Kids are full of life, energy and imagination. So why not create colorful kids’ bedrooms and playrooms in your home that reflect and foster that playfulness and creativity?

“The (kids’) room is the place where you can kind of go wild and have a lot of fun,” says Soma Pradhan, owner and lead designer at Pradhan Designs. “People want a mature look throughout the house, but the kids’ room is always more fun and funky. It’s completely set apart from the rest of the house, in terms of style.”

The lower level of this kids’ playroom includes recliner chairs to rock back and forth on, as well as a fire pole for fun and easy access once kids have climbed up the wall. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

These colorfully striped stairs lead to the kids’ play space with the fire pole and climbing wall. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

Pradhan recently worked with clients to design a kids’ quarters that stood apart from any kids’ space she’d previously seen. A bold, colorful, striped staircase accesses the two-story space.

Everything in the house is very neutral and soft, with lots of grays and whites,” Pradhan explains. “Then you have these really bright, fun stairs that lead you into this really entertaining space.” The kids’ quarters — a bunkroom, bathroom and a playroom complete with a two- story climbing wall and a fire pole for quick access to the lower level — is a playful mix of colors, from the lime green carpet to turquoise bunks and colorful wallpaper. “It’s a fun, energetic space for the kids to hang out.”

“This was the most full-blown, most comprehensive approach to a kids’ space — from the square footage to the colors and materials used to addressing kids’ need for play,” says Brady Sherman, of Sherman Hayden Custom Home Builders. “It’s refreshing from our perspective, because it’s a family-oriented approach.”

While the scope and the color palette of this home may be unique, that focus on family is becoming more common, local experts say. Whether a vacation home or full-time residence, mountain homes tend to stand apart from their urban and lower

elevationbrethrenfortheir emphasis on play. We come to the mountains to ski, to bike, to hike, to celebrate life, family and the outdoors. Our mountain homes are more than a living space; they’re a gathering place.

The patchwork quilts and colors speak to any gender in this kids’ bedroom. (Photo courtesy of Coldwell Banker)

A girl’s room doesn’t have to be all pink and fluffy to be fun and feminine. Here, whimsical patterns decorate a sophisticated oak bed, and a lounging bench lets girls read, chat, listen to their iPod or just gaze out the window. (Photo courtesy of Coldwell Banker)

“Especially in Park City, everyone is here to have fun… so the emphasis is on keeping the family entertained together,” Pradhan says.

Wild colors are not mandatory for a kids’ space. Many homeowners prefer a more modern, minimalistic look, with black and white and the occasional pop of color, says Ruben Gomez, vice president of creative services at Dressed Design. On the other hand, plenty of kids help choose their design, and they want color. Though play spaces are typically designed with the kids in mind, they are increasingly becoming an area where the entire family can connect and have fun together “as opposed to cutesy little toddler play spaces,” says Paula Berg, owner of Paula Berg Design Associates.

Today’s play area might include a climbing wall, pool table, shuffleboard or even a basketball court or bowling alley. “It’s a time to escape from the electronics as a family and have an adventure in the house,” Berg says.

“Generally speaking, the play space is the family room,” Pradhan says. “It feels like people are integrating their game room and family room and theater all into one room, so it’s more like a community area.”

“I think the focus is shifting away from the TV (and video games) and more toward interaction with each other,” Gomez says.

Whether you have kids, grandchildren or are merely channeling your inner child, have fun as you create a place for young family and friends, for laughter and play.

The post Get creative with your kids’ spaces appeared first on Park Record.

Look up “garden” in the dictionary, and the definition ranges from a plot of ground cultivated for herbs, fruit, flowers or vegetables to a recreation area or park. To one person, the word “garden” invokes colorful images of bright flowers spilling, one on top of the other — like a firework display of flowers — cheerful daisies next to tall, stately purple irises above fragrant, pink petunias. For another, a garden might be a more modern, refined mix of a shady tree, tall ornamental grasses and a water sculpture around a sitting area. And yet another person envisions a garden from which she can harvest fresh vegetables: dark red beets, flavorful tomatoes, green beans so fresh you can’t help but eat a few as you pick them.

For Sue McJames, gardens are as much a part of her heritage as a path to the future. President of the Park City Garden Club, McJames began dabbling in gardening as a child growing up in Evanston, Illinois. As a young girl, she helped her mother tend to the family’s flower and vegetable gardens. Passionate about gardens, her mother also cared for a Shakespeare garden — one that highlighted flowers and plants specific to the Shakespearean era — on Northwestern University’s campus with her local garden club. McJames’ mother inherited her love of gardening from her mother, who cultivated a passion for the fascinating and varied world of orchids.

“Gardening has always been a hobby of mine,” says McJames, who credits her mother and grandmother for instilling the love of gardening in her. She appreciates the calm she finds when she digs in the dirt, the satisfaction that comes with nurturing plants from seed and harvesting food, and the opportunity to beautify her home, her town, her community and the world.

McJames has been a member of the Park City Garden Club, off and on, since it originated 30 years ago. Part social, part educational, the garden club gives members an opportunity to: share their passion for gardening with like-minded souls (complete with dirt under their fingernails), learn about all facets of gardening (including the role of insects in our ecosystem, for example), inspire and get inspired by others, and give back to the community (each member pledges to volunteer garden-related community service each year). As president, McJames hopes to help the garden club strengthen its focus on its mission: to be caretakers of the earth’s natural resources.

For McJames, that responsibility starts here, in the mountains. She fell in love with these mountains as a girl, when her family traveled here for ski vacations at Alta. The passion she found for skiing and the mountains grew so deep she chose University of Utah for college and, not long afterwards, Park City as her home, where she raised her daughter and son. It’s been more than 30 years since McJames made Utah her home, and during it all, she has worked at the ski resorts: first, as an instructor, and finally, in human resources and summer operations.

McJames left the ski resort about a year ago to work with the Park City Chamber of Commerce. Ask her about her career change though, and she’ll tell you it is not only reflected by where she earns a paycheck. “I’ve adopted being a better steward of the earth as my personal mission, my second career.” A longtime supporter of recycling, McJames has always been respectful of the earth, but as global temperatures rise and its effects — and other human impacts — become more evident, she feels a greater urgency and a readiness to inspire others to also care for and preserve the world’s natural resources before it’s too late. Global warming affects all of us, eventually, but in Park City, the mountains stand as a daily reminder of natural resources imperiled by climate change. According to the USGS website, mountain ecosystems in the Western United States and northern Rockies are particularly sensitive to climate change, with the higher elevations experiencing three times the average temperature increase recorded globally — a phenomenon that directly threatens the ski industry.

McJames wants to ensure that skiing — the sport that brought her to, and nourished her love for, the mountains, the sport that she, in turn, passed on to her children — has a future for generations to come.

The post Through her love of gardening, and at the Chamber of Commerce, Sue McJames strives to cultivate a respect of earth appeared first on Park Record.

Chandeliers are one of the main elements that make a statement in dining rooms. Photo courtesy of Coldwell Banker

No longer are dining rooms synonymous with fussy, formal dinners brimming with great-grandma’s china. Instead, today’s dining rooms focus on bringing people together as often as possible, whether for a huge family Thanksgiving dinner, a festive holiday party or a cozy late summer celebration with friends and neighbors.

Open Space

Gone are the days of walls separating dining rooms from kitchens and great rooms. This dining room allows for easy flow and conversation between those in the kitchen, and those awaiting a wonderful meal.

For the most part, formal dining rooms, closed off from the rest of the house, remain a thing of the past. For well over a decade, the dining area has been part of a home’s great room — an open area that encourages easy flow and conversation between the living room seating area, the dining table and, often, the kitchen.

Mountain modern, with gray tones, is becoming a theme in Park City dining rooms. Photo courtesy of Coldwell Banker.

“Dining spaces have thrown away the walls that used to segregate them from the rest of the home and become open plan areas for a more relaxed, casual feel,” says Felicity Gardner, interior designer and owner of Gardner Group Luxury Home Designs.

Modern Mix

Modern chairs and a metal chandelier blend with the more traditional ski-chalet elements in this dining room, including the antique skis. Photo courtesy Dressed Design.

When it comes to dining d?cor, mid-century modern — a sleek mix of Bauhaus and Scandinavian design and 1950’s retro — is emerging. In Park City, where the modern aesthetic meets mountain casual, that trend morphs into a modern rustic look: a mixture of contemporary lines and rustic elements such as distressed, recycled barn wood or raw walnut, for example.

“The trend is to show off the natural texture and beauty of wood, which is often teamed with another organic element, such as a metal base, which results in a pleasing mix of textures,” Gardner says.

“It’s very eclectic,” says Kelly Wallman, owner of San Francisco Design in Park City, adding that the mixture of elements extends beyond the room’s materials to the furniture pieces themselves. “We have people buying new tables and using them with antique chairs. Or they might have two captain chairs that are different from the side chairs, to make it more their own space. People are taking a lot of pride in putting things together themselves.”

Gray tones are popular throughout rooms, including the dining area, these days. Photo courtesy Dressed Design.

“Blending furniture gives the dining area a relaxed, lived-in look, which suits our informal Park City lifestyle,” Gardner adds.

The contrasting styles come together easily in a palette of neutral colors — with tones of gray reigning. Different sized chairs, various coverings and textures, and rugs with simple patterns add visual interest. Grandma’s china hutch has been replaced with a modern, freestanding buffet. Thoughtfully placed pieces like the buffet and a bar area help usher guests out of the kitchen and encourage them to mingle between rooms.

While it is the entire ensemble — from the walls and the art to the furnishings and dinnerware — that creates a dining area’s ambiance, Wallman believes tables and chandeliers provide the most power to set the mood. Among her favorites are scratch- and heat-resistant ceramic tables. Imported from Italy, these functional, yet stunning, tables pair delightfully with a variety of ornate chandeliers, from playful and colorful art glass to unique combinations of steel and crystal.

These two nooks allow guests to comfortably mingle between open spaces. Photo courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Utah Properties.

“It’s very good-looking,” says Wallman. “Very cool.”

Today’s dining areas are beautiful and striking while still feeling inviting and relaxing, resulting in an area where both host and guest feel equally at ease. Creating this artful comfort is the secret to dining rooms that truly feel like they are an extension of welcome within your home, where instead of gathering dust, you’ll gather plenty of satisfying moments.

The post Today’s dining rooms blend eclectic style with a casual air appeared first on Park Record.