Guest Blogger: Cristin from Simplified Bee

Hello House of Turquoise friends! I’m Cristin Bisbee Priest of Simplified Bee and am thrilled to be filling in for Erin while she is taking a much needed summer vacation with her family.

Because the color turquoise is a personal fave, House of Turquoise was one of the first decor blogs I started following back in 2009. I’ve admired Erin’s ability to produce beautiful posts week after week for over seven years. She’s been such an inspiration for my own blog. A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Erin at a design blogger conference and as I imagined, she was genuine, friendly, and gracious.

Today I’m happy to share a local design project for a family with two young boys. Originally the bedroom was for guests and had a queen size bed. Needing a place for the boys to play and guests to rest, my client asked me to create a space that served as both a playroom and guest room. I’m a huge fan of multifunctional spaces and was up for the challenge. The result is an inviting room that functions beautifully for both adults and kids.

A white daybed with a pull-out trundle was paired with a custom headboard in a Duralee geometric fabric in cool shades of blue and green. It’s topped with a variety of patterned throw pillows. The custom turquoise bed-cover with white contrasting welt was custom made durable indoor/outdoor fabrics. The textiles definitely set the room’s nautical color palette and we pulled out the lightest blue for the wall color (Benjamin Moore’s Arctic Blue).

For the boys’ games, toys and Lego creations, I selected a pair of Billy shelving units from Ikea, had them painted in Benjamin Moore’s Galapagos Turquoise and backed in a green and white trellis pattern wallpaper (used in my own kitchen nook). Green felt bins were added to help coral toy cars, smaller games and Legos of course! A tree floor lamp with movable lights serves as a bedside reading lamp.

For extra kid-friendly seating, a pair of turquoise poufs and a crisp white garden stool were selected. Perfect for a game of Go Fish! My client was thrilled with the result and that’s the best part.

It’s been a pleasure guest posting today and sharing this project with you. I hope it inspires you to incorporate multifunctional furnishings or create a space that serves a variety of purposes. Please drop by Simplified Bee – I’d love to see you there!

Happy decorating,

cristin