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Beyond Ballet Slippers: Girls' Rooms
Just like their parents, kids these days are savvy. The old rules of model home merchandising for girls -- ballet dancers and cheerleaders -- no longer apply. Next month: Boys' Rooms
Meghan Stromberg, Senior Editor
September 1, 2002
Professional Builder
The Jungle Room
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Beasley & Henley Interior Design for custom home, Orlando, Fla. Click here to see larger images. |
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Cost | Strategy |
About 10% of decorating budget for
multimillion-dollar home. |
For a girl, age 6, one of a two-bedroom suite (the other, for her brother, has a castle theme), with shared TV and play room decked out as billowing tent. Fantastical and playful for an international family with several homes. |
Details | Alternatives |
Palm tree bed of sculpted wood, authentic thatch overhang and mosquito netting create a hideaway. Sculpted light-concrete cave has a sleeping loft above. Bamboo flooring, wall murals, jungle fabrics and stuffed animals tie everything together. |
Strong themes make memory points. A simple garden room -- painted picket fence, wall flowers, and grass and garden accessories -- if well-executed, can be unforgettable. |
LaVie Parisienne
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Britten Design Continuum for Wiseman-Hughes Enterprises, Naperville, Ill. Click here to see larger images. |
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Cost | Strategy |
Estimated sales price of showcase home is $600,000 to $800,000, with merchandising costs of $27 per square foot. |
Mature, well-to-do, possibly blended family in a home that is comfortable but fit for entertaining. The daughter, age 17 to 21, has just returned from a semester abroad and has sophisticated tastes -- just like her parents. |
Details | Alternatives |
Drama and sophistication in the rich reds, black and swirls of silver anchored by a subtler, custom-painted, gray-tone wall. French boudoir accessories and shapely furniture finish the look without being heavy-handed. |
Teens are individual and changeable. Color themes with a few interest-related props might work well. Ready-made bedding and window coverings are widely available and help clue in to trends. |
Pooh's Corner
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| Merchandising East for Patriot Homes, Columbia, Md. |
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Cost | Strategy |
$2,900 for custom painting, custom built-ins and animation. The entire home was decorated for about $22 a square foot (animation in kids' room was 10-15% more). |
One model to compete with national competitor's four on the same street. An interactive Christopher Robin bedroom with Pooh's house -- a walk-in closet with a French door -- is the memory point. |
Details | Alternatives |
Talking Winnie the Pooh doll was wired so a child could "press here" to hear stories. Pooh rocks, and bees on wires circle a papier-mGchT hive. Christopher Robin is painted on plywood and dressed with a real slicker. |
Cartoon images can be projected onto a wall and painted, or silhouettes of children playing are an inexpensive solution. Painting on plywood or foam core means objects can be moved and reused.
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For ideas on designing boys' rooms, click here.
For do's and don'ts on designing kids' rooms, click here.
© 2008, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.