Room Tour: ASID Showhouse – Reading Retreat

Updated: Sep 7, 2020

Hello My Lovelies,

I can hardly believe that Christmas is just about 5 days away! I have to admit that I have not done any Christmas decorating in my home or shopping. Strange for a designer, right? Well the first big reason is that I am putting my house on the market soon, and the second is that my time has been completely consumed with the ASID Texas Gulf Coast Chapter Holiday Showhouse in The Woodlands.

Yesterday was the final day of the showhouse and as much as I loved every moment of it, I am so happy that it is over and I can put my feet up for the first time in three weeks.

This amazing 12,000sf home on Lake Woodlands was completely renovated by Peterson Homebuilder, and every room was decorated by 18 ASID designers based in Houston. It was completely decked out for Christmas and was absolutely stunning! It was open to the public every weekend from December 5th to December 20th. We had a great turn-out and I am looking forward to the next one

So, the picture above is the room I completed. I dubbed it the “Reading Retreat”. It started life as a small non-descript bedroom for a seven year old boy, but it has an amazing view of the lake and the infinity pool. Unfortunately I do not have a before picture to show you where it all began, so you will have to take my word for it 🙂

The room also has an attached bathroom for which I also selected the finish materials. I will share the bathroom with you before I get to the rest of the bedroom

If you can imagine orange brick floors, white cultured marble on top of the vanity and a tub/shower combo that was as blah as blah can be, then you have just imagined what this bathroom looked like before.

I decided to convert the tub/shower into a full walk-in shower. I chose the beautiful 12×24 porcelain tiles that look like Carrera marble. I accented with 12″ horizontal bandings of a glass/stone mosaic tile. The floor also got the same 12×24 tiles.The vanity got the beautiful Super White granite that is a crowd favorite. All the hardware, light fixtures and plumbing fixtures are from Rejuvenation. The paint color on the walls is Benjamin Moore Gray Owl. The cabinetry is Benjamin Moore Icicle

My concept for the room was

Imagination, wonder and fantasy are the feelings that I wanted this room to evoke. I was seeking to great a retreat where the young occupants of this home could escape to and curl up with a great book and read and imagine wonderful adventures.I wanted to combine an eclectic mix of design styles from traditional to mid-century modern to Hollywood regency to give the room a more authentic and “collected” quality.The inspiration for the room was the very stylized “cloud” sisal wallpaper. I chose to use it in the cove ceiling to depict a cloudy sky, to help bring a more cozy feel to the room, and to set the tone for a fantastical adventure. I sought to include some classical elements as well, to keep the room from being overly whimsical, so I added picture frame moldings to the main wall, and kept a background of creamy whites to complement the dark wood floor. The color palette of mostly whites, which is on all the walls and larger furniture pieces, is accented by Kelly green, navy, and fuchsia that will be in small doses through pillows and accessories. Warm gold finishes also adds to a timeless yet trendy element, and effortlessly mixes with brushed nickel finishes.I chose a daybed instead of a bed to give the room a dual function as a sitting room, as well as a bedroom. The daybed is custom made, and also adds a classical feel with the nail head detailing in the Greek key pattern. The contemporary dresser also gives a nod to the past with the Greek key overlay on the front and brass hardware. No retreat is complete without fun elements such as the acrylic egg chair with the warm lamb’s wool seat, the lamb’s wool bench, and the funky chandelier. These pieces add the youthful quality that I felt was necessary in this room.The artwork was carefully chosen to help bring about some calm to the fun and whimsical color palette and daring mix of patterns.My hope is that this room will be a fun get-a-way that inspires grand dreams, wild imaginations and fun adventures

So on to the bedroom again.

The ceiling was a big crowd pleaser in the room.

I used a Celerie Kemble custom printed grasscloth wallpaper accented with paint (Benjamin Moore Hale Navy). The fun little light fixture is actually made of feathers

I wanted to make it a loungey area where the kids could go to relax and read, but I also wanted to maintain the integrity of a bedroom. I designed the daybed and had it custom made. It fits an extra long twin mattress, so it still functions as a sleeping area.

The gorgeous lambswool bench is one of my favorite pieces in the room. It helps to define the loungey feel and is a great place to put their feet up. It definitely says fun 🙂 🙂

The original art shown here was done by my good friend Aimee Chaison

The opposite wall is anchored by the two Hollywood Regency dressers, with the amazing mirror that was loaned to me by my good friend and client Georgia Woolery.

You will also notice the bubble chair which seems to be a favorite of all kids who entered my room. The white roman shades were already in the room, but I had the fuchsia accent added to tie in with the room color palette of fuchsia, Kelly wood and indigo accented with gold and white as the backdrop. I also added the beautiful sheer drapery panels. They create a beautiful ethereal feel.

The first wall you see coming into the room was decked out in color blocked abstract pieces painted by a good friend and fellow designer named Terri Lind Davis. I actually met her here in the blog and Facebook world. Once I received them, I had them professionally framed at Hobby Lobby. They are definitely a show stopper

Here are some close-up shots of vignettes in the room

The first day of the showhouse was Press Day, and I actually had a popular Houston publication ask to publish my space. It will most likely be appearing in their publication in January (more on that later)

I was really humbled when the editor and art director told me that my room was their favorite. 🙂

Doing this showhouse, which is my very first one, was a risk but I am sure it will pay off big time next year. I am really excited and honored that I got to be a part of it

We had only about two months to plan and finish this grand home, and all these great designers that I had the honor of working with definitely pulled it off. The home turned out beautifully