Monday, February 25, 2013

The Peacock Makeover


One of the perks of being the only girl in our family is that Eleanor has now scored a room of her own and so we spent the weekend changing bedrooms around and tarting hers up a bit. She wasted no time outlining the brief - blue walls, polkadots and lots of bright rainbow-y colours. We were on a very tight budget, allowing just a tin of paint to be the most costly item. She chose Dulux "Oceanus" - her favourite shade of blue. It's bright and a complete change from the otherwise white interior of the rest of the house. I did suggest toning it down a bit to a quarter strength but she wanted this colour specifically and really wanted it more than I wanted it a different colour so in the end she won. She loves owls, peacocks and birds of any kind, so when we found this Peacock Bedhead at the tip over Christmas, we couldn't believe our luck - it was just $10 and in perfect condition. Sold! I have seen these exact Bedheads go for over $400 so it is one of my best bargains yet. About 6 months earlier I picked up a Peacock Chair at the very same place for $5. It needs a bit of work where the cane is coming loose on some areas but we have plans for yarn bombing those spots. Are you familiar with this new craze? 


We painted them white and if your eyeballs are ready for a colour explosion here is how they look in the new blue room. Please ignore the Whippet's long sad face in the photos - he puts it on for the camera. I did manage one shot of the room before he stole the limelight.






The bedside table was a lucky roadside find which is actually Tassie Oak and super sturdy. The pillow cases were $7 from the Sheridan Factory Outlet and the little cat pillow was 50 cents from the local Op Shop. The Granny Blanket was also $5 from an Op Shop which I bought almost a year ago. The Red and White spotty valance is just a piece of material I already had - I could probably sew a hem onto it but why bother? The little colourful rug in the above photo and that was just $1.99 from Spotlight. The owl on the wall is in a strange place but it's hiding the ugly underfloor heating switch box :-).



The feature i love the most is her wall of artwork - all done when she was in Year 1 in Sydney as a 6 year old. Her more recent work is scattered around the house but these earlier ones look great in her room and are a lovely reminder of her time in Sydney.


If you look closely you can see a Picasso inspired portrait, a Pro Hart inspired Still Life and an interpretation of "Where the Wild Things Are". It's an absolute credit to her wonderful Teacher who placed a huge importance on creative arts as a tool for learning.



There's some Monet inspired Waterlillies too and my favourite is the one with the Mum and Daughter in the rain. As I was sticking it on the wall she thought it was funny that she drew the water droplets upside down - I had actually never noticed that.



The final project is to transform the daggy brown built-in wardrobe on the opposite wall where the desk is. I'm thinking maybe painting over them or adding wallpaper just to the wardrobe bit. I'm also thinking of converting the part of the wardrobe for hanging clothes into a little reading/cubby nook. If anyone has any idea for colours for curtains/wall covering I'd love to hear.

Eleanor loves having her own little space after all these years of sharing, even though the boys are still in there a fair amount of time playing "Schools" with her. 

The Whippet has stamped his seal of approval too :-)




41 comments :

  1. Oh what a gorgeous room! I adore that shade of blue. It's perfect. You have scored such treasures, clever you! I need to go hunting. I've not done so well recently. Lucky Eleanor. I bet she's delighted. Her art work is brilliant. Really impressive. I agree, well done to the teacher. Art is so important and so rarely done in my little ones school. Love it all.... And you Remy xxx Sarah just love that umbrella picture

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  2. It's beautiful Mel. Everything has come together so well, all of that artwork is so cute. I bet Eleanor is one very happy girl. xx

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  3. Love all the cosy bits and pieces in the room Mel. The macrame owl is just like one I used to have. Eleanor's quite the artist - love the Picasso inspired one.
    x

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    1. I'm a bit partial to the old macrame and picked this up last year for me but Daniel doesn't really love it so it's ended up in her room :-)

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  4. Oh Mel, it is AMAZING. Love the wall colour particularly with the red and white of the bedhead is fantastic. You are so clever pulling this all together from mostly oppie finds. And her art work from grade one is fantastic, and this was from her regular teacher? Wow. And finally that last pic is priceless and needs to be framed or perhaps incorporated into your blog header, love love love it! mel x

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    1. Yes just her normal Year 1 public school teacher. They did so much art and it was really quite wonderful. And yes, Remy Boy - he totally owns the space doesn't he?! Thanks Mel :-)

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  5. Like the way how the bedstead takes shape. But the best I liked is the pirate :-)

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  6. It looks absolutely perfect Mel, what a lovely thing to do for your precious girl. I bet she feels so special having this beautiful bright space to chill out in. Love the pics of the whippet up on the bed, what a cheeky pooch. And the artwork is spectacular, what a budding artist you have there. The walls are rather stunning too, good choice Eleanor xoxo

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  7. What a beautiful room! Your daughter must feel very special, and what a talented artist she is! I had a cane chair like that in my room in the seventies, and I loved it! I love that colour on the walls too, I am partial to bright coloured walls and have lots of colours in our house. I have also just signed up to follow your blog Mel, I thought I had done it ages ago, but apparently I hadn't, Oops!
    Have a lovely week, Julie :)

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  8. My fave is the pirate too! You've done a beautiful job, the colour is fantastic and the peacock bedhead and chair are so girly without being pink-yay!

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  9. That's a beautiful room Mel, I love the colour. The bedhead and chair are wonderful finds - what's yarn-bombing? Love the art display too.
    My daughter is desperately wanting to change her room from the vision of fuscia pink (my choice!) to something less girly!

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    1. It is akin to graffiti but using yarn instead of paint. So wrapping tree trunks and objects in public spaces etc around the neighbourhood with crochet or yarn in all different colours. Our local wool shop had a class where you pay to go and do some of this around the streets. I was simply thinking of wrapping some wool around the arms and legs of the chair to fix (cover) them up but yarn bombing sounds a bit more fun :-D

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    2. Oh thanks Mel; I've seen it on things here too, it always looks pretty - didn't know the name though!

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  10. oh, my that room looks amazingly gorgeous! Love all of it, lucky little lady. And what a talented artist :)sarah

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  11. Great job! Your daughter is obviously very talented and Remy, being the typical whippet, thought you had gone to all that trouble to make him a comfy bed!
    I've seen a bit of yarnbombing around here lately. It's fun and adds a bit of colour to the neighbourhood x

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  12. Eleanor must be so excited. Love how you have put everything together. You have a budding artist there. xo

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  13. Wow, her room looks amazing! That bedhead is fabulous! x

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  14. Amazing job Mel. The white against the blue is beautiful, as is all her displayed artwork. Having not so long ago made some changes in our older girls' room, I can say from experience it does help keep them on track keeping it tidy.

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  15. Beautiful room. She choose the best blue color. I love it. You find the best things for a great price. Your daughter has a great taste for color, I bet she would pick out a nice fabric for the curtains. Also nice art work.

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  16. Hello Whippet! Mel, it is absolutely stunning! What a lucky and artistic little girl you have. Fantastic how it all looks and was all so cheaply sourced. I'm super impressed. I'm reading 'Raising Girls' and the chapters on girls 10 to 14 suggest parents really need to help their daughters find their 'spark' ... I don't think you need to look to hard! She's a v. talented artist!

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  17. Wow! That is blue. I love the white against it. I love the idea with the artwork too. I'll have to remember that for Imogen when she starts school.

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  18. Whoa - what a gorgeous room! It's so bright and cheerful, yet really comfortable too - you certainly filled her brief, and I can't believe all the bargains you scored along the way too! I need to go visit our tip shop more often I think!

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  19. You have an artist on your hands. Love all the pictures on the pretty blue wall.
    Great finds with the beadhead and chair too.
    x

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  20. Oh, I absolutely adore the colour and the way it has all come together. It is beautiful and the art works are precious. :)

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  21. this is so special mel, how incredibly thrilled your girl must be. my youngest chose the same color for her 'under the sea' room, it's a happy shade! love the artwork, and your pulling the room together so skillfully and economically (LOVE repurposing). well done! enjoy eleanor!

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  22. Hi, first time here. What an amazing room you have created for your little girl - I don't know what I like best. And her artwork - does she do commissions? I recently found a peacock chair on the side of the road - in great condition I might add, that is soon to have a coat of white paint. It's the only girly thing I have in my house - I live with five males. xx

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  23. Eleanor's room is really lovely Mel. I lovely the picture of her and Flynn - so precious!

    Sarah xx

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  24. it looks soo fab!...what great tip finds...and the colours...just so much to love. lol love how remy looks so at home with the cat cushion! x

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  25. Eleanor's room looks great. Love the contrast of the white furniture against the blue walls and the bright polka dots, too. Gorgeous.

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  26. I love Eleanor's room, just gorgeous! Beautiful photo of your eldest and youngest, she is looking at him so adoringly! The Whippet is funny, he looks very at home :)

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  27. Love, love, love the color of the walls! And her artwork is really good! Very quirky!
    x

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  28. Love the makeover and your bargain finds. Monet in grade one - awesome teacher, colour is great for creativity.

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  29. You've made this room into a beautiful space for Eleanor. The white cane against the blue is so fresh and calm. You've certainly found plenty of bargains to decorate the room with.

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  30. Oh Mel, it's so gorgeous! I love that white bedstead against the deep blue wall, it's stunning. Your girl clearly has a strong creative streak and a good eye for colour.

    My parents used to have the most wonderful wicker peacock chair, it was huge! They got rid of it eventually, I think it slowly fell apart. But it really reminds me of my childhood. :-)

    Gillian x

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  31. The peacock bedhead is an absolute cracker! What a lovely room. I am missing fluffing Lala's room since the two girls moved in together earlier this year. Now it is just FULL! So lovely to hear of a primary school teacher that is unafraid of art!

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  32. She is one lucky girl. Fabulous furniture, art and whippet.

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  33. Just freaking awesome. Love it to bits xx

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  34. Gorgeous Mel! I think that I need to get a spray gun....

    tash

    x

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