Cassie is a seasoned blogger, Etsy shop owner, graphic designer and crafter who officially added the title of Mom last week as she and her family welcomed Perry Avery into the world! Cassie’s nesting time was well spent creating a soothing, bird inspired nursery. “For the baby’s room, we decided to keep it understated, clean and modern with a folksy twist. I wanted a room I could personally seek refuge in and not just a character-themed nursery he would outgrow in a couple years…I’d say the room currently reflects my own style and not necessarily that of a baby boy.

The color inspiration came from a quilt Cassie made a few years back and the crib/crib bedding comes from Walmart. Fearing that the notNeutral wall decals wouldn’t properly adhere due to the room’s textured walls, Cassie created her own version with a quart of paint, stencils made out of card stock, and a roll of masking tape. The green paint on the wall is Valspar 6003-3B Martinique Dawn in eggshell and the green used for the mural is Valspar MS245 Spiny Sea Urchin in semi-gloss. For more DIY details, visit Cassie’s sweet blog “Twittering Bird“. Oh, and we must boast that Project Nursery inspired the darling, complimentary handmade bird mobile!

Cassie believes that anyone can easily customize anything with a couple quarts of paint and a few yards of fabric! We wanted a dresser instead of a changing table, so the little guy could use it for years to come. We were on an ikea budget and weren’t quite satisfied with anything we saw until we spied this dresser. It’s solid wood but the colors were anything but exciting, so we figured a few quarts of paint would be the perfect solution. The exact colors of the dresser are: Valspar 5004-9C Beach Sparkle (blue) and Valspar 6010-4 Amazon Silt - both in semi-gloss.“

Just one simple curtain panel provided enough fabric to make two valances. And the best part - The fabric was found on sale at Target for only three dollars! The dresser and shelf are both from Ikea. Some of Cassie’s favorite finds include the Amy Ruppel print (their first purchase once pregnant), the inflatable “Rody“, and the Bla-Bla knit toys.

Best wishes to both Cassie and baby! Thank you for taking the time to share with us. We hope you enjoy many peaceful nights in your beautiful nursery!

Tags: Boy, Gender Neutral, Inspiration, Paint, Wall Art

If this nursery hasn’t inspired you just yet, keep reading. It’s hard not to be impressed by the creativity, love and attention to detail Rebecca has put into creating her son Brandt’s designer digs for less than $1000!

When it comes to designing a blank canvas, Project Nursery often recommends a single jumping off point. Rebecca’s inspiration for baby’s first room was Land of Nod’s contemporary quilted crib bedding, Full Circle. Prints from Yuko Lau found at Allposters.com nicely compliment the bedding and provides a touch of whimsy.  Rebecca explains that her biggest challenge was finding a white crib that wasn’t too feminine or traditional. The discovery of Babi Italia’s Scandi Dropside Crib in chocolate and white from Babies R Us was the ideal find. We just love how Rebecca chose to carry the same look throughout the room with the other pieces.

At 7 months pregnant, Rebecca created the focal wall behind the crib with hip squares of color. “The blocks were created by using 1.75″ painters tape for the grid and are approx 24″x24″. The color palette came directly from the bedding and art. I used Behr paint from Home Depot (3 shades of blue - Euclayptus Leaf, Adriatic Mist, and a medium
shade between the two that was a custom color; 2 shades of green- Dried Palm and Corn Husk and 1 brown- Breakfast Blend”.

Now here’s where Rebecca’s the inner Martha Stewart really kicks in…

“The scalloped paint design above the changing table was created by tracing half of a paper plate and then painting the outline by hand. The dresser came from an old armoire base I had. I added a fresh coat of white paint and brushed nickel hardware. To turn it into a changing table, I purchased the chocolate wood changing top from Pottery Barn Kids. The window panels are made from aqua colored twin sheets; I added the 24″ strip of white fabric and then embellished them with coordinating ribbon. I would have to say that my favorite item would have to be my window panels….only because I made them. I was working as a designer and was surrounded by fabrics that were awesome and about $100/yard or more so to be able to make my own that coordinated so well for about $12.00 per panel, I was really excited!”

Finally, the chair, shelves, picture frames, and paper lanterns are from Ikea and the Star Shaggy Raggy Rugs came from Target!

Bravo Rebecca, you should be really very proud of the cool, contemporary and creative nursery you created. Thanks for giving us the scoop!

Tags: Baby Nurseries, Bedding, Boy, Drapes, Furniture, Inspiration, Paint, Window Treatments

Manhattan based mom-to-be Tamra recently reached out to us via our Share Forum and asked for our help in dreaming up the ideal nursery for her son who is due this fall. We were happy to help out and give Tamra extra kudos for being part of the Project Nursery community.

Although Tamra knew she was having a boy, she wanted to keep the nursery colors soft and neutral just like the paint color she loved, “Breath of Fresh Air” by Benjamin Moore. While life in the Big Apple is full of fast city energy, the nursery needs to be soothing and peaceful. Amen! Tamra had already picked out a few key items and just needed help fine tuning the room. Her picks included crib bedding by Junior Q Collection, featuring sky blue elephants and a geometric pale yellow tile print, and the Amy Coe Westport crib and dresser from Babies R’ Us. With these items in place it was a cinch for us to pull together a stunning inspiration board for you Tamra (if we don’t say so ourselves). We hope you like our additions and just request that you send us photos when the room is complete!

Junior’s Nursery Recs:

1.Deco Pendant Lighting - Design Public
2.Benjamin Moore “Breath of Fresh Air” - Paint*
3. Wallter Circles Wall Application - Design Public
4. Resin Side Table - West Elm
5. Q Collection Junior Celestial Palace - Crib Set*
6. My Pal, The Elephant - Wall Art
7. FLOR Walking on Clouds Collection - Floor Covering/Rug
8. P’kolino Clothes Tree at Sparkability - Storage
9. Amy Coe Westport - Crib & Dresser at Toys R Us*

Tags: Bedding, Blue, Coat Rack, Contemporary, Cribs, Inspiration, Lighting, Wall Art

Julie Blanchard, owner of Lemon Tree Paperie, created a sophisticated and classic nursery for her son Weston that we are pleased to share with our readers. When planning the nursery, Julie was instantly inspired by Serena and Lily’s fabrics and decided on the color scheme of navy, indigo and lime right away. One of Julie’s goals was to keep the colors and fabrics simple and uniform so that she would be able to easily accessorize.  One of our favorite elements in the nursery is the custom paint design featuring little Weston’s initials framed by a crest style border. Very Preppy and cute! Julie says, “The custom paint design saved on buying artwork.” What a brilliant way to give the walls purpose without having to find expensive artwork.

Julie customized the crib bedding by mixing the “Charlie” bumper with the “Blake” sheeting collection, both from Serena and Lily. With some extra fabric, she was able to customize a sweet pillow with Weston’s name for the her Dutailer glider. In addition, Julie used the extra bedding fabric and ribbon to create an adorable wall hanging for over the changing table. Other Details include a Pali crib, and Pottery Barn Kids baskets and liners. The lamp is from Target and the bookshelf is a custom made piece. Julie did an excellent job of mixing and matching pieces to achieve this tailored space she dreamed of for Weston.

Besides being a nursery design maverick, Julie has a passion for fine paper and stationary. After spending many years in the business she decided to open her own online boutique, Lemontreepaperie.com which offers baby announcements, calling cards, personalized stationary, family labels and much more. Through her online boutique, Julie advises clients on a national basis, and is personally involved in each and every order.

We are excited to announce that Julie has offered Project Nursery readers $15 off all orders of $100 or more! Use code NURSERY when placing orders. Offer valid through 9/30/08. With Halloween coming up what a great opportunity to snatch up some amazingly cute cards for the family. Thanks Julie!

Tags: Art, Baby Nurseries, Cribs, Discounts, Green, Inspiration, Monogram, Paint, Preppy

They’ve done it again! More reasons to look on the bright side when dragging yourself into the nursery at three in the morning for that feeding you swore you were going to somehow do away with! Nurseryworks, our favorite makers of ultra stylish furnishings for baby’s first room have just come out with five new amazing pieces. The Empire Rocker, Canterbury Changing Table, Spindle Crib and Harvard and Vale Headboards are the newest designs by the Los Angeles based company. With a focus on providing clean, simple, contemporary pieces for baby’s first environment, these newest pieces remind us why we love this company so much.

The new collection offers classic, full-of-character details such as turned wood spindles, tufting and winged backs yet it’s updated to fit today’s modern style. The Empire Rocker has cozy wings and tufted details, offered in microsuede, twill and velvet with color choices ranging from Ecru to Citrus to Lilac. I am in love with the new Spindle Crib because it is a fresh take on a very old-fashioned design. With an ethos to stay earth friendly while providing fresh modern furnishings, Nurseryworks surely has our hearts.

Tags: Baby Nurseries, Changing table, Cribs, Furniture, Modern, Rocker, Table

Sometimes I get really fascinated by a couples journey to parenthood. It’s so interesting to learn about how they got together, found a place to call home and eventually began their path to having a baby. I look back on my own time before my first baby was born with such fondness. You know you are on the verge of a huge life change and that this tiny person inside is absolutely going to be the best thing that has ever happen. We at Project Nursery are honored to introduce you to New York couple Ariana and Jeff.

They have done an amazing job designing and creating a serene and beautiful nursery for son Jasper. Ariana and Jeff are eagerly awaiting Jasper’s arrival any hour now! Ariana is a jewelry and web designer while Jeff is a toy designer and illustrator. So, it makes perfect sense that these two would create such a special place for their first child.

The couple decided early on they liked the soothing greens and blues of the Orchard Park crib bedding from Walmart. The clean and modern lines of the Baby Mod Park Lane crib works nicely with the lovely pale blue paint they used for the walls. They designed a custom wall mural featuring a wilow tree and darling hanging monkey which is featured on the wall next to the crib. The 8-dresser is from Ikea and the adorable Dwell Studio Zebra rug is from Target. Ariana and Jeff went into nesting overdrive and even picked up Wendy Bellisimo baskets for diaper storage and Ikea Kompliment drawer organizers to neatly store clothes, burpies and blankets. Everything is picture perfect and ready for little Jasper’s arrival. We are sure that they will enjoy many many amazing moments with their new baby in this very special nursery! For more details about this nursery go to Ariana’s blog,  Becoming Mom.

Tags: Baby Nurseries, Inspiration, Modern, Monkey, Tree, Zebra

We were honored when asked to guest blog at A List Baby, a site obsessed with all things exquisite for baby and celebrity child style. The Task: Create a room for Hollywood’s newest A-list twins, Vivienne & Knox Jolie-Pitt. I mean seriously…Out of all the celebrity offspring to choose from, could we have chosen a family with more interests, style, diversity and homes around the globe? Probably not. So that’s why it was great fun to create not one but two inspiration boards:

For complete board details and to read our full post, check out our articles on A List Baby!

Tags: Baby Nurseries, Celebrities, Inspiration

Leave it to two talented art school grads and owners of graphic design studio, Form Code to develop an artistic, modern and soothing nursery for their baby boy! And they make it all seem as easy as 123…

“Our inspiration for the room was the bedding for one- it’s Dwell Alphabet bedding.  We thought it would be a great beginning for the room, we’re both art graduates and back in our day (lol) we had a hand lettering class.  My husband’s best class, mine not so much- so it was kind of a good connection for us to bring that memory back to our son’s room. We used BEHR paint for the room, the colors for the wall are Cumberland Fog, Little Dipper and Silver Strand.  The mural was created on the computer and then projected on the wall- from there we hand painted all of the letters….fun, fun!  Ha!  The monkey on the wall was “Magnus” from egg press- we thought he was so cute, so we replicated him as a painting.”

“The crib and dresser are Babi Italia Scandi style.  I loved the white and espresso color and it went well with the bedding colors.  The bookcase was purchased from West Elm- love their stuff and it’s now loaded with a multitude of knick-knacks. Some of our favorite items in the room would be the Domo doll and the Ugly doll- hopefully they will become his favorite stuffed animals :0)  We wanted a more “furniture”-like rocker for the room so we bought the Wendy Bellissimo rocker in chocolate- nice middle of the road rocker with some style.  We wanted a more modern room, so we were hoping these chosen pieces brought that feeling together.”

Born June 2, we hear baby T. Michael is enjoying the room as much as an 8 week old can. It’s loaded with fun toys, books and clean, contemporary design. The stand out wall graphic just blows us away! This is a mural any kid will be able to appreciate through his teen years. Very cool Worth family and thank you for sharing!!!

Tags: Baby Nurseries, Blue, Letter, Modern, Numbers

Congratulations Project Nursery reader Johanna and her husband Gustaf on welcoming twins Casimir (8 lb / 20.5 Inches) and (Casper 7 lb 10 oz/ 20.5 inches) into the world this past Friday…WOW! The boys are very fortunate to be coming home to a most spectular nursery!

A “little less baby and a little more fun” was the route style-savvy parents took to create the nursery.  They did a wonderful job mixing family favorites with bright colors to create a room their boys could grow in. Johanna, shares with us all the yummy details…

“As they say double the fun…but also double the stuff! We had to ensure that we had enough storage so we could keep the room nice and tidy. Thus, my husband built the closet out with IKEA PAX. We complemented it with an IKEA HEMNES dresser which was made into a changing table. We also customized the dresser with specialty knobs from ANTHROPOLOGIE to give it a new spin.

We gave the boys each an IKEA BILLY bookcase. Since I collect model Fiat500s, I received these for each boy as gifts. I also bought them one each on our last trip to Rome. Instead of a rocker, we included a small loveseat (also IKEA-EKTORP) so both of us could feed the babies at the same time. The cribs were bought at GIGGLE. They are the OEUF SPARROW. The organic bedding is from GAP, and this is where we decided to incorporate the navy blue.

The paint color is SHERWIN-WILLIAMS, yellow twist (It’s HARMONY INTERIOR with low odor and low VOC, perfect for children’s rooms). We had the painter paint horizontal stripes to make the longest wall look longer, and also break up the yellow throughout the room. We found the rug at WEST ELM. It has a great repetitive pattern that freshens up the entire room.
Curtains and accent pillows are from POTTERY BARN. Both the waste basket and toy basket are from THE LAND OF NOD (Thank you Project Nursery!) including the airplane curtain rod that goes with their “boy” theme of airplanes (their grandfather is also a pilot!).

The frames over the cribs are my husbands from when he was a baby. They are 19th century Swedish Military portraits. We reframed them for a softer look. The mobile was actual a wedding gift to us that we decided to put in the boys room. The vintage airplanes are subtle and don’t have that plasticy look that many baby toys now have.”

So very fresh, fun and fascinating! We love absolutely everything about the twins “Lemon Twist Nursery”! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. We wish you and newest members of your family all best!

Tags: Baby Nurseries, Gender Neutral, Ikea, Inspiration, Twins, Yellow

If I were to Google “small baby nursery”, maybe a 10×12 room will show up. Homeowners, designers and parents will then describe how they struggled to make it work. Whatever. Sometimes new moms and dads just don’t have the space…like a room with a closet, a room with a window or a whole other room for that matter. I know from experience and this is why the baby closet from Small Space, Big Style is so very endearing.

It’s true when they say that the baby doesn’t need a lot of “stuff” during the first few months. So when you don’t have the space, don’t fret, you can make it work. Keep it clean, keep it simple and keep it modern. If you find yourself in this predicament, then look to the STOKKE SLEEPI for the best crib solution. While you may be hesitant because it’s nontraditional, set on casters and oval shaped, this cool kid bed will last from birth to age 7 and through hopefully roomier living situations ahead!

Tags: Baby Nurseries, Closets, Cribs, Inspiration