Bedroom of My Dreams?Sidetracked Sisters

As the firstborn daughter in the mid-’60s, I came home to a nursery decorated in soft pink. Mom tells the story of going with Dad, Judy, and Judy’s boyfriend, Spence, on a Saturday to buy a round, fuzzy, pink rug in Madison. Mom had exactly $13 in her purse for the purchase. Unfortunately, they were stopped for speeding. The ticket was $13. Judy and Spence bought their downhill skis, but mom decided to wait and save the money…again.

It was purchased after I was born.

My next memory is visceral, a feeling at first. I am supposed to be taking a nap. Laying on my bed, it’s hot in the room and the light is golden all around me as the warm summer light permeates the bedroom curtains.

1970

The room was decorated in the trendy colors of the era: harvest gold, pumpkin orange, and avocado green. Color-blocked rugs accented the room. 3-foot tall lollipops in coordinating colors acted as a headboard.

Now, I had strong feelings about these lollipops–I despised them.

I repeatedly, often, took them down and hid them under my bed, in the closet, or just put them on Mom and Dad’s bed. Mom loved them, and Dad made them, but I wanted them GONE.

1976

I was so excited when Mom told me that we were going to redo my room. She brought home 2 fabrics for me to choose from–both pink, white, and green. She chose the new color pallet and I got to help with the details. But, of course, if you had asked me for my favorite color, I don’t know that I had one. Pink was fine. Any design/color that didn’t include a lollipop headboard.

I don’t know what it is about headboards, but Mom has a “thing” for unique designs. When we moved into a new house, the pink/white/green theme followed, but Mom created a valance over the top of my bed. The draping fabric was attached to the wall near the ceiling under a small tabletop with scalloped patterned sides.

My bedrooms in both houses were beautiful. They were perfectly organized, balanced, and color-matched.

But there were two little problems…

I couldn’t change the placement of any of the bedroom furniture. The way the room was set up was the way it was supposed to be.
No Star Wars posters or pictures of Sean Cassidy cut out of Tiger Beat magazine were allowed on the walls.

My Kids’ Rooms

Jump to today… my kids get all the power. Well, now they do.

Before we adopted the boys’, I painted one room in a vibrant blue, watery “frog” theme. The nursery had a soft sage green and tan “lamb” theme. Then when we got Aubrey, the boys shared the frog room and we changed the nursery to the jewel tones of fusha pink, aubergine purple, and lime green.

Today, Aubrey’s room is grey, rose pink, and mustard yellow. The IKEA rug integrates the colors and sets the stage for her creativity. The focus is her vanity with makeup, hair stuff, and skin care potions. Recently, “Hello Kitty” has been integrated with a color-changing mirror, throw pillow, and blanket. She loves it.

Kadon constantly changes the arrangement of his furniture. Even the bunk bed has changed over time. It went from tall, with a bed beneath to a lounge area underneath. Now, the legs have been cut down and Kadon uses the space underneath for storage. Pictures of New York and stacked rolls of masking tape that he took for projects at school hang on the walls. A collection of pictures from Paris fill the area on another wall. Posters from musicals that he was involved in and a collage of High School friends hang everywhere. Posters of Taylor Swift and Harry Stiles add to the ambiance.

My Room Is Me

My kids love their rooms. It reminds me of Daniel Pinkwater’s children’s book, “The Big Orange Splot” that I wrote about here. The book is a tale about conforming and being true to yourself. Mr. Plumbean’s creativity challenges his neighbor’s ideas about the importance of having a “neat street.” By repainting his house to reflect his colorful dreams, Mr. Plumbean breaks away from the sameness of his street. He says, “My house is me and I am it. My house is where I like to be and it looks like all my dreams.”

My kids would probably say, “My room is me and I am it. My room is where I like to be and it looks like all my dreams.”

I think when I was growing up, my room looked like my mom’s dreams…not mine.

I’m sure Mom and I will disagree about the details in this post. But I contend that she loved my bedrooms. Me, not so much.

I know that I’m being true to my values when I see how much my kids enjoy their bedrooms. They love creating spaces that reflect their interests and taste. They have the power to create the room of their dreams…

…no pink, fuzzy rugs or lollipop headboards allowed.