You guys already know that our playroom is looking kinda rough these days (thanks to this whole house update post from last week):
But we’ve decided that once we clear it out, it’ll actually suit our family better as a less traditional space. Burger is a beloved member of our family, so we think he deserves his own little area. And since Clara plays pretty much all over the house (in the office, the living room, the kitchen, and her room – depending wherever we are with her) we won’t really need an official “playroom” until baby number two comes along (and we turn the playroom into a bedroom).
And I’ll spoil the surprise for all of you folks on bump watch, Clara’s brother or sister will probably be about three years younger than her because I’ve got strict orders from my doc to give my body two full years between pregnancies to heal (thanks to some birth complications with Clara). And since it takes almost a year to bake a human on top of that two year waiting period, that’s where we came up with the whole three year approximation.
But back to the playroom. We’ve decided… drumroll please… to give Burger his own little nautical themed room! Because every pooch deserves some sea faring fun. He always seems to have the best time at the beach, so that jumped out at us as the right environment to really set him at ease. The sea gulls, the warm summer air, the sailboats, an errant pelican. What eight pound chihuahua wouldn’t love that? But enough talking, here’s our Burger-licious mood board:
- Our color palette will be pretty straightforward: navy, red, and white (with some natural wood tones and maybe a few pops of yellow worked in there for fun). The walls will stay white with graphic red & navy accents along with a super cool mural for added pop (more on that later).
- How cute would a few of these $33 seagull mobiles be when hung in a flock from the ceiling? Burger should like them since he loves watching real birds flap around outside in real life.
- This boat-ish dog bed was the inspiration for the entire nautical theme. At $260 it’s not cheap, but what can I say? Burger’s like L’Oreal. He’s worth it. Plus it’s such a room-making detail that we just couldn’t pass it up.
- Here’s the mural that I want to paint on one of the walls. I like that it’s obviously sea-inspired without being too over the top (a dock with a single pelican in the foreground feels kind of “understated” compared to some of the other busy and über bold murals that we’ve seen).
- This weathered ship’s wheel (for $34) should look cool on one of the mural-less white walls in the room.
- No dog room is complete without an on-theme dog toy, so this $7.99 blue anchor chew toy definitely fits the bill.
- And since we want to keep Burger looking “cohesive” with the rest of the room, we can’t wait to pick up this $27 outfit to help him get into character.
- Instead of something more traditional, we thought hanging fisherman’s nets (just $17.99 a pop) as “curtains” would add lots of texture and more sea-faring fun. Fingers crossed Burger doesn’t get all tangled up in them. Haha.
So that’s our vision for the playroom, at least for the next few years. Should be interesting.
Now I’m just putting words here, just to fill up space so that when you’re reading the numbered points above your eyes don’t skip down the page and notice this next part. You know, because it’ll ruin the surprise.
So in case you’re wondering if we’re totally off our rockers… we might be. But this post is still totally a joke.
APRIL FOOLS!!!
Did we get you? Did the $260 dog bed tip you off? Or was it our description of the pelican mural as “understated”? Did you really think Burger would be caught dead in that sailor’s suit in the name of cohesive design? Or did you all know this was coming given our history of April Fools Day hijinks (like this post and this post)?
Stefanie says
Best Aprils fool’s post yet! I was fooled until I got to the nets as curtains. I could totally see you guys paying 260 for a dog bed knowing how much Burger is part of the family.
Jacqueline says
So, I’m reading this and thinking, “Hmmm… I really thought J&S would have posted an April Fool’s post.” Then, I saw the $260 dog bed and read your idea about creating a whole flock(!) of $33 seagulls and realized that joke was on me!
Good one!
ka says
You totally almost jumped the shark!
Cristy says
I will admit you got me… at least at the beginning… I just kept sitting there thinking “a dog is getting his own room. and they are giving it a theme. what in the world? i’m not sure if i can keep following this blog if this is the direction they are going. this has got to be some kind of jo….ke. oh, duh.”
Well played Petersiks!
Gina says
I’m pretty new to the site, so I’m proud to say that as soon as I read, ‘Burger is a beloved member of our family, so we decided that he deserves his own little area,’ I was on to you. I had a split second of ‘wait, what did she say??’, followed by, ‘oh, this must be their April Fools gag.’ I’m not sure whether it’s because I realize that you’re too grounded to dedicate an entire room to Burger–regardless of how much you love him–or if I just know that there’s no way I’d be following the blog of someone who would. Well played though…
Kay says
I totally fell for it..hook, line, and sinker (pun intended) I was going to comment that you all had lost your mind. I didn’t even look at the prices, I just saw the mood board and gagged a bit. This was my first reminder this morning that it was April Fools.
Sarah T says
Fantastic prank! Second only to Google Motion, of course.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha – that was hilarious. We were cracking up watching that video!
xo,
s
Elise says
Wow. You totally had me! I didn’t know you did April Fools Day posts – and I was worried that you’d lost your minds!
I have a design question for you: I want to build an outdoor cabinet of sorts – that is attractive from the curb (we live in an apartment with a balcony) but can be used to store things and also has a nice sized table top that we can use our electric grill on. I’ve been looking for plans online but I can’t find anything. Do you have any suggestions for helpful websites with building plans? I’d love any tips you have!
Thanks so much! I’m a big fan =)
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, maybe try bhg.com? Or ana-white.com? They both have building plans you might be able to adapt. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Marcia V. of Precious Style says
Well, you got me. I just thought you all REALLY loved your dog.
Nikki T says
The $260 dog bed tipped me off right away!
Wendy H says
I had totally forgotten that it was April Fool’s Day… so I was reading that post going “uh…whaaaaaat? They don’t usually go for tacky…and a boat bed for the dog? EWWW.” Glad to hear you remain a resourceful and reasonable inspiration!
Nicole says
The fisherman’s nets for curtains had me a little confused! I couldn’t imagine you guys going through with those haha. But before that, I totally believed it – I guess I wasn’t thrown off my the $260 dog bed!
Great April Fool’s Day joke!
Martha says
Okay, I’m a total sucker. I fall for every April Fool’s joke! Although, I have to say it’s the first time reading your blog where I just went, “Whaaaa?”
Dawn says
Haha! I was hooked. As a mom of two young children, I was saying to myself, “oh boy, they are going to regret this as Clara continues to accumulate toys and a sibling comes along, with more toys!”
I knew it had to be a joke as I read about the dog bed though. That’s insane!
Giulia says
Well, it could be true as you have a lobster dog toy in your ‘things we’re digging’ site :)
Audra says
Well the mood board is totally Pottery Barn-ish nursery (in my opinion). I had to go back and read your other April Fool’s jokes and the one about the cats is hilarious. I do actually have 2 fancy hypoallergenic cats. They’re Sphynx cats and I absolutely love them. I’m allergic to cat dander and can totally handle them. Since my husband is surrounded by girls (we have 2 daughters) we got to boy cats- Bruce Lee the Kung Fu kitty and Chuck Norris, Walker Texas kitten. And yes, those are their given names.
Elizabeth says
LOVE those names…haha!
Sarah says
I knew this was a joke the minute you mentioned painting a mural!
Sara says
Oh Geez- you totally got me- I was like, they are usually so chic, how can they possibly be contemplating such a TACKY get-up for their DOG room??? Thank god this was a joke!
Karen says
I knew it when Sue wasn’t mentioned for the colors. Navy and red don’t match your color scheme :) Yeah, and my suspicions were confirmed when I saw the dog bed. Too funny! Thanks for the laugh :)
Kelly says
It’s funny, because I didn’t know it was a joke at all, I just kept thinking, “Hmmm, this doesn’t fit their style. Strange!” So I’m comforted to know that in the few months I’ve been reading your blog (on a daily basis) that I’ve come to sort of “get you”… lol!!
Brooke says
Well played. Even WITH the $260 dog bed, I am ashamed to say I believed you. That’s probably why I am really not a fan of April Fool’s Day – I’m horribly gullible. And I honestly believed – being my own dogs’ biggest fan – that y’all might just be wacky enough to give Burger his own room. Ugh. It’s going to be a long day.
Letitia says
Such a shame! I would totally created a themed room for my French Bulldogs if we had an extra room.
jenn says
You guys are too funny! Embarrassingly enough I bought it the entire time, Ill chalk it up to being a semi new reader. Thanks for the laugh.
Sheila M. says
You had me for sure – until the dog bed. Ridiculous. And funny… I totally thought you went off your rockers. Well played!
Aron says
Lol. You got me. Thank goodness it was a joke. I like nautical and all but I kept thinking I hope they are planning on keeping the door closed because those colors are going to clash!
Sara says
Love it, thanks for the laugh :)
Jackie says
I thought you two lost your minds! HAHAHAHA!
Amber says
Oh my word. I was completely fooled for almost a full 30 seconds. Freaked.me.out! What is sad is that I can totally picture somebody stealing this mood board and making a doggie playroom with it! Ha Ha.
Renee says
About the $260 dollar dog bed….I thought, “Gee, the blog must be doing really, really well for them to spend that much money on a dog bed.” LOL I also thought, “The red, white and blue would clash with the rest of their house….” But, having looked at over 100 houses before I bought mine…you just never know how people will decorate, or not decorate in most cases!
Aron says
Oh I just saw the mural idea… Yikes!!!! Too funny.
L.Overstreet says
so relieved. i almost clicked away when i saw the bed (BEFORE i read the details) because it was so redonk. mad props to you two for the creativity required for this one.
Betsy says
I was actually pretty excited for the little guy…lol
Good one!!
Lindsay S says
HAHA! Okay, kudos to that, you got me! My eyes glazed over before I saw the price tag or “understated”. Good job, I NEVER get tricked on April Fools day. I forgot it was today!
Lesley Hamilton Frenz says
Good one! The color scheme was my first tip off– I could see Burger having his own space, but it would most definitely fit with the design of the rest of the house!
Happy April Fools Day!
Alison says
oh my gosh, should have known. the entire time i’m reading this post going, “really? really? have they lost it?”
hahahah good one
Sarbear says
I’m kind of animal crazy…we used to have a bedroom just for the ferrets (since passed away) and the cat does sort of rule a different bedroom right now. The three dogs own the rest of the house. So what I’m saying is, you kind of tricked me a little.
Shannon says
I totally bought it! Thank goodness it’s a joke is all I can say!
Amy says
Am I the only one who would love to see how this room would turn out? I think it would be tacky – but delightful. You know, in somebody else’s house.
angd says
*Whew!!* I’m a new fan of YHL thanks to the Washington Post article and am now in total love with your site. Was a wee bit worried when I saw this and am relieved to see it was an April Fool’s joke. :)
Sandy says
OMG! I was like, “Man, they must have a major sponsor or something for that $260 dog bed!!” I’m so gullible…
Lindsey says
I’ve been looking at internet April Fools pranks since last night and it still didn’t sink in right away. Some nautical themes are pretty neat, but oh my, the existence of the $260 dog bed boat is a little scary. I can only think, why?
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
LOL!!! Good one. You got me! But when I read $260 for a dog bed I thought to myself, “This is soooo unlike them not to try to get it cheaper or make it themselves”. But I read on until the end and thought you were off your rocker until the “April Fools” words popped up on my screen. {clapping}
Cheryle says
Wow. You totally get me – every year! I think it has something to do with how we all bow to your awesome design judgement – like you could start any design craze and we’d all be like, “yeah! awesome!” No matter how weird, cuz we’d all think you know what you’re doing! Ha! Even though I KNEW it was April 1. :)
Also wanted to pass along the link to One King’s Lane – have you ever heard about it? It’s a “club” (just needs email to join) and there are sales on designer stuff every day. Some of it you might be able to find cheaper – just like at BJs – if you are aware of prices as you guys are, you would be good, so you might find a deal or two! The sale this morning from Magenta made me think of you, so I thought I’d share! (The chain link cake plate is pretty cool!) https://www.onekingslane.com/sales/10348?utm_source=Daily-Email&utm_medium=Sales4-ShopNow&utm_campaign=04-01-2011
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the link! We love OKL- so full of eye candy!
xo,
s
Megan says
I have just recently started following your blog, so I wasn’t around for last year’s April Fool’s joke. I was only about 1/4 of the way into this entry when I thought to myself, “I really, really liked these guys but I’m afraid after this post we might have to part ways.” I was so relieved to realize we can still be friends. :)
Blanca A. says
Too funny! The dog bed didn’t even faze me :) i should have known better lol
Bethany says
Yes, the dog bed was definitely the tip off for me! :)
Pamela says
Okay, this is kinda weirding me out a little, because your recent post about spotting those awesome letters in the antique shop almost persuaded me when I read it a few days ago to kiddingly reply at the time that the letters would come in handy if you ever decided to do a nautical themed room – that you could use the letters to spell the word “Boat.” And what do I see first thing this morning?! A nautical themed room?! And, what’s even crazier, I remember that someone mentioned on that post that y’all indeed did have someone special who had the initial of one of the letters in the antique shop, which was “B” for Burger, so I thought you were feelin’ guilty for not buying it for Burger & mounting it above his crate area – so to compensate you decided to give him his own specially designed room! (although, admittedly, I was surprised that he scored an *entire* room out of the deal!) :) True (twisted) story!! Ha! Thanks for the great laugh…that photo of the boat bed/dog in the photo is hilarious, & your comment about Burger not being caught dead in the nautical outfit is funny, too.
*Michelle says
HAHAHHA – nicely done! btw – you were dead on in your immediate “bump watch stand down” after mentioning bean #2. I was totally about to go back in posts and look at recent pictures! :) … hmmmm too creepy? hehehe.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, not to worry- even my mom and John’s mom do it. I guess once you have a baby (even if she’s only 6 months old) people start looking for signs of a repeat performance. Haha.
xo,
s
Paige says
Hahahaha. As soon as you said Burger was getting his own space I knew something was up.
But you’re totally buying that outfit for him anyway, right? (Ha.)
J'Ann says
Cant wait to see the finished product!
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