When Leah Hennen
and her husband were house-hunting in Oakland, California, their
then-7-year-old daughter Laurel climbed the stairs to the attic, took
one look at the dusty space, and declared it "my future bedroom and art
studio." Yikes, but "the girl has vision, and who were we to argue?"
says Leah. Working with a contractor and architect, the family
overhauled the space in two months. You'll be amazed at the results.
Dangerously low ceiling ties and roof supports were scattered all over, making it difficult to walk more than a few feet without hitting one or both. A bank of exhaust pipes and ducts burst through the floor right in the middle of the room and ran up through the roof. In short, athe attic was a major project, but we needed it done quickly and relatively cheaply.
We called in Karen DiNardo, a general contractor. After consulting with a structural engineer and an architect (both of whom we paid by the hour rather than pulling them in to oversee the whole project), we agreed on a plan: 8'x4' sheets of plywood grooved to look like old-fashioned beaded board. The architect also had the great idea to create recessed bookshelves, which never have occurred to us.
The pom-poms are from Cargo in Portland.
Karen suggested screwing down maple plywood. Then we had the floors stained a deep, dark chocolate hue. I love the way it looks.
The Docksta art table is from IKEA; the chairs are from Pottery Barn.
I actually managed to find most items for next to nothing on craigslist and eBay and from IKEA. I'd love to have gotten every piece from Design Within Reach, but our budget didn't allow for that, and eBay was a great resource not just for furniture, but also art, bedding and storage bins.
The India Rose laundry bag is from RianRae, and the dresser is from IKEA.
It changes by the day, depending on what she's into. Right now, she's really into reading on the daybed. She loves the swing, and she's making a fashion studio in one corner. All her friends go up there and they sound like a herd of elephants.
What does she read?
The magazine boxes are filled with her collection of Martha Stewart Living -- yes, god help me, my child is a Martha fanatic. I swear she did not get that from me.
Right: The circular rugs are bathmats from IKEA. The Urban Outfitters swing chair was from craigslist.
When I was growing up, I just had a normal 10x10 room, without any reading corners or art spaces. So it was fun to provide those things for her.
The vintage chair is from eBay; the white flokati rug is from PB Teen. Right: The bedding is a mix of linens from Anthropologie, West Elm, and PB Teen (all purchased on eBay); the "headboard" is a folding screen, and the glass lamp and floral lampshade are from eBay.
The room is a lot more girly than I'd be comfortable with in any other part of the house--but hey, it is for a little girl. The paper hearts everywhere were her contribution to the design.
Build in as much storage as possible. I bought IKEA straw baskets by the truckload. Girls have so many tiny things--beads, dolls--so it helps to have baskets to throw them into and a place to tuck the baskets.
The IKEA Lillberg Loveseat was a craigslist find, painted white; the Optics Floor Mat is from Koko. The rolling metal Helmer Cart behind the desk is from IKEA.
She disappears into her rooms for hours. We call it "Laurel Land." Here's the kicker, though: Our daughter wakes up to this every morning. You can see downtown Oakland and, on a clear day, all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge. Lucky girl.
Read more on Leah's blog, or check out our past Cookie home tours. Also, you may like this basement makeover.
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