Design Inspiration

My son will be turning 5 in March.  I've always shied away from kitschy children's stuff and logos, especially when it comes to my son's room.  It's important for me to tell a story in our home -  Many of my favorite pieces are collected on random trips into salvage stores, or family heirlooms that have been passed down through the generations of our family.  

Let's take a look at a few of my favorite things that fill the bookshelves in my son's room.

My father's antique fire helmet

$5 garage sale globe

Apothecary jar filled with antique marbles

Like I said, each of these pieces tells a story. 

The fire helmet comes from my father, who spent many of his earlier years as a volunteer fire fighter in Chicago.  I love that the helmet provides a link between grandfather and grandson - and look at the intricate detailing of the stitching.  How could a little boy not fall in love with this piece?

The globe comes from a garage sale down the street.  I had a loose $5 bill floating around in my purse and offered it to the seller, unintentionally lowballing their asking price of $20.  They were thrilled that it was going to a home with a young child and graciously accepted my offer.  It's important for me to teach my child the value of a dollar, and to learn about the bigger picture: that the world is much larger than our immediate surroundings.  What better way to teach him about the rest of the world than a reclaimed vintage globe?

The apothecary jar full of marbles holds a special memory for me.  Many of the marbles come from my grandmother's home in Chicago.  I have such fond memories sitting on her living room floor, rolling the antique marbles from one end of the room to the other.  Since she passed away so long ago, I didn't have enough marbles to fill the jar, so I ended up buying a few more for about $5 on Ebay.  While it may appear to be "just a jar of marbles," it's a decorative piece that links my son to the older generations of our family - a generation that he never had the pleasure of meeting.  

How do you link the past to the present?