11.19.2010

IN THE NAME OF GOOD DESIGN

Hi there! I hope you all had a great week.  My day was terrible yesterday.  Bren had a fever of 106 due to an ear infection.  After coming home from his doctor’s appointment, he went to sleep.  While he slept, I decided to work on their car wall.  A few minutes into painting, I heard a strange noise and I turned around to find that Brendan was having a seizure.  I can not tell you how scared I was.  It all came down to how when he went to sleep, he bundled up in his covers and it brought the fever back up.  The paramedics came and told me that having a seizure with a fever is the bodies way of trying to cool itself off. And to keep giving him a rotation of Tylenol and Motrin every three hours along with his antibiotics.  I have three kids and I’ve seen a lot when it comes to their illness’s, but to see your child jerking and eyes rolling in the back of their head is an entirely different story.  All in all he is doing fine now and a few hours after his fever broke, he asked to go outside! Boy do they bounce back fast (of course he didn’t get to go outside!).

Today I wanted to discuss being daring in design.  A lot of you liked the idea of the cars being on the wall  in the Big Boy room, but you didn’t agree with gluing them to the wall.  Some said that the wall should be interactive.  Some said that I should try Velcro or magnets.  Okay let me address those suggestions:

cars bedroom 008 cars bedroom 016

Letting them play on the wall with the cars would be a good idea except for the fact that the cars are the length of your hand and are a little rougher than the usual Hot Wheels.    Therefore if they played with those cars on the wall, that would damage the walls.

cars bedroom 017

Then with the Velcro, I thought of that too, but the cars would probably not go back on the walls.

Magnets wouldn't work because again, unlike Hot Wheels, under the car is plastic.  So it wouldn’t attach to the magnets anyway. 

I think I look at this project different.  This is more of art to me.  When I thought of the idea for the wall, my first thought was 3-D art on the wall.  It’s not meant to be touched by the boys.  I know that may sound mean, but my boys are car fanatics! Therefore, they already have these cars to play with.  I went and purchased these specifically for the wall.

 cars on the wall

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If they do decide to pull the cars from the wall, yes it will tear the sheet rock, but its nothing major that can’t be fixed.  I realized that people panic when it comes to doing something that may require a few fixes when the design is no longer wanted.

 

For example, Janell recently built a headboard for her bedroom

IMG_7805-1

and what did she use to hold this headboard to the wall?

IMG_6433

 

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I absolutely love this headboard.  I am actually trying to come up with a way to do my own version of it! Yes, when its time to remove the headboard, there will be damage to the wall.  But, in the name of great design that’s a risk that deserves to be taken.  When I start on a project (now anyway) I think about long term.  Will I like this next year?  Will it still serve the purpose after I’m done and have moved on to another project?  And if you answer yes then by all means “GO FOR IT”!!!

I turned a closet in what is now TJ’s room into a closet office

closet office 002 closet office 017

People (including my husband) questioned my decision to take away a closet.  It’s been over a year now and we don’t miss the closet.  In fact, my son uses it now to do his homework

 

boys 472

and I also turned my coat closet that is in my dining room next to my kitchen into a pantry

pantry

pantry 016

My husband was not feeling this makeover at all! And this was a year ago too.  To this day, he still says he misses the coat closet.  I don’t! I mean have you seen my kitchen?  There is not a lot of storage in there!

kitchen 002

All in all, decorate your home for you.  If you LOVE something or feel as if a certain space would get better use as something else, go for it! You can always get it back to how it was before!

 

What are your thoughts on this topic? 

Stay tuned next week for more updates in the boys room and tips on shopping Black Friday sales!!!

32 comments:

Tonia Lee Smith said...

If there is a space that you're not using for it's intended purpose, I say go for it and change it to something that you will use. It can always be changed back if needed.

Rashon Carraway said...

Looking good. Are the boys enjoying the room?

http://mrgoodwillhunting.blogspot.com

Sing of Singature Style said...

First off, that does sound scarey, glad he is ok now.
I respect your decision and what you felt was good design. The cars look very cool up there. And you are right, if they snatch em down, you just glue em back.

Janell @ House of Fifty said...

I can't imagine experiencing this with one of my kids, so glad Bren is okay...and you too!

And obviously you know where I stand on this issue!! Have fun, put together your home in a way that speaks to you and your family, things can always be changed (or fixed if that is the case). I always have at the back of mind resale, and don't do anything too crazy, like paint my kitchen cabinetry purple, but for the most part think it is great to just go for it!

Janell

René said...

You must have been scared to death! Well, it is a good sign that he is asking to go outside now and boy do they ever recover quickly, yowzers.

I agree with you, do what you like and what works for you Lakeitha. It is your home.

Happy Friday!

-Rene

Kim@Chattafabulous said...

So glad your sweet boy is okay. I would have had my own seizure after seeing that happen! I love this post, and you make some valid points. I would give up some comfort in the name of good design!

La Monica said...

So glad your baby is okay! And I love the cars on the wall. So you were able to keep them up there w/hot glue?

Karen said...

I'm so glad your baby is okay.You must have been terrified.I agree with your ideas on design.The wall is a great idea...the boys will love it.

Tammy@InStitches said...

How scary, I'm so glad Bren is ok now ! On the subject of liquid nails... I just may have a headboard in my house attached that way ;)

Averill said...

I say go for it. And you're right, any sheetrock damage that may result when/if the cars are removed can easily be fixed with a little patch. These won't be giant holes anyway.

And I absolutely, 100% agree that being daring in design is what creates magnificant results, not being timid. Carpe diem (or I guess carpe "de walls"!) :)

PS - What a scary episode with your darling son...I can't imagine how freaked I'd be.

Unknown said...

Not sure WHY I had not stumbled on your blog before?!?? But I Loved IT! So glad your baby is doing better! My son use to get high fever and go into convulsions too! For no known reason!! It is VERY scary! He is no 37 years old with 3 of his own. Nuff said!

I love the cars on the walls! Kids have to be taught to leave SOME things alone, even if it IS in their room! I agree with you 100%!

Hugs!

Niki McNeill Brown said...

So sorry to hear about your sick little one! I can't imagine how scary that was for you - glad he's doing better though!

I agree completely - it's your house, do what you want! Have a great weekend girlie ;)

@nikimcneill

Nia said...

God be with you! I can't even imagine... So glad to hear he is better!

Love what you're doing with your home, and I'm enjoying the posts and tweets :)

SHERRY HART said...

Glad your child is OK...that would be way scary for me also.....
I love these thoughts about how far to go with a design plan....it is scary but I think most things can be reversed easily and are worth the benefits of the change!

MzMannerz said...

I'm glad your little one is doing okay; I'm sure that must have been scary!

And agree with you one hundred percent on taking risks.

Hello Lover... said...

Great Post - love reinventing things to make them your own!

I'm so glad your little guy is doing better - seizures are definitely very frightening.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this post! I have to agree with you about taking risks. My hubby and I are purchasing a home and there is a closet that I would love to turn into an "office area" Becuase I know we really will not use that space for storage. Thanks for sharing your view. I wont be afraid to try somehting just because I may have to patch something up later. =) have a fantastic weekend!

Anonymous said...

Oh and I am so sorry to hear about your little one, but so glad he is much better!!

Angela said...

Sorry to hear that your baby had a seizure. That had to be frightening. I'm glad he bounced back so quickly.

When I was a kid I glued magazine cut outs on my wall so I certainly love the idea of those cars glued to the wall. It's so unique.

Stacy of KSW said...

Oh my goodness, what a scary day for sure. I've never experienced anything like that but I can only imagine how much worse it was for you than Bren. Big hugs my dear and thank heavens he feels better now.

I love your wall art :) And can't wait to see the rest of the room ... but what I really want to know today ... is what you've got stored in your door organizer in the pantry! Pure Genius, why didn't I think of that? Going to snatch one up this weekend for sure

A Perfect Gray said...

Lakeitha, I can't imagine how scared you were! Glad your little guy is all well.

Everytime I visit your blog I love seeing your header photo of your three sons. So precious. And the photo in this post of your son at his desk is so sweet.

And I say, yes, a little patch work is worth something you are gonna love, even for just a little while.... Love visiting here!

Donna

Anonymous said...

In general, quite frankly, the comments here much more interesting messages themselves. (No offense to the author, of course:))

Anonymous said...

Internet access is spelled with a capital letter in the proposal, if that. And hundredths of a point not to, but with a comma. This is standard.

Jade @ Flip Flops + Pearls Design said...

So glad to hear your son is ok! How scary!

I think as long as you acknowledge what the design is going to do to the wall and are willing to fix it when they are out of the cars phase, I say go for it!! The boys will LOVE this room!

Natasha in Oz said...

You have the neatest pantry I have ever seen!

Great ideas in this post. Thanks!

Best wishes,
Natasha.

Mom of 2 Cuties @ Sprinkles of Joy and Laughter said...

Thank goodness your son is on the mend! The cars look great on the wall. The boys must think you are the coolest mom!!

Erika Ward said...

So glad that Bren is doing better now, whew!

You're right, things can always be changed if need be. You are doing a great job at making a beautiful and functional home for you and your family! Keep up the good work!

Erika Ward said...

So glad that Bren is doing better now, whew!

You're right, things can always be changed if need be. You are doing a great job at making a beautiful and functional home for you and your family! Keep up the good work!

Dayka Robinson said...

OMG, i clearly DID NOT get the memo about brendan but am so happy that he is recovering well. i don't have kids, but i remember when my best friend's daughter had a seizure when she was about his age and it was quite frightening. health is such a fragile thing, right?

and about the cars. i love the idea and though gluing them to the wall was very smart, since like you said, they were meant to be art & not toys. that application might not work for every home, but it works for you, the boys, and your lifestyle. can't wait to see the finished product!

Megan // Honey We're Home said...

That must have been so scary! I'm glad he's okay. I loooove the car art wall- I'm gonna show my hubby this one- he'll be seriously impressed.

Brandi said...

I'm glad you son is doing much better. I can't imagine how terrified you must have been.

I gave you an award today!
http://bet1975.blogspot.com/2010/11/who-me.html

CLAIRE WATKINS, ASID ALLIED said...

L- you are tripping me out with this post. You move seamlessly from your son having a seizure to daring design.
That's bold. So, glad he is okay and I hope that you are recovering, too (b/c you prob. suffered worse than he did, LOL). Love that big head board, wonder if you could somehow hang it for a less damaging option, and the boys' room is looking good. Didn't you JUST do their room??