Preschool classrooms {part 2}

My favorite paint color in the pediatric clinic (see part one here) are on the walls in the conference room, kitchen and restroom. Because I like the color so much they are also my favorite rooms. The color is Atmospheric AF-500 by Benjamin Moore. It is a great color to use for a powder room, laundry room or even a bedroom (I have used it for all three).  

{Paint color: Atmospheric AF-500}

Since the public areas of the office needed to be painted in a more subdued color scheme, I wanted to introduce more color in the rooms that were used primarily by the staff. The color would have been too much for the other spaces but in these rooms the color adds a nice punch to break up all the neutrals and it brings a little more life to the office. I received some feedback from one of the psychologists today who said the conference room felt very calming. I like that.

The conference room:

There will be a flat screen TV mounted on the wall opposite the photograph wall. The photographs will eventually be the children from the clinic (they have placeholder children in them currently) and the frames are Ikea Ribba frames with custom mats inserted to hold an 8x10 photograph. Tip: If you are having custom mats made, make sure you have the inside measurement cut slightly smaller than the size of the photograph or artwork you want to display so that it doesn't fall through the opening.

I love the framed photographs. These frames were only $20 each ($19.99) so if you keep the mats that the frames come with (11 & 1/2" square openings) you can have quite a nice art wall for around $200. I hung my frames around 3" apart which made a total measurement of roughly 5 & 1/2 feet by 5 & 1/2 feet.  Frame a lovely calendar or pages from an art book and you have a unique and very inexpensive art wall.

The kitchen:

I love the way the kitchen turned out. We used all Ikea cabinetry and the backsplash is a linear glass and stone blend (Eclipse series) from Tilecrest.  I used the same door pulls (Ikea Vinna handles) throughout the office to add continuity and simplicity. I like that they are a substantial size and at $7.99 for a pack of two they fit in with the budget. 

floor detail

The kitchen has an eat-in dining table for the staff. The table is not extended correctly in the photos and obviously the room is not finished (I will be adding art on the walls) but you can get the idea. The table is the Bjursta table ($199) and the chairs are one of my favorites, the Snille ($22.99 with the swivel). I use these Snille chairs a lot for children's desk chairs because they come in great colors (love the hot pink) and kids love a swivel chair with wheels!

The restroom is still "in progress" as well but I wanted to show you that I used the same wall color here as in the kitchen and conference room. When I am selecting paint colors for a residence or for a commercial space, I like to keep my wall colors to a minimum. I start with a main wall color that will usually extend through the hallways and large open spaces and then I select individual room colors trying to repeat colors where I can. In this office I have also carried the blue to the more neutral spaces through decal colors, toy baskets and door signs which I will show in a future post.  

I purchased the vanity online from Modern Bathroom a local company here in the Los Angeles area. The Leto 36" vanity came with everything you see (the mirror, the faucet, the top and the pulls) and was nicely priced at $1,029.95 including delivery.  And it came in less than a week! 

We added a large Ikea cabinet that matches the other cabinetry in the office adjacent to the vanity for storage and I will be adding the decoration over the weekend. I am hoping to put all the finishing touches in the office by the beginning of next week and then I will post the final photos.