In the Nursery with Stephanie Thill

This is our interview series in which we bring you the nurseries and kid rooms of successful designers, entrepreneurs and moms. Through this series, our featured guests will divulge some of their design secrets and share stories of how their nurseries came to be.

Pottery Barn. Those two words are sure to make any design enthusiast smile. Meet Stephanie Thill, the Director of Merchandising Furniture at Pottery Barn Kids, which just happens to be our favorite division of the brand. Stephanie is a mom of three who is passionate about family, interior design and spending time outdoors. Always ready to learn and grow, we love Stephanie’s zest for life and eye for style. Today she shares her youngest child and only daughter Remi’s traditional pink and white nursery, highlighting some Pottery Barn Kids favorites for us, of course!

What a beautiful and cohesive design you’ve achieved in Remi’s room. Where did you start?

Your two older children, Preston and Hayden, are boys. Beyond the obvious reasons, how is Remi’s room different than theirs?

I wanted to achieve a magical, clean space for my first daughter. With two rambunctious older brothers in the house, I knew she would need her own sanctuary. My favorite thing about her nursery is how good I feel when I walk into the room—it feels soothing and calm. There is very little clutter, and it’s the type of room that, for some reason, I find easy to keep organized and clean.

What was your planning process? I’m sure all the incredible options at Pottery Barn Kids helped!

My favorite part of the design process was pinning all of my ideas—fabric swatches, inspiration images, etc.—onto a linen pin board. I kept this pin board in the room and often gazed at it while I was nursing Remi. I would sit there and analyze what made sense as combinations and often came up with new ideas. When I made each decision, it always felt right and the room came together seamlessly. For a long time after it was complete, I didn’t hang anything on the walls. I took my time choosing the artwork and accents since hanging things would mean creating holes in the wallpaper and there was no going back!

The Circle Blossom Mirror from Pottery Barn Kids added a fun, playful level of sophistication to the room that I love. A good friend from work helped me with that idea. We sell the white mirror online and had a sample of the gold at work. We tried it in Remi’s nursery, and after seeing how much we liked it, we decided we will add it to our Fall 2014 collection.

What are some of the other Pottery Barn Kids items you chose for this room?

The Larkin Changing Table and the Wingback Rocker in Belgian Linen Natural Flax—I combined these with pieces I liked from other sources, including some flea market finds!

Do you know of a fantastic nursery or big kid’s room designed by a successful designer or business owner? Please send a photo of the room to Adrienne@ProjectNursery.com for consideration.