, that once belonged to our family. Arthur loves that it is the oldest object in our house.
Arthur has always loved pirates and the sea, so when we came across this wallpaper at a local boutique (PICNIC NW), we thought it just might work. It’s inspired by the old-fashioned copperplate illustration technique, full of hand-drawn lines and a real sense of the time taken to produce such a work.
HIGH SEAS MURAL WALLPAPER
Sometimes the most challenging aspect of a room turns out to be its best feature. That was the case with this room. The slanted wall from the roof line was a big design dilemna. Rather than ignore it, we decided to do something notable.
ACCENT MURAL WALL DEPICTING OLD SHIPS AT SEA
The HIGH SEAS in Henderson Blue wallpaper mural was done in partnership with REBELWALLS. It was our first DIY wallpaper installation and it went pretty well. The design was based off of an antique etching but the scale and color gives it a modern edge. The blue is a little softer on the eyes than the black and white version we almost went with. I was afraid the green wouldn’t work with the mural but somehow it does. The mural really lights up the room. It stands on its own. I kept the color palette on the bed pretty toned down, mostly blues, whites and browns, to tie in the blue in the mural.
Once we’d identified the HIGH SEAS wallpaper and the old ROPE BED, it felt natural to go in the direction of an old captain’s quarters on a ship.
We bought this antique rug on EBAY while drinking way too much Two Buck Chuck back in the late 90’s. We later discovered that it was just like The Dude’s Rug featured in the classic film, THE BIG LEBOWSKI. It has worn like steel over the years and Arthur wanted it in his room. So, that was yet another design component to work into the mix.
The room was lacking light but after we put in the sconces on either side of the bed and the lamp on the desk, it seemed to provide enough light and cozied up the room.
FYI, sconces should be hung approximately 5 feet from the floor and 8″ away from the bed.
These sconces were from IKEA and not bad for $17 a piece! We just needed to drill holes and hide the wires which was a quick fix by my husband.
The chandelier and lamp are also from IKEA. I love the way the light shines through the holes in the copper lamp shade on the desk at night.
The original paintings are by local artist ELIZABETH SEE, who is a favorite of mine. We have various paintings of hers all over the the house. We have been to her studio where the kids picked out the art from Elizabeth themselves. I also framed his birth certificate and included some antique ship prints and a vintage carved deer head.
The duvet cover and sheets are from IKEA and the decorative pillows, plaid throw and bedskirt are from STUDIO TULLIA (the fabric is from PENDLETON). I often use ticking on the backs of bedding pillows because it is so comfortable and utilitarian. If one side is too hot or itchy you can just flip it over. I also used it for the bedskirt.
I used two different duvet cover sets and layered them on the bed.
Henry seems right at home in Arthur’s room.
In the case of Arthur’s vast lego collection, we donated this ANTIQUE CURIO CABINET to the cause. I wanted to paint it bright red but my husband wouldn’t allow it. It was a wedding gift from my Aunt Donna. It really was the perfect solution as you can see the entire beautifully contained collection within the confines of this cabinet.
The STAR LIGHT on top of the cabinet is from POTTERY BARN and is a wonderful light at night.
The VINTAGE MODEL AIRPLANES are from a dear neighbor and I thought I’d try hanging them up in his room. They are pretty delicate so I am hoping they hold up.
Here is a detail shot of the curtains. They have the ribbon work which STUDIO TULLIA is so known for. They used to be in my dining room but were in really good condition so I held onto them. Glad I could reuse them for this room. I ended up using four pleated panels which works really nicely for this double window.
When I think about what my teenage brother had up in his room in the late 70’s, I’m happy with legos and pirate ships for now.
NOW WE HAVE THE INTERNET, WHICH IS ANOTHER BALLGAME ALTOGETHER
Safeguarding what’s out there on the internet for them to find, is another thing altogether. A recent webinar I attended about kids and pornography held by local author of the book, BIRDS & BEES & KIDS, AMY LANG, was a rude awakening. Her website is a great resource for parents. Two great takeaways from the webinar were 1) establish house rules around internet usage and 2) install the Circle app that lets you manage content and time online for your family’s as well as enable you to manage all the devices on your home Wi-Fi.
This room was completed as part of the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE in 2019, which is a bi-annual design challenge in which you have 6 weeks to overhaul a room of your choice. REBEL WALLS was kind enough to partner with us on this DIY project. As a ORC designer/blogger guest participant, you are required to share your progress each week. The accountability piece and the collective spirit of the event, help to pull you through. If you haven’t heard of it, check it out. They have a whole section on KIDS ROOMS.
by studiotullia | May 26, 2020 | ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, STYLE TIPS FOR DIY, SUZANNE'S DESIGN PROJECTS
WEEK 3 has been about ordering HARDWARE for the loft bed, ART SELECTION for the GALLERY WALL and LIGHTING.
So many fun prints and posters on ETSY and AMAZON. Loads to choose from so we did a quick mock-up to get a sense of where we are headed.
And I found an enormous oval mirror a lot like this one from RESTORATION HARDWARE. 3’X4′ approx. There really was only one place that this would even work in the room, so sometimes you just have to make things work. Large scale in a small room can often work wonders.
We are still planning to paint the bed gray.
We are playing around with how to use FAIRY LIGHTS, that can change color and be dimmable overhead.
So this coming week, we are prepping the room for paint, sanding and continuing work on the bed, and playing around with how much art we need, where we will hang it, and what fits within our budget.
So, here is the link below to the ORC FEATURED DESIGNERS as well as the GUEST PARTICIPANTS.
Thank you for reading along. Until next week….
#STAYSAFE, #STAYHOME , #STAYCALM&DESIGNON
by studiotullia | May 19, 2020 | HOME IMPROVEMENT, INTERIOR DESIGN, ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, STYLE TIPS FOR DIY, SUZANNE'S DESIGN PROJECTS
Well, here we are at WEEK 2 of the ORC project. In case you missed the first post, we are remodeling my 13 year old teenage daughter’s tiny bedroom. We think the best use of the space should include a loft bed. My husband, with her help, is in the throes of making this custom bed.
Here are some nice ones that help us to conceptualize how to best use the space.
This loft bed with built-in shelves under the ladder allows room for a desk and more storage space. I love the bookshelf under the bedrail.
POTTERY BARN always has quality furnishings, and its styled beautifully with their linens. The brass touches are nice.
This is also from POTTERY BARN which I included because we are considering painting the bed gray.
A truly mid century loft look by WEST ELM/POTTERY BARN. The yellow is beautiful with the warm wood tones. Love the dresser in there, too. I love how the desk fits right behind the ladder, which is simple and elegant.
This is the Harlan loft bed with desk ($500 range). This more basic loft bed is built with comfortable sleeping space and plenty of room underneath. It is available at several online stores including Wayfair and Overstock.
These two pieces above are both from IKEA. There are lots of nice options for storage bins, drawers, etc. They are a bargain around $100 each. And they would just fit, within an inch, below the loft bed we are making.
We already have a desk chair kind of like this that someone had just left on the street corner across from an office buiding. It looked brand new, so I grabbed it! Like I said, LAW OF ATTRACTION at work…
We are also considering a comfy chair if it will fit. This first one (above) is from URBAN OUTFITTERS and the second one (below) is from POTTERY BARN TEEN.
On sale for $199 at POTTERY BARN TEEN right now.
I am loving this vintage mid century modern light fixture that extends out, with little stars. $250 at HIPPO HARDWARE in Portland, OR, a great resource for vintage lighting and hardware. The place has soul.
This one from TARGET is also nice, and we love the color. About $100.
We are headed in this direction with grays, blues and white direction with pops of color in the art. We also want to mix in some color with the art.
We have been watching all of the AVENGER SUPER HERO MOVIES in order since the quarantine started. Usually one or two a week. It’s actually really fun to watch as a family. Thank goodness these Disney movies now have plenty of heroines as well as heroes. AVENGER HEROINES will be the prevailing theme in the art that she is considering for her room. I can think of worse role models, right?
1. Captain America: The First Avenger (1942-1943)
2. Captain Marvel (1995)
3. Iron Man (2010)
4. Iron Man 2 (2011)
5. The Incredible Hulk (2011)
6. Thor (2011)
7. The Avengers (2012)
8. Iron Man 3 (2012)
9. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
11. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
12. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2014)
13. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
14. Ant-Man (2015)
15. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
16. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016)
17. Doctor Strange (2016-2017)
18. Black Widow (2017)
19. Black Panther (2017)
20. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
21. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2017)
22. Avengers: Infinity War (2017)
23. Avengers: Endgame (2018-2023)
24. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2023)
There are so many great sources on ETSY for everything from downloadable $5 pdfs you can print yourself, to pricier vintage movie posters and comic books.
Rosie the Riveter is not a MARVEL SUPER HERO but Charlotte is relating to this heroic image. She has even been dressing like her in a blue jumpsuit from TARGET and a bandanna around her head.
So this coming week, we are prepping the room for paint, sanding and continuing work on the bed, and playing around with how much art we need, where we will hang it, and what fits within our budget.
So, here is the link below to the ORC FEATURED DESIGNERS as well as the GUEST PARTICIPANTS if you just can’t get enough.
Thank you for reading along. Until next week….
#STAYSAFE, #STAYHOME , #STAYCALM&DESIGNON
by studiotullia | May 10, 2020 | ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, STYLE TIPS FOR DIY, SUZANNE'S DESIGN PROJECTS
My daughter, husband, and I have decided to participate in this year’s Spring 2020 ONE ROOM CHALLENGE.
I have done several of these over the years; the last one being my son’s room last Fall.
If you are not familiar with this event, you may participate if you are an interior designer/DIYer. You must also have a blog or business instagram account and be able to report on your progress weekly. The timeline is 5 weeks with the sixth week being the FINAL REVEAL.
Several featured designers are asked to participate by the host and creator, Linda Weinstein. Many sponsors participate in this event and they offer these designers products for the rooms.
The six-week timeline and required weekly blog posts create a structure for steady progress. Having to share your project with an audience requires accountability, which is also helpful . We all know how easy it is to leave DIY projects in limbo around the house.
One has to deliver on the FINAL REVEAL. It has to be worth the build up. Somehow it also gets others around the house on board.
My daughter is home along with her brother 24/7 so we could all use not only some structure, but a fun project. She is old enough to help Mama out and she has some strong opinions about where we are headed design wise.
Here all of the featured designers this Spring:
If you can’t get enough, you may want to follow along with the designer guest participants as well. So much inspiration can be found here and so little time (or maybe not?) with all of these designers and DIYers.
My daughter Charlotte has just turned 13 in April and is ready to change her room
Charlotte was quite a bit younger the first time we remodeled her room, but she participated in just about every aspect of the project then, too. It was 2015 and she had very different interests and color choices back then.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON CHARLOTTE
She has kept the same small room by choice over the years. She likes the coziness of it. Besides a new color palette and a refresh, she really needs adequate desk space, especially with all the online learning classes these days. Hip-hop, art and baking occupy a lot of her time. Charlotte is also into fashion and has a certain “street style” which involves distressed jeans, over-sized shirts, hoodies, hats and bandanas. She is not a follower. She usually lays out her outfits out the night before school and most of her allowance goes toward clothes.
THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT LOFT BED
We have been shopping for a while for the right loft bed that would create more space in her tiny room. Some leftover plywood shelves given to us by a dear friend, just a week ago, provided the impetus for my husband to commit to the custom bed project. Thank you, IVAN!!!
My husband and I are often challenged when collaborating together but for the most part,I let him run with the bed design. So far, he and Charlotte have been side by side on this project. The two of them have been working on the bed pretty much all last weekend. They have cut out all the pieces which now need to be sanded, painted and eventually installed into the room. In the meantime, Charlotte and I will be getting a lot of the design details and color choices finalized this coming week.
I am a big believer in the law of attraction when it comes to design projects. For some mysterious reason, every time I embark on one of these ORC things just start to fall into place. I will demonstrate to you how this works over the next few weeks. For starters, I found a huge oval mirror that someone had left out on the curb just the other day. It is perfect for Charlotte’s one wall, that will help to visually enlarge her space. It looks like there were once lights behind it, so we are going to reinstall some lighting as well which should create some drama.
They are cutting all the wood for the bed.
Side pieces for the bed. My husband says “I’ve got this.”
My husband is all about safety and reinforcement when it comes to DIY projects. I am not loving the “F” corner pieces, as I would go for a simpler design, but I need to let that go…he’s getting it done and my daughter is learning great wood shop and engineering skills. Until, next week…
#STAYSAFE, #STAYHOME , #STAYCALM&DESIGNON
