Vintage typewriters, nostalgic whimsies of the past, and a playhouse festooned with tulle, twinkly lights, and charm.  What's not to love!  Let's step into the wonderful home (and playhouse) of blogger / mother, Suzanne Hopkins and find out more about how she's created such a magical space for her family.

Where do you and your family live?
We live in Sacramento, California, in a quaint, older community just outside of downtown. The homes in our neighborhood were built during the 20s and 30s, so are on the smaller side, but irresistibly charming. We relocated here a few years ago from the SF Bay Area and it instantly felt like home.

Your daughter's room is pure magic!  How did you go about creating such a lovely space for her?
Thanks so much! I've always leaned towards an eclectic look--preferring a mix of mostly older pieces and collecting new pieces over time that have special meaning or significance.  I was fortunate to have a couple of furnishings on hand which initially inspired the overall look and feel of Bella's room. The antique iron bed was from my childhood bedroom--my mom found it at an antique shop years ago and I just love it. The desk is another treasured hand-me-down. It was my mom's when she was a little girl. I painted it white and added glass knobs to dress it up a bit. From there, I added pieces gradually such as the "Bella" plates above her bed, which I happened upon one day at Anthropologie. The petite chandelier was another great find. Replacing the old, standard light fixture with this little chandelier totally transformed the room. Sometimes, it's the small things that seem to have the biggest impact on a room. I also incorporated special mementos like old, childhood pictures of Bella's grandparents and great grandparents, my framed birth announcement, her first pair of Ked's, etc. I then painted and hung several bulletin boards at her height so she can display school projects, photos, and postcards--it's fun for us to recall and chat about these special memories.

What is your and her favorite part about it?
My favorite part is that her room is filled with pieces that have stories behind them and that it's both stylish and functional. I love that she enjoys hanging out and playing in her room. Bella will tell you that she likes her painted pink walls {she picked out the color} and her books. She recently turned 8 and is a voracious reader and avid book collector. These literary treasures are housed and kept within arms reach in a whimsically painted, child sized armoire, giving her easy access to them when she wants to read.

The vintage typewriter is wonderful.  Where did you find such a lovely treasure?
I wish I could take credit for this great little find. Bella loves to tag along with me to antique fairs and thrift shops and she had been eyeing vintage typewriters for about a year...she was so intrigued by them. Her Oma and Opa spotted this one on Ebay for $5 and refurbished it for her as a surprise. As someone who graduated as a Journalism major and {gasp!} actually used a typewriter back in the day, I, too, have a special appreciation for it.

You've also repurposed your old detached garage as a fanciful club house for Bella and her friends.  What was your inspiration for the design of the space?
This little room tucked behind our garage was in complete disarray when we purchased our home. The walls were covered in 70s veneer paneling and the floor had truly horrific carpeting.  I originally envisioned repurposing this space as my home office. Our budget was minimal, so we kept it simple. We took down the paneling and insulated, sheet rocked, and painted the walls. However, when Bella saw the new and improved space, she immediately claimed it as her "clubhouse". We thought about it and realized its potential as a worry-free play zone. This ultimately inspired the low-key, kid friendly approach we took when finishing the space. For example, instead of fancy flooring, we opted for low maintenance, concrete floors. It's become the perfect spot for Bella and her friends to craft--flying glitter and glue? No problem! It opens out to the backyard, so the kids can run in and out of it all day long without me worrying about tracking in dirt, etc. Bella says it's the next best thing to a tree house!

How did you create such a great budget friendly but oh-so fabulous room?
All of the furnishings in the space were existing pieces that weren't currently being used and instead, were taking up space in our garage. I basically repainted and/or repurposed them to fit the needs of the space. For example, the armoire was originally in Bella's baby nursery, but was no longer needed in her new room. I repainted it and we now use it in the clubhouse to store art supplies and toys.

It's also been a great place to host Bella's birthday parties the last two years. Last year we created a winter wonderland party and this year, we transformed the space into a holiday sweet shop where the kids decorated gingerbread houses. Instead of standard birthday party supplies, I found reasonably priced holiday accents at the Dollar Store and in Target's Dollar Spot that tied in with the party theme, but would also look great throughout the year.  Glitter and paper snowflakes hang from the ceiling and are scattered throughout the room . In Spring they're replaced with colorful paper lanterns. And what kid doesn't love to play underneath a rainbow of dangling candy canes? For some added sparkle, I draped white twinkle lights and a few yards of tulle across the ceiling--this proved to be a perfect {and affordable} solution for the limited lighting in the room and creates a truly magical glow. 

Is there anything you would have done differently, or plan to do to the space in the future?
I regret replacing the original windows with newer ones. Our contractor convinced me to install more energy efficient windows and I reluctantly agreed. Unfortunately, they just don't measure up with the originals which were fabulous looking! Energy efficiency isn't really a factor in this space since there's no central air or heating back there. My advice: go with your gut and if you're not 100% sure about something, sleep on it before making a final decision. Otherwise the room is perfect for now and has greatly expanded our living space.

You recently reorganized your office and managed to create a fresh space without spending a cent.  What are your best tips on freshening a space on a limited or non-existent budget?
Look throughout your home for pieces that can be repurposed or used to create a new look. For example, I covered blah, boring bulletin boards with vintage inspired maps that I had previously purchased and planned to frame, but never did.  They were literally collecting dust in a corner of my room. Voila! Quick and cute bulletin boards.

When shopping {or hunting as I like to call it}, look for pieces with both style AND function. I have a couple of benches in our home which I love the look of, but more importantly, also love their built-in storage compartments--a great solution for a small home like ours. 

My other secret, budget friendly weapon is paint. It's so easy to transform the look of a room or a piece of furniture with a new color...and you can't beat the instant gratification.

What sort of projects can we look forward to seeing from you in the New Year?  Any plans you'd like to share with us?
I always consider our home a work in progress. It seems that whenever a project is "complete", I'm already on to the next idea.  With it being the start of a New Year, I have many many plans and resolutions swirling in my head. If I accomplish half of them, I'll be thrilled. Bella and I are currently collaborating on a project for the clubhouse. She loves to play school with her friends and much of her  Christmas list included requests for school supplies to create her own classroom. We're currently on the hunt for a couple of vintage school desks, chalkboards, retro classroom maps and charts, etc. to deck out the room. I'm really looking forward to working on it with her.

I also have several pieces of furniture I want to refinish, including a fabulous secretary desk that was my grandmother's. I can vividly remember browsing through the nooks and cubbies of it whenever I went to visit her, so it's very special to me and worthy of a magical makeover this year.

Thank you so much Suzanne!  You can see more of the Hopkins' lovely home on Suzanne's flickr album, and read her blog here.  Check out past Cookie house tours here.