Ann Ueno

When a repeat client comes to me and wants help turning a “toy/storage/catch all” room into an actual playroom, the answer of course is always yes!  I always start my projects with a design concept and after a bit of back and forth with the client, we aligned on “surfer boy” as our theme.
The space needed to be practical, comfortable and of course, playful for these sweet three boys.  I instantly new of a few products that would work but before I went into the details, I had to find my design moment.  Meaning, there is typically a point in the process – researching, dreaming, brainstorming – where I have an item, a color, a pattern or something that is the centerpiece for everything else in the room.
In this case, it was the wallpaper.  After a mishap with a previous wallpaper I had sourced, I decided to design my own, specific for this client, these boys and this room.  Waves, my first wallpaper collection, was birthed and will be available in  May!  And the best part is this wallpaper is customizable – it has the ability to be monogramed with 1 letter and here we have it with an “e” as all three boys’ names start with an e.  SWOON!
Once I had the wallpaper as my muse, the other pieces came naturally.  I love the Crate and Kids storage piece.  And FLOR carpet squares are always a hit for kids spaces because of how practical and durable they are (plus their designs are amazing).  The lounge-y cushions that act like a sofa are a perfect place for reading and, ahem, wrestling because come on, it’s a boys playroom.  Add some sharks, art and bookshelves and this room is complete!

When I began dreaming up my daughter’s big girl room, I had an instinct of what I wanted to do.  But then it occurred to me, it’s her room.  Not mine.  And I asked her what she wanted and it went something like “rainbows, flowers and hearts mommy!”  My vision was rainbows so we can say there was design alignment.  Yahoo!  Zoey is a great client ;)
While rainbows have made a comeback as of late, my vision was less about trend and more about purpose and story.  You see, Zoey is our rainbow baby.  A rainbow baby is a baby you have after formerly having some sort of loss, be it miscarriage, still born or otherwise.  I discovered this years ago when I would read blog after blog of women thanking God for their rainbow babies.  While the tears would flow, I had equal parts joy and pain.  I was thankful to read the stories of successful pregnancies and deliveries and first birthdays and beyond for this precious rainbow babies.  And I was heartbroken wondering if God would do the same for us.
Well, He did!
And while Zoey just turned 5, this rainbow theme just made sense right now (and maybe it is because they are SO on trend!).  We live in Miami where we see rainbows much more than the average person.  It’s remarkable.  But for the design, I didn’t want it to be literal everywhere.  I wanted a play off of color and rainbows with an actual rainbow somewhere big and bold.
The Pantone prints gallery wall is probably my favorite aspect to the space.  It was SO easy and SO inexpensive (thanks to my local printer, Etsy and IKEA) and yet so unique.  As a designer, I love color so what better source of rainbow inspiration than Pantone?!
And then Crate and Kids released this subtle rainbow bedding that screamed Zoey.  Light pink with some bold textured lines, emulating a sun actually.  I paired the bedding with florals to add some softness and whimsy to the space.
And of course, I added plants.  We love us some plants in our house so that was a must and it continued to play off the nature theme!  I framed one of my favorite pieces of art Zoey made at school as a style feature on her dresser.  I snagged up my favorite Amazon acrylic shelfs to give me functionality for all of her books but displayed in a way that is visually appealing.
I actually had the room designed for months and searched high and low for a wallpaper or mural to cover one of the walls.  This was a design challenge because a) all of the walls have windows so doing wallpaper or a mural can be a bit tricky and b) the color palette or design of the rainbow wall coverings I was finding wasn’t in line with my vision. Most were too literal (ahem, ROY G BIV) for my liking.  But then I found the mural and I knew this was the last design element to complete her space.
I could go on and on but I hope you enjoy this modern boho rainbow room!  Designing with a purpose and story is always part of my mission so this room will forever be special to me as Zoey is our miracle baby – now big girl! – from God!
Design by // Ann Ueno Interior Design www.annueno.com
Photos by // Jackie Knabben www.jacquelineknabben.com
 

When my friend and fellow Miami Mom Blogger and creative, Geri Del Vento, asked me to collaborate with her on her baby boy’s nursery, the answer was a definitive yes!  I knew Geri would be willing to take some design risks that some clients aren’t willing to take – wallpaper, eclectic lighting and untraditional decorative accents – which makes projects so. much. fun.  And I was right!
This space was inspired by some of the boho and mid century designs I’ve seen lately but also, I was driven by making various textures, furniture and elements work together within a relatively small nursery.  And Geri is super creative and had a vision and inspiration as well (ahem, how about that neon sign #amiright?!).  From black metals to industrial lighting and dresser, blending mid century with current design was in full effect here.
My advice and tips are similar to any project – there are no design rules!  Decorating spaces and space planning are not black and white projects.  There should be true creativity and pushing status quo to make a space feel differentiated and personal.  We started with a somewhat traditional Restoration Hardware changing table/dresser and I was adamant that I not “match” the rest of the space.  Instead, I wanted a design that represented baby Leo and his parents, regardless of what the design rules say!  So, HAVE FUN AND TAKE RISKS!  And don’t be afraid of wallpaper and neon signs ;)
Photo Credit – Yesi Flores @simplylively
Designed by – Ann Ueno @annuenointeriordesign

A couple months back I was asked to speak at an event in collaboration with Microsoft and BizNest, a co-working space in Miami that specifically caters to working parents that want to bring their kiddos into an office where they are taken care of, can learn and be creative AND the parents can also work and thrive and know their kiddo is in great hands.  After I committed, my now dear friend casually says…”Oh and Ann, they have this small daycare that needs some love.  I would love for you to design it.”  I was incredibly honored to get asked to do this.  I had 4 weeks to create the vision, moodboards, find a partner (for this project Overstock was the sponsor) source the products, order the products, clean out the existing space, install and have it ready for the event.  It was nothing short of a miracle that all of that happened!
My vision for the space was:  bright, boho-chic, pops of color, playful and functional.  I didn’t want the space to be TOO childish, especially given the age range was very broad – from infants to teenagers.  I wanted the space to have ample seating, to feel warm and to create an environment where the kids could thrive.
See for yourself and check out the full list of sources below.  My biggest tip for all of you out there when designing a kids space – use adult furniture and adult products!  As you can see from the pictures and the sources below, 95% of what I curated for the space were items adults could use in their homes/apartments.  It’s a matter of context and creativity!
Photo Credit – www.spingallery.com
Design Credit – www.annueno.com

Being a designer, it is always my house I design last.  My house projects end up taking SOOOOO long and Zoey’s toddler bedroom was no exception.  BUT.  It was so worth the wait, the time, the decisions, the shopping and the DIY.
My vision for her big girl room was pretty clear in my head.  I decided that since we live in Miami and since I have a fiery and bold little girl, I wanted her room to represent both. Inspired by Wynwood Walls and the incredibly gorgeous nature in Miami, her bedroom is such a perfect representation of where we live, what we love and why taking risks pays off ;)
I am not much of a DIYer but I decided to tackle the paint design myself.  I knew I wanted bold colors, representing what we lucky South Floridians get to see every single day.  I also knew I wanted geometry.  Geometric patterns in rooms is all the rage so I figured I should jump on this design bandwagon.  Plus, it’s paint and SUPER easy to change if Zoey ever gets sick of it.  And by Zoey I mean me.
Another priority for me was to ensure I executed this project as cost neutral as possible.  So that meant selling her old baby furniture, reusing pieces that would work in the space and getting creative with space planning.  Happy to report I designed this space for just about $300 or so net, after selling and reusing (and hitting up IKEA and Target to offset my Land of Nod and Pottery Barn purchases!!).  While I like new things, my style for sure is new meets old and ensuring my house is filled with things that have meaning, tell a story and evoke an emotion.
Without further ado, I bring to you Zoey’s Miami inspired toddler bedroom!
Photo Credit // Jackie Knabben (www.jackieknabben.com)
Designer // Ann Ueno (www.annueno.com)

I had the amazing honor of designing a nursery for my sweet friend (turned client!) located in Miami.  She was keeping the gender a surprise and thus, we had to design the  nursery that was both a combination of her vision as well as mine, all the while making it perfectly sweet for a girl or boy.  My client errs more towards a minimalist, with pieces and decor that have significance in her – and her husbands – life.  They live in a beautiful high-rise building in Brickell so I was fortunate enough to have an incredible foundation to start with.  Perfect lighting (hello floor to ceiling windows!), gray cement floors and white walls were exactly what I needed!  My vision for the nursery was threefold:  incorporate textures to warm up the space, add in a bit of mint tones to offer color and dimension and last, ensure there was purpose in the design.  My inspiration came from all over to be honest.  I LOVE combining all sorts of brands and price points and I did that here – from IKEA to Target to Land of Nod to West Elm to Amazon, this truly is a space that many moms-to-be can create themselves, in their own set price range.  The first thing we did was decide on the key pieces of furniture and the marquee piece was for sure the West Elm dresser/changing table.  My client loved this (and so did I) as it’s functional, the geometric lines fit into the moodboards I created and the piece will last them forever.  Once the furniture was solved, the room really started to take shape.  I knew the space had to have a perfect rug and the mint Land of Nod against the gray cement floor was perfect.  Layering some faux sheepskin rugs on top really created the warmth I wanted.  The hero decor item of the space was the Bible verse wood art above the crib from House of Belonging.  I am pretty sure we both cried when we hung this up! We also really wanted cute animals as part of the design so the simple gallery wall paired with the most adorable lamb for the floor as well as stuffed animals did just that!  And the stars.  Wall decals are the EASIEST thing and such a cute resource to decorate your walls…the gray stars just brought it all together.  The room symbolizes new life…stars, animals, bible verses.  Warm, cozy, practical.