Hannah's Wish: A Bedroom Makeover Project for Make-A-Wish Mid Atlantic

Earlier this year Make-A- Wish Mid Atlantic approached, Kaki Ernst, Owner of Truley Home and me and asked if we would be interested in working with fifteen year old, Hannah, who asked for a bedroom makeover for her wish.  As most of you know, Make- A- Wish is an amazing organization that grants the wishes of children diagnosed with critical illnesses. Because of Make-A-Wish nationwide, a wish is granted every 34 minutes! Without hesitation, Kaki and I agreed and were excited to help make this wish a reality for her.

Hannah’s wish was to have a sophisticated bedroom that included a larger bed, a makeup vanity and a Love Sac.  For the overall ambiance of the room, she asked for a touch of glam with a soft pastel color pallet. We were able to give Hannah the bedroom of her dreams with the help of amazing partners who donated their time, materials and product.
*All products linked at the end of the post

After our first meeting with Hannah we pulled together a mood board for her and after a few edits and additions she approved and we were off to the races

We wanted a piece of art in Hannah’s room that made a statement and would be the focal point of the room. Elizabeth Snodgrass Art kindly donated a beautiful painting featuring the pastel pallet Hannah approved. Placing the artwork above her bed created the perfect centerpiece to the room and adding to the elegance of the room, was the beautiful Park Harbor chandelier graciously donated to the project by Ferguson Kitchen, Bath and Lighting Gallery. What girl wouldn’t want a chandelier in their bedroom?

Wayfair partnered with Make-A-Wish Mid Atlantic to offer discounts on the bed frame, nightstand, vanity, bedding, accent pillows, stools and curtains. The upholstered bed softened the room and allowed us to pair her neutral bedding with sequin and bright colored accent pillows to give the room a younger teenage vibe.   At the foot of her bed are accent stools that can be transformed into acrylic side tables by taking off the fur shag pads on top of each stool.

Because Hannah spends so much of her time in bed, we wanted to give her a quality mattress so we approached the Better Sleep Council and asked if they would be willing to donate a mattress. They went over and beyond and created a custom mattress for Hannah, using the specifications Hannah listed and they completed the mattress by stitching her name in purple to match the colors in her room. Not only did they provide her with the perfect mattress, they included a mattress topper, custom pillows and another set of pillows for all of her family members!

When we designed the room we divided it up into zones. The first zone was for sleeping, the second for her makeup and the third for hanging out and watching TV. We created a make-up corner framed out by two windows with beautiful gray curtain panels. She specifically requested a mirror that included the big round bulbs you often see in backstage dressing rooms which we found on Amazon and paired it with the Ikea Micke desk so she could have ample storage for her brushes, makeup and sponges.

Opposite of the make-up corner is the lounge corner. We mounted the TV so Hannah can easily see it from wherever she is in her room. Love Sac generously donated not only the Love Sac Hannah wanted but also an ottoman and a throw blanket.

A tremendous amount of credit goes to Fred Urrutia, owner of FGS Construction, who donated all of his time and materials to paint Hannah’s room, mount the TV, build furniture, hang the chandelier and install the closet system.  Not only was he a joy to work with but he and his company have such a giving spirit and we are so thankful for his willingness to partner with us.  We could not have done this without FGS Construction & Remodeling. 

 Seeing Hannah’s face on reveal day was such an awesome experience! We owe a big thank you to all of our partners and donors who made this room possible and also to Make-A-Wish for giving us the opportunity to make Hannah’s wish come true.

Source List for Hannah’s Room

• Makeup Table: Micke Desk

• Vanity Mirror: Chende White Vanity Mirror

• Makeup Chair: Costway Swivel Chair

• Bed Frame: Destiny Upholstered Bed

• Bedding: Queen Sized Bed Combo

• Sequin Accent Pillows: Saffold Throw Pillow

• MultiColor Throw Pillow: Embroidered Cotton Throw Pillow

• Rug: Duhon Ivory/Gray Shag Rug

• NightStand: Tina Wrapped Two drawer Night Stand

• Table Lamp: Daunt Table Lamp

• Acrylic Benches: Faux Fur Acrylic Stools/Side Tables

• Curtains: Loar Solid Blackout Curtains (Gray)

• Love Sac: One Person Adult Eskimo Swirl Phur

• Chandelier: Park Harbor 4 Light Chandelier

• Wall Color: Sherwin Williams WallFlower

• Sleeping Pillows: Best Pillows Options

• Mattress: Choosing the best mattress for you

Creating The Perfect Guest Room: A Home Away From Home

As most of you know, we are undergoing a basement renovation, also known as the ultimate test of a marriage. The basement will have a full bathroom, game room (sounds fancier than man cave) complete with a bar and all the other things men believe are necessary for a masculine abode. It will also have a guest bedroom and exercise room. Design negotiations are currently going down for most of the overall look of the basement but I’m giving myself complete control of the design of the guest bedroom.

*The Better Sleep Council sponsored this post, but all thoughts are my own. Thank you for your support!

When it comes to a guest bedroom, design, functionality and comfort are top priorities. What’s the point of a guest room if no one enjoys staying there?  Priority number one is the overall look and feel of the room. I want the room to have a mix of soft and dark colors. Keep in mind that, for now, this is a windowless room and it’s important for the room to have a light an airy feel. I immediately began to search for inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram and fell hard for my girl, Lissi’s, green and pink bedroom..

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Photo: @oxfordone

Once I decided on the overall look and feel, I wrote out a list of “must haves” for my intended multi-functional room. Guests, or at least ours, are always looking for a little downtime. Let’s be honest, I’m a mom with young kids, I get it! You can only play basketball, baseball, soccer or hide and seek with my boys for so long.  I had our contractor build a little “nook” directly across from where the bed for a dresser that will serve as place to store things but also a place for the TV.  I love that it will be set back so it won’t immediately be obvious when you step into the room. I’m planning to use my white campaign dresser that currently lives in my closet, for the space. It will help add to the light and airy vibes of the overall room.

 The room isn’t huge so I wanted to make sure we had a good sized closet -- big enough for suitcases and plenty of room to hang clothing. The closet is the perfect place to add a fun color or pattern. My plan is to use the Opal House wallpaper I purchased last year! There should always be fun surprises for guests, right?

Peacock Peel and Stick Removable Wallpaper- Opalhouse

Finally, the most important part of the guest room, the bed. Dressing the bed pretty is easy.   Neutral colored linens with colorful throw pillows will work well against the whites and golds at play in the rest of the room. So what about what is under all these fabulous linens and decorations? The mattress! I want a mattress that our guests will love. Some like soft, some like firm, some like it hot, some like it cool – how to keep everyone happy is the challenge. We want our guests to come back again and again. Wait, let me rephrase, I want guests to come back again but my husband may feel differently. However, it’s a widely known fact that I like people more and I love to host!  I didn’t know where to start. After doing a little research, I found a quiz that simplifies the initial steps of mattress shopping, It really helped me to identify what I wanted and needed.. I’m taking those results and going to go shopping with my friend, who also happens to be a pro at choosing the right mattress, to pick the perfect mattress because what’s a pretty room without a comfortable bed? Oh and I did I also mention that she works for the Better Sleep Council – yeah, I am bringing in the pros!

 Stay tuned for the finished bedroom but for now I’ll leave you with my inspiration board I created after considering all my points above.  Who else is excited for that amazing velvet headboard? The lines are perfect; chic yet masculine, soft but edgy. Get excited!

Galentine's Brunch Tablescape

As many of you know, I’m a sucker for anything pink so naturally, Valentine’s Day is a favorite holiday of mine. Never one to miss a chance to entertain some of my favorite ladies, I thought it was a perfect time to create a Galentine’s Brunch Table. Give me all the pink, champagne, cheeses and sweets and lets get this party started!

The first thing I do before I set a table is shop my home. After taking a quick tour through the house I pulled a good grouping of items where the colors, textures and prints all worked well together. My first groupings aren’t necessarily the end all be all of what I’m going to use for a table but it gets the creative process started.

My tables always include some unexpected creative items and with this table, I used Ikea FISKBO picture frames as my place card holders. The whimsical name tags, compliments of my large stash of stationary paper, perfectly play off of the Caspari party plates that don’t scream Valentine’s but play well into the pinks and reds of the season.

When I plan a party, my goal is to spend as much time as I can with my guests which means I need a solution to washing loads of dishes. The plates, napkins and flatware are all disposable, even the gold polka dot dinner plates from Target! That’s right, go ahead and stand at the end of the table and have the ladies throw it all away!

The best time to experiment with colors and patterns is when you’re entertaining your friends. Go ahead and impress them all by mixing black and white with pink and florals and polka dots. Live a little, I promise it’s fun and you’ll definitely inspire some of your guests to do the same when its their turn to host!

Product List
Heart Shaped Napkins
Salad Plates
Gold Plastic Flatware
Gold Dots Plastic Dinner Plate
Picture Frames
Black and White Plastic Placemat
Love Neon Sign

I hope you all have a Galentine’s date lined up with your girlfriends and if you’re close by, I wouldn’t say no to an invite~ Sara