Check Out The 2nd Set of Toadstool Concept Drawings!
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Dacey’s Mansion Makeover: Living Room
Elwin here with our second room redesign at Dacey Bryn’s mansion. When Hailey and I saw the original living room, we weren’t too sure what to think. The room was divided into two parts: a front office, and a rear TV watching-area. The furniture was relatively mis-matched, and the wallpaper was really outdated. Dacey’s Living Room (Before) Cue the new living room! Ms. Bryn told us that she wanted something ‘chic, sophisticated and yet still comfortable.’ Hailey and I put our heads together and came up with this room. Dacey’s Living Room (After) The wallpaper is one of my all-time favorites; nothing says ‘chic’ like dark blue. The couches are plush and comfortable, while still fitting in with the sophisticated look of the room. The gold curtains are simply stunning, and the fireplace keeps the place toasty warm. Ms. Bryn was thrilled with the change, and Hailey and I really liked it as well!
Dacey’s Mansion Makeover: Dacey’s Room
Hailey here with a really awesome Designer Elephants project: the redesign of Dacey Bryn’s mansion! Dacey has just recently moved to Kinzville with her mom (they’ll be living here for part of the year) and they’ve invited Elwin and I to fix up their house. The house used to be owned by a family with a few kids, but it’s actually been empty for the past little while. When Dacey’s mom found out about it, she knew it would be the perfect place for her little family. BUT…it needed some major fixing up. Dacey’s Room (Before) Dacey’s Bedroom (After) The first room we did was Dacey’s. Before, it belonged to a teenaged frog. He was really into science and drafting, which is totally cool – but not Dacey’s cup of tea. The first thing we did was add a huge window with a view of Dacey’s new neighborhood. Secondly, we decided to add hints of Dacey’s favorite color (pink, if you couldn’t guess!) all over the room. We needed an area for her to get dressed, an area for her to chill with friends, and an area for her bed. After seeing the new room, Dacey had only … Read more
A Fabulous Town Square!
Elwin here with another gorgeous fall makeover! This time, we redesigned the town square. Hailey and I decided to really make everything look festive. We added food stalls, fun things to do, and some fantastic fall decorations. Everyone in Kinzville thought it looked absolutely perfect, and I have to agree! What do you think, friends?
Hailey and Ms. Stripes’ Heart to Heart
So I stopped by Kinzville Academy today to surprise Ms. Stripes with a bunch of flowers as a thank you for being such a great client. Ms. Cowoline directed me to her class and as I waited outside for her to dismiss the kids it seemed like a very different Ms. Stripes than the one I knew was in that classroom. It sounded like Sparky dropped his hat on the floor and Ms. Stripes accused him of doing it on purpose to disrupt the class. When Sparky tried to explain that his hat fell off when he bent over to pick up his pencil, Ms. Stripes told him that for speaking back to her he was going to have to stay in for recess. Then when Nibbles tried to explain that she saw the hat fall off, Ms. Stripes told her to stay in too. When Ms. Stripes came out and saw me, I guess the shock on my face was apparent. She invited me to come for a coffee in the staff room and explained that although she may sound tough, she has to be firm because she is new and the kids wouldn’t respect her if she wasn’t … Read more
Ms. Stripes’ Office
Well, Elwin and I are almost finished here at Ms. Stripes’ house. We just put the finishing touches on her new office. Ms. Stripes has this really cool piece of art, the Cubist Tapestry, and she asked if we could use it as the focal point of her office. She said that when she’s planning her lessons she draws inspiration from its interesting lines and subdued colors. As soon as Elwin saw the tapestry he said he knew exactly the wallpaper to set it off to its best advantage. The Elegant Exposed Brick Walls picked up the colors in the artwork, but also has a crisp white that makes the tapestry pop. Elwin had a cool idea for an unusual but funky desk for Ms. Stripes that he thought would complement the tapestry too. He put together a couple of Downtown Kitchen Counters and for a seat used the Animal Print Ottoman. What a stunning combo and who could have thought of it but my stylish brother? Against one wall we placed Ms. Stripes’ sewing station and punctuated it with an Oval Contour Cabinet on either side. Don’t they look cool with this wallpaper? And in another corner we popped … Read more
Hailey & Elwin build Ms. Stripes’ Backyard
Hailey here with some exciting news: Elwin and I have completed Ms. Stripes’ backyard! I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out; not only does it have an in-ground lap pool (great for exercise), but it’s also got a couple of big trees, a garden, a greenhouse, birdbath AND a patio set! This backyard is ready for anything, from a barbecue with friends to a quiet early morning swim. And what did Ms. Stripes say? “Why, it’s just perfect!” Check it out!
Ms. Stripes’ Dining Room
Elwin here, taking a break from a HUGE job that Hailey and I are working on – the redecoration of Ms. Stripes’ house. Today we’ve moved on to her dining room. One thing Ms. Stripes told us that was kind of surprising is that she loves to host fancy family dinners – but her family doesn’t live close by. Maybe that’s why she’s a bit grouchy with the kids in her class?Anyway, after some careful consideration, Hailey and I decided to keep the dining room simple and elegant. This is what we came up with: I love the dark walls and floors, matched with the dark wood. My favorite part of this whole room would have to be the ottoman – talk about stylish! Ms. Stripes was extremely happy with our dining room makeover. What do you think, friends?
Ms. Stripes’ Bathroom
Ms. Stripes said that for her smallest room, she wanted to get a lot of kick for her KinzCash. She asked us to create a glamorous bathroom where she could get ready to face the day. She figured that by creating an environment that felt extra-special, she would walk out the door feeling great every morning. That is the kind of assignment my brother and I adore! We went with the Beach House Wallpaper and Campkinz Cabin flooring. You may think Cabin Flooring doesn’t sound very glam, but look how well it goes with the decadent bath we installed, the Internal Reflections Pond. That was our big focal point. Then we added some pieces from the Mega Modern theme. We knew that we had to finish off with a couple of real statement pieces and that is where the Wondrous Wall Chandeliers and the Hippo on a Half Shell painting came in. They gave us the WOW! factor we were looking for. Ms. Stripes is thrilled with it! Elwin and I are hoping that maybe with such a fabulous place to start her day she might lighten up a bit … Read more
Ms. Stripes’ Kitchen
I must say, this project for Ms. Stripes is going really well. Elwin and I are just loving getting back into our old pattern of working together, and we’ve found her so easy-going as a client. It’s really starting to make me wonder what is going on at school because I talked to Nibbles again the other day and she is still so down on Ms. Stripes. Elwin and I have been talking and we’re thinking that somehow we have to get to the bottom of this. Anyway, on to the fun stuff! Ms. Stripes says she loves to cook and entertain. The thing is, she has a dining room so she said that even though she wanted an eat-in kitchen, she wasn’t looking for anything overly formal. She said a casual space where she could hang out and enjoy coffee with her friends (funny, Sparky SWEARS that it is absolutely inconceivable that Ms. Stripes has any friends), but with plenty of workspace for experimenting with new recipes. We used the Bamboo Print Wallpaper and the Golden Hardwood Flooring to create a light, airy feel. We added a couple of stainless steel appliances as well as a Culinary Cat Counter, … Read more
Ms. Stripes’ Bedroom
Another assignment from the new teacher in town and another day we’re left scratching our heads at why the kids seem to think she’s so mean. Ms. Stripes gave us carte blanche to do her bedroom but she said that she found the color green to be really calming. She also said that she’s always dreamed of having a fireplace in her bedroom. We went for a few items from the Green Leaf theme and combined them the Bamboo bed. We added a Flower Power Sectional in one corner and we fulfilled Ms. Stripes wish for a fireplace with a Clean and Green Fireplace in another corner as well as a big closet for all her clothes. Again, she just loved our work! We were so relieved. I can’t understand how the kids think she’s so negative. We seem to get nothing but positive feedback from her.
Ms. Stripes’ New Living Room
Well, Elwin and I were a bit nervous about our first room design for Ms. Stripes. We haven’t exactly heard the best things about her from the ‘Kinz. We started with the Living Room and Ms. Stripes said that she really liked soft colors so we decided to go with the Green Leaf Wallpaper. Once we put it up we realized that it would go really nicely with some of the new pieces from the Beach House theme so we used the Weathered Wood End Tables and Coffee Table. We added two white sofas and a pair of Wicker Chairs then we tied in the blues with the soft aqua Plush Rug and as an accent chair, the Trading Card Condo Lounger. We made a workspace in the corner with a Navigator’s Desk and a stately Unbirthday Party chair which picked up the same shade of blue. When it came time to show Ms. Stripes the end result we were so scared she wouldn’t like it after all the negative stuff we’ve heard about her, but it turned out that she loved it. She was so sweet about it … Read more
A Call From Ms. Stripes
Hey everyone! Hailey here with some potentially exciting, potentially terrifying news: Ms. Stripes, the new teacher in town, contacted me this morning. Get this: she wants us to redecorate her house. She says it’s not exactly ‘stylish’ and that she wants to see what we can do. Elwin and I are up to the challenge, decorating-wise. But according to all the kids in her class, Ms. Stripes is really tough and strict. Will she be that way with her designers as well? Over the phone, she sounded nice enough…but we’ll be meeting face-to-face over the next few days. To be honest, I’m a little bit scared. We’ll see what happens!
A Surprise for Hailey!
You won’t believe what happened to me today! I was working in the studio and I was just about to close up for the day when the phone rang. It was some guy whose voice sounded kind of familiar but it was very deep and the line seemed very crackly. He asked if I had filled the role of the designer that I had advertised for earlier in the month. I explained that I had seen a few designers but that I hadn’t made any firm decisions yet. He asked if he could drop off his portfolio for me to look at because he was very interested in the position. When I told him that I was just leaving but that he could drop off his portfolio tomorrow morning, he said he was just around the corner and he’d really appreciate it if I could hold on for just five minutes. It was driving me crazy trying to figure out where I knew his voice from, so I said sure, because I was curious to see if I recognized this guy. Two minutes later there was a knock at the door and when I opened it you will never guess … Read more
