Back Bedroom Edits and Improvements

I’ve been trying to improve the back bedroom again. Everywhere I’ve ever lived, I’ve enjoyed decorating the bedrooms most of all. I had a great bedroom when I was a kid, and I think I’m always trying to re-create the charm of that first place that was my own.

I’ll tell you a bit about my childhood room. It wasn’t all mine, actually; I shared it with my sister Kris. But we were awesome at sharing, and we always saw eye to eye on interior design decisions.

Our room had many delightful touches—like crystal prisms that hung in the windows and threw rainbows all around. (We used the windows just like doors, climbing in and out.) The curtains were trimmed with yellow pompoms to match our bedspreads, which were printed with cheery daffodils and sunflowers.

On one wall was a special clock that our uncle brought us from Korea. It was a Lady (from Lady and the Tramp) clock, and Lady’s large eyes would dart back and forth as the seconds ticked by. Not far away, hanging from a corner of the ceiling, was a marionette, a graceful bird with light pink feathers and little dancing round white plaster feet—a Foo Bird, she was called.

Dolls peered out from every shelf, each dressed to the nines, and shadowboxes were filled with figurines. On every surface there was something funny or cute or “neat” (as we would say)—a tiny tea set, maybe, or a talking bear, or a doll who could ride a bike.

As you can probably tell by the number of toys still on display in my house, my decorating style hasn’t changed too much since I was a kid. (Ha ha, I’m not bragging.) I’m still a fan of whimsy. My favorite decorations are the funny ones, like my little needlepoint portrait of a blue-eyed cat and my absurdly serious-looking plaster sheep. I love finding cheap treasures like these at junk shops. The back bedroom is the result of 30 years of junkin’—I hope you enjoy the pictures!