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Hanging Decorative Birdcages In A Kids Room

Put a birdcage on it. That’s right, why stop at putting a bird on something when you can put an entire birdcage on it?

Follow up question: why stop at one when you can go with three?

Birdcages Final Shot

Sidenote: we’ve gotten a few questions about the brown sheet on the daybed, so the deal with that is that we still haven’t picked up sheets for the bed, but they’ll most likely be navy and most definitely won’t be that crazy old tan sheet that has been on this daybed for around six years! Haha. So just try to ignore that for now if you can.

But back to the birdcages. I’ve been itching to hang these guys since we started this room, so it’s really exciting to finally unveil the “secret 3D items that we plan to hang to balance that off-center window” as we so cryptically referred to them a few times. Why birdcages? Well, it all started over a year ago when we came across the big white birdcage at a local thrift store during book shoots (we were there grabbing some other things and couldn’t leave without it, so we bought it for thirty beans and I hugged it the whole way home).

Then back in September when we got those $8 thrift store chairs in West Virginia on the drive home from redoing Granny’s bathroom, we also grabbed the red birdcage at the same thrift shop for $10 (it was white when we got it though).

Birdcages Full Side

So we had two birdcages sitting around forever, but I knew I’d prefer one more to make a nice grouping of three. And of course, per Murphy’s Law, the third one wasn’t as easy to come by. We tried a bunch of thrift stores and even stalked craigslist (where some folks wanted $90 for their birdcages, eeks!) along with online decorative birdcage vendors (yes they exist, but they also want lots of money for them). Then when I had almost given up all hope, I found that guy on the left at Hobby Lobby (which was $19 after I got 50% off thanks to their all-the-time sales).

That one came in the darker pewter color and I had originally planned to spray it white to go with the other two white ones I already had, but then I realized leaving it that color (it ties into the navy curtains) and spray painting the $10 one from the thrift store bright red would make for a fun little mix.

Birdcages Wide

We wanted this to be a surprise for Clara, so she didn’t see me paint that one or watch us hang them (they’re all very light, so we just used plant hooks that are guaranteed to hold much more weight than these birdcages along with anchors, just to be on the safe side). She was so excited when she woke up from her nap to see them all hung up. Wish we got it on video. There was lots of pointing and laying down on the floor & daybed and gazing up at them. And then she brought in all of her stuffed animals to see them too.

Speaking of careful, since the white and the red one are especially light (they’re made entirely of wicker) we opted to hang the dark one on the end, so it’s not over the daybed at all, which is clearer from this shot:

Birdcages Not Over Bed1

And even though the white and red wicker birdcages are extra light, we still didn’t want them hanging directly over the daybed, so as you can see from this angle they’re set back a lot and the daybed is pulled away from the wall. That way they’re not in a spot that a jumping-on-the-bed Clara could hit her head. So in the end, they’re just like hanging a mobile or a model airplane or anything else that you might find hanging on the ceiling of a kids room. We’re big fans of making things that Clara can gaze up at (like her flower mobiles) so these birdcages were an especially fun little addition to the room for us.

Birdcages Not Over Bed2

So that’s the story of the birdcages. We love that they add interest, pattern, color, and playfulness to the room – especially since there’s already a frame collage on one wall and we have those postcard ledges on another wall. It’s fun to keep thinking about ways to add dimension and interest beyond the ol’ picture frame, ya know?

Birdcages Vert

Bam. I just hit you with a birdcage detail shot.

Birdcages Detail Shot

And now for a few tiny updates that have also gone on. I found some thin red ribbon from my leftover-from-Christmas box, and ran it around the bottom of Sir Moose, just to balance the patterned shade a bit more. Diane actually mentioned the possibility of painting it here in a sweet comment back when we shared the new shade (thanks for the idea Diane!) but I opted for ribbon since it’s so easily changed.

Moose1

As for how I attached it, I just taped it around the back to hold it in place with regular old scotch tape about a week ago. Still holding strong!

Moose 1

The room’s really starting to look finished in certain areas. We definitely still have lots more on the to-do list, but it’s coming along slowly but surely…

Birdcages Other Side

Speaking of the list, here ya go:

  • paint the room (more on that here)
  • cut down our old den side table to make a play table (more on that here)
  • bring in a dresser (we’d love to find something secondhand) (more on that here)
  • make/hang some curtains (more on that here)
  • add a rug (more on that here)
  • paint the backs of the chairs along with her play table (more on that here)
  • hang our postcard ledges and fill them with favorite flashcards (more on that here)
  • install a new light fixture (more on that here)
  • hang a few 3D objects that we have in mind for wall decor (how’s that for cryptic?)
  • get a new set of sheets for the daybed (most likely in navy) along with a cushy mattress pad
  • refinish or paint Clara’s new dresser (which we got here)
  • turn the junked up closet into an actual clothes closet/reading nook
  • add crown molding (along with tackling the other un-crown-molding-ed bedrooms on this side of the house)
  • possibly paint the ceiling once the crown goes up and we choose a color…
  • add accessories like more pillows, storage bins for toys, etc

Oh and we did frame and hang one more thing…

New Art

Isn’t it cute? I love that you read it right as you walk in, and that it’s full of so many colors that you see when you step further into the room. It’s by Katie Daisy (I’m a crazy rabid fan of her amazing work) and I actually pinned it around a year ago, only to find our new friends Lauren and Steve at our book signing in Palo Alto holding it out to us (all rolled up and tied with a ribbon). Is that sweet or what? It really is amazing how thoughtful people are. When I said “I pinned this so long ago!” she said “I know!”

 

New Art2

I don’t know if I’m just a sappy mom, but it gets me all misty-eyed. It’s so true. Clara is loved like crazy, and every time I see it I send some love to Lauren & Steve for their amazingly thoughtful surprise.

So that’s what’s up in Clara’s big girl room. What did you guys do this weekend? Anyone else hanging giant 3D objects or pretty little prints? What about “put a birdcage on it.” Thinks it’ll catch on? Come on guys, we can make this happen. The question is, do we want it to…?

Psst- Ahhhhhh! The secret video thing we hinted about on Instagram is finally out! It was actually for BBC and not only do I rock a side ponytail, there’s lots of talk about our big goal this year. Nothing like trying to stick to a resolution by chatting about it at length to BBC News. You can watch the video and read the article here. If nothing else, the Clara & Burger shots are priceless.

Comments

  1. Hannah C. says

    Love, love, love the birdcages! On a side note: is it weird that I assumed with all the typing/blogging/emailing you guys do, that you both typed…well…I dunno…in the standard position? It looks like John does, but Sherry seems to be rocking the two-finger method. I dunno why, but I found that odd :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Isn’t it funny how weirdly I type?! All my friends and relatives can’t believe how fast I can go, yet I only use two fingers. I wish I could use all of them but no matter how hard I try I can’t get my hands to cooperate! Haha!

      xo
      s

  2. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    I love how little by little you are getting her room together. It’s turning out to be such a special place. When bebe #2 comes along, I don’t foresee any tantrums over “I don’t want to leave my room! This is MY room!” all Veruca Salt style. I bet Clara will be like “It’s about time I get to move on up to the East Side…” (I reference TV and movies waaaaay too much ;) The birdcages are truly a delight. And your BBC article and vid had me grinning like a fool. It’s always like “Heeeey I know them!” You guys just do what you do so well. *High fives*

    My best, Lynn
    *Oh and I had a dream that I sold you a fixer upper on the beach in FL and I woke up and was sad because it wasn’t true. Crazy man, crazy…

    Reply

  3. Sherri says

    Clara’s big girl room just keeps getting better & better. FYI on navy sheets. I had them years ago & it was difficult to keep them lint-free. Keep us posted on how they work out.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Will do! I think we’ll just go for a cheap twin set from Target and see how they fare (we have a dark charcoal sofa which is pretty close to navy and even with a toddler and a dog it works really well for us). Here’s hoping!

      xo
      s

  5. Chelsea Wilson says

    Do you plan to line the curtains with light blocking fabric in Clara’s bug girl room like you did in her nursery?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We figure once she’s sleeping in here we can transfer the light blocking liners over into this room (we didn’t stitch them in, so they’re just clipped to the back of the fabric panels in her nursery).

      xo
      s

  6. BC says

    I loved your video — it spoke to me, as a work-at-home mama of a toddler. I take care of my 20-month-old all day, and I work when she sleeps. It’s exhausting! Everyone I know totally romanticizes working from home too, and what they don’t realize is that when they are relaxing or spending time with their spouse at night, I am sitting at my desk just starting my work day. It’s worth it because I get to stay home with my daughter, but working at home has many challenges that you really don’t get until you’ve done it. You’re an inspiration to us work-at-homers! :)

    … and I love the birdcages!

    Reply

  9. Anne says

    Oh you who see three bird cages. As a veteran of four kids (2 boys and 2 girls) I see:

    3 targets to throw things at, a.k.a., birdcage skeet shooting.
    3 targets to jump on the bed until I leap, catch hold and
    SWING…… In legal circles this would be called an attractive nuisance.

    Of course between the leaping and swinging will be a visit or two to the emergency room to explain how my boys got hurt– again.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha! We’ve told her they’re only for looking and not for touching (and haven’t put anything tempting in them for now, just to establish that). We figure since she didn’t pull the Christmas tree down on herself (or try to climb it) after we told her it’s only for looking, she’ll hopefully be cool with following that direction with the birdcages too! But of course we’ll keep an eye on her like we always do around the house just in case. I have learned we can’t safeproof everything, and since her current mobiles above her changing table have never inspired her to toss things at them or try to stand up and grab them we have our fingers crossed… haha! Will keep you guys posted if anything changes of course!

      xo
      s

  11. Tiffany S. says

    I could so totally see some origami animals or birds in the bird cages or even a few of them fluttering in the air. :O) We got the tutorials online and made some with our daughter in her first big girl room. She is a pre-teen now *tear* The room looks awesome!

    Reply

  13. Jen says

    The BBC interview and video are great. You guys come across as very grounded. I think I’ve already commented along these lines, but it’s nice to see how thoughtful you are about the degree of exposure you want in a world where more exposure (leading to more fame, of course) is almost always seen as an unqualified good.

    As for the decor, I really like the bird cages. I think it would be funny to hang a little framed picture of a bird from the swing in the red one. I’m not exactly sure why I think that would be funny…maybe because putting a framed picture of a bird in there really drives home the “decorative” aspect in a cheeky sort of way. I also love the suggestion of hanging origami cranes in the cages (putting stuffed animals in there would be kind of sad, like they’ve been captured by an evil villain and imprisoned in hanging cages!)

    Reply

  14. Maria says

    Have to say that when the room started out, I thought: “Oh. Hm. Well, hm. Ok?” but I guess that’s really what you mean by The Middle. I also thought you were nuts for going with pink, red and navy, but…

    I LOVE checking in here to see what you come up with, as I personally think every detail so far has pulled the room together more and more. And even though in no way have I ever thought of hanging up bird cages in a kids room, they look really great and add so much to that spot.

    Well, back I go to decorating our daughter’s first room (she’s 2.5, the poor thing). The wall colors are chosen by her (purple and yellow), which makes things difficult, but we’ll see where we end up! :-D Reading your blog has let me see that experimenting with paint is not horribly time consuming, so I thought we’d start and see where we end up. If worst comes to worst, we’ll just repaint.

    Oh, and I will spray paint this horribly ugly vase I got from a friend. Also thanks to you. ;-) Enough sucking up, need to go renovate some more!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Maria! The middle definitely makes no sense, so just stick with things and see how they all work out (and in the end it’s always fun to tweak anything that’s a little off). We can’t wait for this room to come together even more! Hope your daughter’s first room is awesome!

      xo
      s

  15. Leatitia says

    The print is so beautiful, it made me teary! I think I’ll make one similar to this in French for my son’s room. :)

    I just watched the interview and you guys are so great. Really. You make me smile and those shoots of Clara are so cute. Love ya!! xx

    Reply

  16. Carole says

    I was reading this post and my four year old girl, Clara, came over to my side and said “Maman, I want a room like that”.
    It is beautiful. Great job. I can’t wait to see the final look.

    Reply

  17. Lisa says

    I want her room!! You need to go on the road (like you haven’t done that enough) and help people like me put rooms together..your book does help, though:) Your entire house is amazing!!!!!

    Reply

  19. Lisa Camann says

    I think Clara needs a few of Lucy’s (attic24) crocheted birds for her birdhouses – I’ve got them in a birdhouse in my guest room & just love it.

    Reply

  20. Kim says

    Loved your article on BBC, it’s so cool to see you guys “living the dream” on your own terms and making it work fory our family. You’re an inspiration to a lot of us small business owners :)

    Reply

  22. Sara says

    LOVE the Katie Daisy print! There are about 3 or 4 (I love them so much I lost count of how many I actually ordered!) of them in my daughters room! I like how they are so sweet and whimsical, yet not babyish and will grow with her room as she grows. I even made a iPhone case from some of her work! Love her stuff so much!

    Reply

  23. Melissa says

    Oh my gosh, those are so cute. I love how they balance the window. I can just see them filled with stuffed animals like Clara’s own little menagerie :)

    Reply

  24. Jocelyn says

    I love the birdcages. They give a modern lacey vibe.

    When making the bed have you thought about pulling the coverlet to the end and hiding the sheet? itI would then look like a hip studio pad. (I’m talking like a beatnik :). The colors and patterns have inspired me to pull out my ’60’s childhood. I love this room! My favorite by far.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s not long enough to be pulled all the way up, so we’re embracing the imperfect slide-right-in look, which we think will make more sense once we have more bedding and a proper pillow :)

      xo
      s

  27. Patti says

    Love the birdcages! As soon as I saw them I pictured a few painted birds on the 2 walls behind them, maybe with a stencil or vinyl? I think big birds (or little ones) would look so cute!

    Reply

  28. MacKenzie says

    What spray paint and color did you use for the red bird cage? Is it a true red? It almost looks like it has a bright pink/orange tone in the picture.

    Reply

  36. Laura says

    I hope I’m not asking a question that’s already been answered, but the red heart pillow- where’d you find it?! It’s just the sweetest for a little girl’s room!

    Reply

  37. SilvanaKathryn says

    This room is going to be so epically cute!

    Half the time you guys post something I get a kick at how similar my personal style is. Love the cages, I have a small collection in my living room.

    Reply

  38. Miranda says

    I love the birdcages…but I’ve noticed that the last few times you’ve shown something new to Clara, she gets really, really into it, which is cute but makes me wonder if she’s a little obsessed with material things because of the field you guys are in, working from home, etc.?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think she’s just an excitable kid. But then again, what two year old doesn’t get excited new toys and stuff? She also gets really, really into going to the children’s museum or playground, visiting her grandparents, going to the beach and seeing her friends at school – that’s just not stuff we blog about regularly. So I guess I’m not really concerned that she’s obsessively materialistic or anything, but I could see how you might wonder that from what we cover here.

      -John

  39. Kelly says

    I was just on Pinterest a few days ago and noticed that three photos in a row – all from different pinners – had hanging birdcages in the rooms. I thought it was such a funny coincidence I almost took a screenshot. Now your birdcages – bam!

    Love how the room’s coming along – thanks for sharing! :)

    Reply

  40. Victoria says

    You’re on tv on my side of the pond, so cool! I have birdcages in a fantasy room design in my head but they have plants in them (dangling like spider or ivy) to fit in with a whole colonial theme. Does anyone else plan designs for rooms that they’re probably never going to have?

    Clara is going to love moving up to that room. Getting her involved is a great way to lower the risk of her freaking out when she moves from nursery to big girl room.

    Reply

  41. Hampshire Furniture says

    Wow, the birdcage display is just spectacular! It’s the sort of thing that will look amazing even as Clara gets older. The mix of colours and shapes are beautiful too. This has given me so many ideas ;)

    Reply

  42. Hannah says

    Wow, the BBC?!? Thats awesome! Cant believe that you’re on our news website! I really liked how they filmed and edited it, and the article. Amazing!

    Also loving the birdcages, their colour and balance they bring to the room. And the Katie Daisy print – what a thoughtful gift!!

    Reply

  43. Sassafras says

    Love the look – yet so glad they aren’t looming over her head!

    :0

    Yes, we just hung a beautiful art deco stained glass lantern that we bought from my m-i-l’s estate. It was formerly in a theater in our home town so a slice of home and it’s honking big-o-saurus so had to have it’s own corner. Hanging stuff from ceiling – it must be somethun’ in the air!! Get it?? Just watched Design on a dime do a lady’s closet- it was designed to display clothes, painted out a navy’ish grey and the doors made to open outwards instead of sliders for full access. So cool. Can’t wait to see what ya’ll do for Clara’s closet.

    Reply

  44. Marriah says

    They look lovely! I have a little bird cage that I made out of chicken wire (spray painted, but I still need to figure out how to make a top). I set it on the top of a tall lamp I have with an upshade (not sure of the technical term, but think a hanging metal semicircle lampshade flipped upside down so that the light is directed up rather than down from the ceiling). I then took branches that I found outside and wired them to the “cage” and hung some with fishing line so that they swing freely. Then I added little bird clips from Hobby Lobby and Michael’s onto the limbs and the edges. People often ask me if they’re real birds! Since they’re up about 8 ft from the floor you can’t get too close. The light shines on them from below and makes an awesome shadow in the evening. Something similar with the bird clips and twigs might be fun in one of them for Clara. I don’t have photos of this light on my blog otherwise I’d send you a link.

    Reply

  47. Tamra says

    I know I’m late to the party on this post, but wanted to tell you that I fell in love with a bird cage in a boutique store with little fake birdies sitting on the ledges – selling for $100 (crikey!). I found a bird cage at a garage sale for $5 and spray painted it silver and found pretty little colorful birds at our local craft store for $1 each. Clara might like the addition of few pretty birds in her cages…
    Love your blog and design taste!!!
    Tamra

    Reply

  48. MrsG says

    Will you be doing the cheap & chunky method from over on Katie’s blog? {http://www.bowerpowerblog.com/2010/11/cheap-chunky/} for Clara’s room? I think it would look so classy in a little’s girl!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I love that method! Katie’s house has very very tall ceilings, so anything that chunky would dwarf our 8′ ceilings but we would definitely be open to chunking something up a little bit if it looked too piddly!

      xo
      s

  49. yojo says

    Hi, I was wondering what type of string you used to secure the birdcages to the plant/ceiling hooks? Or was it cable/chain/cord? Im thinking of hanging lanterns instead of birdcages (some of them have glass) so was wondering about the durability. Thanks

    Reply

  50. Seana Barnes says

    I am in LOVE with those birdcages. I’ve been hunting ones like that for at least a year with no luck. They are all expensive or they are “fakes”. Now, I guess I should tell the entire truth here. I’ve always wanted a finch, and my husband is kinda anti-food tossing, noisy bird. He thought he was clever, saying I know you love those old cages, so if you find that you can get the bird. (Not that he is stopping me now, but I try to give and take some. I suppose I could just run out and get a bird sans the antique cage, but what’s the fun in that?)

    Well, now I can tell him that I have evidence that these lovely cages are indeed around for a reasonable price.

    You guys do some amazing things and I just adore the blog! Keep it up!

    Reply

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