Glass Houses From Design Star Challenge 7

By Vern Yip

Alice's idea is rooted in being a child, learning from the park and Mother Nature, and growing on the inside from experiencing the outside. This idea is brilliant and perfect for this venue and challenge and, even more so, underscores why the space plan should have had the beds facing the park. Her colored glass bead stick-ons were an ideal choice that read from the inside and outside. Although Alice followed my advice to place them on the ceiling as well, allowing light to filter through to project color onto the ground surface, she put very few of them on, leaving the look more "spotty" than amazing.

Her green silk drapery was a nice touch that softened the corners and added texture and warmth, but they looked a little short and didn't take advantage of the volume of the space. Green silk fabric intermittently tied to the center of the ceiling or working off the ridgeline of the glass roof would have made an amazing internal tent that any child would love sleeping under.

The issue with both of these elements (the colored dots and the green silk) is that they aren't forcefully implemented to make a statement or to showcase a great idea. A small space will usually feel larger if it showcases a few big and bold ideas rather than many ideas that seem partially implemented. With that being said, Alice clearly demonstrates that she knows color and sophistication, perfectly blending styles and injecting the right tones of green, pink, whites and neutrals to create a children's room that has personality and an abundance of style.