By Mi-Ling’s Comfort Zone
First Published 2004
What are little girls’ dreams made of? Is it sugar and spice? Most little girls want to be a princess and live in a castle. Well, that dream is a reality for six-year-old Sarah Clymer. Her parents Shari and Jeff have created a fairly tale bedroom suite for their daughter in the upstairs of their 5,000 square foot home.
Sarah’s playroom, bedroom, and her castle were designed by her parent’s when they built their dream home in 1996. Shari and Arthur had been working in their family business for a while before they had Sarah. After Sarah was born Shari took Sarah to work with her at their insurance business until she got a little older. Entertaining a child was difficult to do in a work environment so she decided to set up an office at home to accommodate Sarah’s needs.
The design ofShari’s office allowed her to co-exist with her daughter’s busy life style. She even had a loft built up into the ceiling which allowed Sarah to climb up there and play with her friends while mommy worked. Now that Sarah is older she has her own little computer station and loves to play games on the internet while her mom is busy servicing their clients.
“My favorite place in the whole house is my bed, Sarah said.”
She is referring to the large canopy bed in her room. But the best part of her room is the delightful castle/playhouse that her parents had built to utilize unused attic and closet space in Sarah’s room.
“We made something out of nothing and it became a neat little spot where you can go and snuggle up or read a book and have a tea party,”Shari said.
Upon entering the second floor of this spacious 2,500 square foot suite you are drawn in by the beautiful hand-painted mural of a cottage. It’s similar to a Mary Englebriet theme, but it was painted by Oklahoma muralist, Kimberly Morgan. Morgan also painted scriptures on the walls and the façade of the castle.
“You are a gift from God was on the birth announcements that we sent out when Sarah was born. This is just one of the scriptures that we had Kimberly paint on the walls in Sarah’s bedroom,” said Shari.
The upstairs layout includes a large office for Shari, two large bedrooms, two baths and an exercise/TV room for their son Arthur, who is 18 years-old. Arthur is Shari’s stepson and he visits on a regular basis. He shares his passion for the Cowboys with his father who is an OSU graduate. This room is currently in the process of being painted orange and black…maybe, it’s still being debated.
When designing the spaceSharialso had help from designer, Gina Moore. Gina made most of the drapes throughout the house while Shari tackled the wall paper in the bathrooms, although she admits, it was bit time consuming.
The interior of Sarah’s castle has plenty of room for overnight guests with a built in daybed and bookcases. She also has a large collection of costumes for dress-up and tea time. Just above the daybed is a life-like window with a light that resembles sunlight coming in.
When Shari and Jeff designed the space for Sarah they had function, beauty, and fantasy in mind. They paid attention to every detail in her room and made sure she was comfortable. The comfort zone that the Clymer’s designed for Sarah encourages her creativity to soar and allows her to spend lots of quality time with mom.
Now go out and create your own unique comfort zone!
Photo Credit: Mi-Ling Stone Poole
Photos 1 – Along with her castle playroom, Sarah’s bedroom furniture includes two large club chairs, a canopy bed and a writing table that has a view outside to the pool.
Photo 2 – Sarah’s castle is complete with a built-in bed, book shelves and a table and chairs for tea parties