Top 5 Kids Rooms

Sometimes it's fun to go crazy and design the most creative and whimsical bedroom for a child.  And for those of us who can't afford to do something like this, it's always just fun to look and wish.  When I was young I would have loved to have any of these bedrooms.

A colorful indoor gym.

Kid's Bedroom #1
The Gym
In addition to all the color and fantastic lighting, this bedroom has exactly what kids want:  a place to climb, swing, scale, jump and pull themselves up!  This is just what they need to get out their energy and exercise their muscles, all while keeping the living room clean.  (Who's going to want to play in the living room when they have a bedroom like this?!)  Anchoring the gym to the ceiling structure is definitely a must in order to use this.  But let's be honest, if my kids had a room like this, you would probably find me in there playing on that equipment with them! 

 

What do we do with that column?

Kid's Bedroom #2
The Indoor Tree
This is a fantastic use of a column.  Instead of living with a boring column that is required for the structural stability of the building, spruce it up and make it interesting!  This brings so much imagination into the room.  At Christmas you can string lights on it.  You can store your child's stuffed animals in there:  dogs, cats, foxes, snakes, chipmunks, monkeys, or owls.  You can have a picnic under its leaves any time of the year.  The fun is endless!

Bunk beds with a slide?  That's brilliant!

Kid's Bedroom #3
The Bunk Bed Slide
As if bunk beds did not incite enough enthusiasm with kids, adding a slide makes it that much better!  This is a great idea for a vacation house. If your kids are going to be sleeping in a room with 4 or more people, why not mix in some fun and put in a slide?  This gives them a great way to start the day and a fun incentive to sleep in a room with that many people.  Plus, you will not have any trouble getting them to go to their room and play for a while so you can relax.

A loft in the kids room?

Kids Bedroom #4
The Jungle Loft
Kids love to climb and be taller than everything else (especially their parents).  This loft gives them a place to do that!  It's also an exciting location to play or read...up at the ceiling level.  The jungle theme gives them a way to be in the tree tops to feed the imaginary giraffe that's come to play.  Or giggle with the monkeys.  Or they can rescue the cat who has climbed too high and gotten stuck.  And of course, when they get in trouble, that's where you're going to find them.  This would definitely be a favorite spot in the house for any child.

A secret hideout.

Kids Bedroom #5
The Clubhouse
When I was young a clubhouse would have been so awesome!  And one in my room would have been off the charts!  This imaginative idea creates a cool place to sleep or a great locale for your child's clubhouse meetings.  You can imagine the floor is a lake full of alligators that you've got to stay away from.  Or you can go sightseeing above the treetops.  Maybe you can get out the flashlights and have story time in there.  Or have a camping trip every night.

All of these different kids room ideas are on my list of fun ways to decorate a room and inspire play.  Which is your favorite?  Which do you wish you had as a child?  Do any of them inspire you to play and imagine more with your children?  Let me know!

Stacey

Let us help you create a building to serve your needs at www.mcleodarchitect.com.
View our architect designed house plans at www.southerncottages.com.

Disclaimer: Southern Cottages House Plans and Michael R. McLeod Architect, PA did not design any of these rooms.  Click the picture or the caption to find out where I found these pictures.

Step Back in Time

The Grand Gazebo Cottage will take you back to an age where time slows down and relaxation is a way of life.

Grand Gazebo Cottage

This is a grand and sumptuous house with four exterior gazebos connected by wrap around porches. Spend your evenings relaxing on the porch with a lemonade in hand. Inside you will find spacious rooms perfect for comfortable and tranquil living.

The gazebos provide a lot of outdoor living space.

All of the Southern Cottages House Plans are designed by an architect to give you style with a comprehensive design at a price you can afford.
  
Let us help you create a building to serve your needs at www.mcleodarchitect.com.
View our architect designed house plans at www.southerncottages.com.

The Battleship North Carolina

For Memorial Day yesterday, my family and I took a trip to the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington.  This is such a great place to visit!  If you ever visit Wilmington, plan a few hours to tour this great ship.  It is chock-full of history.

In the visitors center there is a video that shows the history of how the battleship came to Wilmington and how it was maneuvered into its current position.

Main deck guns, anchor chains and flags.

We spent a lot of time going into the various rooms and checking out all the different guns on the main deck before heading down under it to the second deck.  To help visitors understand how the sailors used the spaces, there are pictures and descriptions of what happened in a lot of the areas.

 

The battleship contains a lot of places to explore and see, which makes this such a great place to visit.  You can tour the kitchens, sleeping areas, food storage areas, sick bay, laundry, post office, etc.  However, on this trip my family just toured the second deck and one or two above the main deck.

After touring the battleship, travel across the bridge to have lunch or dinner at one of the many restaurants along the river in downtown Wilmington.

Visiting the Battleship North Carolina is one of our favorite things to do on Memorial Day.  It's a wonderful way to remember those who have served our country. 

Thanks for reading!
Stacey

We Are On Houzz

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If you are a fan of Houzz (and a lot of people are), you can now browse interior and exterior pictures of the Island Cottage, Woods Cottage, Plantation Cottage, Porches Cottage, Shelter Cottage and Winds Cottage on our profile (with more to follow soon).  We also have some renderings of the Grand Island Cottage there.  Click the Houzz button above, the one on the left of our blog, or the following link:  Southern Cottages Houzz profile.

If you are not aware of what Houzz is, it is the "largest and most influential directory of remodeling and design professionals".  One way you can use Houzz is to do a search based on a keyword.  A picture list will come up showing you ideas of how to incorporate that particular item into your home. 

Another important feature is the reviews we have received from previous clients.  Take some time to look through those, browse pictures and get some ideas for your home.  As always, please leave us comment if you have any questions or use the "Contact" tab above to find our phone number.

Let us help you create a building to serve your needs at www.mcleodarchitect.com.
View our architect designed house plans at www.southerncottages.com.

Icicles

After the snow, rain and sleet yesterday, the cold temperatures froze all the water.  Here are the icicles that formed on our street sign.  Thankfully, it's all melting now.