Harkness Interiors featured in the Charlotte Observer Home & Design Section

I was honored to be featured in the Charlotte Observer Home & Design section last month! I received a call from them to talk about playroom design. They also featured pictures (a 2-page spread! Whoop whoop!) of one of my playrooms. Before and after pictures of this playroom can be seen on my Houzz page. I also did a blog post ages ago about the way I did a preschool art wall in this room.

I was hoping the article would be posted online as well. But alas, they don't link up every single article from every day. So y'all will have to see the article here from a picture. Sorry you can't read it.

  

Here are the takeaways:

• invest in the right pieces of furniture that will continue to grow with your child. The right storage is key! 

• add colorful, more child-like touches in art and accessories that can be easily switched out later. One of my favorite parts of the room was using this custom colored alphabet decal. Later, this will peel right off the wall. 

• keep the color palette sophisticated, again, so it can grow with your child. Be very aware of this when converting a formal "front room" living room into a playroom. 

• Have fun! Be whimsical! But steer clear of themes....

Friday Find - Pottery Barn Kids Harper Frame

Gallery walls have been hugely popular the past few years. Add some pop to yours with this awesome look for less:

Pottery Barn Harper personalized frame - $69 for the square 8x10

OR

Green Tree Gallery's frames from Hobby Lobby - regularly $19.99 for the 8x10.

On sale they are $10! There is no beating that. And there's the added bonus of laughing at the staged pictures in them. These have to be the cheesiest I've ever seen!

Don't Forget About Waterlogue!

I know it's been months since this app burst on the scene, but don't forget its potential for custom art. We have a tendency in this day and age to move on to the next hottest app and Waterlogue should be a constant in the art and decor world. It's the fastest, cheapest, easiest way to create your own original art. The flowers are in bloom, kids are playing in the grass, on the beach, and on and on it goes! Here are some of my favorite examples:

My sweet baby girl.
Before Picture (nothing special, but look what waterlogue does for it!)

And after. Had printed out as an 8x10 for our picture wall:

A random picture of a flamingo that I took with my iphone from a magazine ad. Pretty in its own right, but not art worthy. Ps: loving flamingos right now and all the shades of pink and coral in them. A post to come on that in the future.

After - custom art for an art wall!

Last example - a photo I took of Alcatraz from too far away to be anything great. 

And now - a nice little abstract landscape. 

I've found that often pictures that don't seem "special" turn out the best and pictures that are gorgeous already don't look good in waterlogue.

Enjoy the spring and go make some art!