We spent the weekend tackling a long list of hands-on projects for the girls’ room in the showhouse. It still feels a bit sparse and is far from done, so the room will likely keep evolving right up until our deadline.
- The bed needs to be raised and we’ll add a colorful throw.
- Linens need ironing and a custom bolster will be layered in.
- Colorful fabric window treatments will be hung as soon as they arrive.
- We may swap out the end table — that decision is still up in the air.
- We have a soft blue lamp and several accessories to bring the room together.
Even so, we made major progress and managed to significantly shrink the to-do list this weekend.
We stenciled the wall, painted the headboard, hung art (including a standout chicken painting by our friend Lesli DeVito), refinished two secondhand chairs, and added a few playful wall hooks.
Remember that old full-sized headboard we found for under ten dollars at a local thrift shop? It’s now refreshed with a coat of Benjamin Moore Hydrangea Flowers paint and set against a freshly stenciled wall. Parker, one of the builder’s trusted crew members and apparently a stenciling whiz, handled the stencil and headboard painting for us.
It felt strange not to be up on ladders doing the painting ourselves, but with 3,500 square feet of house to furnish and accessorize, having help allowed us to focus on many other tasks at once. The stencil was donated by Royal Design Studio, and the room is painted in Simply White with Hibiscus by Benjamin Moore layered in for the stencil pattern.
We like taking a few risks to keep the showhouse interesting. The stenciled wall pairs nicely with the pop of color on the headboard and, importantly, it’s easy to paint over if a future homeowner wants a different look. That flexibility makes it a practical choice for a staged home.
We also rolled up our sleeves to refinish two thrifted chairs that cost $16 each. At first we considered staining them, and John sanded them to bare wood, but ultimately paint felt right for the room. The space has carpeting instead of hardwood floors — a choice many buyers prefer for a kid’s room — and with other painted furniture in the scheme, stain would have stood out. We couldn’t resist adding a playful pop of color to keep the vibe youthful.
We primed the chairs with two coats of Kilz Premium using a small foam roller and a brush for the tight spots, then applied two coats of leftover Hibiscus paint from the stenciled wall. While the paint dried in the garage, I recovered the seats using loft batting from a craft store and a manual staple gun, pulling it taut around the seat and stapling around the perimeter on the underside.
The fabric we used is a playful print called Candy Floss, which we found at U-Fab; a single yard was enough to cover both seats. For clean corners, I folded the fabric similarly to when wrapping a present, which gives a neat front appearance. When working with patterned fabric, keep the pattern straight as you staple, and if you’re upholstering multiple chairs, make sure the pattern runs the same direction on each seat so they match visually.
Once the cushions were dry, we screwed them back into the chair frames and they were ready to go: old chairs that look almost new.
On the wall behind one chair we installed ceramic animal hooks we found at HomeGoods to hang a pretend purse, mini backpack, and scarf. They looked a little flat against the white wall, so we dipped their antlers in paint to add interest. We chose two different shades — Hydrangea Flowers and Berry Fizz — and simply dipped the tips directly into the cans.
The dipped antlers were a bit drippy, so we suspended the pieces over foam core while they dried to catch splatters. The thick, glossy finish looks a bit like powder-coated resin and feels intentionally imperfect, which adds charm. The slightly angled, uneven dip is more interesting than a perfect coat and gives the hooks personality.
We also installed a playful pendant light — a statement piece we couldn’t resist — which fits the upbeat, whimsical tone of the room.
The room already feels a lot more finished than it did a few weeks ago. We still have half a dozen tweaks and additions to make in here, plus about two dozen other spaces to complete across the house in the next couple of weeks.
Update: There have been questions about the double desk in a single kid’s room. John grew up with two desk areas — one for a computer and another for homework, drawing, and writing — so our team thought two chairs along that wall could be very practical if space allows.
Update #2: Some readers asked whether the furnishings and accessories must appeal universally to future buyers. These rooms are part of a show where we’re encouraged to take risks and have fun, so the styling is intentionally bold. After the show, the homeowner can choose to purchase select items or redecorate to suit their family’s tastes.
As John mentioned, the next two weeks will be intense with showhouse work, so please forgive any delays in our responses. We’ve also been squeezing in a few updates on our own house, like nursery progress, and we’ll share those when we can.
What did you work on this weekend? Any art hanging, headboard painting, chair makeovers, or ceramic-dipping projects?