Park Ridge Road, Loves Park, Illinois
Hello! As promised, here is a post in honor of Valentine's Day. Notice the title? This cute house is in Loves Park, Illinois. (No, I haven't forgotten my Springfield challenge, but I couldn't resist Loves Park.)
Here is the living room.
The low walls surrounding what I assume are a bathroom and a closet had me stumped at first, but then my design thoughts turned, as they often do, to Sarah Richardson.
This is her farmhouse entry from Sarah's House 3. Her closets have low walls surrounding them, too, but it looks intentional and finished. So, I'd panel, if not the entire living room, at least those areas. While we're at it, I think we have to switch out the doors for cute red paneled doors with white knobs, yes? Layla from The Lettered Cottage also used Sarah's room as one of her inspiration photos when she created an office in her former home:
Isn't that awesome? She always has some cool project going. So, with our little rooms looking all spiffy with their red doors, we've set a theme, and I'm calling it Sophisticated Schoolhouse. What's a schoolhouse without cubbies? Sophisticated cubbies.
These, by Gulf Shore Design, are nice and clean-lined. Let's say we added these to one of the walls surrounding our little rooms. I'm also digging that floor. We'll take that for the entry area, too. So what's on the other side of the room?
This room featured in Better Homes and Gardens reads Sophisticated Schoolhouse to me, with the tweedy sofa, urn lamp, simple blinds, and leather straps on the coffee table (like an old book carrier. This may date me, but I picture Elizabeth with her book carrier from The Waltons).
Adjacent to the sofa, I picture a pretty wingback chair, like this one, in Haskell Harris' home.
Pretty. I think that botanical print reads Sophisticated Schoolhouse, and all of the books stacked by that old trunk certainly carry the look. That wainscoting treatment would also be a nice way to tie in our earlier paneling.
We also need this, from Haskell Harris again.
What's a school without a trophy case?
The house's dining area is the front half of this neat room.
I would add bookshelves on that strip of wall next to the exposed brick. The rest of the room would look like this, as seen on the beautiful blog Vignette Design.
The key (and budget friendly, DIY) Sophisticated Schoolhouse elements here are the numbers on the backs of the chairs and of course, the chalkboard wall.
The kitchen already has a vintage stove!
Hard to tell what the wallpaper's like, but with or without it, I would showcase the stove by adding a similar pan hanging system around it, like this, designed by Moss Creek. Copper pots also seem schoohousey, to me.
Last up, the bathroom. Our design aesthetic is for the whole house, remember? The bathroom is pretty plain, so decorating it will be a snap.
A few touches, and it becomes this:
This is from Jill Vegas' book Speed Decorating: A Pro Stager's Tips and Trade Secrets for a Fabulous Home in a Week or Less. (Amazon affiliate link.) Remember how I've said that one key piece can carry the room? Here it's the map. It says schoolhouse without hitting you over the head (or rapping your knuckles).
What a sweet house. Perfect fit for a Valentine's post and for Loves Park. I'll be doing a theme city for President's Day, too, but it won't be a Lincoln or Washington. Curious? Stay tuned….
Like this style? See more on my Pinterest board.
