fledgling's Profile

Growing up, everybody I knew had a 1,000 sq. ft. teen suite. Most had a cool industrial vibe, with exposed duct work, poured polished concrete floors and exposed brick walls. These lounges were decorated so tots retro flea market chic, often with wood paneling or dad's Hamm's beer can collection, the one that made a big outdoor scene when stacked. Crafting areas and laundry facilities were often included.

Back in the day, we called these dedicated teen spaces "the basement."

For those of us yet lacking a "wing" on our "estate" for a $750,000 "teen lounge," the WSJ article still made a few good points.

I grew up in tornado territory, where every ranch-style house had a basement and usually a backdoor close to the basement stairs. We generally came and went as we pleased, with a "Hey Mrs. K! on the way down. I'm raising my teen in earthquake territory, where the houses don't have basements. Seeing as how I am legally, financially and ethically responsible for the doings of an autonomous being bigger, stronger and in some ways smarter than me, but still with an underdeveloped frontal cortex and overcompensating amygdala, I'll do what I can to make his room appealing to him and welcoming to his friends. I'm happy when he and his sandy surfer friends eat my kitchen bare and while away their precious youth playing video games in his room, where I have some ability to temper his budding Bevis-&-Buttheadery. Once in a while, he even emerges and will say something like, "Hey Mom, wanna watch a movie with me in my room?"

And have you seen this Internet? Snooping teen online activities, in my opinion, is a parent's safety obligation, just as much as bike helmets and seat belts.

Because this is a bathroom with a shower, can we go with a "Purple Rain" theme, please? Pretty please?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/57405993/im-not-your-lover-homage-to-prince-and?ref=sr_gallery_23&ga_search_query=purple+poster&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all

PBTeen maybe?

This one?
http://www.pbteen.com/products/store-it-bed-and-corner-unit-sets/?pkey=cgirls-beds&cm_src=girls-beds||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-

Or

One bed with a built in storage/privacy wall PLUS...
http://www.pbteen.com/products/store-it-bed-and-corner-unit-sets/?pkey=cgirls-beds&cm_src=girls-beds||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-

...plus this couch-looking daybed:
http://www.pbteen.com/products/jamie-daybed-frame/?pkey=cgirls-beds&cm_src=girls-beds||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-

(And I don't work for PB Teen :-)

Have fun!

Dream house. Inspirational and aspirational. Beautiful. Thank you for posting!

Landlords who keep the deposit! When I left one rental apartment, I hired professional painters and professional cleaners to make the place spotless. And spotless it was! At hand-over of the keys, my landlords found things to complain about: I missed my own going-away party to clean the oven (again) and clean the outside communal hallway (I went and bought a bunch of cleaning supplies and cleaned that darn oven and hallway wearing my nice party clothes). Once I was moved overseas, my landlord decided to keep my deposit anyway, because I "left behind" the brand new carpet I had professionally installed (with their consent) over the bare floor in the front hall and because there was a ring of dirt on the balcony where there was once a potted plant. $1000 dirt ring. Because I was overseas looking for a place to live with a baby in tow, they knew I wouldn't be able to go to court. I paid my rent on time every month. Was never loud, never had a party. But I did have a baby. But I moved out with him, so they should have been happy with me, right? Greedy bastards. (I'm looking at you Mr. and Mrs. A!)

I then made a habit of photographing every inch of a rented apartment before I moved in and handing the landlord copies of the photos I took. Saved my butt.

Today, I am looking to buy rental property. So, I'll be interested to read everybody's landlord tales!

A very apropos story for the desert: The desert, like this abandoned store, may seem "dead" but with just a little creativity raining down, it blooms! Love everything about it!

This could be fun: Stick Velcro, (the hook side) to all your "stuff" (iPad, iPod, calculator, keys, sunglasses case, hairbrush, lip balm etc. etc.) and use the carpet as vertical organization. If you use enough Velcro, you could just toss stuff on the walls and it will stick! You might be on to something: The carpeted Velcro wall could be new the chalkboard paint wall ;-)

Ikea has a bunch of curtain panels that have dark grey in them: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/living_room/10702/

Have fun!

For those who don't have whatever issues, but want a temporary solution anyway (something just for the holidays or something for a themed party, maybe?), temporary adhesive spray (also "basting spray" or "repositionable spray") used in sewing will do the trick. A very, very light spraying is sort of like putting "Post-Its" adhesive on the back.

http://www.joann.com/dritz-repositionable-spray-adhesive-6-2-oz-/prd10296/

The adhesive allows you to reposition the paper, even take it off fully in tact. You should test in a corner to make sure the spray doesn't pull the paint from the wall (especially if the walls are plaster). Again: a very, very, very light spraying. A little goes a long way. Works best on smooth, untextured walls.

But, it is a crazy amount of work and a crazy amount of spray you would need.

Umami for the eyes. Mmmm...

Simply lovely.

Really inspiring for California! There are so many of these tract homes, where it happened that the original developers built the same houses that they had built in Cincinnati or Indianapolis or Milwaukee without taking one minute to consider, as you say, the sunshine, the great weather and beautiful light. Especially true for the post-war houses slapped up for the returning GIs. But these bungalows are not all bad: They usually have a very respectful scale, emphasize practicality over pretense and foster a sense of neighborhood. I very much appreciate your maintaining what was good while finding a way to make your home take advantage of "California". And love all that wood! The exposed beams and the doors and deck. A happy place for a happy family.