OK, but a quick side note first.

Anyone familiar with interior design knows that things don’t always go as planned. Things get delayed. Fabric dye lots don’t match the sample and have to be returned. Freight from across the country takes weeks longer that the furniture company expected. The upholsterer is backed up. Designers have come to expected the unexpected and plan around delays.

But Izzy, and Baby P, posed a much different, and happier, change to the schedule: P arrived six weeks early! So, with no time to hire contractors, we rushed over to get everything painted and installed. (Many thanks to my husband Dan, assistant Barbara, and her husband Rick who dropped everything to pick up paint brushes.)

Luckily we were ready for her homecoming, and most importantly, everyone is happy and healthy.

So, to the rooms! Remember where we started?

Here’s a peek into the girls’ rooms now!

R’s new big girl room

Izzy selected “Bright Florals: Check!” so what was an extra room…

…is now the perfect space for a preschool-aged big sister:

Baby P’s new nursery

What used to be R’s room…

…is now a sweet nursery, based on Izzy’s selection of “Garden: Lovely + Modern.”

We are so thrilled with how everything turned out, and are so happy for Izzy and her family! It was an honor to work with those who do so much for us.

We present!

Based on our meeting with Izzy, we created some “boards” for the girls: bulletin boards with fabric swatches and paint colors pulled together to bring the look of a room to life. For R, we presented three options; for the about-to-be-born baby sister, two.

For R this first look is “Bright Florals: Check!”  Love the bright turquoise, fresh light green and royal blue. Totally not syrup-y sweet, but still no question that it’s a little girl’s room. The mix of checks is an unexpected design element that’s balanced nicely by the bold floral. The green paint swatch is one of my “go to” wall colors: Glidden’s Floating Lily (see it in our baby portfolio, second photo). The square paint chip is Benjamin Moore’s Blue Nova which we’d use for some of the furniture.

Next option for R is “Castles in the Sky.” Even though Izzy told us that R is not a pink pink pink kind of girl, we felt comfortable including petal linens here because clearly aqua–found in the fabrics and on the walls (Benjamin Moore’s Morning Sky Blue)– is the dominant color story. Add that pop of sunny yellow, splash of green and dash of orange in the castle fabric, and the whole look is far from trending too pastel-y. A royal blue book shelf would further balance the room. It’s whimsical…without being too cutesy.

The third option is “Fun Fairies.” So playful. See how you can have a look that’s definitely girly but not the traditional pink-princess-fest? The check and stars are actually pretty gender neutral; partnered with a different fabric these could easily go in a little boy’s room. But here, with the happy little fairies and the smattering of almost hand-drawn-looking floral motif, the look is all girl. For the wall here we suggest Benjamin Moore’s Japser Yellow. It’s a creamy yellow, so it’s sunny but not blinding.

Now for the little one. Here Izzy was thinking “soft” and “old-fashioned” but also said that she likes the idea of pink and green. So we have both options, one that’s more on the trad side, the other goes preppy but with elements that tie to the traditional.

“Bright Butterfly” hits the pink and green, but the gingham, rick-rack and embroidered butterfly in the crib skirt and the embroidered Swiss dot on the hot pink fabric are nice nods to tradition. We like the Japser Yellow paint in this room.

On the sweeter, slightly more old-fashioned side, we presented “Garden: Lovely + Modern.” The pink and white stripe and the aqua linens are so fresh and so pretty, no question traditional and timeless. But it’s the floral that’s the star here. Enlivened by the bright green, hot pink and pops of turquoise, but balanced by the pastels within the pattern, this floral print is the perfect way to bring the modern to the lovely. And the seersucker, there are no words it is so good. Such a breezy, happy fabric. The white wood chip is for the crib, which would pop nicely in front of the Benjamin Moore Morning Sky Blue wall.

So which is your favorite? Which board would you have picked for each girl?

Next in Operation: Decoration

Izzy’s choices revealed, and we fill in all of the design details…

We met with Izzy to find out more about her family, their needs, and to check out the rooms.  Tons of potential, we are so excited. Always love starting a new project.

First, a look at the rooms (we will be doing two). We take measurements, start thinking how the girls will use their rooms and what furniture plan would be best, and decide what sort of window treatments make the most sense.

Right now R. is in the room that will become the nursery; it’s about 10 x 11 feet.

R. will move into the existing guest room, which is a bit bigger at about 11×11. Perks of being the big sister.

Next, a conversation to determine what sort of “look and feel” Izzy envisions. This is actually one of the most interesting (and sometimes challenging) parts of being an interior decorator who specializes in children’s spaces. Not only do we need to interpret what the parents’ style is, but we also need to capture the essence of what they believe will appeal to their child. While some clients have torn out pages from magazines and bookmarked design blogs, which of course can be very helpful, what’s really essential is knowing how to ask the right questions. It’s all really very subjective—one person’s light celadon is another person’s chartreuse—so you have to know how to parse answers.

We start by asking about the preschooler R.’s personality. Izzy says, “She’s less ballerina, more stars on the ceiling; more a blue than pink kind of girl, but pink is OK if it’s not ‘too’ pink.” See what I mean about how it can be tricky? But her statements are actually totally helpful. I get it: R. is not a super-girly girl. (And phew, Izzy’s not hoping for a Barbie pink and lavender sparkly princess extravaganza. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Ok, there usually is, but I digress…)

For the baby’s nursery, she says wants something “soft” and “old-fashioned” but also says that she likes the idea of pink and green. Now pink and green is a great color combination, but the pairing is usually done in bolder tones and can trend pretty preppy, not what I’d consider “old-fashioned.” After some more talking I get that by “old-fashioned,” Izzy means a look that’s classic, traditional and sweet. Got it…I already have some fabrics in mind.

Next in Operation: Decoration

We pull together boards and present design concepts.

We are passionate about designing special spaces for babies and kids, but it is especially gratifying to create rooms for young children who face challenges other kids don’t and whose parents can be far away as they work hard to protect America. So we’re kicking off a new series at Finnian’s Moon Interiors — Operation: Decoration. We’ve selected a deserving military family (well, aren’t they all?) living on post at Fort Belvoir, Virginia and we will provide everything needed to make dream bedrooms for their kids — from needs assessment to design concept to furniture, window treatments, decorations  — all at no cost to the family.

Military kids face challenges that other kids don’t. At any time, mom or dad could be deployed for months. And just when they are settling into a new community, it can be time to move again. We’ll keep these challenges in mind as we design. We will suggest as many items as possible that can be easily moved, so that when the family is stationed someplace else, mom and dad can quickly and easily adapt the design to make everyone feel right at home.

Over the next few weeks, we will meet with Izzy, Army wife and mom to preschooler R. Izzy is expecting baby number two in January. Our mission: create rooms for R and her little sister.

We’ll keep you in the loop for the whole process, from the initial consultation where we learn about the family’s needs, to our inspiration, to the selection process to the final install.

Belvoir means “beautiful to see.” We hope that through Operation: Decoration, we will help Izzy’s girls have a beautiful rooms to call their own, wherever dad’s duty takes them.

Next in Operation: Decoration

Our first meeting with Izzy…