Ah, December! You glorious month - trees trimmed, halls decked, nog...nogged? It's a good time! There's precious little I don't welcome about this festive finale month, and chief among them is lists . Gosh, I love lists. Best-of, worst-dressed, gift lifts, hit lists, naughty/nice, sugar/spice! Spotify Wrapped! (Fun fact: If you sing that to the tune of We Didn't Start the Fire, it works). Come December, there is an invitation extended to all corners of culture to stop with the new and just...make a list! Do a countdown! Startle people how much Taylor Swift they listened to this year! That's it. It's nice. We can stop with the expectation to create brand new content, and instead let the deluge of repackaged old content wash over us. And that is just what we're doing now.
Today I'm sharing a a few pictures of the closet-to-clubhouse makeover I did in the fall. I shared this project on my Instagram a few months ago already, but when I look back on the favourite home decor projects I tackled this year, this one tops my list. Have you see it already? Maybe! Is my "list" of "home decor projects" actually just a litany of questionable Facebook Marketplace purchases? Perhaps! But still, if December is a time to rehash things we liked once more time before they're quickly forgotten in the content heap that is the internet, then rehash we will.
I think I feel so fondly about this project because it was a warm reminder of all my favourite things about home design: you're never done, you have a lot of what you need already, and you can have a lot of fun doing. This project came about when I finaaaaallllllyyyy cleaned out the closet in my daughter's room. It's a big closet, and it was STACKED with junk - clothes, toys, and all manner of clutter and crap. Once I sorted through the mess, I was quite literally shocked to discover so much space in the closet, and whole dresser? What? I pretty quickly had the idea to turn it into a cozy clubhouse for the kids, and was off to the races (ie: Pinterest) shortly thereafter.
This inspiration picture in particular really set the tone I wanted for the space: something you might find in the attic off an english cottage, but playful enough to house a PEZ collection.
I conjured up a space in my head full of wallpaper, chippy paint, handmade toys, and granny fabrics. Now, I have a notoriously wallpaper-averse husband, so was it odd that I've been hanging on to a roll of vintage floral wallpaper for years and years? No, ma'am. It was destiny. Because Matt has always gently requested we don't wallpaper any of the rooms in our house, but he never said anything about closets, your honour. This hoarded wallpaper - with its luxurious botanicals and rich colours - was the star of the show from the jump. Things only felt more kismet when I saw how lovely the blue tones in the wallpaper worked with the leftover can of Agean Teal I already had from a previous project.
I sourced some beautiful thrifted curtains for seat covers (can you tell I'm trying on the word "sourced" instead of "bought" because it feels *~fancy and official?~*), I used some leftover mineral paint for the dresser, and once that was done the space already felt fun and whimsical. The only brand new items purchased were the strips of LED lights and the pegs for the wall of superhero masks. Once the toys, dolls, puzzle and books made their way into the clubhouse, the room felt wonderfully alive.
I really didn't get that much done this year, house-wise, so it's a pretty a short list, but this was easily #1.
And that's where we'll end it today, friends! I should say that writing this post made me feel really excited to paint and decorate more things, but it truly just made me want to make more lists?? So, I'm gonna go make some lists. Maybe I'll share 'em! Maybe I won't. But either way, I do sincerely, really-truly, scouts-honour mean it: I'm gonna blog more going forward, so this may be the last you'll be seeing of this particular project, but you haven't seen the last of me!
(Yes, that's a threat.)
Bye!