We were delighted to introduce you to Nicole Worth and family a few months back. You made it known that you were just as delighted to view their son’s incredible modern nursery. And like us, you thought, “Hmmm? Do I dare copy this look? Is it really difficult?” So without further adieu, Nicole shares with us her mural making secrets and you don’t have to be a graphic designer after all…

Melisa at Project Nursery asked me to write a how-to on creating our alphabet mural for a nursery, and I am happy to oblige!  Being that my husband and I went to art school during the days when hand-lettering was a class, we decided to create a mural that not only reflected our son’s crib bedding but also let us take a step back-in-time and put our hand-lettering skills to the test.  Although we built our mural using alphabet letters, any design can be created to get the same effect.

Here’s how we did it:

We started the process by figuring out which colors worked best for our design.  Knowing we wanted to use a color that went with the Dwell Studio Bedding we chose, we decided on blue.  Using BEHR paint from Home Depot, we chose three shades of blue:  the base color- which covered all the walls- is Cumberland Fog and the other two colors-Little Dipper and Silver Strand-are a lighter hue and a darker hue of this same blue shade.

After painting our wall with the base color we started creating the design for our mural.  Being graphic designers, we decided to use Adobe Illustrator to layout our design. Knowing we were going to use two different color values, we designed the mural to have an overlapping effect for interest and depth.

Once completed, we then printed out the design and used this printout as the stencil for the wall.  Using a projector in the room, we projected the printout on the wall and proceeded to outline the design very lightly with a colored pencil.  Luckily enough my husband has an amazingly steady hand so he was able to handle all the large straight lines without a straight-edge.

Once the design was transferred to the wall, the real fun begins.  Using varying size paintbrushes, the design was then outlined in paint. Since we used two different shades, the light color was put down first so that the dark could overlap it.  After the light shade was all outlined, we used a small paint roller to fill in the color.  Waiting till the light color was dry, we then proceeded to outline and fill in the remaining letters with our darker color.

All in all it’s a simple procedure used in creating the mural.  A steady hand with a paint brush was the hardest trick, but the design can truly be translated into anything you want!

Nicole is kind enough to answer any questions and can be contact directly at nicole{at}formcode{dot}com. Stay tuned for more information on the official launch of FormBaby toward the end of this year.  FormBaby will offer one-of-a-kind wall art and designs especially for baby which answers our second most popular question, “Where can I get that monkey wall art?”

Thank you to Nicole and her beautiful family. We look forward to seeing more of your great designs!

Tags: Alphabet, Blue, DIY, Murals, Paint

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

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

Yes, you heard correct. I spent $36 dollars on my nursery chandelier…no joke. And, it’s amazing so I had to share…

Here’s the situation: The remodeling of our bedrooms are nearly complete. It’s crunch time and the electrician was wiring the house.  After scouring amazing sites such as Y Lighting, Circa Lighting, Lighting Universe and Horchow, I was under the gun to choose a lighting fixture for my son’s nursery that would arrive in 2-3 business days.  It was to be a fixture that was contemporary, gender neutral and unique. While I longed for a stunning sparkly chandelier, this was my boy’s room after all (for the time being anyway), and I simply couldn’t go there. I then figured $36 dollars would be a temporary spend until I found the pendant light of my dreams. Here’s when Urban Outfitters‘ 3-D modern non-chandelier, chandelier came into play.

Okay, so a cord kit and “Edison” bulb are additional. But all in all, worth it.  And while I mention this fun find, I will also mention the completion (base board & solid mohagany floors) of my nursery “Modern Baby Blue” that inspired our blog gig! 

Tags: Blue, Chandeliers, Inspire, Lighting, Modern

Proud parents Restoration Hardware just delivered “Baby & Child“. Weighing in at a perfect 10, her features are elegant, clean and classic.

Now you can continue the chic look of your home into the nursery. Just another example of why baby’s nursery doesn’t have to be “themey”. We’ll be linking to Restoration Hardware often of course but in the meanwhile, please take a moment to enjoy their site www.rhbabyandchild.com. It’s quite fabulous!

Here are just a few of the items we heart at Project Nursery…

Tags: Blue, Brown, Cribs, Furniture, Pink

Thank you all for your overwhelming support since our launch! I have received a ton of questions about my mysterious nursery that helped inspire our blog. So here it is, “Modern Baby Blue”…

Hope I didn’t disappoint. It’s not exactly modern but rather an updated look for a powder blue, baby boy theme. The paint is my favorite blue, “Lake Placid” and the white is fool proof, “Decorators White”, from Benjamin Moore. You also can’t beat free shipping from Land of Nod for my son’s crib and dresser. The fluffy lamb skin rug was ordered direct from New Zeland’s Eco Wool, ideal for “tummy time”. (Note: the room isn’t even done just yet. Stay tuned as we are putting hardware floors, pendant lighting, base boards, a shade, etc.)

While it is our mission to inspire you, you have already inspired us to feature a “Project of the Week”. We understand that decorating is very personal. You can’t help but feel proud as a result of all the time and energy you put into your child’s room. Share these rooms, amazing finds and your DYI tips with us. Email us at comments@projectnursery.com and we will feature your space. It’s okay if the room isn’t just perfect yet. Ask us for advice and we’ll post our suggestions or ask our subscribers to respond with comments. We look forward to it!

Tags: Baby Nurseries, Blue, Contemporary, Inspiration, Paint