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Private Notes
A special wrap party blooper reel.
Camille s a spunky ballet dancer who loves to playact and swordfight with her artsy older brother, Malcolm. But their blah basement doesn’t match their imaginations. They want a bigger art center, a ballet mirror and bright colors. See how designer Val Thwing turns the basement into an inspired space suited to the kids' creativity.
Back in the ‘50s, this room on the lower level of a suburban Washington, DC, home was used by J. Edgar Hoover’s #4 man, to pre-screen Hollywood movies for subversive content. But Hank and Emma don’t care. They’re total hams, and want a nicer place to perform, complete with a stage. Mom and Dad want to get the heirloom furniture out of there and create a cozy playroom that will grow with the kids. See how designer James Koster creates a comfy movie-watching den in one direction, and a kid’s theater in another.
What do you do with three boys with a world of energy? Get them involved in wrestling, soccer, baseball, and when all else fails, wind sprints! These kids are so active that when you ask who's been to the emergency room recently, three hands shoot up. Dad is a wrestling coach and has installed a wrestling mat downstairs, but the kids still need more in the wide-open room. Drew Seskunas–who is a rock climbing instructor as well as a designer–creates a boy’s fantasy room, with a climbing wall and a zip line that they can ride from one end of the room to the other.
The Magner basement is nothing but clutter with an upended TV, piles of LPs and bins of sports equipment. Designer Val Thwing turns it into a livable sports destination for Ellie, Quinn, and Cullen, three kids who live and breathe sports. There’s enough room for bouncing around harmlessly, but Ellie also gets "The Ellie Zone," her own private space to do homework and work on her computer.
Six-year old Dahnbi Ng knows exactly what she wants. An adorable only child, she spells out her vision for her very own fantasy space: she loves her blue bedroom walls and her light-drenched arts-and-crafts table in the bay window, but she really wants to live in the ocean. Designer Chelsea Norton comes in with a whimsical design that fills these rooms with sea-inspired magic, complete with seahorses and other undersea marvels.
This is a color makeover for the bedroom shared by six-year-old Adrian, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, and his eight-year old brother, John Russ. The bedroom’s current mango yellow is not the soothing palette that brings Adrian tranquility, and John Russ and he both LOVE the color blue. Designer Lauren Henry comes up with a psychologically-correct design for Adrian that also suits his older brother.
Eight-year-old Emma and four-year-old Kate love to tumble and twirl, whether they’re practicing gymnastics or ice skating moves. Right now the basement has games and toys shoved into corners and stacked behind dressers. Dad would like to get rid of all the toys that aren’t being played with and Mom would like for the girls to be able to reach the games they like so they can actually play with them. They all agree that a circus playroom complete with trapeze and bars would be the perfect makeover for their basement. Designers (and sisters) Rouzita & Bita Vahhabaghai pair off perfectly with these two sisters to bring the fantasy world of the circus to life.
Two-and-a-half-year-old Aidan is a rough and tumble little boy who is always on the move and little sister Ella is always nipping at her brother’s heels. Mom and Dad are California transplants who've recently resettled in Virginia. They want to bring a little bit of that California hip and cool vibe to the kid’s space. The challenge: an all-white room with a vaulted ceiling and skylights that opens right off the living room. Designer Kevin has the right touch to mix toys and trains with music and mod for the perfect makeover cocktail.
Rock and roll is a family affair at the Kreider household; however, the family has a distinctly un-rock and roll basement. They love to have the kids and their friends hang out at the home but there isn't anywhere with a kid vibe. Designer and musician Drew Seskunas designs a cool hangout that inspires musical creativity and provides a space to play their favorite music.
At the Perrin family household, lovable siblings Brett and Brooke are in their tween years and need a cool place to hang out with friends. The parents have designated a special room in the basement just for them, so Kidspace designer Rachel James stops at nothing to make all their wishes come true!
Calling the Gill family kids well-rounded is an understatement — from dancing to playing music to drawing, this trio's in constant motion. They're also home-schooled, so their parents, Shayla and Rob teach class in the kitchen. However, Nasiru, Leilani and Yaminah find the fridge a distraction. The family wants to transform their living and dining room into a space versatile enough to host class and recess.
Six-year-old Abby and three-year-old Alex Korman have a great secret attic playroom that they almost never use. Abby, a young writer with heaps of imagination, would like to turn this drab room into a fantasy wonderland where she can write books and climb her own set of monkey bars. Little brother Alex just wants a place to play, along with a dinosaur or two. Interior designer Chelsea Norton transforms a modern attic space into a magical storybook palace and playroom.
The attic of the Suomela family is the perfect play space and hideaway for kids, but the small room is overloaded with outdated and unused toys. Sister specialists and designers Rouzita and Bita Vahhabaghai redesign the attic to satisfy not one, but two different age groups. They create a fantasyland for five-year-old Julia and build a cool lounge for pre-teen Alexa.
Evan O'Neal's bedroom gets transformed from a guest room to a young boy's basketball paradise. Interior designer Sabrina Towns gets in the game, painting the room basketball colors, adding a courtside bench and lockers for closet space, foul lines on the floor and a full-size basketball hoop! She also transforms his 7-year-old sister's, Lane, bedroom to celebrate her love for fashion.
The Indo family is expecting! Erin Indo is eight and a half months pregnant and very soon their three-year-old daughter Presley is going to have to share her very pink, very small bedroom with a new baby brother or sister. They are hoping a room re-do will make the transition easier for Presley, so interior designer Rachel James turns the space into a jungle-themed paradise.
A young environmentalist is tired of his pink room, and wants something a little greener.
Kenneth, Austin and Jordan Black are three brothers that love all sports, especially tae kwon do and wrestling with each other. Even with a large backyard, they prefer to stay indoors and are destroying the inside of the house with all their activity. Mom and Dad would like to get their boys out of the house to encourage some good old-fashioned play. Kidspace designer and landscape architect Kathy Von Bredow comes up with an under-deck hangout that is sure to keep the boys in the great outdoors.
A brother and sister get a medieval-style playroom to inspire their imaginations. The Pond family, including sweet, smart Aidan and his sister Lily, a princess-in-the-making, has been using their dining room as a playroom. Kidspace designer Chelsea Norton fills the space with turrets, battlements and gothic windows for a truly medieval makeover.
We get four home schooled kids out of the dining room, and into a new basement classroom.
Mom wants to give Dad in Iraq something to look forward to: two happy kids in a new playroom.
The outdoor-loving Foss family gets a fantastic basement camp-out for their 8-year-old Nate, 4-year-old Jesse and 6-year-old Connor. Since Connor has allergies, they can't spend too much time in nature. Interior designer Drew Seskunas brings the outdoors in by filling their playroom with burlap-covered trees, a fort and other elements of a fantasy forest.
Jacob and Joshua Wilson are budding scientists and love all things creepy, crawly and in water! However, their boring playroom has no room to explore the natural world. Mom and Dad want a stimulating space that will grow with the boys, so designer James Koster comes to the rescue with a science lab designed to rocket Jacob and Joshua through space and time.
The Masback kids, 11-year old James and 4-year-old Clara, are strong creative forces. Clara loves to cook, and James loves to draw cartoons, but single dad, Keith, realizes the white walls and junky space is anything but creative. Plus, Keith would like to reclaim his upstairs. Interior designer Rachel James brings life to this Kidspace and honors the kids' requests to create a kid cafe.
A basement is converted into a playroom for three sisters. There's even a stage for puppet shows.
The Beuker family basement is kids' territory belonging to six-year-old Lily and three-year-old Felix. They love to let their imaginations go wild, but all the clutter gets in the way of fun! Parents Allison and Fritz want to clean up the mess and create a magical space for their little adventurers. Interior design duo Rouzita and Bita Vahhabaghai team up to make over the space into an enchanted forest.
Stand by for blastoff! Single dad Kevin is tired of using the kitchen table as a homework area for his two boys, eight-year-old Andy and five-year-old Vincent. Interior designer Sabrina Towns is going to turn their basement into a fantastic learning center with an outer space theme.
Three-year-old Ella Boboshko is growing up and growing out of her room. Interior designer Rachel James helps this girl go from baby to big girl in Russian style. The design, which includes a headboard inspired by the onion-domes of Red Square, is straight out of a fairy tale.
Designer Kevin Perez transforms a plain attic playspace into a rainforest tree house/superhero's lair. The three brothers of the Trice family now have plenty of space to play with a swing in the tree house and a stage.
A backyard is transformed into the high seas complete with a 17 foot pirate ship playhouse.
Designer Bobby "D" De Leonibus III puts together a new basement space for some active boys. Their parents want a place where seven-year-old Jack and five-year-old Nick can hang, wrestle and tumble without a lot of junk in their way. The result is a playroom jungle for a couple of human monkeys, complete with balancing bar, floor mats and wall mural.
The Jerome girls' jumbled playroom is perfect for an eight-year-old, but Rachel is 14 and Diana is 12! Designer Keisha Gilchrist creates a hip new hangout fit for these teen girls. They love fashion, Shakespeare and athletics, so Gilchrist's design includes a stage, a craft corner and lots of bold color.
The Troccoli basement needs character and pizzazz. Their kids, Nick and Jenna, have no interest in a room full of clutter. Designer Val Thwing creates a bright and bubbly hangout for the two siblings.
Fourteen-year-old Ross Miller likes football, but his heart is in another place—ancient Japan. Dressed in traditional robes, he practices samurai warrior sword moves; however, his bedroom doesn’t reflect his passion. Designer Cynthia Lee Quinn creates an old world Japanese-inspired retreat with Zen influences and a samurai mural that was originally drawn by Ross himself.
Designer Sabrina Towns has her work cut out for her—designing a split room for two small children, including one who could be born any day. Big sister Taylor is moving out of her old room to make space for two-year-old Ethan and their soon to arrive baby sister, Gabby. Parents, David and Arnettia Wright, want a room that reflects Ethan’s love of water and has enough storage for him and the newborn.
The McCormicks want to turn a modest pass-through room into a fun-filled playroom for 5-year-old, Maddie, and little brother, Theo. The room is tiny, so interior designer Chelsea Norton has to get creative. She designs a miniature country cottage playroom complete with a climbing loft, an art center and computer station.
What happens when one boy gets two new roommates? A crowded mess! Vidal Guevara's basement has a lot going on. Not only is it a playroom for four kids (three boys and a girl), it's just been converted into a bedroom for all the boys. Interior designer Keisha Gilchrist gives the kids a new, ultra-cool basement pad.
Five-year-old Justis Dixon has been busy imagining and creating his own worlds—both on Earth and in outer space. He not only dreams of being an astronaut, he's actually mapped out his own solar system. Designers Rouzita and Bita Vahhabaghai launch from Justis' fascination with space and design a room full of planets and all things cosmic.
An old, shabby shed full of motorcycle parts, lawn equipment and tons of junk is transformed into a train depot playhouse for the two train-obsessed Roth-Jacoby boys. Instead of rusty nails and splintered walls, designer Bobby D. creates a hazard-free hangout for two!
Designer Andrew Zill transforms two rooms for the Nowickis. Seven-year-old Anya has an old-fashioned room that doesn't reflect her interests, and two-year-old Katie is outgrowing her space. Katie moves to a bigger room and her old one becomes an art space for the girls. Anya's staying put, but her new space becomes an enchanted barnyard complete with a picket fence and butterflies!
The Haw Family is suffering from a major case of hoarder disorder! Piles, stacks and heaps of junk have taken over their spare room, giving new meaning to the word packrat. Designer Bobby D moves in to cure the family of this massive mess and transform it into a happening hangout for the two Haw boys; complete with baseball theme and pinball machine.
Daisy is growing up fast and wants a bedroom that doesn't feel like a nursery. Kidspace designer Grace creates a design inspired by a story from Daisy's grandfather -- a magical new bedroom with an enchanted tree, dragons and lots of adventure.
With three fun-loving kids between the ages of six and ten, single mom Jeanne needs is a space where the kids want to play -- and stay. The family has a huge basement, but it's dark, dreary and under-utilized. Bring on Kidspace designer Val to divide and conquer this intimidating space with designated areas for arts and crafts, games and watching TV.
The Kaplan boys have all the right moves, but nowhere to practice. Designer Chelsea Norton draws on hip-hop culture and a little 80s mystique to turn the Kaplan basement into the ultimate boogie pad. Her primary paint scheme? Graffiti! That is, if mom and dad don't change their minds!
For most of 10-year-old Natalia Goldstein's life, her family has been on the move. Now that they've settled down, she wants a room that really reflects who she is and who she's becoming. She's sick of her old bed, can't stand the wall colors and wants some personal touches like a full-size mirror. Luckily, designer Annie Chung knows how to mix fun and functional by bringing in splashes of bright colors, a new bed with a reading nook and a prominent place for Natalia's favorite pictures.
When the Benner's moved to a new home, their sons didn't want to leave their treehouse behind. But new backyard has much more potential in store for this old fort. Kidspace designers create a full play complex around it to give the boys and their new baby brother an incredible frontier-style fort.
The buttoned-up, tidy Cole clan gets a funky dose of flower power! Designer Rachel James transforms a boring bedroom into a swinging sixties lounge for an energetic pair of sisters, seven-year-old Grace and six-year-old Madison. Even retired Navy dad, Jerome, gets into the groove for this room's '60s feel, with its huge flower wall mural, tye-dyed sheets, fuzzy ottomans and surprise karaoke machine.
Eight-year-old Kevin Goodwin's role model is Donald Trump and 6-year-old Carly's wish is to be on Broadway. So what kind of playroom do they need? Interior designer Chelsea Norton can sum it up in two words: New York! It's the perfect place to go to pursue a life on the stage, and yet it's the financial capitol of the world.
Eight-year-old Zack and six-year-old Lexi are born performers, with their creative play encouraged by their parents. Unfortunately, their current playspace is an uninspiring basement that doubles as a guest bedroom. Enter designer Grace D. Knowlton with a plan to turn this L-shaped room into the perfect kidspace for two kids who love to make believe. With a pretend diner on one side and a karaoke studio on the other, Grace's design offers the perfect outlet for the Shapiro kids' vivid imaginations.
Ten-year-old George, 9-year-old Hannah and 7-year-old Charlie Flynn love to spend their summers on Cape Cod where they can swim and collect shells on the beach. Back at their land-locked home, the Flynn family lacks a space that captures the same magic. Designer Val Thwing arrives to bring their love of the Cape to an ocean-inspired room that will really make some waves.
Six-year-old Rabhya Mehrotra's playroom is a little rough around the edges. It's in an old garage-turned-playspace, overloaded with toys and textured with scratchy stucco walls. Designer Annie Chung delivers a bouquet of flowers and polka dots to make this space burst with color and bloom with fun.
Eleven-year-old Christian and seven-year-old Zack love everything about medieval times. Their mom and dad want them to have a room all their own that they'll hopefully still love when they're teenagers. Designer Grace D. Knowlton's is up to the challenge of incorporating a medieval theme in an inviting play space. Her ambitious design includes a reading cave, secret tunnels, faux rock walls, an armory, a lounge area with a flat-screen TV and a giant, hand-painted mural of a mythical land.
On any given afternoon, you'll find Kalen, Jamar and Shira Nash playing in their "activity attic." It's a white shell of a space that could use some pizzazz. On top of that, Kalen's bedroom is at one end of the room, so he needs some privacy. Enter designer Chris Anderson with a design plan to transform this bland room into a vibrant playspace, with a beautiful wood-and-rice-paper door for Kalen's bedroom, mats on the floor for roughhousing, a place for Shira's dress-up clothes and a beautifully painted orange sunset all around.
After living in their home for a year, the Wrights are ready to give their eight-year-old daughter Reyna a bedroom makeover using her favorite colors: anything found on the wildest tie-dyes of the '70s. While Mom is a self-professed 'neutrals person', she gives designer Chelsea Norton free rein to summon up the '70s and bring a retro rainbow of color to Reyna's room.
The Maceo family has a basement that's not-so-pretty in pink. Their daughters Alex and Sophia want a space where they can play and be creative, and designer Val Thwing provides them with a trove of treasures from under the sea and a tidal wave of bright colors.
Stella and Claire Yang have one thing on their minds? climbing! After conquering the monkey bars, window sills, closets and even dear old Dad, they need new territory to explore. Kidspace guest designer Grace Knowlton swings in with a design that brings new adventures to a boring bedroom with a colorful obstacle course, including a climbing wall, a rope and a slide.
Fifteen-year-old Abby can sing a sweet tune, but her bedroom is in great disharmony. It's a typical teenage room overloaded with clothes, jewelry and unused junk. Guest designer Sabrina Townes creates a vintage glam design that gives Abby's room the razzle-dazzle it deserves.
The active Greynolds boys need an interior play space that suits their high-energy tumbling. Guest designer Annie Chung transforms the Greynolds' basement into a sports-themed playroom with a variety of outlets for the boys' constant activity, including a full-size poker table, multiple basketball hoops and even a padded wall.
Natalia and Eva love to pretend to be bunnies and puppies, and they spend lots of time playing with their hamster, Noodles. Guest designer Rachel James converts their mom's downstairs office into a playspace that features a woodland mural, a tree house and an indoor fort where the girls can roam wild.
Using the family's Native American background as a launching point, guest designer Cynthia Lee Quinn creates a playspace that's warm and colorful. Removable canvas is added to the walls as the base for for a mural that shows the family's homesteads in the Carolina woods and on the great plains, while a teepee, a grass-like rug and a tree bark-edged art table complete the space.
When the Tyler family moved into their new home, they worked on every room except the kids' new playroom. Now, it's seven-year-old Andrew and three-year-old Reagan's turn to get a room that reflects their very different personalities. Guest designer Grace D. Knowlton takes an unorganized, bland room and creates separate areas for inventor Andrew and princess Reagan, as well as a common arts and crafts area.
For ten-year-old Asher, big changes are afoot. His family has moved into a new house, and he has a new baby sister on the way. Hoping that a new playroom will help ease the transitions, guest designer Kevin Perez combines Asher's two biggest loves, New York and sports, in a design that reflects Central Park, Times Square and a New York-style sports stadium.
Six-year-old Kati and 3-year-old Adrian are active dancers and artists. While they have a large backyard, their playspace inside is a basement laundry room lacking personality. Their parents recruit designer Grace D. Knowlton to bring inspiration, light and fun to a space that's all washed out, taking design elements from Mexico found around the house to create a colorful art studio with a mural, drawing table and a secret hideaway.
Nancy and Steve were neighbors before they became husband and wife. When they married, they and their kids became an instant family. With their numbers expanded, they need a space for the kids that will satisfy everyone's needs, and guest designer has a plan to create a space for both boys and girls while featuring a table where everyone can sit down together as a family.
Ten-year-old Asia is a fashion fanatic, but her current bedroom is short on style. Guest designer Cynthia Lee Quinn plans to turn Asia's ordinary bedroom into a chic space with the flair of a Manhattan design studio. Inspired by Asia's request for a tri-color paint scheme, Cynthia Lee's innovative design is based on thirds, not only with the wall paint, but also with the layout of the room.
Since the age of three, Blake has been part of a tight group of friends nicknamed the Mag 7. With a recent move to a new neighborhood, Blake is now far from his pals. While the boys still come to his new place to hang out, they need designer Val Thwing to liven up the bland basement with vibrant colors, the boys' own artwork and a sporty theme.
