Modern, Whimsical & Mostly DIY

A Project For: Kenton
Age: 4 months
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Description:
We put together this gender-neutral nursery before our son was born. He was a delivery room surprise and we plan to use this room as a nursery for future children - so we wanted a neutral palette. We gutted everything in the room except the flooring. Our home was a foreclosure - so each room needs a lot of work! It was so much fun to DIY this space for our little one.
Design Inspiration:
First, I was inspired by the chandelier. I bought it for another room in the house, but wound up using a different lighting fixture and saved it. Once we found out we were pregnant, I thought it would be a sweet addition to the nursery - so that's where the white & silver idea came from. As the room was coming together, I realized we needed some pops of color - so we threw in some bright yellow - with the "You Are My Sunshine" piece tying that all together.
Decorating Style:
My husband and I work together on every aspect of our home. We have two very different styles and often have to compromise. He likes things simple and modern - while I like whimsical and eclectic. This room is a good example of how we blend those styles.
Project Details:
I just put together an exhaustive list of where we got/how we did everything in this space (for under $1K!) on our blog: http://ourdreamforeclosure.wordpress.com/2011/09/25/nursery-dreamdget/
Favorite Items:
This nursery has a few special touches...
- The bird painting: My mother is an accomplished artist and we commissioned her to do the bird painting. She'll add more birds to the wire as our family grows.
- The elephant: We found the leather elephant piece for a steal at a local consignment store. We love having one oversized statement piece and can't wait until Kenton is big enough to climb on it!
- The Putter: Dear friends of ours gave us a Ping putter, cut to 21 inches - the length Kenton was at birth - and had his name engraved on the face of the putter. We put it on prominent display and look forward to seeing him talk about it one day during his Golf Channel special after his first U.S. Open win. :)
Advice:
Start early! We really enjoyed slowly "chipping away" at the nursery and not rushing right at the end to get it finished. That allowed the style to evolve into something we really love!

Jean

Wow, you did an amazing job!!!! I loved reading about each part of the process because I am going through the SAME EXACT thing. We are waiting to find out the sex of our baby…due dec 5th ….so decided on a soothing but bright color pallet of light teal, deep yellow (similiar color to yours) grey with white crib…and mixing vintage and modern styles… We scoured craigslist, etsy and online stores as well… sanded furniture hours upon hours…its sooo much work when you wanna try and keep the budget low and it usually ends up working out, but the timing is way more overwhelming!
Youre curtain experience cracked me up. Im still deciding– do i buy them? Or do them myself? Getting all that under 1000!!! Thats amazing..im trying to hit 1500..so we’ll see!! So far so good! I hope our room turns out as successful as yours! Gives me hope! :)
http://www.ourdreamforeclosure.com 480momma

Jean,

Thanks, Jean! Congrats on your almost-here little one. Surprises are the best! :)
http://daniellelarcom.com Danielle

Michelle! Great job to you and Jason!
IngridCalloway

Love the white/silver mix and the touches of bright yellow. It’s really great to see DIY nurseries like yours. They are really inspiring. I also like the idea of the number of birds on the wire increasing as the family grows. Must be so cool to have an artist as a mom.
http://www.ourdreamforeclosure.com 480momma

IngridCalloway,

Thanks, Ingrid! Yes, my mom rocks. Her talent definitely comes in handy around our home. :) I just wish she had passed along that gene! Here’s to hoping Kenton got it!
Angie B

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the grey – and then the stripes and then the beautiful layout – not to mention the pop of color!
YUMMY!
tamara

Hi! i’m from Argentina. i felt completly in love with Kenton’s room. you made a great job! I’m preparing my two little boys’s room and you’re my inspiration. hahaha I going to paint it on turquoise and i’ll use some details with orange,yellow and a little bit of green and brown. I also visited your blog and it’s fantastic!! Kenton is so beautiful!!
http://ourdreamforeclosure.com Michelle

tamara,
Thank you! I hope you have as much fun putting together your boys’ room as I did for my little one!
James

I love the room! Where did you get that amazing bird painting over the changing table???
http://ourdreamforeclosure.com Michelle

James,

My mom did the bird painting for us and will add little baby birds as our family grows. She does commissioned work, if you’re interested – http://melaniefreyart.com/

Thanks!
Michelle
Lauren

Please, please, please tell me where you got the picture frames on the wall? Thank you! LOVE the room!

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Modern, Whimsical & Mostly DIY

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