- A Project For: Logan
- Age: 3 months
- Location: North Carolina
-
Description:
Modern, whimsical nursery for a bouncing baby boy.
-
Design Inspiration:
The inspiration for this project started with the nursery bedding by Alli Taylor. Circle Time in Blue caught my attention immediately because of the bright colors and modern style. Colors I really liked for a nursery (apple green/teal) are where I began and luckily for me that combination is in style right now.
I chose a neutral color for the walls so it could play "supporting cast" for the wall art I found. I'm not normally drawn to pastel colors and that rang true for this room as well. I wanted the versatility of a neutral color on the wall, so as our son grows and tastes change, we can modify the decor simply without having to repaint every few years.
Over the next few months, other design elements began to take shape. I knew I wanted a mural on the wall and after months of searching I settled on a whimsical tree. I modified a photo I found online to my liking in photoshop and gave it to a talented family artist who painted it for us.
The leaves on the mural inspired the leaf canopy over the crib, the turtle and frog book ends were inspired by the Joo Joo Baby wall panels, and before long a "pond & forest friends" theme began to take shape.
Daddy is a fireman so we had to incorporate a little fire here and there.
-
Decorating Style:
Modern Comfort - Clean lines, warm woods and textured fabrics accenting leather furniture and brushed metal decor. You can most likely find me shopping (or drooling) over ZGallerie, Room & Board and West Elm catalogs.
-
Project Details:
Essentially, I thought about what functions would be taking place in the nursery (sleeping, changing diapers, rocking) and then determined how to each space in the room to perform those functions. For example, I knew we would need a dresser and changing table, but didn't have room for both (so we put the changing pad on the top of the dresser and mounted shelf above (high enough not to bang your head) to hold wipes & lotions we would need for changing diapers. Getting him dressed and changing his diaper all take place in the same area so I never have to leave him unattended to get what I need.
The lamp on the side table and the glass containers on the dresser were easy do it yourself projects for a pregnant lady. Nothing more than ribbon I bought at a craft store and a little paint.The lamp shade was originally plain white and I wrapped invidiual ribbon pieces around it and glued them with fabric glue. I painted the base white with leftover trim paint. The glass containers (holding q-tips & cotton balls) I got at HomeGoods in the kitchen section. I wrapped matching ribbon around them.
Paint - Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter
Crib & Dresser - Bonavita Peyton series
Crib Bedding - Alli Taylor Circle Time Blue
Knobs for Dresser - www.etsy.com SweetMixCreations
Leaf Canopy - LOVA bed canopyby Ikea
Glider - Little Castle Monaco
Wall Panels - Joo Joo Baby
Artwork - Olli & Lime - George Wall Art Numbers
-
Favorite Items:
Joo Joo Baby Wall Panels - I love the fun, modern feel. The company was fantastic about customizing the panels with specific colors so the firetruck panels would match the rest of the nursery.
Little Castle Monaco Glider - Definitely our biggest splurge but worth every penny. The chair swivels, glides and reclines so far back that my husband can lay flat and sleep with the baby. We have already spent countless hours in that chair and plan to use it for years to come. It's currently in the master bedroom until we have finished nursing.
-
Advice:
Start by finding items that you love (crib bedding, for example) and build your design around it. We kept things affordable by splurging on what we considered important for the long term (glider, furniture) and buying accessories & lamps at HomeGoods & Ikea.
I never know where I'm going to end up with a design (at least in my own house). That's part of what's so fun about designing rooms. I take an idea and run with it and as I'm out shopping or flipping through magazines, accessories speak to me, paint calls my name, and angels start singing when I see a piece of furniture I can't live without. Never a dull moment!
