White House-Worthy Kids’ Rooms

Note to Michael S. Smith: Here are ideas for kid’s rooms — Malia and Sasha Obama’s private spaces.

America’s first daughters, 10-year old Malia and 7-year old Sasha Obama are getting age appropriate kids’ rooms in the White House. The sisters have become overnight ‘tween sensations since their dad’s inauguration. After all, who could resist such endless adorableness. So details of their little lives, such as how their new White House bedrooms will be decorated, are popping up in glossy gossips.  US Weekly recently revealed that new decorator-in-chief Michael S. Smith will use mass market furnishings in the girl’s rooms.

To see what is readily available, we checked out the challenges Smith’s team might face in pulling together “White House Worthy” kids’ rooms based on collections from Pottery Barn Teen, Pottery Barn Kids and Anthropologie. It would be no surprise if Smith – a prolific home product designer — did a considerable amount of tweaking, streamlining and custom coloring with cooperation from each brand. Our biggest obstacles while gathering possibilities were the hopelessly messy, eye-popping clutter and narrow range of colors shown in the catalogs, along with discontinued or out of stock bedding parts.  Smith can always have his work room run up a few custom pieces, so our focus is on general looks.

We also assumed the following: there are built-in book cases in White House bedrooms, viable light fixtures, and historic home windows that may not lend themselves to catalog sizing. Costs of basics such as mattresses, bed pads and pillows, as well as small accessories are not included. Rough totals for each look are based on posted prices and do not include shipping, tax or custom fees.

Two Options for Malia

1. Natural World Bedroom

The pierced tree silhouette headboard of the white Greta Poster Bed [top] gives it a lacy girlishness along with a “green” theme. It comes with a canopy and optional trundle and we would opt for the four poster version with trundle. Although personal items could easily slip through the openwork spaces and the headboard doesn’t have any sit-up-in-bed padding, it looks fresh with the aqua “giraffe” print duvet and pillow cases and either plain white or matching aqua sheeting.

The Display It Smart Desk and matching Wide Dresser each come with built-in bulletin boards.  The dresser has a glass case on top, a safe-keeping or display spot for special items. The desk has ample storage for a serious student and easily could be drilled to accommodate a power strip for a computer, camera and ipod in back. Pale aqua walls would set these off crisply.

So charming, the five-foot round Dream Menagerie rug points up the naturalistic trees and animal theme with additional jolts of color. Aside from the dreamy bed, our favorite piece is the flop-on-me “Furilicious Bean Bag” chair.

Approximate cost: $5,040
Pottery Barn Teen
Greta Poster Full Bed $1,099 plus Trundle $399
Giraffe Organic Duvet Cover $119 and Pillowcases $32
White Queen Sheet Sets, $99 each (x 2) Extra Pillowcase Set $26 (x2)
Display It Smart Desk $999 and Hutch $399
Display It Wide Dresser $799
Display It Smart Bedside Table $249
Furilicious Bean Bag Chair $199 (x2)
Anthropologie
Dream Menagerie 5′ round Rug $298

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2. Monogram Bed Room

We love the big monogram on the slip covered Lewis headboard, as it’s easy to change in a few years.  Using a solid, pale green cotton twill available for the headboard we would top it with the cheerful embroidered Kapali duvet and shams with wonderful details.

As girls move into their teens it’s so nice to have something like this Hampton Vanity Tower, a girly dressing table and storage unit with organizing features inside the doors that help contain the inevitable mess.

With pale green walls, the headboard and green faux-suede Cushy-Lounge sectional creates a background for the lively patterns.  It’s perfect when entertaining sleepovers. The bright Quixotic Reverie Rug charges it up with a motif that looks contemporary but is reminiscent of traditional American needlework.

Approximate cost: $5,600
Pottery Barn Teen
Hampton Vanity Tower $1799
Ooh La La Swivel Chair with Green Cushion $299
Cushy Lounge Sectional Set $699
White or Green Full Sheet Set $79 (x2)
Extra Pillowcase Set $26 (x2)
Pottery Barn Kids
Lewis Slipcover Full Headboard $349
Monogram $6.50
Collins Full Bed Skirt, Lime $39.99
Anthropologie
Kapali Duvet $228
Standard Pillow Sham Set $68
Euro Sham  $48 (x2)
Bed Skirt $88
Quixotic Reverie 8 x 10’ rug $898

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Two Options for Sasha

1. Sugar and Spice Bedroom

A girl who’s still in the Brownie age range might just love this sugary pink and brown scheme. Start with the practical Collins slip covered headboard with pink trim and layer on the sweet coordinating Amelia and Polka Dot duvet and sheet set. It’s a special look and the Sleigh bedside table has a shelf the right size for a doll or two.

Remembering the bright orange outfit Sasha wore to the Inauguration made me think of her when I saw the Floral Medallion rug. It adds plenty of spice to the Riley Desk and Hutch with Spin Desk Chair, the crazy cushy pink Twill Lounge N Chair and the Larkin dresser.  These pieces are perfect for a large, airy room with a bay window and pale pink walls.

Approximate cost: $4,110
Pottery Barn Kids
Collins Twin Headboard and Frame $299 (x2)
Collins Twin Headboard Slipcover, Bright Pink Stripe $99.99 (x2)
Amelia Twin Quilt $159 (x2)
Amelia Quilted Standard Sham $32 (x2)
Amelia Standard Sham $26 (x2)
Amelia Quilted Euro Sham $39 (x2)
Amelia Twin Sheet Set $59 (x3)
Sleigh Bedside Table $179
Riley Desk, Sun Valley Espresso  $539
Riley Desk Hutch, Sun Valley Espresso  $119
Spin Desk Chair $199
Larkin Dresser $799
Floral Medallion 8′ x 10′ Rug $599
Pottery Barn Teen
Twill Lounge ‘n Chair $179

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2. Red Hot Bedroom

There’s so much white furniture for girl’s rooms we naturally fell for the pop of the red Janie Collection trundle bed. Originally, it came with a red Bobbin Night Table and a matching red desk, but no longer. The Dorset Floral Duvet and Shams make us smile and they are so coquette with Dorset Ribbon sheeting.  In the White House, sheet borders that require ironing should not be a problem.

We were eyeing a white flotaki rug and briefly thought about blue.  Eventually we settled on the Ancient Language rug for its red ground. A white Madeline Dresser is classic enough to take Sasha into her teens and beyond. While she might need a larger work space later on, the Madeline Writing Desk and Hutch with Taylor Swivel Desk chair should suit her now. In terms of seating, a pair of Furilicious Bean Bag chairs would be great for Sasha’s red hot room — providing her big sis didn’t already have first dibs on them.

Approximate cost: $5,625
Pottery Barn Teen
Dorset Floral Full Duvet Cover $139
Dorset Floral Standard Shams $29 (x2)
Dorset Ribbon Sheet Set – Full $84 (x2)
Furilicious Bean Bag Chair $199
Pottery Barn Kids
Janie Full Trundle Bed and Pillowtop Mattress $945.99
Bed Trundle $349
Bobbin Night Table $99.99
Madeline Writing Desk $299
Desk Hutch $99
Madeline Dresser $799
Taylor Swivel Desk Chair$249
Chair Cushion $24
Anthropologie
Ancient Language 8×10’ Rug $1998

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