room to spare

room to spare
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A guest room becomes a playful escape for grandkids
Upholstered in a
stain-resistant
rayon-polyester
fabric (Carole Fabrics Ambiguous in
Seaspray, $39 per
sq. yd.; interiormall.
com), a custommade twin daybed
with a trundle preserves valuable floor
space while still
sleeping two.
Though Susan and Mark Edelstein’s
son and daughter long ago left their
Pacific Palisades, California, home,
the 65-year-old couple still has children sleeping under their roof once
a week. And it was important to
them that the kids—grandchildren
Lulu, 11, Presley, 6, and Dashiell,
2—have a room to call their own. “I
wanted a space for boys and girls
so they’d all be comfortable,” says
Susan. Enter interior designer Erinn
Valencich of Erinn V Design Group,
who created a fun yet functional
room full of childproof furnishings
so that everyone can rest easy.
by Ayn-Monique Klahre
A closet with floorto-ceiling shelving
hides toys—including a beloved play
kitchen—when the
kids aren’t visiting.
The ribbon-trimmed
skirt is secured from the
inside with Velcro, so
that it can be removed
and thrown into the
laundry as needed.
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womansday.com | april 1.2011
live well
A white ceiling can look harsh against
pale walls (Sage Tint 458, $41; benjaminmoore.com), so Valencich painted it pastel blue (Icy Morn 457, $41;
benjaminmoore.com).
A mini-chalkboard lets
little artists doodle—
and grandparents
jot gentle homework
reminders.
melissa valladares
A built-in desk slicked
in wipe-clean white
lacquer paint has filing cabinets devoted
to each child, a printer
cupboard and equipment drawers.
Valencich found a remnant of
stain-resistant Berber at a carpet store for half of the usual
price and had it installed.
live well
play it up!
Five simple ways you, too,
can take years off a room
Start with one pattern.
A bright indoor-outdoor
fabric inspired this room’s
palette. (The Jane Churchill
Belmont fabric shown on
the window treatments
is only available through
designers; browse joann.
com for similar fabrics.)
Freshen up what you have.
Transform a wood desk with
a coat of glossy paint and
whimsical new knobs.
Bring in modern materials.
Lucite, lacquer and stainless
steel accents make a space
feel more youthful.
Valencich topped
the desk with CaesarStone in Blizzard (about $70
per sq. ft.; caesarstone.com for
stores). A durable
quartz composite
commonly used for
kitchen counters, it
stands up to spills
and scratches.
“The room is sophisticated—
our grandkids won’t think it’s
babyish when they’re teens.”
Susan Edelstein
Beaded knobs found
at Anthropologie
add color to the utilitarian desk.
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womansday.com | april 1.2011
Hang art that has personality. Two examples: The Dandelion Iron Spheres shown
above the bed ($261; arteriorshome.com for stores)
and a painting by Presley.
Switch fixtures. Update
with punchy lighting in
modern colors and shapes,
like the orange pendant
(24" drum pendant, about
$315; alluminare.com).
live well
How to Get the Look
Fabric in a whimsical print
appeals to the child in all of us.
Waverly Small Talk in Azalea, $37
per yd., at Jo-Ann Fabrics; joann.
com for stores.
A burst of metallics becomes
the star of the wall.
Brilliant Plaque, $139.95;
zgallerie.com.
Indestructible acrylic, plus a
hint of color.
Kartell Victoria Ghost Chair
in Transparent Orange, $330;
allmodern.com.
An adjustable desk lamp grows
with its users, getting taller
as needed.
Industrial Task Table Lamp in
Turmeric, $59; westelm.com.
Oxford in Coral, $50 (regularly $75; enter WOMANSDAY at
checkout for discount); blisslivinghome.com. Petunias Field in Lime
on Beige, $58; bellacor.com.
When they’re candy-colored,
school supplies make sweet
tabletop accents.
Anything Stapler in Turquoise,
$40, and Basics Pencils in Ocean,
$7 for 12; seejanework.com.
An upholstered daybed moonlights as a sofa during the day.
Camden Daybed with Trundle,
from $849 depending on fabric
selection (not including mattress);
ballarddesigns.com.
Quirky bookends keep you
from hounding them to put
away their tales.
Fu Dog bookend, $16.99; homegoods.com for stores. n
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womansday.com | april 1.2011
pillows, lamp, bookend, stapler & Pencils: len lagrua; wall hanging: tom koto photography.
In a pinch, printed pillows can
serve as makeshift seating.