The Chic Shed Reveal
At what point are you too old to have a playhouse?!? This project has brought out all of those childhood dreams of having a little backyard space of my very own and I get such a kick out of my three year old referring to it as "mama's little house".
I'm so excited to finally share the finished interior pictures of the Lilly Pulitzer x chinoiserie "Chic Shed" with everyone that's been following along. If you're new to Lemon House Design, I'll fill you in on the backstory.
I had my second baby last summer and had every intention of keeping my in-home studio as it was and having my children share a room (little house problems). Unfortunately, that plan went sideways and it became apparent that cohabitating was not going to be an option for those two (womp, womp). So I moved my office out and a second nursery it became. So, what's a designer to do with no office space? Build a temperature-controlled she-shed in the backyard, of course. It was a long journey from conception to build-out, but it was well worth it in the end. It really turned out much better than my original studio (an absolute mess most days, since it was all too easy to quickly throw toys and laundry in there when company was headed over or to hide Christmas presents behind projects). Being able to plan all the details to make every square inch functional for what I use the space for was the icing on the cake.
When thinking about the decor, I tried to think about the things and places that made me the most happy. Going to the Pink Retreat every year for a girls getaway saves my sanity as a stay at home mom. I decided Palm Beach chic was the clear way to go (Check out this post if you want to take a look at the inspiration board). This little house truly does give me all the heart eyes and I can't wait to get to work in here.
Original Art.
Would you believe I found a pair of these amazing carved wood bamboo frames at Goodwill for $2! One coat of gold leaf paint later and a Lemon House Design art print, and this frame is ready for it's closeup. The bottom painting was swag from the first Pink Retreat (Lilly Con!). It's an original signed Lilly watercolor painting created by one of their talented print artists!
The Ironing Station.
I made a custom desk-top ironing board with Lilly Pulitzer fabric. One of my biggest pet peeves with my previous studio space was having to go to another room to setup an ironing board every time something needed to be pressed while sewing. The new ironing board is huge and I only have to roll my chair around the room, making my work go so much faster. The best part is that it easily removable from the desk, allowing me to spread out if working on a different project.
Pretty Storage.
These pink Ikea Sockerbit bins worked out perfectly for storing all of my supplies (mostly corks and pom poms). I added holographic labels, cut with my Cricut machine, to each one to make it even easier to finish a project and put everything back in it's proper place when I'm done.
An Inviting Workspace.
Pale pink stripes and the famous "Brazilliance" banana leaf pattern...What more could you ask for?
A Bright and Airy Place to Work.
The Desk.
Lettuce ware, coral, a Kim Hovell oyster print, and my needlepoint bag - All of my favorite things:) Above the work surface, I installed Ikea Eket cube storage with space for all of my felt, organized by color. The shelving inserts are handmade to fit whatever brand of cubes you may have and I highly recommend them for fabric or paper storage. I painted them white to match the rest of the furniture (shop them here).
The Ginger Jar Mural.
A Lilly Pulitzer style mural was just what the space needed to add an element of the unexpected to an otherwise uneventful corner.
This is my favorite spot in the shed, clearly. This is not only a workspace, but a place for me to relax and unwind. This vintage Lilly caftan is seriously to-die-for as well.
Congrats on your she shed, Alex! Looks awesome!