East Harriet Bedroom

Project: Girl’s bedroom, East Harriet
Designers: Darsi Floersch, Allied Member ASID; Annie Graunke, Allied Member ASID; Jayme Osterdyk, Allied Member ASID; and Laura Antognozzi Peck, Allied Member ASID
Firm: Martha O’Hara Interiors, 952-908-3150

Mixing colors and patterns is often one of the most daunting parts of a design project. But this bright pattern-on-pattern bedroom may very well put those reservations to rest. The client, a nine-year-old girl, “didn’t have any design rules or preconceptions, so we knew we could run with this,” says Laura Peck, part of the design team behind the bedroom at the 2008 ASID Showcase Home near Lake Harriet.

One of their trade secrets: Not to be too “matchy-matchy,” Peck says. “You don’t have to be so precise—it’s so much more interesting when you can mix a variety of textures and sheens and colors and patterns and scales.” Peck notes that most pieces in the space still relate to each other in one way or another, just not in every way. “You need to look beyond the individual pieces to see how everything comes together as a whole,” she says.

The space’s greatest expanse of pattern, the wallpaper, sets much of the tone. The large-scale floral paper from Designers Guild combines blues, taupes, and creams, with metallic gold detailing in the flowers. “It adds just a little glitz and light reflection,” Peck says. “Along with the large scale, it’s a nice way to update a traditional pattern.” Other walls are painted a complementary cream. “You can make a huge impact with one wall of wallpaper,” Peck says. “You don’t need to do an entire room. A little bit of drama goes a long way.”

Photo by Karen Melvin

Instead, a mix of patterns dresses the bed. Two pretty cottons from Designers Guild make up the duvet and pillow shams, pulling back to reveal pooch-patterned sheets from Monique Akar Designs that pay homage to the girl’s pets. An Osborne & Little viscose/polyester fabric with a flocked look brings a soft touch to the headboard and footboard.

A pair of aqua glass lamps with silk shades complements the colorway as well as the elegant yet edgy style of the space. They sit on simple bedside tables. “The tables work because they’re the right color and scale,” Peck says. “Everything doesn’t need to be a star.”

Photo by Karen Melvin

The adjacent lounge/study space ties into the bedroom with a more pronounced classic/modern mix. A traditional damask fabric, for instance, is an unexpected choice for the swivel chairs. “They had an almost commercial feel until we put that wonderful fabric on them,” Peck says. They share the spotlight with sculpted-plastic Panton chairs from Design Within Reach and a charming sky blue table. Even the lighting—a clean-lined floor lamp and a crystal chandelier—provides pleasing contrast.

Most importantly, the nine-year-old is thrilled with the space—and is likely to feel that way for years, thanks to its timeless style. But she’s not alone. “When women walked in, they loved it because it was a princess room,” says Peck, noting the response from the showcase home visitors. “Even though we may not like to admit it, all of us have a little princess in us.”