Hi Friends! School is back in session which means your kids are either out of the house or you have now converted a room in your home to a distance learning space. With this school year bringing so many new challenges you may be wondering how to encourage creativity and productivity while learning at home. My friend and client, Amy Cunningham, has done just that for her high-schooler, Rachel, in this dreamy, boho chic bedroom.

I met Amy when she was designing her home. She always had a way with organizing and making everything fit so perfectly in its place. She decided to take this talent and start a business called Artfully Edited Interiors. Her true passion is organizing and accessorizing and it shows through her fabulous work! You can find her on Instagram here.

Amy’s sweet daughter Rachel turned 15 over the summer and felt she had outgrown her little girl princess room. Amy was sad to see it go but knew it was time for a change and it would give them something to do together while at home. The goal of the bedroom was boho chic and I think they achieved just that! With this theme in mind, Amy’s first stop was World Market where she found a rug on clearance for $119. Rachel loved the soft earthy tones in the rug so this provided inspiration for the rest of the room. She was really drawn to the blush tones in the rug and Amy knew she could find the perfect wall color in SegretoPaint.

It was so fun helping Amy and Rachel narrow down the colors to Tender Blush and Alluring Rose. Rachel preferred the lighter color so Tender Blush it was! Amy describes it as a complex blush because although it is soft and fresh, it also has a warmth and depth to it.

One thing Amy couldn’t find anywhere was a budget-friendly piece of art to hang over the bed so she decided to DIY it. She watched some YouTube videos, bought a $16 canvas at Michael’s and just went for it! Her husband, Scott, has an artistic eye and played a role in creating this masterpiece for Rachel’s room. First, they covered the canvas with gesso and used a palette knife to build texture. Then, using a handful of colors in similar tones, she spread them around the canvas. Along with the beautiful SegretoPaint blush tones she used SegretoPaint color called Daydream. This color was used on her cabinets and is such a resourceful way to use left over SegretoPaint. Using hairdryers she started to blow the paint around and just let it go where it wanted. One thing she learned was, you need a lot of paint! After they covered the whole canvas, Scott made soft, short brush strokes while Amy smoothed them out with the palette knife. Rachel thought it was so cool that her mom and dad created something just for her. How fun that the whole family was involved in this project!

Not only did the previous room no longer fit her style but the desk was simply too small for effective distance learning. With the amount of work high school brings, she knew she needed more space to spread out. Amy called her trusted carpenter and set the project in motion knowing that built-ins would be the perfect addition to meet all Rachel’s needs. Amy’s goals were to maximize work area, add task lighting and increase functional storage. She always felt the existing cabinets were too short, so they took the uppers to the soffit. An organizational tip from Amy is to put keepsake items and infrequently used items in the upper cabinets because it is harder to reach.

Built in desks often have a pencil drawer that are generally too small to hold all school supplies neatly so they made Rachel’s drawer 3.25″ so it would be deep enough to accommodate her favorite organizers from The Container Store.

Rachel’s old desk didn’t have any display space so they added two floating shelves and filled them with accessories from Anthropologie, Target, Urban Outfitters, Lam Bespoke and HomeGoods. She needs a copy of Segreto Impressions on that shelf!

Amy is a firm believer in high/low decorating. It keeps things in budget and also gives the space a more approachable vibe. The euro shams are from Anthropologie, the long faux fur blush pillow is from Home Goods and the square woven pillow is from World Market. Amy’s design tip is to replace the inserts with down pillows that are at least one size bigger. It makes mass produced pillows look more custom. Their adorable dog, Charlie, loves having his people home all day. Best thing that has happened to Charlie!

Amy found the nightstands, rattan lamps and bamboo chair at one of our favorite local shops- Lam Bespoke.

One more request from Rachel was a cozy lounge chair. She chose this faux fur one from Pottery Barn Teen. Amy found a matching stool at Home Goods that she can prop her feet on or use as a charging station. In keeping with the boho theme, Amy found three baskets at Home Good and stuck them on the wall with Command strips. The medium sized one on the left disguises an unused light switch. Ingenious!

It was such a fun family project to be apart of, kept them busy during the crazy COVID summer and provided Rachel a creative place to learn this school year. Her husband, Scott, has also found his creative place to work on their SegretoStone counter tops in the kitchen. I hope this brings some inspiration to you while you tackle this school or work from home life. We are all in this together!

The MILIEU Designer Showcase Virtual Tour Online Now!

In continued support of the Milieu Showhouse benefiting The Clayton Dabney Foundation the very spirit of the home is documented with a “Virtual Tour” now available for a $20 donation to Clayton Dabney for Kids with Cancer. Tour the Showhouse room by room, sharing the talent, the aesthetic, and all of the special details that define each space. Click here to tour!

In case you missed it, I wrote a blog on this beautiful home. Our team had so much fun working on this project! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Till next time! XO Leslie