Jade’s Room Reveal!

Here is what Jade’s room looked like when we viewed the house and on move-in day, respectively:

 

Here is Jade’s room now:

One of the things I’ve been most excited about moving back to America is being able to decorate our home.  In Asia we were not only renting small, old apartments, but we were also renting the landlord’s furniture!  I did my best with what we had to work with, but it never felt like “me.” 

Being a stay at home mom, I’ve realized it makes a big difference spending my days in an environment I actually feel good in.  Our Hong Kong apartment always felt so cramped and cluttered—and shall we say, ugly.  You can see our Hong Kong apartment here and our Taiwan apartment here.  Now that I’ve spent the last six months decorating our house starting from almost nothing, I feel so happy in the place that I spend most of my time in. 

Most of the house is in pretty good shape, but the kids’ rooms are the only ones that I have officially declared finished!  All of the others still have odds and end projects that need to be completed. 

Jade’s room came together the easiest of all the rooms.  I think it has something to do with stores having lots of options for little girls.  Her bird pillow was my starting point.  That is pretty much the only thing we had in her room in Hong Kong that is still in her room now.  I knew I wanted a lot of white and a lot of color. 

After meeting Caitlin Wilson while her husband was doing an internship in Hong Kong, I fell in love with her style.  She is so incredibly talented!  I specifically liked how she could mix modern designs with Chinese or Middle Eastern elements and make it look really good.  Click here to see one of my inspiration photos from her little girl’s room in Dubai. 

I have always loved the Chinese peony paintings and wanted one for Jade’s room.  When Cody and I went to the art village in Shen Zhen, China last year, I had the artist copy a picture I had seen in the market, but with colors matching Jade’s bird pillow.  It turned out absolutely beautiful.

I love a blog that reveals sources, so I will share mine.  The bed is a hand-me-down from my parents--to my sister--to me (thanks, Charise!!).  I painted it last summer.  The lamp was also a hand-me-down from my MIL that I used leftover paint from the bed to repaint it. A few items I found at HomeGoods after my SIL, Kensley, told me about that glorious store!  The nightstand was a clearance find there for $19, because I simply had to fix the guiderail on the top drawer!  I also purchased the toy basket and step stool that’s in the closet from HomeGoods. 

Click these links for the sources: lampshade/rug/duvet/orange sham/polka dot sheets/aqua quilt/curtain rod/finials/curtains/pom pom trim (sewn onto the curtains). 

The dollhouse is from her 4th birthday and the bookshelf is from Home Depot of all places.   

I spray painted the frames of some bulletin boards I already had and used fabric glue to adhere some fabric I had purchased at the HK fabric market and some white grosgrain ribbon from Wal-Mart. 

 

I loved the idea of having a space where Jade could hang her own art in her room. 

The dresser was given to us by one of Cody’s co-workers!  I may or may not paint it and get new knobs eventually, but for now I’m fine with it.  Originally I had spray painted a mirror from HomeGoods to go in the gallery wall above Jade’s dresser, but I took too long to actually hang it and it eventually fell off the dresser and broke.  I’d already used up my budget for her room, so I opted to use white frames I already had plus a couple cheap IKEA frames.   

The art pieces on the far left and far bottom right, I found online and used Photoshop to customize them to fit Jade’s room.  The top far right is from our dear friend, Betsey, in Hong Kong.  The picture of Jade skiing is from one of her model shoots in Taiwan.  I hung the Mesa Temple because that was the temple where Jade was born (Phoenix).  The photo was 75 cents from the LDS online store, and I hung it in a square frame I purchased at Michael’s with a 40% off coupon. 

Sitting on her dresser is a lamp and shade from Target; a piggy bank from a market in Bali, Indonesia and a doll from a market in Guilin, China; a bird cage from the bird market in Hong Kong; a hand-me-down treasure chest from Cody’s mom; and a clock I purchased when I was pregnant with Jade and have never had the chance to use.

I love that Jade loves her room and that it fits her personality.  The only thing she would change is to have someone to share it with!  I hope you enjoyed the room tour as much as I enjoyed creating it!